david in sweden

Some of you aren't looking at this from the same perspective. Many 18 year olds only get into the first team dressing room in order to take care of a senior player's kit. Dibling has been a talent from a young age, but coming from U18/U21 level to begin playing Prem. football is a huge step. Tyler shows up well when he has the ball at his feet, but is scarcely a big asset in the sense he can link up, or tackle back as many others in the team must do. He still has a lot to learn in terms of being a " team player." A lot depends on his attitude to the future. He has ambition... but his previous short sojourn with Chelsea soon lost its glamour when he had to adjust to life in another part of the country, and found himself in competition with dozens of other talents in his age group. Back with Saints, he has developed well, and been fortunate that several other Academy hopefuls are already out-on-loan with lower league clubs and so there is little competition from anyone else in our U21 set-up. Much of this " so-called interest " from top-end clubs may well be agent-provocation / media inspired, and seemingly no-one has put in any sort of offer yet ..or ? Various" fees" mentioned are down to journalists own " guesstimates", but only an interested club would come up with " exact figures". If Dibling can play out the remainder of this season with the same enthusiasm, there may well be clubs making serious approaches but his value may dwindle if he is still with us after the summer and we are playing at a lower level. Its a Catch 22 situation for sure. 1)...Playing Championship-level football may make him look better, but (2) reduce the level of fee we might expect in an eventual sale as the lifespan of his present contract - is growing shorter every month. The big question is.... Do we stick, or twist ?

(JWP) ..if he was " bang average"... how come there aren't more players with 16, 15 or 14 free-kicks still around trailing after him?. David Moyes knew JWP capabilities when he bought him, but they already had a couple of regular players taking free kicks. Prowsey's performances at WHam weren't bad at all. He scored half-dozen times and gave good assists and scored direct from a corner in one game at the end of last season. After Moyes was sacked, their new manager didn't see a place in his plans, and now Prowsey is on loan at Forest (who seem to be doing alright) and so it's no surprise that he has difficulty in getting a starting place. Forest are doing amazingly well considering their struggles after getting back up, so why use a loan player if your own are DAJF you? IMO.... JWP always looked good going forward in an attacking role for us, but after Romeu left , JWP was forced into that defensive MF role which " physically-speaking" isn't ideal for someone 10 stone and 5'8" but his possession and distribution were the best in the club. Every player can perform well - if played favourably in his best position, but giving someone a shirt number and expecting them to perform - just because they get 20 minutes at the back end of a game - isn't always a good indication as to their real quality. Managers who have to put subs. on ...because their plan A isn't working, shouldn't be seen as a condemnation of those thrown on in desperation who don't win the game for you. It's the manager's can to carry, that's why we finally sacked Russell Martin. I noted that Juric was very keen on keeping Les U.... because he can see a role for him in his planning ... not so RM ..who ignored him.

and not for the last time either. Although his enormous height may have looked impressive, he was useless with ball control (or lack of it ) on the ground. Vestergaard made more appearances than Hoedt ..(ouch) , but was little better as CB.

It's hard to understand why Moyes hasn't found another club yet ? Perhaps he's the wrong generation for these " youth-driven " top-end clubs. As for Potter ..I still think he is somewhat over-rated. YES, he did well over here in Sweden back in the day when he took a fourth tier club, upto the top league and then into Europe, but (unlike most Swedish clubs)... they had a millionaire owner who wasn't afraid to spend. Sadly... he went bankrupt.. and the club was demoted in the leagues sometime after Potter had left. Potter DAJF Swansea (!) but who couldn't (even Russell Martin did OK there), then he went to Brighton at a time when they needed a boost. HIs move to Chelsea was ..a bridge too far .. (no intentional pun), but his stay was underwhelming, and now he's living off his million compensation. Is there a top-end Championship club ready to sack their manager? ..maybe not, and any club going for promotion would have spent big by now. We know to our cost that any club stepping up will need to spend several hundred millions to stand a chance of surviving even one season.

All things considered, Moyes might easily return to WHam, after all he did win them their first trophy in half-a-lifetime. I'm sure he'd bring Prowsey back from the wilderness of the Nottingham's bench.

NOT SAINTS, OF COURSE... but noted that Plymouth have sacked Rooney, yet another example of expecting a player / legend to duplicate his own career success when he goes into management - and fails miserably. Not the first of the recent crop, as both Lampard and Gerrard have had disappointing (albeit profitable sojourns) with lesser teams and yet still couldn't cut it. Some players achieve success because they play - to someone else's instructions - and very few are " born-coaches " with the talent to help others succeed. Guardiola and Mourinho had careers they could boast about, whilst Wenger and Klopp never played the game ( except at a lower level ) in their home countries, yet they knew how to coach winning sides. Last count there were only TWO Prem. clubs with British managers and although Gareth Southgate seemingly "earned" his knighthood as the " unsuccessful manager " of the national side, he wouldn't have earned many accolades from his time on in the North East. As for Saints, it may take time for Juric to discover the shortcomings of the squad he has inherited, but his own modest career has taught him something positive and if we must go down fighting, at least he has a brand of football that can raise a cheer, instead of the defensive nightmares from the likes of Puel and Martin, to whom defence was the priority and goals something that occasionally came " by chance".

....at least until the weekend...(sad)

Polite reply Sue Whistle ....not quite correct (mathematically-speaking), but in the last 10 games of Russell Martin's reign we managed to get double figs. for shots - on only two occasions - and that in a season when we have more strikers on the books than ever before (?) ..we have seldom scored less. In comparison, ( in those same matches ) our opponents had a minimum of 16 shots (on average), and in several cases... more than 20. The more adventurous style we saw v. W. Ham was entertaining to watch, with 18 shots ...(pity about the result.)

Even so ...Dibling didn't look that fresh at the end. Mentally tired / stressed ? We have lacked a good finisher in the final third ever since Danny Ings left the club. Dibling. Great to watch Agreed, but in 12 starts and half a dozen sub. apps. he's still only scored once. Can't disagree with the goal drought comment, but Dibling was not a big goal scorer even at Academy level, but he does look impressive going forward. I think we've been awaiting that " someone " for several years past. We have until the end of January to see if Onuachu can really deliver, regardless of which we still need a few more established talents who know how to finish properly if we are to stand any chance of survival.

Think you are sounding .. a bit over-critical of Dibling there (Chez). Agree it was a good chance, and he might have done better, but tired legs in the 80th-odd minute wasn't the best timing, as he had worked his socks off during the match, and looked really tired, so that comparing him to Salah - in the same sentence - is perhaps a tad unfair. Dibling is still only 18, and has barely a dozen Prem. starts and to be fair, his goal-scoring record at Academy level was a bit hit-and-miss. It's true to say that his "perfect hattrick " at St. James Park against Newcastle's U21 side gave him big headlines, but he is hardly a big goalscorer. At 16 years old... TD, JJ Morgan and Dom Ballard showed great promise, but Ballard was.. by far...the better striker. (c.30 goals at U18/ U21 level) and only Ballard's long injury spell stopped him from getting the first team place that Dibling now occupies. As for Salah.. I don't think he was any great shakes at 18 either. Unsure of the facts here, (but I think Salah was a Chelsea reject around that age?) If Dibling lasts out the season, and is still attracting interest he may well move on to a " big club" , but he is still developing and likely - in time - he may well descend to their U21 level that his age demands, and history shows that some of our youngsters who moved of late, have struggled badly after their big money moves ..(Lavia, Livramento ) and several others who have left us seeking greener pastures, have found it a struggle. (Kammie Doyle's moved to Brighton failed and he is presently on Exeter's bench, and JJ Morgan's move to Chelsea has left him in the wilderness). I agree with much of your post, but at 30+...Salah's goal-scoring abilities should not be mentioned in the same breath as Dibling's youthful talents.

you'd ask the same... if you had the problem we have Turkish......

It seems pretty obvious now, but how can you have a CF like Onuachu ....and NOT play him ?

or, to whom?

well it's humble start, but ONE point so far at least.

you mean those who we enjoy reading ?, or those who show no respect ? Sssh, I'm sure we all have our own list in both categories.

Oh Trousers. Sorry if... "the spacing".. is troubling you . I'm not overly fond of underlining which (to me ) looks/feels like a shout, or an order. I like to think of it / them as a breath, or pause for thought instead. I was amused to read a while ago, that some well-known recipients of the Nobel Prize for Literature mistreated the English language and use of grammar to an extreme, but it was the content of their work that was most interesting - irrespective of misuse. Occasionally I get a comment from an angry Grammarian, but at least my spelling is reasonably acceptable. b.t.w. I quite enjoy many of your posts, compared to some others who show less respect.

Some managers are good, others may have been " lucky" in their career, but the real test of any coach is ... Are these players good enough to play in the league they are in . ..or did they reach their peak after last season? It is hard to criticise Russell Martin after last season's promotion. He had " lost " most of the experienced players we used to have, and he achieved a minor miracle with a squad that included 6 loan players and a handful of untried, but talented youngsters. In the end , we finished 4th, and had the satisfaction of having beaten 3rd place Leeds .. THREE times (including the Wembley victory). Sadly the promotion was " a league too far " away for that squad and the much-debated " Russball" only delayed the inevitable decline of a squad who are simply....not good enough. Now Ivan Juric will have to use his experience to encourage a squad that has achieved little of consequence so far. Whether he will go into the dressing room with a box of Kleenex, or start throwing boots around, or order double-training remains to be seen, but our survival will be an uphill task, however you look at it. IF.. he achieves another " Great Escape" the effort will be more than just a minor miracle...given our position now.

all-out attack and long ball in the second half, and " Russball" came to good use when we were attacking and not time-wasting. I bet McCarthy enjoyed pumping a long balls upfield instead of giving suicide passes to his defenders. Arm-lock on Fernandes was a clear foul in front of goal, but with no VAR in this competition , we got sc*ewed again.

streams anyone please ?

RM did well last season, despite having lost; JWP and Tella at the start, but soldiered on with a squad that included 5 loan players. Those 20+ unbeaten games have seemingly passed unnoticed by many, and the neutrals who thought that Leeds were cheated out of the third promotion place might want to recall that we did actually beat Leeds THREE times last season. Dedicated to his " Russball" tactics, which might have worked better with an experienced squad, he didn't have the quality subs. necessary for Prem. level and having lost; Stu. A, Carlos Alvarez and Che Adams he watched his tactics falter ..and didn't have a Plan B. A bit too much of a "Mr. Nice Guy" who loved them all like a father, but maybe should have thrown a few boots around the dressing room, instead of praising those who weren't up to the task. You can't wait to "train" players up in the Prem. - they need to be ready from Day 1. Young talents like Dibling and Fernandes showed up from the very start and they look better than some others in the club who already have hundreds of games to their credit. Too many players were played out of their best position, although too often it was through necessity. If he eventually gets back into the game (after a winter on a beach somewhere), he may well continue with his possession-style tactics, but it's unlikely to work at the highest level, unless he has a Board willing to spend " big money" on a more competent squad who can succeed with it.

We are all disappointed, but who is the "we"?. If it's thousands of fans, they will simply stop going to matches in protest, and maybe go and support Bournemouth ? NO ! SR has invested a lot of money since their takeover, (not to mention Dragan's £100+ million) and so the likelihood of "getting rid" of them seems most unlikely. I mean... would you invest in a club with both feet in the drop zone, and then throw in another fortune to buy even more players ? Even RM recognises that things aren't going well, but; sub-standard performances, injuries, suspensions, form-loss, a lack of fire-power, and dodgy VAR decisions have all contributed to our situation in a team that has yet to play unchanged for two matches in succession. We just need to grin and bear it and hope for a quick turnaround in results.

We now accept that Russell Martin's job is fairly secure... for the foreseeable future ... Er... NO, I'm not on the wrong thread, but if Tottenham lose this one, it will be the Spurs manager who will be first out of the door on Monday morning. Tottenham have always regarded Saints as a source of talent for players (and managers); Bale, Wanyama. Höjbjerg ...and of course their sojourn with Pochettino in charge, yet they still seem to regard us as a second-class part of the Prem. scene. YES there is a disparity between our ambitions. Financial restraints mean they can spend hundreds of millions and think they have some Divine Right to a C.L. place every year, whereas most of the rest of us are glad to survive , although that will be a very tough ask this season, given our terrible start. If Tyler Dibling puts on a show today, Daniel Levy will come in with some sort of deplorable offer, and then suggest..." he'll be doing us a favour." , or perhaps offer a few mill. for KWP in January who is OOC in the summer. ( I for one would be glad to fly over and tell him where he can stick his offer ).

Aside from the idea that signing good young talents from " someone else's " Academy is a good investment, some may fail to see that when you take a "young body" out of a successful Prem. U21 side, (where tackling is almost forbidden) they quickly find the rigourous demands of fitness and consistency are beyond the normal requirements of a Prem. starter. Bazunu and THB can be considered " good deals " but others have fallen by the wayside and lost their value to the club. At the risk of opening old wounds, we can look back to an early name, namely Broja. A bright entity in Chelsea's youth side, he certainly made a difference to our front line and got himself 7 or 8 goals ..(?) at Christmas, by which time opposition defences had got his number and left their mark on him. By January, he was struggling with various fitness issues, and was almost AWOL in some games in the Spring. After returning to Chelsea, he continued to suffer injuries that kept him out of the reckoning for them. Even our own talents, like Nathan Tella showed some good form - in between longer spells of injuries - but the scenario was similar. Fast forward and " the next batch " brought in the likes of ABK, and Salisu who didn't fare any better and their form didn't improve even after prolonged breaks for injury. The somewhat-fortunate signing of Lavia (and his goal v. Chelsea) were thankfully enough to generate a good deal with Chelsea - for whom the fee of £ 50 million was about par for the course with them at the time. Vectis Saint has already mentioned Larios (in a post above), but it's clear that incoming talents need time to adapt to formation changes (like Russball) alongside the challenge of upgrading themselves physically and mentally to the level of the toughest League in the World. Fernandes and Dibling has shown up well so far, but we must hope that they can last the pace until May before making any judgements.

Playing " Russball "- if you are Barcelona or Real - and play on a flat pitch on a dry day looks very good, but not with a sub-standard Prem. squad... in a raging storm, or in torrential rain is a recipe for disaster. Those players still here from last season were " just about good enough " for the Championship (last season) but many lack the necessary qualties required at the highest level. It seems fairly certain that RM will still be around after the New Year and even longer, (unless we become even worse ..is that possible?). We will surely pick up a few more points sooner or later , but the manager(s) who are most likely to get the sack ...are those whose team fail to beat a side that has already lost around a dozen games and are already rock bottom in the drop zone. The sight of fans from " one of the big clubs " committing hari-kari at the Chapel End after their multi- million pound side fails to take home all three points (VAR permitting) might be a sight to recall, and their manager can surely expect the axe when he returns back home.

OK let me guess, Saints strikers need a GPS to find their way to goal ?...