mrfahaji

Just from the highlights I’m encouraged by the nature of many of or attacks. Getting behind the defence and to the byline, pulling balls back across the face of goal. Of course in the PL it’s going to be harder to do it, but have always thought we should be aiming more for that style - for too long we had wingers on their “opposite” flank whose chief instruction was cut inside and keep possession.

Fitness and mentality were obviously part of the issue last season, but when you're winning the other team naturally throw caution to the wind towards the end of the game which tends to put our defence under pressure (especially when our midfield has run out of puff). Our defenders, particularly our centre backs, aren't very good, so they struggle to restrict chances or not make mistakes when they are put under that level of scrutiny. I'm sure the fitness and organisation improves and hopefully that makes a big difference (e.g. the midfield will be more effective at protecting the defence for longer), but don't think it's the full story.

As far as I know, he wasn't actually. There was rumours about Newcastle but nothing to it. Doesn't mean it couldn't happen this time. From what I understand Austin would prefer a move closer to home (Birmingham max) but at the end of the day - to use a classic footballer's phrase - it will, unsurprisingly, come down to money.

Not sure about the second half wording but the name/song pairing is actually pretty good! Could almost imagine it being sung simply as "Djenepo, Djenepo again" on repeat...

Agree, although he has been injured for most of it. You can be as condescending as you like about my comment, but I was making a point to the previous poster who said he hadn't seen anything "to suggest he could dominate a match". They might not have been the best opposition but it still takes something to be that level above everyone else on the pitch, which he was. I don't recall many individual stand out performances like it, in fact. I don't have a problem with people thinking he's not worth perservering with, or that he doesn't have the attitude to cut it at us or at any level, but to claim that he doesn't have ability or that he has never played exceptionally well just isn't true, hence my reply.

You obviously didn't watch Crystal Palace away or West Brom away then because that's exactly what he did in those matches. When a player is capable of that level I am always disappointed to see them move on, knowing that they will probably produce it more often somewhere else (like Mane did, even though he was good more often than Lemina has been). That being said, if we get a decent fee (i.e. not £15m, he is much better than Targett...), have identified a quality centre back and a decent CM (i.e. good enough to be in rotation or back up) to spend the money on, Hasenhuttl doesn't see Lemina in his plans and Lemina doesn't want to be here, then it makes sense to sell him.

Agree with all of this. Personally I like to see Yoshida in the starting XI because he is the only CB with any hint of pace, but last season I saw Bednarek and Yoshida have a number of excellent games.

Yep. The only thing I'd say is that we might have more players suited to Hasenhuttl's preferred style. Hard to see how we're going to transform into a world beating side, but in the same way that some managers fill their sides with cloggers and win via set pieces, perhaps it will make a big difference playing a certain way with a team full of pace (admittedly there is some way to go before this is a team 'full' of pace, ha).

Agree with most of it but surely this is inconsistent? Boufal also hasn't had a RH pre-season. I don't mind Armstrong but there are certainly some big question marks over him in the same way as there are Boufal (though more a question of ability rather than attitude). To claim Boufal (like Lemina) is a player with a poor attitude, or one of a few players that might fetch some much-needed money is a fair assessment, but to write him off as a player who is "clearly not up to it" is clearly just your opinion, as quite a few people on here think that he might (emphasis on 'might') be.

Oh ok. It did cross my mind seeing as it was a family and Havant link. Posted in good faith though as thought it might be interesting.

Reading a book at the moment and just got to a chapter which mentions JWP. Apparently when he was in the academy he spent time at Havant & Waterlooville and was helped/coached by Mason Mount’s dad, who is a family friend. JWP is now (or at least was when the book was written) something of a personal mentor to Mason Mount as something of a return favour. There’s no link to him or anything, and I’m not suggesting him as a target, but just thought it might be interesting to know in the event that he were to leave and look for a club of our stature - might be a genuine reason why he would consider us over others.

Lol, bit extreme

No reason especially, you could swap him for one of the other two. I put Vestergaard and Yoshida together because they are the two opposites - one big guy, one quick guy - whereas Bednarek is more of an all rounder. By the same token you could argue that JWP should be in one of the midfield spots. I wasn't advocating that that SHOULD be our first XI, it was more an assessment of strength in depth.

Exactly. I know that we could use £8m to put towards another player that we need, but if you think he has potential to play a decent role next season it'd be mad to sell at that price - how much do decent attackers cost? Elyounoussi, Boufal and Djenepo have all been over £15m so that's what we could expect to spend again. Last season we were lamenting our options, so all it'd take is for Djenepo to pick up an injury and we're in the same position again.

Not there, clearly. If Hasenhuttl thinks JWP should be playing, then that's great. But I think it's a positive that we have a few interchangeable players, none of whom are obvious weaknesses, especially in midfield. If you take verlaine's 4-3-3, with backups in brackets Gunn (McCarthy) Valery (Ramsay?) Vestergaard (Bednarek) Yoshida (Bednarek/Stephens) Bertrand (Vokins) Romeu (Hojbjerg?) Hojbjerg (JWP) Lemina (JWP) Redmond (Boufal) Djenepo (Boufal/Armstrong/Sims) Adams (Ings) It doesn't look too bad. Big issue for me is obviously centre backs - in that neither of our first choices are great, and that Stephens is not good enough even to be a back up. Then there are a few questions about quality in reserve - mainly at full back and defensive midfield. I'm also not sure Valery is yet at the level across his whole game, but appreciate that he needs the chance to develop and has shown promise of becoming a really good player.

If I recall correctly he was good in his first season - didn't score many but showed some of his ability in that time. Then in his second season he struggled and everyone wrote him off. I'd add Jo Tessem to the list, he looked pretty rubbish at first. But in fairness Dave Jones was playing him right back.

Yep. This is a guy who played under Bielsa and Allegri (I think?) and then was taking instructions (or not?) from Pellegrino and Hughes. You'd probably feel a bit demotivated too. That being said, if he doesn't get his act together under Hasenhuttl and we could fetch decent money for him then maybe it is better for him to go, but I'm not hoping for us to get rid of a talented player like some seem to be.

That sums him up really...

Thanks - was searching everywhere online but didn't realise there was a hint on here already! Bit of a joke that there are so many A*/A matches - almost two thirds! But because of that I'll probably end up having to get the OS+, would be annoying if the only matches I was able to attend happened to be Category A matches and therefore couldn't get the discount.

Does anyone know if the match categories have been released? Trying to work out whether to get the normal or OS+. Not fussed on 'A' games normally, but now there are A* games as well, a bit worried some of the games I might want to go to might now be categorised as A.

In a couple of years how much would a promotion-chasing Championship team be willing to spend on a young player who is a proven goalscorer at that level, even if they didn't make the step up in the Premier League? I'd say still a decent chunk - maybe £10m? - so for that reason alone I think it's worth the risk and good business. It's great having a definite style of play which requires a specific sort of player, means we can be a bit more focused in the market and there is more of a sense of strategy again.

Bolton in purple if I recall? Bergsson & Taggart at the back for them?

Almost certainly because think this way they will get more money from it.

Hmmmm was about to post how cheeky it was to have increased prices AGAIN, especially as there's now another level meaning £30 isn't even the next best thing after a ST. But £5 off individual games is pretty good (especially because I tend to only attend B & C fixtures anyway) - not sure if there is a limit on this but even 2 matches will earn a saving on previous years, so maybe I will get it again. Just hope when it comes to it there isn't a catch about the discount, e.g. you can only use it once or there's only actually 3 matches that qualify as B or C...

Yep. We have made lots of bad recruitment decisions over the past few years, but a lot can at least be filed under "right intentions" - in fact probably at the time I was excited or mildly optimistic about many of them because they at least seemed to be the right sort of players, even if in the end they weren't good enough. The Carrillo and Forster ones dumbfounded me from the moment I heard about them.