Ryan Bertrand

[Saint_clark]

11 minutes ago, LiberalCommunist said:

I'm fully behind the club on this one. May well have produced for another season with us, but if that needed another longish contract, then we have made the right decision. 

Brave. And correct. Bookmark if required. 

Completely agree. He may well find a new lease of life somewhere else playing bits and pieces and a different kind of role but it's irrefutable that he's struggled and declined with us since Ralph has been here and probably a little bit before that.

[Sideways Jim]

3 hours ago, SuperSAINT said:

Justin is a right-back isn't he?

So they've got Ricardo Pereira & Castagne competing at right-back. (+ Justin when he returns).

Fuchs is leaving - So they've got Luke Thomas & a new signing to compete at left-back.

Pretty good options compared to us, currently!

 

Justin can play both sides, Pereira/Castagne at right-back Justin/Thomas/Bertrand at left back unless one of the others will leave them

[egg]

11 hours ago, SuperSAINT said:

Justin is a right-back isn't he?

So they've got Ricardo Pereira & Castagne competing at right-back. (+ Justin when he returns).

Fuchs is leaving - So they've got Luke Thomas & a new signing to compete at left-back.

Pretty good options compared to us, currently!

 

I expect he'll replace Fuchs as back up and play him left of a 3 when needed. They struggled for experience when Evans was out. I can't see them playing him left wing back, although he'd do a job at LB if needed. 

[SuperSAINT]

 

[skintsaint]

nice potential 3 year contract for him, wouldn't have got that here.

[TWar]

13 minutes ago, SuperSAINT said:

 

Good move for him, will get a fair few minutes with their injuries and the fact they are in a bunch of cups, plus a long contract. Should be good for them too as he is a perfectly serviceable back up for a top side and is home grown.

[Lighthouse]

Sensible move for all parties, good luck to him.

[Saint Garrett]

Great move for him and Leicester, will be an asset for them. Will be strange seeing him playing for someone else.

[Dusic]

Ricardo Pereira, Timothy Castagne, James Justin, Ryan Bertrand.

Proper cover and quality in the full back positions.

Leicester are the best team for recruitment in the PL IMO. No real talk, just effective action at sensible prices, usually with huge sell on potential.

[alehouseboys]

Excellent move for him at this stage of his career, thought it would be someone more like Palace.

Good luck to him, great service at SFC, will receive a good reception if he makes the Leicester side against Saints.

[igsey]

Can't begrudge him that at all, great move on a long contract and Leicester fans will love him.

[davefizzy14]

Great move for Ryan to Leicester. Wish him all the best and look forward to welcoming him back when we play them at home

[Millbrook Saint]

2 year deal at Leicester?  So when Ryan was refusing to sign his new contract as we only offered a 2 year deal he was lying, would have had more respect for the bloke if he'd just said he wanted to explore his options once he became a free agent

[Lighthouse]

Just now, Millbrook Saint said:

So when Ryan was refusing to sign his new contract as we only offered a 2 year deal he was lying

When did he say that?

[Saint Mikey]

32 minutes ago, davefizzy14 said:

Great move for Ryan to Leicester. Wish him all the best and look forward to welcoming him back when we play them at home

I won't. I hope he scores an OG and gets sent off all inside 20 mins.

[Millbrook Saint]

4 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

When did he say that?

pretty sure throughout the season there were reports coming out saying the only sticking point was the length of contract we wanted 2, he wanted more?

[Roo1976]

5 hours ago, skintsaint said:

nice potential 3 year contract for him, wouldn't have got that here.

Didnt get that here.

[ChrisPY]

54 minutes ago, Millbrook Saint said:

2 year deal at Leicester?  So when Ryan was refusing to sign his new contract as we only offered a 2 year deal he was lying, would have had more respect for the bloke if he'd just said he wanted to explore his options once he became a free agent

Not sure he was lying if that’s what he’s said.

Very different to accept a 2 year deal at a club who based on recent seasons, would expect you to play 90mins each week and could potentially be relegated in those 2 seasons leaving you in a position where you’re feeling burnout and less attractive as a Championship player to get a contract extension or move to a new club compared to 2 years with what Leicester expect of him.

[Saint86]

"Not good enough" for some saints fans - signs a 3 year deal (effectively) with a champions league team. 🤣

Edited 1 July, 2021 by Saint86

[Chapel End]

Good luck to him, he was a great player for us and will be great for them too

[East Kent Saint]

Will he get playing time ? Who is he replacing ?

[LiberalCommunist]

Looking forward to revisiting this thread in December. 

Again, happy we didn't give him the deal he wanted. 

[Badger]

On 12/05/2021 at 18:18, Badger said:

I suspect Leicester. Has a connection with Rodgers, and if they're in the CL next season it will give opportunity for game time.

 

 

On 28/05/2021 at 14:15, Badger said:

 

If it does happen can I claim an ITK point ? Possibly the first one of summer.

Can I claim my ITK point now ?

[Matthew Le God]

3 minutes ago, Badger said:

 

Can I claim my ITK point now ?

Educated guesses occurring doesn't prove someone was ITK.

[Badger]

3 hours ago, Millbrook Saint said:

2 year deal at Leicester?  So when Ryan was refusing to sign his new contract as we only offered a 2 year deal he was lying, would have had more respect for the bloke if he'd just said he wanted to explore his options once he became a free agent

Will only play occasionally at Leicester in EL or postCL match, and League Cup whereas he'd be expected be a regular mainstay for us.  

[Badger]

1 minute ago, Matthew Le God said:

Educated guesses occurring doesn't prove someone was ITK.

Don't worry MLG, it was taking the piss...

[Lighthouse]

4 hours ago, Saint86 said:

"Not good enough" for some saints fans - signs a 3 year deal (effectively) with a champions league team. 🤣

He’s been substandard at Saints for a while now, is clearly only going to Leicester to provide cover, has signed a 2 year deal with an option and Leicester aren’t a champions league team.

Apart from that, spot on.

[Saint Garrett]

 

8 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

He’s been substandard at Saints for a while now, is clearly only going to Leicester to provide cover, has signed a 2 year deal with an option and Leicester aren’t a champions league team.

Apart from that, spot on.

He definitely hasn’t been “substandard”

[Saint Billy]

To be fair he hasn't been the player he once was. 

 

[Saint86]

11 hours ago, Lighthouse said:

He’s been substandard at Saints for a while now, is clearly only going to Leicester to provide cover, has signed a 2 year deal with an option and Leicester aren’t a champions league team.

Apart from that, spot on.

I hadn't realised Leicester missed champions league. Brilliant 😆

But yes, a top 5 team in europe wanting Bertrand 100% invalidates my point 🙄

[Snopper]

Good luck to him.  He did us well for a long period of time.

[LuckyNumber7]

27 minutes ago, Saint86 said:

I hadn't realised Leicester missed champions league. Brilliant 😆

But yes, a top 5 team in europe wanting Bertrand 100% invalidates my point 🙄

He's fine as a backup, which is what he'll be at Leicester, but he has been in decline for a few years now and we needed better as our starting left back. Hopefully that's what we've got in Perraud.  I'd have been happy to keep him as a squad option but he obviously felt he needed a change.

One of those rare occasions when a move is best for all parties. He was a good servant for us and I wish him well, but not against us obviously!

[TWar]

16 hours ago, Saint86 said:

"Not good enough" for some saints fans - signs a 3 year deal (effectively) with a champions league team. 🤣

Bertrand was in an awkward position where he wasn't quite good enough to start for us but was too good to sit on our bench. He had the choice between dropping down to a lower club and starting (Watford, Norwich, Bournemouth, Fulham) or stepping up to a higher club and being a squad/cup option (Leicester, Arsenal, Spurs, Everton).

He chose the latter and it was a good move all round. There is no contradiction in that he wasn't good enough to start for us but was good enough for Leicesters bench as we should be targeting players as starters who are better than Leicester squad players. I'd be gutted if we our best XI started Morgan, Choudhury, and Amartey too.

Edited 2 July, 2021 by TWar

[Wurzel]

11 hours ago, Saint Garrett said:

 

He definitely hasn’t been “substandard”

Agree and disagree. I think even now he's still at the standard required to be a EPL quality full/wing back and would get in any side below top 6 playing a system that suits him (and will probably be featuring heavily for Leicester). He's maybe substandard by his own standards in that he may appear to be not quite as good as he was acouple of years ago. But I'd put that down to the (lack of) cover he receives from our left midfield in the system we play more than any reduction in fitness and skill.

I think in 12 months time we'll be wondering how we ever let him go.

[Lighthouse]

34 minutes ago, Saint86 said:

I hadn't realised Leicester missed champions league. Brilliant 😆

But yes, a top 5 team in europe wanting Bertrand 100% invalidates my point 🙄

Lambert signed for Liverpool when he was past his best with us. Richard Wright signed for Man City. Sometimes it’s just the right move for the right player at the right time. If you watched Bertrand last season and thought, ‘yes, I want to see more of that in the future’ then fair enough. If you’re just going with the ‘he signed for a club above us in the table, therefore Saints fans are stupid’ logic, then you’re wrong.

[SFC Forever]

for some to say he wasn't good enough for us is harsh. He may not have been as effective for us as he was but he was still better than average and thye best that we had. Again we bought him when he was a squad player for Chelsea, We have tried to bring in other squad players and failed because there were better options seemingly available.

[Ex Lion Tamer]

I've said it before - I don't think Bertrand could play Ralph's system anymore as it requires a lot of running at full back, but he may well do a good job for Leicester 

[VectisSaint]

1 hour ago, Wurzel said:

 

I think in 12 months time we'll be wondering how we ever let him go.

We didn't 'let him go'. We offered him a new contract but he declined, he never really signed up fully to Ralph's system. If Ralph had gone I suspect Bertie would have signed on, but when you don't like the system and are finding it tougher with age, losing some of your pace you have to make a decision. He was very complimentary to the Club, but notably made no mention of Ralph. He'll suit the Leicester system better and he goes back a long way with Brendan. As long as Perraud is as good as he is being touted it should actually be a step up for us with someone who fully buys into the system and has age and agility on his side. What we may have lost is a future coach because that's where I see Bertie going in 2-3 years. 

[Roo1976]

2 minutes ago, Ex Lion Tamer said:

I've said it before - I don't think Bertrand could play Ralph's system anymore as it requires a lot of running at full back, but he may well do a good job for Leicester 

Good point, maybe thats why we never saw that many crosses from the left...............i could be wrong, but frustrated the hell out of me.

[Saint86]

40 minutes ago, SFC Forever said:

for some to say he wasn't good enough for us is harsh. He may not have been as effective for us as he was but he was still better than average and thye best that we had. Again we bought him when he was a squad player for Chelsea, We have tried to bring in other squad players and failed because there were better options seemingly available.

Yeah exactly. Those fans have misjudged him imo - as proven by him signing for a superior squad. 

Do i think Perraud will be an upgrade for us, hopefully yes.

Edited 2 July, 2021 by Saint86

[Behind Enemy Lines]

26 minutes ago, VectisSaint said:

We didn't 'let him go'. We offered him a new contract but he declined, he never really signed up fully to Ralph's system. If Ralph had gone I suspect Bertie would have signed on, but when you don't like the system and are finding it tougher with age, losing some of your pace you have to make a decision. He was very complimentary to the Club, but notably made no mention of Ralph. He'll suit the Leicester system better and he goes back a long way with Brendan. As long as Perraud is as good as he is being touted it should actually be a step up for us with someone who fully buys into the system and has age and agility on his side. What we may have lost is a future coach because that's where I see Bertie going in 2-3 years. 

He could still come back as a coach for us in a few years. He’ll probably have more allegiance to us than any other club. I would be happy to see him back. 

[Lighthouse]

3 minutes ago, Behind Enemy Lines said:

He could still come back as a coach for us in a few years. He’ll probably have more allegiance to us than any other club. I would be happy to see him back. 

Personally I think that's a terrible reason to bring someone back. All just comfortable, jobs for the boys, everyone moves upstairs thinking. To me it would just be a rather alarming indicator that we put very little effort into researching the coaches we appoint, which I hope is not true.

[Behind Enemy Lines]

1 minute ago, Lighthouse said:

Personally I think that's a terrible reason to bring someone back. All just comfortable, jobs for the boys, everyone moves upstairs thinking. To me it would just be a rather alarming indicator that we put very little effort into researching the coaches we appoint, which I hope is not true.

I didn’t say that was the reason to bring him back as I agree, appointing staff for just that reason is just wrong.
 

But if he looks like a good coach, then that might be a factor for him to return here. 

[Ex Lion Tamer]

38 minutes ago, Roo1976 said:

Good point, maybe thats why we never saw that many crosses from the left...............i could be wrong, but frustrated the hell out of me.

I'm definitely hoping for more attacking play from our new man. Bertie is still a good player though

[SuperSAINT]

 

[Chez]

Our lack of depth at full back remains an issue. Shame we could not have had both Ryan and Perraud. We would have had a nice mix of experience and youth. Can't force Ryan to sign a contract and right now Leicester are a far more attractive proposition. I wish him well, but hope he is shite against us. 

[Weston Super Saint]

34 minutes ago, SuperSAINT said:

 

What happened to his nose? X marks the spot?

[Neef]

A shame we let him go, but good luck to him. 

Think many misjudged Ralph's tactical tweak (KWP pushing high and Bertrand shifting across into a back 3) as an indicator that he no longer has it. Hope he does well. 

Having experienced players who know the culture and ideals of the club is key for a squad and a club as a whole. When we let the likes of Bertrand, Fonte etc. go, we lose more than just their ability - you lose experience on and off the field. 

[Saint Garrett]

Quality player and a shame for us, but will be a good signing for Leicester.

Agree maybe he isn’t the best fit anymore for the way we play, but a lot riding on his replacement…

[Lighthouse]

https://www.foxestalk.co.uk/topic/127373-worst-player-to-wear-the-shirt-in-the-prem-era/

 

Nominated for an 'award'.