James Ward-Prowse

[The Cat]

If you want to use whoscored stats as a guide then Ward Prowse averages 6.67 per game and is 160th best Premier League player whereas Phillips rates 6.51 and is 210th in the list.

McCarthy is Saints best player this season according to those stats. 

This either goes to show people don't know what they are talking about or the stats are a load of nonsense but I'm not getting involved in that debate!

[TWar]

39 minutes ago, The Cat said:

If you want to use whoscored stats as a guide then Ward Prowse averages 6.67 per game and is 160th best Premier League player whereas Phillips rates 6.51 and is 210th in the list.

McCarthy is Saints best player this season according to those stats. 

This either goes to show people don't know what they are talking about or the stats are a load of nonsense but I'm not getting involved in that debate!

I suspect it shows poor sample size. How did the three compare last season? 

Also it depends on how they weight the stats to get that overall number. Not all attributes are equally important so sometimes these websites will overweight things, goalkeepers who face a lot of shots often do better than those who correctly marshal a defence and claim balls before they have to save the effort, for example. 

EDIT: to answer my own question, jwp was 37th best in the league (players overall, not just mids), Phillips was 52nd, Mccarthy was a long way down. About what you'd expect. Romeu is our second best played and 66th over all in the league, Vestergaard was our 3rd and is 80th. I don't use who scored but these rankings do seem sensible. Top 5 in the league are Kane, De Bruyne, Grealish, Bruno and Soucek.

Edited 6 October, 2021 by TWar

[SaintSteve]

There’s only one stat of any use in football - goals scored. Everything else is just nerd food.

[John Boy Saint]

I want to know when this Michelin Starred Chef computer game is coming out?

 

 

🤪

[TWar]

18 minutes ago, SaintSteve said:

There’s only one stat of any use in football - goals scored. Everything else is just nerd food.

Goals don't come out of nowhere, if you wanna understand why a team is not scoring or is conceding too many then it's worth looking further. If not and you feel " we need to score more and concede less" is the sum of your analysis for understanding the game then you can do that by all means.

Reminds me of that classic Michael Owen bit of commentary "if they can keep a clean sheet and nick a goal they'll stand a good chance here".

Edited 6 October, 2021 by TWar

[Saint86]

18 hours ago, egg said:

Try watching them both play

Phillips has a better range of passing in open play, better movement, quicker speed of releasing the ball, better tackling, better aerial ability, he's faster, he reads the game better. Pretty much everything is better bar his dead ball delivery. 

I like JWP, but let's not kid ourselves he's the better player of the two, and making an assessment on one game is laughable. 

I actually think a fair amount of those differences stem from the mangers' styles of play, and also the quality and confidence of the teams in general. He's come into his own under Hassenhuttle and was our best player for much of last season - sadly that combines with one of the weakest saints teams in recent history.

A lot of people give JWP significant flack on this forum, but he actually has merits when compared to Rice and Philips. Those 2 are far more defensive than JWP, and for Southgate that is ultimately what dooms him because Southgate wants to play 7 defenders, 1 target man, and 2 pacey wingers. The players than JWP will be competing for are for a more conventional CM spot, and thats basically Henderson and Bellingham.

JWP is a very competent player who does a lot of ugly work for saints. He is exceptional for dead ball delivery, stamina, and fitness. He's also a fantastic little wind up merchant who also keeps his cool and has a very good disciplinary record - recent red card aside. But generally speaking, those are actually all important attributes for tournament football - and being arguably the best free kick taker in European domestic football really is a valid skill to lay claim to in a knock out tournament - it wins you games or stops you losing.

Given his overall ability, i think that with another manager (who doesn't pick a squad composing of majority defenders/defensive midfielders) he'd probably have gone to the euros - A tournament that was noticeable for its lack of quality dead ball specialists. He also unlikely to have bottled his penalty in the same way the others did. And say what you will, England score goals from dead balls - just take the world cup where i think it was our main attacking threat?

Obviously its football and we're all going to have different views. But i'll wrap up and say he should have been included in place of one of the 4 right backs this summer 🤷‍♂️

On the Rice and Philips comparisons - The saints player that occupies their role is Romeu, not JWP.

Edited 6 October, 2021 by Saint86

[TWar]

28 minutes ago, Saint86 said:

I actually think a fair amount of those differences stem from the mangers' styles of play, and also the quality and confidence of the teams in general. He's come into his own under Hassenhuttle and was our best player for much of last season - sadly that combines with one of the weakest saints teams in recent history.

A lot of people give JWP significant flack on this forum, but he actually has merits when compared to Rice and Philips. Those 2 are far more defensive than JWP, and for Southgate that is ultimately what dooms him because Southgate wants to play 7 defenders, 1 target man, and 2 pacey wingers. The players than JWP will be competing for are for a more conventional CM spot, and thats basically Henderson and Bellingham.

JWP is a very competent player who does a lot of ugly work for saints. He is exceptional for dead ball delivery, stamina, and fitness. He's also a fantastic little wind up merchant who also keeps his cool and has a very good disciplinary record - recent red card aside. But generally speaking, those are actually all important attributes for tournament football - and being arguably the best free kick taker in European domestic football really is a valid skill to lay claim to in a knock out tournament - it wins you games or stops you losing.

Given his overall ability, i think that with another manager (who doesn't pick a squad composing of majority defenders/defensive midfielders) he'd probably have gone to the euros - A tournament that was noticeable for its lack of quality dead ball specialists. He also unlikely to have bottled his penalty in the same way the others did.

 

Great points here. I think it is also worthy of note that JWP was in the squad allegedly until Maguire got injured. At this point Southgate felt it made more sense to bring players more used to the 343 with two defensive midfielders and extra CB's. JWP was doing well as one of our two 8's sat in front of Rice but Southgate clearly liked him less in the two.

Southgate then did play a 433 against Croatia and Scotland and simply played Phillips out of position leading to us not having much forward momentum and struggling to score goals (albeit Phillips did set up a goal against Croatia but that was one of our very few chances that game). He then converted it to a 4231 with much more aggressive fullbacks and that worked really well.

Edited 6 October, 2021 by TWar

[benjii]

4 hours ago, Turkish said:

Not at all, i know plenty of young kids who are good at football, smart and play computer games. 

Sounds a bit dodgy, mate.

[egg]

1 hour ago, Saint86 said:

I actually think a fair amount of those differences stem from the mangers' styles of play, and also the quality and confidence of the teams in general. He's come into his own under Hassenhuttle and was our best player for much of last season - sadly that combines with one of the weakest saints teams in recent history.

A lot of people give JWP significant flack on this forum, but he actually has merits when compared to Rice and Philips. Those 2 are far more defensive than JWP, and for Southgate that is ultimately what dooms him because Southgate wants to play 7 defenders, 1 target man, and 2 pacey wingers. The players than JWP will be competing for are for a more conventional CM spot, and thats basically Henderson and Bellingham.

JWP is a very competent player who does a lot of ugly work for saints. He is exceptional for dead ball delivery, stamina, and fitness. He's also a fantastic little wind up merchant who also keeps his cool and has a very good disciplinary record - recent red card aside. But generally speaking, those are actually all important attributes for tournament football - and being arguably the best free kick taker in European domestic football really is a valid skill to lay claim to in a knock out tournament - it wins you games or stops you losing.

Given his overall ability, i think that with another manager (who doesn't pick a squad composing of majority defenders/defensive midfielders) he'd probably have gone to the euros - A tournament that was noticeable for its lack of quality dead ball specialists. He also unlikely to have bottled his penalty in the same way the others did. And say what you will, England score goals from dead balls - just take the world cup where i think it was our main attacking threat?

Obviously its football and we're all going to have different views. But i'll wrap up and say he should have been included in place of one of the 4 right backs this summer 🤷‍♂️

On the Rice and Philips comparisons - The saints player that occupies their role is Romeu, not JWP.

Cheers, nice response. As you say, we see it differently but other than touch and turn, the one fundamental that separates a good player from a very good player, is the speed of mind and how quickly they move the ball on. JWP takes far too long for a top level player. Systems or managers don't determine that, it's raw ability. 

He's a decent player though, and his stamina and fitness are undeniable - on that front few can touch him. For me though, I don't see him as international class, and I understand why Southgate preferred to pack his squad with full backs than take him, and why others are picked ahead of him. 

Where we definitely agree is that his dead ball delivery is superb, and that he wouldn't have bottled a pen at the Euros...but you've got to be good enough to be on the pitch to be able to take one! 

[Saint86]

1 minute ago, egg said:

but you've got to be good enough to be on the pitch to be able to take one! 

Not under southgate in a major final you don't 😆

[egg]

3 minutes ago, Saint86 said:

Not under southgate in a major final you don't 😆

Ha!! It's a fair cop! 

[VectisSaint]

7 hours ago, Charlie Wayman said:

This is probably his last chance with England and he needs to seize the moment. It's not at all easy to break into the squad at the moment, they have become a formidable team and certainly amongst the best in the world if not quite world beaters. He needs to show Southgate his very best attributes and try to make a compelling case for his inclusion in the final squad for next summer. If he misses out this time chances are his time has come and gone.

This must not be an unimaginative plodding performance punctuated by arm raising, silly fouls and wasted opportunities. He must be creative and fashion chances that help the likes of Grealish, Sterling & Kane do the business at the top end.

We should all wish him well. It's now or never James and your future as an international player rests entirely in your own hands and head. Remember you are not there for your so-called 'dead-ball skills'. Get out there and do us proud!

 

What makes you think he will play. He has brought in to the squad as a replacement, think there is a good chance Southgate won't actually give him any match time, or maybe just a second half sub. I thought before his recall that his chance had already gone, just knowing the way Southgate works, once discarded that's it usually. 

[S-Clarke]

6 hours ago, TWar said:

He wasn't great in the euros. The commentators bummed him but he had basically no creativity and that really cost us. JWP would have been better.

Don't agree with you there at all. He did a sterling job in the middle alongside Rice in many of the games.

Didn't look out of place against the likes of Germany or Italy really.

I guess if you looked at his stats his forward passes would be low, but you can't just focus on the stats - what's in front of you, combined with the stats, will provide the clear picture.

[nta786]

4 hours ago, TWar said:

Indeed indeed! I hope it does, I hope more sleep soon. She is our first so all very new! A little off topic, sorry mods!

Congratulations!! 

[Minsk]

4 hours ago, TWar said:

Thanks very much, I won't. The stuff I post has always had a few detractors, some to be fair to them are genuinely clever people with good reasons to dispute and are pretty polite and well meaning with how they put themselves across, some are not.

I am arguing back more than I used to but that's mainly as I am grumpier than I used to be. Due to personal situations (all happy!) sleep is a little more scarce!

I would like to echo St Jonny's sentiments.

As I've said before, I agree with much of what you post and do enjoy reading them, even when I disagree. I've also been arguing back a bit recently. Not because I've been looking for an argument (as I've been accused of a few times) but simply because I became fed up with the same usual suspects' tactic of merely trying to belittle people, and abusing them, for daring to have a different point of view to their own. It's almost as if they lack the intellect to actually debate anything using facts. Therefore, they can only revert to calling people names (seen two of them refer to posters with different views to their own as 'freaks' in the last 2 pages of this thread alone) or to just to say 'my opinion is right and yours is wrong because...'  '...I know more than you'/'...I've seen more than you'/'...I've played a better level than you'/etc, (without having any idea of what the other knows, has seen, has done, etc. Sad individuals. Fortunately, as you say, there are also other posters who one can have a good debate with (as well as a couple who float in between, but they usually only become the aggressive type when they have been proved wrong and can't accept it).

Congratulations on your new arrival by the way. Daughters are fantastic. I have 4 of them. Youngest is 17 and still my baby girl.

[Minsk]

2 hours ago, Saint86 said:

I actually think a fair amount of those differences stem from the mangers' styles of play, and also the quality and confidence of the teams in general. He's come into his own under Hassenhuttle and was our best player for much of last season - sadly that combines with one of the weakest saints teams in recent history.

A lot of people give JWP significant flack on this forum, but he actually has merits when compared to Rice and Philips. Those 2 are far more defensive than JWP, and for Southgate that is ultimately what dooms him because Southgate wants to play 7 defenders, 1 target man, and 2 pacey wingers. The players than JWP will be competing for are for a more conventional CM spot, and thats basically Henderson and Bellingham.

JWP is a very competent player who does a lot of ugly work for saints. He is exceptional for dead ball delivery, stamina, and fitness. He's also a fantastic little wind up merchant who also keeps his cool and has a very good disciplinary record - recent red card aside. But generally speaking, those are actually all important attributes for tournament football - and being arguably the best free kick taker in European domestic football really is a valid skill to lay claim to in a knock out tournament - it wins you games or stops you losing.

Given his overall ability, i think that with another manager (who doesn't pick a squad composing of majority defenders/defensive midfielders) he'd probably have gone to the euros - A tournament that was noticeable for its lack of quality dead ball specialists. He also unlikely to have bottled his penalty in the same way the others did. And say what you will, England score goals from dead balls - just take the world cup where i think it was our main attacking threat?

Obviously its football and we're all going to have different views. But i'll wrap up and say he should have been included in place of one of the 4 right backs this summer 🤷‍♂️

On the Rice and Philips comparisons - The saints player that occupies their role is Romeu, not JWP.

Good post, with some very valid points. 

[egg]

4 hours ago, TWar said:

Indeed indeed! I hope it does, I hope more sleep soon. She is our first so all very new! A little off topic, sorry mods!

Didn't notice this as I was skimming past all the nonsense. Congratulations, a lack of sleep is more than made up for by the good stuff. 

[The Left Back]

My view, for what it's worth, is that there isn't much between Phillips and JWP in terms of quality, they just have different assets.  Before the Euros the jury was out on both for England and plenty of my (non-Saints) mates would have picked JWP over Phillips.  Southgate ended up choosing Phillips and was vindicated by what I though was a pretty impressive tournament (am I right in thinking the England Fans Club voted him their player of the tournament?).  I think JWP was very unlucky not to have made the squad given his performances over the last two years, the fact that Henderson was a waste of a place and the weird need for so many fullbacks. 

I don't think either JWP or Phillips are premium international midfielders but if Carlton Palmer, Dennis Wise  and Geoff Thomas can win caps then they are at least adequate for the job Southgate needs.  They are both technically accomplished, with great engines and appear willing/able to do the job their managers ask for. JWP has stand out deadball technique (though not yet this season) and Phillips is more mobile/dynamic.  I'd rather have JWP in a Saints team than Phillips, but would be happy to have both.  There was an article on Phllips in the Sunday Times this week and he seems a thoroughly decent young man too, which I personally like to see.

As to the evolution of this thread, I find it a bit sad that people aren't able to listen/read as well as they talk/write.  The desperate need to be right to the point of righteous gets in the way in my view.  And the name calling of fellow Saints fans doesn't sit well with me.  On the other hand  it does make for entertaining reading, in a sort of car-crash way.

[egg]

43 minutes ago, Minsk said:

I would like to echo St Jonny's sentiments.

As I've said before, I agree with much of what you post and do enjoy reading them, even when I disagree. I've also been arguing back a bit recently. Not because I've been looking for an argument (as I've been accused of a few times) but simply because I became fed up with the same usual suspects' tactic of merely trying to belittle people, and abusing them, for daring to have a different point of view to their own. It's almost as if they lack the intellect to actually debate anything using facts. Therefore, they can only revert to calling people names (seen two of them refer to posters with different views to their own as 'freaks' in the last 2 pages of this thread alone) or to just to say 'my opinion is right and yours is wrong because...'  '...I know more than you'/'...I've seen more than you'/'...I've played a better level than you'/etc, (without having any idea of what the other knows, has seen, has done, etc. Sad individuals. Fortunately, as you say, there are also other posters who one can have a good debate with (as well as a couple who float in between, but they usually only become the aggressive type when they have been proved wrong and can't accept it).

Congratulations on your new arrival by the way. Daughters are fantastic. I have 4 of them. Youngest is 17 and still my baby girl.

I won't get into a wider discussion, but the issue in this thread and on others is the belief by a few that stats somehow trump what people see on a football pitch, and like it or not, knowledge of the game is pertinent to that. Sure, stats tell part of the story, but an insistence on judging a player on stats alone, isn't helpful to meaningful discussion. 

Edited 6 October, 2021 by egg

[Nemi]

6 hours ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

He’s our very own Mark Noble, good club man, solid pro, but not good enough for England. The fact there’s a debate whether he’s our best player, shows how fucking poor we are. He’s got to be the worst “best” player I’ve seen us field in the top flight, by a country mile (45 years and counting) 

Can’t see why this is very controversial and tbh there’s no shame on being on the level of Mark Noble, he’s a solid player Premier League player - very few will make it to that level. 
 

But if you wanna be a comfortable PL you can’t have someone like JWP (or Mark Noble) being classed as one of the best players cause that highlights that the quality is lacking in other areas. 
 

You can see how much West Ham have improved with players like Noble playing more of a peripheral role.

 

And clearly that showed in our more successful years between 2014-16; JWP was a squad player rather than first name on the team-sheet.

[LuckyNumber7]

I like JWP but really both he and Phillips are pretty bog standard PL midfielders and I don't think there's a lot between them. Phillips did ok at the Euros but imo has been massively overhyped by the media and his speciality seems to be short sideways passes.  One of the main problems for England at the Euros was a lack of creativity in midfield.

It says more about England's lack of talent in midfield that they are in and around the team imo. Both good solid players but no more than that.

[Minsk]

13 minutes ago, The Left Back said:

My view, for what it's worth, is that there isn't much between Phillips and JWP in terms of quality, they just have different assets.  Before the Euros the jury was out on both for England and plenty of my (non-Saints) mates would have picked JWP over Phillips.  Southgate ended up choosing Phillips and was vindicated by what I though was a pretty impressive tournament (am I right in thinking the England Fans Club voted him their player of the tournament?).  I think JWP was very unlucky not to have made the squad given his performances over the last two years, the fact that Henderson was a waste of a place and the weird need for so many fullbacks. 

I don't think either JWP or Phillips are premium international midfielders but if Carlton Palmer, Dennis Wise  and Geoff Thomas can win caps then they are at least adequate for the job Southgate needs.  They are both technically accomplished, with great engines and appear willing/able to do the job their managers ask for. JWP has stand out deadball technique (though not yet this season) and Phillips is more mobile/dynamic.  I'd rather have JWP in a Saints team than Phillips, but would be happy to have both.  There was an article on Phllips in the Sunday Times this week and he seems a thoroughly decent young man too, which I personally like to see.

As to the evolution of this thread, I find it a bit sad that people aren't able to listen/read as well as they talk/write.  The desperate need to be right to the point of righteous gets in the way in my view.  And the name calling of fellow Saints fans doesn't sit well with me.  On the other hand  it does make for entertaining reading, in a sort of car-crash way.

Another very good post, which I find myself agreeing with the majority of.

I too think JWP should have been included at the expense of Henderson; or should definitely have been the TAA replacement (although understand why White was picked given the Maguire injury). Henderson did stuff all during the finals and was even a waste of a sub in the final itself. Subbed on and subbed off again before the penalties, because Southgate knows how bad he is at taking them. Had that been Prowse, that would have been one more penalty we would have scored (based on how he has taken the last 2) with an option of A.N.Other more able than one of those who missed.

[Minsk]

19 minutes ago, egg said:

I won't get into a wider discussion, but the issue in this thread and on others is the belief by a few that stats somehow trump what people see on a football pitch, and like it or not, knowledge of the game is pertinent to that. Sure, stats tell part of the story, but an unwillingness to acknowledge that judging a player on stats alone, isn't helpful to meaningful discussion. 

I can't say I have seen anyone saying that stats are the be all and end all. Of course they need to be taken in some sort of context, but they do also give valuable information (that's why the professionals use them and pundits comment on them). I also haven't seen anyone on here say that their opinion is based solely on stats, whilst stating they have no knowledge of the game or watched any of the matches. I have, however, seen those who don't like stats being mentioned accuse those of using them as having no knowledge, or having never played the game, or calling them derogatory names (the latter likely because they saw that type of argument work once in a playground, whether as the bully or the victim - or a mixture thereof). 

P.S. Whilst you do have your moments and sail close to the wind at times, you are not one of those I am referring to. You do, usually, try to debate your point. Which is appreciated, even when I have a completely opposite opinion to your own.

[Billy the Kidd]

40 minutes ago, Nemi said:

Can’t see why this is very controversial and tbh there’s no shame on being on the level of Mark Noble, he’s a solid player Premier League player - very few will make it to that level. 
 

But if you wanna be a comfortable PL you can’t have someone like JWP (or Mark Noble) being classed as one of the best players cause that highlights that the quality is lacking in other areas. 
 

You can see how much West Ham have improved with players like Noble playing more of a peripheral role.

 

And clearly that showed in our more successful years between 2014-16; JWP was a squad player rather than first name on the team-sheet.

I get what you’re saying, but JWP would have been about 20 back then, players do improve with age. 

Now I’m not saying he is a world beater, I think he slows out play down, but I also see the other defensive side he does for our game, which often goes unnoticed. 

[nta786]

Rather than compare JWP to Kalvin Phillips, let's ask this question:

Would the JWP of today be a better starter ahead of Morgan Schneiderlin, Victor Wanyama or even Steven Davis in the 2014-2016 sides?

For me answer is probably no, and not sure where he'd fit in.

Morgan - some of the highest ball winning / interception rates

Wanyama - better at breaking up play than JWP

Davis - we know as the most underrated underrated player, but was a vital cog in linking defence with attack

I know what JWP brings to the table for us, he's a solid mid-table CM with a world-class set piece delivery, and there is absolutely no shame in that. I'm still glad he signed a new contract with us, one of our own and all that, I hope he sees out his career with us. 

Edited 6 October, 2021 by nta786

[Turkish]

3 minutes ago, nta786 said:

Rather than compare JWP to Kalvin Phillips, let's ask this question:

Would the JWP of today be a better starter ahead of Morgan Schneiderlin, Victor Wanyama or even Steven Davis in the 2014-2016 sides?

For me answer is probably no, and not sure where he'd fit in.

Morgan - some of the highest ball winning / interception rates

Wanyama - better at breaking up play than JWP

Davis - we know as the most underrated underrated player, but was a vital cog in linking defence with attack

I know what JWP brings to the table for us, he's a solid mid-table CM with a world-class set piece delivery, and there is absolutely no shame in that. I'm still glad he signed a new contract with us, one of our own and all that, I hope he sees out his career with us. 

Much like the manager perfect for saints. Just about good enough that he’s popular and fans like him, but just shit enough that no one much better than us would want him. 

[igsey]

15 minutes ago, Turkish said:

Much like the manager perfect for saints. Just about good enough that he’s popular and fans like him, but just shit enough that no one much better than us would want him. 

Or rather when they do want him (Villa), we feel completely justified sticking a ridiculous price tag on him.

[saintquin]

 

 

1 hour ago, nta786 said:

Rather than compare JWP to Kalvin Phillips, let's ask this question:

Would the JWP of today be a better starter ahead of Morgan Schneiderlin, Victor Wanyama or even Steven Davis in the 2014-2016 sides?

For me answer is probably no, and not sure where he'd fit in.

Morgan - some of the highest ball winning / interception rates

Wanyama - better at breaking up play than JWP

Davis - we know as the most underrated underrated player, but was a vital cog in linking defence with attack

I know what JWP brings to the table for us, he's a solid mid-table CM with a world-class set piece delivery, and there is absolutely no shame in that. I'm still glad he signed a new contract with us, one of our own and all that, I hope he sees out his career with us. 

Do you think Phillips would be a better starter than those 3? Not for me.

Phillips bores the pants off me and in one game I think he only played 4 or 5 forward passes all match.

As for the argument that if a manager picks a player then he must be better than the rest, Have people seen over the years how many very good/great players who have got very few if any international caps. Steve Bruce springs to mind.

 

[nta786]

38 minutes ago, saintquin said:

Do you think Phillips would be a better starter than those 3? Not for me.

Phillips bores the pants off me and in one game I think he only played 4 or 5 forward passes all match.

As for the argument that if a manager picks a player then he must be better than the rest, Have people seen over the years how many very good/great players who have got very few if any international caps. Steve Bruce springs to mind.

Nope I don't think Phillips would be better than those 3 either.

I rate Phillips, but think in our team he should be compared to Romeu rather than with JWP.

For England, Phillips is better equipped and a better player for the role Southgate wants in his 532 than JWP is. 

I'd prefer JWP over Phillips in the games against Andorra/Bulgaria/San Marino etc etc but my strongest England XI wouldn't contain JWP (nor would it be 5 at the back!) 

[TWar]

4 hours ago, nta786 said:

Congratulations!! 

 

4 hours ago, Minsk said:

Congratulations on your new arrival by the way. Daughters are fantastic. I have 4 of them. Youngest is 17 and still my baby girl.

 

4 hours ago, egg said:

Didn't notice this as I was skimming past all the nonsense. Congratulations, a lack of sleep is more than made up for by the good stuff. 

Thanks all!

[austsaint]

10 hours ago, TWar said:

Indeed indeed! I hope it does, I hope more sleep soon. She is our first so all very new! A little off topic, sorry mods!

Hey, well done TWar.....plenty of time for sleep; you've got a great experience to look forward to - how's your nappy changing technique?  No doubt she will dote on her Dad completely.....until she turns 12 or 13 at which point the peer group takes over and you'll be relegated to dropping her off at the corner and paying for the Nike Air Force Ones!

[Dman]

19 hours ago, TWar said:

Indeed indeed! I hope it does, I hope more sleep soon. She is our first so all very new! A little off topic, sorry mods!

I’m amazed you’ve ever seen a females genitalia. I had you down as a computer game / spreadsheet kinda nerd. 
 

P.S congratulations. 

[Charlie Wayman]

20 hours ago, Saint_Jonny said:

Ah you've had a baby then. Welcome to the club. Mine is 2 now and it does get easier. Well, the sleep part does. The grumpiness / stress, not so much, but there are plenty of good moments to come. If my little one is into football (i'm not going to force it on him) - not sure how I convince him to be a Saints fan; "Are they good Daddy?" 😫

Truly remarkable!

[TWar]

10 hours ago, austsaint said:

Hey, well done TWar.....plenty of time for sleep; you've got a great experience to look forward to - how's your nappy changing technique?  No doubt she will dote on her Dad completely.....until she turns 12 or 13 at which point the peer group takes over and you'll be relegated to dropping her off at the corner and paying for the Nike Air Force Ones!

My nappy changing technique is coming along! I'll enjoy the good times while I have them thanks!

1 hour ago, Dman said:

I’m amazed you’ve ever seen a females genitalia. I had you down as a computer game / spreadsheet kinda nerd. 
 

P.S congratulations. 

I'm what they call the total package, good at stats and very handsome 😉 Not so good at video games though, haven't really been good at one since those old guitar hero games over a decade ago! And even those I got stuck on medium difficulty!

Edited 7 October, 2021 by TWar

[Whitey Grandad]

2 hours ago, TWar said:

My nappy changing technique is coming along! I'll enjoy the good times while I have them thanks!

I'm what they call the total package, good at stats and very handsome 😉 Not so good at video games though, haven't really been good at one since those old guitar hero games over a decade ago! And even those I got stuck on medium difficulty!

Congratulations. It's important to have children so that they can look after you in your old age. And so that you can have someone to go with you to the football.

[egg]

4 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said:

Congratulations. It's important to have children so that they can look after you in your old age. And so that you can have someone to go with you to the football.

Absolutely. My girls came with me even at a young age, reserve team games especially. They enjoyed the unhealthy snacks, and I enjoyed telling them that the teams swapped shirts (rather than ends) at half time so that they both wore both colours. Bright girls, but both believed me until our reserves played crystal palace reserves and the physical attributes of the players rumbled me. 

[TWar]

7 minutes ago, egg said:

Bright girls, but both believed me until our reserves played crystal palace reserves and the physical attributes of the players rumbled me. 

Haha that's brilliant!

[Charlie Wayman]

4 hours ago, Whitey Grandad said:

Congratulations. It's important to have children so that they can look after you in your old age. And so that you can have someone to go with you to the football.

It hasn't worked for me. I'm still looking after them! Still, helps to keep you feeling young.

[Totton Saint]

On 06/10/2021 at 21:50, saintquin said:

 

 

Do you think Phillips would be a better starter than those 3? Not for me.

Phillips bores the pants off me and in one game I think he only played 4 or 5 forward passes all match.

As for the argument that if a manager picks a player then he must be better than the rest, Have people seen over the years how many very good/great players who have got very few if any international caps. Steve Bruce springs to mind.

 

And Le Tiss

[rooney]

3 hours ago, Totton Saint said:

Southgate must prefer feminine hairstyles to masculine ones.

 

[whelk]

Are we ok with letting Newcastle buy him for £90m?

[Suhari]

34 minutes ago, whelk said:

Are we ok with letting Newcastle buy him for £90m?

Did we miss him today? Or did we see a dynamic, forward thinking midfield display?

Keen to see how we do in the next couple of matches.

 

[Jeremy Corbyn]

17 hours ago, whelk said:

Are we ok with letting Newcastle buy him for £90m?

Should be on the phone encouraging it as their statement of intent.

[Roo1976]

On 16/10/2021 at 21:55, whelk said:

Are we ok with letting Newcastle buy him for £90m?

Too fucking right.

 

[DT]

On 16/10/2021 at 21:55, whelk said:

Are we ok with letting Newcastle buy him for £90m?

Has that figure been quoted? If so I'd bite their arm off for it. Just like they do apparently.

[skintsaint]

90m would be mental money....even 60m is for JWP.

[CAH61]

Let's be honest, nobody would offer £90m for James but £50-£60m would be interesting and I suspect that the club would take the money if he decided to go and I would be ok with that as long as we had time to reinvest the funds into the team.

[CB Fry]

On 16/10/2021 at 21:55, whelk said:

Are we ok with letting Newcastle buy him for £90m?

If we can keep the Elyounoussi hype-machine pumping out propaganda we could be onto some serious coin from El-Toon.

[Sergei Gotsmanov]

On 06/10/2021 at 20:22, nta786 said:

Rather than compare JWP to Kalvin Phillips, let's ask this question:

Would the JWP of today be a better starter ahead of Morgan Schneiderlin, Victor Wanyama or even Steven Davis in the 2014-2016 sides?

For me answer is probably no, and not sure where he'd fit in.

Morgan - some of the highest ball winning / interception rates

Wanyama - better at breaking up play than JWP

Davis - we know as the most underrated underrated player, but was a vital cog in linking defence with attack

I know what JWP brings to the table for us, he's a solid mid-table CM with a world-class set piece delivery, and there is absolutely no shame in that. I'm still glad he signed a new contract with us, one of our own and all that, I hope he sees out his career with us. 

JWP is one of those players you want about the club. What he offers in terms of continuity and culture around the team should not be underestimated. Morgan and Victor both left in a strop and did damage to morale in the process. On the pitch,  8 goals last season, which of our strikers are  people expecting to score more? On set pieces he is top 5 in the league. Yes you can be critical, a little sluggish and a bit sideways but a vital part of the team. Most of all I want to like the players that represent our city and he fits the bill. Thank you Prowsey and like nta 786 I hope I get to go to his testimonial. 

[Weston Super Saint]

10 hours ago, Sergei Gotsmanov said:

JWP is one of those players you want about the club. What he offers in terms of continuity and culture around the team should not be underestimated. Morgan and Victor both left in a strop and did damage to morale in the process. On the pitch,  8 goals last season, which of our strikers are  people expecting to score more? On set pieces he is top 5 in the league. Yes you can be critical, a little sluggish and a bit sideways but a vital part of the team. Most of all I want to like the players that represent our city and he fits the bill. Thank you Prowsey and like nta 786 I hope I get to go to his testimonial. 

All of that, or £90m.

Tough choice....