Jump to content

The “we’ll walk this league’ dream scenario.

Crab Lungs

By Crab Lungs,
in The Saints

 Share

Recommended Posts

Crab Lungs

Crab Lungs

Posted
Posted

So, hypothetically speaking, Saints get relegated as expected.

If you could plot a dream scenario what would be the perfect alchemy to enable us to bounce straight back up?

Maybe you’d like to see a grizzled veteran like Warnock installed as manager for one last gig?

A return of a former hero? Perhaps you’re absolutely mental and you’d actualy like to see more Selles-ball?

And who do we keep, and who leaves? Do you give you Moi another contract?

If you could plan the perfect close season, what would it look like?

Manager for 2023/24;

Who stays?:

Transfers In:

Transfers Out:

Return to stripes? Or not?:

Do you let Ankersen and the analysts ruin yet another close season? (You can only choose ‘NO’ in this category): NO

Other key bits of club to be resolved (for example, reduction in ticket prices etc):

I’ll leave it all out there. Over to you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Saint NL

Saint NL

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, Crab Lungs said:

If you could plan the perfect close season, what would it look like?

Some old lady coughs in Aberdeen on May 27th, the whole league is shut down due to COVID and the season is eventually written off.

Saints stay in the Premier League, but now we all know what a bunch of useless wasters they are, so everyone except a key set of 6-8 players are kept. 

All management and coaches are fired, and replaced.

A new stripey home shirt is announced, the words "Nathan Jones is a wanker" are hidden in the red stripes.

 

Ankerssen jumps ship to Liverpool to oversee their rebuild (with hilarious consequences).

 

Saint Mary's gets an even bigger lightshow, and Sam Smith performs live before the season kicks off at home to Crystal Palace.

 

  • Like 2
  • Haha 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites
stevy777_x

stevy777_x

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Crab Lungs said:

So, hypothetically speaking, Saints get relegated as expected.

If you could plot a dream scenario what would be the perfect alchemy to enable us to bounce straight back up?

Maybe you’d like to see a grizzled veteran like Warnock installed as manager for one last gig?

A return of a former hero? Perhaps you’re absolutely mental and you’d actualy like to see more Selles-ball?

And who do we keep, and who leaves? Do you give you Moi another contract?

If you could plan the perfect close season, what would it look like?

Manager for 2023/24;

Who stays?:

Transfers In:

Transfers Out:

Return to stripes? Or not?:

Do you let Ankersen and the analysts ruin yet another close season? (You can only choose ‘NO’ in this category): NO

Other key bits of club to be resolved (for example, reduction in ticket prices etc):

I’ll leave it all out there. Over to you.

I want more Selles ball, rome wasn’t built in one day, and I m convinced we are playing the right way, just need players to take their chances.

  • Haha 2
  • Confused 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
benjii

benjii

Posted
Posted (edited)

Ankersen is the driving force behind SR and also one of the owners. He's hanging around. Let's hope he starts exhibiting a bit of competence.

Dresm scenario is this:

- Semmens, Steele etc got rid of and replaced by people who actually understand the importance of creating a proper home football club atmosphere and ethos 

- Manager: either an experienced person with track record of Champ success (Cooper, for example... ambitious one, Rogers?!) or a younger manager with a penchant for attacking football but also with some pedigree in the English game (Carrick, Parker etc.)

- Players: Tino back to fitness.

Keep: GK, Tino, Perraud, Larios, Bree, Stephens, Smallbone, Alcaraz, Sulemana, Tella, Big Paul, Adam Armstrong, Edozie, Mara. In a real dream scenario, keep ABK and Lavia, but can't see it. Stuart Armstrong if he can sort fitness.

Sell for right price: JWP, KWP, Salisu, Bednarek, Adams, and sadly Lavia and ABK.

Try to shift: everyone else.

Leaves us with

McCarthy/Baz

Bree, Tino, Perraud, Larios = strong

Stephens, [Bednarek] = two CBs needed. 

CM = Smallbone. = At least two experienced CMs needed

Forwards = Alcaraz, Sulemana, Big Paul, Armstrong. Realistically, we may well still have Djenepo as well, who I wouldn't mind giving game time too. He's got all the potential just needs to sort head and get some consistency. Don't know if we need to sign people or whether some youngsters can step up. 

So, priority areas for signings, likely CB and CM. And let's not go for hopeful punts on nippers. We can loan some nippers if we need to.

 

Edit: forgot Edozie and Mara. Keep Edozie. Keep one of Mara and Adam Armstrong. 

Edited by benjii
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Give it to Ron

Give it to Ron

Posted
Posted (edited)

Would you keep Lyanco he seems perfect for championship?

I watched a few Stoke games on TV a few weeks ago and Smallbone was taking all free kicks, corners and creating chances. Think he will be fine with someone doing his defending as he did none!
Agree with all you wrote apart from Larios is too small for a left back. 

Edited by Give it to Ron
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Chewy

Chewy

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, washsaint said:

Unfortunately, I don;t see any 'dream scenario'.  The malaise at our club runs deep and SR have got every big decision wrong to date.  I know folks think we'll walk the Championship but with this squad absolutely no chance

You’re like Rimmer in that red dwarf episode Better Than Life. So ruined by years of saints misery you can’t handle the prospect of anything good.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Give it to Ron

Give it to Ron

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, washsaint said:

Unfortunately, I don;t see any 'dream scenario'.  The malaise at our club runs deep and SR have got every big decision wrong to date.  I know folks think we'll walk the Championship but with this squad absolutely no chance

It won’t be this squad though will it?

Tempting fate here….SR got every decision wrong this year surely they will get something right next?

Wilcox should understand what’s needed once all our decent players have gone Lavia, KWP, Salisu, ABK etc

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dusic

Dusic

Posted
Posted (edited)
42 minutes ago, Give it to Ron said:

Would you keep Lyanco he seems perfect for championship?

I watched a few Stoke games on TV a few weeks ago and Smallbone was taking all free kicks, corners and creating chances. Think he will be fine with someone doing his defending as he did none!
Agree with all you wrote apart from Larios is too small for a left back. 

Lyanco is too volatile and can't defend.

What you need in Championship centre backs is consistency at doing the basics well and he is awful at that.

Would miles rather keep Bednarek than Lyanco.

Given what we will lose, we will need substantial signings in central midfield and at centre back to have a chance. They will need to be starting XI players who are ready to go from minute 1.

Our best chance is to make a strong start and that might help the relegation hangover if rhe ones who stay realise they have a good chance of getting back to the PL quickly. A slow start and it will only get worse.

In theory players like Edozie and Mara should make a strong impact. Tella was pretty ineffective in the PL and look how he has done once he gained a bit of confidence.

Youngster wise...if Ballard and Doyle aren't proper first team squad members then we may as well close the academy.

The only positive of being so woeful this season is that they will have had months to plan, so hopefully managerial and key player situations will be resolved quickly.

Edited by Dusic
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
saintrich

saintrich

Posted
Posted

Interesting looking at Burnley defensive unit as they lost Nick Pope, Ben Mee, James Tarkowski and Nathan Collins. 

They have been playing 

Muric (GK. 24 yrs old, few cup appearances for Man City and random loan spells before signing for a low fee.)

Roberts (RB. 27 yrs old, seasoned championship defender that was already at the club.)

Harwood-Bellis (CB. 21 yrs old on loan from Man City, but crucially already had two previous loan spells at Blackburn and Stoke.)

Beyer (CB. 22 yrs old on loan from Gladbach. Only played in Germany previously.)

Maatsen (LB. 21 yrs old on loan from Chelsea. Crucially already had loan spells at Charlton and Coventry.)

They've also had Charlie Taylor, 29, lb, already at club, playing the odd game at centre back). 

Obviously having Vincent Kompany playing a dominant style of football probably eases pressure on the defence, but still interesting to see how they recovered from a big clear out. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Give it to Ron

Give it to Ron

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Dusic said:

Lyanco is too volatile and can't defend.

What you need in Championship centre backs is consistency at doing the basics well and he is awful at that.

Would miles rather keep Bednarek than Lyanco.

Given what we will lose, we will need substantial signings in central midfield and at centre back to have a chance. They will need to be starting XI players who are ready to go from minute 1.

Our best chance is to make a strong start and that might help the relegation hangover if rhe ones who stay realise they have a good chance of getting back to the PL quickly. A slow start and it will only get worse.

In theory players like Edozie and Mara should make a strong impact. Tella was pretty ineffective in the PL and look how he has done once he gained a bit of confidence.

Youngster wise...if Ballard and Doyle aren't proper first team squad members then we may as well close the academy.

The only positive of being so woeful this season is that they will have had months to plan, so hopefully managerial and key player situations will be resolved quickly.

We haven’t had a consistent centre back since Fonte and VVD though. Not sure how we include Bednarek in that TBH him dribbling that in his own net still gives me nightmares!

TBF he has been ok last couple of games but we need clean slate with him and gone. Lyanco I can see gone back to Brazil cheap

Link to comment
Share on other sites
charliemiller

charliemiller

Posted
Posted

Given that we are now relegated I think the opportunity for a reset should to an extent be welcomed , we have IMHO the most weak back boned dis-likable bunch of money grabbing players we have ever had at Saints , the only one I think who has any infinity with the club and the fans is JWP maybe KWP borderline.

Lets have a clear out and bring in some   players who will care a stuff about the club , bring some in from the academy for a start.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Saint_Jonny

Saint_Jonny

Posted
Posted

Manager for 2023/24; Kenny Jacket

Who stays?: Moi, Djeneppo and Lyanco are musts for me. Not bothered about anyone else.

Transfers In: Adebayo Akinfenwa, 

Transfers Out: All of them

Return to stripes? Or not?: Stripes, but with a twist. In the same way that the champions from the previous year get to have a gold badge on the arm, our kit will be brown and white to reflect out utterly shit we were the previous season.

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
RobM

RobM

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, charliemiller said:

Given that we are now relegated I think the opportunity for a reset should to an extent be welcomed , we have IMHO the most weak back boned dis-likable bunch of money grabbing players we have ever had at Saints , the only one I think who has any infinity with the club and the fans is JWP maybe KWP borderline.

Lets have a clear out and bring in some   players who will care a stuff about the club , bring some in from the academy for a start.

I agree with the core point, but that's not how modern football works any more. Players like JWP are the exception rather than the norm. There is no loyalty, 'caring' is contracted and temporary. How many modern players kiss the badge in their first games, and then leave the moment a better offer comes up? Even very young players are like this - clubs like us give them a chance they've never had before, and they're off as soon as a bigger team comes in. It's just the way football is. The best we can hope for is paying closer attention to the mindset and strength of character when we recruit players, so we don't bring in soft, pathetic, moaning little princesses like Bednarek. Look at Lavia, he could be thoroughly pissed off behind the scenes, or we could be taking a beating in a game, yet he goes out to win every ball and win every game. We need more of that.

I'd like to go back to having a clear style and identity across all Southampton teams, which of course must evolve with the times as football itself does, but evolves consistently and consciously at all levels. One of the things that has killed us this season was the number of times we've tried to change things, be it the multitude of different ways we attack and defend set plays, or simply the quantity of changes to the formation and tactics we apply. Ralph had a specific style, but increasingly ignored it. Jones himself could go through half a dozen styles in a game. We've had flirting obsessions with 3 at the back. Selles then comes in with a Ralph-like style and it changes again. How the heck do you recruit players and create pathways for the academy like this? For all I'll criticise Ralph for, I fully agreed with his 'automatisms' point, in that being so well drilled means you do things instinctively, you know where other players will be, you know how to react to different moments (/triggers), and you don't have to think on-the-fly about which of our various formations we're playing at that moment in time. 

If that means it'll take longer to rebuild and establish these principles, I'll accept that and a longer period in the Championship if, and only if, there is a clear plan and consistent, visible, improvements.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Micky

Micky

Posted
Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, saintrich said:

Interesting looking at Burnley defensive unit as they lost Nick Pope, Ben Mee, James Tarkowski and Nathan Collins. 

......

Obviously having Vincent Kompany playing a dominant style of football probably eases pressure on the defence, but still interesting to see how they recovered from a big clear out. 

 

This is the crux of their success this season, I have watched them quite a few times this season.  They have played fast free flowing attacking football, looking to get forwards at every opportunity.  Tella has exploited the spaces and run in behind defences time and time again, they are much more direct than our slow, patient, ineffective, keep ball, create nothing style.  Currently, comparing us to Burnley is like chalk and cheese. 

Edited by Micky
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...