James Ward-Prowse

[S-Clarke]

This never felt like something that made any sense, we're already stocked in his area.

Hope he gets a move though.

[Lighthouse]

7 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

This never felt like something that made any sense, we're already stocked in his area.

Hope he gets a move though.

All seems like wishful thinking (for some) and lazy journalism to me. I can’t see that he’d be a guaranteed starter here and it looks like Cornet is our second loan this year.

[Harry_SFC]

Clearly in the minority but I'm glad we didn't go for him. 

Would have had nightmares of JWP and Smallbone in the same team passing the ball backwards and sideways continuously for 90 minutes.

Edited 29 August, 2024 by Harry_SFC

[Holmes_and_Watson]

As much as I'd like to see Will's development in the PL, JWP is a clear upgrade. It would add plenty of experience, to the youth of of Les and Fernandes too.

Les, Downes, JWP, Will, Fernandes, Aribo, Lallana, Dibling

It would have been nice to have him back.

[SfcPhil]

He should've just stayed with us last season and helped us to promotion. He was never getting in the England team for the Euros, no matter how many freekicks he may have scored in the Premier League.

Looks like the latter stages of his career will be spent bouncing round from club to club as they unearth his limitations from open play.

It's a shame, it could've been so different had he stayed. But then again, we wouldn't have got to see Flynn in a Saints shirt..

[SNSUN]

I liked James when he was here, an academy product with a good engine, always fit and reliable and of course, he had a specific skill, but we've spent the summer building on top of an existing midfield and I feel he wouldn't be the guaranteed starter he used to be, although perhaps he would fit Russ's passing/keep-ball philosophy. He needs to leave West Ham and become a regular starter somewhere but with Downes, Lesley, Fernandes, Lallana, Smallbone, Dibling and Aribo currently all in the squad, I can't see him coming, especially for the money West Ham would want for him. I'd rather spend the money on improving the attack. 

[Fabrice29]

14 minutes ago, SfcPhil said:

He should've just stayed with us last season and helped us to promotion. He was never getting in the England team for the Euros, no matter how many freekicks he may have scored in the Premier League.

Looks like the latter stages of his career will be spent bouncing round from club to club as they unearth his limitations from open play.

It's a shame, it could've been so different had he stayed. But then again, we wouldn't have got to see Flynn in a Saints shirt..

This is nonsense by the way. He actively talked about wanting to play in Europe again and got the opportunity to do so. Telling someone else what they should do with their career is nonsense on it's own but even more so when it involves clipping his ambition all because of some weird notion that staying here would make him a club legend for us and that's something he should aspire to over being successful. 

[franniesTache]

Looks like he's off too Forest, and personally I'm glad the skate isn't coming back to be honest. Not sure he'd have offered that much and he'd make Russball even more turgid than it already is.

I mean our style is slow enough already, adding him to the mix and we'd be playing walking football

[Green]

Based on four PL games for Downes, who still thinks Downes is better than JWP? 

[Andy Hill]

Unfortunately Downes has been pretty average so far. So not me/

[Holmes_and_Watson]

10 minutes ago, Green said:

Based on four PL games for Downes, who still thinks Downes is better than JWP? 

They do lots of different things, so not sure I'd directly compare them. I'd have liked to have had both.

Downes better defensively and working through the midfield. JWP linking and with a bit of freedom to move forward, plus the set pieces.

Depending on the game, you could add in Les or a Fernandes/Aribo/Dibling depending on how defensive or attacking you want it.

[Saint Pete]

I would have had JWP back in a heartbeat if it was possible to do, he is genuine proven premier league quality and pretty much all the other midfielders we have are not that currently. I agree though that there is not really a direct comparison to be made between him and Downes, they share some qualities in terms of keeping possession, but in other ways they have different strengths and weaknesses. I think they could have both been accommodated in the same team potentially, but not to be so we move on.

[Charlie Wayman]

42 minutes ago, Green said:

Based on four PL games for Downes, who still thinks Downes is better than JWP? 

Me.

[pingpong]

2 hours ago, Green said:

Based on four PL games for Downes, who still thinks Downes is better than JWP? 

In 2024? Me, by a long stretch.

[HKsaint]

If JWP were here, we would not have lost four consecutive PL games. It was a bad decision to take comet over JWP on loan. 

[Ralph Fastenbüttl]

40 minutes ago, HKsaint said:

If JWP were here, we would not have lost four consecutive PL games. It was a bad decision to take comet over JWP on loan. 

How do you come to that conclusion? Because of his rich history captaining the team through an almost historically poor top flight campaign? I'm not saying JWP wouldn't do a job for us, but let's not pretend he's shown any sort of ability to help our team grind out results when all around him are poor.

[CB Fry]

5 hours ago, HKsaint said:

If JWP were here, we would not have lost four consecutive PL games. It was a bad decision to take comet over JWP on loan. 

There's nothing anywhere to suggest such a "decision" was made.

A loan fee for JWP would have been much higher, and as WHU are likely still paying us for him, it would have had other complications.

 

[HKsaint]

6 hours ago, Ralph Fastenbüttl said:

How do you come to that conclusion? Because of his rich history captaining the team through an almost historically poor top flight campaign? I'm not saying JWP wouldn't do a job for us, but let's not pretend he's shown any sort of ability to help our team grind out results when all around him are poor.

At least he is a proven goalscorer in PL that we don’t have right now. Anyone in our team has scored more than 7 goals in a season in PL?

[SotonianWill]

9 hours ago, HKsaint said:

If JWP were here, we would not have lost four consecutive PL games. It was a bad decision to take comet over JWP on loan. 

We ended our last Premier League season on a 13 game winless streak with him as captain. He may well have done better in an attacking position in our current team - his safe passing in any defensive position is enough to bore anyone to death - but he isn’t a massive change. 

[LeG]

James will come back next year if we stay up. 

[sfc4prem]

1 minute ago, LeG said:

James will come back next year if we stay up. 

Rather unlikely, then. Will there be three teams worse than us?

[Danbert]

Is he injured? Not even on the subs bench for West Ham today.

[M271]

4 minutes ago, Danbert said:

Is he injured? Not even on the subs bench for West Ham today.

He’s now at Nottingham Forest on loan.

[East Kent Saint]

I think we saw peak JWP a season or 2 before he left , the club wanted the money and he didn't mind playing in Europe ! He has moved on now ....

[FarehamSaintJames]

11 hours ago, CB Fry said:

There's nothing anywhere to suggest such a "decision" was made.

A loan fee for JWP would have been much higher, and as WHU are likely still paying us for him, it would have had other complications.

 

This entirely.

We were never in for him. Mad that people think it was the case 😂

[Chewy]

11 hours ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

This entirely.

We were never in for him. Mad that people think it was the case 😂

Almost as mad as people thinking he would stay with us in the championship.  When he’d already put his house on the market and told various people he was off. And yet there were still people idiotic enough to tell a forum ad infinitum how he was staying.

Properly mad, that was.

[FarehamSaintJames]

3 hours ago, Chewy said:

Almost as mad as people thinking he would stay with us in the championship.  When he’d already put his house on the market and told various people he was off. And yet there were still people idiotic enough to tell a forum ad infinitum how he was staying.

Properly mad, that was.

Funny how you remember that but seem to erase the Ramsdale and Fraser signings I called six weeks before it happened. Just saying 

[Lord Duckhunter]

Substituted at half time for Forest. 
 

The ones who thought he’s over rated on here, and is actually bang average are being proved right again. 
 

 

[Fabrice29]

5 hours ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

Funny how you remember that but seem to erase the Ramsdale and Fraser signings I called six weeks before it happened. Just saying 

State of you  Neither of those were massive calls ffs. One was obvious from about a week into LAST season and the other was a last minute deal after other deals on both sides didn't work out. Love your recent Dibling new contract post too. Really insightful stuff that. 18 year old kid who starts getting into the first team triggers a new contract shock. Look forward to you dining out on that one in the next week or two.

[Fabrice29]

3 minutes ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

Substituted at half time for Forest. 
 

The ones who thought he’s over rated on here, and is actually bang average are being proved right again. 
 

 

Think this is a bit over the top (although I am one who believed he was over rated) but the biggest thing it sums up is the squad we had previously was really bad. At no point were we in any position to think about subbing him off and other clubs are happily shipping him off.

[david in sweden]

On 21/09/2024 at 11:45, SotonianWill said:

We ended our last Premier League season on a 13 game winless streak with him as captain.

He may well have done better in an attacking position in our current team - his safe passing in any defensive position is enough to bore anyone to death

- but he isn’t a massive change. 

1) JWP has no more responsibility for the relegation that the other 10  who filed in their roles.

2) I always felt he was most effective ín an attacking role , but he succeeded Stephen Davis in that midfield spot and that was it

3) the boring style of safe passing is what " Russball's possession game " is all about, but this league is all about grinding out  results, and learn 

that you have to leave all that"  entertainment stuff " to the likes of Man.City, Liverpool and Villa.

[gio1saints]

I always liked JWPs attitude, work rate and willingness to play wherever asked. His time at right back for example shows he put his team ahead of his personal preferences. When he left it was fair enough though I’d hoped he would have got a better team. 
Those here who still denigrate one of our best players of recent years are really just moaning for the sake of it. Good bloke, Intelligent, great SOH, hard worker, very good player. Will be a Club Manager one day, maybe even at Saints IMO. *

* on that managerial note have to say Adam Lallana is absolutely bossing it out there when he’s on the pitch. Instructions a go-go from him every minute. He is Putting in some fine credentials for a near future club management role for sure. 
 

Edited 24 September, 2024 by gio1saints

[beatlesaint]

5 minutes ago, gio1saints said:

* on that managerial note have to say Adam Lallana is absolutely bossing it out there when he’s on the pitch. Instructions a go-go from him every minute. He is Putting in some fine credentials for a near future club management role for sure. 
 

Totally agree, he's destined to be a coach/manager when he retires from playing.

[Chewy]

1 hour ago, beatlesaint said:

Totally agree, he's destined to be a coach/manager when he retires from playing.

He has the hair and beard for it for sure

[SotonianWill]

4 hours ago, david in sweden said:

1) JWP has no more responsibility for the relegation that the other 10  who filed in their roles.

2) I always felt he was most effective ín an attacking role , but he succeeded Stephen Davis in that midfield spot and that was it

3) the boring style of safe passing is what " Russball's possession game " is all about, but this league is all about grinding out  results, and learn 

that you have to leave all that"  entertainment stuff " to the likes of Man.City, Liverpool and Villa.

1) I didn’t say he did. I merely replied to the comment that captain JWP wouldn’t let this happen. 

3) I don’t care about entertainment as long as we actually start to get results. The problem is we are boring and losing.

[Turkish]

On 22/09/2024 at 09:41, FarehamSaintJames said:

Funny how you remember that but seem to erase the Ramsdale and Fraser signings I called six weeks before it happened. Just saying 

Guess you got your info off the CoT thread where Ramsdale was called after the play off final and Fraser in June.

[hypochondriac]

2 hours ago, Turkish said:

Guess you got your info off the CoT thread where Ramsdale was called after the play off final and Fraser in June.

Although I'd hate to argue with the COT, I was actually the first person to mention signing Ramsdale. 

[Toadhall Saint]

21 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Although I'd hate to argue with the COT, I was actually the first person to mention signing Ramsdale. 

Aye you were