Relegation team v this season

[West end Saints]

Main players for us when we were relegated were:

Bazunu 

 

KWP

ABK

Salisu

Jan B

Perraud

 

JWP

Lavia

Elynousi

Stu A

 

Che

Plus Adam A, Aribo, edozie, Alvarez, lyanco, Maitland- Niles, sulemana, Theo, Mara

I would have Ramsdale, Fernandes, and maybe THB over players from last squad (Dibling can't be expected to play the majority of a season at 18).

Central midfielders are shockingly weaker and a real concern.

I'm not commenting on managers, or our under performing this season but clearly we have a squad that most should expect to be bottom.

Who would you pick from a combined squad?

Edited 20 December, 2024 by West end Saints

[hypochondriac]

Ramsdale 

Kwp ABK THB Perraud 

JWP Lavia 

Fernandes Stu A 

Dibling archer

So probably fairly close between the two apart from the fact that cm was miles better last time. 

[Dark Munster]

Lavia was injured for most of it wasn't he?

[chiknsmack]

Ramsdale

Suga ABK THB KWP

Lavia Fernandes

Dibling Lallana Alcaraz

Archer

 

You can have Dibling and Lallana sharing a spot to shoehorn JWP or Stu in.

We've learnt the hard way that DM is the most important position on the pitch (our performances when JWP was tasked with filling in for Romeu or Lavia) and that's the main thing for the new manager to figure out. Downes may - or may not - fall into that "too good for the Champ, not good enough for the Prem" void, and I still hold out hope that Ugochukwu is good enough. He, like Shea Charles, struggled under Martin's tippy-tappy strategy but could be better suited to making tackles and handing the ball off to someone more creative rather than rondos on the edge of his own box.

 

[West end Saints]

9 hours ago, Dark Munster said:

Lavia was injured for most of it wasn't he?

Only Bazunu, JWP and KWP played more prem minutes than him that season.

[OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint]

I vaguely remember sighing every time Diallo came on but maybe that was the previous season.

But it's not just the quality of the players. Attitude counts for a lot and from the stands, I got the impression the attitude of those relegated players stank whereas this time around, there seems to be a genuine positive feeling about the players wanting the club to do well.

[RedArmy]

38 minutes ago, OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint said:

I vaguely remember sighing every time Diallo came on but maybe that was the previous season.

 

He came on at arsenal away and within seconds we had thrown away a 2 goal lead thanks to him being shite and uninterested. 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

From our relegation season onwards:-

 

4-2-3-1 (back-ups in brackets)

Ramsdale (Forster)

Livramento (Suga), THB (Wood), Bednarek (Taylor), KWP (Manning)

Romeu (Lavia), JWP (Downes)

Tella (Dibling), Fernandes (S. Armstrong), Fraser (Redmond)

Adams (Archer)

 

3 - 4 - 2 - 1

Ramsdale (Forster)

THB (Caleta-Car), Bednarek (Stephens), Wood (Taylor),

Livramento (Suga), Romeu (Ugochukwa), Lavia (Downes) KWP (Perraud)

Fernandes (S. Armstrong), JWP (Lallana)

Adams (Archer)

 

3-4-1-2

Ramsdale (Forster)

THB (Caleta-Car), Bednarek (Stephens), Wood (Taylor),

Livramento (Suga), Romeu (Lavia), JWP (Downes) KWP (Perraud)

Fernandes (S. Armstrong)

Adams (TP) Archer (A Armstrong)

 

There weren’t many from the seasons before relegation who’d get into these lineups either. It says a lot for the job Ralph was doing, combined with the PL having moved forward.

2021/22: Ings, Bertrand (but on the form the season before at least)
2020/21: Højbjerg
2019/20: Davis

 

For the formations above, here's the selection in and since the relegation season.

GK:
(Selection: Bazunu, Cabalerro, Lumley, McCarthy, Ramsdale, Forster, Lis)

Fullbacks:
(Selection: KWP, Manning, Sugawara, Bree, Perraud, Taylor, Larios, Meghoma, Livramento, Holgate, Valery, Small)

Central Defenders
(Selection:  Lyanco, Caleta-Car,  Salisu, Bednarek, ABK, Stephens, THB,  Edwards, Wood, Taylor)

Central Midfielders

(Selection: AMN, Aribo, JWP,  S. Armstrong, Alcaraz, Diallo, Lavia, Downes, Smallbone, Rothwell, Charles, Lallana, Fernandes, Ugochukwa, Romeu)

Wide Midfielders/Attackers

(Selection: Orsic, Djenepo, Sulemana, Edozie, Elyounoussi, Walcott, Fraser, SAA, Brooks, Tella, Cornet, Dibling, Redmond )

Forwards/Strikers
(Selection: A Armstrong, Adams, Onuacho, Mara, Stewart, Long, BBD, Archer)

 

[West end Saints]

Best side I can find there:

Ramsdale

Livramento , KWP (relegation season one not this season!)

Salisu / THB (several similar standard)

Lavia / JWP

Fernandes, Tella

Adams

 

So compared to a team coming bottom I can only really see Ramsdale and Fernandes as improvements, central defence and CF not much difference, 

Fullbacks and midfield significantly worse.

Can't think why we are bottom again!

 

 

[West end Saints]

On 20/12/2024 at 23:54, West end Saints said:

Main players for us when we were relegated were:

Bazunu 

 

KWP

ABK

Salisu

Jan B

Perraud

 

JWP

Lavia

Elynousi

Stu A

 

Che

Plus Adam A, Aribo, edozie, Alvarez, lyanco, Maitland- Niles, sulemana, Theo, Mara

I would have Ramsdale, Fernandes, and maybe THB over players from last squad (Dibling can't be expected to play the majority of a season at 18).

Central midfielders are shockingly weaker and a real concern.

I'm not commenting on managers, or our under performing this season but clearly we have a squad that most should expect to be bottom.

Who would you pick from a combined squad?

Our players are so poor.

Not Re-opening RM debate, but to take the team that was bottom, replace about 9 of them with worse players and expect anything other than being worse was ridiculous.

Downes is not premier league level - so to base a team around him is just wrong.

To totally rely on an 18 year old as your only goal threat...

I pity anyone managing this lack of quality.

[SotonianWill]

On 20/12/2024 at 23:54, West end Saints said:

Main players for us when we were relegated were:

Bazunu 

 

KWP

ABK

Salisu

Jan B

Perraud

 

JWP

Lavia

Elynousi

Stu A

 

Che

That previously relegated team looks quite good now. I’d only change Bazunu for Ramsdale and Elyonoussi for Fernandes. 

[sadoldgit]

The team that went down were an established EPL team. The team that went up were a new Championship team.

Despite living in deepest, darkest Kent, there are a few other Saints supporters around. I was chatting to one of them, a non forum reading non keyboard warrior, non every one out agendarist, prior to the final and we agreed that, as much as we wanted to win the game, the club and the squad wasn’t ready for promotion. We finished fourth for a reason. We weren’t quite good enough. Another season in the Championship, some tinkering with the squad and we would have gone up in a stronger position. Having said that, without investing heavily in Prem quality players we would always struggle whenever we went up.

[Football Special]

On 20/12/2024 at 23:54, West end Saints said:

Main players for us when we were relegated were:

Bazunu 

 

KWP

ABK

Salisu

Jan B

Perraud

 

JWP

Lavia

Elynousi

Stu A

 

Che

Plus Adam A, Aribo, edozie, Alvarez, lyanco, Maitland- Niles, sulemana, Theo, Mara

I would have Ramsdale, Fernandes, and maybe THB over players from last squad (Dibling can't be expected to play the majority of a season at 18).

Central midfielders are shockingly weaker and a real concern.

I'm not commenting on managers, or our under performing this season but clearly we have a squad that most should expect to be bottom.

Who would you pick from a combined squad?

Just spotted Salisu on the bench for Monaco in champions league tonight, had forgotten about him , shows level some of our relegation season players were perceived, can't see many attracting such a move this time 

[OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint]

9 hours ago, sadoldgit said:

We weren’t quite good enough. Another season in the Championship, some tinkering with the squad and we would have gone up in a stronger position.

I've heard this quite a few times, but I really can't agree. Another season in the Championship would just embed us as a Championship team and we'd very likely turn in to a West Brom or Norwich. The gulf between the two leagues is getting wider, so I'd much prefer to get promoted first and then see if we can hold on (like Forest, Brentford etc) and get established again in the premier league.

Must admit, the more this season has gone, the more it's become apparent just how weak our squad really is. I thought THB & Downes were going to look ok in the premier league but they are now looking very ordinary.