Match Day Thread Saints v Brentford Wednesday 15th March 7.30pm

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Sulemana certainly has potential. I think he'll become a decent player, but he will always blow hot and cold, like a lot of pace-reliant wingers, because they have to rely on other creative players, and also on the variables that each different opposition defence throws up.

He is basically where Tella was last season.
Ah Tella ….. another brace tonight I heard. Edit; Strike that!!!!
 
Yeah seeing as most games in the Championship, we will be the favoured team, we're going to come up against deep, stubborn defences all the time. I don't think we will need to be playing with two DMs every game like we do in the Prem. Diallo behind Alcaraz and Stuie would be decent enough.
I seriously think we will struggle if we go down, like Sunderland and Sheff Wednesday in the past. I cannot see where we get the goals from to compete
 
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Ah Tella ….. another brace tonight I heard.

Yeah but let's face it. None of us were too worried about him going out on loan. I hold my hands up with that one; I could see he needed a year in the Championship to improve. Same with Smallbone. Neither would have done very well for us this season. The team is rotten unfortunately.

This is why I'm not bothered about going down. As posted already, half our squad needs a season in the Championship. AND we will get Tella back. AND, we at least seem to have a competent manager already in place.
 
The biggest thing for me is (again) we put in a good performance against a top side and follow it up with a gutless performance in a game we would’ve looked at as a real possibility of getting something from.

Also another game where we win and we climb out of danger, was very similar to the Forest game in how it went as well with us dominating the second half but creating **** all. The team either doesn’t care or is full of spineless players

I don't think the issue is a spine or lack thereof, we're just lacking dynamism. The reason we look better against teams that come out and play is that we're shockingly bad about playing through, behind or over defenses. The only good crosser in the squad is JWP, and he's often playing centrally, and we struggle badly with the sort of quick interplay in traffic that can generate a good chance against a wall of defenders.

The only player who seems to have the requisite qualities is Alcaraz, but unfortunately after hurting his knee he doesn't have 90 minutes in him. Though I'd probably restore Edozie...even if it hasn't come off yet, he got closer to making things happen than any of the others have (though that's a ridiculously low bar).
 
I seriously think he is "teacher's pet" as the last 3 managers have played him despite him offering virtually nothing going forward. He is always there with bits of paper or passing on messages to the others players though.
All a bit bizarre as we thought he was poor and sent him to Celtic for two years. It likes we keep hoping he was be as good in the prem as he was in the SPL. Just strange
 
All a bit bizarre as we thought he was poor and sent him to Celtic for two years. It likes we keep hoping he was be as good in the prem as he was in the SPL. Just strange

Tbf he looked on paper like a good signing when we got him (unlike quite a few of our signings where they looked wrong and turned out to be wrong).

He did have a reasonable purple patch under Ralph for about half a season but hasn’t looked like repeating it, just too slow for me.
 
Embarrassing recruitment.

Onuachu = 20m
Sulemana = 20m
Orsic = 8m (I think)
Alcaraz = 12m

60m and it's only Charly who's improved us. And he will likely have a relegation clause.

I’d say there is something about Sulemana tbf.

But Orsic is almost certainly leaving already and Onuachu hasn’t really been afforded a chance but from the brief glimpses we’ve had he doesn’t look to offer much, too early to judge for sure though.
 
I seriously think we will struggle if we go down, like Sunderland and Sheff Wednesday in the past. I cannot see where we get the goals from to compete

I think we'll have goals in the Championship. Adarma scored a bunch, and he's awful. Tella is scoring for fun, and he wasn't (when we let him go) PL level at all.

As I have said, CGT and Schad have said above too, our team is full of a lot of players that given a loan in the Championship could and probably will become very good players. Charly, Sulemana, Edozie, Tella, Onuachu for starters, Lavia and ABK I think are good enough for the PL already. So if we can keep the former bunch, they'll be just fine. Added to that people like Stu, Perraud, Bree etc and even Adarma will be effective.

If we are to go down, I wonder if we can sell Lavia back to City, on condition they loan him to us for the season. That would see us back up again.
 
I’d say there is something about Sulemana tbf.

But Orsic is almost certainly leaving already and Onuachu hasn’t really been afforded a chance but from the brief glimpses we’ve had he doesn’t look to offer much, too early to judge for sure though.

I thought Onuachu looked okay when he came on, and has done generally. We just have a complete aversion to crossing it anywhere near him, which is odd.
 
Yeah but let's face it. None of us were too worried about him going out on loan. I hold my hands up with that one; I could see he needed a year in the Championship to improve. Same with Smallbone. Neither would have done very well for us this season. The team is rotten unfortunately.

This is why I'm not bothered about going down. As posted already, half our squad needs a season in the Championship. AND we will get Tella back. AND, we at least seem to have a competent manager already in place.
Agree with first paragraph. Very worried on second. I think we will struggle. We have no characters. The championship is tough. We will be bullied out of games unless we go and buy five horses for courses players
 
Tbf he looked on paper like a good signing when we got him (unlike quite a few of our signings where they looked wrong and turned out to be wrong).

He did have a reasonable purple patch under Ralph for about half a season but hasn’t looked like repeating it, just too slow for me.
4 goals in 70 appearances. Says it all.

Mane 21 in 63
Tadic 21 in 134
Lallana 48 in 235
Davis 12 in 193
 
I think we'll have goals in the Championship. Adarma scored a bunch, and he's awful. Tella is scoring for fun, and he wasn't (when we let him go) PL level at all.

As I have said, CGT and Schad have said above too, our team is full of a lot of players that given a loan in the Championship could and probably will become very good players. Charly, Sulemana, Edozie, Tella, Onuachu for starters, Lavia and ABK I think are good enough for the PL already. So if we can keep the former bunch, they'll be just fine. Added to that people like Stu, Perraud, Bree etc and even Adarma will be effective.

If we are to go down, I wonder if we can sell Lavia back to City, on condition they loan him to us for the season. That would see us back up again.
.... But teams will pick up Lavia and ABK. We lose two rising stars. We are then in a physical league without two of our strongest players. I would expect Che to shine, but them am struggling. Whilst we may have some skillful players, you need to be strong in that league. I do not see many strong and powerful players which ultimately we will need. We nee those, that will them compliment your Edozie etc. As for Ardama, I think we were sold a pup and Stuey I'd no longer young and I am not sure he will age like a Bordeaux
 
I seriously think we will struggle if we go down, like Sunderland and Sheff Wednesday in the past. I cannot see where we get the goals from to compete

We really can't be having that conversation until we know what our squad will look like. But, if the likes of Adam Armstrong and Nathan Tella can score 20+ goals, then I think we'll be okay. Most important thing is having the right manager in place nice and early, as we do.
 
We really can't be having that conversation until we know what our squad will look like. But, if the likes of Adam Armstrong and Nathan Tella can score 20+ goals, then I think we'll be okay. Most important thing is having the right manager in place nice and early, as we do.
Tella maybe, but AA really?
 
.... But teams will pick up Lavia and ABK. We lose two rising stars. We are then in a physical league without two of our strongest players. I would expect Che to shine, but them am struggling. Whilst we may have some skillful players, you need to be strong in that league. I do not see many strong and powerful players which ultimately we will need. We nee those, that will them compliment your Edozie etc. As for Ardama, I think we were sold a pup and Stuey I'd no longer young and I am not sure he will age like a Bordeaux

I know what you mean, but I don't agree necessarily - Adarma has already scored a billion goals in the Championship, and he's both rubbish and about as strong as a wet bar of Twix.