They’ll need to sign players for sure, i don’t know enough about their team to know how many. We signed 10 the last time we went up and that was with a team that had players like Lambert, Fonte, Schneiderlin and Lallana who all went on to have very good top flight careers
We’d probably need similar if we went up. Not least because of squad spaces currently taken by loans. And then players leaving and a new goalkeeper but my friend specifically made a forest reference with regards to Ipswich and said their squad was mostly the league one squad
Well the players I listed for us were all in the League One team as well, but I do think that it is unlikely you have the core of a team in League One that can play at PL level. We are going to be having a busy summer regardless of promotion. Arguably less busy if we go up as we might be able to keep Adams/S Armstrong/KWP/some loanees/maybe others like Bednarek if we do go up where as they will all need to be replaced if we don’t
Id expect so but he would’ve been the player I definitely would’ve thought would be off at the end of last season. He only has a year left on his deal so maybe he’ll just see if it out if we are in the Prem, no chance if we aren’t
Oh no, not mid table mediocrity. I remember a lot of people thought that was terrible, until we were regular relegation candidates.
Actually the complaint about reduced ambition proved to be correct. Year after year we made a profit on transfers and year after year our scouting got worse. You do have to push the boat out for one marquee signing a season just to reassure the players we still have a desire to be more than mid table. For us, mid table is great, but we can’t appear to be content to stagnate. That is why we got relegated.
There is a disjoint between the owners of football clubs, and their fans: Owners want their club, as a business, to maximise profit, which can usually equate to being at the top table - The Premier League, even if we're just picking up crumbs dropped by the mega-rich clubs. Fans want their club's team to beat other similar teams, and this may mean playing on a level playing field, for instance other teams in The Championship (or League One, or The Southern League, or The Hampshire League, or...) Put simply, we want to win, and sometimes we just need to play in a league where we can win, or at least compete. So, let's enjoy the ride, and hope we win lots, but The Premier League might just be a poisoned chalice for clubs, and fans, like ours
I mean it’s very hypocritical of me (or any Saints fan that prefers the Championship because we are winning). We aren’t the “biggest” team in this league, probably not even top 6 but because we have money from parachute payments/player sales from our PL squad we can dominate this league and our budget is far bigger, which is exactly why we complain about the PL. It isn’t a level playing field in the Championship either as every year there will be minimum 3 teams with parachute payments who can easily outspend clubs who have been out of the PL for awhile but whilst we are one of those rich clubs I won’t complain. Danger is we don’t go up this season or next then we just become another ex PL team stuck in the championship because we can’t spend as much as other teams
I didn’t realise that McKenna, a boyhood United fan, spent five years at Old Trafford working under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, before joining Ipswich in December 2021.……If UTD want him, they will 100% get him. But I feel he will end up at Brighton with Poch going to UTD and Tuchel back to Chelsea.
Fans saying there isn't much incentive being in the PL but i'd be delighted if we regained our rightful position as the top dogs of the South Coast.
I reiterate what I said yesterday. I just don't get it. Maresca. McKenna. Kompany. What have any of them done to deserve a big job?
Going up next season could be enjoyable for us if we beat Leeds. I think Leicester are screwed and if Mckenna leaves Ipswich I fear for them too.a