You have every right to criticise this team and the poor past decisions that have been made. You must have spent hundreds this year following our team, for very little reward. I don't share your views on SR though. They have made honest mistakes and sometimes have tried to be too 'clever '. I feel they are invested in our club and here for the long term. We are back to where we were 2 years ago though, this time round they have to have learnt and make us proud again
I can easily see a scenario where THB, Downes, Archer and Armstrong are all strong components of our side next season. (And I hope they all are!) There's a reason why we're bottom of the league. Most of our players are not going to be attractive to buy! Sugawara, Bree, THB, Stephens, Bednarek, Wood, Edwards, Welington, Manning, Taylor, Downes, Charles, Smallbone, Fernandes, Edozie, Armstrong, Archer, Fraser would have the makings of an very strong Championship side. And who knows, maybe one or two others might still be here too. Beyond a keeper and a winger (both of whom would be vital), there might be very little that we need to sign.
I see your point but those players that you've mentioned have failed miserably this year, so if we're going to build at team around them to challenge for promotion we're going to have exactly the same problem with the lack of quality for the Premiership ( providing we get promoted which I'm beginning to strongly doubt ) I just think this team is broken and we really should have a mass clear-out apart from some of the younger hopefuls, think there's a very small nucleus of players but the rest can go. Yesterday was a very good benchmark to where we stand level wise, we were very poor against a 2nd string Burnley side - think that's a damning indictment of how abysmal and inferior our team really is.
The Burnley team we played yesterday was not the same one that’s got them to 3rd in the league so, it doesn’t bode well for next season. I’m not exactly in the ‘Jurić out’ camp (yet) but as others have said the decision to play a back 5 with 4 full backs and with 2 CBs on the bench was as baffling as any decision RM ever made. His promise to play heavy metal football hasn’t exactly materialised. We’re more Take That than Metallica at the moment and after 7/8 games or so I’ve not seen any evidence that that is going to change. For me I’m getting a serious case of déja vu.
I agree about having the same problem in two seasons time (if we get promoted next season). But that would be for two seasons time, not next season. It's highly unlikely that we would be able to put together a squad for next season which is capable of PL survival the season after. So focus on getting promoted next season, and then worry about PL survival after that. Learn our lessons from this season - don't waste money on signing new players who aren't good enough, do be brutal in moving aside existing players (and potentially the manager) who aren't good enough. But in two seasons time. But it's also worth noting that we have a lot of players out on contract at the end of next season: Stephens, ABK, Taylor, Bree, Onuachu, Fraser, McCarthy, Stewart, Smallbone, Aribo. Now some of those might not be here in 18 months time anyway. But for those who are, it presents us an open door to dispose of them, rather than take them back up the PL. (Whether we take that chance though, or decide to give them new contracts, we'd have to see. I don't trust the club enough to make sensible decisions!)
It's more that the system is broken, unless you do a Forest and ignore it and take the penalty hit. Every team coming up from the Championship is going to have this problem, it's not unique to us. In some ways, a mass clear-out and an extra season (Leeds style) would be the best result to consolidate a proper core. Getting promoted last season, and keeping Martin too long, was actually a bit of an issue.
It is, I agree. But we’re so far behind Ipswich and Leicester that’s the issue. It’s not that we’re going down, we can’t even compete with the 2 other promoted teams.
I'd put that down to Martin more than anything else. And in any event, it's very fine margins. If we had beaten Leicester and Ipswich at home - which we should have done - then all three of us would be 14 points right now.
I honestly don't think we're *that* far behind them, and regardless this season has shown that it's irrelevant. If we're a long way behind them next season it would be more of a concern.
Open the link and you'll see:- "Southampton Football Club is pleased to formally complete the signing of Brazilian defender Welington, who had previously signed a pre-contract agreement with the club." Nothing to beef about and there was also Bert Greencreek on loan from Rennes.
It might sound crazy, but i wouldn't swap places (not league positions) with Leicester. Realistically, I think both Saints and Leicester are going down. The difference is, we are in a pretty decent state financially now and also have £100m+ in talent we could sell pretty easily if we need in the summer. Leicester, however, are in a bad way financially, and I don't actually know if they have any one of much value. Ndidi will attract interest, but at 28 he isn't going to get silly money. Their left back is decent I think, any one else I am missing? Last time they had maddison and Barnes to cash in on, this time round I think they will struggle. They had Maresca last time too. I don't think they will bounce back like last time.
I thought Joe played well, but not as an attacker, as a defender, I agree I'd rather see him further foprward, but we'd need someone to fill is place defensively We were dreadful after they scored, never really threatened and never provided crosses for TP Suly was our only threat, but, no goals
I don't even rate their LB. Their keeper is fine, and we know that Fatawu and Mavididi can be a right handful at Championship level. So I'd be quite glad if they lost at least one of those two. But even if they kept them both, there's no KDH anymore and Vardy will be two years older. I agree with you that I'd rather be getting relegated as Saints fan than as a Leicester fan. I'm struggling to see what they did with all that money they got from Chelsea for KDH and Maresca last summer. I guess the answer is that they needed it to cover their losses.
I think we’ll be fine financially when we go down. The last 3 years is what counts from a PSR perspective and we spent loads in year 1 of that, sold loads in year 2 and spent loads in year 3. We will sell enough I think this summer to be able to spend, and we don’t need to spend much this summer to get back up. The route with loans we went down last time is the smart way to do it, just don’t be stupid and sign all the loanees. I said this when we loaned Downes and Fraser, I’ll say it again. Loan players to get you out of the division then say thanks and let them leave.
For me, SR have one more opportunity to learn from last time and get it right this time or I’m definitely joining the SR out gang with its leader @LincolnSaint
