3 years is nuts. As previous have said, might be ok for this coming season but definitely can’t do PL. SR must be thinking he’ll be ok for a 2nd year in Champ or maybe he’ll even be ok for Div1!!! Ps. Still can’t forgive hm for the hair pull.
I'm pleased to have him stay for this season. Think having leaders in a young squad is important as is a bit of continuity from the last time we were promoted. I think he'll be club captain but matchday he'll be in and out and that someone like Charles might get the armband most weeks. I also think IF we go up he ends up being one of the older players who brings through the u21 side as we see some of the top teams do before being sold to championship or joining coaching staff. The club love him, he's a model pro about the place and does lots in and around the city. Was poor in the PL last season but good championship player and I'm happy hes staying. Our likely other centeal defenders are currently 18, 20, 23 and 22. (P.S. Nobody can defend rhe hair pull!)
I see it as the following: he's here now, no one will be buying him and unless the contract is on significantly higher wages it's not really changing the financial picture too much. he's not our worst current defender in that he actually tries to play / train etc the length of contract it mostly irrelevant - if he retires it ends, if he's sold it ends, if it expires it ends, if we loan him out at some point it becomes moot too. So for me it just feels like keeping a known player around for a length of time that covers us taking 1-2 seasons to get promoted and then becoming a bit player as we improve the squad around him. The important factor here will be that we actually do improve the squad around him.
I think it speaks more to the overall plan of the club moving forward. I already want to cry at the prospect of another ****ing season with Bednerak and Stephens being the focal point of defence, just how much of a clown club can you be to keep the same defence for so many years with zero improvement. I can't help but stress it time and time again, Jan Bednerak and Jack Stephens have been at the club for many many years, they BOTH played in BOTH 9-0 losses, we have signed probably upward of 8 Centre Backs since they've been with us and now, after the second relegation in 3 years, we STILL have Bednerak and Stephens and Stephens is Captain. It's just abhorrent decision making from those in charge. How many years have we been criticising defending? Yet we seem to have no interest in actually changing our defence other than selling the one ****ing player that was player of the year when we were last in the Championship, for FREE. I was actually kinda excited to see the switch up this summer after the changes in recruitment and manager but unfortunately, like Juric, Martin and Jones before him, we have a manager that wants to make his own assessment of these players rather than look at our declining stats season after season and look at the players who have been at the core of that club who seem to be getting a free pass again.
THB and Edwards in a back four would be my preference for moving forward. We simply have to stop conceding over 60 league goals every season (it nearly cost us promotion last time). I'll be disillusioned if Jack and Bedders are starting regularly yet again.
Stephens is 31, not 36. I highly doubt that either he or we have agreed to this extension on the basis that it involves him transitioning into coaching or helping the youth sides. Stephens, I am sure, will want to remain in the first team for the entire contract.
He'll want to but will be realistic that its unlikely if we go up. What I described was what I expect to happen not what has been agreed. I think we need to be pragmatic. Signing experienced players who can make a difference is hard. Its hard at championship level never mind PL. Keeping someone who we know can perform at this level and brings a lot of club benefits and is more than affordable is good for me, Clive.
Stephens can want whatever he likes but he only made 19 league appearances last season and only 26 (including the 3 in the play-offs) last time we were in the Championship. Interestingly, he's never made 30 league appearances in a season for Saints. All of which makes giving him a 3 year contract even stranger tbh.
A 1 year extension as cover in a long old season I understand. But this is men in white coats type of madness. Who the **** signed this off
It was also SR that bought Lavia,Fernandes and Ramsdale Admittedly there has been a lot of dross but we have had some gooduns too.
Meh I still take issue because we are just as thirsty to offload our good players as we are terrible at offloading the ****. 5 year contract signed by Lavia in 2022, sold in 2023. One good season for Fernandes and it looks like he might be out out the door. Heck Sulemana and Dibling had 2 good months and it was like we were licking our lips and money signs. Yet 8 years of Bednerak and we still cant shift him.
Except Bednarek and Stephens are very unlikely to be the focal point of defence this year. We've made another CB signing, we have Edwards back who was exceptional last season at this level. Bednarek will go, and I imagine Stephens if he starts the season at CB will be slowly phased out, so not sure what the panic there is?
One of my visits to Soton in 2020 coincided with the Burnley game - it was KWPs debut. It was a horrible day, wind and rain with some storm or other just arriving, and just before COVID. Anyway, we lost 1-2, but what I remember was Stephens being the outstanding player on the pitch, adapting to the conditions and playing like a Rolls Royce in a field of Massey Fergusons. I assume Still reckons he`s worth the deal, so fine by me.
