Looks like all my fears were wrong about this summer. Getting Spors in early really helped with this incredible transfer window! Just a smidgen over 2 weeks to go before the first game and we've signed 2 players no one had ever heard of.
You’ve gone early! Transfer windows have always been about what the squad looks like when the window shuts, not what it looks like at the first game. As it stands, the squad WS has got to work with is more than up to the task of beating Wrexham at home, even without the two new signings This window was always more about outgoings than incomings (or at least, one would facilitate the other) and if we keep any or even more than one of Fernandes/Dibling/THB/Ramsdale those are also big pluses for our team in my book
I love Lincoln's posts - the antithesis of Wilkins Macawber. For what it is worth, I think we will lose Fernandes , Dibling and Ransdale next month and will scrabble to replace them. In my opinion I think a good season will be to finish above Portsmouth. I cannot see us as automatic promotion contenders and would be surprised if we were in the playoffs. Expect the Wrexham game to be underwhelming and end in a draw. Still's first few matches will not pick up many points either. I can see the first decent performance coming against Portsmouth yet think we will struggle with constancy although the fans will eventually be won over by the style of football. For my money, Still has a really difficult job to improve the team from last year. I can see the hangover lasting until November. Just feel that any expectation things will come good thos season to be naive. A mid table season and then we go for it in 26 /27. Still will be learning on the job.
Really? I think you’re massively overestimating the quality of the Championship. I agree we may have a slow start but I can’t see 12 or so teams being above us come the end of the season.
If we finish mid table next season Still will (lol) be out of a job. The minimum expectation from the board and fans alike should be playoffs
Whilst I completely agree you can only judge the window once it has closed, I think you are massively over estimating our squad. If you compare our squad player for player with Wrexham, then sure, we should be beating them. But there is so much more to it than that. Not only do they have consistency from last season in terms of knowing how their manager wants to play, but they have the momentum and will be full of confidence - after the season we just had, our squad will be at the polar opposite. If we were to go into the Wrexham game tomorrow I'd have them as favourites. We have no confidence, no idea how to play how Still wants, and apart from 3 or 4 players, not a particularly fantastic squad.
I think this is exactly it. We will draw with Wrexham and then Saints will wake up to the massive task Still has ahead of him. The squad is used to getting beaten. It will take alot to get out of that mentality.
To say Wrexham would be favourites now is nonsense IMO. Fernandes, Dibling and Ramsdale would be playing if we played them tomorrow for one thing (I'm ignoring Dibling's knock for the purpose of this argument). And the players will know how Still wants to play, they don't play the same way in a pre-season game compared to a competitive game. Still a lot to work on sure, but to say Wrexham would be favourites on the road against us is, well, absurd to be quite honest.
How can you ignore the fact one player is injured now yet include players that will 100% not be here when the season starts? As for the players knowing how Still wants to play, they really don't. Based off what we have seen in pre-season, I don't think anyone does. Even if they do know, they certainly aren't capable of doing it yet. Granted, when I say they'd be favourites I appreciate no bookie would genuinely have Wrexham as favourites, mainly because of our stature as a club. But if you have watched us this pre-season it is painfully obvious we are a long way off being a top championship side*. *not to say Still won't get us there in time. But I do think people are underestimating how big a recovery task is required this pre season.
Whereas I think you and others are vastly overestimating the quality of the Championship. Still is meant to be a really good man manager so I'd like to think he's vastly improved the morale and mentality in the squad by now. There really is no point taking much out of pre-season performances. Anyway if anything, Still will learn more from the sort of game we saw earlier than 5-0 wins.
Eh, other than possibly Bednarek I don't think there are any players who will 100% not be here when the season starts. Several may have moved on by the time the transfer window closes but that's 3 weeks after the season starts. Like last time, I'm sure there'll be players who make a few appearances before moving on. Tella and JWP started our first Championship game in 2023 and even Lavia was on the bench.
Like others have said, preseason means nothing results-wise. It’s about fitness and experimentation. As I said earlier, I think the overall quality of the championship is poor (Sunderland promoted last season backs that up) so whilst I agree that the rebuild is significant, it’s not as if we are starting from scratch and most of it is morale. Also there is another 5 weeks of the window so to say now that we would struggle and end up mid table at the end of the season is a bit premature IMO. Let’s wait and see where we are Sept 1 at least! For me though, even with the current squad (let’s say also without Fernandes Dibling and Ramsdale) we are making the playoffs.
For me it will take one win and that will come in the first game. I honestly think we’ll have too much for Wrexham and as someone else said on another thread, I think they may be in for a bit of a shock this season.
I'd take the first decent performance being against the skates tbh. If we finish mid table though I highly doubt Still will be here for 26/27.
I’m pretty sure Spors would have wanted things to move quicker this summer, but as a whole things are slow unless you’re a Liverpool, Arsenal etc, splashing the cash early, because they’re buying big value players. The likes of Dibling, Ramsdale and Fernandes will not be priority signings for the top 5/6 clubs, but could be 2nd, 3rd choices for remaining clubs in the Premier league, and those clubs will start making their moves later in the window. I’d like to think that we’re in the same position, where targets have been identified, and probably spoken to, with the understanding that the wheel has to start turning for the mere mortal clubs? Pretty sure this will also apply to players like Bednarek, Aribo and a few others, hopefully. And every coach would love to be in the position that Slot is at Liverpool this season, where your major signings are all wrapped up before the end of July and ready to go when the season kicks off. This squad is good enough at present, for play offs at least, probably not automatic, but this definitely won’t be the squad when the window closes. We’re just where we are in the food chain, and the time to judge will be at the end of the window.
For those that have us as underdogs vs Wrexham. Saints win 3/4, Draw 17/6, Wrexham 4/1 https://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/championship/southampton-v-wrexham/winner PS There's no such thing as a poor bookie. Championship - Promotion Betting Odds Ipswich. 11/8. Southampton. 19/10. Sheffield Utd. 9/4. Birmingham. 5/2. Coventry. 9/2. Leicester. 9/2. Middlesbrough. 5/1. Norwich. 13/2. https://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/championship/promotion
I think the only thing to watch with Wrexham is the 'Ipswich, Southampton, Norwich" syndrome where the momentum from League One will give them a head start in the Championship, then who knows what will happen. Of all the promoted teams, they are the one that I didn't want to play first game of the season as there are more unknowns that Birmingham & Charlton IMO. I am not saying we should beat them (as that is just arrogance), but we should have too much for them, even if we are finding our feet. Additionally, the season isn't defined in the opening game. I think last year Wrexham drew or lost theirs and still got promoted.
