Yep. He’s like our very own Alpine Saint. Doom and gloom. Predicting relegation every season. Captain Wrong.
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I had forgotten about Alpine Saint is he still as depressive as ever ?
Although now we have an Austian hin charge he should be a changed man?
Don’t know. I don’t go over ‘there’ anymore.
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Neither do I
This was the first year I never joined there forcast league or dont think I did if I did can somebody tell me how I am doing?
Long hungover post warning
My thoughts.
- We have spent our 2019 summer transfer budget already - 20m for Ings. Yes it’s ITK bullshit but it matches every available fact. So we have zero “cash” for new players unless we sell.
- Bundesliege is this year providing a stepping stone for talented youngsters, I am pretty sure Ralph will have some contacts/knowledge in that area of who he could develop, and they won’t be 20, 30 million players with baggage.
- The squad is bloated, all very well saying “Get Rid” but we will HAVE to pay up contracts of a lot of players who would not get close to the wages level IF they leave us. That will burn up any incremental cash from reserves or TV deals next season.
- Who would want to pay Forster 80k per week? Norwich? Sheff Utd? No way in hell. Take that back down the chain of surplus players we would have to pay up even BEFORE we got some cash back for them (equally Chazza yeah great we get 4mil for him but we’d probably have to PAY that to to him to end his contract)
Keeper ONE has to go. Logic would dictate that being FF, Financial reality will likely mean it will be Macca who has a better value.
Right Back - we will need to pay off Cedric’s contract to get rid of him, expect that to cost us money. Do we want to pay for cover for Valery? Wish I knew more about the academy but why burn money here. Perhaps a nipper from Germany we’ve never heard of.
Left Back - Bertrand is a year past his sell by date. Again his salary will be too rich for promoted clubs maybe we can dump him on West Ham. Targett is sellable but he is a top level Championship class not an EPL starter for 30+ games. IF we can sell we should. Leaves us needing a new 1st choice AND a nipper for cover. So actually, it would be better IF Bertrand stayed, cash in on Targett and we got a Nipper in as cover.
CB’s whether we play with 2 or 3 - Stephens is not the answer. Hoedt should never come back to SMS. Stephens will have value, perhaps Villa or Derby - would be a perfect fit for them to continue to learn. He IS a good footballer but is NOT mature enough as a CB yet. Maya, Thor & Bednarek are the core of team. I DO expect Bednarek to be the subject of bids by bigger clubs. Alfie Jones, Aaron Ramsey a full pre-season. I expect to see one more dip into the “we’ve never heard of them” a 24/25 year old footballing CB incoming
CM we will usually set up with 3
Assuming we can keep everyone, we have Slattery coming through, can we keep PEH? Can’t see any top six taking JWP for the right money yet and cannot see anyone paying enough for Lemina so don’t think we will change anything. Mario will give us that extra unpredictable, creative edge we lack with the 3 of PEH, JWP, Romeu so we are sorted there, wouldn’t waste money.
“Wide players” we normally line up with 2 behind the central striker. Redmond is the perfect cover for Stirling at City, he is developing his game and Pep likes him. Has he come far enough to be the subject of unwanted bids? Could scousehampton see him as the replacement for Mane? Do hope not and don’t think he is ready for that step (yet). Long is the other choice - he is versatile and can also play up front, BUT he is not able to pick pocket opposition defences. This is where Boufal has his chance running at defences from deep (as Redz did yesterday) does he have the nous? the final ball? will he track back the way Redz does? Pre season is key, he would be the missing link or the source of some cash to pay off contracts. Josh Sims at the moment is too one dimensional - pace - he has shown indications of other abilities obviously but he is not ready to start 30 odd games. IF Boufal knuckles down we would have Long, Sims & Obafemi as “cover” in those positions, and possibly Marcus Barnes, which is probably enough.
Don’t see any signings UNLESS Ralph knows a nipper in Germany in which case Sims would be the most valuable cash generator - but IF Redz goes we will have trouble replacing him.
Striker - 1 up front
Redz Long & Obafemi can all play as a 2nd striker. What we don’t have is that first choice striker available every game. Ings is a great lone striker but not up to 45+ games a season potentially.
Chaz is a cost - we will have to pay his contract off to get rid of him, and he will go. Gallagher imho is not the answer. He has looked like a fish out of water, Bambi on ice or even, Chicken George. There is talent in there, just don’t see the mental edge that Chaz/Shane and now Redz have. A move to the Championship beckons.
Carrillo? Only way he will stay is if we can’t get anyone to buy or take him on loan. Hell, Stephens would run around as much as he can in that role and probably contribute as much. Gone. (hopefully)
So for me this is the key position to fill this summer. It won’t be anyone we have heard of and he may not even play for a month or two, but Ralph will find a nipper - from Germany OR even Chelsea/City. He will need pace, strength but most of all a footballing brain.
So that’s it.
Clasie, Reed, Hesketh all gone. McQueen MAY be kept as the LB cover - not for pure footballing reasons but financial - Targett is worth more, we need some cover assuming we keep Bertrand. That would give more time for a new nipper to come through.
Hoedt, Carrillo, Elnouyassi, Chazza, Stephens - gone. Cedric - hopefully gone
ith a realistic head on, that is 9 players gone minimum and only 2 needed to come in
Prepare for meltdowns
Sold for silly money necessitating big spending - possibly Bednarek & Redz
Gunn, Forster, Rose, Lewis
Valery, A Nipper, Thor, Ramsey, Jones, Maya, Bednarek, AN Other, Bertrand, McQueen
JWP, Lemina, Romeu, PEH, Slattery, Armstrong, A Nipper
Redz, Sims, Boufal, Obafemi, A Nipper
Ings, Long, AN Other, M Barnes, A Nipper.
That is a pretty full squad.
Obviously, IF someone became available who is actually better footballing AND mentally than who we have I’d upgrade but don’t see Ralph wanting huge squad numbers. Look where Wolves are in the table and how many first team players they have used. Similar to when we came up. When we were EXCITING and A TEAM!.
Everyone of those will be wrong, Hoedt will be Captain next season and Carrillo will score 20 goals with Hesketh getting 15 assists. And yes I have forgotten someone. I blame that IPA promotion
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You could have just c&p’d the whole article and saved me clicking it. Here it is, in its full glory.
“Southampton had a bid turned down for the Genk right-back in January, and I think the Saints could still make a move for the Danish 21-year-old despite the emergence of Yan Valery. Can’t have too many good, young defenders!”
Does this bloke get paid for his insightful writing skill 
Is Bazza in ‘The Big Apple’? I seem to recall he was heading over there in April for a long weekend. Probably being dragged around the Manhattan shoe emporiums by his better half as we speak!
Thought it was when Glastonbury was on?
He’s been online last few days.
Trying to get through in the Glasto resale.
Currently allegedly in A&E with an F5 RSI
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I didn’t actually read the article in truth! Just picked the first article I came across. In the past I read a better one with the player actually commenting on the interest from Saints.
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Forgive my ignorance but if another club wants him and makes an offer, why would we have to pay up his contract? £60k or £70k a week isn’t ridiculous and I reckon there will be clubs who will take a chance on him as he is proven at this level and the upper echelons of the championship. He just doesn’t fit in our way of playing as he’s too slow. He’d do alright in a big hoof team like Cardiff, Burnley etc who are direct and try to get the ball in the box at every opportunity in the hope for scrappy goals.
Equally an ambitious championship side might take a punt. Maybe they wouldn’t pay him the full wages but if he’s only got a year left on his saints contract he’d be daft to turn down a 3 year deal elsewhere.
Or do I not understand how these contracts and transfers work? It’s quite possible!
- Player under contract does NOT have to move.
- Buying club make offer of contract length and $$$ week. IF the $$$ a week is less than player would earn under his existing contract he does not move.
Maths. Would a Championship team want to pay Chaz 30k a week for 3 years? That is what the base maths will be - ditto FF, Cedric and others we want to offload
Fine but in this case I think Austin actually wants to play football. He was close to leaving in January so I don’t think he’s happy to warm the bench and just pocket his wages.
I don’t think we’ll have to ‘get rid’ of him as I do think there will be clubs out there who will want him. They will be attracted by a low transfer fee which will offset the fact that his wages might be higher. Similar to how we got him in the first place.
I agree some of the others will be a struggle to shift - Clasie will probably be paid off to go. Hoedt and Carrillo are going to be difficult.
Cedric hasn’t been disastrous by any stretch of the imagination so I think somebody will take him off our hands without the need to loan him out indefinitely or cancel his contract. Let’s not forget he won the Euros.
He definitely said he was going in April.
D’you think Ings will last a season under Ralph’s regime and be able to play week in week out? I have a sneaky suspicion that whilst he’s no doubt helped us this year I can’t see him making it through unscathed for a full season. Do we move Chaz on and send Ings back ? Just askin’
We can’t send Ings back, it’s a done deal!!
Context when we look for players
A bloody good read
#dinosaursout
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that jouno seems a lot brighter than the average bear
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Bugger
A brilliant read
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