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This page last updated: 11:27:46
30 Nov 2023 09:00:40
Where was Ross Stewart tonight not even on the bench, have we bought another dud and if so do we go again in the transfer window, as for the game our lack of a second goal left us vulnerable as previously, whilst our league position is good it could be so much better if we had won games rather than draw ie Rotherham and Huddersfield, if we do go again in the window who will leave to make room in the squad
11 Nov 2023 17:12:04
Got to give credit where credit is due, RM has turned things around and recent results have been superb. Still think we could and should put some opponents to the sword but if we continue this form we will be top 2 by February imo. Very pleased to be wrong in my previous posts.
11 Nov 2023 21:52:55
Came here to say a very similar thing. Our next ‘tough’ game is the reverse of this fixture in February. Till then I don’t think we play a team in the top half. In this league we will slip up somewhere along the line but what a month or so.
Reflecting now on our losing run, in perspective they don’t look so shocking. Boro hadn’t won a game but are now mid table, Leicester and Ipswich are first and second, and the only real shocker is the Sunderland game which I still can’t fathom, and maybe that took a few games to come back from.
Maybe we all overreacted a little. Some more clean sheets would be nice, but ultimately losing on two long away trips and at home to the top two aren’t anything to be too ashamed of, and we now seem to have a settled and organised lineup. Also excellent to see Stewart on the pitch. Way things are going we might be able to offload Adams to a struggling PL club in January for too much money and invest wisely.
I’d like to think we can now go on a 20+ game unbeaten run but the championship doesn’t work that way, though shoring up a top 6 spot whilst keeping the top 2 within arms reach would be a nice place to be come the new year.
Go the saints! I’m actually enjoying supporting this team for the first time in about 7 years 😂
12 Nov 2023 00:36:15
Blimey. home after a night out to come here and post . and you two have beaten me to it.
We seem to be doing what the best teams do, win when not evening playing our best.
RM has actually adjusted his playing style and tactics, not a lot, but just enough to stop us getting caught out so much.
We are definitely moving the ball quicker, and that holy grail . get it in the box quicker!
I am loving the atmosphere, the vibe, the excitement . the winning!
COYR
12 Nov 2023 11:29:24
All of which goes to prove RM actually does follow our posts and listens to our constructive criticisms - obviously!
12 Nov 2023 12:06:48
For someone so stubborn, just maybe he came on here, read our posts and thought, ‘well if my way is so good, why haven’t I had any success’ .
he hasn’t abandoned his way completely, but the possession stays yesterday, showed a huge change in tactics. Ie we didn’t have 80% possession and the same number of shots as the opponent.
But as I’ve said, all the successful teams win even when not playing their best, and grind out wins .
It’s been a very long time since I’ve enjoyed watching saints and believing we are going to win!
07 Oct 2023 22:19:58
Another reality check!
So after a reasonably sound performance at Stoke (hardly brilliant as RM stated), we mess up again and don`t get an easy 3 points today.
Good start but, as so often, the longer the game goes on the more we lose the initiative. All this possession football is supposed to tire the opposition out but they still looked full of running to me.
First substitutions added very little and inevitable mistake at back is punished. Waste of time (again) bringing on those game changers Mara and Aribo,
Shame we could not swap goalkeepers with Rotherham and as many are saying Manning HAS to go. Give Bree a chance and switch KWP as I suspect a 19 year old Larios if ever fit is not going to solve LB problem. Crying shame Perraud not kept.
Quarter of the season gone. we are 9 points above the bottom 3. we are 11 points behind the top 2.
If we can`t beat Rotherham we will need to look down the table rather than up. Difficult away games coming after international break.
26 Sep 2023 07:59:51
SaintGGsy has written an article entitled, Are Southampton Now Stuck In The Lower Leagues?
26 Sep 2023 15:16:34
Great article and agree with all your sentiments.
26 Sep 2023 19:16:13
Spot on
26 Sep 2023 22:50:03
Brilliant piece SaintGGsy. You should send it the Board undersigned by all of us!
Looking back, I was recalling the number of Saints fans who were heralding relegation claiming it would be the perfect opportunity to regroup and reset.
I argued with them at the time, because I never settle for second best but half thought they may have a point. As it transpires, it couldn’t have turned out worse. That’s not ‘I told you so’ - it just goes to show how utterly frustrated we all are.
We stick it on RM - rightly so - but the players should be ashamed of their lack of football intelligence and complete lack of courage. I wouldn’t want any of them in the trenches with me.
27 Sep 2023 00:37:28
The one thing that shouts from
Your article is FRUSTRATION with a capital F . how is it that a few devoted fans on a forum, can see through the problems with so much ease.
I have never known a team so predictable, so easy to beat .
and yes, where did it all come from. Out last great manager was RK. Ralph arrived with hints of success, but once it was obvious that Plan A was his only plan, we still stuck with him, hoping that plan B would arrive .
So our frustration is born from the fact that the inadequacies of Saints is obvious to us laypeople…
So we have to ask, are SR deliberately destroying our club? Because they are doing a very good job of destroying us!
We have in Martin, one of the worst managers I’ve ever known in any sport.
His belief in himself is surreal! He has simply turned Southampton football club into Swansea, in a matter of weeks, to satisfy his desire to prove to the world that he is right!
We have to ask ourselves, why would SR want to destroy our club?
We signed some great players last year, but just like this season, we are satisfied in keeping them on the bench… What is that about, it makes no sense
I am this post with a Phew . it’s a real and bizarre situation…
Please, someone save Southampton
27 Sep 2023 18:45:44
Thanks all, and thanks Ed’s for making that into a special article thingy, looks very cool!
What a sad spot we’re in. No hope for Saturday either, but at least it’ll be available to see live for the country to witness our embarrassment!
{Ed033's Note - Thanks, terrible period for Southampton supporters.
28 Sep 2023 11:40:20
Ed’s
I love to hear your take on all this. I think it’s accepted that Martin has a rather higher opinion of himself than previous and current results suggest.
I am all for giving an up and coming manager a chance, but all of us can see that he isn’t anything like that. He plays his way and absolutely will not divert from that path, even not picking some of our best players, for what seems that they don’t fit in with his way.
Teams playing us have found us out, so much so that they all seem to be loving every bit about playing us.
I can’t imagine the team talk lasts long .
‘Get at them, they will lose the ball in their half and we’ll be in’ …
The whole of Swansea was warning us that he took them from a play off team to a middle table team .
So what are we doing? Why have we taken him on?
He is awful, and he has an excuse for everything .
It’s never his tactics
{Ed001's Note - it was clearly a mistake to appoint him, he is one of those that talks about himself so well in interviews it will impress business people. But that is a totally different environment from football and what works there is almost certainly not going to work in football. For starters football is about teamwork, so someone who is so full of their own self-importance and talks themselves up is absolutely the wrong choice to manage. The manager needs to be all about the team and not I but we. In business that is not the same. That is where they are going wrong, as are so many clubs.
The problem is that they are recruiting via an interview method and so will likely repeat the mistake again and again until they bin it. The way to move forward is to identify the guy who has the attributes you want and headhunt him at the top end. Interviewing is only going to get you a limited choice and almost entirely is going to leave you with the dregs to pick from rather than the cream.}
28 Sep 2023 14:31:54
Thank you Ed for that insightful reply. It didn’t enter my head for one minute that any football club would use this interview process!
He certainly is an ‘I’ person. As you say, he must interview well, saying all the right things.
While I’m hugely grateful for the reply, it kind of makes things worse. Surely some research into his managerial history, statistics, media coverage, players opinions, would have meant he never even got an interview, let alone the job.
He can’t and won’t last, despite some ramblings today from the club saying they and the players fully support Martin …
Thank you again and thank you for putting up with our incessant moaning.
{Ed001's Note - no worries mate and it is common practice to use an interview practice to hire the head coach/manager/director of football but it makes little sense to me. Any club as high up as the EFL or EPL has a wealth of lower league and non-league staff to cherry pick. Why not head hunt the best person for the job, rather than limit your options to who is available to interview for the role?}
25 Sep 2023 20:44:39
Onaucha, 2 games 2 goals 2 assists. Hmm. in a league commensurate to uk championship! Opinions plz?
25 Sep 2023 21:20:03
There is definitely something amiss with our club. It seems so rigid - we must play this way or else - why can’t we bomb down the wings, cross it, big Paul with headers or knockdowns. There are reasons Sulemana and Alcaraz aren’t playing, why our best players aren’t performing.
I don’t know what it is, and I don’t think it’s just down to Martin, but problems feel deeper than we are seeing on the field right now, and it’s worrying.
{Ed033's Note - Thanks for the long post, i'll put it up tomorrow morning as an article
26 Sep 2023 06:51:12
Completely agree.
If we had a manager who could adapt our style to our team's strength, wouldn't they be rubbing their hands with glee. You have the tallest player in the league in Onuachu, fastest player in Sulemana, proven scorers in Adams and Tella.
I would be running the channels and crossing it to tall Paul. Playing long to hold it up or flick it on. Counter attacking with Alcaraz, Sulemana and Tella.
28 Sep 2023 14:33:07
We played him on the wing in one of the few games he played ….
he is a goalscorer and is proving the club wrong.
Balls into the box . simple .
19 Sep 2023 22:19:04
No more excuses, no more hand wringing - wake up and smell the coffee.
We are a League 1 outfit in terms of personnel, leadership and management.
Tonight was pathetic - worse than pathetic. Clueless, rudderless and hopeless.
Change the manager now - send the squad to a Royal Marine boot camp and inject some serious bottle.
As fans we are too accepting of the so called Southampton way - it works until it doesn't.
Call out the lack of effort, courage and commitment - and don't search for excuse.
That egotistical idiot (RM) is in the same bracket as Jones. He must go now.
20 Sep 2023 07:35:07
Never thought I would say this but Neil Warnock has his last game in charge of Huddersfield tonight, and has says he's not retiring yet. He ticks all the boxes you have mentioned.
20 Sep 2023 08:33:36
Ipswich should have scored 3 goals before halftime! Their goalkeeper made 1 decent save all game, we were at home! 3 things to say: if our players were so poor why have other clubs clambered to sign so many. If the players we brought in are so poor why do they have international caps and high market values. The only common denominator is the arrival of SR and the sudden serious demise of the clubs standing. RM has been found out after 3 games, if we play to the strengths of the squad we will be there or thereabouts but bizarrely it appears that is not what SR seem to want.
20 Sep 2023 10:04:32
I felt the same last season, that SR were wanting us relegated. We were buying players but not playing them.
The absolute waffle that comes out of Martins mouth is incredible. going on about last season and how much it was affecting the players.
No . you’re wanting them to play a style of football they are not accustomed to, they enjoy playing, that is working.
You’ve been found out .
At a mid-table team fair enough, you win some and lose sum, so your awful tactics are lost in the noise.
But we are a team that should be pushing for promotion.
This has to end, Martin absolutely sees nothing wrong in his tactics and is blaming it on anything else
20 Sep 2023 10:06:45
I completely understand your frustration. Getting beaten is one thing but tamely losing with a whimper is another.
I do believe we have a squad worthy of playoffs. The value of our squad on transfermarket and the bettings odds at the end of the transfer window both put us in the top 3.
What we have is a squad not playing to its potential - lacking leadership, lacking confidence and lacking a style of play.
I believe this is fixable but we need to make the changes required.
1. Stop playing out from the back 24/7. Especially for young players, lacking confidence, this is a risk.
2. Protect our back line from counter attacks, e.g. with Charles and Downes as holding midfielders or not pushing too many people forward with slow build ups.
3. THB needs Bednarek or Stephens alongside him.
4. Manning needs to step up or step aside. In time, Larios may take his place. Until then KWP could switch to the left and Stephens, Holgate or Bree could play at RB.
5. Alcaraz, Edozie, Sulemana and Adams could be an exciting front 4 on the break (plus AA, Stu and Stewart), we need to play to their strengths and mix up our play.
6. I understand players are disappointed after last year and not getting moves etc. We need to draw a line, move on and not indulge it. The best way to play in the PL is to get promoted.
7. If we need to get Al Pacino in to give a proper speech, let’s have a whip round!
I expected us to be languishing around 10th after the first 10 games. Saints and RM seem to start slowly but now is the time for a change of plan and attitude.
Over the next sets of ten we should be aiming to move up to 7th, then 5th, then 3rd and be knocking on the door of the top 2 or having the momentum going in to the playoffs.
This should be our goal and it is obtainable IF we make the changes required and players coming back like Larios, Stewart and Sulemena make an impact. Balls in your court RM and SR.
20 Sep 2023 11:24:25
That moron is white ring on now about scar tissue! We have 9 players in the squad who didn’t play a minute for the club last season… Htf can they have scar tissue! RM really is showing to be dillusional in his after match assessments 😡
20 Sep 2023 13:09:37
First time 2408 I’ve felt you are absolutely seething!
Shame we can’t post links / photos, because the script of his post match interview, was absolute crap. As you said 2408, basically saying our performances have been affected by last season.
He can’t last ., not only is he a clown, his football is dire and predictable, with our best players on the bench.
As for manning . awful!
{Ed033's Note - You can post links and photos on here by pasting in the urls in to the regular posting forms along with your text (i.e. https://thewebsite.co.uk/linkyou/would/like/topost/) and or pasting in the url location of the photo (i.e. https://thewebsite.co.uk/location/ofthephoto.jpg)
Also you can upload photos on your device onto here by using the upload form on the Sightings tab at the top of the page
21 Sep 2023 09:39:23
Please read Wes Burns and Jo Tessems comments that the Southern Echo have now printed. Sums up our playing style, predictably and our fate if things don’t change. I don’t think I can recall an article from a player who has just played against an opposition that mocks a style of play. The article informs all future opponents how to beat us, well done RM!
21 Sep 2023 08:42:41
Thank you Ed
18 Sep 2023 12:39:36
I heard on the grapevine this morning that Ross Stewart probably won't be ready for first team action until December. Even if he comes in then and scores a shed load of goals I fear that it will be far too late to get us to the playoffs.
18 Sep 2023 14:07:18
Lots of rumours abounded about him failing his medical . and then the comments slating those rumours …
Interesting
19 Sep 2023 08:31:21
If he had failed the medical then he would not be insured and Sunderland would not have accepted a deal with future add on payment’s, Saints would have to make full payment there and then. As I understand the FA rules, all players must be insured to play professional football in England.
04 Sep 2023 20:49:07
small question
i heard that fonte was available a while ago. this team needs a captain with experience. he would very quickly get this team together.
might be a bit slow but the leadership abilities are unquestionable. that is what our team is missing without a solid leader we are doomed.
04 Sep 2023 22:13:04
I actually think that Martin would object. While there has been the removal of deadwood, he also wants rid of anyone that is experienced, obviously has opinions and ones that might not agree with him.
It reminds me of a job interview many years ago; it went something like this .
so would you mind working under someone less experienced
How would you deal with someone less experienced telling you what to do
Could you cope with working for someone with no where near your experience .
Get the idea!
So here we have Martin, Swansea fans glad to see the back of him, saying he had only one way of playing, we were welcome to him .
Ask what do we have, one truck pony Martin.
In life, work, sport or whatever it was, I was always keen to learn, never had a problem with admitting I was wrong, embracing suggestions, learning all the time .
What I’ve never done, is say, I’m right, my way is right and anybody that disagrees I’ll get rid off.
What is sad and disappointing, is that a manager who has never managed a top team or at a top level, has not opened his mind to changes in his methods, he’s not had a light bulb moment where he’s thought, wow . he’s brought in players from his past, got rid of someone like Perraud and is now moulding southampton into Swansea!
I actually don’t think he’ll survive .
Facts and stats say it all .
Highest % possession in the league, most goals conceded!
But let’s just keep preserving .
2408 you must be cringing with what’s going on!
08 Sep 2023 15:39:47
I would have brought in Fonte and made him captain. He may not have played every game but he could have steadied the ship in the last 20 minutes, marshalled the defence, mentored THB and Charles and given protection and confidence to Bazunu.
Maybe RM felt threatened and/or SR did not want to pay the wages or were not sure if they could have moved on CC and Salisu to make way. let's hope THB does the job.
31 Aug 2023 21:11:56
Seems like Sulemana is off to Everton on loan
31 Aug 2023 21:02:56
I was lead to believe that Sunderland were not going to sell us Patrick Roberts after my post on 27/08. That appears to have changes, he's a terrific player, so is Stewart.
30 Aug 2023 21:00:45
We only have two days before the Transfer Window slams shut (thank heavens).
Why? Because some of you are 'frightened of your own shadows' Why some of you can't see that the shape of the team, dictates a certain type of player, and the Russ 'Has a Plan' rather than Jones'y and Selles, that were clueless!
We are two or three payers short, the players that have left, were quite good players, but they were 'Not a Good Team'!
Stop predicting 'Doom and Despair' we are going the right way. Please also don't expect Automatic Promotion, it's unfair.!
Now Cheer Up, put away the 'Woe is Me ' banners and enjoy the journey!
31 Aug 2023 21:30:50
Peter .
And why can’t we be promoted … we HAD the strike force . we have a great midfield .
why can’t we feel fed up and disillusioned with what’s going on?
We are allowed!
01 Sep 2023 00:42:32
Peter, show some respect to the fans who post and share their concerns. What is happening at our club is ridiculous in the extreme.
What is the basis for your optimism - to suggest we are 2 or 3 players short is naive. We have loanees and youngsters - untried, untested and unlikely to succeed .
Why should we wait for 2 or 3 years to build a squad/team capable of playing at the highest level.
We will have a team which is bang average in the Championship. I find it disappointing that you are so willing to accept mediocrity in the name of ‘fairness’ - you should be demanding that the club takes all necessary means to ensure our return to the PL.
Before you respond to this - watch the documentary about Burnley’s mission to return to the PL. It epitomised a boardroom that backed the manager and a manager that backed the team.
We are more likely to turn into a team of hand wringers than winners. All we have achieved in this window is dismantle a squad who had a chance of getting promotion. Don’t ever do that ‘woe is me thing’ - it’s not clever and it’s disrespectful.
01 Sep 2023 17:27:24
Could be worse….we could be a feeder club like Man City 😃
01 Sep 2023 17:42:11
Now that is funny!
01 Sep 2023 18:07:24
Millertime - Let me ask you a question -Why were we relegated if the team were so competent?
Some of these highly paid mercenaries like Sulisu just 'Down Tools' without a care for Southampton FC or the fans.
The appointment of Jones's and Selles, was awful, and the so called Team had no shape or structure.
Some of the players that we are assembling now, have 'Grit and Fight'.
Walcott, Elyounoussi, Dialo, Djenepo, McCarthy, Orsic, Caleta-Car, Lyanco were all sub 5/10. JWP tried his heart out, but his passing backwards and sideways was killing forward momentum.
All of the Moaning in the world, gets you nowhere. A positive attitude is what is required, we have some great additions, it will take a little time to make them a Team, but I have a good feeling about Russ Martin, yes he isn't a Koeman or Pochettino, but the financial disparity between the Big Six plus Saudi owns Newcastle are beyond us.
If Moaning helps you, then so be it, be i'd rather not suffer it, i'm a Saints fan through and through, always have been, always will be!
01 Sep 2023 20:46:35
Football revolves around opinion and I’m entitled to mine, as you are yours. It’s not moaning, it’s sharing and considering others’ views. When you resort to pathetic insults such as ‘frightened of your own shadows’ to describe Saints fans with views different to you then that is just plain ignorant.
We’re all Saints fans through and through - I travel round trips of 220 miles for every home game and go to most away games so you might want to check your patronising tone.
And because you asked, I’ve been critical of the attitude and application of the team over the last two years. I’ve never said, they were competent but I do think some of them are better equipped to perform in the Championship.
You seem to be doing a lot of moaning about the players you don’t rate - mercaneries you call them. Some of them probably are but you won’t find me lecturing you. So if you don’t want to suffer (as you put it) other people’s opinions you know what to do.
And I will share my opinion - this deadline transfer dau will be measured not by who we bring in but by who we manage to keep at the club eg Adams, Sulemana, KWP, ABK.
18 Aug 2023 12:30:34
Stick or twist .?
Sean Dyche is a canny operator and it looks like he is sniffing round Adams and Sulemana hoping to get them on the cheap now Saints have a healthy bank balance.
Personally, I hope we keep both. We know what Adams can do at this level and we have yet to find out how good Sulemana will be. I think he is a star in the making - not unlike Mane in his first season with us so can't wait to see him get a run of games.
So, unless we've got a gem lined up, let's stick with those two please.
21 Aug 2023 20:18:53
Imperative we keep Che. He scores in Championship! Get his contract sorted ASAP - we can afford the wages!
18 Aug 2023 12:14:00
If we let Che Adams go then we're showing no desire/ambition to return to the premier league. I get the majority of the other exits, big value players and fringe players. Che though isn't either. He's definitely class and that's why people are bidding for him obviously but he's a player the club SHOULD be able to keep hold of.
He's a proven goal scorer, even more so in this league and goals are part of the recipe you need for success. The valuation I'm hearing at 10M for him too is ridiculous. I don't rate Adam Armstrong (recent goals were penalties) .and any replacement for Che would be looking to cover the goals he would have certainly got us and there's no guarantee the replacement will .it's madness.
With all this outgoings as well we fans have to be aware that the club is a business. The new owners bought the club for whatever sum of money, the sell of players/assets covers their expenditure whilst netting them a tidy profit. As a business they've just made some nice money, so there's always the possibility that we're here to languish in the championship now whilst our former team is stripped for parts.
19 Aug 2023 20:55:38
The skill that Adams has is intelligence . he has the Danny Ings/lambert ability to hold and then move into space space at the last moment .
makes him impossible to play, IF our players anticipate his movement .
Three pure poachers goals in three games!
Tella has two great feet, knows where the goal is, bags of confidence!
Adam A . not an intelligent player, hasn’t progressed as a player . love to see Dom Ballard being given a chance over AA
15 Aug 2023 17:31:05
So Saints are trying to shift their highest earning players aka McCarthy Aribo Djenepo. I've been told that RM is very disappointed in the attitudes of Perraud and Onaucha and they have been made available for transfer. Lyancos father is trying to complete a loan deal back to Brazil but Saints want a loan fee with a buy option. Montpelier are trying to sign Mara on loan. Bologna have enquired about S Armstrong. 5 clubs have submitted a variety of offers for Adams but none have been accepted. 2 championship clubs have made 8 million offers for AA. Getafe has asked for Larios on loan. I have no info on incoming players apart from Downes.
15 Aug 2023 19:56:58
Superb intel @2408. That is great to know.
It is financially silly to be paying our biggest salaries to essentially our B team.
If we have 3 of Adams, Armstrong, Tella, Sulemana and Piroe at the end of the window, I would take that.
Trade Mccarthy and Lyanco for a new GK and CB and we have a playoff team, if we get our tactics right.
15 Aug 2023 21:30:39
I feel until we get a solid CDM and goal keeper in, it really doesn't matter who our center backs are. At the moment they have no protection in front of them and very little behind them.
16 Aug 2023 00:27:34
It’s enthralling stuff as the money keeps pouring in - well in excess of £100 M but all we hear about is players on the way out. Those we know about who are on the radar to join us are fair to middling players but hardly going to set the word alight.
The biggest priority is to bring in a GK - without one we can huff and puff all we like but we will not be serious contenders for promotion until we get an experienced keeper.
Next, we need a captain - a proper captain who can grab a game by the scruff of the neck and set the tempo.
Stephens is not even close to what we need.
The obsession (it seems) with Swansea players is becoming a joke - what have they achieved there which makes them such an attractive proposition for us.
One of the posters spoke about fans wanting instant gratification. I understand why he might think that but actually, the way I see it is that we do not want to continue gong down rabbit holes in the name of loyalty.
My main issue is that RM is out of his depth - Gillingham was more than just an error of judgement, it was cavalier and naive (clever dick stuff which didn’t pay off) .
The early signs are deeply disturbing and whilst I respect the mantra about giving him time, wait to Christmas etc - I believe the faith is being misplaced yet again. We can afford the salary of a manager with a proven track record rather than taking yet another punt.
I know that many will disagree with me, but we missed an opportunity in recruiting the right manager. That said, for those who like the thrills and spills of games like Norwich - buckle up and enjoy the ride. It will be fun, but it won’t get us back to the PL.
16 Aug 2023 09:09:54
Agreed we need a DM. We had too many attack minded midfielders against Norwich and were exposed. Charles and Downes can fill that role.
Given RM's recent comments it looks like Baz is here to stay. He is young and needs an experienced CB Leader to give him protection as Millertine says.
Piroe has been a top 5 top scorer in the Championship for the last two years. The others are mainly in the PL having gained promotion or with teams hoping for promotion, so they are unlikely to sell. Piroe knows how to score in RM's system so could hit the ground running, which has advantages. Perhaps others know of Brojoa or Lambert types we could get instead.
16 Aug 2023 10:58:24
So far the club has cut its weekly salary bill by approximately 600,000…. 30 million year with player sales and relegation clauses. They have received or will receive over length of contracts, including Lavia, 130 million BUT have many outgoings for players signed over the last 3 years plus 120,000 a week for 2 sacked managers. Money is still tight, I can’t see anymore than 25 million being reinvested in player purchases but I can see 3 loans coming in similar to the JWP / DOWNES deal. I think you’ll see Adams go and a loan player from the same club arrive and Sulemana go on the same sort of deal.
16 Aug 2023 19:40:04
Thank you for that great financial context @2408.
Given the circumstances, if most of Perraud, Aribo. Mara, Lyanco, Sulemana, Bree, Djenepo, Onuachu and ABK are sold/loaned and at least Downes, Holgate and Harwood-Bellis come in, then I would take that right now.
On paper, that is at least a playoffs squad and we balance the books to rebuild later.
16 Aug 2023 21:22:32
We do have the Parachute Payment, that will absorb the payments to RH who gave us good service with no financial support during his time.
Jones'y and his management team, was a mitigated disaster, and should be paid what he is worth, Big Fat Zero!
Sports Republic will still invest, but it needs to be prudent. Think the key will be our strong trading relationship with Man City and Chelsea, its working for both sides, so I expect to see 2 or 3 plays come in as per Lavia and Livramento once agin.
18 Aug 2023 08:03:31
Hi Pete, as I understand it we will receive approximately 50 million this year then 40 next and 20 the third year if we remain in championship. Our revenue will be 80 -100million a year less than being in the premier league. Year one parachute plus salary savings will balance the books but the money we have received from player sales has already been spent. Unless SR authorise fresh expenditure the club is in and will remain for the next 2 years financially viable and not plummeting into debt.
19 Aug 2023 19:35:05
Thank you for the explanation, as with any business, 'Cashflow is King' and re-investment or additional investment, could be sensible.
Say we asked SR to fund 3 purchases for a total of £50 million, to purchase quality youngsters such as McAtee from Man City (£15 million I believe) you have an appreciating asset. Look to sell in two years time at circa £30 million, deduct wages and interest (Internal on a say 6% Note) and it would work.
There is very little downside to factor in.
We also have some great youngsters;
Ballard
Diamond Edwards
Dibbling
Amo - Amaya
Doyle
So it would not be unrealistic, to expect at least 2/3 of these to make £10 - £15 million each within 2 years, although the 3rd year would me more beneficial, by which time, I believe we would/should get promotion back to the Premiership.
19 Aug 2023 20:06:56
The downside was proved last year. If we keep buying youngsters with no leadership the team will not flourish. As for the u21 players you mentioned, I went and watched the u21 Vs villa u21 last night and it was not a great advertisement for football at that level.
14 Aug 2023 15:26:17
Curious on who people think we should sell or keep out of Mara, Aribo, Lyanco, Bree, Perraud and Sulemana?
Hearing rumours that Onuachu may be off back to Genk with a swap deal for a right winger (think we are already strong here with Tella and Ameyaw).
Plus ABK going back to Germany. Then Holgate coming in on loan as a replacement (plus Downes for JWP). Maybe even Mccarthy to Everton.
50m spent on a quality GK, CB and Striker is what I think we all want now, with no more out the door. Then I think playoffs is achievable.
14 Aug 2023 18:24:01
I would keep sulemena if he is willing to fight and perraud is a good player and should be strong at this level. The others could go and I wouldn't be too upset although lyanco will give you passion, although I would play him as a dm not a cb