Ralph on the summer transfer window: "We need a lot of new players in the summer to help us otherwise we'll have another one of these seasons where we have a good run , then get a few injuries and struggle."
Yes but it wasn't necessarily said as a message to the board unless you want to specifically read it that way. Still paraphrasing: - small squad; expected a lot from youngsters; easier to introduce 1 or 2 in a winning side than several in a losing side; need to recruit in summer or we'll be in the same position next year; players we need not always available; we know good players cost a lot of money; we have to find a way of achieving it. IMO, I think if we can offload some of the players out on loan or surplus - particularly Hoedt, Gunn, Lemina and Elyounoussi - that could finance a few purchases, but he is realistic - knows that not a lot of money is available. That's not to say nothing is available, but it needs to be boosted by a few sales to reduce the wage bill.
Plus Ings will bring in something like £20m too, shame Bertie will walk for nothing, Shane Long for a couple of million but not much else sadly
While we're doing 'ifs' .. If Sheff Utd don't turn up Saturday we might score Come on, guys. There is no rational reason to think that we should lose on Saturday. We've got better players. But we are Saints. And this is Sheffield (flashback to goalie scoring a 90th minute equaliser in a 3-3 draw at Hillsborough and losing to United in the League Cup when we were so crap it was embarassing) Bollocks. We're doomed
I thought I read Celtic will give us £5m for Ely ? And maybe someone will take Lemina and Wes permanently of our hands.
That's weird. Actually put that in my original post but then deleted it as I thought it was just too negative. The £20m would certainly help but only if we got a replacement for Ings of the same quality AND a defender who can play either RB or LB. The other thing we really need is a game changer. A MLT or Mane type player who can change the game with a piece of sublime skill My thinking is that the club is now well run so I think we can assume there is already a transfer budget for the summer - as there was last year when we bought KWP (financed by PEH sale), Salisu, Diallo and Walcott. If we get 4 of that quality in this summer we should be well pleased.
I was at that 3-3, a real kick in the goodies. John Burridge? loved that after 90 mins of abuse about being the fat bastard in the green.
We got to be realistic, Ings isn’t signing a new contract, his agent has gone public and he is playing like Shane Long since the contract negotiations stalled. How many times have we seen this happen
You have no idea if we will. We have got better players than Ings for less... Mane & Van Dijk for example. We could unearth an absolute gem for £10m-£15m, we just don't know.
To be fair we have brought in five first teamers in the last 12 months: Walker-Peters Salisu Diallo Walcott Minamino Not a bad bunch. It has been the thinning of the squad that has killed us. Should have kept at least 3/4 of the bodies we let go. Maybe: Reed Valery Boufal/Sims These are not match-winners or even first teamers, but they would have helped take the strain off the first teamers, and reduce the injury list. Ralph needs to rotate the team more if we are gonna play a high-energy press.
Mark Crossley the one keeper that saved a LeTiss penalty! I seem to remember being in the Milton rd stand that night against Forest.