GrahamC

You actually originally said that we’d be left with Joe Williams to replace Scott & when I said in response we’d bring someone in, you then said that player wouldn’t be as good as Scott.. Which isn’t exactly revelatory. It is actually possible though to sell your best player, spend less on his replacement & still improve, Brentford have pulled off that feat consistently. I’d also be interested to know if anyone seriously thinks we’re going to finish fourth (which is what improving by ten places would mean). My guess is not.

According to Dave, yes. Hard to claim that double standards apply here when Kalas’ offer is apparently nearer to 50% of what he’s currently on & HNM has presumably been offered his existing terms again (no way would we get compensation otherwise). Chalk & cheese. Agree, he wouldn’t be anywhere near the level of fitness of those who have done the testing & been out in Austria but this could of course all be totally academic.

Are you seriously suggesting that if Scott is sold that in squad terms he won’t be replaced? That scenario is far less likely than either him leaving or him staying, as we would for the first time in years actually have decent funds to do so.

Bottom line is none of us really know, do we? He could have been offered a deal elsewhere that was so similar in value to ours that he’s weighing up having to move location. We could have withdrawn our offer when we reported back for training & he didn’t show. We are under absolutely no obligation to publicise this fact whilst he remains on our payroll. He could have indicated he’ll sign a new deal with us but is banking the one month in lieu of his last contract at a higher pay rate first (this seems unlikely). He might well not have any offers at all at present. I can’t see this dragging on into the new season & would expect Pearson to be asked about it & provide clarification in the press conference ahead of the Preston game.

With Naismith & King that’s definitely not the case, is it? Naismith only started half our league games (plus 2 sub appearances), King only started 15, plus came on in 11 as sub. We actually leaned on Vyner as our first choice defender & in midfield on some lad called Scott.. I do think our recruitment has looked to address the imbalance between a group with those who were very inexperienced & those over 30 & whilst not perfect due to our financial constraints we are in a far better place. No one is always going to agree but Sutton is far better than many so called experts, I think we can finish around 10th myself whether Scott stays or not but so many variables make it a mug’s game really.

Not really, Delap (4 goals last season) is seen as something far better than he’s shown. I will be very surprised if they finish above us & no way will QPR finish above Preston or Huddersfield, they’ll do very well to avoid relegation.

Fair comment on Naismith but think that’s a little harsh on Atkinson. Aside from his ACL he has had a pretty decent availability record with us, 35 games in his debut season & he had already appeared 31 times by February when it happened at Sunderland. Think Naismith needs to play in the Pompey game for us to be confident we have enough without Kalas.

His last three games for us were all pretty brutal. That 6-0 defeat at Watford where he played LCB with Ryley Towler on the outside of him & we were 4-0 down at HT when they were both subbed off. Holden’s last game at home to Reading & then the nadir at home to Barnsley under Simpson & Downing when I don’t think we had either a shot on target or a corner. Nige made his mind up on him very quickly & never selected him for a competitive game.

That level is a complete mixed bag in France, St.Etienne’s ground is superb, Bordeaux too. Others like Pau, Dunkerque, Rodez are basically National League standard.

Saw someone say recently he’d been back in France. All the best to him.

He has been, along with a couple of Bundesliga clubs (Werder Bremen most recently) & a few In Ligue 1.

I have no idea who said this but blimey, as Dave said he could have done better for the goal, we appeared to be collectively sleeping after scoring, I thought the two left alone must be offside, but clearly not. Otherwise (like Roberts) he was outstanding, best user of the ball at the back since Webster. Interesting he’s being asked to play left in the middle, I can only see this an indication that even if Naismith is available by Preston that Dickie & Vyner will be our starting centre backs.

Me too re Kalas & as you point out, Baker & Weimann both renewed almost immediately & reported back for pre season. Totally different situation. Also although I would want to know exactly how near Naismith is, Roberts’ excellent performance yesterday made me think if Pring had to fill in then firstly it would mean we had the preferred right/left footed combination in place again & also we are no weaker at LB, though ideally we would have Dickie, Vyner & Naismith all available to us right up until big Rob is back. Not a chance in a million that we go to Leicester or Leeds with a first year pro in our back four though, no matter how promising they are.

They do look good prospects but the other side of that argument is this, they have just looked good against Newport County & a second string Oxford side. Atkinson is coming back from an ACL injury, so him being available for selection any time before late September looks to be a bonus. Naismith was only fit for just over half of last season’s games & has already missed several in pre season. Both Dickie & Vyner do have really good availability records but if either is missing we are switching players (Pring, McCrorie) to play them not in their best position. In September we go to Leicester, Stoke come here then before the international break we visit Rotherham & Leeds in the same week. I really wouldn’t want (or expect) the two you have mentioned to be involved in games like that. I am completely baffled by the Kalas situation, maybe he is banking the last big months’ money from us before making his next move, but if he was staying he could do that & still turn up to training so I do think he’s not coming back. Whatever way it goes if we get to the Preston game & he hasn’t committed surely we will move on.

Might be relevant, it might not, but Harry Leeson wore 22 today, his old number.

To be honest with 27 involved at the HPC & 2 having left on loan this week you have to think it is those completely out of favour (the likes of Sam Pearson, Idehen, Owura Edwards) & a lot of U18s.

Really tough ask, playing in a side that was completely outclassed. Took off after 70 minutes, Newport brought on a lot of trialists in the latter stages.

I think top ten is “doing well”. I think those seeing top two are attainable just don’t understand the scale of the challenge. With Luton I’m just highlighting we are going down a completely opposite route, as you rightly say Scott (Semenyo too) are examples of how this works for us. No right answer & actually I think our strategy is better, far less short term, though Luton will rightly say who is playing Man U this season? Top six isn’t top two, is it? Luton never did that & although I don’t expect it, would see that as at least possible.

You’d think so. Apparently the next 2 friendlies for them are us & then Yeovil, which will be a bit odd for him, I guess.

We can all say anything that we like but it is frankly delusional. We have signed a player from the third or fourth ranked side in Scottish football, someone who had a horrendous season in our division last time out, one who played in a league one side who didn’t even reach the playoffs & a free transfer without a single championship game under his belt. All individually look like they do add something to the squad but compared to the 5 sides with parachute payments & that’s excluding Boro & Sunderland, our squad looks top half at best, as a for instance we only have one goalkeeper who has ever played a senior game in the English league system. People can keep quoting Luton but their recruitment, excellent though it was is entirely different, concentrating on a lot of players aged 30 or thereabouts, all experienced pros, I bet there would have been uproar on here if we had signed Lansbury, Freeman & Woodrow again. Still, some think Scott really wants to stay another year, earn a tenth of what he can & will sign a new contract, so what can you do?

QPR in 12th went well, shitting themselves that they would go down with a fortnight of the season left. Worth highlighting too that only one of the three they tipped to get relegated actually did & that was due to a points deduction.

Perversely this all actually works to his advantage. They have a small squad, very few strikers & he has every opportunity of playing lots of league football. Really close to home too, after going in to a total shambles at Yeovil this loan looks ideal.

Apparently he’s in talks with Leyton Orient, so league one.

Marinovic played against Ipswich Town, presumably you mean Bajic?

In hindsight I think those comments were partially not to put more pressure on him, but think that a subsequent poor loan spell at Walsall, not taking him to Austria & now moving him on are indicative that he didn’t think he’s good enough. Klose definitely burned his bridges that night too, though.