I'm sure that's exactly what Porteous said to him when they no doubt spoke before him signing for us, but clearly Laidlaw ignored it. But I'm sure your advice is based on a lot more insight so if you can find a way to get in contact him, perhaps via one of his family members, I'm sure he'd appreciate your input.
I thought he deliberately chose ‘shoe’ in the singular as a comment on Fletcher’s apparent one-legedness.
Would hardly call him a blue chip prospect though, would you? We've done well with JP and will probably do very well out of Asprilla, but in terms of domestic signings, we haven't picked up any real gems since Hughes and Chalobah (though both were a bit older than Laidlaw), it's an area we could do better in
Fortunately Ashley F's original negotiations with Scott Duxbury were recorded and have recently been uncovered. Watford eventually opted for a 'unidexter' striker, the rest of course is history...
You're kinda missing the main points I was making! But even taking your post on its own "merit", it's not especially relevant if other British players we've picked up before haven't done that well, as it could be (and I'd say mainly was) due to poor scouting in signing the wrong players, rather than our ability to develop players. Plus, looking at Morris and Andrews this season shows that we are capable of improving young British players anyway if they have the potential.
Excited about Andrews, Morris has done a job but if I'm being totally honest I'm not sure he has a particularly high ceiling. A pretty small sample size for both so far mind you
No Morris doesn't, but the point is more about being able to develop and improve players. He was also just a free signing for the youth team initially anyway.
Of course this sketch would never see the light of day today. #Politicalcorrectnessgonemad #Wokerati.
Also hard to say how much he's 'improved' as he never actually played a senior game for Southampton, though I remember hearing that he looked solid when he played for us in pre-season last season
I think it's pretty easy to say how much he's improved, given how poor he looked for us in the cup last year and also for us in his few games at the start of this season. It wasn't until January this year that he appeared he could even be at the level of a competent Championship player.
Fletcher is more than good enough to be 4th choice at this level IMO. Throw in Bob Loblaw, Bayo, Manaj and the youngster who scored last season and that's a top 2 championship strike force imo. If they get 15 goals each, plus we get another 5 each from Clevs, Gozzers, Kayembe, Kone and Sema we're looking at over 100 goals imo. That will put us there or thereabouts IMHO.
Joking aside, 2 weeks out from preseason and there isn’t a single option who would be considered a first team starting striker. I think sights needs to be set at mid table being a success this season.
There are people on Twitter with short memories, trying to craft starting 11s out of this squad and then convince themselves/others, that they could be competitive. Completely ignoring history.
That really is straight from the mind of Gino. Quite frankly, if the hand picked head coach hasn't got that lot top of the league all season, then he must be an absolute charlatan or not pulling his weight. And you certainly shouldn't get any back chat about needing right back this and striker that.
In fairness there doesnt seem to be much going on at any club yet. Having said that I thought we were supposedly looking to do our business early?
I thought it was optimistic of Ismaël to think we could start doing things early. Transfers rarely happen by this time in the summer, partly due to people being on holiday, partly because contracts tend to end on 30th June and partly down to the usual brinkmanship of the transfer window.
Considering Laidlaw is by all accounts a done deal and hasn't been announced, and that there's been no announcement on contracts/loanees, it's perfectly possible we've made signings and haven't said anything yet.
So that's the day that Mogi's bus pulls up at London Colney and he kicks out a load of Belgian league reserve players and the odd one from France, who don't bother taking off their headphones, shrug and stand round putting pictures of their Gucci bags on the 'Gram. Gino loads a few holdalls full of used £20 notes onto the bus, slaps it twice on the side and Mogi speeds off. A second bus arrives, slows down, opens its doors and several young south Americans and british lads are kicked off before the bus picks up speed and disappears. Some men in dark glasses grab them by the throat, make them sign bits of paper and they are dragged away to a small building on the edge of the training ground. A big shiny car pulls up and Ismael gets out. "That's your lot" says Gino, waving his hand vaguely in the direction of the training ground. "Everything you could possibly need is there, make it happen". Ismael turns round to see Giaretta in the shadow of a doorway, filming everything on his phone.
It's so nice of Gino to tip the lowly paid bus driver like that. What a man! So trusting, so alturistic. Imagine how angry he'll be when he finds out later he's been had...
