Sean St. Ledger

**IsMiseSean** · 24/11/2014, 7:52 PM

He mentions 'petrol money' in the article. Strange hearing a professional footballer being worried about petrol money....

**DannyInvincible** · 24/11/2014, 8:11 PM

Originally Posted by the doc

Read the article again, Einstein!

He's says pre season he'd had offers from L1 clubs but at that stage he was hoping to get better offers.

You'd make things a lot easier for yourself around here if you weren't so needlessly defensive and confrontational... Anyway, maybe it's you who ought to read it again. A direct quote of Sean's from the article (paraphrased by Predator):

"I had a couple of offers but being honest, I didn't want to drop down to that level."

**geysir** · 24/11/2014, 8:53 PM

St Ledger had ambitions to play at championship level and he chose not to pursue interest from the League 1 and the MLS. Now I get the impression he would consider offers from anywhere. He had an ambition, realistic imo, that's not a hammer to beat him with.
He sounds as if he's in a rut but has a good attitude.

**Predator** · 24/11/2014, 9:02 PM

Played for Ipswich Town's U21s tonight* on trial. If he manages to get himself a contract at Ipswich, fair play to him.

* against Southampton. He played 90 minutes and they lost 1-0.

**Predator** · 24/11/2014, 9:11 PM

Originally Posted by geysir

St Ledger had ambitions to play at championship level and he chose not to pursue interest from the League 1 and the MLS. Now I get the impression he would consider offers from anywhere. He had an ambition, realistic imo, that's not a hammer to beat him with.
He sounds as if he's in a rut but has a good attitude.

Based on his time without a club and some of his comments on the matter, I think Sledge's ambition was probably a wee bit unrealistic and should have been tempered by his experience on the sidelines over the course of the past few years. He's 29, hadn't played much due to persistent injuries and had undergone a series of surgeries (things that make his hiatus understandable, from my point of view). But if he gets the Ipswich move, it'll all be moot.

**geysir** · 24/11/2014, 10:01 PM

It's not the first time a sports person's ambition was slightly higher than current ability or status.
ipswich is turning out to be rehab club of sorts for our merry band of dysfunctional misfits.

**the doc** · 25/11/2014, 7:49 AM

Originally Posted by geysir

It's not the first time a sports person's ambition was slightly higher than current ability or status.
ipswich is turning out to be rehab club of sorts for our merry band of dysfunctional misfits.

No harm in aiming high, Greysa

"we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars"

**zero** · 25/11/2014, 9:49 PM

so sledge was playing for ipswich last night but the doc chose to watch villa v southampton. where's the loyalty?

**DeLorean** · 26/11/2014, 1:23 PM

Sean St Ledger Finally Looks To Have Found A New Club…

**DannyInvincible** · 26/11/2014, 2:37 PM

Good stuff. Pleased for him as it must have been a pretty lonely and depressing spell for him. Hopefully he'll be competing for his place in the Ireland team again sooner rather than later.

**DeLorean** · 26/11/2014, 3:13 PM

Pretty short stint, hopefully he can impress immediately. Who are the regular centre backs for Ipswich these times? I know Christophe Berra is there and obviously liked by Mick. Who else is competing does anybody know?

**paul_oshea** · 26/11/2014, 3:36 PM

Not by the sounds of all his travelling, he was enjoying himself well enough!

**eitoof** · 26/11/2014, 4:18 PM

Originally Posted by DeLorean

Pretty short stint, hopefully he can impress immediately. Who are the regular centre backs for Ipswich these times? I know Christophe Berra is there and obviously liked by Mick. Who else is competing does anybody know?

Ironically enough he'd also be competing with Luke Chambers who was linked with a possible Republic of Ireland call up a while back.

Also Tommie Smith, an English born New Zealand international.

**DeLorean** · 26/11/2014, 4:49 PM

Ipswich away to Charlton is live on Sky Sports 1 Saturday afternoon but I suppose it's unlikely he'll feature.

**DannyInvincible** · 26/11/2014, 4:55 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Not by the sounds of all his travelling, he was enjoying himself well enough!

Escapist distractions, I would say. Feeling so purposeless and hopeless can't have been a nice feeling. He said as much with regard to his trip to Greece when he spoke to Dan McDonnell in Lansdowne before the USA game.

Originally Posted by Dan McDonnell

"All my friends are in football and during the week they're concentrating on building up to games on Saturday. They don't do anything apart from that."

St Ledger has stopped going to watch them play.

"It makes me sick waking up on a Saturday and watching it because I know I'm fit and still capable of playing at that level."

Boredom is the enemy, and it tests the discipline. Through the help of the PFA, he went to St George's Park for a few days to maintain his fitness.

With English badges everywhere and just a couple of women footballers and coaches in the building, he found it an odd experience.

[Luke] Steele extended a holiday invite to Greece which was gratefully accepted, but the goalkeeper's intensive work and travel commitments meant that St Ledger found himself home alone a few days per week. He discovered the joys of Greek yoghurt and, bizarrely, Bikram yoga.

"I was just sick and tired of running, bored of it, so I thought I'd try something different and I enjoyed that," he says.

"Otherwise, I was just sunbathing and waiting for my mate to come back from training. It might sound great, and it was for a week or so, but by the end I wasn't enjoying it."

**geysir** · 26/11/2014, 9:31 PM

That's good news for us if it all goes to form.
But there is still little doubt that (Epl stalwart) Ward's LB spot is safe from any and all permutations arising from the centre half musical chairs of O'Shea, Keogh, Pearce, St Ledger and Wilson

**DeLorean** · 27/11/2014, 8:02 AM

Sadly I think that's true. I think Ward's been okay defensively recently but I'd prefer somebody with a bit more craft there, who can also defend a bit obviously. I know people say a full back's primary job is to defend, but the game has progressed to the point where they really need to be comfortable on the ball and offer an outlet going forward. Ward, just about, does his primary job functionally enough but I do think we need better when you see Robertson in Glasgow or De Sciglio in London. Brady may have left gaps but you can't put a value of the amount of trouble he caused the States. It's a problem less for the opposition knowing we've a full back that's of little threat going forward and compounded by the fact that he's not exactly ultra reliable defensively. The default selection of the three W's, Ward, Whelan and Walters, is holding us back a bit I feel, although I've good time for Walters in a lot of ways.

**DannyInvincible** · 27/11/2014, 8:05 AM

Originally Posted by DeLorean

The default selection of the three W's, Ward, Whelan and Walters, are holding us back a bit I feel

Yes, but then there's Wes.

**DeLorean** · 27/11/2014, 8:16 AM

First name W's are exempt!

Speaking of which, when is aul Wessi due back? Will it be touch and go for the Poland game. Can't see him getting a look-in unless he has had significant game time before then.