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Comment | Forgotten Men Could Play Crucial Part For Saints Next Season
at 19:10:05
Those players you mentioned (NIck) are just the overflow that Russell Martin ignored after deciding they didn't " fit his style" . Strange after his love affair with Ryan Fraser and persuading him leave his unfinished contract with Newcastle, he then totally ignored him.
Can't believe that Charlie Taylor was so much worse than Manning (another RM regular) and ABK had little or no game time to show up, and rarely even making the bench.
With a fit Larios, and the return of loan players like Shea Charles, Edwards and Sam Edozie we have the makings of a good Championship squad after the obvious candidates leave.
I don't expect either Adam A. or BBD to stay longer term and with the likely departure of Onuachu, then we have only Archer and (a fit) Ross Stewart as a strike force (!)
Definitely a need for 2 or 3 established strikers with a good goal tally behind them, or we will fail at the first hurdle.
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Comment | Everton V Southampton Game Moved
at 18:51:37
This is nonsense. The last game at Goodison will be ..the last time they play a game THERE.
Unlike Saints ...Everton will still be a Prem. club next season, so why this obsession with changing venue for no obvious reason.
If fans want to see Goodison for the last time, then let them in on another day and they can take turf from the pitch, seats from the stand and diverse items from the arena - like the signs for those obnoxious toilets.
It will be karma ... if Saints end up beating them on Liverpool's turf, (unless they are really just afraid of losing the last game at their beloved stadium).
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Comment | Manchester United, West Ham And Leeds Circling Over Southampton
at 16:35:39
(Nick).. you mentioned 4 or 5 players likely to leave ( I think we'd all have the same list) but this article seems to centre on goalkeepers. YES ..Ramsdale will certainly leave for A.N.OTHER Prem. side who have a better defence and hopefully there will be an "auction" otherwise we will make a big loss on the whole deal. I recall the catastrophic year that Sunderland were relegated with record goals against and their keeper was (one) Jordan Pickford. He went to Everton, kept them up every season and also won 70 England caps.
Bazunu seems to have a lifetimes contract (in some eyes) but with Lumley OOC in the summer, and McCarthy with one year left - to sit out on our bench - we can expect some new names in "the keeper dept." Not sure how Bazunu has performed on his loan out (?) and unless they are really keen to keep him (?)...he will be back with us after the summer.
With Shea Charles returning from his loan with Sheff. Wed. we might just see his goalie brother coming too - especially if Danny R. gets the managers job. Of those names above mentioned, they might just DAJFU in the Championship, but we really need " another type of Ramsdale"- if we are to get promoted again and be capable of staying up - longer term.
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Comment | Southampton V Aston Villa The Verdict
at 13:29:29
A very creditable 70 minutes of defending against an all-out Villa attack force, but it took a miracle goal from Ollie Watkins to break the deadlock. We must surely feel sad for Aaron Ramsdale's plight - saving two penalties - yet still conceding 3 times without making any of the errors himself. Sadly, both Jan. B and Capt. Jack aren't upto the requirements of Prem. level CB's. Both are fairly good in the air, but painfully slow on the ground and often too clumsy in the tackle.
A non-existent attack from Saints. I suppose Archer did play?. His name was on the team sheet, but he went AWOL for much of the time, and Tall Paul had few chances to get even close to the Villa goal. Our midfield seemed to be; Fernandes, Fernandes and Fernandes.
He covered so much ground and turned up all over the field, with only a yellow card for his troubles. Little of note to talk about from anyone else that comes to mind.
One bright spot was the debut of 18 year old Jay Robinson (already a regular in the U21 's) who came on when the game was already lost, but at least got a Prem. app. to his credit and will certainly get more game time, in anticipation of Dibling's summer departure.
Onto West Ham, where we may put on a goodly show - until we concede in added time.
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Comment | New Name On The Saints Shortlist To Replace Ivan Juric
at 10:47:21
Will Still, and even Rosenoir are perhaps names unknown to many of us, and I am certainly not against the concept of " young managers " but I would want to see more than just " a good season or two in a foreign league" before employing someone who didn't have a real career in the English game - regardless of the level, and with the hope / prospect of a quick return to .." the best League in the World ".
We would all praise Russell Martin for his great efforts last season, but the reality of top class football hit hard in just a few months, and he was clearly out of his depth.
Not sure that Rohr is the best name - even though he has some background with the club, but i would go for experience and even the prospect of the (hitherto) unsuccessful Steven Gerrard might help us turn the corner, if he and Lallana could use their successful Liverpool experiences to good use.
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Comment | Why Adam Lallana Deserves A Second Chance At Southampton
at 10:32:55
Sorry... but those fans who still criticise Lallana for his move to Liverpool - (11 years ago ? ) need to get real, and understand that ambition is not a dirty word in any profession.
Top-rate careers at Prem / International level can be short-lived, and there is no doubt that Adam was one of the best players in the Premier League at the time, whilst Saints were struggling to stay up in the Prem. every season. His assist-partnership with Lambert was a joy to watch for 5 seasons and (in part) responsible for Rickie's impressive Saints goal tally.
Then..30-odd international games and England Player of the Year barely two years after his move further underlined his quality. After Klopp arrived at Liverpool, AL became a key player in the "Klopp-sides" that later went on to win a Prem. League title and CL trophy.
I was sad to see him go, but being pragmatic we should also understand that; the likes of Mane, van Dijk, Lavia, and Livramento belong in ANOTHER league, and not struggling for survival all the time. Everyone saw their departures as inevitable and didn't gripe about it.
Adam spent almost 12 years of his early career with Saints and played on from.. -12 points in L1 , up through 2 leagues and showed his quality in the top Tier, when he might well have moved on even earlier than he did.
Not everything was bad news , and without those following couple of Koeman seasons, we wouldn't have seen the likes of Mane, Tadic and Pelle in Saints colours, (and very few people criticised them when they inevitably moved on).
I for one, am glad to see AL back, where his experience and background will hopefully help us in the near future, and (perhaps) eventually onto a managerial career "somewhere" and I won't criticise him when that day arrives either. |
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Comment | Who Wil Return From The Cold For Southampton After Juric Exit
at 06:24:27
Agree with most of your comments ( Nick) especially about Taylor and Gronbaek.
Fraser's strength has always been his pace (and not a few goals last season),which leaves us with Sulemana as our only genuine winger. Wood-Gordon was a good partner for THB in England's U23's, but not sure how well he fits in with other defenders we have at present but maybe Edwards is a better bet at CB. ABK didn't look entirely out of place in our otherwise poor defence, but don't think he was ever trained up to " Prem. standard."
Interesting to see the sides that the Rusk/ Lallana combo select in the first few matches. Being made "assistant" doesn't preclude Lallana from getting game time in (perhaps) his last season. He reads a game as well as anyone, and the concept of Player / Manager is not unknown - especially with his experience.
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Comment | Saints Set To Offload Striker In the Summer
at 09:58:32
Whatever the outcome of this deal we will take a big loss anyway. It seems most likely that a Turkish club will be his only way out EXCEPT, perhaps ...he might stay another season?.
Clearly he was struggling for game time under RM, but he does present a BIG threat and although he's struggled for goals when he did come on for short sub. apps, he might be an even bigger problem for many Championship defences.
With Adam A and BBD likely leaving the club anyway, we will need to find a whole new attacking line-up who can all score 10-15 goals each, especially as some Championship clubs regularly clock up 80-90 goals a season.
Paul probably has several seasons ahead of him, and will score goals wherever he goes, but I think we've seen that he was never really Prem. quality from the start.
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Comment | Can This Be The Dawning Of A New Era At Southampton FC
at 10:13:08
Nick ...(Headline ?) ..One can only hope. .....
It will be a chance to re-align the structure in all squads. (Sadly) we will lose KWP who does have Prem. class and others whose careers are on the edge (for various reasons). Ramsdale, Harwood-Bellis, Fernandes, Aribo, Sugawara and Dibling are likely departures.
We will need to top up the squad with good talents in all areas. We started the season with a record 5 strikers, plus the likes of Fraser and Cornet. We finish the season with just two - neither of whom has hits the heights. Those on loan are unlikely to return and the ever-absent Stewart is perhaps the most expensive failure without ever playing 45 mins.
The midfield trio Smallbone, Downes and Aribo have never really clicked, and the "Lallana-experiment" hasn't worked and there is little prospect of signing Ugochuka permanently.
We haven't come close to replacing Romeu and JWP, and will need a new backline capable of defending properly. Aside from the deplorable points tally, the lack of goals is also a great disappointment to fans who recall days when we did score quite freely.
Championship football will allow more chances to the latest Academy graduates, many of whom have been with Saints since junior school. On my count we have half-a dozen lads out on loan and it remains to see who may come into the first team fold, and those who may eventually stay with their respective loan clubs.
In short, a major overhaul, the like of which we haven't seen in the last 20 years. Getting the right players is important, but not least signing the right coach to make it all work.
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Comment | Southampton At Tottenham Hotspur The Verdict
at 14:42:03
Typical failings in the first half, in trying to defend against a side built on all-out attack.
We looked the better side H2, but sadly Fernandes' goal was too little, too late.
Shame about the penalty as few would admit they were two goals better than us in the end.
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Comment | Southampton FC Issue Ivan Juric Statement
at 14:37:34
Difficult to find alternative words for the situation.
Ivan was on a hiding to nothing when attempting to convert a squad deeply-entrenched in " Russball style football " when they clearly out of their depth from Day 1 after promotion. |
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Comment | Sky Sports Reports Ivan Juric Sacked
at 14:30:21
Not a surprising decision, (thankfully) taken sooner rather than later, now onto the hunt for his replacement with (perhaps) Simon Rusk taking the reins until a new face appears.
It was not an easy task finding a half-decent manager to replace Russel Martin, a week before Christmas and with the team already firmly anchored at the bottom.
I do have some sympathy for Juric, as he inherited an oversized squad of sub-standard players, previously recruited by 3 other managers, and who had been indoctrinated into Russball for 60-odd games. Juric did try to bring in some players who had been blatantly ignored by RM, and who had scarcely garnered that many minutes in the Prem. between them. He maybe secretly pleased for the early departure as his record with Saints won't look terribly good on his CV when he applies for... the next vacancy.
In the remaining fixtures (I hope) to see a few tactical changes and with a few of the promising U21 lads getting game time, and a chance to prove themselves at this level before we step down to the Championship. We may see some new talents appearing,
as both the U18/ U21's have been performing very well since the New Year.
I'm fairly sure we will see a mass slaughter of the squad, after the arrival of a new manager who has ideas for a quick turnaround in form, and not one satisfied to see us "treading water" for a few seasons before generating an attempt to return to the Prem. |
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Comment | Southampton At Tottenham Hotspur The Preview
at 08:17:17
P.S. (to above)..one thing that we can be sure of ....IF Saints get a win, (or even a creditable draw), Daniel Levy is likely to finally sack Ange Postecoglou and then eat a goodly portion of humble pie, by reluctantly re-employing Mauricio Pochettino (their previously ALMOST most successful manager), and start all over again.
IF ...Tyler Dibling were to score against Spurs... the outcome would be fairly predictable. |
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Comment | Southampton At Tottenham Hotspur The Preview
at 15:21:48
A fixture I always hate, (in fact Spurs as a club - fall into the same category for me) especially as I once knew a fellow (although Soton-born) always boasted how great Spurs were - despite them failing to win anything in over 30 years, and the fact that - with rare exception - Spurs have screwed us with almost every transfer deal we've made with them over the 60 years.
OK rant over, how tough it must be for their fans in their Billion £ound stadium, watching their side wallow in the bottom half of the table (like many other mediocre sides) and are now experiencing what life is really like - without their beloved Harry Kane.
Ivan Juric is (of course) on a hiding to nothing, and will be glad if he has one of his two genuine strikers fit enough to choose from. It matters little who chooses for the back line, and without the services of those players who are either; injured / suspended or, (as you pointed out Nick)..he has chosen to ignore, the team will almost picks itself. As we are awaiting the inevitable moment when we are mathematically relegated, it might be time to consider giving some minutes to one or two of our promising U21 lads who have shown up so well since the New Year. Whatever else happens, an appearance in a Prem. game (regardless of the eventual result) might look good on their CV.
If we come away with any reward from this fixture it will make relegation a little less painful for me during the short summer before we start to play Championship football.
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Comment | Southampton V Crystal Palace The Verdict
at 16:34:12
Overall, one of our better performances under Juric. That first minute Palace shot against the bar was a bit of a shocker, but we grew into the game, and Onuachu scored the sort of goal we wanted in his first season, and almost made it through the whole 90 mins. whilst showing what a presence he can be when making life hard for the Palace defenders.
Downes got stuck in for once but picked up his statutory yellow card, and one wonders if he is chasing Romeu's club record. Fernandes was outstanding in MF, and Les DAJFU in his defensive role. Bednarek's good work just about outweighs those horror passes he still makes out of the blue, but sadly Capt. Jack really is a handicap nowadays, and won't be missed if he leaves in the summer. Good contributions from Sulemana and KWP, but once again those well-deserved 3 points disappeared in added time.
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Comment | Back To Reality For Saints On Wednesday But Sadly Nothing Has Changed
at 16:06:41
As this thread is about the Palace fixture b.t.w.) and now having got one match closer to the Cup Final, Palace aren't in any panic for points and so one might expect them to rest a few key players - given that they are playing (us) a bottom side with one win in the last 10 games - and a defence that leaks like a sieve.
Given that we have played some fairly good football in between those catastrophic defeats who knows ?....we might even be able to make a game of it. |
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Comment | Could Saints Throw In A Promising Youngster To The Attack
at 15:52:38
The gap between Championship and Premier League is still enormous - as is that for the U21 prospects, but at this stage with only mathematics keeping us up - why not? Tyler Dibling has one foot out of the door on a big money move, so we need some new blood.
There are a goodly number of talents at the youth level just now and the likes of Payne, Robinson and Bragg might not be out of place in next season's line-ups. After a mediocre start to the season the U21's have been a revelation since the New Year (as have the U18 side) and Udoh ought to get some minutes to try his luck. With our recent run of games we can hardly do worse and it's an ideal time to try out the next generation's products.
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Comment | Saints Johannes Spors Has Been Speaking To The Media Again
at 14:35:45
Of those mentioned ....Of course we want to keep KWP, but I read (somewhere) that he was only on 22 K /week (!)..a paltry sum compared with some others on the payroll.
He is a Prem. grade player but a return to "somewhere in London" might be on the cards.
As for Captain Jack(?)..I think his time has come and he could do worse than return to Plymouth (who may go down), but aren't amongst the worse teams in the Championship.
Joe Lumley, was seldom called upon but was a breath of fresh air when he did play. He deserves to be playing in someone's first team instead of just occasionally sitting on the bench, and as he is OOC, it shouldn't be a problem for him to find a good club.
I suppose we will retain Alex McCarthy until his contract finishes, but there was talk last season that he might be bench candidate for another Prem. side. We will likely see Bazunu return but we do need reliable replacements as back-up in the longer term.
It was fun seeing Adam Lallana getting a little bit of game time (between injuries) but if he stays with the club?... it ought to be in some sort of coaching role. He'd do well there.
Tyler Dibling (?) YES) it would good for us -if he stayed, but even if we don't get the quoted £100 Million for him, that sort of money would go a long way for a club like ours. We don't often see that sort of deal, and there will surely be another lad capable of taking his role.
A lot of the VvD £ 75 mill. fee went down the drain with poor signings, and the later fire sale of Lavia & Co. seems to have gone up in smoke with very little reward.
IMHO ..get the best deals we can on everyone in the squad, and give the new manager the cash to build a new side capable of making a quick return to the Prem.
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