Southampton Banter Archive July 08 2015

 

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(single word yields best result)

08 Jul 2015 20:51:20
I posted just now but having read all the posts on this site I am thoroughly depressed. Last year we had good reason to be worried and while there were a lot of fans being extremely negative you could understand it. This year we have a proven manager and still have a significant number of good players for RoKo to work with. We were bottom of division 3 (old money) and The Liebherrs saved us. We could be doing just like Pompey right now but no we have a Europa League spot. The tripe on these forums is so negative it is embarrassing. I am going to post this and pack up posting and coming to the site. If we won the champions league it would be the same. In fact maybe supporting Bournemouth would be a better option.

Believable4 Unbelievable2

08 Jul 2015 21:44:59
You'll be back. How can people's comments make you want to pack it in. Your an adult. If things like this upset you.then what was you like when we was in Division three?(old money) And your still here!

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08 Jul 2015 22:28:29
Sorry to hear you feel that way Ronrulesok, but I suppose I can see why some posters have turned to pessimism because there was a genuine optimism that players were going to stay or deals were going to be done and another season of key players leaving and no sign of adequate replacements, people are possibly getting a little nervy (can't speak for others of course).

I think we all want what's best for Saints and that is to improve, and sometimes teams have to evolve to improve, but with more key changes this season who's to say we will pull it off again.

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08 Jul 2015 22:53:55
Everybody is entitled to their opinion.
Good luck getting a ticket at AFC Bournemouth

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09 Jul 2015 08:17:57
I think losing Morgan is going to be the difference this year, he is the heart of our team and held things together when we lost the others last year. Call me pessimistic but I think we will struggle this year, especially without Toby as well. I don't think we will get relegated but we certainly won't equal or better our position from last year.

I agree if you look back from our position a few years ago the club has risen spectacularly and I just think everyone [including myself] is just waiting / expecting for the bubble to burst and us to settle into mid-table mediocrity. Nobody wants it, just expects it. It will be like that until our global brand increases and we can compete with the best without harming our financial security.

On the other hand, Juanmi looks like a great signing and a hopefully rejuvenated JRod will fire some life into our attack.

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08 Jul 2015 20:50:32
Lets be realistic. !

Clyne - £90,000 a week - 5 years = £23.4 Million
Alderweireld - £50,000 a week - 5 years - £13 million
Scneiderlin - £100,000 a week - 5 years - £26 million

Its down to mercenary money. none of the above give a flying foxtrot about Saints, we were so lucky to have Le Tissier. Francis Benali. Ricky Lambert. my view is that we will make up for it by having as good a manager as anybody. Koeman is Strong, knows his stuff, brings on youngsters and is a verty good tactician.

We have some good youngsters and I feel that McCarthy, McQueen and Sam Gallagher will be just the tonic. Slattery is quality and given a couple of years will do the business.

Just wish we picked up a couple of strong youngsters
Patrick Roberts is quality. worth £8-10 million and we need to just enjoy our own Southampton Way.! We can't compete with the top 6 teams financially, but we will have a good season.

Believable2 Unbelievable0

08 Jul 2015 21:50:16
If Toby's wages are correct there, why the hell did we not go for it. The other two I can understand. But 50k for Toby when we had Osvaldo on silly money, is beyond me.

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09 Jul 2015 22:07:52
I've said it before I would have Rickie back for the Europa cup campaign , he would be really cheap and would still give us the experience we will need for a season of 50 + games . He is one of the main reasons we are where we are today and he is just being wasted , he is still fit and would give us what Matt gave us in his later career , class.

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08 Jul 2015 20:01:52
Very happy about today's performance! JayRod is back with a bang, scoring 2 goals in 45 minutes, Juanmi quickly showed his abilities, scoring in the first 25 minutes and even Cedric managed to score!

On the flip side, we did concede 5 goals which I hope won't ruin MS' confidence!

I'm very anxious to see how the first-team does on Saturday following this great attacking display.

The March Goes On

Believable1 Unbelievable0

08 Jul 2015 20:36:21
I know it was only a german league 2 side but Cedric looked absolutely quality. His goal was a top finish, with his left btw, and how he managed to get that cross in for J-Rod's 2nd I don't know, he had like 3 of their players around him, got through them and then put a perfect cross in, with his left, for J-Rod to head in

we only had 4 players who will be regular starters this season so take the result with a pinch of salt but J-Rod, Juanmi & Cedric all looked good

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09 Jul 2015 05:40:18
Only seen the game via saints twitter goal videos. But, I'm in full agreement.

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08 Jul 2015 19:32:18
So far I have been very underwhelmed by Saints signings and the constant mention of our debt and finances from many sources has me truly concerned, when considering the flow of cash into the club from the sale of players and EPL revenue. I think the club need to step up and tell us how we can be reportedly 50 million in debt when the players we sold to Liverpool total more than this sum, without the funds from Man u. yes I know this money is made in installments but surely we should be in a very good place Financially.
The toby situation was pathetic by southampton and we lost a fantastic opportunity. Ron Vlar has been touted but he is slower than a three legged dog. We do need to step up our game and those of you that pipe up saying about last yr, well guess what, we got lucky last yr, don't expect to be able to do that every yr and this yr if we make the group stage of the waste of space cup hen we will be a very stretched and taxed squad, just look at Everton last season.

Believable3 Unbelievable2

08 Jul 2015 20:24:33
i suspect you were underwhelmed by the players we brought in last year too?

The club aren't in debt but we have far less to spend than what people believe, mainly due to the Europa league FFP being much more strict than the premier league FFP (we're only allowed to lose €45 million (about £30 million) instead of £100 million).

Lets put our income into perspective with the other english clubs in the Europa league Liverpool and Spurs.

Saints had the lowest sponsor and shirt branding income last season.
Saints get 1.7 million per year from veho, and since we had own branded shirts we made no money from a shirt manufacturer.

Liverpool make £20 million per year, just from their sponsor, add to that the $42 million per year deal warrior had with them.

Spurs make £16 million per year, plus $16.7 million per year from Under Armour.

now let's get into ticket prices
we have an average ticket price of let's say £45. £45 x 29420 (full stadium minus 10% away fans) x 19 = £25154100 (that's if we sell out every week, which we don't)

Spurs have an average ticket price of £50 and a larger stadium. £50 x 32656 (36284 minus 10% away fans) x 19 = £31023200

Liverpool have an average ticket price of £45 too but they have a much larger capacity. £45 x 19 x 40970 (45522 minus 10% away fans) = £35029350

As you can see, we're a long way behind in terms of income, so while the owners have the money to go out and blow 50 million on a player and pay the wages that come with that, the club technically can't afford to do so without going into debt

Alderweireld couldn't be helped, the club would have done everything possible to bring him in, can't help a player choosing another club.

Vlaar's a decent player, could be valuable in terms of experience and squad depth. I doubt he'll be a replacement for Alderweireld but as I posted earlier, Yoshida would be more than adequate

last year we didn't 'get lucky'. The whole black box thing and the intensive scouting network is designed to bring in players who'll fit in exactly where the one who went left off. Sure, we won't be able to survive selling 6/7/8 players per year but 1 or 2 is exactly what it was designed for.

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08 Jul 2015 20:53:10
Jonah still living up to his name!

He really would have done wonders in Nelson's day. "There's just too many of them Horatio, let's go home, 'cause we're doomed."

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08 Jul 2015 21:29:26
'Saintysaintsaint' unfortunatly les's black box needs rejigging , we sell well, well occaisionally but our buying in general has been pretty poor, our structure has been blown apart by 2 expensive flops in osvaldo and ramirez, forren, gardos, jury will be out on martina, tadic and pele are ok at best and obly arrived because of roko otherwise we would have been up shit creek, I like long but 12m. ooh panic buy, even steve bruce thought that was hilarious, elia and djiric didn't impress and again jury will be out on steklenburg, mane is a bit of shiney star in amongst it all and potential to be an awesome addition, I know people will slate people like qwertyell and myself for being negative but this is a forum for everyones opinions and to all these rose tinted fans who think we will again challenge for 5/6/7 with our youngsters are very mistaken but i'd love to be wrong , I beleive west ham everton and swansea will all finish above us, think the only ambition the club have is to be a regular epl team despite where they finish

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08 Jul 2015 22:40:00
In reply to the remark about "Yoshida" being adequate, I totally disagree.
As a cover centre back then yes, but we need to replace Alderweireld with another decent defender.
Yoshida was found wanting more than once last season, and was at fault for allowing Hazard to score at St Marys with a schoolboy error.
Yes Hazard was the player of the year, but allowing him to get onto his right foot was schoolboy defending, and it wasn't the only time he made errors.

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09 Jul 2015 19:51:51
Lol Yoshida is adequate? He is bambi on ice. I have absolutely zero confidence in that boy. How many non-natural footballers would you actually like to field SaintySaintSaint?! Yoshida isnt, Bertrand isnt. Although there are players like Bertrand who have been good, a Europa League defence is expected to be comfortable at the back. Like it or not, Bertrand, Yoshida and many others are just not comfortable on the ball. going to cause a lot of problems. Only defenders I've seen comfortable on the ball have either left or are in Fonte and now Cedric

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10 Jul 2015 18:45:50
saintysaintsaint well done for answering questions I didn't even ask. I am fully aware of our lower revenue streams. However the constant mention of a 50 million debt when we have sold players for far in excess of this total are reported from reputable media sources. If we have sold players and are unable to use these funds to finance bigger transfer moves then why has the debt not been paid off at least. surely that will then allow us to operate within the ffp rules of any competition?

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08 Jul 2015 19:12:02
It's going to be Ron Vlarr on a free, isn't it?

Believable0 Unbelievable0

08 Jul 2015 20:28:06
Really really hope not but I feel it will happen, don't get me wrong ill take him but i'd want a 10-15m quality 1st choice cb in before him

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08 Jul 2015 17:37:35
Alderweireld is a top class footballer, and he had a fantastic season with us. But a lot of people seem to think he was one of the best defenders we've ever had. But as SaintySaintSaint shows in his post, the stats prove differently.

Many will align our fantastic defensive record to mainly him and Morgan as they were the well-known talents in the team, when it could easily be argued the key players were Fonte, Wanyama and Bertrand. All of which will remain at Saints this season.

In truth you could say Alderweireld fitted into a well trained defensive system mapped out by the coaches and well governed by our Captain. The proof? Yoshida was able to do much of the same job when he played and Gardos also for some games.

Yes, it's a shame we didn't get to sign him, but with the system in place I don't feel any need to be concerned that we won't get a player equally efficient in to replace Alderweireld.

Believable4 Unbelievable0

08 Jul 2015 18:58:53
Couldn't have put it any better myself, and the 14 million we supposedly offered is enough to get somebody decent to fit that slot. think this time last year alderwiereld was only valued at 6

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09 Jul 2015 19:54:43
Lets be honest, Alderweireld is incredibly injury prone, huge negative and put us in a lot of trouble at times like having to play Yoshida and or Gardos. didn't matter who we played against, not enjoyable watching a team attack with those two on the same field. We need an experienced, not too old, ball-playing centre back. Alderweireld wasnt THAT good. He was only that good because our others are absolute crap and for 6.5m. he is a steal. Only reason i'm gutted about it.

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08 Jul 2015 16:13:22
So, let's put this Alderweireld business into perspective.

He started 25/26? games for us last season. At least 4 were in midfield and at least 2 were at right back.

That means he only started just over half of our games at centre back and yet we still finished with the 2nd best defensive record in the league, can we really put the solid defence solely down to him, or was it a collective effort from everyone, including Yoshida and Gardos?

I've said for a long time that Yoshida, when he played, was every bit as good as Alderweireld, and stats prove that.

Over his 20 games at centre back, Alderweireld had an average rating of 6.96. Yoshida, over his 16 starts at centre back, had an average of 7.1 (yes, that's better than Toby.)

Believable0 Unbelievable2

08 Jul 2015 18:33:17
seems half my post got cut off aha

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08 Jul 2015 19:41:52
How does 6 out of your supposed 25/26 games work out as just over half of our games at centre back? 20 games from 25/26 even my poor maths doesn't make that half. Surely if he played 12 games in other positions then that would leave 14 ie just over half, where are you getting your stats, not from your mathematician I hope.

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08 Jul 2015 20:47:35
we play 38 games per season. Half of 38 is 19.

Alderweireld played 25 or 26 games of the season

4 of those were in midfield. 25/26 - 4 = 21/22

2 games were at right back. 21/22 - 2 = 19/20

that means he would have played 19 or 20 games at centre back and as we've already established half the season = 19 games, so, he would have played half, or just over half of our games at centre back

I hope you'll be retaking GCSE maths soon.

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08 Jul 2015 16:05:39
I agree with many posts here. Toby has been a big mistake and we need to recover from this mistake if its not to define our season.

Where are the players we need to come from? It's too late to put a marker down now. We should have done that months ago. We should not have allowed Clyne or Spider any option about leaving. We should have signed some bigger names early . We have only signed stop gaps to date.

We need two centre backs and two attacking mid field players and a right sided winger. If not we will never get into the top 10 and even worse we may struggle. Forget about the Europa League that is not important. Building a good team is paramount.

If the club has any ambition its time for the board to state what that ambition is.

Believable1 Unbelievable1

08 Jul 2015 15:07:31
Anyone seen the saints flag at the ashes?

Believable0 Unbelievable0

08 Jul 2015 12:23:37
Moving on from Toby, are there any mentioned names to replace him? Eds?

Any personal prefrences from our fellow saints fans? I'd like to see Koeman working his rep and get Veltman or Kongolo. Or we could go back for Van Dijk

Believable0 Unbelievable0

08 jul 2015 15:52:32
saints have got a great manager and backroom staff
just seems les reed is the weak link at the club
liverhampton and spuds laughing their heads off at us for his incompetence
forestsaint

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08 Jul 2015 19:06:27
Come guys last year it was the same whinging about the board ambition etc etc. Can you not after having shown to you by results trust our management to get it right, There will be the odd cockup on the way. Maybe we could have got Toby but Yoshie and Gardos are good alternatives and Gardos is only 23. let's try and support the efforts that for obvious reasons cannot be broadcast. We got Mane last year and what a result that was. Noone aw it coming and it is because we do not deal through the media

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08 Jul 2015 12:20:41
The former Germany international Marcell Jansen has called time on his career at the age of just 29 after he was released by Hamburg at the end of last season, justifying his decision by admitting, "I don't want to lie or deceive some other club or fans when I am no longer fully behind it. I can't just suddenly kiss another badge now."
Makes a change.

Believable0 Unbelievable0

08 Jul 2015 12:10:17
Well, on a positive note, I had never heard of Lovren nor Alderweireld and they worked out well for a time.

Believable1 Unbelievable0

08 Jul 2015 11:43:55
Hi Guys
This is my opinion.

Saints with egg on their face again, Toby and Totenham have taken Saints for a ride, I can't believe Les Reed and Rk fell for the old chestnut I want to play for Southampton Fc next season, and then signing for Spurs.
They must have known from the begining that TA was going to go to Spurs, otherwise he would have just told the media and spurs he was going to sign for Saints. its not rocket science.

All this rubbish that AM didn't pay back the £1.5 million in time, just someone trying to save face,

Les Reed needs to hold his hands up and say I have been taken for a ride by mr Alderweireld, or admit it was incompetence on my part, or naviety at best.

I can only asume you will now go and spend the same £14.2 million we are lead to believe Saints bid on another first class CB although I rather doubt it.

I have lived in Southampton and supported Saints all my life, I am amazed how you have let 8 first team players transfer out of Southampton, and join our premiership opposition over the last two seasons,
in case you need reminding Ricky Lambert, Adam LaLana, Dejan Loveren, Luke Shaw, Nathaniel Clyne,
Jack Cork, Spider, and Toby Alderweireld.You haven't seem to grasp that while you keep letting the players go to bigger clubs, the more there will be asking to leave, and the more the bigger clubs will be tapping our players up as they perceive Saints either don't care, or their a soft touch, I expect there will be another Three or four in January, Fans might not have liked him much but this conveyor belt of transfers, would never have happened under NK reign. it all smells a bit fishy to me.

Believable2 Unbelievable3

08 Jul 2015 12:37:33
Agree as above, shocking by les reed, toby shouldve been done in january, we we will now panic buy and pay over the odds as we will battle for same players as everton/villa/west ham and stoke, very peed off

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08 Jul 2015 13:13:57
Totally agree with the majority of that!

Was told earlier today that

A) saints only outbid Spurs once the deal was more or less done
B) had saints offered 11 million and waivered the 1.5 million in either Jan or at season end on a pre contract agreement he would have been our man but saints tried to be clever. Could have been a master stroke but no.

however I did also hear that saints are trying to negotiate with AM 2m and a loan of the RB that has just had the loan agreement cancelled with liverhampton

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08 Jul 2015 13:20:48
Dear disillusioned. That's life. Some individuals want to join bigger clubs and recieve better pay. Just like some 'ordinay' people (like you?) change jobs. Surely this is no surprise? However where are they all now? And how well did we do this last season? Wise up! (Nice PWEI reference there. ) In a world where people want to be associated with success, because that reflects well on them (or they thnk it does). Toby left co he want to live in London - the happening place! COYRs!

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08 Jul 2015 15:02:37
Fair opinion Disillusioned, but Toby was never our player. Every team in the league has players which transfer to other teams in the league, it's a common practice, even amongst the big clubs.

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08 Jul 2015 11:22:03
Don't know about you lot?
But I'm fuming that Toby gone to Spurs of all teams!!

Believable2 Unbelievable0

08 Jul 2015 15:35:18
just got to say Les Reed isbrilliant
NOT

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08 Jul 2015 11:09:33
Well that's Toby announced at Spurs! He revealed he took the advice of his Belgium international colleagues and new Spurs teammates before signing for the club. Sounds to me he never really cared about playing again with the Saints.

Well let's hurry and find someone better!

Believable0 Unbelievable0

08 Jul 2015 11:00:42
A lot of you seem incredibly optimistic or rather blind to the fact that although we have made considerable profit, our transfer dealings over the past 2 years have been incredibly poor overall. We have genuinely sold a solid champions league team in Lallana, Shaw, Lovren, Chambers, Clyne, Morgan is likely to follow and Alderweireld also seems like a loss. No matter how well the season went last season, a lot of you also don't seem to acknowledge the luck that was involved. We have lost all attacking flair and creativity and haven't replaced a Rickie Lambert on form goalscorer. Its hard to take the realisation of the team we could have. We have always sold but not in such depth when its most required now. Pelle isn't great, Tadic was average, Elia fell apart at the end, Long just worked hard but isn't a starter. Bertrand and Forster were our only good signings and now they are injured. One good signing in Mane doesn't cover all those lost. You should all be worried and be more realistic. We will do well to be top half this season!

Believable1 Unbelievable2

08 Jul 2015 12:01:03
Yeh I agree.
There doesn't seem to be any quality coming in of late although Jaunmi and Soares are rated quite highly.
As for Martina I'm very dubious of this signing.

There is a lot of transfer window open and once Morgan leaves I hope that we bring in somebody of his quality as a replacement and hope that the board have planned for losing Toby although I seriously doubt this.

I think we will struggle in defence this season as we have lost half of it and the new will find it hard to adapt at first no matter how good they might be.

I think we need 2 decent centre halves and 2 more Midfielders.

Any thoughts gents?

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08 Jul 2015 13:08:04
Last 2 years? For me the likes of mayuka, Osvaldo and that CB who never played a game before going back to the same club are just as bad. Genuinely believe that pound for pound, performances and goals they have improved the incomings but I still get your point, it could be a lot better.

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08 Jul 2015 14:18:04
Solid champions league team?? Are you kidding me?
Lambert was a legend but didn't score more than 15 goals a premier league season for us.
Lallana was skilful yet weak footed and again didn't contribute enough goals
Lovren has shown why he was third choice in France
Chambers is potential as is Shaw. And both aren't regulars in the new teams. Clyne has gone to a Europa league club.
Yes it would have been nice to keep these players but they are definitely not champions league. And too get the amount of money we did for them is unquestionably positive for the sustainability of the club (including the new academy buildings )
I'm sorry to admit but we are punching above our weight and a 32k seater stadium is not champions league wages material. We can't and won't hold onto players with ambitions of winning major trophies, it's simple as that. Until our global brand is a lot bigger than it is and we can bring in the revenue that the bigger clubs do then we are banging are heads against a glass roof with the top 6 looking down at us.
It's not to say we won't give them a good battering on the pitch but as status and financial ability goes. We are Europa league at best
COYR

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08 Jul 2015 15:43:14
Not at all! are you telling me the following team wouldn't make the champions league?

Forster

Clyne
Shaw
Fonte
Lovren

Schneiderlin
Wanyama

Lallana
Davis
Jay-Rod

Lambert

This is a pretty solid team, one that gave all the top teams a run for their money despite how well they are playing for their current teams, while at Southampton they were fantastic - hence why they were bought by big-spending clubs. Bar Forster this team we had 2 years ago. I would also imagine that we would have added to the team so the likes of Mane etc could have all still come to Saints. I am sorry, but there is just no comparison to this team and the team we currently have. In football more than other areas, you get what you pay for. 1 million to replace Lovren is absolutely criminal (Alderweireld replaced him but he's now gone as he was on loan so Martina is in effect his new replacement). The boardroom are laughing all the way to the bank.

All you need to do is look at those who have joined the club and those who have left the club.

In
Forster
Mane
Lone
Pelle
Bertrand
Tadic
(Martina, Cedric, Juanmi, Skelenburg)

Out
Lambert
Lovren
Lallana
Shaw
Chambers
Alderweireld
Elia
Clyne
Djuricic
Davis
Schneiderlin (likely)

lets be honest.

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08 Jul 2015 22:02:40
Have I missed something Davis out?
I love your optimism about the team but it's not champions league.

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09 Jul 2015 20:03:27
Are you telling me that you think this team couldn't get into the Champions League?!

Jay Rod

Lallana Mane Tadic

Schneiderlin Wanyama Alderweireld

Shaw Lovren Fonte Clyne


Forster


Im sorry, but i'd take this team over the Spurs team, Liverpool team and even United team.

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08 Jul 2015 10:26:35
Toby to spurs confirmed.
Cabaye heavily linked to palace
Gueye heavily linked to villa
Any more news on replacements for spider and Toby? clasie rumour still circulating. I'm sure we have many other targets we don't know about

Believable0 Unbelievable0

08 Jul 2015 10:23:34
, Done deal Toby signed for Spuds until 2020, Gutted, Move on, over to the Lawyers!

Believable0 Unbelievable0

08 Jul 2015 10:16:15
Toby gone to Spurs, official. Unlucky not to get him, would of been a brilliant signing! Oh well no we wait and see who else we have lined up!

Believable0 Unbelievable0

08 Jul 2015 10:04:23
Barca new boy Arda Turan is likely to be loaned out until January because he can't play for Barca until then. Maybe worth Roko having a chat with his old friends at Barca and trying to sign him on a 6 month loan?

Believable2 Unbelievable0

08 Jul 2015 14:32:50
would be amazing and not as bad idea but would it wouldn't make much sense for Barcelona or Arda

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08 Jul 2015 10:02:03
Toby to Spurs - official now. I hope we found out why.

Believable0 Unbelievable0

08 Jul 2015 09:50:42
Do you not think that Saints supporters are in general viewing this summer in a glass half-empty kinda way. Let's start to be more positive and even suggest 'Optimistic'.

Fact - We will have FAR better attacking options already than last season when at times we wondered where the goals were coming from. Sure the defence may still need some 'Tweaking' but if we can score a few more, then the defence I might offer up - would not have to even be as strong as we were last year!

JayRod - Back with us and hopefully itching the make amends for last year.

Juanmi - An undoubted class act and someone who will add a different attacking option.

Mane - Got to be spurred on on from his start last year where he just got better and better.

Long - He too looked better as the season went on. A fabulous performance against Villa showed his class.

Ramirez - He's been in the wilderness for a while. He's rested during a long lay-off for him and he will have to perform in what will be 'make or break' for him.

Tadic - Hopefully, his groin problem has been sorted out. There hasn't been much publisised about his injury. But I'm sure he knows that he'll have to perform given the additions to the squad

Pelle - Knows that he will be under more scrutiny this year and with additional options available, a dry-spell as he had mid season last year might just mean dare I say it - He'll be dropped for someone else this time! Hopefully, we'll see the best from him. He's a seasoned international now!

And there are other 'Maybes' such as Sam Gallagher who also had a long lay-off in the u21's last year and is due a run again with the seniors.

I'm minded to just wait and see what will develop and give the management some time to sort out a few defensive options. I have faith and won't be panicking. just yet.

COYS

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08 Jul 2015 10:38:16
Fantastic post Saint Moose, nice to put a positive spin on what will be a dark day for some!

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08 Jul 2015 10:58:32
I agree, the forward options are looking pretty decent. But the further back you look, the more worrying the squad appears.

They have only three proven PL midfielders - Schneiderlin, Wanyama and Davis - and at least one of them is off. Ward-Prowse and Reed have shown promise, but Koeman has been reluctant to start them when everyone's available. That's a seriously thin pool. Alderweireld ended up filling in in midfield for part of the season, such were the lack of options. And now he's gone.

They didn't replace Cork. They didn't even replace Taider. It's not a strong area of the squad, even before Morgan leaves.

And then the defence: Four of last season's back five won't be starting this season (Forster, Clyne, Alderweireld and Bertand). That's a massive concern, any way you shape it.

For me, they obviously need a quality centre back (I have nightmares of them signing Ron Vlaar on a free), and at least two central midfielder starters.

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08 Jul 2015 12:56:40
Sort of agree Querty but Ron Vlaar is worth having on a free he is a quality player and although not that young anymore he would be a good addition to the squad. We do need a top and younger CB though but we may struggle to get one if we won't pay top dollar . I think we might have a battle on our hands this season if the club doesn't pull it's finger out .

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08 Jul 2015 06:43:54
Is things like the toby situation that will make RoKo think twice about staying in future as it seems farcical. Now we need to sign a BIG NAME defender to restore my faith

Believable2 Unbelievable2

08 Jul 2015 10:09:44
We could have signed a BIG Name defender. Toby. We could have signed a Big name midfielder , Morgan! Instead we have signed cheap development players, not those with proven ability!

Roko will no doubt be getting very frustrated . Les Read has to act fast to secure at least a couple of good signings before the start of August. Pity it was not Toby and Morgan.

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