Southampton Rumours Archive June 26 2013

26 Jun 2013 16:20:47
What's happening with Ever Banega? It's gone too quiet.

Nothing is happening, that's why!

Anyone reckon Belhanda is realistic? if not I've heard worse on here. Today probably.

So the Banega thing is over?

Did it even begin?

Unfortunately we are having a reality check. Possibly our European dreams will take longer than hoped. I don't think finishing 14th and having Poch is enough to attract the young foreign talent we want. Poch's old players coutinho and oswaldo didn't buy in to our project. Cortese may need a new strategy like West Brom last season I. e. Lukaku loan. Finishing 8th next season may lead to the marque signings we hope for, in order to break into the top 6
Westwalessaint

Personally I would just like to see a gradual improvement over the next 12 months. If we get 12th or higher we will moving in the right direction. We have great backing financially but will struggle to attract the high calibre players until we are challenging for top 8. We need to use the Everton blueprint and keep faith with one manager and build the club up slowly.

I think you missed out the parts about Coutinho being wanted by Liverpool who would generally be a better option than us when they can also offer first team football and I am not sure our interest in Osvaldo was genuine.

I don't think people realise unless we either expand the stadium or move to a new one and have capacity for about 45000 we will not attract the really top players. We have the fan base just difficult to get tickets from St Marys and a nightmare parking. I remember 28000 at the dell in the 2nd division. let's face it the Fareham area will now support Saints as the lot down the road have lost their appeal forever!

No that was exactly my point about coutinho, but you're probably right about osvaldo

What has the size of the stadium to do with attracting players? NC is perfectly aware of the need to increase the fan base and the stadium capacity but he has the luxury of not having to wait until that is achieved, and his comments certainly show that he will push ahead with developing the squad and its ability to play at a higher level AHEAD of such development.

Yes, it will make life more difficult to find the type of player who wants to be part of that but it will happen.

Saint Martin

Stadium capacity has little to do with our ability to attract top players. Its the Sky money that largely pays for player wages. And in Ramirez and Lovren we've already started on 'marque' signings. Add to that Lallana, Schneiderlin and Shaw you have players who would cost in excess of £15m if we were to try and buy them today.

All I am saying is most foreign players that no nothing of Southampton would be pleasantly surprised if they turned up for talks at a really impressive stadium geared for our ultimate ambition. let's face it most of the rest of the country thinks we are still this tin pot South Coast club and as we all know that is not true, however, to any prospective big signing the future has to look visually impressive. Persuasive vision talk is one thing, seeing it in front of your very eyes is another. We have in my opinion (probably biased) the very best loyal supporters in the country, can you imagine the difference 45000 crowds would give to the overall atmosphere it would be like having an extra man on the pitch. The likes of Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal etc. rely on this to spur them on. Might be wrong but big clubs must have big stadiums because if we do get to the top 6 we will have about 20000 people unable to get a ticket. Fan base is there just remember we took nearly 50000 to the Johnsons Paint Final and still had to turn people away. Our day is coming I just hope we are ready before it happens.

26 Jun 2013 11:29:23
Possible New kit leaked

http://www.liveforfootballshirts.com/southampton-home-shirt-1314-leaked/

That was leaked ages ago, couple of weeks old.

Looks like a retro Liverpool shirt. {Ed001's Note - just be glad it doesn't look like Liverpool's away shirt this season!!! My daughter thought it was a wind up when she first saw it and wouldn't believe it was the real one.}

Saints fan here & if this is it then I like it!

If we play like a retro Liverpool team I'll be happy!

This is horrible! What a slap in the face! I didn't mind last years but this is too far!

Would look better with the Adidas badge white and a full colour Southampton badge imo

Liverpool wish they could play like a retro Liverpool lol

Cant stand that, need stripes or reverse ajax kit

I don't think the shirt changes how you play.

This has been around for ages. Posted this like two weeks ago but for some reason was uploaded.

Anyway, assuming this is it, I'm a little disappointed. Apparently the badge and adidas badges are gold because they were meant to match the Lotus sponsor colour. That failed.

Lenny

Again, this late in the day, if the suppose sponsor was Lotus, then Lotus would be sued for millions!

Get real!

I hope this is not our kit next season!

I don't like it (said in an Andy pipkin style). Why in this day and age do we still get blurry images. Shouldn't even happen using a phone

The reason for no sponsor being printed is Cortese has managed to convince the Leibherr group to sponsor the club but the legal team need to check over rules and such with the FA and the Premier league to see if it is allowed for owners to also be the sponsors on the shirt and with the high finances the sponsorship will give.

This issue shouldn't have taken so long to resolve but clearly their has been problems which Cortese may be trying to find ways to get around. If this doesn't work out then I imagine he has a back up lined up to print instead.

Unless we are buying aap3 out of the final year of the contract, there is no need for a new sponsor. Don't have a clue where the lotus rumour come from. Liebherr one has been round a while though and that was also the reasoning behind Don Cortese's and Miss Liebherr's meeting.

Not sure there would be a problem with an owner's company sponsoring their club (Marcus Evans sponsors Ipswich) but Markus Leibherr was not involved in the Liebherr Group. He left the family business and set up his own, the Mali Group I believe.

That is terrible, we need to be playing in red and WHITE. Any new kit designs need to be made to avoid comparisons to Liverpool kits especially in the coming season with their awful ones.

^the issue with owners sponsering their own teams is all related to the incoming Financial fair play "rules". In basic terms, allowing owners to sponser their own teams allows additonal revenue to be made available for players & wages that don't impact on the FFP rules. I suspect the FA didn't think of this & thus the delay in checking out or closing that loophole?

The leaked image is what the kit looks like this season. I have a picture of the actual kit. Bit disappointed if I'm honest.

26 Jun 2013 10:12:02
A madrid and b Dortmund chasing g. Ramirez. - the sun.
If this to be true what are people's thoughts? Will cortese sell? Would u want him to sell?

Sell him, but for only the right price. He has great potential

He has the ability and I hope he comes good for us this season. I don't think Cortese will sell.

It takes time for players from foreign leagues to 'bed in' to English football. Michu was obviously an exception.

I would imagine gaston will want to leave, but don't think courtese Willet him, prepare for a very sulky man hold next season

St stuie

Can't see any top teams being interested in him, all rumours probably drummed up by his agent/bored media.

He's done no better than when he was at Bologna, and will be more expensive now. Also rarely lasts 90 mins. Can't see much interest in him until at least next summer if he has a strong season in the prem.

Sell him. Should not even be a debate. No pace or stamina, not up to it, any offer above £9m should be accepted and spent elswhere.

This rumour was started by his agent, who briefly mentioned it in a radio interview in Uruguay.

FWIW from whispers I have heard, MP is not a big fan of Gaston and the player is not overly fussed either way about whether he is kept or sold. I've heard Cortese will sell, but for no less than 15m and that all the funds from the sale will be added to the transfer budget, which would bump up the transfer budget to 55m

At this moment in time why would anybody want him (gaston R) or am I missing something I did not see last season.

The warnings were there before our purchase, no change of pace, questionable attitude no clear cut record of scoring goals.

And I am a saints fan who hopes things change for him and for us as fans.

Ramirez is amazing. Big mistake if we sell him.

No less then 15m

I think we should at least keep him another season to see if he adapts to epl. And I don't think for a minute he would be sold at a loss.