Southampton Banter Archive July 03 2014

03 Jul 2014 23:23:33
Caulker looks like he is off to QPR. It's a shame as he could have really added something to our defence and their aren't many good English players about, of a good age and within our range at the moment. Ah well. Hope we sign at least one centre back and two if Lovren leaves. If we have a back two of Lovren, Fonte, Yoshida and another good player then we might have finally solved that issue.

They've agreed a fee, but I agree would be a big miss if we didn't go for him again, but I agree two quality CB's are needed if we lose Lovren

03 Jul 2014 16:16:21
Shaw £30M = Utd
Lallana £23M = Liverpool
Lovren £20M = Liverpool
Lambert £4M = Liverpool
Osvaldo £9M = Juventus or Roma

Thats potentially £86M in sales without what ever the board allocated for transfers so let's say around £100M available for players.

Matt targett new left back to replace Shaw
Tadic new left wing to replace Lallana
Caulker new center back to replace Lovren
Rhodes new striker to replace Lambert
Pelle new striker to replace Osvaldo

Southampton will stil have a good team that can maintain a top 8 finish, although I really do feel for the mas they have lost there best players but have an excellent academy that will no doubt produce more talent for them.

If lovren goes we'll need more than 1 CB as we lack quality their anyway

04 Jul 2014 08:16:19
You forgot £20 million for spider

03 Jul 2014 14:25:03
I think this repeated abuse of southampton fc has finally broken my pride. It is just relentless and quite sickening what we have to read every day.

Yes we have sold players (only 3) for huge profits and i'm excited about what transfers in we may have but I wish we would just get a break from the press it is utterly relentless and tbh i'm just p***ed off now.

I love southampton fc and that will never change but to have possibly 5 key players ripped from us in 1 window is disgusting and that doesn't even include the osvaldo and possibly gaston being shipped out.

I just cannot see how this rebuilding job can be done right now we lacked depth before so if we do sell 7 players we need to bring in 10. 10 that is just stupid the evolution not revelution we had going was perfect we had a squad built together and it was solid key to the success we have had in my eyes.

No matter what I see this being a hard season for us with a rebuild and then these new players needed to adjust and gel I don't think we will get relegated but bottom half is pretty likely. how can you sell your clubs vision to new players (quality players) with so many key players gone. Hope i'm wrong as I've been positive even with the loss of lallana but this is a huge job for koeman to rebuild. If we replaced with top players like hernandez and even highly rated dutch stars like de vrij or depay but I can't see them coming here. How do you sell the club to players like that? I just struggle to see where we are heading.

trying to stay positive but it is getting hard now

Clarkey Saint I totally agree with you! It's gutting to see day after day more negativity in the press, but I guess we're an easy target right now.

The problem as I see it was the squad had such a good feel about it that when 1, 2 or even 3 players leave others know it won't be the same anymore and therefore feel there futures lie elsewhere - Maybe MoPo did too good a job of making a solid group? Anyhoo, I think we will be OK, read today that Targett will be given the chance to fill Luke Shaw's boots and with the other incoming signings mentioned I believe the quality will be there! Onwards and Upwards my brothers - COYR's!

If we bring in someone like Tadic, the idea of building will be far easier to sell to Dutch league stars as he has gained an awful lot of respect in his time there showing himself to be one of the most talented players to grace the league in recent years.

The right one or two signings can revitalise the idea of the build for players at least, it's just securing the right people to grow in the first place.

I understand your dismay but there is still reason to stay positive!

The Youth:
Matt Targett - a pacey & very technical left back, gifted with wonderful free kicks & accurate crosses. He looks to be a very promising new player.

Jake Hesketh - an agile, tactically aware attacking midfielder capable of scoring some great goals, his brace against the Portsmouth Youth team last season was unbelievable! (Watch their 7-0 thrashing on YouTube)

I see these two as the most promising but we still have Sims, Rowe, McQueen, Sinclair and Seager coming up this year.

Style (AKA the Southampton Way):
Even with a new manager and new tactics, the beautiful tiki taka playstyle will remain. Southampton will be playing attractive, possession based football over the next coming seasons and games will still be as entertaining as ever, losing the players doesn't mean that we lose the flair.

Improvements:
St Mary's is getting better and better! The grass is green & the pitch looks beautiful, the LED floodlights enhance our view of the game, the drainage system prevents the high volumes of water which effect our player's performance and the new training facilities are some of the best in Europe!

New signings & the future:
Who would have thought that after everything we've been through in the last few months, that we'd be linked with players like Witsel, Tadić & Kongolo?!
I know it's been tough with the loss of Adam and Luke but to me, it seems the future is still bright, Koeman will be looking to have a successful season and I haven't known him to manage one poorly yet!

So let's not be bitter about the departures but excited for the new season, the new prospects in our academy and for the start of a new era under Ronald Koeman. Who knows? A year from now we could be qualifying for Europe. We'll just have to wait and see.

Stay Cheery Saint's fans!

03 Jul 2014 18:56:21
I can understand the frustration being shown, but if players are insisting on a move then the club needs to replace them. IMO (apart from Rickie) this is down to greed, pure and simple. The players put it out that the club has gone back on its word on bonuses, yet their agents/financial advisers/players union are very quiet on the subject! I can understand a situation where the office bimbo moans she got sh***ed because the boss offered her a bonus and didn't keep his word, but this situation where there is untold financial help for the players and they still put this out stinks of smoke and mirrors to me.
None of the players who have left so far, or being talked about as the next wave, are irreplaceable. Rickie was coming to the end of his career, Adam only seems capable of putting in a 70 minute shift and Luke has masses of promise but is a few seasons away from being the finished article. Lovren-good player, but are there not players of equal quality for £20-£30m?
Replacing a number of players quickly is certainly not ideal, but the club do not have much of a choice in the matter and I think Koeman is a guy who can use the opportunity to produce the team he wants, rather than work with the one he inherited. let's give the guy a chance and see who he brings in, and how they perform-after all, we don't have a lot of choice in the matter!

03 Jul 2014 12:09:01
The most frustrating part of this off season is the amount of time it is taking to do anything.
The realistic Saints fan knew that LaLa Po and Dipsy would be off so I find it unbelievable that a manager and players had not been lined up in advance.
I would have had Bertrand or Cresswell in the bag to replace Dipsy - Pelle already done before SRL left. We could get Sinclair, Dusan and Hernandez with LaLa's money and Richards, Caulker and van Dijk signed as Tinky Winky says he does not want to play for the Saints no more.
Yes I get players will leave for football or other (money) reasons but get the replacements in before they left. Rant over - my squad:
Boruc Gazza Cropper
Clyne Chambers Bertrand Targett
Richards Caulker Van Dijk Fonte Yosida
Spider JWP Wanyama Davis Cork Reed
Gaston Sinclair Jay Rod Dusan
Dani Pelle Hernandez Gallagher
Does not look so bad. Total spend £65M. COYR.

I think you have made some mistakes with your ideas for the squad. For starters Kelvin is around for this season and probably will remain, already looks like Osvaldo's burned his bridges to Southampton and Richards and Hernandez would be wage requests beyond acceptable levels for our team. Rather see us hold onto Ramirez and if we have to let Lovren go bring in Caulker/Van Dijk/whoever else of that age who has potential.

03 Jul 2014 09:48:31
Oh look ed002 was right. egg on face for a lot of the abusers on here

Spot on. I doubt we will see any form of acknowledgement or acceptance from the abusers though.