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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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Comment | Southampton To Play £100 Million Hardball With Manchester City & Spurs
at 16:25:41
Historically, very few deals where Saints have had to sell the " Crown Jewels" have been qquite so favourable in the end and often we drew the short straw (especially with Spurs).
Tyler Dibling's potential will demand the best deal for both Saints and the player, as this is a once-in-a-decade type deal for Saints and they shouldn't be afraid to go for bust.
It's hard to judge TD right now, but the history of the young Bellingham and Sancho who grew into their successful roles with bigger clubs who were prepared to bring the player on steadily and not go for glory in their first season.
Clubs who have (and think nothing of) paying out £100 mill. for big talents understand that and must decide whether "to stick or twist" and this may turn out into a Euro auction, but in reality we are unlikely to get the whole sum in cash, and such a deal would likely be a cash + player type arrangement, provided WE get the right player(s) deal in part ex.
Clearly, Dibling WILL move on, and Saints are right to try and get the best deal we can, especially as we will have to re-think the entire squad personnel before the start of next season, especially the manager and those deals won't come cheap either.
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Comment | Sugawara Wanted By Italian Giants
at 12:34:06
To..Dell Boy and San Marco, good points well made, but clearly Juric has problems, too.
He's not afraid to experiment with a squad overfull of less-than-standard players that he's inherited from 3 previous managers, and hardly any is in form and Onuachu often ignored.
Ivan tries to create a more attacking formation than Martin, (who had no Plan B), but now without 3 of our registered strikers, the line-up often changes from game to game.
As this thread is about Sugawara, I also go along with your comments and although he looked good at the start, the pace of this very demanding league has shown that he hasn't the stamina required of a 90 minute Prem. player, but not to say that he wouldn't do well in the less frenetic Italian league. He rightly needs a move, as he joined a Prem. side in August, and with Japan already qualified for the World Cup, he won't want to play in the Championship and lose his place in their national squad. The humble fee we paid for him will surely be doubled / troubled if he moves abroad to a top club, and rightly so.
This may be the first of a series of similar articles (from Nick), as I can see that those players who want to move away, may also be joined by those who, for one reason or another, won't fit the bill for next season.
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Comment | Danny Rohl Might Not Be Arriving At Southampton After All
at 11:03:22
Tickets going awry is one thing, but little little can compare with the sad 1970's storyline of the young lad who journeyed to Nottingham to watch Brian Clough's title-winning Forest side entertain a Saints team, but got lost and found himself on the wrong side of the river when arriving at Notts County's somewhat drab arena and watched County's reserve side.
As for Danny Rohl..or anyone else ..gaining a manager who knows our club and can command the right degree of respect should go a long way to choosing the next manager. |
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Comment | Sport Republic Can Be A Big Success For Southampton Says Spors
at 10:30:47
I'd agree with Joe Egg (above) as we have had a succession of "defence-minded" managers who saw no problem in playing 5 at the back, but then relied on a single striker for goals. Whilst Adam A. got goals in the Championship, (like many others) he didn't adjust well to the Prem. and in truth we haven't had a decent CF since Pelle left, (although thankfully Danny Ings' contributions helped keep us up for a couple of seasons under Hasenhuttl ).
SR still hasn't got their message over, but Spors sees that every player is a Sport Republic employee regardless of which country / league they are playing in. Even the Championship is a higher level than some European top leagues, but getting " young imports" to play a season or two at the "adult level" is a good test of suitability to play in the English league.
Many fans underestimate the vast "chasm" of quality between Championship and Prem.
and with last seasons three going back down again, is little surprise. It's rare for two promoted sides to survive more than one season, and the ongoing costs are enormous.
Our promising youngsters may show up well at U18 / U21 level, but it is still just "glorified schoolboy football", and while it's good experience to loan our youngsters out into the world of "men's football", it can still be a shock to the system, even at L1 level.
Playing abroad may not suit everyone, but those lads who play well at U21 level are still living a world away from our first team players with 100-plus games, and those who have international games to their credit.
Regardless of who is manager after the summer, I expect to see another massive turnover of players before August, but those who arrive won't have to dwell on the task of facing the likes of Man. U, Chelsea, or LIverpool in the first months of the new season.
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Comment | Southampton Considering Alternative To Danny Rohl
at 11:28:26
The question is (assuming that Juric doesn't outlast the summer) ...what do we expect from a new manager. Big Q. about Rosenior is...what formation does he want to play?
Someone noted that we have had a succession of our former managers who all had careers as defenders, and not since Koeman have we had anyone will real attacking intent.
That maybe slightly unfair on Ralph Hasenhuttl (who was a striker) but if he hadn't persuaded the club to sign Danny Ings, we might have been relegated much sooner.
Rosenoir's sacking from Hull related to their owner's demand for more attacking football.
Any new manager will start with a clean sheet, (allowing for the obvious changes in player personnel already been widely-publicised) and he will want to import new names, but finding a suitable manager for a Championship club maybe less-challenging than getting someone to manage a Prem. club ...nd avoid the obvious threat of relegation .
Unless publicity about these two is just " smoke and mirrors " and the club does intend to replace Juric with a proven " big name " manager with some success in the English game, we will once again employ someone from another country, and another league and expect him to bring his magic-wand" with him, along with his own staff from previous clubs.
IF there is money left over, we may be able to buy some decent players for him to utilise.
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Comment | Where Will Juan Larios Be Next Season ?
at 11:01:18
The real question is surely.. how many left backs do we need in the club?. Personally, I was sad to see Perraud depart, but Russell Martin was quick to ditch him after playing him at CB in one disasterous Cup game.
At the moment we have also Charlie Taylor, Wellington, as well as a Manning ,who (IMHO) doesn't rate as a good Championship defender, and both the on-loan Edwards and Wood-Gordon are left-sided players, whilst almost everyone would admit that KWP is the best FB in the club - on either side of the pitch.
However, your question was about Larios - wasn't it?. At present he is (sensibly) being eased back to full fitness in " half games" with U21's. IF he has no adverse effects, and gets through a pre-season without problems, then it will be the " Manager of the Month " (whoever that will be ) to make a decision about his future.
Larios is under contract until 2027, so there is no panic for a change of mind, but when fit he will want to get regular game time, and want a move if he can't nail down the LB spot in front of the others (named above).
We could surely re-coup the £6 mill. fee in today's market, especially if he returns to Spain, but the club may regret selling him, if he turns out to become another Gareth Bale. |
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