Saints have just issued a statement regarding club record signing Dani Osvaldo, continuing their new policy of communication with the fans.

Saints have just announced that Osvaldo has been suspended by the Club for two weeks following an incident at the Club training ground, whilst they don't go into detail about just what has happened, which is probably the right thing to do because these things happen at every football club and are usually kept behind closed doors, it is good that they have acted swiftly in not only dealing with the incident but in communicating it to the fans so that further speculation won't fester when he failed to appear on the team list for Saturday.

What is clear though is that their is a problem with Osvaldo, I would hazard a guess that the problem stems from the strikers not only lack of game time, but the relative few times he has actually been played in his preferred position.

When he joined back in August I pointed out that part of the reason he had fallen out with Roma is that he was not happy in any other position other than central striker, I suspect that he is now very frustrated about that and this is the root cause of the problem.

In signing Osvaldo it was clear from the start that the manager had a decision to make with regard to Lambert & Osvaldo, he failed to make that decision and tried to keep both happy by playing them in the same team, that has resulted in both players failing to play to the levels you would expect from them and both will know that their chances of going to the World Cup has been damaged.

History shows us that this is not the first time Osvaldo has been linked with internal strife within a club and when that happens there is an inevitable parting of the ways.

Photo: Action Images

GeordieSaint added 12:23 - Jan 23 Looks like a good tussle with his twin brother in that pic
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saintmark1976 added 12:32 - Jan 23 Sorry Nick but I truly think that you have a problem with this fella. Please take off your rose tinted glasses and look at the facts:- 1. He is the clubs record signing and I assume their highest paid player. 2. He has scored very few goals during his time here perhaps because of the fact that he appears injury prone and is not fit for selection. 3. He is repeatedly booked for unnecessary reckless tackles. 4. He has been suspended by the F A for his antics on the touchline at Newcastle. 5. He is now suspended by his own club. Honestly Nick, very little, if any of the above can be put down to the manager or Rickie Lambert. To me he appears to be a "loose cannon" and I would not be sorry to see him depart. Then again, football is a game of opinion and whilst I respect yours I simply can not understand what evidence you appear to base it on.

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simmo400 added 12:51 - Jan 23 KICK HIM OUT...........BEEN RUBBISH SINCE HE CAME HERE. BILLY SHARP SHOULD BE AHEAD OF HIM. WASTE OF 15 MILLION.
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IanRC added 13:32 - Jan 23 Difficult to have sympathy for him. He should look at Rickie Lambert as a role model.
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aceofthebase added 14:16 - Jan 23 Osvaldo has been so disappointing, he has not earned much respect either as a footballer or as a character. Was he a Cortese or a POX signing? Either way we should sell him. Poor old Ricky has had to share top billing and has not had a good season. SRL has been a wonderful footballer and character for Saints but I do think that we should also sell him while he still has premiership value. The proceeds might enable us to purchase another striker of quality.

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stmichael added 15:05 - Jan 23 One of you favourites Nick nut truth is he has ruined Ricky lambert and for what? He is a waste of space not to mention money. Hopfully now SRL will be restored as the undisputed no 1 striker in the club which he always was anyway. BYE BYE Dani it been errr interesting..
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REEDYREEDOREEDZ added 15:45 - Jan 23 You can't blame Osvaldo for Lambert's lack of form. Did you see Lambert v Sunderland? He was awful! Absolutely useless. Even when we were on top in the first half hour. And Lambert was playing in his favoured position, no Osvaldo in sight! Maybe the pressure of going to Brazil is getting to Rickie, because recently even the basics of his game have gone to shite. As for Osvaldo, it goes from bad to worse. Since scoring that wonder goal in the 1st half v City he missed two great opportunities to win us the game in the 2nd half, next game v Newcastle he got subbed at half time and then suspended for violent conduct in the 2nd half, not played for the club since, and now he's started a brawl with Fonte! I can't see any way back for him now, I think Katharina should get on the phone to Inter Milan and get last week's offer back on the table!! Hopefully it was for more than £10m. As for our striking options? How about signing Danny Ings from Burnley. He's a great finisher, especially in one on ones, he's pretty quick and skillful and got very clever movement off the ball. He's only 21 and got a lot of potential. It might take him a while to step up to the Premiership, like J-Rod, but in the long run he'd be a good signing I reckon.

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LostBoys added 18:31 - Jan 23 We need this like a hole in the head
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Bulgarian added 18:48 - Jan 23 Please let us not compare Osvaldo do SRL. Yes, Rickie hasn't had a good season so far, but that's pretty much to the feeling he is now cherished at the Club. IMO this is a major factor stimulating any striker - to know that you are appreciated, wanted by the manager and fans. The last nail in the coffin of Rickie's poor form must have been the contact made by WHU and the reported planned meeting with their agents and NC on the day NC resigned. Look at the pics and video footage from the last 3 weeks - Rickie barely smiles, he barely celebrated our goals with teammates. This is not down to individual form or lack of ambition only, this is the Club making clear signs he was not taken seriously. Now that we have only SRL to rely on (no Dani, no Chung and Billy) I truly wish we all (Poch included) unite behind SRL, for he can guarantee us far more goals and excitement than the wretched 8 mil from WHU could possibly do. UP THE SAINTS

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SaintlyTim added 20:43 - Jan 23 Nick, bang goes your idea, which I thought was good, of playing Gaston just behind Ossie!
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chalks82 added 21:29 - Jan 23 I see there are many posters on here that seem to think that Saints revolve around Rickie Lambert, and some even suggesting that Rickie's lack of goals/form is down to Osvaldo. 1. For the club to move forward and compete for Europe Saints need a mobile forward. To play the way Poch wants then he has to also work hard. Osvaldo worked with Poch in Spain and was rated by him, hence that's why he's here. It's obviously taking a lot longer for him to adapt to the English game but he has shown brief glimpses of class. 2. Rickie Lambert is badly out of form. The last two games I have been incensed by his lack of work and first touch. You can hardly blame this on Osvaldo who has been suspended or injured/ill. Rickie had a glorious chance against Sunderland to make the game safe and fluffed it. Saying that, he'll probably contribute nothing but score a penalty or free kick on Saturday and everyone will be posting about how good he was. 3. Rickie has been a legend for Saints, that won't be forgotten, but can anyone see him lining up for a top of the table side. 4. Despite the points above I can see us selling Osvaldo now. He may have engineered this latest incident to lower Saints asking price, as clubs will know Saints won't want to keep him. 5. Saints then have to make a decision to bring someone in, but if they came from abroad it will take time for them to settle, as we have seen. 6. I had high hopes for Osvaldo, I thought a run of games could see him establish himself, but I think the clubs patience may have broken after this latest incident. 5.

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A1079 added 23:26 - Jan 23 SaintNick, for the first time I think I completely disagree with you. Whether or not he has been happy with the position he has been played in or the team tactics that does not and cannot be any excuse for his behaviour.
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