Saints fans were demanding signings in January, no one can complain that the owners haven't delivered with 5 new signings and you could almost call that 6 with the return of Jan Bednarek, but the proof of the pudding will be in eating.

The first thing to say is that even after a disastrous run of games starting well before the World Cup break and continuing through to the Everton fixture, although we might be rock bottom, we are not cast adrift, just turning two defeats into draws since Xmas would have seen us out of the bottom three and there are 6 clubs within 3 points of our meagre 15 point haul and Forest in 13th are only 6 points ahead.

Yet we started the season fairly well and at one stage stood in 8th place after beating Chelsea at St Mary's, so what went wrong ?

You can possibly pinpoint two key reasons, firstly the lack of a striker and secondly, injuries to key players in key positions, at one stage we had 4 of our 5 best players out with injuries.

The good news is that most of those players have returned from injury and secondly we have now not only signed 5 new players plus as mentioned the returning Jan Bednarek, one of them is different to what we already have, it is a big strong centre forward who not only has aerial power but knows how to put the ball in the net.

For most of the other teams down in that relegation battle although they have made some signings, little has changed, indeed Everton have signed no one and lost one of their best players in Anthony Gordon who was their joint leading scorer in the Premier League with 3 goals, given that is a 5th of their total, that is a big loss.

But for Southampton things have changed, the injury issues have eased and we have made 5 signings to strengthen all areas, if we could hang on to the coat tails of the others without them, then surely there will be improvements in the second half of the season.

For me the biggest plus point is the signing of a striker and more to the point one that has an experienced track record of scoring goals.

At 28 Paul Onauchu has a proven track record both in Belgium and also Denmark were he worked with Rasmus Ankersen, there is some confusion how tall he is, but from watching video footage there is no doubt he is good in the air and that is something we have lacked up front.

Of all the strikers we were linked with he was the one who I really wanted us to sign, he has the pedigree, ok not at the highest level in terms that neither of the Leagues he has played in are top class, but he has a decent record in the Europa League as well.

This season he has scored 16 goals in just 23 games in the Jupilo League, but in 3 1/2 seasons at Genk he has started 87 games plus 16 as sub and scored 73 goals, that is a good ratio, that is a goal every 1,41 games, if he can get anywhere near that ratio in the second half of the season we will be safe long before the end of May.

Of course it will be tougher to do that in the Premier League, but given most strikers outside of the Big 6 struggle to get into double figures 10-12 goals a season is a good return, a goal every 3 1/2 games in essence, if he can get that ratio it will change things.

But if Onauchu is a big game changer, then those that have also joined the club in January also offer us different options.

Mislav Orsic is proven on the World stage as well as in domestic competitions, his experience will be crucial and he will help in bringing other players on.

Carlos Alcaraz is still only 20, but he is a talent and has already shown Saints supporters that he brings pace and attacking flair to the side, this can only be good.

Kamaldeen Sulemana is an unknown quantity, but he already has a big reputation , he is mainly a left sided attacker, but he has played through the middle, this was a record price for Saints and at £22 million is slightly overpriced but not by much .

He has an eye for a goal scoring 5 in just 13 starts plus 21 off the bench appearances for Rennes in Ligue 1 and he also has a few assists to his name.

Last but not least is James Bree, he is not the most exciting signing, but he is hugely experienced in the Championship and is versatile and for a £750k outlay due to his contract being up in the summer, he is worth a punt.

At Newcastle he started slowly but grew into the game and although some of our fans will use this as a chance to berate the owners for planning for the Championship next season, it is a shrewd signing for a player who even if he doesn't work out at Premier league level, is a good squad player and will have a much higher sell on value than we paid.

So overall no one can complain much about our transfer window, I read somewhere that the only club who spent more this January were Chelsea, it shows that the owners see this as a long term investment and not just about farming youngsters and selling them on.

Mistakes have been made, but the reality is that if we had bought a striker that could have got us 6 goals in the first half of the season back in the summer, then we would be safely in mid table, hopefully we now have one and can therefore go into the final 18 games with a degree of optimism.

He will be hungry to prove himself and his arrival along with that of Mislav Orsic

Photo: Action Images

highfield49 added 11:07 - Feb 2 With so many changes in the squad it seems a bit like the season starts at Brentford this weekend. If we can't pull away from the relegation zone with a significantly strengthened team then it's going to need a significant clear out of players in the summer. We all wanted a big target player up front with a decent goal scoring record and we also have one of the fastest wingers in world football, no more excuses for poor results now. Time to deliver.

12

1962saint added 11:28 - Feb 2 Not only have Saints signed 5 players to add to the 7 signed in the summer but there were only youngster and unproven players going out of the club, mostly on loan. There was a real worry that Romeo Lavia was off to Chelsea and other possible exports were Djenepo, Adam Armstrong, Che Adams, and Theo Walcott. None of these left leaving us with an incredibly large squad – important in case of injuries / suspensions. We are going to have the strongest bench ever. If these players are managed well and the new signings live up to their potential we will have a fighting chance of staying up. The only disappointment, I believe, is that our very promising youngster Jimmy Jay Morgan has been poached by Chelsea.

8

HythePeer added 11:30 - Feb 2 Onauchu's goals will be essential. He joins a club which has redefined the word hattrick to mean three goals a season.
4

Monksway added 11:31 - Feb 2 Completely agree. Big squad capable on paper of keeping us up. It's now down to NJ to manage them effectively. After a very busy period with lots of personnel and system changes we now need to consolidate around a first team of 16 players when fit, especially a consistent back four and central midfield. Most fans, I think, would opt for rounds pegs in round holes and go with KWP, CC, Salisu and Perraud with Lavia, JWP and Alcarez in midfield. The front six ( 3 starters and 3 finishers) would depend on how well the new boys settle in and whether Stuart Armstrong can ever regain his fitness and form.

5

underweststand added 11:38 - Feb 2 At last, my summer wish for two strikers has finally been granted. well... 1½ maybe. At least a " new Mane" ... and a 6'7" striker - what more could one ask for? Saints have managed 3 goals just ONCE so far, ( that against Cambridge in League Cup). Whilst we conceded 3 or 4 goals in just 5 games (18 goals in total) - the remainder of our defeats have been by just a ONE goal deficit. Yes we will always concede goals, but just one goal more in those lost games - would have given us 9 more points, and a comfortable mid table position. Clearly with " a speed merchant " on the wing and a " Peter Crouch mark 2 " up front, we will hopefully see a change of formation and more goals on the plus side. The obvious lack of height (we have striker over 6 feet tall) has been a disadvantage when up against 13 stone CB 's who often tower head and shoulders over our strikers, and can swat them like flies. To their credit - both Adam. A and Che Adams have DAJFU - to the best of their abilities - but clearly it hasn't worked, but hopefully the new additions will be able to put that right. The sight of a Goliath-type figure up front should keep well-known " Prem. bully boys " defenders busy, instead of giving them a free hand to control every game. If we hadn't finally got Onauchu on the books, GJ would have to resort to playing Perraud up front - as at least he can find the net on occasions.

5

JoeEgg added 11:46 - Feb 2 What a difference a month can make! There appear to be some excellent signings but the true test for Nathan Jones will be how quickly he can mould them into being an effective playing unit - being aggressive, better organised at the back and at long last, registering GOALS consistently in our opponents net! I cant imagine that there would be many Premier League managers that wouldn't fancy the chance of working with the Squad that we have put together. Well done to the owners and those responsible for recruiting. So now all eyes on Nathan Jones and the next half a dozen results. Brentford provide the first test and what a great season they are having. If we get anything there it will be exciting early confirmation indeed that relegation worries can soon be left behind!

5

underweststand added 11:46 - Feb 2 A postscript to the above - is that both Orsic and Alcarez may need to few games to get upto speed at the Prem. level and we need to trust GJ's judgment on Bree ( a player that he has worked with before) but he looked the part in the second half at Newcastle. The P.R. "spin" on both Sulemana and Onuacho is impressive to say the least, but it does mean that the revised Prem. squad will look quite different in the next day or two.

4

SanMarco added 11:51 - Feb 2 I am going to be cautiously optimistic. Look back over many of our defeats this season and the taking of just one presentable chance would have bagged us points.
3

Springhill_old_boy added 12:22 - Feb 2 Alcaraz was being lined up as Enzo Fernandez´s replacement at Benfica so they rate him very highly and were pissed that they missed out on him.. which was nice!
3

ElSanto added 12:34 - Feb 2 Excited about the signings. Wish them all the best of luck. A real shame Jimmy Jay Morgan wasn't tested at senior level a bit more this season.
2

felly1 added 12:44 - Feb 2 Feeling much more positive now. Ultimately the manager has now got to set up the team and tactics accordingly to suit our squad and we have to get the wins and draws required to survive and then maybe prosper next season.
1

DPeps added 13:20 - Feb 2 Sulemana is serious pace but questionable end product. At the very least he'll draw lots of fouls for JWP free kicks. I'm a lot more optimistic than I was a month ago
3

aceofthebase added 13:27 - Feb 2 We seem to have made some astute signings and It appears that SR sees our future in the premiership and not the championship. My big question and I'm glad I'm not the manager is who are we going to be dropping? I suspect that the likes of Che,Adam, and Moi feel very threatened, and maybe Sam as well. What chance of any Academy players bursting onto the scene? Changes needed to be made, I trust that NJ has learnt how to select a winning team and that injuries do not scupper our chances. I hope for a great result against Brentford but that maybe a little early to blend the team together. An interesting second half to the season and I will be cheering them on, regardless, to the very end.

3

zonehead added 15:01 - Feb 2 I hope he doesn’t play our giant centre forward up top on his own, still waiting to see this “ front foot football” he bangs on about. Sorry to be negative but he had the World Cup break to implement his ideas, I’m still waiting.
0

Ifonly added 15:27 - Feb 2 I didn't think we'd sign a centre forward. Full credit to SR for proving me wrong, and not only that but breaking the mould of the transfer policy to buy experience and someone who is a regular starter and banging in the goals. I was critical of them in the summer but I have absolutely no complaints about this window. It may not work out but they did what was required. This gives us some hope but let's not expect an immediate turn around. If we start losing at Brentford let's not start getting on NJ's and the team's back. Give it time. Hopefully we'll have enough to turn it around.

2

Saidou added 17:15 - Feb 2 My much awaited Nick’s verdict on transfers.
0

landsdownsaint added 18:16 - Feb 2 With a good striker RH would’ve got us mid table , hopefully NJ can step up … no excuses now
1

Blogs 31 bloggers

Leyton Orient Polls