x

Have Saints Fans Had Enough Of Victor Wanyama ?

After his latest sending off that once again means he will miss a big chunk of games, have Saints fans lost patience with Victor Wanyama.

It has to be said that at the start of August Victor Wanyama's popularity could not have been higher amongst Saints supporters, the travelling support at Vittesse Arnhem belted out a 10 minute version of "The Mighty Kenyan" and it seemed like it would be a big season for Victor.

But within weeks it would turn sour, suddenly Spurs were up to their old tricks and trying to unsettle him and it worked perfectly, suddenly Wanyama was not happy and demanding a transfer, so much so that he felt unable to travel to Midjytland for the vital second leg of the Europa League tie and with Saints losing 1-0 and exiting a competition there were some who blamed him for the result, perhaps that is harsh on him but it certainly did not help matters.

He would also miss the home game against Norwich City, but Saints won easily so he wasn't missed.

The player himself made the right noises about staying with Saints and helping them get into Europe again, but the relationship with the fans was now strained and The Mighty Kenyan song was consigned to the box marked Not Wanted On Voyage.

Saints went on a good run and moved up the league, but controversy was around the corner for Wanyama, with Saints winning 2-0 at home against Bournemouth and in control even though the Cherries were having a lot of possession, Wanyama dived in when it was unnecessary and departed the field with a red card being waved.

With Saints in a terrible run in December and another transfer window looming there were those who were questioning his commitment to the cause, a good game in the win over Arsenal silenced the doubters for a whle but those questions got louder when again he dived in to a tackle at Norwich which like the one against Bournemouth was in the middle of the field and unneccessary, just as Saints really needed Victor, he was not available again.

A cup defeat to Palace without him was a blow and again there were those who suggested he did not want to get cup tied.

A two match ban saw Clasie and Romeu show they could take his place, but he was straight back in to the side for the visit of West Brom prompting suggestions that the club and Ronald Koeman were treating him with kid gloves, if they were to get him to sign a new contract it seemed to the casual observer that they did not want to upset him by dropping him.

A strong display against Manchester United and then Arsenal was encouraging but then came the game against West Ham, again a completely avoidable red card and now a five game ban meaning he will be unavailable till the middle of March.

That means that by the time that Saints have played 30 League games plus another 8 cup games, a total of 38, Wanyama will have only been available for 28 of them after missing a total of 10 games through either suspension or sulking.

That is not acceptable and even Ronald Koeman has suggested that words are needed, suggesting that the kid gloves are now off.

Missing over a quarter of the season will undoubtedly have cost Saints dearly when it comes to the final post mortem of what has been a somewhat up and down time for Saints in 2015/16 and so the question for many Saints fans is whether enough is enough and is it time for Saints to read the riot act and tell him to sign a new deal and commit to the club and sort his priorities out or to sling his hook.

The number who want him to stay and play a big part is fast diminishing due to his erratic on field behaviour where he has seemed to have developed a penchant for diving in and mistiming his tackles, he was always a little clumsy, but never to this degree and given that he is now in his third season in the Premier League for Saints, it cannot be blamed on naivety.

So what are your thoughts on the Wanyama connundrum, should he stay or should he go ?

Give your comments now in the section below and also vote in our on line poll below

Victor Wanyama Poll


What to read next:

Portsmouth 2 - 2 Port Vale - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Port Vale 0 - 1 Portsmouth - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Hartlepool United 0 - 1 Port Vale - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Colchester United 1 - 0 Port Vale - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Rochdale 1 - 1 Port Vale - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Port Vale 3 - 0 Colchester United - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Colchester United 0 - 1 Port Vale - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Port Vale 1 - 1 Colchester United - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Port Vale 3 - 0 Colchester United - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Colchester United 1 - 1 Port Vale - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.