x

New Era Begins At Southampton Football Club

Yes the new owners have been with us for the last four months, but it is only now with the season over they can start to implement their plans for the club, it is a case now of Saints fans sitting back and giving them a chance to show what they can do.

Before I start this article I am going to say one thing, before we start shouting about lack of ambition etc, lets give the new people the chance to show what they have in mind first, back in 2014 there was meltdown after the departure of Nicola Cortese, social media was full of those screaming that the club was finished and certainties for relegation etc, yet the following three years were just about the most successful period since Lawrie McMenemy left in 1985.

The past is in the past it is all about moving forward, over the past 3-4 years the club has been hampered by not only the previous owner Gao unable to get money out of China due to that countries falling out with the West, but also a number of players who had been signed for reasonable transfer fees and were on high wages, but weren't even playing for us, yet we were still paying a fair chunk of their wages.

Now the financial restrictions are lifting, the departure of Fraser Forster sees around £90k a week off the wage bill, add to that Alex McCarthy's contract ending and Harry Lewis leaving and we have got around £150,000 a week off the books in the goalkeeping department, around £7.5 million a year in total not including annual bonus's.

In just the goalkeeping department we have struggled over the past three years, all three were going nowhere due to high wages, so we were stuck with them and had no money to sign a new keeper in terms of wages.

The goalkeeping department will now be revamped, it looks like Alex McCarthy signed a new deal back in the Autumn, God only knows why the club are yet to announce it although it shows up on the list of deals we have paid agents for.

McCarthy will be back on a greatly reduced contract and it is likely that he will be the number two keeper next season with a new man coming into the number one spot.

In defence we are well served for full backs, but it is in the centre that a revamp is needed, Jack Stephens is another like McCarthy who was on a long contract with higher wages than his worth to the club, he too is out of contract this summer and there has been no sign of a new one being offered, he was rumoured back in the Autumn to have signed a new deal but unlike McCarthy it didn't show up on payments made to agents, so we have to assume that one didn't happen.

So what's next for Jack ? this season he started just 9 games for the club in the Premier League, plus another 2 off the bench, the season before it was 17(1) he is a fringe player now, but perhaps he is worth a new deal on far reduced wages as a back up, although I have never thought that he was of Premier league standard, he is a good squad player.

I suspect though that at 28 he is more likely to go to a Championship club.

Jan Bednarek's career at the club looks to be over, seemingly there is an attitude problem judging by Ralph Hasenhuttl's comments after the Manchester City cup tie.

So the first job for the new owners is to back the manager in the transfer market, we need a quality goalkeeper and a quality experienced leader at the back, this doesn't fall in with the club's previous transfer strategy that seemingly was never sign anyone over 27, but Rasmus Ankersen is now calling the shots, he signed Pontius Jansson for Brentford six months short of the central defenders 29th birthday, so there could now be a change of policy.

In midfield it is clear out time, there are at least four players that we need to get off the books, although doing so might be difficult, the likes of Moi Elyounoussi and Moussa Djenepo are not likely to get anything near what we are paying them by leaving so a loan deal might be the best we can do.

Up front we need a new striker, Broja is not the man, six goals was not good enough to look to sign him permanently, a new man in and I would not be too disappointed if Shane Long got a 1 year deal, he is not a player who gives you a lot of minutes on the pitch, but it is a squad game and there isn't a better player to close out the final 10 minutes of a game.

So the new era starts with a clear out, I would see around 6-8 players leaving and a lot of money freed up for wages.

Then it is about what happens next in bringing new blood in, hopefully we are advanced on that, we have been successful in recent years in the transfer market and we now have the benefit of Rasmus Ankerssen's knowledge at Brentford.

Next is the manager, I still back Ralph, I think the issue lies with the coaching staff and not the manager, the Austrian has done a difficult job in difficult circumstances and in the last 12 games has had to deal with a squad with certain players suddenly dipping in form at the same time, perhaps the reason why will emerge in time.

But we still finished 16th with ease, we didn't fight a relegation battle at any stage and if we had just had a point a game average in the last 12 games we would be touching the top 10 .

I believe the issue that Ralph has had is that he has a coaching staff with no experience and to be blunt would not get a job at any other premier League club, this needs to be addressed and men brought in who can compliment Ralph, watch any other team and the manager is consulting his coaching staff during games, Ralph appears to not trust the likes of Kelvin Davis, Dave Watson and Craig Fleming, none of whom have outfield coaching experience in any of the top 5 divisions.

So not a lot to do for Rasmus Ankerssen and Sport Republic !!!!!

But we as supporters have to give the club a chance to show that they know what is needed and how to deal with it, as I said back in 2014, 2015, 2016 the knives were out on social media, the same old suspects are back in action now, a month ago they were saying we were in a relegation fight, it never happened.

In football the best clubs and managers say very little about what they are going to do next, they only talk about what they have done.

I am not towing the club line here, nor am I blind to the situation, I am just giving a new regime a chance to show what they can do.

It is a case of wait and see this summer, but let us do that, if things do go wrong then we will have plenty of time to moan about it next season, but let us not go into meltdown until we have to, let's see what happens next first.

What to read next:

Taking ownership – Preview
QPR kick started their 2023/24 season with a memorable 4-2 victory at home to Stoke City, and the desperation for a repeat in the wind and rain at Loftus Road tomorrow is palpable with the R’s bottom of the league and only one win in 15 games.
So far, so Stoke - Oppo Profile
Stoke have done that thing where they give a manager the whole pre-season and summer budget then sack him as soon as the transfer window closes again and for it all, they're still in the bottom half of the Championship, where they've been stuck for six years - @Potterlytics gives us the latest.
QPR triumph in five-goal 75 thriller against Stoke - History
We're going all the way back to 1975 for the memorable match between QPR and their Saturday opponents Stoke City, along with the usual record of previous meetings, round up of recent games, and player connections.
Ward in charge of Stoke visit - Referee
Our old friend Gavin Ward is back in town this Saturday refereeing QPR's crunch home game with Stoke City.
When Chekhov saw the long winter... - Perryripheral Thoughts
No wins in a dozen games, bottom of the league, with an injury list as long and arduous as next Wednesday’s trip to Cardiff – Alex Perry reflects on the dark mood descending on W12 and a potential route out of this mess.
Twenty minutes Marti, you and the head of the cod – Column
With a season that promised so much for QPR now lying in something approaching tatters, message board regular Dorse put fingers to keys by way of a coping mechanism this international break.
Sheffield/Luton/Derby – Awaydays
As the club once again threatens to crumble around us, it’s time return the boring/soothing tones of LFW’s long stories that don’t go anywhere to your screens, starting with our autumn adventures along the East Midlands Railway.
Savage amusement - Report
QPR sunk to the bottom of the Championship with a wholly inevitable and entirely comfortable 2-0 defeat at promotion chasing Leeds on Saturday.
Leeds United 2 - 0 Queens Park Rangers - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Where hope went to die – Preview
Tuesday night’s chastening defeat by Middlesbrough at Loftus Road seemingly killed off any hope of Homer’s airborne pig coming back to earth safely, and leaves a beleaguered and injury ravaged QPR facing a daunting trip to Elland Road on Saturday.