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Comment | Ings Rejects New Southampton Contract But Nothing Changes
at 23:13:24
But the status quo is not maintained. The report of negotiations ending means there is now closure on the prospect of an extension, where before there was a window of possibility. Saints now have to try and engineer a sale and a replacement in a time frame which suits SFC, not Danny, his agent or most worryingly Clubs likely to come in with last minute August offers when they haven't got their first targets. |
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Comment | England Lacked Three Things In Scotland Stalemate ! James - Ward - Prowse
at 09:44:37
The Premier League is the best Football competition in the world. Sadly it's not primarily English or UK players who make it special. The suggestion that JWP would lift the England side with his delivery and speed of passing etc is fanciful - Im stunned by many of the articles the bloke in charge here writes. |
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Comment | England Lacked Three Things In Scotland Stalemate ! James - Ward - Prowse
at 09:44:35
The Premier League is the best Football competition in the world. Sadly it's not primarily English or UK players who make it special. The suggestion that JWP would lift the England side with his delivery and speed of passing etc is fanciful - Im stunned by many of the articles the bloke in charge here writes. |
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Comment | Wesley Hoedt Joins Anderlecht
at 03:43:43
Awful player and awful attitude. To say he was equal to Yoshida, Bednarek and Stephens is laughably wrong. Don't think I've seen a more one-footed player with such difficulty in keeping his feet! Along with Carillo, Hoedt ranks as the worst signings in recent memory - a total sum almost equivalent with the fee received for Sadio Mane. Think about that for a moment! |
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Comment | Of All The Southampton Transfer Rumours, There Is One To Worry About !
at 23:15:59
Beat up of a story fro a writer with a lot of form for ingrained opinions dressed up as factual Football analysis.
Ward-Prowse won't go to Villa - nor any other Club for that matter. Let's get real, JWP has improved his game immeasurably in the last 18 months or so. His work rate, energy and record of playing every minute of every game is to be applauded. He also has a fantastic dead ball technique which needs to be separated from his all round midfield game.....which is that of an average middle-of-the-road Prem Club. No team in the top 6 is going to go after him. He is in his comfort zone with us and with good players around him can help Saints stay in the top flight longer.
As for England failing in the Euros because of his absence.?? Unless we are talking about a set piece goal or free kick, he hasn't got the quality of general game to influence a result at the top level. Southgate gets that.
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Comment | Southampton V Burnley The Verdict
at 00:20:59
That was probably the most uplifting Saints win since Koeman danced up the touch line after Sadio made it 3-2 from 0-2 against Liverpool some 5 seasons back.
Ings and Armstrong made the difference after that awful first 25 minutes, well supported by Redmond. Our midfielders, Ward Prowse and Diallo also very solid and KWP much better in the second half. A mention for FF.. got his big frame in the way of the late Wood header... even if he did get a bit of help from Bednarek’s shirt pull. Time to relax and enjoy the rest of the season! |
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Comment | In Ralph We Trust !
at 13:40:58
A response to St Nick's questioning of my claim that Gao is paralysing the immediate future of SFC. Gao is an absent owner who has been keen to sell for for nearly a year. He had the opportunity to sell at a certain price point, but chose to inflate the asking price when the Club briefly sat at the top of the table. Gao has failed to invest even meagre resources to bolster a small, undermanned squad, resulting in glaring weaknesses in depth ie only two Prem quality FBs; three Prem quality central midfielders. Other Clubs in similar financial positions have supported their Managers - Fulham, Brighton, Palace, Leeds. A Club up for sale for an extended period is a Club deprived of renewal. The drawn out sale of the Club hangs over everything - the Club must provide the resources to keep Ralph until a new owner arrives - Gao stands in the way of that.
A couple of questions for St Nick. How do you know that the owner hasn't panicked "at the first sign of trouble" - how would anyone know? He's an absent owner who put the Club up for sale some time ago. How can you claim the owner has "kept the Club on a stable footing"? His absent ownership and failure to invest anything have left the Club teetering with one point from a possible 24 and trying to flop over the line to safety. Even if we do, a continuation of his ownership will likely see the Club relegated in 21/22 if renewal doesn't happen. |
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Comment | In Ralph We Trust !
at 09:54:16
I often find the writer's articles a mixture of blather and blind opinion presented as "truths"; but he is right to say that Ralph deserves to be given support by the board and fans alike. Ralph once said he only needed a small squad - and on that count he was wrong. He also has shown at times a belligerence with team formation, selections and style of play. His use of players off the bench have sometimes been puzzling. Two 9-0 defeats and a recent record of 1 point from a possible 24 are sobering statistics.
The mediating factors are plenty - injuries, VAR/Referee clangers, lack of investment and to be frank a squad lacking in much class and creativity. Then there's the issue of Ralph's coaching staff. Can we really believe that Ralph is happy to have long standing "civil servants" like Kelvin and Dave Watson?
We should hope that the Club keeps the faith in Ralph and Ralph retains his appetite for the job until there's a change of ownership because despite what is often written on this site, Gao is strangling Saints into oblivion and there is a desperate need for the renewal of a new owner to give Ralph the chance to achieve something better at this grand old Club. |
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Comment | Big Chance For Fraser Forster This Week
at 22:09:37
Ask yourself this. If Forster had played against Villa, Man U or Newcastle, would the scoreline have been any more favourable towards Saints? I don't think so. The three clean sheets need a bit of contextualising too....in all three games, Forster had virtually nothing to do, even against Liverpool. McCarthy may have made recent errors but fundamentally his technique is much superior to FF. Play Forster in the Cup by all means, but to think he's in sparkling form and going to be our Messiah is stretching credulity. |
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Comment | Does Jake Vokins Loan Deal Mean Incoming Loan For Southampton
at 10:23:41
I think it will be AMN to come in, with a long term plan for him to play as an attacking midfielder instead of signing Theo at the end of his loan spell. One thing's for sure, it won't be a CB that's been demanded by the columnist. |
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Comment | Will Smallbone Out For The Rest Of The Season
at 09:36:24
Shocking luck for the youngster. I doubted him, but his performance against Leicester until injured, won me over - he was very impressive. Have a good rehabilitation Will, you are definitely a key player in Saint's future. |
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Comment | Queens Park Rangers Set To Bid For Josh Sims
at 10:48:22
I have been surprised and disappointed that Ralph hasn't persisted with Sims. From limited opportunities he showed much ability. That run at Anfield and the slide rule pass to Long and his second half performance against Spurs in 2018? or 2019 were great memories. Hard to see Tella being a better player....but in Ralph we trust. |
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Comment | James Ward Prowse Hails Hasenhuttl For Saving His Career
at 21:50:46
Agree with WestSussexSaint, the big improvement in his game has been using his work rate more constructively with effective pressing, tackling and harassing. His dead ball skill has never been in doubt, but now these other traits have rounded his game out. I also agree that to take his game to a higher level, more creativity in attacking areas is needed. At he moment Romeu seems to be fulfilling more of the box-to-box role. As the article implies, Ralph deserves much praise for the faith and polish he's invested into players like JWP. |
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Comment | Saints Need To Sign Central Defender In January Window
at 22:08:09
A familiar report about how bad Stephens is - and before that it was Yoshida who wasn't up to the mark. Everyone knows Jack Stephens isn't the best CB in the League but he did well against Fulham and made the draw saving block at the end of the game. He will fill in again against West Ham, and so he should. I'm also confident Salisu will be given his chance against Shrewsbury and will be an asset for Saints as time goes on. There's no way a CB will be brought in this January.
Of greater concern is the fitness of Ings - being forced to play Shane Long as a starting forward is a bigger calamity than Stephens filling in at CB. With Redmond also injured and Armstrong's form patchy, I worry much more about where the goals are going to come from rather than how many we concede. |
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Comment | Ryan Bertrand Wants To Stay At St Mary's As New Deal Gets Nearer.
at 10:30:26
RB has been a great signing for Saints and continues to prove his worth as one of the best LBs in the Prem....as a footnote, I'd argue we have the best RB in the Prem in the form of KWP.
With Vokins progress stalled and a dearth of obvious replacements, it should be a no brainer to extend Bertrand's contract. I wouldn't compare Bertrand and Long - not just the 3 year age difference but Long is no longer a Prem player in my view...even from the bench. |
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Comment | Saints Legend Opens Up On Addiction Issues After Leaving St Mary's
at 22:33:50
I loved watching Claus play; not only a great defender but very committed to the Club. His partnership with Svensson was as good a CB combination I've seen over a long period. I admire the courage he has shown not only to deal with addiction and post-Football issues but also to speak so openly and dedicate himself to assisting others in similar predicaments. |
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Comment | Saints At Brighton The Verdict
at 23:08:04
Good report - a fortunate win perhaps as BHA could have been out of sight after 40 minutes. Second half so much better with Ings the catalyst for a more cohesive attacking display. Glad to see Armstrong improve in the second half after a string of sub-par performances. Romeu and Vestergaard both outstanding tonight and Bednarek very good. Sometimes you need a bit of luck and Saints got it tonight to maintain a dominant record against Brighton in recent seasons. |
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Comment | Is Fraser Forster On The Verge Of A Recall !
at 09:14:19
Nick - I'd question that FF had three excellent seasons for us. The real problem was the unnecessary contract extension he was given (Les Read I believe) - his form didn't justify the extension and the Club finances have suffered ever since. I loved Ronald Koeman's time at Saints but he got it wrong with Forster - a really poor keeper, still on ridiculous money.
Alex McCarthy is far from a perfect keeper, but he has consistently shown himself to be the best we have. |
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