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According to media reports Saints are ready to cash in on Rickie Lambert in the January transfer window.
When I suggested back in the summer that any big money signing for a striker would signal the beginning of the end for Rickie Lambert's career at St Mary's, I was shouted down somewhat and told that I was being negative and that both would be accommodated in the same team.
Now though national media are reporting that Saints will be willing to cash in on Rickie whilst he still has a re sale value, that Mauricio Pochettino is willing to sanction the departure of Lambert for tactical reasons, in that he is a manager who only plays one striker in his formations and that having spent big money on Osvaldo it is the Italian International who the manager sees as the long term option.
Although this is only hearsay at the moment, the way the football media works, someone somewhere is leaking stories, whether its coming from Lambert's side or from the Club is open to debate. On one hand Lambert will probably feel his place is under threat and will want to alert other club's to the fact he might be amiable to a move in January, more so now because of his hopes of travelling to Brazil with England for the World Cup, from the Club's point of view, they will know that Lambert is very popular amongst the fans and having tried playing both together and it not working so far, they will want to lay the foundations for the fans accepting of the move early, you only need to look at some of the phrases in the media reports to draw the conclusion that it might well be coming from them, sentences like
"Goal understands that Pochettino is ready to offload Lambert for tactical reasons, amid doubts as to whether the centre-forward has the mobility and movement to flourish in his system."
These seem to be well positioned leaks aimed at creating a school of thought within the fan base, just as Nigel Adkins went from being the most popular manager in Saints recent history to being considered a failure in the Premier league by some due to tactical ineptitude, something which certainly hadn't been the case a day earlier at Stamford Bridge
In this sense it seems to be working, already some supporters are saying that its a natural progression and that Lambert will be turning 32 in February so is heading towards his sell by date.
As mentioned earlier, all of this is stuff that I have been suggesting might happen should we sign a new striker, since the summer, playing them together has been tried and to be brutal it hasn't benefited the team or indeed either player, now Saints will be professional about the situation and to be frank brutal, taking emotion out of it and the great love all Saints fans have for Rickie, if you are going to play a system where you only have a lone striker and the choice is between a player who is about to turn 32 and a younger man who you have paid a club record fee for there is only going to be one answer, otherwise you wouldn't have bothered paying all that money in the first place, it is not rocket science.
When Lambert was capped by Engalnd and scored, I said then it altered the game plan, if he had not been capped by England then perhaps Saints could have accommodated both with Rickie happy to play a supporting role, but with the chance to go to Brazil Rickie's ambitions have changed, perhaps he will go to Brazil with England perhaps he wont, but he will know he has only one shot at a World Cup and to do that he needs to be first choice at a club in the Premier and scoring goals, it could be that he wont be able to have that with Saints.
It seems according to the press its only a question of when Rickie is dropped rather than if, Saturday is perhaps a pivotal moment for Rickie in his Saints career, we could still see both him and Osvaldo selected against Crystal Palace, but if both fire blanks again then Pochettino will have to make a decision, however as has been proved in the past, Rickie keeps on re writing the history books, he wont make it easy for his manager to drop him, his problem there though is that it certainly wont be Osvaldo dropped and its hard for Rickie to make an impression in a formation that doesn't see him as the target man 100% of the time.
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‘well positions leaks aimed at creating a school of thought within the fan base’ and ‘it seems to be working, already some supporters are saying that’s it’s a natural progress’ ! Hang on a minute, give us fans some credit Nick ! If Lambert had scored more goals in this system (his record is not great since January) and been 5 years younger than he is; we may not have signed Osvaldo ! This is football; no one is immortal. Put Lambert on the bench Saturday imo, if Ozzy doesn’t start scoring in the next few games drop him and watch a fired up Ricky Lambert with the bit between his teeth lead the line after being benched !
Don't you just love the internet. Some small forums have posts about how Lambert and Osvaldo CANNOT play together, then the press have a slow day and make the story that much more exciting and hey presto, Lamberts on his way out. Then the writers on the small forums wear the "I told you first" badge for the next week. Is this the 4th or 5th time TUI has run this story?
Once Osvaldo and Lambert start banging the goals in, I'm sure you'll find something else to grumble about.
Ricky should be allowed to grow old gracefully at St Mary's then when the time is right retired like a thoroughbred stallion to stud the next generation of super strikers.
No man is bigger than Southampton FC. It would be a shame to loose him but if it did happen good luck to him. After all hes had a great career at the Saints and will always be remembered fondly by the fans.
Hi Nick, I don't know you, but you're a Saints fan, so that makes you alright in my book, but why oh why does it always have to be 'I told you so'. It's a shame because it sometimes detracts from some very good points you make. p.s. One small website (Goal) posts a speculative story, which gets picked up by other websites, then gets mention on a Saints Forum and finally makes it to the national press - it's still a speculative story sourced only by a very small website who are very unlikely to have any special inside knowledge. He may stay, he may go (and if he did I would wish him all the very best and move on without any recriminations towards the player, manager or chairman - that's football, that's life). Fair play for all the work you put into the site Nick, genuine hats-off to you for being more than a keyboard gobsh*te and the effort you obviously put it, but it shouldn't need to be you against those who disagree with your point of view, you're better than that I hope.
Hi Nick, I don't know you, but you're a Saints fan, so that makes you alright in my book, but why oh why does it always have to be 'I told you so'. It's a shame because it sometimes detracts from some very good points you make. p.s. One small website (Goal) posts a speculative story, which gets picked up by other websites, then gets mention on a Saints Forum and finally makes it to the national press - it's still a speculative story sourced only by a very small website who are very unlikely to have any special inside knowledge. He may stay, he may go (and if he did I would wish him all the very best and move on without any recriminations towards the player, manager or chairman - that's football, that's life). Fair play for all the work you put into the site Nick, genuine hats-off to you for being more than a keyboard gobsh*te and the effort you obviously put it, but it shouldn't need to be you against those who disagree with your point of view, you're better than that I hope.
Im sorry about the "I told you so" air, perhaps that was a bit wrong, but sometimes when you put something up as an opinion, as I did with this a couple of months back and it was an opinion not what I wanted to happen and you get shouted down a bit with people telling me that I was stupid, sometimes its nice to see that others think the same.
If you read the goal interview it clearly insinuates that the story is coming from sources close to the club, that's why I gave it credence.
As some point out though on the face of it its not rocket science, 31 year old striker barely scored since end of January and only 1 pen this season, if that was Guly and not Lambert people would be screaming for him to be dropped
Oh I agree, it's a perfectly reasonable supposition, which is why I personally think it is no more than educated guesswork on their part. I'm sure that even SRL himself knows that there is a chance, however small we hope it may be, that if he cannot command a regular starting place for his club it will potential affect his World Cup dreams. Simplest thing for every is for him to knock in a few goals and Osvaldo to do likewise - then we'll all be happy! Easy this punditry business isn't it :-)
The reason Rickie isn't scoring is he's not getting the chances because our final ball is poor, Osvaldo hasn't set the club alight has he? probably for the same reason and the system is doing neither of them any favours. I thought Osvaldo was brought in for rotation, Rickie did look tired towards the end of the season, but at the end of the day whatever his age he's a proven goal scorer in the premiership, not many of them easily available is there?
Really can't see it personally. Rickie is far more valuable to us now then he would be if he left us. Realistically who is going to pay anywhere near a decent price for a player of his age?
Also, it's too early days to be discussing whether the partnership is working. These kind of understandings are not built overnight. I think what we really have here is a slow day for the media. They haven't had anything juicy off the Saints for a while and so they thought they'd tuck into this. We'd also (myself included) be far better off discussing what we do know then fuelling bullsh1t like this.
I know SRL is a star, but Nick is only being logical. The trouble is SRL is defying logic. and continueing to be a top performer. Fans doubted his ability to make it in the Championship he defied that one. Then there were the doubters who thought he would fail in the Premiership again he defied that one and to cap it all he has been successfully Capped for England. All this when everybody thought he was past his prime. Logic dictates that he must, sooner or later, show sign that age is catching up and although he shows no sign that age is catching up on him. JRod and Osvelda coming into the club makes good sense.
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