Southampton F.C.

mchurl

kensutz wrote:

Roll on Saturday boys. Flying over in the morning. We've lost Davenport back to Spurs because his loan deal finished so it looks like Doherty and Fleming as the 2 center halves. But the team are gonna be up in confidence with Safri signing a new deal and the win last Saturday, here's to a good game.

should be a decent enough game. Both teams had good wins at the weekend. Hopefully theo is still on fire!! I reckon it'll be fairly even but we will have a bit of confidence back and i reckon ( and hope!!) we might just sneak it.

kensutz

Well lads hope you all enjoyed that result. Theo did absolutely nothing today and was kept fairly quiet. The goal you got was down to poor keeping more than anything, Niemi kept the score down to a reasonable scoreline but we should've beaten you by 5 or 6 goals to one. Prutton had an argument with a few of your fans for some reason so if you hear anything about that I'll be interested to know what it was about. To sum it up, you played well up until you scored and never really threatened. We played some of the best football that we've seen in a while and Deano!!!! is back

MrJoeSoap

We've now blown leads in three of out last 5 games. Fvcking pathetic, typical Southampton.

mchurl

we're looking less and less likely now to get a play -off spot. Why the f**k can't we hold on to a lead?

mchurl

So with George Burley now in charge do we think that we will finally get some consistency into our play? I think he is a decent manager and that he will help to improve us greatly. What role does dennis Wise have in all this?

kensutz

Interesting to see a sc**er take charge of your lot. Pity he wasn't in charge before last Saturday where he would've been given a very warm welcome.

MrJoeSoap

13. Smith, Paul

21. Baird, Chris
26. Mills, Matthew
16. Cranie, Martin
18. Delap, Rory

12. Quashie, Nigel
8. Oakley, Matt
20. Prutton, David
33. Dyer, Nathan


32. Walcott, Theo
9. Ormerod, Brett

Thats how bad things have got. What a starting line-up for Burley to have to play in his first game in charge.

Needless to say, 2-0 down coming up to half time.

MrJoeSoap

3-0 now, a Chris Baird o.g.

*groans*

kensutz

Thank you George Burley

MrJoeSoap

2-0 down after 9 minutes away to Cardiff. FFS!

mchurl

another bad loss and not a great start at all for George. He seems to be playing a lot of the younger lads and it doesnt seem to be working at the moment. If we are to have any chance of makng the play offs we are really going to have to start winning games again as quick as possible.

MrJoeSoap

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/article.asp?article=350416&Title=Blayney+on+the+move

Alan Blayney is off to Doncaster for £50,000. Great keeper, was MOTM against Newcastle when he filled in for Anti Niemi a few years back, also won the Premiership 'save of the season' that same year (from Shearer in the same game).

Decent sale on jerseys etc... on the site Mchurl, if you're interested. £20 for the blue or yellow jersey.

Big Nelly

Talk of Antti Niemi going to Everton in exchange for Richard Wright and prob some cash. Would be a good deal for Southampton because Wright is a younger keeper and a very good one. Just has not had a chance at either Arsenal or Everton due to form of older keepers.

Any news on Southampton selling Leon Best or Blackstock? Shef Wed been interested in both of them for the last while but have brought in Tugay and Burton so maybe they prob would still buy Best because Sturrock loves him as a player

mchurl

Blackstock has been scoring for us in the last few games and that is what we have been lacking all season so i cant see him been let go. Best on the other hand could be let go as he hasnt got much of a look in this season but then again burley might think something different about him.

KdjaCL

Big Nelly wrote:

but have brought in Tugay

Tudgay tut tut tut.


kdjac

Big Nelly

KdjaC wrote:

Tudgay tut tut tut.


kdjac

Said it already on the Jan 2nd thread Im useless with names today:) need another few hours in bed I think

MrJoeSoap

Niemi left out of squad today. Almost certainly off to Fulham.

MrJoeSoap

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,435-2010242,00.html wrote:

Sterile Southampton hit new Lowe

By Nick Szczepanik

Southampton 0 Crystal Palace 0

IT IS a fair assumption that Rupert Lowe, the Southampton chairman, has had better days. First, the local paper published six pages of anti-Lowe letters and led its front page with a report that a consortium led by Andrew Strode-Gibbons, a wealthy financier from Hampshire, is preparing a bid to buy a third of the club’s shares and oust him. Then another sterile display from the team was followed by demonstrations and chants of “We want Rupert out.”

Southampton have won only two of their past 14 league matches, and taken only four points from the seven games since George Burley took over as manager from Harry Redknapp. This latest failure left them rooted in the lower reaches of the Coca-Cola Championship, and if not for uncharacteristically wayward finishing by Andrew Johnson, the England forward, they might have been beaten out of sight.

Nor was it a good night for Crystal Palace, who dominated but may have to concede that automatic promotion is slipping beyond their reach. Although unbeaten in their seven matches since Christmas, they have now drawn successive games against Reading, last Friday, and Southampton and are 17 points adrift of second-placed Sheffield United.

Burley gave a debut to Andrew Surman, 19, but, like most of his team-mates, he struggled to make much impression. Johnson had a chance with Bartosz Bialkowski, the Southampton goalkeeper, out of his ground, but his lob sailed wide, and when Darren Kenton’s horrid miskick gave him another opening, his shot was blocked.

At the other end, Kenwyne Jones somehow tricked his way through the Palace defence but spoilt it all by blasting the ball high into the stand. Only Marian Pahars showed much quality anywhere near goal and Gabor Kiraly, the Palace goalkeeper, needed to be at his best to tip the Latvia forward’s shot over the crossbar.

The second half belonged almost exclusively to Palace, but for all their dominance they could not give Bialkowski much to do — and Johnson was the main culprit. Two minutes in, he volleyed a cross from Michael Hughes wide, then hacked wildly at another promising situation, a low diagonal pass by Wayne Andrews. Third time lucky? Not exactly. Fitz Hall and Jobi McAnuff opened the home defence, but Johnson got the ball trapped between his feet.

SOUTHAMPTON (4-4-2): B Bialkowski — C Baird, C Lundekvam, D Kenton, D Higginbotham — M Pahars, M Oakley, D Prutton, A Surman — K Jones (sub: D Blackstock, 62min), B Ormerod (sub: N Dyer, 76). Substitutes not used: P Smith, T Hajto, R Fuller. Booked: Prutton.

CRYSTAL PALACE (4-4-2): G Kiraly — F Hall, D Ward, M Hudson, E Boyce — T Soares, B Watson (sub: W Andrews, 63), M Hughes, J McAnuff (sub: C Morrison, 85) — A Johnson, J Macken (sub: D Freedman, 63). Substitutes not used: J Speroni, M Leigertwood. Booked: Macken.

Referee: A Marriner.

What a slide this is turning out to be. Rupert Lowe, its time to go.

eirebhoy

How are Southampton for central midfielders? They've just signed Darren Potter on loan for the rest of the season. I'd like to see him get regular football in the centre as he's very highly rated.

MrJoeSoap

Well theres plenty of speculation linking Prutton and Quashie with moves away, other than that we have Oakley and the young lad Folly, and Andrew Surman made his debut last night.

Potter will no doubt get a go, hopefully he'll be a great signing for us this season.

shepthedog

Always liked the Saints. Would like to see someone with a bit of cash oust Rupert Lowe, either way his days are number. If both Doug Eilis and Lowe leave their posts, two of the most reviled men in English soccer will be gone.
I would rate Burley v highly, given a bit of time and some cash he will be the man to bring saints back to Prem. Next season could be their year.

MrJoeSoap

Quashie is on his way out now, after Ormerod leaving last week. Seems as though West Brom are the most likely destination. Apparently Matt Holland and Idiakez (great player) are on Burleys list now too.

Three signings are supposedly close, with striker Peter Madsen from Cologne flying in today to confirm a loan deal, and Swedish right-back Alexander Ostlund from Feyenoord on his way too. Also links with defender "Pele". Certainly has the name anyway! Pele would look funny on a Saints shirt!

That makes our transfer dealings thus far:

- IN

Jim Brennan (Norwich, free)
Darren Potter (Liverpool, loan)
Bartosz Bialkowski (Gornik Zabrze, nominal)

- OUT

Ormerod (Preston, free)
Hajto (Derby, free)
Walcott (Arsenal, £5m)
Niemi (Fulham, undisclosed)
Blayney (Doncaster, £50k)

MrJoeSoap

The deals for Madsen and Ostlund have gone through.

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/article.asp?article=358523&Title=Madsen+signs
http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/article.asp?article=358603&Title=Ostlund+deal+done

Quashie is now almost certainly off to WBA, with Chaplow coming the other direction, possibly on loan. Delap off to Palace and Matt Mills off to Man City. Almost impossible to keep up with Saints these days, the line-up against Plymouth will almost be unrecognisable from when Burley took over.

3greenrizla's

COYR:D

I really think things (hope) things are starting to change at saints, Burley is the man!

he seems to be building a team!

Bartosz Bialkowski seems to be a real find!

i dont mind most of the people who left, but, i'm worried about the never ending injury crisis at saints.

then again PAHARS has played 270 mins of football.

oh & we might be signing PELE

3greenrizla's

what a difference a day makes. 1 - 2 to plymouth
i am really starting to hate football.

Saints get to fa cup final & finish 8th in the prem.

ireland looked like they were going somewhere, Kerr was the best thing in the world & we were looking like we were going to be a decent side even taking points off the french.

WGS leaves saints - new up & coming manager fails, and another one, and another one, "proven" manager brought us down (just like he did with West Ham, and is doing at "his spiritual home" Pompey)

Ireland f*ck it up, dont know how, but they did, dropping points to the might isreal. Kerr gets sacked,

Saints don't take the Championship by storm!!!!!!!!!!!!!

& you have to get up at 9 o'clock on a sunday morning to watch the 30 seconds you get on tv.

Steve Staunton!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
&
even with another manager i think we would find it hard to get into Euro 2008.

& now a F*cking relagation battle in the F*cking Championship.

i dont think i can hack much more.

:mad: :mad:

MrJoeSoap

3greenrizla's wrote:

& you have to get up at 9 o'clock on a sunday morning to watch the 30 seconds you get on tv

Sign up to Saintstv. Its on special offer at the moment.

Big Nelly

Tottenham misfit Grzegorz Rasiak has joined Southampton on loan for the rest of the season with a view to a permanent move in the summer.

The Polish striker joins up again with Saints head coach George Burley, who signed him for Derby.

He has signed a three-month contract at St Mary's and will then complete a guaranteed £2million move.

The 27-year-old, who Burley signed on a free transfer from Siena before selling him on to Spurs for £2million, has endured a frustrating spell at White Hart Lane, starting just five games under Martin Jol and failing to find the net.
"It was hard for me at Tottenham because I did not play much and I need to be playing regularly ready for the World Cup," he told the club's official website, www.saintsfc.co.uk.

"But that is a long way off and now I have to concentrate on helping Southampton, starting with a big game at Reading on Friday."

Burley, who this morning also completed the loan capture of West Brom midfielder Richard Chaplow, added: "I am delighted to have got Rasiak and he will give the squad a huge lift.

"He has great pedigree. He got 19 goals for me at Derby last season.

"He has outstanding ability. He is a good goalscorer, strong in the air and his touch is very good."

Saints had hoped to land Rasiak during the January transfer window, but Jol was unwilling to release him while Mido was on African Nations Cup duty in Egypt.

"We can only sign him on loan now but we have agreed to sign him in the summer," added Burley.

Couple of nice moves there by Burley, seems to be building the squad back up after alot of players leaving. Rasiak is proven at Championship level and should bang in a good few. Also Chaplow is a proven performer in the Championship

Kingp35

Good signing for Southampton. Raziak has proven Championship quality and will fit in well to the Southampton side.

MrJoeSoap

St. Marys is becoming more like Warsaw than Hampshire at the moment! Poles coming and going left, right and centre! Rasiak should fit in nicely, he was awful against Fulham last Monday but has performed well at Championship level and hopefully can do a job for us. The rumour also doing the rounds is that Euell will be joining him in the next few days.

We're live against Reading on Friday night too by the way, 19.45 kick-off at the Majedski.

MrJoeSoap

We've also got Jermaine Wright on loan from Leeds for a month, and Chaplows deal has been confirmed.

Any views on Wright? Kingp35?

Kingp35

MrJoeSoap wrote:

Any views on Wright? Kingp35?

He was a very good player at Ipswich but just hasnt done it for Leeds at all. He was a huge disappointment and has never showed good form for us. We let him out on loan earlier in the season to Millwall and I heard he did decent enough there so there is no reason why he cant be a decent player for Southampton. He can play on the right or in the centre. Decent passer of the ball but quite slow which means he can get caught out at times.

Its a good move for him because he wasnt even making the bench at Leeds as was never going to break back into the side.

mchurl

I'm happy with the signings on Rasiak and also Chaplow. Hopefully Rasiak can provide some of the fire power that we have been greatly missing this season. Also Chaplow is a decent player and i fell he will supply is with a lot of chances. As for the signing of Wright, im not too sure about this. He has never really impressed me and i dont see how he is going to get into our midfield. Burley knows him from his ipswich days though and might know how ot get the best out of him.

mchurl

Great win for the youth team last night in the FA youth cup Quarter Fianl against Crystal Palace.

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/article.asp?article=362265&Title=FA+Youth+Cup+win

Also live on Sky Sports tonight against. Should be a very tough game and i cant really see us taking anything against them. Although if the new lads were to perform straight away you never know what might happen.

mchurl

Ricado Fuller is poised to join ipswich on a month's loan.

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/article.asp?article=364308&Title=Possible+loan+for+Fuller

wouldnt be a bad move imo as it will allow him to get some first team football.

mchurl

Newcastle game tomorrow.

Live BBC1 5.30pm.

It seems that newcastle are starting to hit form again at just the wrong time for us. In saying that i still think we have got a chance. We will need big performances from a lot of the new signings if we are to cause an upset.

MrJoeSoap

mchurl wrote:

Ricado Fuller is poised to join ipswich on a month's loan.

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/article.asp?article=364308&Title=Possible+loan+for+Fuller

wouldnt be a bad move imo as it will allow him to get some first team football.

Would be a great move... because he's sh1te.

As for Newcastle tomorrow, we haven't a hope.

mchurl

I wouldnt be so negative! i know we havent been playing well of late at all but its the FA cup, anything can happen!

MrJoeSoap

Well any time I'm positive we seem to lose, so I'm trying out a new tactic for this game... WE'RE GOING TO BE DESTROYED!

As for Fuller, three goals in 16 starts (and a further eight appearances as a sub) just isn't good enough. He only got 1 goal in 31 appearances for the "others" last season. I can't believe we paid money for him...

mchurl

I agree with Fuller. He was a poor player for pompey and even worse for us.You never know though if he scores a few goals while out on loan he might get some form back and then hopefully cure some of our goal-scoring problems as well.

MrJoeSoap

mchurl wrote:

I agree with Fuller. He was a poor player for pompey and even worse for us.You never know though if he scores a few goals while out on loan he might get some form back and then hopefully cure some of our goal-scoring problems as well.

Almost prophetic stuff there!

Three wins in a row for the first time since August, safety is now mathematically confirmed! Things are looking good for next season, hopefully we can push for a playoff place.

Kingp35

MrJoeSoap wrote:

hopefully we can push for a playoff place.

Is there much money available?

MrJoeSoap

Kingp35 wrote:

Is there much money available?

I'm not sure, we've sold sold sold this season, but mostly at vastly reduced prices to cut our wage bill. I think that once we can replace the loan signings who are going back we should do alright. Rasiak and Fuller are doing brilliantly now and David McGoldrick is on the verge of breaking through (I've a feeling he'll burst onto the scene like Walcott did). We've plenty of young talent there, with Surman, Bale etc... who should be well able to hold their own when called upon.

How much money we have to spend could well depend on whether Lowe remains in charge.

MrJoeSoap

We just won that coca-cola competition and got a player worth £250,000!

Unreal!

mchurl

finally a change of luck!!

MrJoeSoap

Consider what Gareth Bale has already achieved at just three months past his 17th birthday and speculate on what his footballing CV will look like in, say, 10 years time, if he continues at this incredible rate of progress. The mind boggles.

At an age when many of his contemporaries are still fretting over whether they will be awarded their first professional contract, the Cardiff-born defender has already made his full international debut, crossed swords with Brazil and the incomparable Ronalinho, and scored two stunning free-kick goals in successive matches that few among the ranks of more seasoned players could match.

What's more he's also made history as the youngest-ever Welsh international and their youngest ever goaslscorer, feats which may never be surpassed.

And yet to spend time with the Southampton left-back is to wonder if any of this has really happened, so sensibly grounded is he, so modest. "Sometimes I do think about what's happened and have to pinch myself but really I'm just concentrating on the next match and working on improving my game," he said.

So it's down to others to bang the Bale drum, wise footballing heads like John Toshack and Southampton manager George Burley though their words are couched in the restrained language that all managers reach for when the agenda concerns an exciting young prospect, fearful that too much praise might turn an impressionable mind.

Injuries to first-choice full-backs Sam Ricketts and Mark Delaney have thrust Bale firmly into Toshack's plans for this EURO 2008 double-header with Slovakia and Cyprus. Only the truly gifted and those blessed with an even temperament can handle the step up to the international stage at such a tender age. The Wales chief believes Bale has all the qualities needed to make an impact with his country now and for many years to come.

"When we had him with us in the summer (for the Trinidad and Tobago friendly where his appearance as a second-half substitute at 16 years 275 days made him the youngest Welsh international) we were quietly impressed with the little things he did," said the Wales chief.

"Against Brazil Gareth did the things we were going to ask him to do before you had chance to tell him. He has a good head on him and every time we see him seems to be shooting up. We're aware that Southampton have left him out in recent games and as much as we understand their concern at rushing him we say if you're good enough you're old enough. I played at 16 for Cardiff and the lad marking me was 15, Leyton Orient's Paul Went."

What were Bale's recollections of that game against Brazil? "It did feel strange lining up in the tunnel and seeing Ronaldinho on the other side but if you show you're scared of players like that they're going to beat you every time. There was one occasion when he had the ball in the corner and tried to take it past me but I managed to stop him. That was nice."

From the local park around his Whitchurch home to a contest with Ronaldinho and Kaka ... the journey has been incredible so far. His uncle is the former Cardiff centre-forward Chris Pike so there was talent and a love of football already in the family. His father is an Arsenal supporter and that influenced a love of the North London club - they were rumoured to be on the point of making a bid on the August 31st deadline day - but as he grew up his own game was becoming all-important.

"I was nine and playing in a tournament at Newport when a scout came up and asked if I wanted to go to the Southampton satellite academy at Bath to train. That was the start of it, I went there twice a week and at 15 I'd travel to Southampton once a week and train with the first-year scholars. I started off as a left-sided midfielder but a few years ago the club converted me to full-back."

Offered a scholarship at 16, Bale moved into The Lodge in Southampton with the rest of the new recruits and his room-mate was Theo Walcott. "He's one of my closest friends and I still keep in touch with him now he's at Arsenal."

Burley's arrival at the south coast club ten months ago was good news for the young Welshman, given that the new manager was a right-back of some distinction for Ipswich and Scotland. "I was playing quite well when the new manager came in and he gave me my debut at the end of last season against Millwall.

"I remember thinking afterwards that the game was a lot more physical and the atmosphere more noisy than what I was used to. That meant you had to work hard on keeping your concentration."

The opening game of this season, away to Derby County, saw Bale named in the line-up and a free-kick on the hour gave him the chance to demonstrate his set-piece prowess, curling the ball past Lee Camp to help Saints back into a game that eventually ended 2-2.

Three days later, at home to Coventry, he repeated the feat in the same spectacular fashion - and on Saturday he did it again, this time for his country. His exquisite curling free-kick into the top right conrer was the one bright moment of a wretched day for Wales. A star was well and truly born.

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/articles/article.php?page_id=7587

Taken from the Welsh programme notes vs Cyprus last night.

MrJoeSoap

Fair few seperate sources now saying that Burley is a strong contender to sign Steven Pressley.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/southampton/6168297.stm
http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1968987,00.html

Kingp35

A few sources have said that Leeds are trying to sign Pressley as well. Reports are suggesting that Rangers might be interested though and if they are I cant see him going to either Leeds or Southampton.

KdjaCL

http://foot.ie/forums/showthread.php?t=60685

Irish Soton fan club


kdjac

3greenrizla's

there is a similar thread on thesaintsforum
http://thesaintsforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=24

any Irish Saints out there register there (you should be registered anyway ) or just PM me here & I will keep you updated if it gets off the ground.

COYR we are on the up...back where we belong.

westofshannonsaint

3greenrizla's

Oh & MrJoeSoap, do you still have that Bale vid?

Saints have taken it off youtube (scabby feckers)