Transfer Rumours Saints January Transfer Window Rumour Thread

I dunno if anyone's saying he hasn't had a poor season, think it was the 'he's never caused defences many problems this season' that particularly caused the disagreement there as he has had an impact a handful of times this season as referenced, the problem is that's not been often enough and definitely not happened much recently - as well as the fact that the problems he's caused have often come to nothing in the end.

I think the thing with Long's season apart from anything is it's been split into two parts, neither of which have been positive but in different ways. Before he was out with the injury, he was still not in great form in general but I feel like he created more, gained us more ground with fouls/throw-ins etc. and most notably did have several chances which he missed in mostly painful fashion. So again, not positive but he was causing 'problems', just with very few actual positive results, but the same could unfortunately be said for all of our attacking players apart from Austin whose good outweighed the bad early. After he's come back from injury he's had a few times where he's helped the team just by how he changes the way a defence has to play, but as you say has managed next to nothing of substance even if you expand substance beyond goals and assists, until breaking his duck against WBA.

The main differences I can think of pre/post injury, besides the obvious variables of his fitness and confidence, is we basically transitioned out of the diamond whilst he was out (which may have been a contributing factor since we were down to Austin and then Redmond and Olomola at one point) and since his best work for us and part of both his and our season's turning around was playing the 3-5-2 last year that may underscore how much more effective he is with some form of partner. Then it can also be considered that the attack as a whole turned to **** (Actual ****, not just wasting-chances-****) during/since he was out so it's not exactly like he came back into a firing unit.

If we were to replace him to be honest as we're going at the moment I wouldn't even replace him like-for-like as we don't have a single striker suitable for the 4-3-3 we're playing, including Austin. Though J-Rod did pretty well against Everton it would be pretty hopeful for that to be him considering it's already very hopeful to hope he can be the player he was, which wasn't that.

 

have we bought anyone yet Dad? have we bought anyone yet Dad? have we bought anyone yet Dad?

 

Hold on, that says Boufal is our third best player, and we all know that the great guru Jeff Stelling says he does "less than nothing" and is the worst professional ever to have played the game...

 

No, but we're nearly there son.

 

Please don't be lying

Remember I know where you are before every match.

 

Long has always played best alongside another striker. Our lone striker is so isolated it's not even funny. Long feeds off flick one and knock throughs ,it is harsh blaming him when the system does not suit him. Puel needs a striker that can beat a CB with skill, sadly that is not JRod, Long or Austin. We have strikers feeding off scraps, with a midfield so slow in moving the ball that the other team has time to get every player behind the ball. We all scoffed (except Tom)at the thought of Bournemouth having Wilshire on loan for a year, but he is the type of player we need, gets the ball looks for the quick forward pass or runs with the ball until the space opens. Maybe it's time to play Long and JRod together as strikers. Or give Barnes a shot, hard for him to score less goals than Long

 

I didn't scoff at them taking Wilshere - I would have taken him here.

 

Fixed

 

Yeah don't remember many people scoffing at Wilshere? He is quality if he is fit

 

At first reading I agreed with this but, upon reflection, I don't really think "lack of ambition" is quite the right phrase. If you look at Pochettino, I think he was a brilliant choice but he has evolved as probably one of the very best managers in British football and totally devitalised a team who were quite good one moment before lapsing in to chaos the next. With his ability, I would have to say that we were always going to struggle to retain his services and, I would add, I think this will also apply to Spurs. He is destined for great things and it might be worthwhile noting that a new generation of English international players has emerged under his watch. I was disappointed to see him go, but it was inevitable. The departure of Koeman wasn't though lack of trying but a result of the Dutchman's pure greed.

Regarding the departure of the playing staff, I think that the bigger clubs were always going to offer better salaries and there is no way we can compete. Again, with hindsight, I think we did good business with both Shaw and Morgan as neither have recaptured their Southampton form. The Liverpool players are a different matter but Lallana is emerging as one of the greatest English midfielders of the last 10-15 years and we did well to retain him for so long. Mane was another player we would always have struggled to retain but I think we should have tried harder with Wanyama.

There is a malaise at the club but I don't think it is a lack of ambition, rather a series of poor decisions in the summer. The money spent was not insubstantial and I would argue that we have paid well over the odds for the likes of Redmond. I don't think an unambitious club would have done this. The problem has been that we have not made such good choices with player acquisition as in previous seasons although I think Hojbjerg will come good. As outlined previously on a number of recent threads, the attacking options available were not properly assessed and a proven goal scorer should have been on the agenda in June.

I would also have to say that Puel's selection as manager was probably a sound one on paper and you would have thought his record would have ear-marked him out as a perfect fit. Unfortunately, no one ever considered the style of football he liked to play and, assuming his French teams were equally as uninspired, this was a poor choice in my opinion. I wonder whether soundings were made at OL regarding his ability yet his record in Europe doesn't suggest lack of ambition rather a failure to appreciate what kind of football Puel would bring.

I have no doubt that Puel will be gone in the summer - a series of catastrophic results this month may hasten the departure buy irrespective of who owns the club in 2017/18, I would be very surprised if there are not root and branch changes after this season.

 

Claude is highly rated in France as a manager of teams that play great football and challenge the big boys on a shoe-string budget. Not commenting on his current situation, just making it clear why we might have thought him a great fit for us.

 

Clifton Morrison just said on Sky that he shares an agent with Virgil and has been told there is a lot of interest in him (not unexpectedly of course). He was asked who needed VVD the most....had me yelling Southampton at the screen. He said that he thought Virgil would stay at Saints, though he had to add unless a 60 million offer came in. We are precarious at the moment and need our defence to be strong,,,,how much would relegation cost? Idiots.

 

Lambo

I wasn't aware that his style of football was lauded in France but your comments mirror those made by the staff in the OL shop this summer albeit they were far from enthusiastic from his abilities.

It is quite interesting to compare Saints with Lyon as the French team did have a reputation of being the best run football club in the world ( according to Simon Kuper's book) insofar they recruited a lot of young, unknown talent from Brazil at knockdown fees before selling on for a hefty profit once they had become established. However, Lyon dominated French football in the 2000's and Puel's relative lack of success would have reflected badly amongst the fans. The OL staff I spoke to in their shop said that Saints were a similar sized fit to Nice where Puel had done so well yet, given the fact that outside of Marseille, Lyon and PSG the standard of football is not that great. The games in France I have seen that featured Cherbourg, Estac ( Troyes) and Auxerre were not really on a par with the Championship and, in the case of the first two, certainly much lower. For me, going with a French coach is a risk if they have only managed domestic football simply because choosing someone outside of these top three clubs as manager is effectively plumping for a Championship manager at best.

 

The main thing I feel let down by is the selling. the current strategy has left a squad which has no heart.

 

I wouldn't want to score in your brother, but what is your sister like?

 

^^^ Flt getting ready to retract this when response is '15'

 

I had to stop reading at 'no one considered his style of play'...

 

I read Sotonsaint's comment, and my first thought was are you from Portsmouth?

 

it is if he is fit that was the problem with most, very few on here would have taken a chance on him. He has had his best season of his career at Bournemouth and is one of the main reasons they are above us. Just enjoying them play against Arsenal now, they move the ball quickly and not afraid of having a go ( without Wilshere of course)