Great post. I didn’t realise 20+ strikers are like unicorns. The exist in your head but don’t feature in a saints shirt. Even if we found one it would be a donkey in fancy dress. Just have to keep looking. Glad it’s not my job.
If we get a 20 goal a season striker, he does it once for us, gets his head turned, moves for stupid money, then turns into a 5-6 goal a season striker. #TheSouthamptonWay
Please don't tell me Theo scored. I'd much rather we won 1-0. Hopefully him scoring won't hoodwink NJ into getting him out of the dressing room!
You know that the Club doesn't give away secret information like this, we can't keep a secret! It's one of my gripes about the Club, there is information trickling out on twitter e.t.c about Under 15's players, i.e. Alejandro Gomes, scoring five in an England friendly, and Jack Topley scoring 7 in an 8 - 2 friendly win against Aldershot but we don't get a peep out of the Club. Google searches reveal virtually no information on the Academy youngsters at any level. Very frustrating!
At that level I’d argue that is reasonable. These are still children. The pressure already starts when a player gets a good run at U21/18s level. Is it really necessary to encourage that level of scrutiny at 15, 14 years old? It isn’t going to get them in the first team any faster. Who does that level of examination serve?
I guess that we are carefull because as soon as a kid starts doing well the vultures circle and grab them. The Dibling saga proves that it doesn't always work.
There was a program on channel 4 recently called “The Academy” which followed Crystal Palace’s academy for a season or so. It covered all age groups from u8s up to the u18s. The reason I bring it up was they did a segment on one player in the u13s I think and how he was on the brink of being released, not good enough, not Palace material. He was basically on his final chance to prove it and they would decide whether or not to renew his youth contract at the end of the season. When they showed the conversation where they were talking with the player and his dad and reviewing his season it showed his stats. He had scored something like 50 goals in 22 games and they were considering releasing him. Goals at that age aren’t the be all and end all.
Saints have been found to have illegally poached a player from another clubs academy. Saints are adamant rules were follow but have accepted to result rather than fight it. Been fined £10k and are not allowed to sign players from other academies for 6 months.
Probably slid into his Instagram DMs or something. Good riddance. At least it's only a suspended sentence, so makes no real odds.
SOU please log in to view this image 15:00 please log in to view this image BHA please log in to view this image Referee: Robert Jones. Assistants: Lee Betts, Ian Hussin. Fourth official: Dean Whitestone. VAR: Michael Salisbury. Assistant VAR: Scott Ledger.
Saturday 31 December FUL please log in to view this image 15:00 please log in to view this image SOU Referee: Graham Scott. Assistants: Derek Eaton, Wade Smith. Fourth official: Darren Bond. VAR: David Coote. Assistant VAR: Dan Cook.
Wednesday 4 January SOU please log in to view this image 19:30 please log in to view this image NFO Referee: Thomas Bramall. Assistants: Marc Perry, Bhupinder Gill. Fourth official: John Brooks. VAR: Lee Mason. Assistant VAR: Darren Cann.
