He said he wanted to be 'Mr Southampton', kissed the badge a lot and had a silly beard. Oh and he kept pestering my daughter for a date (she had known him for 2-3 years as she went to school with his sister), even though he had a girlfriend (who is now his wife I believe) and she kept saying no as he was 'too chavvy'. He did give me a Birthday card one year though when trying to impress my daughter as he bumped into her shopping for a present for me in Bournemouth and he knew I was a Saints fan. So not all bad.
It's certainly not hate as you mentioned, his manner of leaving just left a weird taste. Of course he had a great opportunity, just that suddenly Saints was just not good enough for him. I know, it's football
...What Kenwyne Jones did was far worse than kissing a badge. Adam is a Saints hero for what he did for us on the pitch imo, having a dodgy beard is not a crime. He is judged harshly simply because he was so good for us.
I think this is the real reason. I was 14 when we had our first season in league 1 so he was a key player during my years as a young saints fan - I idolised the guy! Which is why it hurt so much when he left. But looking back now, he didn't do much wrong and should be thought of highly for what he helped us achieve.
I think it is a mixture of everything people are saying. The players that bailed all said our ambition had gone, yet we did better over the next few seasons than we had with them in the side. If we could have kept Lallana and also had Mane and Tadic we would have been a real force. Ultimately they took a shortcut to success, rather than choose to build something amazing. Lallana was the club poster boy, but that full page advert was horrendous and he seemed as guilty as any for our side being ripped apart. I supposed he broke the underpromise / overperform maxim. He promised lifetime commitment and left the same year!
I've never understood why people got so angry about this. The fact he did it showed he wanted to end on good terms with the fans and genuinely cared, yet he got slated for it.
I know some will want a top team in the FA Cup draw tonight (no idea why). I’m hoping for a rabbit or even a ferret at St Mary’s.
Think that’s rather generous to the current crop. Appreciate there isn’t much in it between some players, but Baz has made enough mistakes already this season to put him behind SKD. I would have either Cork or Hammond over Downes. He’s had some good games and maybe my vote changes when this season is done.
This would be true if just 6 months before he hadn't have come out with the 'Mr Southampton' bollocks and how he'd 'snap your hand off' if offered the chance to retire here. No one likes a snivelling creep and especially when it's not genuine. **** him, he made his bed. He won everything at Liverpool so he undoubtedly made the right decision and I'm sure that makes up for him not being popular here.
Exactly. I see it like a break up. We didn’t want him to leave, but he left. Fine. But don’t tell us how to feel about it. His final message was that he appreciated our eternal support. That is like dumping a girl and saying: and thanks for always loving me. It makes moving on so much easier!
Players don't go to any effort when leaving a club other than the odd interview thanking fans posted on the club website. To me its pretty clear he loved the club and was grateful of the fans support but that he prioritised his career and money. Cant think of any other player that has gone out of their way to thank fans when leaving a club at least.
