All of them can go, providing we bring in a competent RB to cover for Clyne and a decent striker. Maybe a LB too but that Matt Targett is supposed to be good.
I agree for the most part, I think the only first team acquisition we need is a top class CB, but we could do with a few depth players for a start this season. Breaking it down going off of our 4-2-3-1... ST: Lambert, Rodriguez, Mayuka AM: Lallana, Ramirez, Puncheon, Rodriguez (Mr. Versatility!), Davis, Guly, Ward-Prowse DM: Schneiderlin, Cork... Erm... RB: Clyne, Richardson (Is he still a Saints player?!) Cork CB: Fonte, Yoshida, Hooiveld, Forren LB: Shaw, Fox, Forren GK: Boruc, SKD, Gazza. Looking at that depth-wise, I reckon we could do with a versatile back-up full-back who's primarily a RB, a combative DM to ease the load on our young workhorses, and then personally I'd like to see Targett and Rowe graduate to give depth at LB and out wide. Adding our theoretical wonderful new CB, I'd be pretty happy with that. We could feasibly field a full second XI of; Gazza, New RB, Yoshida, Forren, Targett, New DM, Ward-Prowse, Davis, Puncheon, Rowe, Mayuka. That wouldn't be too shabby for a team let's say aiming for 9th I reckon, providing Gazza and Mayuka come good. Personally I'd like the majority of our squad players to be young, talented and hungry, rather than established players who are going to get fed up sitting around with limited football, then a core of about 5 preferably versatile players who you can rotate into the team but keep the team near full strength.
For what it's worth, I agree with you. However, I can see there being a fair few arrivals over the summer, as much as I love our current squad and how much I don't think this season was a true reflection of how good they are, I think more money is going to be thrown at "the project".
Looking at that squad I think there are a few places where it could be improved. I see you have left out a few players (Chaplow, Seaborne, Hammond and Sharp) is that because you don't expect them to be here next season? If thats the case I would add Richardson, Hooiveld, Guly and Fox to that list personally. Nothing against any of them, but just think that we will be looking to upgrade all over the pitch and these guys would be the ones to be replaced in the squad. The rest of the players I think could be in top half PL squads, although the jury is still out on Mayuka and Forren as I haven't seen enough of them, and I don't think SKD would be good enough, but he is staying for other reasons.
I want to sign him purely because he is perfect in my non-rare Spanish squad. Him, Jeffren, Munain, Rodrigo and Bojan can all join Southampton if they want.
Think anyone's going to find it hard to beat Fran's quip from the January window that he's the dog's bollocks. Still makes me laugh today...
I believe the same, which fills me with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. More quality players would be great, but I do worry that it could be two steps forward one step back if we once again at the start of the season have a team that are learning to play with each other. What I listed above was more my dream situation than a prediction. I left out some players either because they're not currently with us or because they have not really featured this season. I don't see any of those other than Guly being involved next season, and even he might be out the door. In terms of replacing them, with a shiny new CB then Hooiveld would not need to be replaced, I'd like a new fullback in who along with Targett would sort us out in those positions with Cork and Forren also able to fill in, and then I'd also like to see Isgrove and Rowe involved in the squad which would add our depth outwide filling Guly's shoes if needed. I feel like I'm playing a mental game of Football Manager! David Luiz is Felipe Santana 2.0 I think you'll find!
I think people are looking at this depth issue the wrong way round. We don't need to buy squad players, we need to buy (or produce) players who are good enough to make our current first choices squad players. We find it hard to imagine the likes of Schneiderlin, Lambert or Lallana sitting on the bench now, but if we're going to progress that's what will need to happen, or they will at least need to raise their games to stay in the first 11.
Good point PTF. You are right how many of our current side would get into any of the current top 6 sides on a regular basis.
Yeah, it is a good point. Currently, I would say Clyne, Shaw, maybe Schneiderlin, Lallana, and Ramirez would get into top 6 sides. Even Rickie possibly, but the style would have to suit him. Not together, but as individual players. The FBs could conceivably get into any side in the country, as a pairing or singly. I also think Boruc could go almost anywhere, but I assumed you were referring to outfield players. Some may think it far-fetched, but I don't believe so. Remember, the top 6 includes a couple best-of-the-rest sides.
I agree PTF, as I said when you get higher up the league it becomes much more of a squad game as you generally are looking to compete on more than one front. As I mentioned before I believe that we have 10-12 players who could play for top half sides in squad roles, its about filling up the rest of the squad with similar talent level players so that we really could hold a sustained push for a good league finish, and maybe a cup run aswell.
Yeah I think the majority of our first team would get into a top-half squad, and most would see a fair amount of game time because squads are rotated so much at the top of the league. But we need players who are at least as good as them, and we need players who are significantly better than what we have in some areas, to compete for European places. No point in looking for back-ups as some have suggested.
I agree here too. We need players who are already better than we have and have the potential to step up. Ramirez, for all his perceived lack of impression, is a genuine step in that direction. Arguably Yoshida too. Of course, this is where it gets more difficult to recruit. How do you bring players into a club that can make the step-up, over and above other clubs with more perceived history than Southampton FC..? It's perhaps yet another reason why Cortese made the change in manager, to attract very good up and coming European players [quality British players being so expensive] and merge them with our own Academy output. BTW, in my earlier post [#93] I am referring to team rather than squad.
Perhaps, though as I argued on the 'ambition' thread, the surest way to make your club attractive to players is simply to offer them more money...
That's true, and I had started to write that into the post you've quoted, but decided to wipe the paragraph as I didn't want to write a novel..! There is the question of Saints salary cap, which Cortese has in place because he wants Saints to behave as a responsible business and rightly so. While other clubs are prepared to run at a loss, Saints will continue to operate in the sensible, sustainable way, and it does mean that the ambition has to encouraged along the same lines.
