One of the biggest annoyances for me (I am sure for others also) with regards to Rickie's move is that I was so looking forward to him playing in Brazil as a Saints player. I guess for pride really. Gutting to think that he is at the World Cup as a Liverpool player instead. HOWEVER, am I correct in thinking that technically Rickie is still a Southampton player until 1st July, which is when the Transfer window officially opens? I know it doesn't really change anything and what's done is done but just wondered if anyone knew for the record whether that was the case. ie do we still tecnically have three England players at the 2014 world cup? I suppose I am trying to boost my enthusiasm for cheering us on even if it is a somewhat half-arsed reason!
No. Domestic transfers can be done at any point after the last day of the season, so his transfer has gone through officially and he is a Liverpool player. However, he's never played for them, so if you want to continue considering him a Southampton player until he does, you won't get any disagreements from me.
I will cheer Rickie anyways. He has been great for our club and now gets a year or two playing for the team he has supported as a child. We still have Shaw and Lallana as well(even if adam seems to be a dick).
Rickie will always be a Saint in my heart, so I will be willing him on just as much as I would've before his transfer. Rickie scoring the winning penalty in a shootout with Germany in the final....There, I've called it
Rickie has sealed his place in the pantheon of Saints legends for all time, so whichever club he plays for, he will always be one of ours.
Will be interseting next season to see if he is still as popular amongst non Saints and Liverpool fans. If he does what Saints Alive suggest he could be Knighted!
When he scores his first goals for Liverpool I will be wanting the commentator to say "Southampton's Rickie Lambert puts Liverpool one nil up"
Saint. As a Red, I'm more than happy for you to think he's one of yours for the duration of the tournament
Imagine if that were the case! Would be horrible for Rickie as he would want to celebrate like crazy his first goal for the club he has always supported, but through his respect for us I don't think he would. That's just the type of guy he is.
He's a Southampton player for me at this world cup. Everything that got him there has been done in a Saints shirt after all.
I can't change my nationality anymore than I can change my football team. Each is 50% blessing and 50% curse. When the tournament starts I'll get behind everyone in an England shirt, in the full knowledge that the best I can hope for is a broken heart. Heartache adds as much to the rich flavour of existence as happiness and triumph do. Of course if Rickie scores it'll taste all the sweeter because of all those goals he scored in a Saints shirt.
I am an England fan although I am not sure about the 50% blessing I have been slow in getting in the mood this year though... it starts next week.
How kind of you, many thanks! Of course I will be cheering him on as ever, the man is a true legend and deserves it. My joy in celebrating his goals will be marred though by the afterthought that he won't be playing for us next season. But slightly sweetened by all the happy memories, the goals of course the goals but amongst a lot of things the technique, so many quality passes that no one ever sees on the highlights, with the exception of perhaps the ball for Jay Rod at Fulham which made the reel for obvious reasons...
To get to 50% blessing, you have to weight the samples. Thus one 4-1 victory over a talented Dutch side during Euro 96 outweighs every penalty shoot-out we've ever lost. Paul Gascoigne dumping Colin Hendry on his arse in the same tournament outweighs every occasion on which we've spent 90 minutes chasing shadows. And that Michael Owen goal against Argentina in 98 not only balanced out the pain of defeat that night, it also made up for the "hand of God" (although to be fair, Maradonna's other goal did that on it's own).
