Adam Lallana

Definitely take him back. My thoughts on him and Shaw leaving were they signed a new contracts with us before they left, so we would get top dollar for them (just like De Gea has just done at Man Utd before he leaves next summer), and after he signed the contract, gave the usual PR bullshit quote that he was probably advised to do by the club saying how much he wanted to end his career here. This put us in a strong position to ask for an inflated transfer fee when the bin dippers came knocking. If he hadnt signed a new contract, we would have been in a position like we were this summer with Clyne, where we had to sell him for a lower price than he was probably worth, as he was running down his contract.
In his position i, and probably most of us on here would have done the same as him, ie go to a club where you get a chance to win trophies (ha ha, not looking very likely at the moment), plus a considerable pay rise.
People also forget Lallana had the chance to jump ship when we were relegated from the Championship to go and join a couple of lower Premier league sides, but showed his loyalty to the club by staying and developing with us, unlike a few others that jumped ship at that time.
Still rate him higher than Tadic, and could surely do a decent job for us, and if he proved his fitness would happily take him back.
8 Million Brenda ??

 

I'd rather have

I pretty much agree with all of this, apart from the final conclusion. In life, you can never really go back. Footballers to their former clubs, lovers to their former partners, emigrants to their former homes; it seldom works.

I wish Adam all the best, but we're part of each other's past, not future.

 

Your wrong Totton, when he signed that contract, he was on the Cortese plan. He had earned that contract & he was rewarded with it. But his head was turned, & then the bullshit started, he treated the fans like fools & the club even worse. He was our captain, he was supposed to lead by example, anyone trying to remember it differently needs to wake up.

 

The trouble was Cortese had left the club, so the promises he made and the aims of the club from when he was here, all of a sudden didnt look likely to happen. Lallana left to join a club that had just missed out on the title, and where he thought he could win trophies, establish himself as an England regular, and improve himself to the next level. Admittedly he could have handled things better as he left, but if Saints really didnt want to sell him they could have dug their heels in like they did with Schneiderlin/Wanyama/Mane. Instead they accepted Liverpools offer, which at the time seemed to be a bit excessive, but now looks extortionate.
If Lallana had stayed here for all his career, and not won anything, he would have looked back and always thought what if, but he chose to make the jump. So far it hasnt worked out well for him, and in all honesty it doesnt look likely it ever will all the time he stays at Liverpool.
I am afraid the days of loyalty in football are long gone, but it works both ways, we never showed much loyalty to Cork last year when he was looking for a new contract.
I would never cheer Lallana while he is playing for another club, like many Saints fans seem to do with Lambert, but i would never boo him either just out of respect for the good years service he gave the club, and because of that would welcome him back to the club if we could get him for the right price.

 

My anger against Adam has tempered somewhat (especially as it hasn't come up roses for him ) and I try to remember his part in our rise. Haven't reached the point of wishing him well yet though.

 

I don't dislike him for leaving, I dislike him for how he left. The players awards night speech, the disrespect he showed the club, signing the Pool top, strike action. The way our club papered over his leaving speaks volumes.
He changed, to something almost unrecognisable, thats why I care not for his past or future.

 

Yep - just look at the difference at how the club covered his leaving, compared to the likes of Lambert & Hoovield, who got tribute videos. Lallana got one line on the OS. That says it all.

 

Indeed. His valedictory message from the club: "Southampton Football Club can confirm that Adam Lallana has completed his transfer to Liverpool. The fee received from Liverpool, although undisclosed, will allow the club to further develop the first-team squad for the 2014/2015 season." That suggests that the club was deeply unhappy about the way Lallana acted.

Anyway, forget the past. In economic terms that's all a sunk cost and should be disregarded.

The only sensible way to look at him is: "If he comes on the market, is he someone we would buy irregardless of what's happened in the past?" Or another way: "if he had no history with us would we buy him?" And I think the answer is "no". We don't tend to buy fully formed players from the Premier League and 27 is getting towards the upper age range that we sign. If we signed him in three years he'd be 30 and worth less than we paid for him. So no.

Vin

 

I think you have to look at the question in two parts.

1. Would you have TBeard back from an emotional/relationship perspective
2. Would he add to the team from a footballing perspective

For me it's a 'no' and a 'maybe'

 

I could live with one because it means a) he failed b) Liverpool probably failed and c) he was seeking redemption. As for two, he's a decent footballer, but would we find him exciting or reliable enough now we no longer regard him as one of our own. I'm serious about the last comment as it is hard to tell, because he has been in and out of the Liverpool side. On the other hand, he is the type of player we need.

 

Every top side has a prime playmaker who plays pretty much centrally. The problem is, Saints don't. We normally do it as a team or get the ball wide for Tadic. On that basis, Lallana might improve us, but we've gone past his level of quality for him to improve us. He might put Steven Davis out of the side, but then he'd be subbed after 65 minutes. So really he's a filler to the squad, not a first name on the team sheet type. Personally, I think we ought to be asking Newcastle if Sissoko is OK to approach. I'd love his power and drive, and he's very capable too. We're not going to pinch Fabregas, SIlva, Eriksson, or any of the guys from the top 6 teams who could do what we want.

 

I seem to remember that he signed the contract and professed his love for the club before a rather sudden and well deserved recognition of the improvements in his performance. Then when Liverpool started agitating he was said to have "flipped like a burger" and asked for a move.
That's all history now and I can't worry about that. His style of play suited us and I would not say never but he would probably demand wages that we wouldn't pay, but... Yes, if he could get his head straight it would be great to see him unlocking defences for us again. And if he had a great season and wanted away again? Then we make even more money from the move.

 

Perhaps our ex-players need to come back every now and again for a service to return them to a Saints standard again...like you have to send your watch back to Omega and your car to Rolls Royce.

 

Interesting stance, not sure he is better than an inform Tadic, but liked the theory of the new contract and then leaving to keep his vale to Saints,quite different to the general view of him!

 

Would we have started a get well soon thread if Adam had suffered a bad injury? My guess is probably not.

 

We never felt as bad about Luke moving as Adam. Very sad and disappointed to lose Luke when we were still trying to grow him, but the general opinion was that he was just a kid who had his head turned. Lallana on the other hand was an adult who had made empty promises and left at a time we needed him to be a rock. I would never wish an injury on someone, but.......

 

In theory that could be true....players in the past have done that so that their home club get a better deal, but I don't believe that in this case. His little speech about wanting to stay here for ever was meant at the time....he was thrilled with the contract. And the attitude of the club was very clear when he left.

 

All of their heads were turned when they were selected for England. I'm pretty much certain now how they were approached. Even at the time their attitudes changed so quickly it was like throwing a switch. It took just a little bit of observation. I just didn't want to believe it at the time. It was tapping-up, no more, no less. Lovren was probably got in the old fashioned way of being made unsettled. The trick that Spurs use to their effect.

 

Yep, not just the Gerrards, its the Hodgsons too. Funny that it will lead to his downfall.