How I wish we could have kept Long and Jelavic together for a longer period, I'm sure we would have prospered with this 2 upfront.
I always thought losing Shane Long that season went a long way to us being relegated - despite not being an out and out goal scorer he was always a nightmare to play against, never stopped chasing and harrying defenders, that and he almost always made the correct decision when it came to taking the shot or making a pass to a team mate. A real team player.
I thought the same. Every time Long played I’d think he must be a real PITA to play against. He never gives defenders a moments respite.
Agreed, Long and Jelavic were a cracking combination - unfortunately only lasted half a season. Mrs Long must be happy in Hampshire as he's been there a while now.
Shane Long in the Irish Times https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/english-soccer/shane-long-ready-to-get-greedy-1.1612337%3fmode=amp At times it is tempting to think that Long could benefit from being a bit more selfish on the pitch. “A few people have said that to me,” he says. “The latest one was Roy Keane, when I was away with Ireland. Roy said: ‘You need to be more greedy, take more shots on and don’t look for that pass rather than taking that chance yourself.’ “That stayed with me. You get in these positions; where someone else might be in a better position but you have a good chance of scoring yourself and more often than not I’ll try to set up the other person. I don’t want to be one of those greedy strikers but, ultimately, you do get marked up on how many goals you score.”
I agree, we also replaced him with Hernandez who didn’t really settle in his first season. I honestly think if Long had stayed, we’d have stayed up.
Wed have won the Cup Final had they been eligible . Still dont understand why that rule still applied its outdated .
Definitely strong rumours at the time that his mrs didn't like living in the Hull area, but it was never clear where they lived during the time he was with City. He may well have been commuting between the Brummy area and he and his missus opted for a fresh start. No doubt he's earned more than he would have done had he stayed at City. Always admired his commitment whilst here.
I thought I'd heard his wife was from Reading and didn't like being too far from that part of the world. Strange, I lived in Reading for a while, thought it was a dump.
I don't remember the details, other than she was unhappy with the domestic arrangements family-wise, so Shane & she agreed to the Southampton move when the opportunity came up. Seems to have worked out for them & the family. As Rumpole used to say: "She who must be obeyed." Happens to many of us.