1. Log in now to remove adverts - no adverts at all to registered members!

The central striker dilemma

Discussion in 'Southampton' started by doritoharv, Oct 9, 2025 at 11:16 AM.

  1. ......loading......

    ......loading...... 25 undefeated

    Joined:
    Aug 31, 2012
    Messages:
    14,756
    Likes Received:
    15,529
    Young players need to be good enough and after that golden generation our academy went into decline. We had a good 7-8 years where it wasn’t well run and we produced very little. I seem to remember Koeman bemoaning the lack of quality we had in the youth sides.


    I think it is better if JRob has the pressure taken off him. The team environment is hostile right now with the players getting booed off for drawing with Derby. Better to let the team settle and bring him in gradually.
     
    #61
    thereisonlyoneno7 likes this.
  2. Saints_Alive

    Saints_Alive Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 4, 2011
    Messages:
    31,943
    Likes Received:
    37,009
    The other side of the coin is that maybe his confidence will suffer if he is not trusted or "shielded". I think that he has already proved that he can make a positive impact and is one of the few bright sparks so far and I get the impression that he is an easy option for the manager to drop.

    The academy is on the way back btw, near the top of PL2
     
    #62
    Suhari and ......loading...... like this.
  3. ......loading......

    ......loading...... 25 undefeated

    Joined:
    Aug 31, 2012
    Messages:
    14,756
    Likes Received:
    15,529
    I am all for using academy players and watch them whenever I can. I loved SAA and wanted him to get more time on the pitch. I have seen no evidence JRob isn’t trusted, but right now the fans only want results. If he gets 15 starts and 20 sub appearances that is very good for a youngster. Plenty of time for him to get the minutes.
     
    #63
  4. Che’s Godlike Thighs

    Che’s Godlike Thighs Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2012
    Messages:
    15,071
    Likes Received:
    25,116
    Ah sorry, my bad.
     
    #64
    ......loading...... likes this.
  5. Che’s Godlike Thighs

    Che’s Godlike Thighs Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2012
    Messages:
    15,071
    Likes Received:
    25,116
    Just watched the hat-trick. Was hoping it was all just lucky deflections of his a*se.

    But nope, he presses, tackles, uses his pace and positional awareness, to score three excellent striker’s goals.

    :emoticon-0106-cryin
     
    #65
    Archers Road and Saints_Alive like this.
  6. ChilcoSaint

    ChilcoSaint What a disgrace Forum Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 8, 2011
    Messages:
    39,894
    Likes Received:
    40,056
    Maybe there is another solution, and in fact Nicholas Oyekunie, currently banging them in for the U21’s, even though he’s only 18, is being considered for a chance.
     
    #66
    thereisonlyoneno7 likes this.

  7. Le Tissier's Laces

    Le Tissier's Laces Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2011
    Messages:
    44,086
    Likes Received:
    51,062
    Yes, I did mention this (and the fact that Ballard may have asked to leave) but it’s been lost in the hysteria about him scoring a L1 hat trick.
     
    #67
  8. ChilcoSaint

    ChilcoSaint What a disgrace Forum Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 8, 2011
    Messages:
    39,894
    Likes Received:
    40,056
    Maybe the powers that be at the club can have more than one thought at a time in their collective heads!
    Oyekunie is clearly making progress, last season he became the all-time highest scorer in the U18 league and now he’s starting to make his mark at the next level.
    Maybe he’s not yet ready to step up another level, but he can’t be far away!
     
    #68
  9. Saints_Alive

    Saints_Alive Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 4, 2011
    Messages:
    31,943
    Likes Received:
    37,009
    "Hysteria"?, i'd better take a chill pill!...<laugh>
    No, I just think that like the Jack contract decision, Spors has made the wrong call on this one. He has brought some very good players in though (Downs could still come good, I haven't written him off just yet).
     
    #69
  10. Saints_Alive

    Saints_Alive Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 4, 2011
    Messages:
    31,943
    Likes Received:
    37,009
    I just hope he gets a better crack at it than Dom did when he gets his first team opportunity.
     
    #70
    ChilcoSaint likes this.
  11. Che’s Godlike Thighs

    Che’s Godlike Thighs Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2012
    Messages:
    15,071
    Likes Received:
    25,116
    (Moved here from Ross thread)

    1. It isn't 6 goals in 45 games. It's actually 12 goals in 53. Not bad for a teenager. At the same age Cameron Archer was on loan at National League Solihull Motors, struggling to make much of an impact.

    2. I have zero faith in our coaching set-up, and my vexation with the club is kind of the point of my ranting.

    3. Yes. For now. A reminder that he's just turned 20 though.

    4. In isolation, it's an overreaction, I guess. But given that this club keeps on losing it's youngsters, only to replace them with total garbage, it's becoming infuriating.

    5. We spent 8m on Damion Downs for him to come in and be first-team ready. Ballard was free, and only needed at best to be a squad player. So yeah, obviously not going to have the same patience with DD.
     
    #71
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2025 at 1:07 PM
    Saints Fan4Life likes this.
  12. RSS

    RSS Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 25, 2011
    Messages:
    11,607
    Likes Received:
    9,903
    I'd be annoyed at us letting Ballard go if he was of the same physical profile as Downs and the central striker that we are missing. But he isn't. As others have said, he is the same profile of player as Archer and Armstrong. Ballard has been waiting to break into the first team for quite some time having surpassed youth team football a few years ago, and while he definitely did want to break through at Saints, he was realistic in that he wasn't going to get enough game time if any, and didn't want another loan at this stage, so wanted to move on. We might have wanted to just loan him out again and then extend but have done what's best for him and I have no problem with that. He might well go on to develop into a player good enough for the top end of the Championship, but I really don't see that he would have improved us as a team had he stayed.

    We clearly shouldn't have signed Downs for the money we did and expect him to be first choice because he is a million miles away from that, but that is a separate thing to Ballard imo as they are just completely different types of striker. The mistake wasn't signing a striker instead of keeping Ballard, we just ****ed up signing the player we did who isn't ready for what we need. But signing a striker was the right thing to do imo.
     
    #72
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2025 at 11:59 AM
    Le Tissier's Laces likes this.
  13. Le Tissier's Laces

    Le Tissier's Laces Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2011
    Messages:
    44,086
    Likes Received:
    51,062
    Exactly.

    Another point, Spors doesn’t do the outgoings, does he? It feels like a new element of the “let’s bash Spors” game (who, bar Downs, seems to have done a good job so far?)
     
    #73
    ChilcoSaint likes this.
  14. ChilcoSaint

    ChilcoSaint What a disgrace Forum Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 8, 2011
    Messages:
    39,894
    Likes Received:
    40,056
    Dom suffered a serious injury not long after making his debut didn’t he? That obviously set him back, and by the time he recovered, Selles was in charge, which didn’t help.
     
    #74
  15. Saints Fan4Life

    Saints Fan4Life Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2011
    Messages:
    18,015
    Likes Received:
    11,663
    Not quite. Made his debut under Ralph, and scored. And then made 3 appearances under Selles later that season as we went down.

    He went out on loan under Martin the season we went up (ironically to a Selles managed Reading), started well there and then got his nasty injury around the November of that season.
     
    #75
    ChilcoSaint likes this.
  16. Ian Thumwood

    Ian Thumwood Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 17, 2011
    Messages:
    4,145
    Likes Received:
    3,713
    I just think that the Academy is producing decent professionals but not quite at Championship level. The signings of youngsters has been demonstrative that we are not capable of developing young talent either.

    I would like Edosie to be given a chance. Just feel that we do not necessarily need to make a signings as we probably have the players in the club already.

    It is odd that so many supporters are hostile towards Still and the current regime. I agree that Downs will never be Championship standard yet I really feel that Spors and Still have not disappointed. We have done as well as would have anticipated.

    A mate of mine was suggesting that Still would be gone by Christmas of results did not improve. I am impressed by Still and think he is trying to address some deep rooted problems. Not convinced by some of the negative comments. Why did find expect this season? No grumbles from me.
     
    #76

Share This Page