http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/11199247._/? Good read there from the Daily Echo ... seems the players are waiting for the new direction this summer (as we suspected), but I'm sure it won't be far different from what was before. Onwards & up!
“There will be decisions made in the summer on what kind of route the club will take in terms of whether we really do push on and go again and look to really improve. “If that’s the case we want to keep our best players and our manager.” So if the board show the required ambition Lallana stays.
A good article...glad to see The Echo fully back in the fold. I love the modesty (self-awareness) of Adam saying that he wasn't a shining star like Bale, Walcott etc...he grew with the club. A thing to remember when some fans criticise young players like Gallagher for not being Ronaldo at 18. Some young players need to be given time. Lallana, like Rickie, has benefitted from the lower leagues (in a team that played football). He did mention how much Spurs and ManU spent without achieving what they wanted, but I like to think we can do it differently...investing well into a team with a plan. We will never spend 100 mill in a season, but 30-40 million into an improving and exciting side like Saints could achieve miracles. We could be pointed out as an example to others one day. I believe Katharina will invest in us having watched the success we've achieved...after all the income is massive. I suspect she may see that this is the time to act decisively to capture the moment.
You have to consider the option of a transfer to one of the "bigger" sides, where he could earn his wages while sat on a bench, not having to put himself out!
The subtext for me was that he wants to play in the Champions League one day. To get anywhere near that, we need to gamble massively. There's no doubt Cortese was a very shrewd gambler, whilst Marcus Liebherr clearly had the nous to back a winner. The good news is that there is continuity between the previous set up and the current one, and Frau Liebherr has put winners in place at executive level. The problem is, of course, that gamblers lose more often than they win, as Spurs and Everton can testify. But people who never take a punt never win anything. You're at the table Katarina - time to play your hand, as craftily as possible.
Talking of Adam he got shown around a warship in Portsmouth. Hope he was surrounded by armed security!
There'll be an interview with Lallana in the matchday programme on Sunday too. Might be an interesting read.
Don't worry, once the club's media department have got their hands on it there'll be nothing of any substance left to get worried about.
Your next step on the copy/paste ladder is to insert a picture [or video] into the forum**. **Ok, that really is my last public reference to your progress on the net.
Good tweet from opta just now: https://twitter.com/OptaJoe/status/464507036458553344 "69 - Adam Lallana has created more goalscoring chances than any other English player in the PL this season. Coveted."
