Moral dilema

We have entered silly season with Saints being linked to some seriously good players, and we all know NC and MP have high ambitions. how would you react if even some of these players came in and relegated the likes of Rickie, Lallana, Punch and Cork to the subs bench ? would you see it no different than what has happened with Chaplow, Hammond Sharp etc. Would you see it as an exciting time or would you be against stripping out the old team that have served the club so well. The excisting players seem excited by the potential new arrivals although it could mean them losing thier starting position although strength is in the squad

 

I'll be very surprised if Rickie gets bumped, but I can see the other three perhaps getting fewer games next season. However, no matter who we sign in the summer, every player in the squad will have an equal chance to get into the starting lineup and they'll all have to prove themselves. Competition is good. I foresee a big signing for a central position, either MC or AMC, which could mean less playing time for Cork or Ramirez. Puncheon is struggling to get games as it is, and may find himself as a fringe player next season unless he rises to the challenge. Lallana will get plenty of action regardless of what signings we make, as we know how hard of a worker he is, but he's not dead set as a starter.

I love all these players, but I wouldn't want to see them getting preferential treatment. I just hope they train hard enough to earn their starting positions.

 

It will inevitably happen, sooner or later. When it does Saints fans ought to remember that old adage but true, that no single player is bigger than the club.

If you think I'm immune to sentimentality, I'm fearful that if Brighton make it to the Premier League, they'll ditch Deano, and that would be awful for him to get within spitting distance of it, before the opportunity is yanked away, once again.

 

Evolution by natural selection. These players have been given the reward of longer contracts and have the opportunity to compete for places. Apart from Lambert (who will get games because he is a smashing player), the others are young enough to carry on learning and improving. A better player coming in will give them the incentive to improve. It's strange with Puncheon...played so well and was given a contract, then MP made him a fringe player...definitely more of a squad player than the others. I did feel for the players who have already fallen by the wayside as we got promotions, especially Hammond...hope it works out for him.

 

I do struggle with a touch of sentimentality, I really like all of our current players, and I'd love for our team to be much as it is now (with a few key refinements) for a long-time, but in reality we are a club in transition - transition from also-rans to competitors. And that may mean that 4/5 seasons from now only a handful of players we currently support and value will remain as parts of the squad, but that is the cost of progress, and progress will be made!

 

There is no sentimentality in football and certainly not a word in NC vocablury as we have seen with his dismissal of NA.
We are obviously going for broke to get up into European contention and if we are also going to put out strong teams in the two cups (unlike the embarrassments of this season) then we are going to need a much stronger and deeper squad. So instead of bringing Guly or JWP off the the bench or starting in the cup, we have Corky or Lallana instead then we stand a chance of achieving our ambitions

 

I think that, even with some quality additions next season, the squad will be recognisable. The extensions to many contracts indicates a desire to keep the core of the team. However, there may be more variety in the starting eleven...essential if you are to play Mauricio's style for a whole season. I still think we won't go all out in the cups...a good league position is the target for next season.

 

.....But isn't that the nature of the game though......You are only as good as your last performance? If we want to progress we are going to have to get more talented players in. We will recognise these talents no doubt......and go from having good honest average players to good honest talented players. It is not endeavour we lack, from a defensive point of view just coolness under pressure, from an attacking mid field point of view, someone with a bit more guile. Probably from a scorers point of view is the most controversial will be a replacement for Ricky probably....Someone who is going to get maybe in the 20's - 25's goal region.
So yes there is bound to be disappointments around the ground in one sense but if we are to do more than just hold our own.....that is the price of progress and some will have to suffer.

 

I think the club has been sentimental, it has given contracts to players who had at the time very little chance of making it back into the starting team, players such as barnard, butterfield and now davis were given contracts despite providing no competition for places. I'm not criticising this at all, indeed I think it is why there is such a great feeling about the club. Our players aren't going to be treated like cattle and frozen out if they get injured or can no longer compete for a place. Even forecast, who is probably worse than ali dia, was given an oppurtunity in preseason and has been loaned out so that he can perhaps further his professional football career.

In fairness the lack of thanks for Nigel Adkins and those who handed out match programmes was poor and gave us the appearance of being callous and unsentimental but if you care to look at how the fans and players have been treated over the last 3 years you will note the genuine good will in pretty much everything the club does. It's good to see the club recognised for it's engagement with the community as well, having been shortlisted for the social brands 100.

I don't really care what people think about southampton as a brand or if they think that cortese is a work of art. But, the way we treat even our fringe players is very important to maintaining happy and motivated players, for this reason I would like to see all those who want to leave leave and those who want to stay and fight for a place stay.

 

People wanted to keep Nigel for the reason he got us 2 promotions, in order to evolve and strive in the EPL we needed someone with a little more know how. Same applies for players, when we sign players we shouldn't look for back ups we should look for improvements.

 

In football as in business, you don't stand still; you improve/progress or you sink.

 

If there were no exits and no imports for five years our starting team would be immense. I would have to question Gazza's ability to step up and we might not have enough strength in depth to play in europe but we would have a brilliant team.

 

Not so sure about that, think we would still be short outwide (presuming J-Rod goes up front) and at CB.

As for the original question, as much as I like most of the players I much prefer Southampton Football Club, so if we have the opportunity to bring in a player who is an upgrade on our first choice in any position then I would have no problem with doing it.

 

We would have a team that the opposition would know very well and have no surprises with. It wouldn't be brilliant, as we'd still have two ok to average CBs. They may get better, they may not. Improvement and progression for me please, with fond thoughts and memories of those that got us where we are.

 

Yoshida is already good enough and I think there is a fair chance that Forren, Turnbull or Stephens will be good enough in 5 years, keep in mind that they will be playing either side of clyne/chambers and shaw/targett, two of whom are odds on to play for england imo. I would like to see a few signings but I think it's worth pointing out that we already have a starting lineup that has the potential to grasp a european spot.

Saintmagic, I agree that both our wings should be improved upon they are still good though.

 

Do you think Forren will be finally match fit in 5 years time?

 

The only guarentees are Lambert (I think he's got one more season before we start to use Jay Rod or another striker in his role more often), Schneiderlin, Boruc, Clyne and Shaw. A top CB would complete the spine of the team.

Davis should be good enough to cover Boruc for another season or two, reserve goalkeepers don't tend to be that great so I think he'd be competent enugh until Gazzaniga matures with some loans. None of our centre backs are brilliant, but getting two more quality ones would unsettle the team, lead to departures and would take time to jel. I, personally, would like to see Yoshida partnered with a new top CB, or Forren to partner the new signing if he turns out to be a talent.

Our central midfield is probably our strongest area, but could still be improved. There's pressure on Ramirez to start performing to his potential, but he may have limited opportunities. If a new AM were to be brought in then Davis would shift to the bench, whereas a defensive midfielder (Wanyama) would shift Cork to the bench. The latter would give Ramirez more of a chance to get into the first team, yet also increases Davis' chance of being dropped.

Only one of Rodriguez, Lallana and Puncheon will start the majority of games, meaning that I think we should and will get a new winger (Lens?). It sounds a bit greedy, but we could do with another winger as an impact sub with pace. Rodriguez is the most likely of the three to start so we can't rely on him, or even just buy someone young and hungry who can make an impact (Ince?), allowing Lallana and Puncheon to fight out over the other wide role. With Rodriguez playing out wide and Lambert up top, we could do with a striker on the bench to make an impact. Le Fondre?

 

I think it's time for Saints to make the step up in terms of quality throughout the squad. This season has shown that if things don't go quite our way we have felt the sting of no points, and that needs to be changed. Next season has to be comfortable, in terms of not flirting with the bottom half of the division. No Newcastle for us, I hope.

In Lge One and the Championship, Rickie was the match winner. The man who could turn the game with a single decisive action, usually a well taken goal or three. At the tail end of Saints first season back in the PL, he is still one of the best players in the squad. Unless he surprises me, which oddly wouldn't be a surprise, if you see what I mean, next season will be his last as one of the first names on the teamsheet though. That's no disrespect to him as a player, because I love the guy to bits. To me he has been the shining example and the heart of the achievement that has gone on the pitch, these past few years. For me, he stands alongside Matty, Micky, Ron, and Terry, but the club must progress beyond Rickie.

So no iffy purchases, because mistakes can set a club back seasons [Wolves..?] and even Cortese's ambition might wane some day. Which means no Le Fondres or Adebayors, or perhaps even Scott Sinclair. Though he might be a punt worth taking - blood clot in the shoulder or not. Personally, I think Saints will look to Italy and Spain, simply because at present that's where the cheapest guaranteed skills and achievers lie. And because this Chairman and Manager know their ground in those countries.

 

Good post TSS !

 

We do need to find a match winner, someone who may have a quiet game but gets one chance and buries it.

We were by far the better team against Spurs yesterday and Bale was quiet most of the game but in one seocnd he earns his side the three points. Thats the difference betweeen competing at the top or at the bottom. Our forward players are great and have done well but sometimes they need too many chances to score. Lallana comes to mind the most as great as he is.