I hope Livermore goes on to do well at Hull and always gets a good reception when he returns to the Lane. Seemed to have a very good attitude. Shame to see players like him and Caulker moved on. We really need to sort out the route from the youth side to the first team squad.
I wonder if that's in Poch's remit, with Carroll and Pritchard having their names underlined on the squad list? I recall when AVB was unveiled there was talk about bringing through youngsters which, Townsend aside, didn't really happen.
I am sure it is in the clubs' business plans to bring through as many youth players as is reasonably possible. But we are now moving from a lengthy period of stability at youth level having had Inglethorpe around for a number of years and Ramsey around for almost 10 years, to an area of uncertainty. Has Freund been kept on to oversee this area, or will the two Saints youth team coaches who left there before Poch, be brought into our club.
Others have been saying that Ramsey effectively went because he had become a seniors coach, and therefore with Poch bringing in his own seniors coaching team, going back to the academy would be a 'demotion' (and back into a former role that is probably filled by other academy staff who were promoted) .
Well that was certainly the case when Clive Allen left the club two years ago, so it's reasonable to think that's what has happened with Ramsey.
Pity, because as you say the last vestiges of an academy era are gone. And just as that era was getting a steady feed into the seniors going.
Lot of talk as well that we're going to bid £15m for Dejan Lovren. Admittedly I didn't watch loads of Southampton's matches last year, but Lovren never came across as a CB who should cost that much.
Probably not, but the Saints paid 8 mil for him and he's not even a full year into his contract so it's not too surprising. Still a high amount though.
His price has been inflated because the Mousers have been linked to him pretty much since Gerrard fell flat on his arse.
There's Alexander McQueen and Dominic Ball in the U21s (although, in Ball's case, he's a left back on Football Manager but I'm not so sure about IRL), and Connor Ogilvie in the U18s.
Rojo's not even a left-back, IIRC. He's a centre-half who can play there in a pinch. Liverpool were linked with him, I think.
Selling Caulker was odd imo. Didn't make sense at the time and still doesn't now. He's young, good, English and came through the academy, on paper the perfect player to keep. Livermore is a decent player and a good lad but I can see why he was sold although imo what we have instead of him isn't much better.
He's looked good as an attacking left back in the WC - certainly better than Verts when drafted in as a left back, which clearly doesn't suit him for Spurs or for Belgium.
