General Football Banter

Rhys, tell me about our new left back and new reserve keeper.

I think Ben Davies could be a really good player, but I haven't seen him at all.

The keeper will be a decent back up, but is he quick off his line, and a decent back up to Lloris?

Ben Davies is a fantastic young player. He's one of the best young welsh left backs I've seen in years. And he's not afraid to go for goal either. He scored one particularly memorable goal that was a great team effort and showed just how good he was. I'll have to try and find it. He's definitely attack orientated and likes to go forward when he can but he is also solid in the back.  In some ways he reminds me of a young Gareth Bale.

Vorm is a good keeper and was great for us... I don't really see him fitting in at Spurs except as a bench warmer.

I think you got the better end of the deal. Sigurdsson is great and I loved his performances when he was here before, but he only have Neil Taylor in our left back position now and our defence is looking weak, although Fabianksi in goal isn't a bad deal.

I think there was £5 to us plus Sigurdsson for both players. I hope that's the case because we'll need that 5 million to find a suitable replacement for Davies. If Taylor has another serious injury, we'd have no-one in the first team to take that position.

EDIT: Here's the video for his goal against Arsenal

(skip to 5:47):

[youtube]CduHMMPSGD8[/youtube]

Last edited by rhys (Wed-23-Jul-2014 22:24:19)

Does anyone else have a problem with the way Southampton are doing things?

So far this summer they've offloaded Shaw, Lambert, Chambers, Lallana and Lovren for a total of £92million... and the latest news is that Schneiderlin and Rodriguez are also on their way out...

I think it's totally ridiculous. I get that when an opportunity comes up and a great offer is made it's the logical thing to do - but they've lost 5 players with 2 more possibly going. I know they have a great youth system and obviously have a lot of money to spend - but the team that worked for everything they got last season is basically gone - so next season it's going to be a completely different team. They are going to have to get the team working well together and rebuild the confidence they had. It's like they are happy to be stuck at a certain level in the Premier League with no aspirations to go any further because as soon as they get a crop of great players they just sell them off.

I know some of the players would have left anyway but I seriously think they could have convinced some of them, especially the younger ones, to stick around for at least another season.

I don't know, I just think if I was a Southampton fan I would be distraught right now.

I'm not so sure it's the club as it is the players. The club is probably the root cause... remember about a year ago there was talk of management leaving over who the chairman was. Now they're selling everyone and players seem to want out because everyone else is being sold off. The players will be looking at this as a massive step backwards and lack of ambition. If they want to hold onto the rest of their players then they really need to make some cracking signings. Signings good enough to ensure that they can maintain their top 10 place.

The players were really good, of course they want to go to bigger and better clubs. I don't have a problem with it, they're not doing anything against any rules. It sucks for Southampton fans, but fortunately I'm not a Southampton fan. They have a lot of money to throw around now, it may not be the worst thing.

My boss made me laugh about this earlier on though. Commented on how Rodgers has said that he now has a team capable of winning the title, but all he's done is sold his best striker and signed half of a team that 8th.

To be honest, they finished 8th. Not exactly setting the world alight, and they have sold all their players at vasssssssstly exaggerated sums.

Shaw is decent, but not worth nearly 32m.  Lambert wasn't a starter, chambers wasn't a starter, Lallana is massively over rated and not worth half the 25m the bindippers paid. Lovern is a decent centre back, but no better than most other solid centre backs out there.

Schneiderlin is decent, but nothing special, and Rodriguez wasn't a starter.

They'll make 130m+ from sales, and only need to make sure they sign a decent centre back (Dawson would do a job for them at 4m), a decent holding midfielder (that brazilian at Liverpool would do for 10m) and a reasonable striker (adebayor for 5m) and they wouldn't be in a much worse playing position than they were at the start of last season.

There are a lot of reasonably good players out there, and saints have done great to get the fees they have got. If they invest wisely, the could replace all their players with similar ones, and be up 80m still.

Maybe they'll buy back Gareth bale...

You may think Lallana was overrated but he was still one of the most consistent players in a Southampton shirt last year. Lambert may not have started every game but he played a pivotal part in the season with plenty of important goals. Lovren is the best centre back Southampton had.

You may not be a fan of some of the players but you can't deny that they were important to Southampton's success last season (whichever way you look at it, finishing 8th was a great season for them.) If they want to replicate it they have to do it with a whole new team basically. All of the players they sold were in or around the first team the only exception being Chambers probably.

They have a lot of gaps to fill and sure they have the money for it, that's not a problem. But you know that even a world class group of players will not get results if they can't work as a team and bringing in an influx of new players will make it harder for them to work together and gain some team cohesion.

I like Southampton, love watching them play but a big part of that was their good players most of which they have now sold. Even if they buy a bunch of good players I still think it'll take them a few months to find their feet by which time they would be way lower down in the table than they could have been if they kept hold of a few players.

I mean, look at Rickie Lambert... he may not have started every game with Southampton but he'll get even less games at Liverpool so I dont understand that purchase.... he would have been so much better off at Southampton and so would Southampton.

Saints didn't have good players, they had solid players. Can u think of one standout player who took games by the scruff of the neck and dominated? Nope, me either. The team was the star, and work rate was the key.

Lallana was consistent,  but never ran a game. Plenty of other left midfielders who could do a better job. Lambert hit 13 league goals last season, a decent rate, but not special. Lovern is a player they will miss, but very replaceable.

They need to buy, but if they are smart, then they can be ok.

They need a keeper as kelvin Davis and artur boruc arnt good enough (I'd grab the celtic keeper, which is what they are trying to do). They have Nat Clyne at right back, who is the best English right back in the country. They need a left back, but there are several decent ones out there (Danny rose or ryan bertrand). They have Jose fonte at centre back,  but should sell him. Michah richards is available, and I'd look at shawcross at Stoke. They have a good midfield of Schneiderlin, wanyama and the excellent James ward-prowse.  And they have jack cork and Steve davis as back up. Garston ramirez covers one wing, and Jay Rodriguez on the other, with dani osvaldo up front.

I make that a decent first 11 still. If osvaldo and Rodriguez go, then they'll need to be replaced (will Hughes from Derby to replace Jay rod, and maybe splash some cash on welbeck to replace osvaldo).  If Schneiderlin goes, which is likely, then cork or Davis comes in, or they could pick up capoue who is a decent centre mid when given games.

Sure, their squad is light currently, but their first team is strong still. They need a goalscorer, but they are pretty sound other than that.

Ryan Bertrand has joined Saint on a season long loan. Wonder if Koeman read my post and will sign the other players I listed above as well...

Romelu Lukaku is Everton's now record signing for £28m... best signing they've made all summer.

Romelu Lukaku is Everton's now record signing for £28m... best signing they've made all summer.

I like Lukaku,  but this deal worries me.

He has scored a lot of goals in the last 2 seasons, and, for a 21 year old, is right up there.

But everyone knows Everton struggle with money. They have raised a lot recently thru sales, but this signing empties the barrel. I get the feeling this could be champions league or championship for Everton this year and can see a Leeds situation happening to them.

Lukaku isn't close to being the finished article. His first touch is poor, and he rushes his shots. For the money they spent, you'd want a player closer to complete, especially if failure could kill your club!

Everton fans should look back on the excitement pompy fans had when they spent 10m on Defoe from Spurs, and how happy Leeds fans were when they paid 11m for fowler from Liverpool.

They arnt as financially stable as Spurs, who could afford to gamble (and lose) when signing Soldado for 24m.

Could be worrying times ahead for Everton,  especially when you consider their squad is pretty thin, and their first 11 isn't that great.

Romelu Lukaku is Everton's now record signing for £28m... best signing they've made all summer.

Could be worrying times ahead for Everton,  especially when you consider their squad is pretty thin, and their first 11 isn't that great.

Still finished higher than Spurs last season. Giving Danny Rose a new five year contract, now that's fucking scary.

Romelu Lukaku is Everton's now record signing for £28m... best signing they've made all summer.

Could be worrying times ahead for Everton,  especially when you consider their squad is pretty thin, and their first 11 isn't that great.

Still finished higher than Spurs last season. Giving Danny Rose a new five year contract, now that's fucking scary.

Rose is a decent back up to Ben Davies. Realistically, who would we sign as a back up left back who is better than rose?

And they did finish above us, and fair play to them. But I don't see any long term quality in their side. One or two players, sure. They remind me of Sunderland when they had Kevin Phillips.  One or two decent seasons, and then back to mid table.  My money is on them finishing no higher than 8th this season.

I have them finished above Tottenham 100%, I reckon they'll do well in the Europa too.

I have them finished above Tottenham 100%, I reckon they'll do well in the Europa too.

That may happen, altho I'm hearing James Mccarthy is going to man Utd,  and Mccarthy was one of their main men last year. Barry isn't trying to earn a contract either, so I'm expecting much less out of their engine room this year. They don't have that Spanish winger this year either, which will hurt them, and their jags and distin are another year older (I think 32 and 37 now), with stones looking decent, but a long way from regular.

Their spine def needs a lot of work if they are gonna push on this year. Can't see Coleman being nearly as good this year either. And baines is now 30, which isn't good for an attacking full back (look how quickly ash Cole dropped, and he was the best in the world...)

If Everton are going to continue and build, then they need top 4 so they have the money to invest, and even then I think they will struggle. Everton hemorrhage money, so their aging squad could be very messy by the end of the season...

Could be worrying times ahead for Everton,  especially when you consider their squad is pretty thin, and their first 11 isn't that great.

Still finished higher than Spurs last season. Giving Danny Rose a new five year contract, now that's fucking scary.

Rose is a decent back up to Ben Davies. Realistically, who would we sign as a back up left back who is better than rose?

Rodriguez from Wolfsburg or Aurier at Toulouse or Jetro Willems at PSV or Sead Kolašinac at Schalke.

I like Williams, but think Rose would be a better back up to left back rather than buy in another player who then has to settle.

Mental scenes in France last night at the PSG match. Edison Cavani tucked away a penalty and went off to do his usual marksman salute celebration. The referee didn't like it so booked him. Cavani confused as to why he got booked, talks to the referee and then touches his arm. The referee then gives Cavani another booking and sends him off for touching him.

Heard about that and it sounds ridiculous.  Its things like this the ref should be called out on.

RKO goal celebration in Dundee.

[youtube]2WaBzT73dJs[/youtube]

What a fucking result! City put out a very good team, Newcastle put out a reserve team with only one fit centre back. 2-0, amazing. Seeing the squads before the game I thought we'd be just looking at trying to conceded less than 3.

And seeing Ryan Taylor back after around 26 months out injured was great. Crucial block on the line with a few minutes to go as well which allows us to hold on. Hopefully he can stay fit now.

What a fucking result! City put out a very good team, Newcastle put out a reserve team with only one fit centre back. 2-0, amazing. Seeing the squads before the game I thought we'd be just looking at trying to conceded less than 3.

And seeing Ryan Taylor back after around 26 months out injured was great. Crucial block on the line with a few minutes to go as well which allows us to hold on. Hopefully he can stay fit now.

Enjoy it whilst u can, you're going out in the next round 😉

Nah, we'll beat you like we did on the weekend 🙂