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Jack Stephens Signs Until 2019 & Season Long Loan to Boro


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Makes sense now we have Caulker and possibly another CB arriving too. Maybe we can get them to take Turnbull as well. They seemed to form a decent understanding together at Swindon and if we can get them used to playing together now we could have the next Claus/Killer type partnership in a few years time. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself though...

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The same can be done with other Saints players as the "Mad" website stores a database of lots of players. It in no way connects the player to Birmingham. For example...

 

James Ward-Prowse - http://www.birminghamcity-mad.co.uk/southampton/player/career/james_wardprowse_101178/index.shtml

 

Matthew Targett - http://www.birminghamcity-mad.co.uk/southampton/player/career/matt_targett_9501379/index.shtml

Edited by Matthew Le God
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IIRR, on FM it says he's a Leeds fan. A championship loan seems to be the next step for him and Turnbull once we get another CB in. MK Dons perhaps? Or Leeds? Sweetener for a future deals on their young prospects, they have a few atm. Mowatt (20) Cook (18 ) and Bryam (21) all very good prospects.

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I think its likely Turnbull and Stephens will both be loaned out again. They've already outgrown under 21 football and to return to it after both being regulars for a good League 1 side last season isn't going to help their development. They need a Championship loan now to test themselves at a higher level.

 

Jason McCarthy being on the bench last night for the 1st team perhaps indicates something may happen soon. McCarthy will probably have another season as under 21 captain and if we sign another centre back, McCarthy will be the 5th choice option getting his game time for the under 21s, with Turnbull and Stephens out on loan in the Championship/top of League One.

Edited by Matthew Le God
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If we've let him I suspect we will reveal a signing of another cb.. Seems strange otherwise we only have 3 cbs if you don't include turnbull

 

I think Turbull will be loaned out again as well. It would be a backward step in his development for him to return to Saints after a season of 3rd tier football and play for the under 21s again.

 

I think its likely Turnbull and Stephens will both be loaned out again. They've already outgrown under 21 football and to return to it after both being regulars for a good League 1 side last season isn't going to help their development. They need a Championship loan now to test themselves at a higher level.

 

Jason McCarthy being on the bench last night for the 1st team perhaps indicates something may happen soon. McCarthy will probably have another season as under 21 captain and if we sign another centre back, McCarthy will be the 5th choice option getting his game time for the under 21s, with Turnbull and Stephens out on loan in the Championship/top of League One.

 

Perhaps ending up with centre backs of...

 

- Fonte

- van Dijk

- Caulker

- Yoshida

- Gardos (long term injury)

- Turnbull & Stephens out on loan in the Championship/top of League One.

- McCarthy & Wood playing for the under 21's and acting as 5th choice for the 1st team.

Edited by Matthew Le God
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With Stephens' loan to Middlesbrough having been confirmed, and given the comments by RK ahead of the Vitesse game about the possibility of bringing one or two more players in, another CB signing looks more likely now. The extended contract for Jack Stephens indicates they do think he has a long-term future here. It will be very interesting to see how well he performs in what should be a top Championship side.

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With Stephens' loan to Middlesbrough having been confirmed, and given the comments by RK ahead of the Vitesse game about the possibility of bringing one or two more players in, another CB signing looks more likely now. The extended contract for Jack Stephens indicates they do think he has a long-term future here. It will be very interesting to see how well he performs in what should be a top Championship side.

 

Have had a chat with my mate who is a boro fan. He reckons he'll be fourth choice. I said there is no point us loaning him to them if he won't play.

 

Hopefully he gets a fair few games and does the business for him.

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Rather disappointed that we are sending a 21 year old out on a season loan when we've typically our young players chances in our first team.

Would prefer him playing league cup and europa league games for us.

If we're loaning and he isn't first choice for them that's even more disappointing.

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Centre back and Goalkeeper are completely different to other positions much harder to just thrust a young player in there and expect him to do a job.

If they screw up its most likely gunna be a goal and then everyone gets on his back and then that can completely ruin his career here a bit like Bartosz who looked good then didn't play for ages finally got his chance made a bit of a howler and then looked dodgy as hell the rest of his time here, he's now one of the better goalkeepers in the championship.

I do agree about the game time bit tho if he doesn't get a game there then the loan is utterly pointless but hopefully that's not the case and he does get some first team football.

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Rather disappointed that we are sending a 21 year old out on a season loan when we've typically our young players chances in our first team.

Would prefer him playing league cup and europa league games for us.

If we're loaning and he isn't first choice for them that's even more disappointing.

 

I think CB is a hard position to come into at 21, especially into the 2nd best defence in the Premier League. Loaning out our young players to get experience at a good club like Boro is not a bad thing and not much disappointing either.

 

I think the club know what they're doing. They've a reasonable track record with bringing through youngsters and their development so maybe best we trust them with this.

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Makes sense now we have Caulker and possibly another CB arriving too. Maybe we can get them to take Turnbull as well. They seemed to form a decent understanding together at Swindon and if we can get them used to playing together now we could have the next Claus/Killer type partnership in a few years time. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself though...

 

that idea makes sense, but maybe Koeman is thinking about keeping him?. I read several Swindon fans who said Turnbull was the more impressive of the two.

 

The fact remains that anyone who makes the squad has to be very good - if Turnbull can qualify as U21 - there's no problem to keep him another season.

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Playing regular football at L1 or Championship level is going to be more beneficial for a player then U21 games for us.

If the have a good season in the championship then the following season they should be ready for our squad the next year.

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that idea makes sense, but maybe Koeman is thinking about keeping him?. I read several Swindon fans who said Turnbull was the more impressive of the two.

 

The fact remains that anyone who makes the squad has to be very good - if Turnbull can qualify as U21 - there's no problem to keep him another season.

 

The Swindon fan I know was of the complete opposite view. For 2 years Stephens was impressive whereas turn bull was rather dodgy.

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The Swindon fan I know was of the complete opposite view. For 2 years Stephens was impressive whereas turn bull was rather dodgy.
]

 

The Swindon youth player I know says that both were good, but Stephens was definitely the better of the two. Guess it's a question of what your base standard for good or dodgy is!

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I hope Stephens gets some good experience under his belt there, if not he'd have been better off joining a smaller club in the Championship for game time.

 

Be good if a few others go out for the experience, (Gazzaniga even, although that would mean bringing another GK in).

 

Strange though that we've come round to releasing players on loan when the club publicly stated they were opposed to the idea a couple of seasons ago. Wonder if the change at the top has anything to do with it ?

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Strange though that we've come round to releasing players on loan when the club publicly stated they were opposed to the idea a couple of seasons ago. Wonder if the change at the top has anything to do with it ?

 

Was going to post the same thing. Maybe they don't want to trust young players in such important positions and feel a loan is best at this stage.

 

As long as he's playing it can only be a good thing IMO.

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]

 

The Swindon youth player I know says that both were good, but Stephens was definitely the better of the two.

Guess it's a question of what your base standard for good or dodgy is!

 

 

well everyone has an opinion don't they?..... somewhere I made a note of the Saints fan who (unfavourably) compared Mané to Ali Dia.:lol:

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How much game time Jack Stephens gets is really in his own hands now, and whether he can show that he has the natural talent. He made his league debut for Plymouth 5 years ago at 16 which shows he has natural ability and the extended contract shows that Saints' coaches must rate him but as others have said, not many CBs get a first team slot in the Prem at 21. A Boro fan may think he'll start off as 4th choice but it's likely he'll have opportunities to move up the order. If he does he'll know that he will have every chance of featuring for Saints next season.

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I think CB is a hard position to come into at 21, especially into the 2nd best defence in the Premier League. Loaning out our young players to get experience at a good club like Boro is not a bad thing and not much disappointing either.

 

That's true, but there would be scope to give him five or six starts in the early rounds of the FA and League cups and a few late subs in PL games. Better experience than being 4th (if he is) at Middlesborough.

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I hope Stephens gets some good experience under his belt there, if not he'd have been better off joining a smaller club in the Championship for game time.

 

Be good if a few others go out for the experience, (Gazzaniga even, although that would mean bringing another GK in).

 

Strange though that we've come round to releasing players on loan when the club publicly stated they were opposed to the idea a couple of seasons ago. Wonder if the change at the top has anything to do with it ?

 

It wasn't even a couple of seasons ago, it was at the start of this summer Les Reed said it in a TV interview.

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It wasn't even a couple of seasons ago, it was at the start of this summer Les Reed said it in a TV interview.

 

He talked about youth player loans during the 2013/14 season on Sky's Footballers' Football Show.

 

http://www1.skysports.com/watch/tv-shows/footballers-football-show/news/9207235/footballers-football-show-les-reed-reveals-secret-behind-southamptons-youth-success

 

http://podcasts.skysports.com/podcasts/SkySportsFootballersFootballShow/FFS_SKYGO_100314.mp3

 

The alternative for Stpehens is to return to Saints under 21s after a season of regular first team football at Swindon. He needs to be tested at a higher level and returning back to under 21 football and 5th choice for Saints won't do that.

 

Turnbull & Stephens out on loan again, McCarthy & Wood playing for Saints under 21s.

Edited by Matthew Le God
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It wasn't even a couple of seasons ago, it was at the start of this summer Les Reed said it in a TV interview.

But he also said it just before Stephens went on loan to Swindon last year. One of those things that Les Read says that has a different outcome in reality, bit like getting more Academy players in the first team.

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But he also said it just before Stephens went on loan to Swindon last year. One of those things that Les Read says that has a different outcome in reality

 

The bar for an academy player to reach our first team keeps rising and has done further since he made those comments in 2013/14. In order for an academy player to start in the Saints first team they are competing with the largest number of international players the club has ever had. They will therefore need more time to develop to the level required and well picked loans will help give them first team game time and experience.

 

bit like getting more Academy players in the first team.

 

Saints gave debuts to 5 academy players in the Premier League last season (plus also have Gallagher, Reed & Ward-Prowse who had debuts in previous seasons) and have large number of academy players regulary training with the first team, how many other Premier League sides did that? Let alone that finished in the top half of the league whilst doing so.

Edited by Matthew Le God
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McCarthy? Highly thought of at the club.

 

Yep, and so won't be loaned out.

 

We seem to have a habit recently of not loaning out young players we REALLY like the look of. Ward Prowse, Reed, Shaw, Chambers and Targett were never loaned out*.

 

*prepared to be told I'm wrong.

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McCarthy? Highly thought of at the club.

 

Yep, and so won't be loaned out.

 

McCarthy is 19 years old and will probably captain the under 21s again next season. Turnbull is 20 and Stephens is 21, when McCarthy gets to their age he may need a Championship/top League 1 loan as the next stage of his development.

 

We seem to have a habit recently of not loaning out young players we REALLY like the look of. Ward Prowse, Reed, Shaw, Chambers and Targett were never loaned out*.

 

*prepared to be told I'm wrong.

 

Its difficult for a centre back to break through into the first team of a top half Premier League club at a young age. Its a position where experience and build play a big part and young centre backs tend to struggle in both of those.

Edited by Matthew Le God
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Yep, and so won't be loaned out.

 

We seem to have a habit recently of not loaning out young players we REALLY like the look of. Ward Prowse, Reed, Shaw, Chambers and Targett were never loaned out*.

 

*prepared to be told I'm wrong.

 

Think JWP was loaned out... Cant remember where, might be Brighton...

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Have had a chat with my mate who is a boro fan. He reckons he'll be fourth choice. I said there is no point us loaning him to them if he won't play.

 

Hopefully he gets a fair few games and does the business for him.

 

He'll prob play RB a few times as well so hopefully he'll play enough

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Think JWP was loaned out... Cant remember where, might be Brighton...

 

Nope, JWP has never been loaned out.

 

My recollection is that the club - either under Adkins when first back in the Prem , or under Poch - agreed to loan JWP to Bournemouth but he decided against it.

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