John Boy Saint

Gaston Ramirez was delivered as a big fish into a small pond, throughout my Saints watching history that goes back to the 70s we have very rarely snapped up a player that has made you go Wow! The coup of nailing down Kevin Keegan still remains as the signing we stunned football with and as such we still talk about it, yes we have had names Shilton, Osgood, Case, Watson, Mills but they were in the latter stages of their careers, we also have bought older players who had we bought them at their peak would have had many of us watering at the mouth, Kerry Dixon, Mark Hughes, Stuart Ripley, Barry Venison, of course our ongoing means to survival has been the ability to produce youngsters who have gone on to set the world of football alight. When we moved into St Mary's we had busted the bank and bought Rory Delap for £4m from Derby a club record but it wasn't the sparkling all singing and dancing player that our opponents for our very first game in SMS v Chelsea had dotted around the pitch but cost so much more, we had also been linked with Oliver Bierhoff the German Team Captain but his wage demands weighed heavily against his age of 33 but the mere thought had the place abuzz with excitement, but the disappointment of that non signing was tempered by the signing of Augustin Delgardo, which if memory serves me we well "we got at a snip" at £3.75m (even back in the noughties this kind of money in football made folks sit up and take note). He was South American he spent more time on the treatment table for split nails and grass stains on his knees yet could fly back home and play for his country....... And amble back to Southampton again (sound familiar) However I am getting off the point: After Saints journey to the edge of the abyss and back into the money spinning Premier league big time we eventually pull a rabbit out of the hat and land Gaston Ramirez a Uraguayan full International plying his trade and exciting Serie A with his skills. Other teams were chasing him down including Liverpool which qualified his potential purchase, we jumped through hoops to get him which further enhanced his growing reputation and expectation of his abilities with Saints fans, eventually we have him for a (again to Saints fans) Whooping £12m!, this was the Marquee signing all Saints fans had longed for after years of buying less than household names , we had bought Clyne Rodriguez, and Yoshida decent players for decent money but this one passed the £10m mark put them in the shade to most onlookers. Yet in reality that £12m no matter how you light has turned out to be money not well spent. But we are not alone take a look at the money bags teams in the Premiership who have gone out and spent bonkers money on players that have had Sky Sports and other journalists reaching for a box and of Kleenex and a change of Calvins! Chelsea have had more than their fair share of players setting European football alight but then rocked up here on the back of a big money move and in the grand scheme of things failed to deliver resulting in having bit parts in the team through the season then moved on, but at the end of the day after the fanfare of their arrival having fizzled out and moved on in the next summer window, no one even Chelsea fans have got all hot under the collar about it because they also bought 2-3 other named players who have shone for big money diluting the impact of one of the big money signings not working out. In our case we bought Jay Rodriguez who was the scourge of the Championship from little Burnley for a club record fee, which was about the level of player we as Saints fans were use to spending our corn on, at £7.5m a bit pricey but then we knew that was the market, within a couple of weeks we smash that club record buying an International class player who as it turns out has been a bit part player who has failed to deliver but many Saints fans just see the once dreamed about price tag and assume, hope, pray, that the superstar player that money buys will surface eventually and after 2 seasons,one more than Chelsea would have given him, still hasn't made his mark. In last seasons summer window we buy Lovren for a steal, then Wanyama for £12m and not long after Osvaldo for a further £12.5m if you look at Osvaldo he came in on a Ramirez sized wave of excitement, but within 6 months he became persona non grata through his off field actions and was eagerly being shipped out which considering his price tag not many fans have gotten emotively overly upset about; after 2 summers of £30m window spends we as fans were already slipping into the Chelsea mindset of 2 from 3 is fair enough. By being the first £10m + player for Saints Gaston Ramirez stands alone floodlit upon a pedestal in many Saints fans eyes, they view his price tag as if it was their own hard earned money: and find it hard to accept it wasn't more wisely invested. apologies for the ramble

Toby RCB and RB - Gardos LCB.

If Koeman can get a Saints team to take West Ham apart (a niggly side for us recently) with a bit of tinkering with the new boys it would be funny to upset the applecart and be right in the mix at the top, especially for those players so eager to get out the door in a May.

When are folks going to wake up to the fact that Fonte can't play the left side of central defence.

Sky just went to a break with exciting news to come, be funny as he'll if we had done a Forlan on Man Utd and pegged down Falcao too........... Jim White would explode

They must have a deal with the local Eastern European car wash if the players have to drive down the same muddy farm track to training every day.

How the chuff can he be a better frigging option when the bugger doesn't put himself into a position to be picked every bloody week, Jeez!!!!!

But but everyone knows 'Ull is in the Mystical East!!

Newport County? Newry City? As for Kirsty Gallagher, went to the BMW Golf at Wentworth and she was doing the Winners MC doings on the 18th Green. Boy did she look uncomfortable, Stiletto heals on a superb putting surface!!! not sure whether her discomfort was from trying to prevent herself from sinking into the grass or that she knew the Greenkeeper was lurking out of sight watching for heel sinkage through the sight of his Martini Snipers rifle.

That is far too cheap, surely we still owe them a ripping off after they palmed Tommy Fourpast off on us!

I would expect no less from that tosspot Mike Dean

Better not play any nippers otherwise they will all be tapped up before they get back on the bus, with Master Chambers leading the whispers.

Whilst the World Cup reports were an enjoyable read. How great to have the balanced no holds barred Saints tinted match reports back, and as always an amusing read, the Photo heading for the WBA game was spot on, as when the board went up for 3 added minutes after the 90 the initial thought was oh good we can go home soon, tinged with 3 minutes Ref?!! You really must be a masochist to want to poke up with this for much longer. Cheers

Different page in the book now, they dinged relegation due to early form before Ollie rocked up, we looked exciting and tidy all last season. Funny old game!

Cobblers Woy will play the clown Smalling at right back, he can't see the right player to play in the right position beyond the name ironed onto the back of the shirt on a weekend.

Blimey boys playing with fire here, surely you remember Franny has a dark side (just ask Roy Keane) and you are putting rule one in play by posting a piccy of his little Girl!!!!!

Ah-ha! Smaller fans= smaller bums= narrower seats= larger capacity through being able to squeeze more seats into a row to stick the smaller bums on!! (I think it was all a bit of a hurry and in reality someone has dropped a huge b*llock)

Mr Tickler, (you haven't been following either of the kit threads), you would think so but when the young lady in the store who I spoke to who must have been 5'2" ish turns round and says she is having to wear 2XL and not being anywhere a 2XL male sized Lady then you know something is awry. They are even looking at going up to Size 7XL "because they came in much smaller than anticipated". Ah well it's only supposed to be for a season.

That alone make me think that we are expecting a visit to the Megastore from outer space by that Blue Woman diva Plavalaguna from Luc Bessons 5th Element! Sour Mash the boy dies not lie, I am 5'8" with broad shoulders that is the only part that fits with comfort, from there down it's the twilight zone.......... You could easily turn up at an away game as a drag act by losing your strides and replacing them with a nice pair of heels and you could still bend over without flashing your Calvins to the world!

Interesting listening to normal folks interviewed on the subject, most of them are fearful of the unknown beyond money. Passports, Driving licences, not automatically being part of the EU and the advantages that offers small countries, these things and more that they have received no clear convincing answers on with a month to go.

Interesting listening to normal folks interviewed on the subject, most of them are fearful of the unknown beyond money. Passports, Driving licences, not automatically being part of the EU and the advantages that offers small countries, these things and more that they have received no clear convincing answers on with a month to go.

It would be great to see him again if only to recreate probably the best sale of a dummy ever seen at SMS (sadly I cant remember the Oppo's right now), but one minute the lad is defending his wing when Belmadi makes him an offer he can't refuse, and a split second later the poor lad is metaphorically standing under the Bargate in a state of confusion as to how he ended up there!

It would be great to see him again if only to recreate probably the best sale of a dummy ever seen at SMS (sadly I cant remember the Oppo's right now), but one minute the lad is defending his wing when Belmadi makes him an offer he can't refuse, and a split second later the poor lad is metaphorically standing under the Bargate in a state of confusion as to how he ended up there!

You would expect no less from a Citeh fan.

You would expect no less from a Citeh fan.