Football Special

Ideally also still recovering from an injury?

Other clubs had been moaning for years, Bristol City particularly

Although FA rules dictated that young players must live within a 90-minute commute of their team, Southampton were granted special dispensation by the Premier League to open a satellite site in Bath due to the port city's coastal location with the sea taking up half of their catchment radius. However, after pressure from the Premier League and EFL to shut down the centre due to it being outside their catchment, which intensified following the Saints' relegation from the top-flight in 2023, the closure has now been finalised with no more young players being taken on. Those already enrolled in the programme will go on full-time up to under-16s out of Beechen Cliff School in Bath until they finish their studies. Players are also receiving support to transition to other academies, which could be at City or Rovers

Yep completely changed from the days where 8 year olds James Ward-Prowse, Callum Chambers and Luke Shaw signed up and went through the whole system building an affinity with the club

Bath academy wasn't really our choice. And most of those players left without us being able to hold on to them without matching big Man City contracts which probably wouldn't have been enough anyway

The whole academy system is a mess I think, if they show too much promise they end up being taken off us like Rodriguez, nothing we can do, if not good enough get released, it's the in-between where we have to hope to get lucky. A lot of movement between academies and signing young players to join academies like we've done in recent years

Is he allowed to play for three teams in one season?

I've got to be honest compared to Dibling he's well behind, gets knocked off the ball too easily , a loan to league one or two would he good to toughen him up a bit but he doesn't seem ready to contribute to our first team. He's a Spurs academy lad like Meghoma so not like they've been around at the club forever

He looked world class against swansea, next week v the world's meanest defence will be a good test of what he can do

Probably his indigestion again that delayed his arrival

He's still young for a centre back who often improve with experience, Jose Fonte, I'd be happy with him if he sticks with us in the championship, Goal scoring England international, he might move for money though as he has a wedding to pay for

I've heard within Staplewood ABK hasn't made himself particularly popular, it's funny really as the club are quite prepared to let him leave yet no one wants him, you'd have thought that would make him humble and want to work hard. We now have several centre backs injured so let's see if he.plays against Burnley

Whichever way you look at it defensively suicidal, very poor goal to concede

It is and we just want to get some pride back, nice to see another team getting booed off instead of us, as a fan base think we deserve a lot of credit to be honest, stuck with them mostly in such an awful season

Let's focus on Burnley in the cup, get a win and suddenly it's 2 games 2 games undefeated playing football the Southampton way , can't wait to resurrect that song

Definitely, should play in cup next week needs games to settle in

Awful defending, clear lack of effort, manager has lost the dressing room there, Ted Bates Out

Could well be against us next season. I remember going to his England debut, at home to Chile I think, was on course to go to world cup I think before the injury

Reminiscing about the good old days at St Mary's and complimenting each other's hair I reckon. Good luck to Stu, was gutted when he got injured at Cardiff end of last season, he was a calm , influential personality around last season from what I heard, perhaps Lallana was intended to take on that role.

Don't forget Perry Groves

That sounds like a terrible bit of business

He's done well. When you take out players like Adams, Armstrong, David Brooks, we actually got weaker this season?

A mate of mine lives over there and watches Torino occasionally, they are big fans of Che Adams, bagged another couple last Friday night , think that's 9 for the season now

I think we miss Armstrong. I was watching Girona v Arsenal in champions league last night, Oriol Romeu still putting in good performances, does make me laugh he was written off as past it two years ago by experts on here

Feels like we've generally done ok there over the years, this was a great trip as well