david in sweden

[quote=Lallana's Left Peg;2275247 ]Personally think Harry Reed should have had much more of a chance and the signing of Romeu must have been a kick in the teeth for him. I thought Romeu was a backup for Wanyama ?.....without either of them we have no height or real muscle in midfield.

I would have said it was .....a dead loss.....

I'm really not " anti-Juanmi " (as Saints paid out £5 million for him, I'd like to see him succeed), but he's not shown much at all in the time he's been here. I published his stats here on #26, but the fact is that he was a sub. 4 times in the Euro League games coming on after 61, 64, 83 and 82 mins. In addition this he has started 2 Capital Cup games, and been sub. in 4 Prem. matches. on at 85, 75, 82, and 85 mins. ....but has yet to score in any match. The only player he can be compared with (from Saints viewpoint) is Shane Long who made only his second Prem. start on Saturday, and has been a sub. on only 6 occasions in games and scored late goals in two of those. Long was selected to start just once in Capital Cup and scored twice. ( A game that Juanmi also played in). As above, I wrote if the sole purpose of subbing players is just to bring off a tired ,or injured player and keep the numbers level ....then OK, but as a supposedly oncoming striker...then Juanmi has been singularly unlucky .. so far. We must hope his luck changes soon.

I didn't know that it was going to be included in that prog. ......would have been interesting to read....

..the entire point was that ....I can't recall the last time that we did recover from a negative scoreline in a home game and then go onto win. The answer was probably lost on the hard disk of my old computer.........

......it really wan't " a hassle ". I'm a self-confessed " stats. nerd " and history is my favourite subject....... Churchill made his famous comment about Statistics, but often they do go to disprove what may seem to be " the obvious ".

I'd like to see him come good, but it seems he doesn't have that many fans on this site, but tbf, he's hardly had much of a chance.

Mmm Window Cleaner...... that's the type of comment that belongs on the " Juanmi unsettled ? "... thread on here.

Good question ! we've come back to earn a draw on quite a few occasions in recent years, but the answer to this one ....is probably in my old file - written with a quill pen....

Mané equalised (to 1-1)....in the game at Liverpool in the 86th minute? Good enough ? Last season.....Mané again 1-0 win in 93rd minute at QPR .... and 1-0 in 83rd min.at Palace. Wanyama in 80th min. 1-0 win at Swansea.

Uh?....from Toronto?...be reasonable. I didn't get to see one in Sweden, either.

of course, mo£ey talks and if we start the bidding at £35 million.....we 'll see how far the auction goes......

........I think there may be little other choice, but we'll probably play Shane Long up front alone, and have an extra midfielder......4-5-1

......isn't that what Jose Mourinho said after Chelsea were denied a penalty in our game at Stamford Bridge?. According to the stats. I saw both sides had 16 shots....that's poor finishing by both sides, but after 90+ mins... you still only need one goal more than the opposition. IMHO.... I though the goal that they did score was very well taken. Was one of the worst Saints' performances I've seen ..in quite a while. (Sadly)

I think it does vary from country to country within Europe, but as both players have now clocked up a suspension - before December, they must learn to adjust - otherwise they are going to be in for regular suspensions for the remainder of their careers. Second season for both of them. Hope they learn it PDQ.

and thats the way it is for many of the Academy lads. I made a list of former Academy lads in the last 10 years (those who haven't disappeared without trace that is). I got to 20......but almost all of them were playing in L1 and L2 clubs. It's not a criticism of our Academy system, but perhaps that until recently) scouts from "bigger clubs " have the first choice - especially in the big Metropolitan areas. Les Reed made the point in " the Southampton Way " documentary, that we often pick up on lads that the other clubs reject because of lack of physical build etc, Looking at the intake of U18 players from two years ago. Harley Willard and Olufela Olomola were Arsenal rejects (?) and Richard Bakary... was let go by Chelsea. Now neither of those clubs are likely to suffer if those lads make it to Prem. level, but it would make a lot of difference to us if they do make the grade. There are good talents in both the current U18 / U21 sides. Ryan Seager must surely get some game time soon, but would you drop Pelle, Mane or Tadic to put him in? Jake Hesketh and Calum Slattery look to be great prospects but who would leave out of Saturday's starting side to put them in?.... As for the comment about 18/21's playing week in and week out (?) If there is a raft of fantastic teenagers playing in the Prem.every week - I've missed seeing them. I grant you there are one or two outstanding individuals - but not that many. If you think there are lads in our U21 -- or even U18 sides, who ought to be in the starting line-up now....do please reply with your suggestions, as to who you would drop from the current start side......and who you'd replace them with. But personally..... I can't see it ....at the moment.

The one thing I do miss... is an good old-fashioned, barn-storming CF ...of the old school. Chivers, Davies, Channon, Clarke, Ostenstad and Beattie are just photos in the history book for many younger fans, although I wouldn't denegrate great names like George O'Brien, Stokes,Wallace, Boyer, MacDougall and Pahars .....simply because they weren't of " equal stature." MLT was in a class of his own. For all their varied qualities, it has been a joy to see Lambert.. and now Pelle in recent years - as " the big man up front", but such players seem hard to find and much sought-after by "so-called" big clubs. I'd enjoy seeing "another" Pelle" - in a season or two - just as long as it's not a cousin - whose only talent is ballroom dancing.

In recent years, we've grown accustomed to seeing Academy lads graduating to the first team squad, but even if we call Walcott, Bale and Alex O-C " old history ", we've still had Shaw, Chambers and the ever-present JWP coming through the ranks. Like many others I'm keen to look forward to the next Academy-trained name to hit the headlines.... but the fact remains that ; (1) you need to have lad who is /as good as / better than the incumbent. (2) atm...there are no outstanding players who could oust one of the present starting line-up. All the Pochettino praise for using youngsters at Saints (and Spurs) is not totally valid, as when he put out a team over almost 2 years ago, Calum Chambers proved to be an adequate replacement for Clyne.... and Shaw almost looked " world class" compared to the out-of-form Fox. When an intensive injury crisis came... Reed and Gallagher weren't just names on the bench and got some game time but then we lost Wanyama and Schneiderlin to big injuries in successive weeks....and all of this coinciding with one of Rickie Lambert's worst "non-scoring " spells , then we had the Osvaldo fiasco in a season that finished us off with JayRod's catastrophic injury saga. There were few / no suitable replacements to use. Pochettino's fame rose at Spurs, when he was forced to use Harry Kane in his first months at Spurs because the bulk of the Bale transfer money had been squandered on no-account players who couldn't hit a barn door at 6 yards. Harry K. hit the form of his life, and Ryan Mason and Dier fitted well into a balanced new squad. Ronald Koeman ..to his credit..in a very similar injury situation last season, gave game time to ; Hesketh, Reed, Gape, McCarthy, Targett, Isgrove and Seager in a matter of weeks, and in several games of those had 4 U21 players on the bench, and Reed and JWP in the starting 11. An earlier thread this season discussed the point about the relative strength(s) of The Team and The Squad. Many fans and several players commented that the squad was better than last season with the net result, that very few of the current U21's are likely to get a real look-in... barring another injury crisis. The U21's have had a mixed season so far, but while the loan absences of; Gallagher, Isgrove, Stephens, Turnbull and McCarthy speaks volumes for our youth development, it does mean that IF they were still here they'd be first in the pecking order. Those here now are fast improving, but nowhere near first team level yet.

Should certainly be interesting to know if there is a " Saints fans in the USA " site over there, and gauge the extent of interest. I moved to Sweden around 30 years ago, but never lost interest in my hometown club, yet the Swedish Saints site here numbers well over a hundred people, (surprising in a country of pop. barely 9 million ) and where Football is a minority sport, (only a handful of us are actually So'ton-born). I had a colleague (from our former employer) who later moved " out West ", and eventually turned up on this site as " Redondo Saint ". The really hardy Saints' fans follow them to summer tours in Europe, but a Saints USA tour with games in New York might be of interest with £ being strong at the mo.

will be interesting to see their reaction to this game after their appauling show against Liverpool who ...(tbf) ...looked very good. I know that even with Pelle, and playing at our best....we'd do well to get anything out of this game.

Of course refereeing is a difficult task, and until they can train aliens with eyes in the back of their heads to do a better job, the ref.will always miss things. What occurs to me is that, even if we accept that all refs. are theoretically "neutral", there are some Prem. level refs. who clearly "don't buy" the type of awkward fall, or screaming appeals that some players are known to make. Also that the type of " ankle-tap " or " nudge" that is ignored by some... is instantly cautioned by others. In this respect, there is a deal of inequality in the decision-making process. The manner in which some players " react " to a foul is also noticeable. Unfortunately, Sadio Mane gets far less fouls awarded in his favour, because of his seemingly " theatrical way " of falling to the ground, whilst others can fall like a ton of bricks with the minimum of physical contact. Pelle's physical build can be a liability in this aspect as he is constantly "double-marked " and should get far more fouls awarded than he ever wins. His own frustration often ends up with him being " yellow-carded" instead. There are a number of players who seem to have a " rapport " with refs. that allows them to " almost literally " get away with murder. The number of times I've seen John Terry give a referee .. that innocent boyish grin and a pat of the back ..and then walk away un-penalised is many, despite the fact that he may have put the opponent out of the game (and into the treatment room) for sometime to come. Decisions made in a split-second are made for any number of reasons, and the presence of a dozen different camera angles giving replays that prove (or disprove) a controversial decision doesn't make the job easier. Replays of yesterday's fiasco might show that we had a " good penalty shout " on at least one - if not two occasions. However, (and I say this as a fan of over 50 years) Stoke deserved the win yesterday, and even one point would have been an injustice to them and a gift to us.

you know I might have agreed with this " Adrians " - except that Juanmi has had far more games time than many of us might have thought..... ......even if we put aside over (c.100 minutes) he played in the 4 Euro League games... ......and the fact that he played a full 90 mins v.MK Dons...... and 67 mins.v. Villa in the Capital One Cup.. ..... Juanmi has (before yesterday) had 4 Prem. sub. apps (totalling approx. 50 mins) - all seemingly without making any sort of impression that many of us can recall. YES - it's hard to come on as sub. and be expected to make a real impact, although the oft-maligned Shane Long has scored two of his four goals this season as an oncoming sub. (and we recall that we won the game v. Leicester last season thanks to his double) - after coming on late in the game. Now I'm not going to go out now as say (as some might) that Juanmi is rubbish, and never should have been signed, because it does take time for some new players to settle in, but it's clear there are a number of issues here to be resolved. Koeman has already hinted at the " toughening-up " ploy he used in practice games, and it's clear the player is not used to the pace and physical nature of the Prem. game. Something that needs some adjustment time. In time, he will (we hope) improve to the level that he can come on and make an impact, and not just to make up the numbers. Sadly with Jay Rod for an indeterminate period of time, we are thin on the ground. With Pelle out v. Man.City and the Liverpool Cup game upcoming - .....if there was ever a time for " a fringe player " to make his mark - it's now. The next month or so maybe a make or break time for Juanmi's Saints' career.

MM...perhaps I should qualify those statements...... 1) in press conference Koeman expressed surprise that Long had 30 -odd mins. of play with Ireland - after only one training session. Written before the kick-off, I wasn't sure myself whether he'd be on the bench ....as it was he started, but didn't seem to do much at all. 2) As no-one has seen Juanmi for more than half-a dozen short(er) sub. apps it's difficult to know what he's supposed to do. He has no real established scoring record in Spain, and what little I've seen of him...he doesn't look like a genuine striker. If you think differently - I bow to your greater knowledge. 3) of course what I should have written was.....Seager coming off the bench. Just being on the bench counts for nothing......and after Pelle's yellow card, we may well see him getting some game time next week - at Citeh......there's no better chance to prove your talent - if you have any. ....

.......but of course, the use of the word " football " has another quite connotation for many North American sports fans.

Whereas clubs in the Prem's "Big Four " do summer World tours and play each other in front of 100K crowds on all continents, I guess it would need careful venue selection (at first) ...to meet the expectations of the blossoming " Saints fan groups " around the U.S. I haven't seen stats. that suggest there are more Saints fans on the East Coast than anywhere else, although I have met one guy who lives there and said that Saints are of growing interest to American soccer scene, and that Ralph Kreuger's name (though synonymous with Ice Hockey) has sparked a lot of added interest for fans.