De Ridder

Contract had been cancelled according to OS

Looked like a world beater after the WBA friendly

For one last time Sssssssstttttttttttttttttteeeeeeeeeeeeeevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Cracking goal at Reading away, in the Championship, when we were down to 10 men. Tried hard but never really up to it though, sadly

Thank **** for that.

Another stunning Adkins aquisition.

There are so many top class Belgian players around these days, we seem to have a track record of apparently signing the only ones that are not very good, de Ridder and van Damme. I'm sure there are others who have failed in England of course.

Surprised this wasn't done at the start of the summer. Scored the odd goal, but offered very little. Thanks for the contribution Steve.

Thanks Steeeeeve, good luck.

Seemed a decent enough bloke, wasn't lacking for effort - just not a Premiership player.

Is now a good time to say I thought his goal against Reading was more hit-and-hope, than power and placement?! I half expected it to fly over the bar. Just me? Ok.

Anyway, thanks Steve and good luck. Just never had the composure and ability to make it beyond the Championship.

Surprised this wasn't done at the start of the summer.

They were probably trying to find a buyer earlier in the summer, couldn't find anyone interested enough to take on his wages at Saints and so released him by mutual consent.

Two points:

1. Aside from the Reading goal, I'll somewhat fondly remember him for being so keen to impress when he came on you can guarantee he'll over commit to tracking down the player with the ball then when they push it past him he'll blatantly foul them to gain the easiest yellow card the Ref would have to give in any game.

2. Just speculating, but are we seeing a softening from Cortese when it comes to dealing with players who no longer have a future at the club? Last year we had loads of players who didn't have a sniff of first team football yet we hung onto them all amid suggestions that we either insisted on a transfer fee for them or wanted their wages paid in full in any loan arrangement. This summer in addition to the release of several players out of contract Chaplow and now De Ridder have left the club despite having a year left on their contract. Chaplow's was done as he requested a fresh start after a family circumstance, but the De Ridder one now as well suggests to me we may well be attempting to get rid of more salary - maybe in a bid to release space for another big signing?

Good, useless player. His only good moment was a miss-hit shot.

Steve de Ridder's agent Mr. You Tube has his work cut out now.

Someone is going to sign a superstar on a free!

He joins Jonathan Forte and Tadanari Lee in the list of players who will be recalled as " having scored in one memorable game ", but did little else of consequence.

....but good luck anyway, Steve.

Someone is going to sign a superstar on a free!

 

Just goes to show, never trust a you tube video

So that's 11 players out the door already.

----------------FORECAST----------------

RICHARDSON--FORREN--SEABORNE--DICKSON

DE RIDDER--BUTTERFIELD--CHAPLOW--REEVES

------------SEIDI--HOSKINS-----------

Bit rubbish in goal, and up top. But not bad otherwise.

S'funny - there are some decent skills in that video, which we saw virtually nothing of here.

Didnt think he was as hopeless as some have made out, but obviously not good enough for Premiership. We've got rid of a hell of a lot of players this summer, but do think we need one or two more to ensure if we do get a cup run, we dont have to play the same 11-15 players every match. Good luck to Steve, thanks for your Reading goal.

S'funny - there are some decent skills in that video, which we saw virtually nothing of here.

I love watching YouTube highlight reels of players, but it's funny - De Ridder always pops up in my mind when I watch them now.

2. Just speculating' date=' but are we seeing a softening from Cortese when it comes to dealing with players who no longer have a future at the club? Last year we had loads of players who didn't have a sniff of first team football yet we hung onto them all amid suggestions that we either insisted on a transfer fee for them or wanted their wages paid in full in any loan arrangement. This summer in addition to the release of several players out of contract Chaplow and now De Ridder have left the club despite having a year left on their contract. Chaplow's was done as he requested a fresh start after a family circumstance, but the De Ridder one now as well suggests to me we may well be attempting to get rid of more salary - maybe in a bid to release space for another big signing?[/quote']

Looks like it.

 

You could understand the club's stance on the Championship-standard players a year ago because it was possible we could have ended up straight back down there a year later so it was worth keeping the core of the promotion-winning squad together (the hard-nosed stance made much less sense with the likes of Ryan Dickson who wouldn't have got a game in the Championship either), but now we've stayed up and are looking to push on, the fact is that we have a number of Championship-standard players earning Premier League wages. As a result, no Championship club is going to pay a transfer fee as well as those wages, so we're either stuck with them or we come up with a compromise.

 

I'd expect Hammond, Sharp and Forte to be gone by the end of the month, maybe Barnard as well.

I'd expect Hammond, Sharp and Forte to be gone by the end of the month, maybe Barnard as well.

Quite how he's lasted this long I'm not sure, but I'm guessing it's due to wages. That said, how could Oldham have afforded them? We don't seem to like letting players go out on loan without their wages being paid, i.e. Dickson and his little rant some while ago.

How much do you think De Ridder was on a week?

Quite how he's lasted this long I'm not sure, but I'm guessing it's due to wages. That said, how could Oldham have afforded them? We don't seem to like letting players go out on loan without their wages being paid, i.e. Dickson and his little rant some while ago.

Strange we gave him a new contract and then never played him. Kind of thing MLG says "Do you think NC would give him a new contract and then not plan to play him" when correcting someone. Illogical but it did actually happen.

Strange that he played vs Welling this week..

Good luck to him. Always worked hard but never quite cut it in a Saints shirt.

Strange that he played vs Welling this week..

 

Good luck to him. Always worked hard but never quite cut it in a Saints shirt.

Maybe that was the final straw for the coaching staff?

Strange we gave him a new contract and then never played him. Kind of thing MLG says "Do you think NC would give him a new contract and then not plan to play him" when correcting someone. Illogical but it did actually happen.

So you're saying MLG was... Wrong?

Careful now Tokyo. Dangerous territory.

Strange that he played vs Welling this week..

I suspect he was making up the numbers.

Never lacking effort and clearly had affection for the club and fans.

Best of luck to him I say...

36 appearances for us, 3 goals, one of which was away at Cardiff when we had already lost, sums him up really. Wasn't good enough in the champ (pomp at home where he was clean through in the last few mins to put it out for a goal kick for having the touch of a 5 year old anyone?) was embarrassing to see him come on in the premier league and has been sitting about the place about a year to long.

Good luck to him hopefully back in Belgium/Netherlands or L1 where he might be able to show off some of that potential.

So that's 11 players out the door already.

 

----------------FORECAST----------------

 

RICHARDSON--FORREN--SEABORNE--DICKSON

 

DE RIDDER--BUTTERFIELD--CHAPLOW--REEVES

 

------------SEIDI--HOSKINS-----------

 

Bit rubbish in goal, and up top. But not bad otherwise.

I wouldn't play Butterfield in centre mid.

I wouldn't play Butterfield in centre mid.

"front sweeper"

So that's 11 players out the door already.

 

----------------FORECAST----------------

 

RICHARDSON--FORREN--SEABORNE--DICKSON

 

DE RIDDER--BUTTERFIELD--CHAPLOW--REEVES

 

------------SEIDI--HOSKINS-----------

 

Bit rubbish in goal, and up top. But not bad otherwise.

Better than Pompey any day..

Thanks Steve, and good luck.

Good to see the club treating some of these guys with respect as well.

Looks like it.

 

You could understand the club's stance on the Championship-standard players a year ago because it was possible we could have ended up straight back down there a year later so it was worth keeping the core of the promotion-winning squad together (the hard-nosed stance made much less sense with the likes of Ryan Dickson who wouldn't have got a game in the Championship either), but now we've stayed up and are looking to push on, the fact is that we have a number of Championship-standard players earning Premier League wages. As a result, no Championship club is going to pay a transfer fee as well as those wages, so we're either stuck with them or we come up with a compromise.

 

I'd expect Hammond, Sharp and Forte to be gone by the end of the month, maybe Barnard as well.

Perhaps the club are scraping together every penny they can in order to pay Damaio's wages.

The trouble with SDR was that he didn't seem to be a team player and wouldn't work to instructions. I remember seeing NA get really frustrated, shouting instructions at him, and de Ridder just ignored him and did his own thing.

Never lacking effort and clearly had affection for the club and fans.

 

Best of luck to him I say...

Well said. I find a lot of the other comments on here quite cringeworthy. My Gran once told me if you can't say anything nice, its probably best not to say anything at all.

Clearly SDR has talent but for one reason or another we never saw the best of him at St Mary's. I think that is due to the fact that he was accustomed to a role where he ran at defences and had the luxury of relying on others to do his defending for him. The you tube video shows how he excelled in that role and his confidence soared as a result. At Southampton, we expect people to track back and SDR simply does not have defending instincts.

Combine that with the fact that we do not use wingers in the traditional sense anymore then his chances were always going to be limited to cameo appearances.

Hope he does really well wherever he goes. He never lacked effort. Unlike others, I think he could do a really good job at Championship level but it has to be a team that can supprt his style of play.

Quite how he's lasted this long I'm not sure, but I'm guessing it's due to wages. That said, how could Oldham have afforded them? We don't seem to like letting players go out on loan without their wages being paid, i.e. Dickson and his little rant some while ago.

I suspect that, having had Bournemouth mentally paying all of his wages for half a season, letting him out to Oldham for a much smaller percentage of his salary (if any at all) probably wasn't such a difficult decision. Not entirely sure where he goes from here now, though, probably only Wolves in League One who could afford his wages but I doubt he'd be on their radar.

That goal against reading is all I can remember him for and that really tells the story, and his obligatory yellow card. At least we will never have to hear the awful “stevveeeee” chant again!

I still think Saints could have got some money for him though. How much did we sign him for? 800k rings a bell. Fans (mainly on twitter) are happy to defend increases in ticket prices with the argument “it generates revenue for the club to sign better players”. So surely we could have got a few hundred thousand for De Ridder. Admittedly this isn’t much, but publicly displaying that they are surplus to requirements surely reduces their value. Combine this with Barnard, Hammond and with the reduced value of Sharp are saints missing a trick? Or maybe it’s a case of clubs not wanting to pay relatively large wages for a mediocre player

Basically you only have as much talent as the opposition lets you have. De Ridder came from low standard football and his talents were sufficient for it. As soon as he got to the NPC the opposition just didn't give him the time he needs to shine. I'm afraid it

might be the case with some of our new signings. English football has the greatest density of good players in the world. A top NPC side could probably better a low level Calcio or Liga side on 9 occasions out of 10 just recently Midlesborough beat Bordeaux I think. De Ridder just wasn't good enough at our level of football.

Isn't the point with players surplus to requirements that it is down to cutting ones's losses or deciding to hold out for a better deal? Say SDR was on £10k a week, and his contract runs to July 1st. He would cost is around £500k this year, but whilst Steve pockets this money, he gets no games and his profile slips further, meaning next year he is in a poor position to try to get a new contract anywhere.

So, cut a deal, say get paid half a year's money, and look to get a three year deal, at, say, £5k. At the end of this year he is just as well off, but he still has guaranteed earnings for two more years, so overall is in a better position, and if he does well, there is a chance of an improved contract or another move. He wins every way, providing he gets a contract.

Now, the club's position is different. We forked out good money for him, which we'd like back, but each week we are spending good money after bad, so there comes a time when you have to think 'are we ever going to sell him'? If the chances are no, then it is in everyone's interest to cut a compromise package.

I think last year we hoped and expected to be able to move on our 'championship squad' but apart from a few loans, that didn't happen. So, with one year left on a contract and no likelihood of getting any sale, it comes to a point where a termination of the contract suits both parties, especially as the like of SDR clearly failed to step up to the needs of the Premiership.

Shame if you are the player, but the cheque probably softens the blow.

However, next time, as fans, we criticise players for wanting a better deal, just think about all those players we have cast aside as no longer required. It works both ways, sometimes in our favour, sometimestheplayer's.

Someone is going to sign a superstar on a free!

 

...is it wrong that I kinda wanna sign him again?

Well he was looking like kind of a chunker in preseason. Wonder if he puked when put on the running machine?

"front sweeper"

more of a front bottom in my view

Good luck Steve, thanks for the Reading goal

Adkins simply did not trust him and because of that I thought he treated him rather poorly at times. Steve would come on have an impact on the game, but then not see playing times for weeks. When he did get a chance he didn't always take it of course, but you do need a decent run in the side and I'm not sure he ever got that. I guess our promotion shows that Adkins got it right selection wise, but there were a few games when I thought he should have been brought on and a few when I thought he shouldn't have been taken off.

Water under the bridge now. Hope he gets his career back on track. He's not nearly as bad as some make out. He just needs better direction in more ways than one.

A decent goal against Reading but other than that one of the most over rated players I have ever had the privilege of seeing in a Saints shirt.

A decent goal against Reading but other than that one of the most over rated players I have ever had the privilege of seeing in a Saints shirt.

Is that you Jason?

Adkins simply did not trust him and because of that I thought he treated him rather poorly at times. Steve would come on have an impact on the game, but then not see playing times for weeks. When he did get a chance he didn't always take it of course, but you do need a decent run in the side and I'm not sure he ever got that. I guess our promotion shows that Adkins got it right selection wise, but there were a few games when I thought he should have been brought on and a few when I thought he shouldn't have been taken off.

 

Water under the bridge now. Hope he gets his career back on track. He's not nearly as bad as some make out. He just needs better direction in more ways than one.

He got 33 appearances in the champ season... (which is out of 46 league games about 6 cup games) decent stab at a run in the side from my perspective, even if most of his appearances were subs.

A decent goal against Reading but other than that one of the most over rated players I have ever had the privilege of seeing in a Saints shirt.

don't know who over-rated him though, most thought he was dump.