January 18 transfer window

Given the car crash that was our summer transfer window, and then the 21 vehicle pile up that the first half of the season has been... plus the fact that we knew we were selling VVD and needed reinforcements urgently.

Why are we now 2weeks past selling VVD with no replacements in sight?

Just WTF are we paying this board/recruitment teams to do?

For us to survive, Watford is very much a game we need to be winning, and we should be giving ourselves the very best chance to do so.

Given the car crash that was our summer transfer window, and then the 21 vehicle pile up that the first half of the season has been... plus the fact that we knew we were selling VVD and needed reinforcements urgently.

 

Why are we now 2weeks past selling VVD with no replacements in sight?

 

Just WTF are we paying this board/recruitment teams to do?

 

For us to survive, Watford is very much a game we need to be winning, and we should be giving ourselves the very best chance to do so.

Why was our summer transfer window a car crash out of interest? Thought we came out of it stronger as a squad, so not sure how it can be seen as a car crash. Unless you're swinging the VVD thing back at the club and now blaming them for not cashing in then?

The only thing we got wrong in the summer (apart from appointing MP) was not adding a striker.

The only thing we got wrong in the summer (apart from appointing MP) was not adding a striker.

Yeah, probably. I think we were trying though, lots of links to Vietto. (although not sure he is the out and out striker we needed). Club showed too much faith in Austin and Long, if Austin wasn't so in and out of the team we'd probably be ok.

https://www.blick.ch/sport/fussball/international/bundesliga/basel-und-bvb-noch-5-millionen-auseinander-die-wahrheit-ueber-den-akanji-poker-id7820464.html

Tenous mention for CB, although coming from a Swiss website. Just a Saints mention at the end though

Yeah, probably. I think we were trying though, lots of links to Vietto. (although not sure he is the out and out striker we needed). Club showed too much faith in Austin and Long, if Austin wasn't so in and out of the team we'd probably be ok.

You forget Gabbiadini.

Don't really see him as an out and out striker to be honest, never really have done. More of a support player. If played right around the correct setup, he'd get goals. Let's not get started on that one though...

The only thing we got wrong in the summer (apart from appointing MP) was not adding a striker.

Yeah Lemina and Wes were not bad additions to the squad but Austin is our only natural goal scorer and he can't seemingly manage a whole season so we ****ed up there.

You forget Gabbiadini.

So has MP !!

Why was our summer transfer window a car crash out of interest? Thought we came out of it stronger as a squad, so not sure how it can be seen as a car crash. Unless you're swinging the VVD thing back at the club and now blaming them for not cashing in then?

We obviously needed more options up front, we couldn't score for toffee last season yet all we did over the summer was sell Jay Rod.

We obviously needed more options up front, we couldn't score for toffee last season yet all we did over the summer was sell Jay Rod.

Put this alongside Puel leaving, due to his negative, boring tactics and style, and I wonder if the board believed we had plenty of goals in the team with Gabbi, Austin, Redmond, Boufal, Tadic and others. Therefore, a striker wasn't quite as high priority as fans believed, as a new, positive, attacking manager will bring the goals out. Naivety at the highest level, if so, but might explain things.

I'd play for Portsmouth for £110,000 a week.

Of course. I'd do it for a fraction of that. Anyone that says they wouldn't either has no grasp on reality or is already loaded. Sentiment and loyalty only goes so far.

The only thing we got wrong in the summer (apart from appointing MP) was not adding a striker.

I could have understood not bringing in a striker if we'd actually given Gallagher an opportunity rather than loaning him out and leaving us short.

What if you were already earning £50,000 a week?

If I was injury prone or coming to the end of my career (nod to Niemi and Connolly) then maybe.

I'd play for Portsmouth for £110,000 a week.

so would I..... Might see a record number of own goals at Fratton during my contract though

I'd play for Portsmouth for £110,000 a week.

You can't spend IOU's in the shops!

Of course. I'd do it for a fraction of that. Anyone that says they wouldn't either has no grasp on reality or is already loaded. Sentiment and loyalty only goes so far.

Cash only and delivered the day before the game, so as it can be checked for forgeries.

Doesn't anyone have anything on good authority?

You can't spend IOU's in the shops!

Why was our summer transfer window a car crash out of interest? Thought we came out of it stronger as a squad, so not sure how it can be seen as a car crash. Unless you're swinging the VVD thing back at the club and now blaming them for not cashing in then?

Not selling VVD firstly - (And FYI, that was my stance over the summer so I will certainly maintain my stance on this now if that's okay. I imagine the vast majority of the fanbase agree as well.... Unless of course they are ignoring that the £5-10m extra in cash is worth the fall in positional tv monies, devaluation of the squad, and exuberant transfer fees we will now have to pay this January?!?!? Let alone the football standard. I expect only the club plants on here to take that stance though...

The sale of VVD obviously needed to happened in the summer (and should have happened). It has resulted in a squad that is weak up top, and unsettled. A wasted 5-6months that sees the team currently in free fall. I understand the argument for not selling him and making a stand, but at the same time its just the wrong decision. The board need to be better than this.

Total cock up over the manager situation, its already been stated by the ITK's that we had all our eggs in the Touchel basket with no backup plan (something that is unforgivable strategy wise), but we didn't seal that deal and were left holding nothing and having to start the manager search again. An utter balls up. Lost far too much of the window to this.

Recruitment wise we purchased Lemina, who frankly has been average (to utter garbage) so far and is just squad depth as a player in a position we don't need - that may change, but he isn't going to replace Pelle and Mane is he. Meanwhile we wasted the perfect chance to add goals to the team, something that was obviously missing, and had been obviously missing for the whole season under Puel. The job he is doing at Leicester should be point in bloody case to our "board".

To argue that the summer was anything other than a complete failure, especially given how things have developed, is complacent tbh. We massively need to improve our business and strategy in the transfer windows. And any business heads who fail to the degree that ours have (repeatedly) would get sacked.

Not selling VVD firstly - (And FYI, i said it over the summer so I will certainly maintain my stance on this now if that's okay. I imagine the vast majority of the fanbase agree as well.... Unless of course they think the £5m extra in cash is worth the fall in positional tv monies, devaluation of the squad, and exuberant transfer fees we will now have to pay this January?!?!? I expect only the club plants on here to take that stance though...

 

The sale of VVD obviously needed to happened in the summer (and should have happened). It has resulted in a squad that is weak up top, and unsettled. A wasted 5-6months that sees the team currently in free fall.

 

Total cock up over the manager situation, its already been stated by the ITK's that we had all our eggs in the Touchel basket with no backup plan (something that is unforgivable strategy wise), but we didn't seal that deal and were left holding nothing and having to start the manager search again. An utter balls up. Lost far too much of the window to this.

 

Recruitment wise we purchased Lemina, who frankly has been utter garbage so far and is just squad depth as a player in a position we don't need - that may change, but he isn't going to replace Pelle and Mane is he. Meanwhile we wasted the perfect chance to add goals to the team, something that was obviously missing, and had been obviously missing for the whole season under Puel. The job he is doing at Leicester should be point in bloody case to our "board".

 

To argue that the summer was anything other than a complete failure, especially given how things have developed, is complacent tbh. We massively need to improve our business and strategy in the transfer windows. And any business heads who fail to the degree that ours have (repeatedly) would get sacked.

I doubt that. A few, mostly in hindsight, saying it now. But the overall feeling you got from saints fans, last summer, was not to sell him especially to Liverpool.

I doubt that. A few, mostly in hindsight, saying it now. But the overall feeling you got from saints fans, last summer, was not to sell him especially to Liverpool.

I would say the majority view was "not to sell him to liverpool", and only that.

Its a theoretical debate anyway, and pointless at this point. Personally I think most would have sold him in the summer with hindsight. Removes a disruptive interest, strengthens the squad at the start of the season, we wouldn't now be in a desperate situation trying to buy players whilst everyone knows we're flush with cash etc, and trying to strengthen the team when players are far harder to come by. It makes our job a lot harder, and I can't believe we let it be announced that he was sold, without having a least 1 or 2 players coming in straight away. The extra money we made from Liverpool by selling in January, will unfortunately be used by paying over the odds for new players after his sale was announced.

I doubt that. A few, mostly in hindsight, saying it now. But the overall feeling you got from saints fans, last summer, was not to sell him especially to Liverpool.

That was, without doubt, the view of the vast majority.

Just to add something to my post from last evening. It wasn't a player who changed his mind, it was the players agent who decided it wasn't now in the the best interests of his client to move to Saints apparently. My mistake, I'd misread/misinterpreted the messages.

That was, without doubt, the view of the vast majority.

 

Just to add something to my post from last evening. It wasn't a player who changed his mind, it was the players agent who decided it wasn't now in the the best interests of his client to move to Saints apparently. My mistake, I'd misread/misinterpreted the messages.

It was the view of the vast majority, though it was also based on the (reasonable) assumption that he would see the rest of the season out with us, not go in January, having missed the first month.

I doubt that. A few, mostly in hindsight, saying it now. But the overall feeling you got from saints fans, last summer, was not to sell him especially to Liverpool.

Quite right most wanted him to stay and not go to Liverpool which I thought was a mistake but that and sacking Puel has helped in getting us in the position we are today.

It is easy to identify players who would enhance our team but difficult to actually to get them to sign for a variety of reasons.

Our recent signings have been reasonably good so I expect us to bring in two or three players shortly .

It was the view of the vast majority, though it was also based on the (reasonable) assumption that he would see the rest of the season out with us, not go in January, having missed the first month.

We'll yeah in hindsight had we known they'd flog him in Jan to Liverpool anyway. Most of us would have said get rid last summer.

Quite right most wanted him to stay and not go to Liverpool which I thought was a mistake but that and sacking Puel has helped in getting us in the position we are today.

 

It is easy to identify players who would enhance our team but difficult to actually to get them to sign for a variety of reasons.

 

Our recent signings have been reasonably good so I expect us to bring in two or three players shortly .

I'd say our defensive signings have been better than our attacking signings - and we need the latter.

I'd say our defensive signings have been better than our attacking signings - and we need the latter.

I hope the entire fanbase can agree on that!! Hopefully the board deliver, and deliver well!!!

That was, without doubt, the view of the vast majority.

 

Just to add something to my post from last evening. It wasn't a player who changed his mind, it was the players agent who decided it wasn't now in the the best interests of his client to move to Saints apparently. My mistake, I'd misread/misinterpreted the messages.

Does that mean the deal is dead or is it just about convincing the agent (which is about money I guess?)?

Doesn't anyone have anything on good authority?

I could probably make something credible up if you want? Maybe Fonte's brother that we were linked to years ago? Or our old friend Cabeye?

Too late to resurrect the Brian Howard rumour?

We'll yeah in hindsight had we known they'd flog him in Jan to Liverpool anyway. Most of us would have said get rid last summer.

Regardless of the team, I would have said get rid.

Hard to know what's gone on: is it that VVD was such a **** that the situation became untenable and we needed to get rid asap or was the plan still to keep him till the summer but our poor start and lack of goals meant freeing up cash to bring in reinforcements was a bigger priority?

 

After a season of struggling to score goals, to not sign any attacking players last summer was an absolute cluster**** so the club only have themselves to blame.

 

what a very good point this is. Puel struggled to get goals from those player and that contributed massively to him getting the sack, yet MoPo is expected to get a different tune from them? Has it become impossible to refresh squads without players coming to the end of their contracts or being sold?

Regardless of the team, I would have said get rid.

 

Hard to know what's gone on: is it that VVD was such a **** that the situation became untenable and we needed to get rid asap or was the plan still to keep him till the summer but our poor start and lack of goals meant freeing up cash to bring in reinforcements was a bigger priority?

If it was the latter then it would, I assume, be a planned move some weeks in the making. So I'd like to think that the club would have had players lined up to go, as soon as the window opened, especially given the clubs constant harping on about succession management. That doesn't seem to be the case though.

what a very good point this is. Puel struggled to get goals from those player and that contributed massively to him getting the sack, yet MoPo is expected to get a different tune from them? Has it become impossible to refresh squads without players coming to the end of their contracts or being sold?

That's why I think the fans-got-Puel-sacked line is nonsense. By not bringing anyone in (though we sold Jrod), the club was implicitly saying that our attacking options were adequate -just that Puel hadn't got the best out of them.

I have it on good authority we are completely ****ed and have said so for the last 3 months.

I have it on good authority our board are a bunch of incompetent muppets

And I have it on good authority we can all look forward to Championship football next season!

Doesn't anyone have anything on good authority?

Well clearly it's not nonsense, and clearly the fans did get Puel sacked. Probbably why the board aren't listening this time

If it was the latter then it would, I assume, be a planned move some weeks in the making. So I'd like to think that the club would have had players lined up to go, as soon as the window opened, especially given the clubs constant harping on about succession management. That doesn't seem to be the case though.

Yep very possibly, though there are plenty of reasons why deals may take time, especially mid-season. With VVD, Liverpool wanted the player for nearly a year. After the news on the sale of VVD broke, there were suggestions that we close to competing a deal for a player e.g. the mysterious AN OTHER from France.

That's why I think the fans-got-Puel-sacked line is nonsense. By not bringing anyone in (though we sold Jrod), the club was implicitly saying that our attacking options were adequate -just that Puel hadn't got the best out of them.

Exactly.

Well clearly it's not nonsense, and clearly the fans did get Puel sacked. Probbably why the board aren't listening this time

Let's be clear: I'm sure the club was aware of fan dissatisfaction; but to say that the club blindly followed the fans is nonsense pal. If you want to go down that rabbit hole, I'd say that player discontent played a bigger role:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/southampton-players-pushing-for-puel-exit-jm9j72zkk

Also recall that stories were being leaked that Puel wasn't meeting the clubs expectations well before the end of the season. So much so that Puel was being grilled about this in prematch interviews.

I have it on good authority we are completely ****ed and have said so for the last 3 months.

I have it on good authority our board are a bunch of incompetent muppets

And I have it on good authority we can all look forward to Championship football next season!

Link?

Well clearly it's not nonsense, and clearly the fans did get Puel sacked. Probbably why the board aren't listening this time

Do you really only eat the wings of a Skate?

dunno what your talking about,but im sure the fans got puel sacked. Booing him, criticising, calling for his head. I'd say the board wanted to nip the toxic atmosphere in the bud. This time around the fans are the boy who cried wolf

dunno what your talking about,but im sure the fans got puel sacked. Booing him, criticising, calling for his head. I'd say the board wanted to nip the toxic atmosphere in the bud. This time around the fans are the boy who cried wolf

dunno what your talking about,but im sure the fans got puel sacked. Booing him, criticising, calling for his head. I'd say the board wanted to nip the toxic atmosphere in the bud. This time around the fans are the boy who cried wolf

Toxic...hahahahah

dunno what your talking about,but im sure the fans got puel sacked. Booing him, criticising, calling for his head. I'd say the board wanted to nip the toxic atmosphere in the bud. This time around the fans are the boy who cried wolf

That's why it took weeks after the season ended to sack him !?

Last game of season fans singing dunno what your doing to puel, thats my evidence. Toxic, negative, its not an ideal atmosphere is it?

No suggestion of pellegrino getting sacked? Hmm, not sure you quite grasped my point about the boy who cried wolf???

Last game of season fans singing dunno what your doing to puel, thats my evidence. Toxic, negative, its not an ideal atmosphere is it?

No suggestion of pellegrino getting sacked? Hmm, not sure you quite grasped my point about the boy who cried wolf???

You're not grasping the point Les will not want to admit to making another mistake appointing a second poor manager in a row !? And missed the posts saying we're exploring other management options .

dunno what your talking about,but im sure the fans got puel sacked. Booing him, criticising, calling for his head. I'd say the board wanted to nip the toxic atmosphere in the bud. This time around the fans are the boy who cried wolf

Fans don't have that influence, especially as the base was divided. The only time we have influence is when it's a long term Br*nf**t-type situation. It was almost certainly certain prima donna players who were primarily responsible.

Not selling VVD firstly - (And FYI, that was my stance over the summer so I will certainly maintain my stance on this now if that's okay. I imagine the vast majority of the fanbase agree as well.... Unless of course they are ignoring that the £5-10m extra in cash is worth the fall in positional tv monies, devaluation of the squad, and exuberant transfer fees we will now have to pay this January?!?!? Let alone the football standard. I expect only the club plants on here to take that stance though...

 

The sale of VVD obviously needed to happened in the summer (and should have happened). It has resulted in a squad that is weak up top, and unsettled. A wasted 5-6months that sees the team currently in free fall. I understand the argument for not selling him and making a stand, but at the same time its just the wrong decision. The board need to be better than this.

 

Total cock up over the manager situation, its already been stated by the ITK's that we had all our eggs in the Touchel basket with no backup plan (something that is unforgivable strategy wise), but we didn't seal that deal and were left holding nothing and having to start the manager search again. An utter balls up. Lost far too much of the window to this.

 

Recruitment wise we purchased Lemina, who frankly has been average (to utter garbage) so far and is just squad depth as a player in a position we don't need - that may change, but he isn't going to replace Pelle and Mane is he. Meanwhile we wasted the perfect chance to add goals to the team, something that was obviously missing, and had been obviously missing for the whole season under Puel. The job he is doing at Leicester should be point in bloody case to our "board".

 

To argue that the summer was anything other than a complete failure, especially given how things have developed, is complacent tbh. We massively need to improve our business and strategy in the transfer windows. And any business heads who fail to the degree that ours have (repeatedly) would get sacked.

I can't blame them for the VVD debacle. That was a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't. The only person to blame there is that **** VVD (and the scousers of course).

Lemina was needed as a back-up/partner to Romeu. They were lucky last season that Reed's gamble that Romeu wouldn't get injured paid off. Hoedt looks like a decent buy.

The biggest cock ups:

1) The inability to bring in at least one bloody front man who can score goals. Not just last summer, but the summer before that as well (ever since we lost Mane and Pelle). It was clear to anyone with half a brain that we have been woefully inadequate in that department for ages. So what do they do instead, they sell JRod and loan out Gallagher.

2) The Fonte debacle of last season.

3) Sacking a decent manager who did the best considering 1) and 2) above, and replacing him with an Argentinian version of Wigley.

4) Not bringing in a mobile goalkeeper who can make saves, and relying on our statue in goal. This goes back several seasons (and may have cost us a top 4 place under RK).

5) Did I mention not getting in a front man who can score?

I can't blame them for the VVD debacle. That was a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't. The only person to blame there is that **** VVD (and the scousers of course).

 

Lemina was needed as a back-up/partner to Romeu. They were lucky last season that Reed's gamble that Romeu wouldn't get injured paid off. Hoedt looks like a decent buy.

 

The biggest cock ups:

 

1) The inability to bring in at least one bloody front man who can score goals. Not just last summer, but the summer before that as well (ever since we lost Mane and Pelle). It was clear to anyone with half a brain that we have been woefully inadequate in that department for ages. So what do they do instead, they sell JRod and loan out Gallagher.

 

2) The Fonte debacle of last season.

 

3) Sacking a decent manager who did the best considering 1) and 2) above, and replacing him with an Argentinian version of Wigley.

 

4) Not bringing in a mobile goalkeeper who can make saves, and relying on our statue in goal. This goes back several seasons (and may have cost us a top 4 place under RK).

 

5) Did I mention not getting in a front man who can score?

Pretty much this, although I'd say for point 5) it's more not getting in players with the correct attributes to replace Mane and Pelle. Someone who is physical and can hold their own against defenders, but also able to lay the ball off quickly and someone who is really quick and can play wide but get themselves into the area and hit the target.

Part of this was probably due to Claude wanting to play 4-1-2-1-2 with mobile forwards, though. I quite liked him, but think on balance he was probably the wrong manager for the players we had at the time. If we'd got in someone with a different philosophy who would have looked to play 4-2-3-1 and had asked for a target man as their signing instead of Gabbiadini (who I also like but who doesn't really work as a lone striker in the system we're looking to play) I think we'd be in a much stronger position.

Either that, or Mope should try playing the 4-1-2-1-2 as Gabbi and Long might work OK together with Boufal/Tadic behind them and Hoj, Lemina and Romeu all together in midfield.