Defectors Watch

[SuperSAINT]

 

[Saint_clark]

Quite funny reading that leicester forum about Vestergaard. This was my favourite;

"feel bad rubbing salt in wounds here, but he is our 9th choice cb, what a shambles of a signing

fofana, evans, soyuncu, amartey, ndidi, justin, castange, hamza all in front of him at cb

ever been a worse signing in history of the club?"

[VectisSaint]

12 hours ago, SuperSAINT said:

 

Aston "Saints Old Boys" Villa. At least they didn't get JWP.

[TWar]

22 minutes ago, VectisSaint said:

Aston "Saints Old Boys" Villa. At least they didn't get JWP.

Can add to Targett in their collection of "back up saints fullbacks that we sold for significantly above their value"

[Tommy Mulgrew]

Tim Sparv article in the Mail; he’s calling on England players, and others, to protest about Qatar’s human rights record.  Good lad.

[Micky]

14 minutes ago, Tommy Mulgrew said:

Tim Sparv article in the Mail; he’s calling on England players, and others, to protest about Qatar’s human rights record.  Good lad.

Given the recent sale of one of our direct rivals, I really don't think Tim's voice will be heard above the pounding of falling  Qatary dollars.  Human rights, who really gives a shyte as long as they pump tons of money into the Premiere League. Let's keep taking a knee though guys eh? 

[qwertyell]

Jankewitz got his first start in the Swiss super league. Played for an hour. Two assists in a 5-1 win. Didn't get sent off deliberately.

[Tommy Mulgrew]

I don’t remember seeing this on here before but sorry if I’m wrong: since the beginning of January, Gaston now plays for AC Monza in Italy’s second division, Serie B I think.  Monza is in 6th place atm and Gaston is pretty much the lowest-rated midfielder in the team.  No goals or assists yet (sounds familiar?) but he has played only a few part-games so far.

Keeping in Italy, Maya did his hammy a few weeks ago setting up a goal for Gabbi and the latter has now lost his goal-scoring streak.  Sampdoria have what I consider to be two good keepers; the No 1 is mid 20s and rated at over 80, well above any of ours - he could be worth a look.  Mind you, JWP only gets 56 or 57 so the ratings are questionable.  KWP is our only player to get as much as 80, so at least that one is right.

[redkeith]

Juanmi scored twice yesterday for bets in a 4 nil  copa del rey win at his old club Real Sociadad. Sociadad would have gone one nil up, but Var ruled it out based on a wrong frame.

[Nordic Saint]

14 hours ago, redkeith said:

Juanmi scored twice yesterday for bets in a 4 nil  copa del rey win at his old club Real Sociadad. Sociadad would have gone one nil up, but Var ruled it out based on a wrong frame.

He has 16 goals so far this season. He's played most of his career as a winger but Pellegrini is playing him in a more central position this season and he is proving a deadly finisher. He reminds me a bit of Vardy.

[Guest]

If you type in “Vestergaard” on Twitter it’s quite amusing, but also quite sad right now… 😁

[LiberalCommunist]

Brendan kinda chucked him under the bus with those comments. 

'We brought on some height near the end, and needed to be aggressive.'

He's just fed him to the fans. No way he can recover. He'll be in witness protection with Berty by the end of the month. 

[saintwbu]

It’s a shame, albeit not particularly surprising, that it isn’t working out for Vestergaard. It was a move that suited us and him, and i’d never heard a bad word about him as a character so I don’t wish him anything negative. I’m enjoying Ings’ move going to shit though. 

[spyinthesky]

Vestergaard struggled when he first played for Saints then went through a relatively OK period and there were some on here who bemoaned his exit.

However the reported £15m we got for him seems good business now.

I certainly dont have anything against him or Berty both of whom did their best for us (Berty in particular) but the team has improved without them.

[SaintZamboni]

Article today on givemesport linking Ings with a move as he’s not fancied at Villa. Seems like another who might blow their career momentum for £

[skintsaint]

5 hours ago, SaintZamboni said:

Article today on givemesport linking Ings with a move as he’s not fancied at Villa. Seems like another who might blow their career momentum for £

Where does he go from here......Everton, Leicester, Leeds or Newcastle? Not sure he is in the budget/or good enough for other top flight teams.

Edited 18 February, 2022 by skintsaint

[Kenilworthy]

6 hours ago, skintsaint said:

Where does he go from here......Everton, Leicester, Leeds or Newcastle? Not sure he is in the budget/or good enough for other top flight teams.

We could take him back on loan for next season

[Lighthouse]

This popped up on my twitter feed 'recommended topics', or whatever it's called. I've not been following Tiss for a year or two now but it would seem it's not just COVID, he's full on, broad-spectrum loony.

[Dellman]

On 24/01/2022 at 21:54, igsey said:

Sam Gallagher scored the only goal in Birmingham's victory over Middlesbrough on Sky Sports tonight.

Good news, wish the guy the very best

[SW5 SAINT]

On 14/02/2022 at 17:07, saintwbu said:

It’s a shame, albeit not particularly surprising, that it isn’t working out for Vestergaard. It was a move that suited us and him, and i’d never heard a bad word about him as a character so I don’t wish him anything negative. I’m enjoying Ings’ move going to shit though. 

Don’t we have £5m riding on him doing well at Villa……?

[Dellman]

Couldn't understand a Southampton born fellow in the form of his life, the highest wage earner in the club, wanting a move. Sad really but he brought it on himself and we are better off.

[rooney]

 DT reports today that Les Read has left he FA and is now an adviser to non league Wrexham. Gracious!

[SuperSAINT]

16 minutes ago, rooney said:

 DT reports today that Les Read has left he FA and is now an adviser to non league Wrexham. Gracious!

He’s been there for a while.

Its a pretty cool gig, working for Deadpool.

[Chris cooper]

10 hours ago, Dellman said:

Couldn't understand a Southampton born fellow in the form of his life, the highest wage earner in the club, wanting a move. Sad really but he brought it on himself and we are better off.

Looked on villa forum .. don’t think Gerrard rates him and villa fans blaming ings wen Watkins has a bad game 🤭😁I mean … you couldn’t write it !! Could of had the key to the city but chose the pay 💰 day .. local boy too like you say very very sad .. not many have gone on to better things leaving us .. hope Broja recognises this .. if it’s up to him I hope he gives us another full season minimum!

[John Boy Saint]

4 minutes ago, Chris cooper said:

Looked on villa forum .. don’t think Gerrard rates him and villa fans blaming ings wen Watkins has a bad game 🤭😁I mean … you couldn’t write it !! Could of had the key to the city but chose the pay 💰 day .. local boy too like you say very very sad .. not many have gone on to better things leaving us .. hope Broja recognises this .. if it’s up to him I hope he gives us another full season minimum!

Ings is another to add to the list under the heading - The Titanic effect.

You have to wonder if Gerrard just thinks of Ings time at Liverpool, being broken for most of it. Then seemingly having been broken a few times at Villa already, probably thinks that there is no point building a play or something with Ings in the middle if he is likely not going to be there to action it.    

[sfc4prem]

Such a shame with Ings. As people have said, he could have gone down in Saints folklore had he stayed and won any form of silverware with us. Instead he's a bit part player for a heavy investing but underwhelming Villa side, and is losing his hair even more rapidly in the process.

 

What could have been. We move.

[John Boy Saint]

Just seen that this site will likely be awash with "we should have kept him" this evening as Jose Fontes Lille play at Chelsea in the CL  😉

[Whitey Grandad]

12 hours ago, Dellman said:

Couldn't understand a Southampton born fellow in the form of his life, the highest wage earner in the club, wanting a move. Sad really but he brought it on himself and we are better off.

He left for more money. It happens quite often.

[saintwbu]

The thing with Ings/Villa is that he is a much, much better footballer than Ollie Watkins, but Watkins has been popular at Villa since his arrival and people like his effort. Normally Ings is shoehorned in around him whereas really he should be the focal point of their attack with Buendia behind. 

[Manuel]

12 hours ago, Dellman said:

Couldn't understand a Southampton born fellow in the form of his life, the highest wage earner in the club, wanting a move. Sad really but he brought it on himself and we are better off.

Was the one time where I thought we might see a bit of loyalty from a player.  I never learn.  

[Professor]

On 17/02/2022 at 20:30, SaintZamboni said:

Article today on givemesport linking Ings with a move as he’s not fancied at Villa. Seems like another who might blow their career momentum for £

Ings made a big play of 'local boy comes home' when he came to Southampton, initially on loan and then on a contract.  We all remember that he was angling for a move well before that contract ended, by refusing generous terms to extend.  If  Champions' League club had wanted him, that would have been different, but to go to Aston Villa, another mid-table club, made it seem that his only motivation was more money despite the high earnings he already had.

Couldn't care less now, if he stays at Villa or moves on.  Had he stayed, he could have enhanced his reputation but in retrospect, we had his best years and by his leaving, oportunities were created for others.

  

[Micky]

Danny Ings is quality, he'll probably be snapped up by Champions League chasing 'Toon next season.  Loads of dosh available there.....

[OldNick]

4 minutes ago, Micky said:

Danny Ings is quality, he'll probably be snapped up by Champions League chasing 'Toon next season.  Loads of dosh available there.....

'Danny Ings was quality',    Just sorted your predictive text for you

[LiberalCommunist]

Ings really made a foolish decision. Turning down that record contract from us was a big mistake. We know he loves playing, and loves scoring goals. 

So now he gets an extra 10%. But he's out of favour. He struggles to break into the team, and can't add to his goals tally.

He looks annoyed.

A penny for his thoughts right now, I bet its regret!

[Sheaf Saint]

22 hours ago, Lighthouse said:

This popped up on my twitter feed 'recommended topics', or whatever it's called. I've not been following Tiss for a year or two now but it would seem it's not just COVID, he's full on, broad-spectrum loony.

Sports personality turned Saturday afternoon sports TV presenter turned full on conspiracy theorist.

Next he'll be wearing a turquoise shell suit and claiming he's the son of God. Perhaps we should never have given him that nickname.

[VectisSaint]

16 hours ago, Dellman said:

Couldn't understand a Southampton born fellow in the form of his life, the highest wage earner in the club, wanting a move. Sad really but he brought it on himself and we are better off.

But he wasn't in the form of his life. Last season he missed a lot through illness and injury and scored only 12 PL goals (compared to 22 the season before, in just 9 more games). The writing was on the wall last season, and hence why I think Saints didn't really push the boat out to try to keep him. I would have preferred him to stay but really we haven't lost too much based on last season, and it wasn't too surprising to see him struggle at Villa.

[HKsaint]

2 hours ago, LiberalCommunist said:

Ings really made a foolish decision. Turning down that record contract from us was a big mistake. We know he loves playing, and loves scoring goals. 

So now he gets an extra 10%. But he's out of favour. He struggles to break into the team, and can't add to his goals tally.

He looks annoyed.

A penny for his thoughts right now, I bet its regret!

Ings also lost his chance of representing England. 

[macca155]

Personally I think we are looking at this the wrong way. 

Ings moved to Villa because Saints called his bluff. They went public that he wasn't signing and said they were moving on. Probably had Broja in their sites.

Ings was trying to keep his options open and then suddenly he had none. No CL team would take him due to injuries, that was obvious.

He was then left casting about for a team like Villa or West Ham. 

Saints did well out of the deal, and I hoped he'd do well.

No need for any aggro with Ings. He is a professional footballer. Came here and did a great job. He has the right to play elsewhere.

Remember Saints let him go earlier in his career. We can hardly accuse him of disloyalty now.

Good to see the club take no nonsense, it may dissuade others in the future.

[S-Clarke]

38 minutes ago, macca155 said:

Personally I think we are looking at this the wrong way. 

Ings moved to Villa because Saints called his bluff. They went public that he wasn't signing and said they were moving on. Probably had Broja in their sites.

Ings was trying to keep his options open and then suddenly he had none. No CL team would take him due to injuries, that was obvious.

He was then left casting about for a team like Villa or West Ham. 

Saints did well out of the deal, and I hoped he'd do well.

No need for any aggro with Ings. He is a professional footballer. Came here and did a great job. He has the right to play elsewhere.

Remember Saints let him go earlier in his career. We can hardly accuse him of disloyalty now.

Good to see the club take no nonsense, it may dissuade others in the future.

Yeah I think that's fair. He was clearly undecided about staying here and from a club point of view, given what our model was at that point, could not afford to lose our best player for free. That would have killed us. Luckily we used his fee to strengthen us in other areas such as the Broja loan fee, Armstrong, Perruad, Tino, Small etc. None of that would have been possible without Ings leaving.

Ings has probably got himself some extra dosh and a tasty signing on fee, so we leave it there really. He probably does regret it at this point but by not signing the deal the club couldn't hang around and risk losing him for £0.

Edited 22 February, 2022 by S-Clarke

[Dellman]

7 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

Yeah I think that's fair. He was clearly undecided about staying here and from a club point of view, given what our model was at that point, could not afford to lose our best player for free. That would have killed us. Luckily we used his fee to strengthen us in other areas such as the Broja loan fee, Armstrong, Perruad, Tino, Small etc. None of that would have been possible without Ings leaving.

Ings has probably got himself some extra dosh and a tasty signing on fee, so we leave it there really. He probably does regret it at this point but by not signing the deal the club couldn't hang around and risk losing him for £0.

Absolutely true but in view of Ings popularity at the time it took cool nerve of the Club management to cash in on him. Then they repeated it with Vesty--two good moves for us, we are reaping the benefits, Villa and Leicester are reaping the whirlwind among their fans

[AlexLaw76]

Not worked out for Ings.  He was talked about as a regular in the England Squad with us.  He has no chance now

[TWar]

I think most of Ings' best work has been in a front two and they probably thought he could play that role next to Watkins. Unfortunately Watkins is crap in that role so they had to ditch it. Then Gerrard came in and he doesn't seem to rate a front 2 at all. I think Watkins is just about better in the middle of a front 3, but neither are particularly good.

The other issue is that Villa are one of the most overrated teams in the league. They relied 100% on Grealish and now he's gone they look completely blunt going forward most of the time. Ings entered at the same time the guy that made the team left, it's a big ask for him to start scoring goals there when they don't have a single player who has put up over 3 assists in their team. They still expect forwards to be putting up numbers like last year when they went from feeding off one of the best creators in Europe to Buendia and Ashley Young. Coutinho is in now and may help as long as he doesn't perform like he did at Barca.

Edited 22 February, 2022 by TWar

[waylander]

Tadic scores for Ajax

[SuperSAINT]

 

[beatlesaint]

33 minutes ago, SuperSAINT said:

 

I mean why?

Why would he possibly go for that job let alone them appoint him. I bet he’s not cheap.

[Nordic Saint]

10 hours ago, beatlesaint said:

I mean why?

Why would he possibly go for that job let alone them appoint him. I bet he’s not cheap.

A match made in hell (or Bradford)

[adrian lord]

Shopped tie. 

[SW5 SAINT]

On 24/02/2022 at 11:36, beatlesaint said:

I mean why?

Why would he possibly go for that job let alone them appoint him. I bet he’s not cheap.

Bradford is a big city, whose football team consistently way underperforms. They must still have ambitions way above League 2 and think he is the man and big name to help realise them……

[igsey]

Looks like Spurs fans have come around to the fact that Hojbjerg isn't all that.

I always said he was perfect for Mourinho and would struggle massively once Jose was inevitably sacked.

[Turkish]

Lemina played 70 minutes and was replaced by Schniderlin in nice 1-0 win over PSG tonight