Pre Season Friendlies 2025/26

[suewhistle]

55 minutes ago, saintant said:

Are we going to dump those we don't want in Spain then? 🙂

I can think of one or two candidates..

We might even have the same ones in mind!

[hypochondriac]

1 hour ago, Saint86 said:

Still isn't inexperienced, and his track record at every club he's been at is one of success and improvement.

Zero experience in the championship is the point. I think he will do well for us but it wouldn't surprise me if he takes a few games to find his feet in a new league. 

[saintant]

34 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

I will continue to say, and you guys can believe me or not, but clubs aren't interested in Dibling anywhere near the price we want. His sojourn to Chelsea has flashed up too many red flags. 

He will still be owned by Southampton next year.

If this is indeed the case then it is up to Will Still to get Dibling playing in the way many think he is capable of - I still hold doubts about his potential but we'll see. At the same time Dibling will need to work his arse off to prove himself. If those two things happen then we'll have a player the big clubs will want and get decent money for him. The problem will be his agent because he may try to manipulate a transfer now at a low fee which will not help us and will mess with Dibling's head. 

[Matthew Le God]

36 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Zero experience in the championship is the point. I think he will do well for us but it wouldn't surprise me if he takes a few games to find his feet in a new league. 

Does the same apply to opposing managers 'finding their feet' in a game vs a Will Still team? Do the two cancel each other out?

Edited Monday at 20:12 by Matthew Le God

[Farmer Saint]

1 hour ago, Verbal said:

Bookmarked for praise/ridicule

That's fine, but make sure you read and interpret my post correctly.

[hypochondriac]

1 hour ago, Matthew Le God said:

Does the same apply to opposing managers 'finding their feet' in a game vs a Will Still team? Do the two cancel each other out?

If the opposing manager has no championship experience either then possibly yes. 

[Matthew Le God]

2 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

If the opposing manager has no championship experience either then possibly yes. 

How is the league label making a difference to the match?

[Willo of Whiteley]

Dibling will still be a Southampton player at the end of the window. Clubs aren’t paying more than £30m for him, and that’s only cos he’s English so there’s a tax increase on him of about £20m.

[SNSUN]

7 hours ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

Apart from Jack Stephens 

Fair.

Do we even know what kind of contract he’s on now? I have him down as the Lancashire/Walcott/Lallana youth “poster boy” past this season (even though he came from Plymouth….)

[TheAlehouseBrawlers]

Castellon should provide a good test tomorrow, they beat Valencia in a friendly at the weekend (wouldn't know quality of line-ups involved) but decent opposition at this stage. Espanyol will be a step up on Saturday - club billing this as 'behind-closed-doors' but Espanyol giving free entry to their fans if members which may add more of an edge.

https://www.rcdespanyol.com/en/new/ticket-process-for-friendly-against-southampton-fc/18884

Edited Tuesday at 05:18 by TheAlehouseBrawlers

[hypochondriac]

9 hours ago, Matthew Le God said:

How is the league label making a difference to the match?

You make me laugh. 

[revolution saint]

1 hour ago, TheAlehouseBrawlers said:

Castellon should provide a good test tomorrow, they beat Valencia in a friendly at the weekend (wouldn't know quality of line-ups involved) but decent opposition at this stage. Espanyol will be a step up on Saturday - club billing this as 'behind-closed-doors' but Espanyol giving free entry to their fans if members which may add more of an edge.

https://www.rcdespanyol.com/en/new/ticket-process-for-friendly-against-southampton-fc/18884

Castellon thrashed QPR six nil early on too.

[CSA96]

 

[hypochondriac]

3 minutes ago, CSA96 said:

 

Such teases. 

[Midfield_General]

5 minutes ago, CSA96 said:

 

Four lucky lads got the chance to meet an actual Premier League quality footballer. 

[Doctoroncall]

12 hours ago, hypochondriac said:

Zero experience in the championship is the point. I think he will do well for us but it wouldn't surprise me if he takes a few games to find his feet in a new league. 

I don’t think you can compare Still to Martin and his naive approach to the premier league and not knowing how physical it was going to be. As for the Championship Le Bris did well. I don’t think experience in the Championship is such a big factor when it comes to manager quality. 

[Lee On Solent Saint]

8 hours ago, SNSUN said:

Fair.

Do we even know what kind of contract he’s on now? I have him down as the Lancashire/Walcott/Lallana youth “poster boy” past this season (even though he came from Plymouth….)

Possibly. Maybe he's earmarked for that under 21 player mentor role and some point. 

[Pwoite]

With this speculation that we can’t shift Dibling, and will work to keep Fernandes, it goes a long way towards explaining little transfer activity or rumour.

On that principle, who might be presumed to be our front six for Wrexham? Downes and Charles holding, Dibling/Archer/Fernandes/Robinson attacking, with Stewart/Downs as striker. Arma on the bench.

For all those knocking the squad quality, that gives us some bloody good options.

Full backs and goalkeeper, well tbc!!

[hypochondriac]

21 minutes ago, Doctoroncall said:

I don’t think you can compare Still to Martin and his naive approach to the premier league and not knowing how physical it was going to be. As for the Championship Le Bris did well. I don’t think experience in the Championship is such a big factor when it comes to manager quality. 

I didn't say it was but it is a factor. 

[Convict Colony]

11 minutes ago, Pwoite said:

With this speculation that we can’t shift Dibling, and will work to keep Fernandes, it goes a long way towards explaining little transfer activity or rumour.

On that principle, who might be presumed to be our front six for Wrexham? Downes and Charles holding, Dibling/Archer/Fernandes/Robinson attacking, with Stewart/Downs as striker. Arma on the bench.

For all those knocking the squad quality, that gives us some bloody good options.

Full backs and goalkeeper, well tbc!!

I'm going for the clubs in the club world championship being a choke point for the movements, basically 4 weeks behind where we normally are and the donwflow effect of them buying more players in this 2nd window as the 1st was primarily to help those in the CWC.

[saintant]

1 hour ago, CSA96 said:

 

Sign him up.

[Suhari]

1 hour ago, CSA96 said:

 

 

O.M.G.

Do you think we have chance of tempting him back for a season? He's someone I would be happy to have at the club, as a 'good bloke in the dressing room', and making a few cameos.

[Midfield_General]

9 minutes ago, Suhari said:

 

O.M.G.

Do you think we have chance of tempting him back for a season? He's someone I would be happy to have at the club, as a 'good bloke in the dressing room', and making a few cameos.

A lot of his former managers have said he'd make an excellent coach. 

The dream: Romeu does his badges, smashes the Segunda División in his first gig and then returns as manager to lead our 2031-32 promotion charge. 

The likelihood: In six years' time a 38 year-old Jack Stephens proudly leads us out as player-manager (with Bednarek as his assistant and McCarthy as goalkeeping coach)

Edited Tuesday at 08:55 by Midfield_General

[trousers]

48 minutes ago, Pwoite said:

With this speculation that we can’t shift Dibling

Apologies if I've missed it but got a link to this speculation? Cheers 👍🏻

[OldNick]

15 hours ago, Saint_clark said:

Not even that fussed about Ramsdale, keeping Fernandes should be the number one priority. 

Im sure keeping Fernandes would be wonderful but if a PL club comes in with a good offer he's gone.

It would be selfish of us to expect him to sacrifice a year of his career staying in the Championship

[santolijador]

3 hours ago, TheAlehouseBrawlers said:

Castellon should provide a good test tomorrow, they beat Valencia in a friendly at the weekend (wouldn't know quality of line-ups involved) but decent opposition at this stage. Espanyol will be a step up on Saturday - club billing this as 'behind-closed-doors' but Espanyol giving free entry to their fans if members which may add more of an edge.

https://www.rcdespanyol.com/en/new/ticket-process-for-friendly-against-southampton-fc/18884

I'm going! I live nearby and know a few Espanyol members, who have promised me a ticket. 

Interestingly it also says that if tickets don't sell out, they can be bought on the door. Might be interesting for those of us locally based ( @BARCELONASAINT judging by the name? )

[AlexLaw76]

14 minutes ago, OldNick said:

Im sure keeping Fernandes would be wonderful but if a PL club comes in with a good offer he's gone.

It would be selfish of us to expect him to sacrifice a year of his career staying in the Championship

I will be amazed if either, let alone both, of Fernandes and Ramsdale are playing for saints after the window shuts 

[Patrick Bateman]

Looking at the pictures of yesterday's training, is it me or do some of the players look a lot leaner already?? BBD in particular looks in much better shape than last season?

[BARCELONASAINT]

23 minutes ago, santolijador said:

I'm going! I live nearby and know a few Espanyol members, who have promised me a ticket. 

Interestingly it also says that if tickets don't sell out, they can be bought on the door. Might be interesting for those of us locally based ( @BARCELONASAINT judging by the name? )

haha, no, I live in Ocean Village, 10 minute walk from St Mary's

[Miltonaggro]

14 hours ago, hypochondriac said:

That wouldn't surprise me. Would just be a bit of a shame though because that probably means we're cashing in other assets. I'd probably take keeping Fernandes and Dibling if we just lose Ramsdale and THB. 

Fernandes is the absolute jewel. If we miraculously get another season he needs to be skipper and the team built and focussed around him. 

[trousers]

33 minutes ago, santolijador said:

Might be interesting for those of us locally based ( @BARCELONASAINT judging by the name? )

9 minutes ago, BARCELONASAINT said:

haha, no, I live in Ocean Village, 10 minute walk from St Mary's

And, for avoidance of doubt, I'm currently wearing shorts....

[Osvaldorama]

2 hours ago, CSA96 said:

 

Not normally one to dwell on former players but after how shit we’ve been… my god I miss this man. 

What a baller and what a bloke. Shame flynn Downes isn’t there as he could learn so much from oriol. 

[SaintStinger]

I think apart from Bednarek, those four are the only players still at Saints when Romeu was here.

[Miltonaggro]

13 minutes ago, Osvaldorama said:

Not normally one to dwell on former players but after how shit we’ve been… my god I miss this man. 

What a baller and what a bloke. Shame flynn Downes isn’t there as he could learn so much from oriol. 

Agree.  Think he was 29 when we sold him to Girona, and still would be a crucial player at 33 had he stayed.

[Patches O Houlihan]

39 minutes ago, Miltonaggro said:

Fernandes is the absolute jewel. If we miraculously get another season he needs to be skipper and the team built and focussed around him. 

Would love Fernandes to stay, more than any of the others, and definitely build the team to fit his play. But English isn't his first language, and he's only been in the UK a year, and is still playing U21 football for Portugal > we might find that asking him to be captain demands too much of his attention and degrades the quality of his play. 

Ramsdale, Stephens or Flynn Downes a better fit for on field captain. Jack can stay as club captain.

[S-Clarke]

I've been a staunch critic of having Stewart here, and I still don't think he's someone we can truly rely on in the coming season - but from a pure personal point of view, it must be great for him experiencing a full pre-season and full involvement for the first time in years.

I can't imagine it's been easy for him not playing, but he's involved all throughput pre-season this year. Be interesting how he copes with the rigours of league football though, for that reason he's not someone I'd pin huge hopes on, but it's just nice to see him involved for once - over a prolonged period.

[Patches O Houlihan]

7 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

I've been a staunch critic of having Stewart here, and I still don't think he's someone we can truly rely on in the coming season - but from a pure personal point of view, it must be great for him experiencing a full pre-season and full involvement for the first time in years.

I can't imagine it's been easy for him not playing, but he's involved all throughput pre-season this year. Be interesting how he copes with the rigours of league football though, for that reason he's not someone I'd pin huge hopes on, but it's just nice to see him involved for once - over a prolonged period.

If we can get Ross Stewart firing consistently then we could be in for a very entertaining season. He seems to have a great attitude, and was handy before his injuries came along. You suspect that his style would suit Will Still, and may work well in combination with Archer or Arma. 

Edited Tuesday at 10:42 by Patches O Houlihan
extra

[Miltonaggro]

28 minutes ago, Patches O Houlihan said:

Would love Fernandes to stay, more than any of the others, and definitely build the team to fit his play. But English isn't his first language, and he's only been in the UK a year, and is still playing U21 football for Portugal > we might find that asking him to be captain demands too much of his attention and degrades the quality of his play. 

Ramsdale, Stephens or Flynn Downes a better fit for on field captain. Jack can stay as club captain.

Good point about language, and Ramsdale or Downes could do the job, but I think given his performances last season when he was frequently attempting a one man version of the Alamo, broad shoulders well beyond his years.

I think back to when McMenemy made Steve Williams skipper and drew criticism with much older pros in the side, and it added another 20% of bite to his game.  I saw flashes of that in Fernandes last season. 

  

[Saint_clark]

3 hours ago, OldNick said:

Im sure keeping Fernandes would be wonderful but if a PL club comes in with a good offer he's gone.

It would be selfish of us to expect him to sacrifice a year of his career staying in the Championship

Heaven forbid we act in our best interests, eh.

[saintant]

3 hours ago, Patrick Bateman said:

Looking at the pictures of yesterday's training, is it me or do some of the players look a lot leaner already?? BBD in particular looks in much better shape than last season?

Hopefully this doesn't apply to Will Smallbone.

[S-Clarke]

39 minutes ago, saintant said:

Hopefully this doesn't apply to Will Smallbone.

He does seem to be sporting a new head of hair though.

Hopefully he's over his illness.

[Turkish]

6 hours ago, CSA96 said:

 

What’s guy. One of the best signings we’ve made in recent years. Class act on and off the pitch 

[saintant]

17 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

He does seem to be sporting a new head of hair though.

Hopefully he's over his illness.

Yeah, noticed the barnet 🙂

[OldNick]

1 hour ago, Saint_clark said:

Heaven forbid we act in our best interests, eh.

Well acting in our best interests for a business is to get a good price and then invest and buy another. That seems our business model. At the same time it would be lovely for us fans to see him in a Saints shirt, but why shouldnt he be allowed to florish in the PL where he deserves to be

[trousers]

 

 

[Matthew Le God]

3 minutes ago, OldNick said:

Well acting in our best interests for a business is to get a good price and then invest and buy another. That seems our business model. At the same time it would be lovely for us fans to see him in a Saints shirt, but why shouldnt he be allowed to florish in the PL where he deserves to be

Because he agreed to sign a deal until 2029 with Saints and wasn't forced to at gunpoint 😉

[Pwoite]

5 hours ago, trousers said:

Apologies if I've missed it but got a link to this speculation? Cheers 👍🏻

No source, just Dibling is meant to have indicated he would stay if we can be in the automatic promotion positions. Added to that his previous experience at Chelsea, and the high asking price the Club is reputedly asking. Also, whilst Dibling hasn’t signed a new contract, it has been indicated that his family have their feet firmly on the ground and are realistic about expectations. Further, his drop off in form last season, and a couple of injuries, means he would be a risk for any club. Finally, Dibling knows he needs to be playing, and if he moves to a lot of EPL teams he won’t be a regular starter.

However, who really knows? Probably not even Dibling.

[suewhistle]

Maybe it's my inherent optimism, but the intensity of that training session session seems higher than those we saw under Martin?

[OldNick]

5 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

Because he agreed to sign a deal until 2029 with Saints and wasn't forced to at gunpoint 😉

yes that is correct, when he signed it I doubt he knew he'd be playing the 2nd tier, and much like all the others we have sold over the years most if not all had length left on their contracts.

[Matthew Le God]

Just now, OldNick said:

yes that is correct, when he signed it I doubt he knew he'd be playing the 2nd tier, and much like all the others we have sold over the years most if not all had length left on their contracts.

In which case he can't complain if he didn't ask his agent to include a relegation release clause. That would then be the fault of the player/agent.