Saints 07/08 News

[prk166]

So it looks like Bale and Baird are gone. And no new news of a new LB or CB yet.

http://www.football365.com/news/transfers/0,17033,8671,00.html

AND THE REST
Chris Baird is set to join Sunderland from Southampton in a £3m deal...

[Speedvan]

So it looks like Bale and Baird are gone. And no new news of a new LB or CB yet.

http://www.football365.com/news/transfers/0,17033,8671,00.html

AND THE REST
Chris Baird is set to join Sunderland from Southampton in a £3m deal...

Yep, defo a downer, but I'm sure we can recover as always.

Bale - good player, but they all go if not in the prem, learned how to cope with it when Walcott went, we brought in some more experience players and finished in the top 6, not to mention about 10mil in profit.

We should always produce good youth for a while, whilst winning the league and coming in cup finals over the last few years, and although our 1st team coach and man who led the youth team both left lately, at least Dodd is back! :D

As for Baird, wish he would stay. Although saying that, he was loyal for a few years as back up in his early 20s, when playing for country and not club, obviously the F.A. Cup final being his big break through, and he was given a great chance to perform by the likes of Strachan.

We defo need some defenders if we are going to have any chance of a top 6 finish once more..although we really need to aim top 2 IMO.

Solid GK, and im a huge fan of Bartosz. LB we need someone experience, a pro at this level and maybe some prem seasons. A CB and RB would do, as Crainie also left. Pele is atrocious in defence IMO, which leaves Lundekvam (who's getting on, and maybe not always fit), Powell, Ostlund and who else...? 3 players are needed there.

As for midfield, read that Belmadi's gone, but we have enough here to compete i reckon. With Surman/Wright/Viafara/Dyer/Skacel all competing for 4 spots, it seems ok. Also if someone comes in on loan, it will add to the depth. Maybe some young guns may excel this season.

Finally up top, they are more than ok. Best has gone, very happy :D Disgraced with his performance in the 2nd leg at Derby, with Rasiak/Saga/Jones competing for the 1st top 2 places, and BWP as 4th choice, all seems ok there IMO.

2-3 D's, maybe 1-2 M's are needed for me, and of course Burley has promised future buys this summer, so im hoping he uses all his guile to get us some top players before the start of the 07/08 season. ;)

[prk166]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/f/fulham/6278052.stm

Southampton defender Chris Baird has snubbed Sunderland to join Fulham in a £3.025m deal.

[prk166]

http://supersaints.blogspot.com/2007/07/bye-bye-baird-but-hello-hammill.html

Looking at a full-back is exactly what Burley is going to do, Saints have taken Gregory Vignal on trial from Lens, where he would be available on a free transfer. He first came to England when he signed for Liverpool back in 2000, when he was one of the most promising french prospects, despite winning some cup winners medals, he struggled withg injury which led him to be sent out on loan to Rangers. He then opted to join Pompey (under Perrin), but was released when Redknapp returned. He sounds a good prospect and hopefully he can impress over the next week or two and can win himself a contract.




http://supersaints.blogspot.com/2007/07/bye-bye-baird-but-hello-hammill.html


Another missing piece of the puzzle was a winger, someone to add pace, creativity and a cutting edge going forward. Hopefully this may have been filled with the arrival of Adam Hammill on a years loan from Liverpool. The 19 year old winger, who can play on either flank, played most of last season at Dunfermline in the SPL, where he helped them to the Scottish cup final. Hopefully he can proved an excellent addition to the midfield and add some really quality.

[Speedvan]

2nd game of the tour of Norway tonight, after the crushing 0-12 won the other night (where Hammill + Saga got hat tricks).

Tonight a 0-4 win, again the impressive looking Hammill involved in 2 goals, before coming off at HT with the score 0-4, 1-4 at FT.

Vignal given a game to impress fired us in front with a cracker, we then hit the bar a couple times as we showed our class vs these amateurs. Saga got 1 and Rasiak 2, hit the bar some more before they pulled 1 back just after HT.

Some young guys a got a game, James and Poke to name a couple, good start to pre-season, 3 from 3 so far, but all comes down the the real stuff at the end of the day, hope Vignal and the other trialist (Vasko) sign up, plus a couple more, then we can mount another push towards promotion.

[prk166]

ex-Saint James Beattie has signed with Sheffield United. £4 million for him?????? REALLY???

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11688_2640575,00.html

[prk166]

The Morrocan Safri's been signed from Norwich

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11700_2637344,00.html

[Frazzell]

To say the least, I was disheartened by our start to the season. With Sags and Rasiak remaining in attack I still hope that we'll at least be in the running for promotion this year.

It sounds like the Saints have made a couple of offers for centre backs. Does anyone have any news on that?

[prk166]

I haven't heard anything new about CBs. But I'd expect with Kenwyne being hell bent on leaving the club that the money from that will make it possible to pick up a damn good CB. I'm not sure Saints need more strikers right now even with Jones leaving.

[prk166]

We really, really need a CB or 2.


http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11700_2724226,00.html


Claus Lundekvam has revealed he is depressed by the news of his long injury lay-off but is determined to bounce back.

The Southampton defender recently discovered he will be out for six months following surgery to reconstruct his ankle tendon.

[prk166]

First it was Surman and now it's Dyer that ********ing Pompey are drooling over. Seriously, when is saggy cheeks going to just go away?

Speaking of... was Rednapp one of the worst managers that Southampton has ever had?

[prk166]

Sisu looking to buy Saints

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11700_2823332,00.html
http://levyashin.blogspot.com/2007/11/southampton-buyout-offer.html

[prk166]

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1fc62a16-899f-11dc-8dff-0000779fd2ac.html


Southampton Football Club will be forced to sell players in the January transfer window and cut costs to generate working capital, the Championship club’s holding company said on Friday, as takeover talks remained deadlocked.

Sisu Capital, the hedge fund, was last week revealed to have made an approach for the club with an offer to take a 55 per cent stake at a discount of about 20 per cent to Southampton’s share price.
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Hedge fund is bidder for Southampton - Oct-25
Southampton Leisure accepts majority stake bid - Oct-23
FT sports news and reports - Aug-14
Call to limit foreign footballers - Oct-06
Battle looms in clash over Spanish football rights - Oct-05

Southampton Leisure Holdings has a market value of about £14m and debts on its St Mary’s stadium of £28m.

Sisu’s initial approach is understood to have been rejected by leading shareholders.

[prk166]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/low/football/teams/s/southampton/7109109.stm

Former Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe will not support the proposed takeover of the club by hedge fund Sisu Capital.

The proposed deal, revealed in October, would see Sisu take a majority stake in the Championship club's parent company, Southampton Leisure Holdings plc.

Lowe said he had made suggestions to Sisu about the structure of the deal.

But he told BBC Radio Solent: "They are adamant that they will not change their outline, so for now they will not receive our support."

Sisu's proposed offer would be executed by means of a placing of new shares at 40p per share - 20% below its current share price - but it needs the backing of 75% of shareholders.

Lowe stood down as chairman in June 2006, but remains a major shareholder in the club.

[prk166]

http://www.hemscott.com/news/latest-news/item.do?newsId=52587579734220

Southampton Leisure says would need to sell players without new investment

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Football club Southampton Leisure Holdings PLC said it would be required to sell players during the January transfer window to generate funds in the absence of significant new investment.

The sale of players would likely to have an adverse impact on its ability to achieve promotion to the FA Premier League, the club added.

[prk166]

Sisu bought Coventry instead of Saints. With @50% more debt Coventry was probably cheaper and the same sort of potential.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11688_2960935,00.html

[prk166]

Getting some defenders back is definitely good news

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11700_2967458,00.html

Nathan Dyer could be out for up to three months after injuring his ankle against Leicester.

<snip>

Better news for boss George Burley is that Darren Powell, Wayne Thomas and Jhon Viafara should all be available for Saturday's trip to Coventry

[prk166]

It doesn't look good right now with shares falling $5 today.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/17/sports/EU-SPT-SOC-Southampton-Takeover.php

Chairman Ken Dulieu, chief executive Jim Hone and commercial director Andy Oldknow quit after a deadlock with shareholders on the future of the club.

[prk166]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11700_3032923,00.html

Hi Kammy, I am a Southampton fan and I was wondering where you think we are going wrong this season? What do we have to do to find some consistency? At the moment Saints look just an average Championship team. With some of our defenders coming back from injury in recent weeks, our form still isn't improving. I think with the injury of Claus Lundekvam we really lack a leader on the pitch. For me, promotion seems unlikely this season. Do you think George Burley has taken the team as far as he can? I look forward to your reply. Matt from Bournemouth

KAMMY SAYS: Hi Matt. The problem that George Burley has is that all their best players left the club in the summer. The parachute payments stopped following their Premier League relegation and the fall-out of that has been massive. George wasn't really able to organise the team and buy the right men during pre-season and to make matters worse, important players were still leaving as late as August. For example, Kenwyne Jones downed tools and said he wanted a move before the transfer window closed. George didn't need that sort of disruption in the first few weeks of the season and although they got £6million, he wasn't able to spend any of that money. His job has been made a lot harder and he might need to survive this season and then he can re-organise things next summer.

[prk166]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11700_3045925,00.html

Rasiak struck his first goal in four months as Southampton saw off Scunthorpe - however the striker is fearful that his lack of regular football could jeopardise his future with Poland.

Speaking to the club's official website, Rasiak said: "I always try to give 100 per cent for the club but if you do not play it is frustrating.