Giordano

Brazil's new Ronaldo? The future ( and current) number 9 of Brazil. Seriously ? That's a wtf moment for me. It cannot happen. My goodness....

Agree with those remarking on the penalties- none of them was remotely stoppable- incredible mastery of technique despite them all obviously being out on their feet from 30degree heat and 90% humidity. Of other interest to me was the Italian formation and especially the second half decision to change the CB. Italy played with a back three in case you had'nt noticed and at half time even took off a CB (presumably injured but possibly tactical) and put the DM De Rossi there, adding Aquilani to the MF. De Rossi promptly started playing 30-40 yard passes and generally being significant in build up play - unlike conventional CB's whose job it is to pass to a MF and that's it. It meant that they could withstand Spain' usually superior possession in general (though i saw somewhere it was 60% Italy in second half) yet still remain dangerous because of the sheer numbers of technically comfortable on the ball numbers they could put together in higher up the pitch areas..That would be the Saints equivalent of putting Spiderman at CB in a match by himself with Shaw and Clyne either side of him, ahead of them a midfield of Cork, Adam, Punch, Ramirez and Davies. Against teams whop " park the bus" against Saints at SMS for instance Id like to see us have that tactical flexibility to play that way with more of our "better" players on the pitch at the same time (as long as we have the personnel capable of doing so of course). God love them but I dont see Jos/Jose/Maya as up to being all able to play as part of a back three. Lovren and Forren might have the technical characteristics to do that however in future but we are presently fairly stuck on a back 4..... Just goes to show the fluidity, technical skill and flexibility of position that the absolute highest level players are expected to have everywhere on the pitch. Did you notice how often Pique was in Italy's six yard box - an amazing demonstration of strength but also skill, tactical organisation and flexibility. If you compare that with the England team then you can see that there is rigidity and inflexibility within our national teams compared to elite teams like Spain and Italy ( and add Germany to that list). We could not play a back three as the guys would not have a clue whats going on. And that's a part of why we wont win anything much, because we lack tactical nous.

The translation is good, I add a few subtleties inferred comments below : 1. Being informed about a $20million striker like Osvaldo in itself is an admission of the calibre and price tag of the kind of striker that other clubs/agents think Saints might be interested in having a look at. IE big league. 2. MP states that he is counting on Gaston for the next season and that he is in his plans for the season. My understanding of how he says it in the interview suggests that Gaston will be a key player, at least from the start of season, for Saints, which in turn gives clues/indications about line-ups, formations and likely purchases. Your key player usually is allowed to play in his best, most effective position. So make of that what you will. I still don't know what that best/most effective position for him is yet myself (nor do Uruguay it seems!) 3. Rosa in that context means the squad not the colour of the clubs shirts we buying from incidentally..

I think we will get a marquee striker before start of season, but the quality of player we would want will also be coveted by others, so it may be a late thing in the window after the "domino-effect" of other transfers take place. For example now that Tevez has joined Juventus, and knowing that Llorente is joining Juventus too in August its obvious that they have at least one probably two strikers more than they need or even want. Players like Matri, Quaglierella and...best of all Vucinic...will all be playing second fiddle to the two newcomers. Vucinic is basically an upgraded Rickie Lambert - he can do everything Rickie can do for Saints ( and im not being disloyal to SRL by saying that he is a different class) - so would slot in easily with our current style of play. Of course he would'nt join Southampton but if it was a direct like for like but frankly a league above replacement at number 9 - Vucinic is the number one choice for me - even though the chances are barely 5% i'd guess. My other choice would be Torres, 1% chance of that..:-)

Inter Milan player Antonio Cassano is available for €4m. He is a different class to Adam lallana in the playmaker/ assist role.

What would you say £900k 19/20year old from Beerschop was on at Celtic then? £10k/week? Trebling it to £30k/week not unrealistic at Celtic. What would Saints be offering - £40-£50k/week?

Its possibly what makes Wanyama appealing. He is currently a DM but can play CB.

This deal, from what i understand, is for a £12,000,000 transfer fee. The contact will be not less than 3 years- probably 5 but lets settle at 4. There will be bonuses on top- lets say up to 50% of salary p.a. again but settle at 20%. Assume his salary is fixed during that time ( unlikely- more likely to have automatic increments built in) and he would be on our highest or close to highest weekly salary (Ramirez, lets call it £60k pw.) then this deal is worth around,......£27M over the four years. The agent wants £500k. That's 1.8% "commission" or agency fee. That's cheap. Unless there is an element of a signing on fee or other payment element to the agent that is not in the public domain ( did i read about his previous clubs getting a windfall somewhere from this?) then £500k for brokering it is cheap and we should not be arguing if it makes it happening. £27,000,000 deals do not break down because of £450,000 difference on something, so whilst theres usually no smoke without fire id be surprised, if what the Glasgow Saint says is true, if this doesnt come off.

Cagliari's Astori is still available at $12M. The club has said to those circling over him to take it or leave it - that's from today's Corriero dello Sport calciomercato section. That sounds quite cheap myself for an Italian International CB. I would be happy if we got him. You should be buying proven quality with him. Still, i wonder who the mystery striker will be....

Exactly. Some people here are well informed and there are genuine ITK people amongst them. But a number have personality disorders of varying degrees. (I know I do lol- supporting saints already betrays us..) Many you would not sit down in a pub with and have that online conversation with face to face because, well you just would not, but online, its safe and its fine. The forum offers some safe anonymity and from that perspective its the ultimate democracy. Typical in any forum group thread are those who have ulterior motives. Often (but not always) those are not getting attention elsewhere in their lives so the forum is like therapy. The participation in the forum thread is more important than any actual content of what they post, indeed, it sometimes appears like posting for the sake of posting ( I liken it to dogs ****ing everywhere they see a nice spot - they do it on instinct not because they particularly want to pee on that tree - they have no interest really in the tree or the consequences of peeing on it, its just what they need/want to do). That can be a bit frustrating if you genuinely have got an interest in discussing the implications of say Victor Wanyama joining but its the price you pay. Ultimately if you don't enjoy the experience, then get off and get out. For me there are sufficient intelligent posters out there to make it worthwhile, and even the "funny" guys sometimes get it right with the humour, sarcasm and sardonic asides.

I think someone like Honda playing as a false number nine could also be a good pick up for us if we really are going to play high up the pitch passing football.

Osvaldo is VERY high maintenance. I think his attitude issues would prejudice the team "feel" myself, much as I'd love a player of his undoubted higher level than what we've currently got, to join us. Put it this way, if he stays at Roma, doesn't get injured and keeps his nose clean he will very likely go to the World Cup as back up striker/alternate to Balotelli, or even alongside him. A goal every other game in La Liga for Espanyol and for Roma in Seria A( 44 goals in 99 appearances last two years)and neither of whom are current powerhouses in their respective leagues says this is a proper number 9. Its obvious why he is associated with us (his ex manager was Mopo),but I'd still worry if he came. The only upside is that if he wasn't such high maintenance there is no way on earth we could get him for around $15m. He scores 15 goals for saints next season and a superpower team will pay double that straight away for him...it might be a financial rather than a truly footballing decision- like spotting an opportunity to do up an unloved house and sell it on at a profit...

Hi Chris, I base the assertion that Mayuka would score as many as Hooper as the main man in that Celtic team upon my opinion, exactly. Feel free to disagree with that opinion, its what the forum for.

I don't think he fits our profile, he is not a SRL clone - more of a billy sharp type player as I see it. And he may score for fun with Celtic but i reckon if you put Mayuka in that Celtic team and made him the main man he'd score more....

Its not a dull stat at all. Its a corroborative fact which might influence the decision. It means that Mopo was probably a "local hero" to someone like Ever and Gazza as kids. To be signed up by your "local hero" is special and might make a lot of difference to their choice of who to play for. There is life after football and so when they go back to the hometown its likely they will be even more feted because of the connection with Mopo than otherwise.

http://www.superdeporte.es/valencia/2013/06/14/southampton-interesado-fichar-banega/199128.html I think this is a lazy article. The author is dismissive of SFC IMO based on old fashioned values ie how many trophies and how often you played and won in europe and how often you won your league etc etc. Inference is that a player like him would never take the step down to play for a club like us. Nowadays we all know that's tosh. Its tosh because if former World Player of the year and World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro can go play for El Arabicclubineverheardofbeforehejoinedthem, African superstar + legend player of the year Samual Eto can play for Anzhi wotsit in Siberia and Serie A legend WC winning icon Del Piero can play for Sydney FC then Ever Banega, who relatively speaking has done f-all in his career to date compared to those and is not ready to even clean their boots as a player yet, can play for Southampton in the EPl. ( if NC waves a big holdall full of cash at him and allow him an easy release clause if Real Madrid want him one day that is, or if he doesn't like the weather, the food, we get relegated, he gets tackled, or abused or has family issues...all the standard get out clauses we heard trotted out for Tevez basically). The "project" is code for " I'm being paid a lot a lot of money, and that is why i am prepared to take that money and see if the big ideas of this relatively unknown but now wealthy club can come to something in the next few years, but if it doesn't I am made for life anyway so I've nothing to lose". PS. yes i do realise he is at the start of his career not the end, but you do not lose international exposure by playing in the EPl thats for sure- hence its worth a punt for a lot of them to buy "the project".

He ticks every box. Just needs lots of money plus a mega sales job of "the project" to him. He can easily play CL football this season so to actively choose NOT to in the year before the WC by joining Saints needs some pitch( and a big big wedge of cash to him) otherwise he will be seen as lacking ambition. MP is crucial to this. He may still have some influence / credibility on the Argentinian set-up so Ever would not be outcast by joining us.

If you want to know your past - look into your present conditions. If you want to know your future - look into your present actions. (Buddhist Saying)

There are exceptions, and there will be more. i just see a recurring coincidence of factors amongst sufficient of the recent intake to suggest a series of fairly strict and determinable criteria are being applied by the transfer " committee".

You could be right. Its not science. Your example shows that there's always alternatives, however unlikely, and i totally accept there may be an alternate outcome to that which i suggest seems evident from the " pattern". Point is, There does seem to be a pattern though. If the pattern continues then our next likeliest purchases will share some or all of those characteristics. If the pattern stops and MP decides a 38 year old then fair enough, its kess likely than a 22-25 year old international though.

David- i do think that actually but i deliberately excluded the EPL and CCC players as we all know who they are. Said said as much first para if you reread. Its highly unlikely ( imo a low probability ) we buy any first team English players this year - squad and academy - certainly, but first 15 - v. Unlikely - for 3 reasons- cost and quality and availability. When we can get quoted£4m for an ok - ish CCC left back at Ipswich for example and you can get internationals from northern& Southern Europe on "free" it makes no sense. I just wanted to see if there was a logical way to identify likely candidates from European leagues. Ever Bonega was in the net as a possible MF from the approach. If we get him that just leaves a wide player, another FB or two and a CF. We getting the team sorted from the back upwards as i expect from an ex CB manager. Fwiw it seems clear to me we WILL be buying a "modern" centre forward. He will be an international or at very least an u21 international. He will cost £15-£20m. He will blow our minds. The out and out wide player may be a luxury as im not sure our future playing style will really demand it - but we absolutely require at least one FB probably 2 who can run fast overlap and play as wingbacks....all from usual criteria previously outlined.

Thank you Suewhistle....you can narrow it down further if you spot the common denominator between our last five signings ( Mayuka, maya, dejan, gaston, forren). - age internationals etc. I think with 15 minutes research online i could give this forum the template of how our recruitment team shortlist our next targets in most positions.

Maya Yoshida, CB, full Japan international 24 years old 25 national appearances. International Captain. Gaston Ramirez,AM, full Uruguayan International, 22 years old, 14 national appearances. Number 10 " play maker". Vegard Forren, CB/FB, fullNorwegian International, 25 years old, 6 national appearances. Promising young CB for Norway. Dejan Loren. CB, full Croatian international, 23 years old, 17 national appearances. Promising young CB for Croatia. Whoever is next its a good bet he will be 22-25, a full international already and full of potential.

So far so good- with the purchase of Dejan - without being too specific the little ready reckoner managed to narrow down our likely purchasing criteria sufficiently to venture that " even Lyon might sell to us.." Given the nature of this purchase ( age, position, cost,troubled recent nature of the player at his club, injuries, discipline, country playing in and level etc) we now have further evidence of the " type" that we will buy so we can refine and draw the net in even further...An AM seems next so will have a look... There can only be maybe two dozen in the right areas for us...

It would have to be a peculiar free transfer deal or a very very special and rare player indeed if we signed anyone aged 28+ who is any good I reckon. All these 30 year olds never played in the EPL before - I am not a believer...Cardozo, Verdu even Ambrosini etc were/are all good players..but too old for "the project" so why come to get bullied in the EPL (apart from a big fat weekly wage of course) when they can be revered and respected and maybe eke out a season or two more in the slower paced but more technical euro-leagues. I think we will pick up early twenties players myself who want EPL on the CV. They will likely be of the AM variety as defenders tend to get better with age...MP MIGHT be allowed one old dog to teach the attack or defence something they don't already know but i don't see him bringing in more than one old-timer...