Giordano

Has far more skill than any of the players he replaces, Theo and Sturridge, and loads more intelligence. Plus, out of Livermore Sterling or Lallana...please don't tell me he is not better than those....If RH asks him to play i would be massively made up ( i would love it, really love it...) to see him come on, replace Oxo at some point, score a fantasy goal or two and make himself an instant England hero!

On the Japan team sheets viewable on yahoo he plays left back for some reason. Is there a chance he might start there in place of the injured fox? Its not unknown for a CB to be able to play full back, though its unusual the other way around. It would certainly mean a more "defensive" back four which is not such a bad thing considering he would be supporting Lallana at left midfield who is probably not our best defensive midfielder.

Is GR training with the team today - does anybody know? He was meant to be slightly injured.

Totally agree 100%. Go for it Nigel. Play Shaw against Arsenal. The only way to find out is by playing him so lets go for it. Please no arsing around with Clyne and Richardson etc to "protect" Luke. Unless we are starting Yoshida in which case two new defenders in at the same time is probably one too many in which case i would start Richardson at Left back and trust to his experience to deal with it and help Maya along.

Fabio Grosso is also out of contract. 34 years old. 6ft 3". Left wing/full back. Between him and Zambrotta seems theres a couple of Italians available if we want them. Id prefer Zambrotta, busier player.

and or... "We're walking along, singing our song, living in Del Piero Wonderland......

Yes he has got it in him. He needs a hardworking set of teammates around him- exactly like Saints team- but he is glorious in possession, simply an exquisite player. We need defenders NOW more than we need ADP though.But NA and NC know that. Having said that IF we got the defenders AND ADP.....well.....who is not going to get a Del Piero Saints Shirt? Im not sure that our Saints fan base or even the english EPL fanbase in general quite gets who Del Piero is and what he represents. He would be THE star of the EPL and we would sell out everywhere because people would want to see the legend. 28 appearances last year, 5 goals for the champions unbeaten all season, mainly from the bench though. With him in the squad we have instant international appeal. He is akin to David Beckham in Italy but with an even squeakier clean image. In footballing terms i think he's still worth it, but in marketing and image terms he is priceless for Saints, we will be taking the fast track to big boys if he comes on board. The world will seriously look up and take notice. And he is already wealthy beyond his needs. He does not need the money. He would only come for the challenge. Which is a mighty good thing to know. From wiki: UEFA Cup: Runner-up: 1994–95 Serie A (6): 1994–95, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2011–12 (also won two more: 2004-05, 2005–06 removed from Juventus in calciopoli) Coppa Italia (1): 1994–95. Runner-up: 2001–02, 2003–04, 2011–12 Supercoppa Italiana (4): 1995, 1997, 2002, 2003. Runner-up: 1998, 2005 UEFA Champions League (1): 1995–96. Runner-up: 1996–97, 1997–98, 2002–03 UEFA Super Cup (1): 1996 Intercontinental Cup (1): 1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup (1): 1999 Serie B (1): 2006–07 Italy UEFA Under-21 European Championship (2): 1994, 1996 UEFA European Championship: Runner-up: 2000 FIFA World Cup (1): 2006 IndividualESM Team of the Year (3): 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98 Most Valuable Player Intercontinental Cup: 1996 European Footballer of the Year Under-21: 1996 UEFA Champions League Topscorer: 1997–98 Best Loved Football Player: 2001, 2008 FIFA 100 Golden Foot to career: 2007 Serie B - Topscorer: 2007 (20 goals) Scirea Award to career: 2008 Oscar AIC – Italian Footballer ot the Year(2): 1998, 2008 Serie A – Top Scorer: 2008 (21 goals) USSI Silver Ball: 2008 Globe Soccer Award: 2011 Oscar AIC – Award to Career: 2011 RecordsJuventus All-Time Leading Scorer (289 goals) Juventus All-Time Leading Scorer Champions League (44) Juventus All-Time Leading Scorer UEFA Competitions (52) Juventus All-Time Leading Scorer International competitions (53) Juventus All-Time Leading Scorer in the Italian championships (208) Juventus All-Time Leading Scorer Italian Super Cup (3) Juventus All-Time appearances holder Serie A: (478) Juventus All-Time appearances holder in the UEFA club competitions: (129) Juventus All-Time appearances holder in international competitions: (130) Juventus All-Time appearances leader (705) Latest goal from kickoff in a FIFA World Cup match (121st minute) Most Participations in UEFA European Championships (4) (Tied with 5 others) Orders5th Class / Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2000[3] Collar of Merit Sports: 2006[121]

Derry/Minty, I think what we have here at Saints is a case of positive discrimination. I know its not really such a good thing in life generally but we are trying to break the iron grip that the typical english style of football, and especially the fast paced EPL style has on our game, some players in some teams, some managers and our youth development. If KD rolling the ball out to the full back causes us problems then we just have to force ourselves to be better at passing- NOT revert to long balls down the line or up and unders because we cannot cope with "pressing". I know that we do not have the luxury of a guaranteed place in the EPL and the price of boldness is relegation and I also know that we must not be blind to tactical plays that will win us games ( such as booting it long to Rickie to hold up or long throw ins down the line to advance territory) but those ought to be the options NOT the default, and until our players know instinctively to pass and move pass and move we should persevere. Might take a few generations but thats why i think we need to positively discriminate in our approach to how we play- precisely to counteract decades of the opposite that has slipped into our consciousness.

World Cup winner ex Milan and Barcelona 35 years old Gianluca Zambrotta at SMS??.....good spot that he is a free agent and no question about his pedigree. He can show his medals to anyone in our dressing room and he knows how to defend and he knows how to attack from full back....but he is a bit old for a full back and if his legs have gone then its a no-go. If he can still run though thats another matter.... I'd say not only Fox and Shaw but Clyne and the rest of the team would learn from having a super experienced Italian professional defender like him in the team and especially in the back four. Would not be fazed by anything in the EPL thats for sure. I vote yes please, we need a LB and we need one that knows what to do and can perform instantly.

I should not be astonished at how ignorant and sheep like some of our supporters are, but I am. This thing with Guly is a classic. Its almost blind hatred irrespective of performance. If NA plays him week in week out and we get promoted two years running there's got to be at least some passing connection between the two... If you want a run around midfielder to bite the oppo's heels id say chaplow is way better. If you want a speedy winger outlet Id say SDR is better, if you want a target man id say SRL is better, if you want an out and out goalscorer id say BS is better, Im fairly confident Jayrod is a better header of the ball and if you want dribbling skills then Adams yer man, if you defensive position and passing then Spiderman and Cork are probably better. But if you want someone who can do a bit of all those and consistently does just that running around sacrificing himself for the team - Guly is a great resource to have in your team.

I hope that he starts too. Buying an international centreback to sit on the bench when we have conceded 8 goals in three games might seem negligently criminal if Arsenal help themselves to another three in the next match - and Yoshida is not going to learn much playing against the kids and/or waiting to see how he fares against Antonio and Madine in the Carling Cup. But replacing Fonte? Tough one. I think on overall performances thats the right call. But on obvious mistakes (that have led to two penalties) and a potential weakness that other teams might now look to expose it would be Jos though. If i was a EPL manager Im already telling my most talented ball players to get close to Hooiveld in the area as hes likely to give you a penalty....can see Podolski doing exactly that...but Fonte overall has lacked the step-up composure and his distribution underr pressure has sucked...hmm toughie.......

I cannot remember if Jos went straight into the team after he initially arrived on loan but with Maya apparently having a decent grasp of english do you think he will get chucked in against the Arse- or will NA let Fonte and Jos have another go, this time against Podolski and co? I think they would normally get him to play a under 21 fixture first so his performance in that will be interesting and a marker for his ability to move into the currently settled - but porous - back four. And if he does start who would he replace? Jos has conceded two penalties but otherwise ok imo - Jose has looked panic stricken at times and slightly out of his depth ( but against man city and man utd forwards who would'nt). Much as I love his attitude my gut feeling is that Jos will make way for Maya. One penalty too many in three games. Thoughts?

Agree, Chaplow, Cork or Hammond coming on would have probably meant we got a point from that match. But we did'nt. Lesson learned. One is on loan one is injured and one didnt make the squad. Chaplow in particular would have given a 15 minutes of doggies performance that would have stopped Scholes doing whatever he liked on the ball.

....suggestions another wide man is still a priority? Zaha or Philips?

Thanks MLG...am following him now....I wondered about getting on the Twitter feeds of guys at the Pressers who are more likely to let it out than some others........mind you they all want their own little scoop on it so the info will be generic rather than tasty...

If you look at how we have been lining up preseason and how we've played the first three games its getting very clear what is our prefered formation. What is also clear is that we are looking to recruit new players who are already capable of playing to this new formation because some of our current squad either cannot or are struggling to adapt to it, or just plain dont fit anymore. I think the first quarter of the season , AT LEAST, will see us struggle to bed in this new way of playing. But if we get it right, by the end of the season we could be the next Swansea, and it could be the start of EPL and World domination with the Southampton Way next season.

If we have Ramirez we dont need ADP. They play same position more or less, though ADP is more advanced. Its possible ADP would play as the "punta"- ( focal reference point up front in a 451 as he would know how to do that but where does that leave BS? I get the impression ADP is a "just in case" option should GR go wrong at last minute as i cannot see us playing ramirez, ADP and AL at same time. YB is a different kettle of fish though- he could be the next CMFG for us...but about 100x better. Hes got a right little engine on him plus he can shoot plus he can dribble and hes just non stop when on form. Like Chappers but with lots more skill.

Quality player, experienced EPL player, could teach our kids stuff. Can play in a 4-4-1-1 no problem as he is very mobile, intelligent and with good technical skills.... Smart move if we got him. Means even less playing time for Chappers, SDR, JWP, Puncheon, Sharp, Guly and even Rodriguez.

Originally Posted by View From The Top Really, who cares? 99% of posters on here wouldn't of had a clue who he was 10 days ago & are now getting all precious over whether a Diego Kickaball signs or not. It's not just about whether "Diego Kickaball" ends up signing but also the fact that we - and especially Cortese - have invested so much time and effort in pursuing him when we have other serious deficiencies to address. Its not Diego Kickaball. Its Carlos Kickaball. Thought this might cheer you all up....its prophetic....our Nigel in about 12 months time....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXdrOgA7ATU

Actually he has discounted Australia as too far away and is considering a move to Celtic as they are playing CL this season and he still wants to play at that level, if only fior a season. Source : calciomercato corrier dello sport this morning. Lucky Celtic if he goes there for a year, the ultimate marquee signing.

http://www.gazzetta.it/notizie-ultima-ora/Calcio/Bologna-preso-Pazienza-Juventus/30-08-2012/2-A_002661414.shtml Translation: in the next few hours we await formal confirmation of the transfer of Gaston Ramirez to Southampton. This was posted online in Italy at 11.52am btw - so a few hours could mean around 3 or 4pm.

This is the correct ie not google nonsense translation, of the calciomercato exclusive : Viste le difficoltà del Southampton ad arrivare a Ramirez, Given the difficulties Saints are having in getting Ramirez il Liverpool è tornato all'assalto col Bologna. Liverpool are back on the scene with a bid for him La volontà dei Reds è di strappare il giocatore al Bologna ma non alle condizioni imposte dai felsinei. Liverpool want to take him but not on bolognas terms. Secondo quanto appreso in esclusiva da Calcimercato.com, According to our exclusive understanding at Calciomercato.com ( sounds like his or bolognas agents have briefed them) la richiesta del Bologna è di venti milioni di euro subito. Bolognas request is for 20million euros immediately. Il Liverpool è arrivato a offrirne massimo 14 ma è pronta una nuova proposta per i rossoblù. Liverpool have got to the stage of offering 14million as a maximum but are "apparently"(my interpretation and speech marks) preparing a new offer for Bologna. La nuova offensiva del Liverpool prevede 5 milioni per il prestito oneroso e una cifra tra i 10 e 15 milioni per l'obbligo di riscatto nel 2013. The new offer from Liverpool allows 5million for a securitised loan of gr for 1 year and a sum of between 10 and 15 million for an obligated settlement at the end (final payment) in 2013. Il Bologna proverà a resistere, ma vista la volontà del giocatore di partire, alla fine potrebbe accettare la nuova formula per fare cassa tra un anno. Bologna will try to resist but given the desire of the player to leave in the end they might accept the new formula to get a better final deal in a years time. Sounds like a final "gee-up" to me but if its true id be rather peeved at Liverpool doing this after we have done all the legwork. Still think ours is the deal- but this is unwanted bs at this stage - and it clearly does not even start to address the question of the penarol aspect either. Sounds improbable to me.

You are welcome. Some of the translations I've seen are laughably wrong but , to be fair a lot of what is printed has to be taken in context - which it never is - we only get to see 140 characters from a tweet or similar - but the google translations ARE funny! Incidentally, when 450 Bologna ultras turn up to the training ground pi==ed off at your selling a player you can probably bet he's quite a good and valued-by-the-fans player...its not like when we released Tommy Forecast for instance...

With the benefit of understanding both the lingo and the interpretation of certain italian words and phrases it might help forum readers to know that the google translation above is misleading - contestazione in the context shown above basically means fan upset and complaint rather than "challenge". When the Bologna President says he doesnt understand fans complaints as Ramirez has not been sold he is basically being disengenuous- he is inferring that Ramirez has precipitated the sale rather than Bologna and therefore what could he as President of Bologna do- he does not understand how they can be upset given the guy wants to leave ....its all about saving face with the fans when you sell a star name...he also has the backstop that Ramirez has still not officially signed- also another disengenuous ploy as its fairly clear that he WILL be leaving so he can also pont to that. Bit of a fig leaf but im sure he has a name or two lined up in replacement...possibly Floccari if reports are correct and that may prove some partial compensation.

A 6foot 5" left back that can play CB too. Cool. He made 23 squad of the Tournament at the under 21's Finals in Denmark last year. Can't be that bad then.