Do you think this might be saints?

[Dazza82]

If a league 2 player is the height of our ambition,then god help us.

 

What like the league 2 player who joined blackpool and his boss is now calling for capello to have a look at him.

 

Also Charlie Austin and Steve Morrison havent done bad coming up from non-league

[MrMojoRisin]

I really hope not, I mean 34 goals in 116 apps is hardly worth getting excitd about is it. When are we gonna sign someone to really wet our appetites and get the fans focking back to SMS.

[The9]

What like the league 2 player who joined blackpool and his boss is now calling for capello to have a look at him.

 

Also Charlie Austin and Steve Morrison havent done bad coming up from non-league

 

Holloway has a way with reality though - and if nothing else that tells you how poor England's choices are at the moment. we've already established that Austin was at Reading before sliding into non-League - and Morison was at Northampton before he played in non-League. They'd all initially shown league-level promise before getting the boot.

[Wes Tender]

I'm not saying that no-one below where Saints are is worth signing, just that they're unlikely to be successful higher up unless they show significant improvement on what's gone before.

 

Obviously with football being a meritocracy the best performers almost always rise to the top in the end anyway, whether via transfer or their club being successful due to their individual performances, but information and "intelligence" on players is widely known and distributed and there just aren't that many surprises any more.

 

Which is not to say there aren't players in League 2 who are good enough to do well in League One and the Championship, it's just whether the timing and circumstances are suitable and the risk is worth taking. If we bought a League Two player now who had, say, "top of League One ability" there aren't many who would expect him to go straight into the side and the assimilation might not be worth the effort if we ended up being promoted and he can't then step up to the Championship.

 

And that is the main point, isn't it? We aspire to be promoted, so we are looking at players that could excel for us at a higher level too. Perhaps if he goes to D & R and excels there by becoming one of this divisions top scorers despite the poorer service that he might get from his team mates there, we might be more interested in buying him once they have taken the risk on him.

[Dazza82]

Holloway has a way with reality though - and if nothing else that tells you how poor England's choices are at the moment. we've already established that Austin was at Reading before sliding into non-League - and Morison was at Northampton before he played in non-League. They'd all initially shown league-level promise before getting the boot.

 

Yeah i dont agree with Holloway just pointing out about Matt Phillips. Just saw about Austin and Morison.

[Dazza82]

D.J Campbell is the last player to come from non-league, hasn't done too bad for himself

[ottery st mary]

There are definitely bargains to be had in the non league..Taking into account some have been with pro clubs and dropped down

as border line cases.

 

Kightly is one we have discussed on this forum..now at Wolves.

 

Graham Roberts a Weston Park.Southampton schools.Passed over several times by Saints, Pompey and Bournemouth before ending up at Dorchester, Weymouth and then Spurs, Chelsea and Glasgow Rangers.

I used to watch him and Trevor Senior at Dorchester..both 17 yrs and wondered how they had been passed over.

 

How did we let Darren Anderton through our grip?

 

Paul Mariner came down to Plymouth from Chorley in Lancs..Plymouth even had to trial him twice before signing him..

 

Very raw in one reserve game I saw at Home Park but as we all know he went on to play for Ipswivh ,Arsenal and England.

 

There are many more over the years but the point is our scouts will be out there looking and some will be signed.

 

Good job we seem to have some sort of scouting system back in place after the financial hard times and the cut backs..

 

Martin will hopefully prove the system works..

 

Harlee Dean in the reserves...maybe..

Edited 19 November, 2010 by ottery st mary
spellin

[John B]

Yes you are of course right Terry Paine was signed from Winchester and Doddy from Bath City

[ottery st mary]

Derek Reeves from Bournemouth Gasworks...now that was a non league signing..great man..bless him..

Edited 19 November, 2010 by ottery st mary
spellin agin

[Legod Third Coming]

I think we should sign Michael Owen.

 

I agree and we both know it works (ask West Ham and Carlos Tevez)

[Wade Garrett]

i take it you didn't get your fiver back?

 

No, the tight bastards.