Matthew Le God Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Southampton's strategy going forward according to Les Reed... "We don't want to go down the route of buying established top-class players from all around the world and flooding our team like that. If we do bring young players in from abroad, it will be to bring them in the Southampton way. "That's only part of the story - the other part is to take Saints abroad with us. We've identified some places in the world where we'd like to go, and one of them is Africa and, in particular, east Africa. "No-one has done that before. There are plenty of academies like Ajax's in Ghana and ones in South Africa, and there is nothing wrong with that. "But, being a club that likes to think a little bit differently, we are looking at what would traditionally be the French side of Africa. "We know that a lot of good players have come through Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Egypt that have mainly gone into France. "We think that we can rebrand football out there by going out and seeing what we can establish. Sounds like they have other targets areas apart from this region as well. First Africa, next stop Saints academies all over the world...!
mdearlove Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Jaidi to be the North African Development man then?
mdearlove Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 ha - hadn't seen the article when I posted this - please delete
Marsdinho Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 I might be reading it wrong, but Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Egypt aren't in east Africa.
CB Fry Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 I might be reading it wrong, but Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Egypt aren't in east Africa. You're not wrong. I'd say it's North Africa. And far better to scout out there than East Africa, which although certainly "thinking outside the box" might be a wee too much for a medium sized English football club to take on. SolentCitySaintsFC academy in Uganda anyone? Hmmm.
Turkish Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Arent work permits an issue when recruiting young players from this area? We had problems getting one for Mido. Are things more relaxed now?
krissyboy31 Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Arent work permits an issue when recruiting young players from this area? We had problems getting one for Mido. Are things more relaxed now? I think that players from "French" Africa are generally entitled to a French passport and as such visas wouldn't be required.
LaptopSaint Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 And East Africa used to be British - ie Kenya, Tanzania. French-speaking is West Africa - Ivory Coast etc. Les might want to invest in an atlas.
doddisalegend Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 And East Africa used to be British - ie Kenya, Tanzania. French-speaking is West Africa - Ivory Coast etc. Les might want to invest in an atlas. Even more so if considers Egypt part of French North Africa.... Still all sounds very interesting.....wonder how it will all pan out?
del boy Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 And East Africa used to be British - ie Kenya, Tanzania. French-speaking is West Africa - Ivory Coast etc. Les might want to invest in an atlas. You're not wrong, its very confusing - must be too throw the opposition
Graffito Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Not wishing to throw cold water on this but if the man in charge doesn't know his North Africa from his East Africa, nor which colonial language is generally spoken in each region and he's been planning this for three years.....quite funny in a way but it doesn't inspire confidence.
ThreeSixty Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Not wishing to throw cold water on this but if the man in charge doesn't know his North Africa from his East Africa, nor which colonial language is generally spoken in each region and he's been planning this for three years.....quite funny in a way but it doesn't inspire confidence. You're right. Reed out.
The Kraken Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2782391,00.html Full article. Radhi Jaidi is taking up a figurehead role.
Capel Saint Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Think it is an excellent approach and could serve Southampton well by casting a much bigger net wider rather than just relying on a scouting network that could miss a few gems. Interesting that the article refers to setting up other academies in other areas of the world so you would think that they would be looking at maybe USA, Carribbean, South America, South East Asia, Australia, Scandanavia and Eastern Europe as possible other locations.
dune Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 (edited) And East Africa used to be British - ie Kenya, Tanzania. French-speaking is West Africa - Ivory Coast etc. Les might want to invest in an atlas. Correct, East Africa was our manor with mozambique (portugal) and Italian Somaliland and Eritrea (Italy). France only ruled French Somaliland and that was tiny. so is it North Africa, West Africa, or East Africa we're talking about? I expect it's South Africa. Edited 21 May, 2012 by dune
Elmore Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 I liked this bit ""I was looking at what to do without staying in Southampton " - made me laugh.
Kingsland Red Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Erm, I believe Tanzania was actually a German colony, hence a British army presence in Kenya during WW2.
shurlock Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 (edited) North Africa doesn't produce many flops - our experience with the region has been overwhelmingly positive - kachoul, new boots el khalej, belmadi, safri (who would have been amazing in the current set up), jaidi. Edited 21 May, 2012 by shurlock
Turkish Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Does this have the double bonus that The entire continent of Africa now can also be considered our catchment area?
dune Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Erm, I believe Tanzania was actually a German colony, hence a British army presence in Kenya during WW2. Was German until 1919 when it became British after ww1
dune Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 North Africa doesn't produce many flops - our experience with the region has been overwhelmingly positive - kachoul, new boots el khalej, belmadi, jaidi. Kachloul is second only to Berkovic in ex players I dislike.
david in sweden Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 You're not wrong. I'd say it's North Africa. And far better to scout out there than East Africa, which although certainly "thinking outside the box" might be a wee too much for a medium sized English football club to take on. SolentCitySaintsFC academy in Uganda anyone? Hmmm. me too ...I presume it means Northern ...as opposed to " Southern Africa ". Its a huge continent.
shurlock Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Kachloul is second only to Berkovic in ex players I dislike. Berkovic - I can understand. John Hartson did the world a mitzvah kicking that petulant little **** in the head. But Kachoul?
dune Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 me too ...I presume it means Northern ...as opposed to " Southern Africa ". Its a huge continent. You'd have thought someone with a couple of brain cells would have checked the article before it was published. Or is this an example of "the southampton way"?
BARCELONASAINT Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 It is very positive news and further proof that the club is being handled correctly and that the long term future of SFC is the ultimate goal. Markus wishes are truly being carried out by NC. The future is bright....the future is red and white!
Turkish Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 You'd have thought someone with a couple of brain cells would have checked the article before it was published. Or is this an example of "the southampton way"? Confusing parts of Africa is an example of us doing things different.
david in sweden Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 You'd have thought someone with a couple of brain cells would have checked the article before it was published. Or is this an example of "the southampton way"? CHECK the article? I'm surprised they found someone to write it !
CityRanger Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Reed: "Nothing has been done yet and there is a lot to be done". I think the club are all playing catch up with the first team - fair play to Adkins for that!
BlakeySFC Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 He meant North-West Africa. Which I'm guessing stretches from Egypt and goes West across the coast going through Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Morocco etc. then heading South down the West coast into Mauritania, Senegal, Cameroon, Mali, Niger, Liberia, Ivory Coast etc.
buctootim Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 (edited) He meant North-West Africa. Which I'm guessing stretches from Egypt and goes West across the coast going through Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Morocco etc. then heading South down the West coast into Mauritania, Senegal, Cameroon, Mali, Niger, Liberia, Ivory Coast etc. Er no it doesnt. Les Reed obviously cant point out North Africa on a map so they've employed someone who does know his Benghazi from his Safi. Good appointment, clever strategy. Edited 21 May, 2012 by buctootim
BlakeySFC Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Er no it doesnt. Les Reed obviously cant point out North Africa on a map so they've employed someone who does know his Benghazi from his Safi. Good appointment, clever strategy. Well that's the 'French part of Africa' Reed is talking about, he even mentions Algeria, Tunisia and Morroco in the interview, which are in North-West Africa and Egypt in the North-East
shurlock Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Maybe he confused east africa with the middle east - and stuck Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco in the latter category. Its inaccurate but not totally ridiculous. East Africa then becomes a weird mash-up of Middle East and Africa.
Saint_clark Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Let's ignore the positives of this move and focus on the negatives. Worth pointing out he mentions Africa as a whole, says "in particular East Africa", and then just lists a few countries as examples.
Saint Charlie Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Those knit picking about the geography are a bit pathetic. What about enjoying these kind of plans....they seem to mean business.
shurlock Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Let's ignore the positives of this move and focus on the negatives. Worth pointing out he mentions Africa as a whole, says "in particular East Africa", and then just lists a few countries as examples. Another shining example of the Southampton Way.
buctootim Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 (edited) Let's ignore the positives of this move and focus on the negatives. Worth pointing out he mentions Africa as a whole, says "in particular East Africa", and then just lists a few countries as examples. Im usually relentlessly positive about all things Saints, but c'mon whereabouts the scouting / academy is going to be in a ****ing huge continent is pretty key to whether its a good idea or not. Anybody leading the project yet talking about the East Europeans speaking French, Bulgaria being in the North and Spain being English speaking would rightly raise a few issues of concern Edited 21 May, 2012 by buctootim
Saint_clark Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Im usually relentlessly positive about all things Saints, but c'mon whereabouts the scouting / academy is going to be in a ****ing huge continent is pretty key to whether its a good idea or not. As I said, he does mention Africa as a whole but specifies that East Africa is an area they're interested in. The countries he lists are just examples of places where we've seen players come to this country and be successful.
buctootim Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 As I said, he does mention Africa as a whole but specifies that East Africa is an area they're interested in. The countries he lists are just examples of places where we've seen players come to this country and be successful. Exactly my point! East Africa is English speaking and 1000s of miles away from North African countries like Tunisia where Raidi is from, wherre his contacts are and they speak French. You dont employ a WGS to advise you on breaking into the Italian markets.
Saint_clark Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Exactly my point! East Africa is English speaking and 1000s of miles away from North African countries like Tunisia where Raidi is from, wherre his contacts are and they speak French. You dont employ a WGS to advise you on breaking into the Italian markets. Yes, but people are focusing too much on his specificity - they will be scouting the whole of Africa, but the main part of their focus will be in the East, probably even where the academy itself is based. The examples he gave are going back to him mentioning Africa as a whole. As for Jaidi, he's far more suited to the job than anyone else we have associated with the club.
buctootim Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 they will be scouting the whole of Africa. You're serious arent you? 1 billion people in a continent over 100 times the size of the UK, three times the size of the whole of Europe and Saints are going to be scouting all of it...... Raidi is going to be busy.
Turkish Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Yes, but people are focusing too much on his specificity - they will be scouting the whole of Africa, but the main part of their focus will be in the East, probably even where the academy itself is based. The examples he gave are going back to him mentioning Africa as a whole. As for Jaidi, he's far more suited to the job than anyone else we have associated with the club. East Africa covers Kenya, Tanzania and Somlia, forgive me for not getting myself at it about the prospects of unearthing a gem here.
dubai_phil Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Well that's the 'French part of Africa' Reed is talking about, he even mentions Algeria, Tunisia and Morroco in the interview, which are in North-West Africa and Egypt in the North-East That is a classic diversion tactic What he means is obviously the OTHER parts of Africa that are French speaking parts colonised by France AND Belgium http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_French
dubai_phil Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 And of course NOBODY currently looks at East Africa. They only produce the world's greatest Marathon runners Next up will be Academy clones in Aus & S America BTW
Turkish Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 And of course NOBODY currently looks at East Africa. They only produce the world's greatest Marathon runners And?
buctootim Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 NOBODY currently looks at East Africa. They only produce the world's greatest Marathon runners Yes but are they Jonno quick?
Saint_clark Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 You're serious arent you? 1 billion people in a continent over 100 times the size of the UK, three times the size of the whole of Europe and Saints are going to be scouting all of it...... Raidi is going to be busy. http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2782391,00.html Radhi Jaidi is to take up an overseas development role with Saints to help build the Club's links in Africa.
buctootim Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2782391,00.html I read it. I also watched the Saintsplayer vid. Thats what causes me concern.
CB Fry Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 I think you cult of Cortese people need to get your story straight. So is it We are breaking new ground in East Africa definitely East Africa to unearth the next Haile Gebreselassie to play right wing or It is actually the entirity of Africa that Jaidi is scouting or When Les Reed says East Africa, he actually means the Ivory Coast after all and of course he definitely doesn't mean actually East Africa as it actually I think it really stretches from...etc etc.... Just work out which party line you people are all going with because you're falling to pieces at the moment.
stevy777_x Posted 21 May, 2012 Posted 21 May, 2012 Watching the interview, Les Reed obsiously got it wrong and meant West Africa. Nearly the whole of West Africa is french speaking and I imagine there are trying set up an academy overthere. I ve been to Burkina Faso twice in the last 5 months as well as Guinee Conakry and everyone is obsessed with football overthere. They all follow the premier ligue and the french league and all the younsters dream is to have the opportunity to come and play in Europe. However talking to some people overthere, they don t have any infrastructre to develop players so maybe setting up an academy overthere can help achieve that.
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