Players since the takeover (July 2009-present)

[Saint-Armstrong]

Pinched this idea from TheSecondStain on Not606. He's compiled a list and asked for feedback. Here's mine.

 

Michail Antonio - Effective, yet raw. Right decision not to sign permanently in hindsight.

Lee Barnard - Very good in L1, shame for him about his injury which allowed Guly to start the NPC season so well.

Bartosz Białkowski - Shame how it ended. Had some potential but really shaky, especially after Blackpool. Glad he is doing well at Notts Co.

Nicholas Bignall - Didn't really see much of him, but from what I did that seems no real loss.

Artur Boruc - Inspired freebie from the transfer panel. Adkins reluctant? Right decision in the long-term. Looking forward after a pre-season.

Danny Butterfield - Another good free. Did a job, capable in both NPC and L1 and a great crosser.

Calum Chambers - Early days. Big lad and looks capable and comfortable with the ball.

Richard Chaplow - Was okay. Nothing spectacular. Lacked technical ability. Decent for the £50k we paid.

David Connolly - I liked him. Shame he was so injury prone. Some great link up and good finisher. Good freebie.

Jack Cork - Great signing. Gone from strength to strength and his influence is clear on the side.

Kelvin Davis - Very good in League One and the Championship, disappointing in the Premier League. Watch that near post!

Steven Davis - Alright. Nothing amazing and nothing too disappointing. Decent recycler of possession. Good value for money.

Steve De Ridder - Poor signing. Never worked out and his indecision was highly frustrating.

Ryan Dickson - Another disappointing one. Came with high hopes but Adkins didn't fancy him and injury ended his chances.

Iago Falqué - Didn't look too bad. Never saw enough to properly judge though.

José Fonte - Very good signing. Worth his fee. Great in L1 and the Championship, despite some shaky spells. Okay in the PL, if unspectacular.

Jonathan Forte - The less said the better about his ability. Cheers for the MK game though.

Danny Fox - Decent signing. Was good in the Championship and offered a lot going forward with set-pieces too. Positioning is poor however.

Paulo Gazzaniga - Good shot-stopper, amazing kicking. Needs to sort out his command and presence.

Simon Gillett - He was okay. Nothing spectacular and no real loss.

Oscar Gobern - Never thought he was that great. Always remembered by me for that kung-fu kick.

Dean Hammond - Good signing. Reliable and committed captain. Shame he has been moved along but wouldn't get near the side now.

Dan Harding - Liked him in League One. Far from convincing above that level. Fox showed him up after he joined.

Lee Holmes - Shame about his injuries as he had a great delivery on him. Right to let him move on though.

Jos Hooiveld - Reasonable signing. Much doubt when he signed but was really good in the Championship. Not up to the PL in all honesty.

Lloyd Isgrove - Early days. Have lingering concerns he may be a flash in the pan from this pre-season. Good pace and awareness.

Radhi Jaïdi - Another good free signing. Provided much needed leadership and experience. Nice guy into the bargain too.

Lloyd James - Decent set pieces but that was about it. Thought he looked okay on occasion but no real loss.

Adam Lallana - Very good. Disappointing last season but great development since 2009. Astounding on his day.

Rickie Lambert - Is there much to say? All-round talisman and figurehead during the rise. Superb striker and a club hero.

Oliver Lancashire - Poor. Disappointing in his performances. Right to move him on.

Tadanari Lee - Still think he had something, and could contribute. Shame about his injury. Movement and vision was superb.

Dejan Lovren - Too early to judge really. Looks comfortable with the ball. Wait and see.

Aaron Martin - Okay in League One. Above that he wasn't really up to it. All the best to him.

Emmanuel Mayuka - Think he's got something. Very, very raw but think we can find a use for his pace and finishing.

Callum McNish - Looked promising early on, but petered out. Disappointing. Attitude seemed to be an issue.

Jacob Mellis - Again, bit of an attitude there. Never that impressed and clearly Pardew wasn't either long-term.

Joseph Mills - Fish was okay. Right to let him go as we had better options. Very attack-minded.

Lee Molyneux - Not good. Featured very rarely but gave little to get excited about.

Graeme Murty - Liked him when he first joined. A decent free but injuries finished him off pretty quickly. Good that he's still here coaching.

Dany N'Guessan - Lively, raw and powerful. Never felt that he was likely to have a big impact though. Frustrating player.

Jon Otsemobor - Not great. Very attack minded and superb with Puncheon at Norwich away but never a long-term solution at RB.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - Very promising. Feel he has stunted his development somewhat at Arsenal but a great talent.

Matt Paterson - Disappointing.

Chris Perry - Experienced pro, decent leader. Nice send off at Wembley but not up to it for us 2009 onwards.

Michael Poke - Never really saw enough of him due to limited appearances. Again, appears no loss.

Guly do Prado - Good signing. Especially for a L1 side. Good creativity and provided goals and assists. Bit of a maverick.

Jason Puncheon - Came good in the end. Started very well, then fell out of favour and sulked. Back now and a good contributor.

Gastón Ramírez - Clearly a very intelligent player. Good vision and creativity but can be frustrating at times. Expecting improvement.

Ben Reeves - An alright player. Seemed to suit AM more than LB. Clever little player but not good enough for Saints now.

Frazer Richardson - Good servant. Liked him a lot in L1 and the Championship. Surprised he wasn't used more last season.

Jay Rodriguez - I like Jay. Good movement and awareness. Just needs to stop shooting down the middle all the time!

Marek Saganowski - Great until his move was permanent. Wanted out in L1, worth moving on when Rickie was the replacement.

Morgan Schneiderlin - Top class. Gone from strength to strength and is pivotal to our team. Here's hoping he remains for many more years.

Danny Seaborne - Never convinced by him. Always worried me. Glad he's still playing after his injury though.

Billy Sharp - Forever grateful for getting us over the line. Not sure what impact he'd have at this level or that he'd suit us now.

Luke Shaw - Another top academy talent. Looking forward to seeing him grow after signing that five-year deal.

Dale Stephens - Thought he was decent enough. Provided an option at a time when it was needed. Bit surprised NA didn't go for him.

Wayne Thomas - Big Wayne's thunderbolt is his most memorable moment. But he was okay. Not worth keeping on longer than we did though.

Jake Thomson - Disappointing. Wasn't cut out for it. Currently a free agent.

Neal Trotman - Thought he did a good shift when we had him. At the time I would've signed him but Jose was worth waiting for in January.

Papa Waigo - I liked him. Clearly not the best player, especially due to the offsides... but was huge in our JPT run and loved his dancing.

Victor Wanyama - Very happy we signed this guy. Will be important for us and give us another edge in the midfield. Welcome Big Vic.

James Ward-Prowse - Not 100% convinced. Clearly a tidy player and technically strong, but unsure what he offers the side long-term.

Jamie White - That was a shame. He was prolific and went on to rip it up for Winch. Injuries ruined what could've been.

Paul Wotton - Steady eddy. Never a great player but gave his all.

Maya Yoshida - Good buy. Worth the £2m. Good reader of the game and came up with so many timely blocks and last-ditch tackles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thoughts on those? Triggered a few memories for me!

[DuncanRG]

Agree with most. For what it's worth I think Martin did a very good job of filling in when Fonte was out for a stretch in the Championship season.

 

Should also point out there's no reason to be sure what 18 year-old Ward-Prowse offers us long-term.

[skintsaint]

Oscar Gobern - Never thought he was that great. Always remembered by me for that kung-fu kick.

 

Ah yeah...haha amusing still..

 

[video=youtube_share;xCakWmE8YLI]

[Colinjb]

A little harsh on Chaplow I feel. Only ordinary? Now yes, but in League 1 he was excellent, brought another dimension to our midfield play. As far as bang for our buck is concerned you will not find much better then him for 50k.

[Chewy]

Thought the same re Chaplow, and perhaps a bit unfair with Steven Davis too. Otherwise a pretty good summary

[Colinjb]

Thought the same re Chaplow, and perhaps a bit unfair with Steven Davis too. Otherwise a pretty good summary

 

Yep, Davis is very Oakley-esque. You only notice the positives what he brings when it's not there... he was a great addition.

[Saint_lambden]

Harsh on Prowsey. He'll go far, even if it isn't with us. Got the potential to be a Premier League regular.

[Cascadia Saint]

Agree with most. For what it's worth I think Martin did a very good job of filling in when Fonte was out for a stretch in the Championship season.

 

Should also point out there's no reason to be sure what 18 year-old Ward-Prowse offers us long-term.

 

He's young, talented and showed enough in the games he played last season to get more credit than that. The club obviously think so with his contract.

[DuncanRG]

He's young, talented and showed enough in the games he played last season to get more credit than that. The club obviously think so with his contract.

 

That's what I mean. What he's done so far is incredibly impressive, most eighteen year-olds don't have any visibility at all in the first team. Criticising a player still in development for not showing what he can offer long-term is pretty silly.