Shane Long

[Baird of the land]

Hugely overpaying for dross with little resale value. Certainly not something to get excited about.

[Matthew Le God]

The fee does seem excessive, but equally it looks in line with other domestic club to club transfers in the huge 2013-16 TV deal era. I'm sure they could get a better player from Europe for that kind of money, but in a way this is less of a risk. The £12m figure is likely to be the total amount if all clauses are met, I doubt it is a guaranteed £12m.

 

If it happens it gives a strike force for Ronald Koeman's 4-3-3 system of...

 

Long/Rodriguez Pelle/Gallagher Tadic/Ramirez

Which is hopefully good enough to maintain 8th position and have a good cup run.

Edited 13 August, 2014 by Matthew Le God

[lloydie]

How can anybody get excited about signing Shane Long? He is a Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Stoke, etc kind of signing. Before anybody shoots me down I know our long term visions may have changed and that we have to accept our place in the food chain but deary me it's a kick in the balls to pay good money for a plodder like Long...I hope RK knows what he is doing..might as well bring back Lee Barnard. Hopefully he may read this thread before signing and stay at hull. 12 Million..Jesus

Long is actually a decent PL forward, who has so far scored more goals in this league then Pelle, it would be stupid not to have a plan B. Furthermore Hernandez who would be a much better signing clearly doesn't want to sign for us and wants to go to another "top" club. We are not the club. With all those facts aside you cry bring back Barnard? You massive bedwetter.

[Jai27]

I'm not reacting to the 12 million as we have cash to burn blah blah blah (even though Shane Long is worth around 3 mil at most and we signed Wanyama for the same amount who is 10 times the player). Ok maybe I am.

 

What I am reacting to is (IMO) the final nail in the coffin for any real ambition we may have as a club. I've never felt so disillusioned about a signing. This reeks of 'oh s**t we can't get any decent strikers, who would take a pay cheque for a year and fill a spot?' I am seriously, Shane f*****g Long? Are we that desperate? We've already got Sharp, Gallagher and Mayuka who are all of the same level?!

 

I'm shocked at how many people seem to be ok with this signing. He is average at best. He rarely displays any vision and is simply there to run the channels and counter attack, of which he is also not overly gifted at. Every time he's played us he's been a dirty, cheating c**t and spends the entire game trying to get a rise out of a defender.

 

What a shame...

[angelman]

Before last night no one was even talking about him!

 

Which to me means that the scouts see something in him that they really like (of course given that it is £12m that seems rather obvious as well).

 

There seem to be so many people on this forum that have the wrong vocation. If they are such good scouts themselves, I wonder why they aren't working for the club!?

[stevy777_x]

Long's not a bad player at all. yes, £12 million seem's a hell of a lot but player prices have gone truly mental this year. I think he'll bring something valuable to the squad and give us great attacking options, especially if we need to switch tactics during a game. I'm not saying he's the best signing in the world but he'll give us depth and at this moment in time, that's something we really need.

 

To the bed-wetters on this post, if we are in negotiations with Hull and they fall through, and we end up with no Shane Long, would that really make you happy? What then happens when we don't get anyone else and we're left starting the season with our current options up front?

 

Believe me, we are far better off with a player like Long than we are with nothing at all.

 

Yes I would prefer no one and wait a few weeks for an alternative.

We have **** loads of money why waste it now on a player worth 7m who in 3 years will have no re sale value?

I hope that we don't do a spurs and spend all our money in one window on rubbish alternatives, which is what basically Spurs did last season.

If we had only 20m to spend this summer, I am sure we would not be spending 12m on an average striker in Long.

 

So that s 22m spent on Pelle and Long who are 29 and 27 respectively to replace Lambert and Osvaldo.

If we spend that sort of money why do we not go out and spend money on players who can improve and still have re sale value in a few years time.

[Batman]

Long is actually a decent PL forward, who has so far scored more goals in this league then Pelle, it would be stupid not to have a plan B. Furthermore Hernandez who would be a much better signing clearly doesn't want to sign for us and wants to go to another "top" club. We are not the club. With all those facts aside you cry bring back Barnard? You massive bedwetter.

 

so have jozy altidore and chamack

[hypochondriac]

What are the choices if we don't go for Long? I don't mean a list of names, but what sort of signings are out there and willing to come to us?

 

A gamble from the continent or South America?

 

Odd that its been decided we had no other options. What would you have said had it been before yesterday evening when we found out about Long?

[Saint Garrett]

The fee does seem excessive, but equally it looks in line with other domestic club to club transfers in the huge 2013-16 TV deal era. I'm sure they could get a better player from Europe or South America for that kind of money, but in a way this is less of a risk. The £12m figure is likely to be the total amount if all clauses are met, I doubt (and hope) it isn't a guaranteed £12m.

 

If it happens it gives a strike force for Ronald Koeman's 4-3-3 system of...

 

Long/Rodriguez Pelle/Gallagher Tadic/Ramirez

Which is hopefully good enough to maintain 8th position and have a good cup run.

 

You're going to be VERY disappointed this year.

[saintbenny]

Long is actually a decent PL forward, who has so far scored more goals in this league then Pelle, it would be stupid not to have a plan B. Furthermore Hernandez who would be a much better signing clearly doesn't want to sign for us and wants to go to another "top" club. We are not the club. With all those facts aside you cry bring back Barnard? You massive bedwetter.

 

Well clearly I am not bed wetting so that in it's self is bed wetting at my post. I am simply stating that in my view he is cack. Clearly I don't want Lee B back that was me be sarcastic...when does school start again?

[Sidney Fudpucker the 3rd]

What a joke. He's a £5m player at best. Hull paid too much for him in January and now they've had our pants down. How has his value risen to £12m when he scored 4 times in 15 appearances. The world has gone mad!!! And the club have the nerve to tell us that this is progress.

[Sour Mash]

Odd that its been decided we had no other options. What would you have said had it been before yesterday evening when we found out about Long?

We have had other options, it looks like Hernandez and maybe others, but we couldn't get them to come to us.

 

So answer my question or not?

[Wes Tender]

What are we buying??

 

1) A striker with PL experience. Some say that that is not important and that we can go into Europe and pick up someone cheaper, or maybe in to the lower leagues. To me, we have already done that in Pelle and Gallagher. I know with the latter we haven't really, but I see him at that level. Therefore, while JRod is off games (and may be off which seems likely if he has refused an extension to his contract), it seems vital to sign someone who knows his way around the PL. I imagine that the cliub think that he will work well with the Italian Stallion. While his goal return may not be overly impressive, he seemingly causes defences problems wherever he goes.

 

2) A home grown player -we are getting a wee bit low on them. HG players attract a premium. People still have failed to mention who they would have brought in instead of him. The criteria seem to be: affordable, want to play for us, PL experience, HG. I may be wrong on the PL/HG but that is my opinion. As none of the strikers at the top 7 are going to come here, they are a liitle bit at a premium. But like most whingers in life, all they do is whinge without giving any alternatives. Looking at our HG players: Clyne, Cork, Davis, Davis, JRod, Morgan, Forster, Bertrand. KD might or might not be here. Hernandez wasn't HG, so maybe not the ultimate consideration, but surely it must be one.

 

3) A hard working player. There are flair players and those that are damned hard workers who might not be overly fancied. I think Long is the latter in the same way that S. Davis is.

 

4) Someone who can bring a bit of aggressiveness to the side.

 

5) A striker with speed. I know I am not the only person to think this, but SRL was glacial at times.

 

Sure he is expensive, and given that the REPORTED fee gives Hull a massive profit in a short time, then he does seem too expensive. But needs must. I wouldn't say it was a panic buy, but no point faffing about. Also no point putting in a cheeky low bid which would get turned down. I don't advocate over paying, but in this instance, I can understand why an offer too good to refuse has been offered.

 

A really sensible and well reasoned response to all those usual suspects who make knee-jerk decisions the instant the news is announced, when really they would do better to quietly contemplate the implications before posting.

 

What is interesting for the sake of balance, is to look at what the fans of the selling club think about the possibility of their player leaving. No better source for that then their local rag. What I read, is quite a few disgruntled fans saying that he will be a loss for them and hard to replace because he was a player that created problems for defenders. Heck, he made problems for our defence with his pace and ability to run into the box with the ball at his feet. He was a decent foil to Pochettino's high-pressing game when he stationed himself on the shoulder of our last defender and you knew that if he had the ball struck into the space behind him, he would have seen off our defence for pace. And as others have mentioned, he is that sort of niggly player that rival fans love to hate, because secretly they wouldn't mind having him in their team. And in their local rag, who is the player they would like to see replace him? Well, some idiots are suggesting Hernandez!

 

We really do have to trust our management on this if it goes through. Koeman might consider him to be the perfect foil for Pelle. He doesn't seem too different to me to what Rodriguez brought to our team, as a fast attacking forward prepared to run onto a ball played high upfield past the midfield.

 

What really takes the biscuit is the opinion that he is a player who because of his age won't increase in value. What exactly is the relevance of that? In any event, despite his age, he will have doubled his value in the course of a year.

 

Because we have sold a couple of players from midfield/striker, it seems sensible to sign a player who is comfortable in the PL, especially as the replacements in midfield are a couple of players with no experience in the PL.

 

How it pans out will also be dependent on a couple of other players who are key to our team. We really need to keep Schneiderlin and when Rodriguez returns he will like a new signing and then he and Long can be cover for each other.

 

I take on board the opinions of some that he at first sight might be an underwhelming signing, but when alternatives are suggested like Ings, then one wonders what exactly he has proven to make him a better option. As for players like Hernandez, yes, that would be nice, but players who have played for the glory clubs have too high an opinion of where they ought to move to when they become surplus to requirements at those clubs. Surplus players at the glory clubs like Man City are an option, but when their clubs offer them for sale, one wonders why they themselves didn't press for a transfer when they weren't being played. Probably because they were happy to play in their reserves for more money than they would get playing regularly for most other PL clubs. Would we want players with that attitude anyway?

 

I'm happy to wait and see what he brings to us before making any judgements on him based on what he brought to others.

[SaintRichmond]

What are the choices if we don't go for Long? I don't mean a list of names, but what sort of signings are out there and willing to come to us?

 

A gamble from the continent or South America?

 

 

Well, according to Les the fibber, he had Loads of potential targets lined up

 

(And I don't mean Matt Targett)

 

Now, as the start of the season looms ever nearer, more than a touch of desperation has crept in

 

I doubt if Koeman has ever heard of him, and. by the way Ronald, only last week you were expecting THREE signings, " over the weekend "

 

Another Joke by SFC

[hypochondriac]

Which to me means that the scouts see something in him that they really like (of course given that it is £12m that seems rather obvious as well).

 

There seem to be so many people on this forum that have the wrong vocation. If they are such good scouts themselves, I wonder why they aren't working for the club!?

 

Odd that you think only football scouts can give an opinion on new signings.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

Frazier Campbell, very similar ability IMO and 800k.

Scott Sinclair, far far more ability and needs a move, brother is here, wages high but fee surely far lower.

Jordan Mutch, thought he did well for a poor Cardiff side and will improve, went for 6m.

Borini, another who hasn't scored enough yet but for a similar fee has a hell of a lot more ability and potential

Joel Campbell, is he really going to play for arsenal? Would he cost that much, really?

Danny Ings, great potential and surely cheaper.

Troy Deeney, good all round player, IMO would score goals at this level, far more than Long and far cheaper.

 

Troy Deeney was 10 million and unproven. Ings is obviously not available. Campbell is bullocks. Mutch isn't a striker. Sinclair is on massive wages, more than we can ever offer (60k per week plus). Liverpool want 15 million for Borini and scored the same amount of goals last season.

 

If that's your idea of improvements I think you're vastly underrating Long.

[Wes Tender]

What a joke. He's a £5m player at best. Hull paid too much for him in January and now they've had our pants down. How has his value risen to £12m when he scored 4 times in 15 appearances. The world has gone mad!!! And the club have the nerve to tell us that this is progress.

 

How did we manage to screw Liverpool for £25 million for Lallana and £20 million for Lovren. We had their pants down too.

[Saint_Tony]

What are the choices if we don't go for Long? I don't mean a list of names, but what sort of signings are out there and willing to come to us?

 

A gamble from the continent or South America?

Signings that are capable of helping us match our European dreams. Negredo might be available. Hernandez is keen I've heard and Bony wants to further his career in the middle regions of the Premier League.

[hypochondriac]

We have had other options, it looks like Hernandez and maybe others, but we couldn't get them to come to us.

 

So answer my question or not?

 

So as of now, the only option we have is Shane Long for 12 million? I don't believe that. Hull are already talking about Borini or Wickham to replace him, both of whom I would prefer.

[angelman]

Hypo, you seemed to evade it last night but I'll ask again......

 

Who would you sign, while humouring me that PL experience is a must that is also Home Grown (I know that I didn't mention it last night, but it might well be a reason)? Wages and transfer fee have to be taken into account as well as their desire to come here. I said no top 7, or as we were 8th, no top 8 striker will come here.

 

So please, humour me, and tell me one other striker who fits the criteria of PL & HG & who wants to come here while being affordable.

 

EDIT - I see above you say Borini - same price if not more, a similar scoring record and not HG. Maybe wages are higher -would expect so. Wickham, possibly, but maybe looking for more experience.

[Baird of the land]

Really gutting if we are going for this type of ageing dross rather than the likes of Ings/Wickham or any other player with some potential. Planning for relegation scrap rather than any form of european ambition clearly.

[Sour Mash]

So as of now, the only option we have is Shane Long for 12 million? I don't believe that. Hull are already talking about Borini or Wickham to replace him, both of whom I would prefer.

So the choice is Long, Borini or Wickham? Not much to choose between the three for me, all decent players without being exceptional.

[Jai27]

So as of now, the only option we have is Shane Long for 12 million? I don't believe that. Hull are already talking about Borini or Wickham to replace him, both of whom I would prefer.

 

Yup. Not that I rate either of them but they are both still an improvement on Long.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

Jeff stomping his feet about and making a tit of himself again?

 

 

Oh dear, ****lock being a retard again. Standard.

[Sour Mash]

Really gutting if we are going for this type of ageing dross rather than the likes of Ings/Wickham or any other player with some potential. Planning for relegation scrap rather than any form of european ambition clearly.

So buyig Ings/Wickham would be a signal of European intentions

[Gemmel]

Having thought about it a bit and forgetting the transfer fee, I can't imagine that Koeman knows much about Shane Long, but he will have almost certainly briefed the committee on what he is after.

 

Assuming it went something like this;

 

A proven goal scorer in the Premier league, with pace, versatility, willingness to drop back when needed and a bit of a nasty streak to mix things up a bit.

 

Then it would be hard to argue against Shane Long.

 

Just a thought

[hypochondriac]

Hypo, you seemed to evade it last night but I'll ask again......

 

Who would you sign, while humouring me that PL experience is a must that is also Home Grown (I know that I didn't mention it last night, but it might well be a reason)? Wages and transfer fee have to be taken into account as well as their desire to come here. I said no top 7, or as we were 8th, no top 8 striker will come here.

 

So please, humour me, and tell me one other striker who fits the criteria of PL & HG & who wants to come here while being affordable.

 

EDIT - I see above you say Borini - same price if not more, a similar scoring record and not HG. Maybe wages are higher -would expect so. Wickham, possibly, but maybe looking for more experience.

 

I still don't get your obsession with PL experience. I don't understand why you consider that a vital requirement considering that the majority of our team over the last season or two has had zero PL experience. It's unimportant.

[Whitey Grandad]

Really gutting if we are going for this type of ageing dross rather than the likes of Ings/Wickham or any other player with some potential. Planning for relegation scrap rather than any form of european ambition clearly.

 

So you would prefer someone unproven at this level rather than a safer bet? And how you can describe a footballer as 'ageing' when they're only 27 is totally beyond me.

[Baird of the land]

So as of now, the only option we have is Shane Long for 12 million? I don't believe that. Hull are already talking about Borini or Wickham to replace him, both of whom I would prefer.

 

Yep both better players with room to progress to be even better.

[hypochondriac]

So the choice is Long, Borini or Wickham? Not much to choose between the three for me, all decent players without being exceptional.

 

Eh? No of course not. Borini and Wickham are two examples from English football. I'm not going to go and find examples for you in world football as many have already been mentioned on here all summer.

[Matthew Le God]

You're going to be VERY disappointed this year.

 

Which teams that finished below us last season have a better strike force than....?

 

 

Long/Rodriguez Pelle/Gallagher Tadic/Ramirez

[niceandfriendly]

Still think Long is a good player. We need strikers and he'll get a few goals and cause teams problems.

 

Have calmed down about the reported fee, but still think we're overpaying as we're in panic buy mode.

[hypochondriac]

Yep both better players with room to progress to be even better.

 

And both would most likely be able to be sold in a few seasons for more than we paid for them. Unlike Pelle and Long.

[hypochondriac]

So you would prefer someone unproven at this level rather than a safer bet? And how you can describe a footballer as 'ageing' when they're only 27 is totally beyond me.

 

The only thing he is proven is that his scoring record for a striker is mediocre.

[Lallana's Left Peg]

Having thought about it a bit and forgetting the transfer fee, I can't imagine that Koeman knows much about Shane Long, but he will have almost certainly briefed the committee on what he is after.

 

Assuming it went something like this;

 

A proven goal scorer in the Premier league, with pace, versatility, willingness to drop back when needed and a bit of a nasty streak to mix things up a bit.

 

Then it would be hard to argue against Shane Long.

 

Just a thought

 

He has a 1 in 5 record in the Premier League as a striker. If he played all 38 games for us his record suggests he'll get 8 goals for us. Not sure what impact playing on the left will have on him.

 

In fact of the things you've listed the only thing he has is pace.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

This. I put it on par with Schneiderlin, Lovren and Lallana's behaviour.

 

I took a few days off from this site due to the embarrassing nature of the posts, and I think I may have to do it again. Seriously, half the people are hypocritical retards. I just don't get it. I assume it's the anonymous nature of forums that means they can act out like children with no repercussions, you only have to look at the contributions of Hypo, Batman, Shurlock to realise this. Using back of the fag packet psychology I assume they are incredibly unfulfilled in other parts of their lives, and so play up on here to try to make up for it. Sad times for this forum.

[Patrick Bateman]

Really gutting if we are going for this type of ageing dross rather than the likes of Ings/Wickham or any other player with some potential. Planning for relegation scrap rather than any form of european ambition clearly.

 

Seriously? I have no words sometimes.

[Lorne Malvo]

but still think we're overpaying as we're in panic buy mode.

 

Hardly. This is the standard price for players these days it seems for clubs purchasing off each other domestically.

 

And he is only 6 months into probably a 4 year deal.

 

Long will provide good competition and more depth up front, and although not the glamour signing as the likes of Hernandez, they are both probably of similar playing style.

[Sour Mash]

Eh? No of course not. Borini and Wickham are two examples from English football. I'm not going to go and find examples for you in world football as many have already been mentioned on here all summer.

Eh? That was my original question. So your options are Borini/Wickham from England or a gamble on a player from Europe/South America? I'd still like us to try and source bargains from further afield, but the position the club has found themselves in this summer, it is understandable they want to get as much certainty and as little a gamble as possible on their key signings.

[saint-crinny]

The price is the only issue for me, but people know we have a wedge in the bank and we're closing in on the start of the season/transfer deadline.

 

If we were talking sub £10m for him, i think the majority of people would be happy - quick, decent enough finisher (although probably doesnt get enough goals, but has always played in a lower half Prem team), a massive pain to play against, knows the league, takes him off a side who look mid-table competitive.

 

It's hardly the end of the world, just not as exciting as a Huntelaar or Hernandez. If we get him and a decent new CB, we look OK i think - we just havent had the marquee signing that would have helped supporter morale.

[S-Clarke]

Seriously? I have no words sometimes.

 

Exactly...what has Wickham done to prove he is nothing but dross himself? I'd be devastated if we were about to blow £10m on Wickham, which WHU seem prepared to do...

[Baird of the land]

So you would prefer someone unproven at this level rather than a safer bet? And how you can describe a footballer as 'ageing' when they're only 27 is totally beyond me.

 

Yes i'd prefer someone unproven with potential, like when we signed Jrod rather than relegation scrap candidate who may bag a half dozen goals but certainly doesn't have potential to improve and help us towards european places. And yes if you are buying a player who's sole attribute is his pace then you should be worried that he's in his later half of his twenties.

[S-Clarke]

Yes i'd prefer someone unproven with potential, like when we signed Jrod rather than relegation scrap candidate who may bag a half dozen goals but certainly doesn't have potential to improve and help us towards european places. And yes if you are buying a player who's sole attribute is his pace then you should be worried that he's in his later half of his twenties.

 

It would be a pretty dumb move though, if we're honest. If we hadn't sold half of our team I'd agree with you, but the issue is that we need a striker with PL experience. If we fill up the squad with players who have potential then we are ****ed, as we have no time to wait for them to adjust like we had with Jay.

[Wadge]

If Gaston and Tadic are playing they will have a player who will make endless runs for them to find. With the type of killer ball they can play, and his extra pace he will open up so much space and create a lot of chances. I think if we sign him he will be very good for us.

[Sour Mash]

Yes i'd prefer someone unproven with potential, like when we signed Jrod rather than relegation scrap candidate who may bag a half dozen goals but certainly doesn't have potential to improve and help us towards european places. And yes if you are buying a player who's sole attribute is his pace then you should be worried that he's in his later half of his twenties.

You think signing Ings/Wickham is a signal of European intentions

[Baird of the land]

Exactly...what has Wickham done to prove he is nothing but dross himself? I'd be devastated if we were about to blow £10m on Wickham, which WHU seem prepared to do...

 

I'd much prefer blow 10m on a 21 year old who's extremely highly rated, scored regularly for u21's, scored in loan spells in championship and when finally given a run in prem team too. If West Ham get him that's a got potential to be a corking signing.

[Son of Bob]

So the choice is now Long for 12 million or no one? Wow that was quick! Before last night no one was even talking about him!

 

I'm being realistic Hypo. Where's the appeal for a top player (such as Hernandez) to drop down and play for us? We're a mid-table club who are currently losing their best players at an alarming rate. From the outside we appear to be a club that people can't wait to leave. As fans we will always see the silver lining but to an outsider, we're one big grey cloud at the moment.

 

We're finding it easy to source players from outside England but that's for one reason only. They want to play in the Premier League. Do you think one single player we've signed sat there when they were 16 and said to themselves - "I want to play for Southampton Football Club one day"? We're a sinking ship with limited appeal to anyone currently playing within the premier League but that's waht we need - proven Premier League talent. We've signed some good players from abroad but we all now that's a gamble that often doesn't pay off.

[Turkish]

Seriously? I have no words sometimes.

 

I do pal. Idiots. Internet football fans barring a handful are idiots

 

No doubt the ones whinging about signing long now were the same ones begging Osvaldo and Ramirez to sign this time the last two years, despite probably having never seen them play or have heard of them.

 

Probably the same ones whinging when we came up that Clyne & Rodriguez didn't have premier league experience

 

Probably the same ones whinging all summer we're being asset stripped and have no ambition

 

Probably the same ones who have been whinging all summer we're making derisory offers for players who don't want to come here.

 

Now we're about to make a decent if unspectacular signing and they're out in force again whinging that we're paying too much, he isn't a foreigner with a fancy name who we simply have to sign and would be a real statement of intent, despite having never heard of them until the links appeared in the paper.

 

 

Idiots pal, at least 80% of 'em.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

Yup. Not that I rate either of them but they are both still an improvement on Long.

 

How do you work that out? They haven't got better records. Wickham is known for having a terrible attitude and Borini has said he won't be leaving Liverpool.

[Sour Mash]

It would be a pretty dumb move though, if we're honest. If we hadn't sold half of our team I'd agree with you, but the issue is that we need a striker with PL experience. If we fill up the squad with players who have potential then we are ****ed, as we have no time to wait for them to adjust like we had with Jay.

Exactly. The position the club find themselves in this summer is we need as much certainty as possible in our signings, not gambles on players that might take a few years to contribute fully, if at all.