January Transfer Window - 2020 Edition

[pimpin4rizeal]

Our good run of late will probably not do us any favours in the board wanting to spend money. I’d rather have the points obviously but you know what we are like.. no emergency so don’t bother

[Pip]

Our good run of late will probably not do us any favours in the board wanting to spend money. I’d rather have the points obviously but you know what we are like.. no emergency so don’t bother

 

Know what you mean but no emergency could also stop clubs from holding us to ransom.

[Dark Munster]

Are we signing anyone???

Yes, definitely. Not sure when though.

[SuperSAINT]

Yep. Best not to listen to any press stories. I think we will get a rb in that can cover cb maybe and tbf most other stuff can wait until the summer. Cm would be nice but not essential.

 

Should we stay up, the summer is is going to see us need replacements for the out of contract players that leave AND to your CM point, I would assume Hojbjerg may need replacing (depending what his mystery agreement with the club is)

[Turkish]

Interesting to see how Kalvin Phillips does tonight

 

Why? We won’t be signing him

[Lighthouse]

Every window for the past 3 or 4 years we’ve leaked stories to the press about interest in players. ‘ITK’s’ stating were in for x, y & z... come the end of the window we end up with a Danso or Carrillo.

 

I’d would say that’s more often the players agents and selling clubs trying to push up prices. Half the ‘ITK’s are just bog standard trolls and people repeating nonsense they’ve read on twitter.

 

I don’t really see how the club benefits by making fans think we’re signing three or four great players, then disappointing everyone by not.

Edited 6 January, 2020 by Lighthouse

[Gordon Mockles]

When have Saints ever promised anything? Most of the disappointment I’ve seen in January has come from people dreaming that we’re going to sell about five surplus players and bring in three.

 

Saints have alluded to plenty, including transfers, and have never stopped being indirectly active in the mainstream press so I’m perplexed as to how people fail to grasp or assume it’s merely PR agencies and agents.

 

Are you suggesting the Telegraph article interview following the Leicester match was by the tea lady or some fan on the way home? Are you thinking journalists would ignore the greatest away defeat in Premier League history and not want a direct interview with the club? Do you not think that if a non-club spokesman made outlandish promises on recruiting key, management staff & transfers, on behalf of the club to a national broadsheet, the Saints press secretary would not have picked the phone directly up to the Telegraph and contested an immediate retraction?

 

Or did the people dream up the articles in the Telegraph and the regular nonsense in the daily Echo? This Website used to have credibility or are the administrators on some sort of retainer? You often offer a bizarre defence to the club against a wealth of information to the contrary or is your memory shorter than mine?

 

Look at the resources. 21st century journalism is often done in a much more divisive, dishonest and distasteful manner these days so no-one is public facing & no-one is answerable. It’s much like the American model for running a website, you can spend days looking for contact details and when you do it’s a dead-end phone line that’s not even manned. Boring I know. I digress.

 

Under Gao, previously Kat, the board have constantly changed the narrative from having to sell to buy and then we did that & it changed to excuses about the wage bill which were partly true but, like austerity, a half-truth perpetuated by a much bigger lie. Then there was Ralph’s massive rebuild - particularly focusing on the twice (successive) relegation battling defence which should’ve been done last summer. The result was the very last minute loan signing of Kevin Danso who was never actually played more than one match I believe in the right position. A ludicrous oversight & possibly the most stupid behaviour since Kat took control and broke the train set.

 

All of these actions were backed up by numerous press articles and direct club releases to The Daily Echo and The Telegraph as well as the usual tabloid newspapers, many of which have seemingly lost interest in Saints.

 

Historically, in the past 3 years, Saints board have made a series of ever-changing promises. Often via the club’s favoured mouth piece, Jeremy Wilson and the club direct line to him. Les Reed was always in contact. I’ve had various bits substantiated from various people close to the club. I’m always very reticent to say that on this website as it’s the Southampton way to attack anyone who even suggests at having information from anyone which is hardly a big thing. It’s irrelevant anyway because you just need to look at the information on the web before even speaking to anyone and it’s fairly clear to read between the li(n)es.

 

You are deluded if you think the club do not play the game and play the fans like a fiddle. Clubs are no different to the reporters and rumours spun by agents, etc. This strange mindset of fans unable to accept negatives emanate from the club are often the same people berating others for questioning Gao from the outset.

 

Look at the Quincy Promes transfer saga and how either Les or someone completely run the clock down to dangle the carrot to the fans & I actually heard this exact rumour from a friend who had heard the hierarchy actually boasting about it before it happened. How (allegedly) arrogant is that?! Personally, I believed it because of the way things panned out and how the player was playing a pointless friendly when no player with serious interest would play a friendly with a serous move in contention. Then did we actually go back to them in the summer as the club alluded to? Of course not. Judge people by their actions and then their words will never fool you. I’ve been highly suspicious of the way the club operate ever since that revelation.

 

For that exact reason, I have paid close attention to how the club has operated in the past 3 years and I’ve got a long list of resources I can point you towards. It’s pointless anyway because the recent article revealing Gao looking to sell was a shock but a welcome one, if true, from my view. It all made sense anyway so I’m inclined to believe it. Also ratifies all the ever-changing excuses from the club when they just basically lied to cover the fact that Gao had invested no money whatsoever and has little money or interest (shock). Can’t really hide that and even the most idiotic fans can see the money we generated to buy last season’s transfers was likely from within the coffers, the clubs existing finances without any additional input from our (originally purported) new owner who was touted as progressing club forward. That was the nominal transfers as we had previously lost scores of players and it was far from the big rebuild to which the club alluded. We didn’t even improve the defence which was the key area Ralph had said he wanted to address, in numerous articles. The massive rebuilding was promised. Gao did not deliver. A huge, immensely stupid and complacent mistake that nearly cost us. It still may.

 

Gao looking to sell ratifies absolutely everything that has been said and the lies the club have made for the past few years so why do people still defend those points? They were at best half-truths and flimsy excuses. Some excuses are understandable but I can’t stand the barefaced lying when it’s constantly being changed to a new excuse. Meant with the greatest respect, wake up and smell the coffee. It is now surely beyond obvious so why are you still peddling the same weak defence? I appreciate i’m massively over stating my point & giving you an overly hard time but you’re not the only poster making comments like this but most of the smug ones have gone quiet. Wimpish tossers.

 

The countless bits of evidence are there including the Telegraph article post Leicester, promising wholesale change. We may finally get some of the promises and we can’t have everything but time to stop dangling the carrot Saints. We finally got a DOF who should be here any day but that was the bare min. Why can’t we have an article about that in the echo, something at least of substance? Some honest, transparent journalism. Long overdue under this dynasty. The club read comments and realise fans don’t trust them and should make effort to win back fan trust. Winning trust does not mean peddling Jimmy Case out to talk about how great China and Gao is because Jimmy quite likes Chinese meals.

 

Stop running the club like our disastrous political landscape. If they keep peddling false hope and lies to the people, people will tire and some will turn their back on football. Lying is a cowardly and divisive way to run a football club but it seems to be the way or modern media. Very Edward Bernays (another Austrian) or Vladislav Surkov. Social engineering.

 

Accept the fact, the club is run in quite an insidious manner now and Gao seems to have mainly focused on marketing and media while divulging nothing. Highly suspect. The club aren’t the innocent angels you profess. Not many in football are. We all love and support our club in differing ways but we don’t have to love, support, trust, like or even believe a word that is uttered by the owners of our club but we don’t have to love or support the management/board if they’re lying twunts. Kat and Gao have made zero effort to even try and win favour or connect with the fans. It seems with the billionaire lifestyle, it creates a disconnect and a distasteful, Adam Smith like maxim. More for ourselves and less for everyone else....and f*ck the fans. They won’t even try to engage or win them over because money talks and it appears most don’t really care what their underlings do, even if they are the paying customer base. That alleged attitude, is a mistake.

 

Fans - many of whom don’t stacks of cash to spare - have watched dire football amidst insufferable prevaricating for seasons now. We’ve been treated with utter contempt and if people want to rant or day dream, let them but drop the holier than thou tone by suggesting the club haven’t alluded to anything. They clearly have, on more than one occasion. Then they have moved the goal posts, constantly. Actions speak louder than words.

[egg]

I'd would say that's more often the players agents and selling clubs trying to push up prices. Half the ITK's are just bog standard trolls and people repeating nonsense they've read on twitter.

 

I dont really see how the club benefits by making fans think we're signing three or four great players, then disappointing everyone by not.

Agreed. It's illogical that the club would make up false transfer rumours then leak them to the press and I can't believe that people really think that happens. To do so would achieve nothing other than upset fans when the rumours don't materialise. Newspapers have printed groundless / made up rumours for years. Nothing to see as far as I'm concerned.

[Lazlo78]

Vestergaard has told a Danish newspaper that he will stay and fight for his place in the team and not be loaned out this season: https://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/fodbold/udenlandsk_fodbold/engelsk_fodbold/PremierLeague/dansk-stjerne-i-problemer-ikke-optimalt/7944989

[Wade Garrett]

Saints have alluded to plenty, including transfers, and have never stopped being indirectly active in the mainstream press so I’m perplexed as to how people fail to grasp or assume it’s merely PR agencies and agents.

 

Are you suggesting the Telegraph article interview following the Leicester match was by the tea lady or some fan on the way home? Are you thinking journalists would ignore the greatest away defeat in Premier League history and not want a direct interview with the club? Do you not think that if a non-club spokesman made outlandish promises on recruiting key, management staff & transfers, on behalf of the club to a national broadsheet, the Saints press secretary would not have picked the phone directly up to the Telegraph and contested an immediate retraction?

 

Or did the people dream up the articles in the Telegraph and the regular nonsense in the daily Echo? This Website used to have credibility or are the administrators on some sort of retainer? You often offer a bizarre defence to the club against a wealth of information to the contrary or is your memory shorter than mine?

 

Look at the resources. 21st century journalism is often done in a much more divisive, dishonest and distasteful manner these days so no-one is public facing & no-one is answerable. It’s much like the American model for running a website, you can spend days looking for contact details and when you do it’s a dead-end phone line that’s not even manned. Boring I know. I digress.

 

Under Gao, previously Kat, the board have constantly changed the narrative from having to sell to buy and then we did that & it changed to excuses about the wage bill which were partly true but, like austerity, a half-truth perpetuated by a much bigger lie. Then there was Ralph’s massive rebuild - particularly focusing on the twice (successive) relegation battling defence which should’ve been done last summer. The result was the very last minute loan signing of Kevin Danso who was never actually played more than one match I believe in the right position. A ludicrous oversight & possibly the most stupid behaviour since Kat took control and broke the train set.

 

All of these actions were backed up by numerous press articles and direct club releases to The Daily Echo and The Telegraph as well as the usual tabloid newspapers, many of which have seemingly lost interest in Saints.

 

Historically, in the past 3 years, Saints board have made a series of ever-changing promises. Often via the club’s favoured mouth piece, Jeremy Wilson and the club direct line to him. Les Reed was always in contact. I’ve had various bits substantiated from various people close to the club. I’m always very reticent to say that on this website as it’s the Southampton way to attack anyone who even suggests at having information from anyone which is hardly a big thing. It’s irrelevant anyway because you just need to look at the information on the web before even speaking to anyone and it’s fairly clear to read between the li(n)es.

 

You are deluded if you think the club do not play the game and play the fans like a fiddle. Clubs are no different to the reporters and rumours spun by agents, etc. This strange mindset of fans unable to accept negatives emanate from the club are often the same people berating others for questioning Gao from the outset.

 

Look at the Quincy Promes transfer saga and how either Les or someone completely run the clock down to dangle the carrot to the fans & I actually heard this exact rumour from a friend who had heard the hierarchy actually boasting about it before it happened. How (allegedly) arrogant is that?! Personally, I believed it because of the way things panned out and how the player was playing a pointless friendly when no player with serious interest would play a friendly with a serous move in contention. Then did we actually go back to them in the summer as the club alluded to? Of course not. Judge people by their actions and then their words will never fool you. I’ve been highly suspicious of the way the club operate ever since that revelation.

 

For that exact reason, I have paid close attention to how the club has operated in the past 3 years and I’ve got a long list of resources I can point you towards. It’s pointless anyway because the recent article revealing Gao looking to sell was a shock but a welcome one, if true, from my view. It all made sense anyway so I’m inclined to believe it. Also ratifies all the ever-changing excuses from the club when they just basically lied to cover the fact that Gao had invested no money whatsoever and has little money or interest (shock). Can’t really hide that and even the most idiotic fans can see the money we generated to buy last season’s transfers was likely from within the coffers, the clubs existing finances without any additional input from our (originally purported) new owner who was touted as progressing club forward. That was the nominal transfers as we had previously lost scores of players and it was far from the big rebuild to which the club alluded. We didn’t even improve the defence which was the key area Ralph had said he wanted to address, in numerous articles. The massive rebuilding was promised. Gao did not deliver. A huge, immensely stupid and complacent mistake that nearly cost us. It still may.

 

Gao looking to sell ratifies absolutely everything that has been said and the lies the club have made for the past few years so why do people still defend those points? They were at best half-truths and flimsy excuses. Some excuses are understandable but I can’t stand the barefaced lying when it’s constantly being changed to a new excuse. Meant with the greatest respect, wake up and smell the coffee. It is now surely beyond obvious so why are you still peddling the same weak defence? I appreciate i’m massively over stating my point & giving you an overly hard time but you’re not the only poster making comments like this but most of the smug ones have gone quiet. Wimpish tossers.

 

The countless bits of evidence are there including the Telegraph article post Leicester, promising wholesale change. We may finally get some of the promises and we can’t have everything but time to stop dangling the carrot Saints. We finally got a DOF who should be here any day but that was the bare min. Why can’t we have an article about that in the echo, something at least of substance? Some honest, transparent journalism. Long overdue under this dynasty. The club read comments and realise fans don’t trust them and should make effort to win back fan trust. Winning trust does not mean peddling Jimmy Case out to talk about how great China and Gao is because Jimmy quite likes Chinese meals.

 

Stop running the club like our disastrous political landscape. If they keep peddling false hope and lies to the people, people will tire and some will turn their back on football. Lying is a cowardly and divisive way to run a football club but it seems to be the way or modern media. Very Edward Bernays (another Austrian) or Vladislav Surkov. Social engineering.

 

Accept the fact, the club is run in quite an insidious manner now and Gao seems to have mainly focused on marketing and media while divulging nothing. Highly suspect. The club aren’t the innocent angels you profess. Not many in football are. We all love and support our club in differing ways but we don’t have to love, support, trust, like or even believe a word that is uttered by the owners of our club but we don’t have to love or support the management/board if they’re lying twunts. Kat and Gao have made zero effort to even try and win favour or connect with the fans. It seems with the billionaire lifestyle, it creates a disconnect and a distasteful, Adam Smith like maxim. More for ourselves and less for everyone else....and f*ck the fans. They won’t even try to engage or win them over because money talks and it appears most don’t really care what their underlings do, even if they are the paying customer base. That alleged attitude, is a mistake.

 

Fans - many of whom don’t stacks of cash to spare - have watched dire football amidst insufferable prevaricating for seasons now. We’ve been treated with utter contempt and if people want to rant or day dream, let them but drop the holier than thou tone by suggesting the club haven’t alluded to anything. They clearly have, on more than one occasion. Then they have moved the goal posts, constantly. Actions speak louder than words.

 

One of the best posts I’ve read on this forum.

[Batman]

When have Saints ever promised anything? Most of the disappointment I’ve seen in January has come from people dreaming that we’re going to sell about five surplus players and bring in three.

 

Not true at all.

[egg]

Not true at all.

 

Post a link to where the club has promised something that it hasn't delivered. I don't mean a telegraph article that you believe comes from the club, I mean something from the club.

[Dusic]

Post a link to where the club has promised something that it hasn't delivered. I don't mean a telegraph article that you believe comes from the club, I mean something from the club.

You don't think the Telegraph articles come from the club?

 

Extremely naive. They do or at least did under Reed/Wilson.

[SuperSAINT]

You don't think the Telegraph articles come from the club?

 

Extremely naive. They do or at least did under Reed/Wilson.

 

Still does - Wilson & Sam Wallace still get nuggets. Most likely from Jordan Sibley via the hierarchy.

[Batman]

Post a link to where the club has promised something that it hasn't delivered. I don't mean a telegraph article that you believe comes from the club, I mean something from the club.

 

Weird how Jeremy Wilson regularly goes into detail about our club.

 

He could just be making it up out of thin air, don’t know though!

[Greenridge]

Post a link to where the club has promised something that it hasn't delivered. I don't mean a telegraph article that you believe comes from the club, I mean something from the club.

 

How about Kat telling us that Gao would take us to the next level..

[sadoldgit]

How about Kat telling us that Gao would take us to the next level..

 

I think the mistake we made was thinking that the next level would be higher.

[Lighthouse]

How about Kat telling us that Gao would take us to the next level..

 

Vague and meaningless. Also that’s a separate issue to player transfers.

[Ex Lion Tamer]

Omar Colley apparently

 

https://www.goal.com/en/news/newcastle-face-competition-from-southampton-and-west-ham-for-15m-/1idfzxufl9hrx1qh7cp5ymz2ig

[Matthew Le God]

Weird how Jeremy Wilson regularly goes into detail about our club.

 

He could just be making it up out of thin air, don’t know though!

 

What actual 'promises' have they contained?

[Batman]

As with every window, fans of most clubs think transfers are really easy and their clubs are deliberately delaying them or just not bothering. They genuinely think deadline day is busy due to clubs being inept rather than them, players, agents etc holding out for the best move possible.

 

Why the sudden u-turn? You have been championing buying our way out of trouble this Jan?

 

What’s changed?

[Gordon Mockles]

Agreed. It's illogical that the club would make up false transfer rumours then leak them to the press and I can't believe that people really think that happens. To do so would achieve nothing other than upset fans when the rumours don't materialise. Newspapers have printed groundless / made up rumours for years. Nothing to see as far as I'm concerned.

 

You rarely see much in fairness. Should wipe that egg away. How are the club accounts doing this January? Have we enough yo to sign anyone with your intricate knowledge of the wage bill?

 

It’s fairly essay concept to grasp if you tried and you are capable of thinking. Using Quincy Promes as an example: The club want to appear to be pursuing players but failing on the bid. Making a multitude of excuses which lay at the door of others. Truth is, if any club were in serious talks, a player won’t play a PL or cup match, let alone a pointless friendly. Also, historically, when Saints are seriously considering signing players, they have back up targets. I think the phrase is “tyre kicking”.

[sadoldgit]

I can see why the club might want to put out misinformation about a transfer target whilst pursuing others in order to put other clubs off the scent. I can see no benefit for the club to say they are trying to sign players when they are not. All that does is wind up the fan base even more.

[S-Clarke]

I can see why the club might want to put out misinformation about a transfer target whilst pursuing others in order to put other clubs off the scent. I can see no benefit for the club to say they are trying to sign players when they are not. All that does is wind up the fan base even more.

 

It tones down the initial rage at selling VVD for e.g., with the idea that we wanted to do it early so we had all month to reinvest etc - it suddenly deflects fans anger and makes them think more positively, and the terrace chat becomes more around exciting additions as opposed to who we lost.

 

Keep stringing those out for a few weeks until the ''how difficult it is'' lines start coming out, and by this time the actual rage has died down from the sale and the club have engineered the fans mood. Then comes frustrated acceptance, but not the pure anger they’d have had if the club admitted they weren’t spending the VVD fee when we sold him.

[Smirking_Saint]

He has a brief cameo and makes an impact then is given a start and his lack of technique really shows and he fades away again.

 

Repeat x 3 or 4.

 

If he was dangerous almost every time he plays then he would always play. He doesn't.

 

He isn't PL quality. Which is no shame as the standard is so high. Can see why a long term move to the US appeals to him, mich better than clogging around in Huddersfield or similar.

 

Spurs game aside, I always thought we looked weaker last season when he was on the pitch. Like that awful Newcastle game when he was dragged off at HT or against Watford and Liverpool when we were immediately overrun when he came on. Even the win over Wolves, which was decent, we played better as a team after he went off.

 

He was in and out of a poor Reading team too. I just don’t see him being consistently close to the level we’re looking for.

 

Nonsense, he's looked dangerous almost every time he's actually played. As good as Boufal has been (at times) I would still rather see Sims in the squad.

 

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

 

Exactly in agreement with Dusic and Lighthouse here, unfortunately if we wasn't blessed with pace and didn't come out of the academy I would imagine the intrigue around him would be much less, he has always been one of those players that gets better when he doesn't play

 

Despite the Spurs game, of which i think it was more of a case that their poor fullbacks weren't ready to be closed down at pace, he hasn't really shown any improvement over the years

 

He is quick and he works hard, but technically he is lacking. The fact that its only Championship clubs interested sort of backs my point really

 

We have better options in the squad now

[Greenridge]

Vague and meaningless. Also that’s a separate issue to player transfers.

 

It was relevant to the question I was responding to.

 

On the topic of transfers it was very clear from several of Ralph’s interviews last summer that he thought he was getting players in. And I don’t include Danso as one of them and I’m sure Ralph wasn’t referring to him either. Of course there are many reasons why these may not have come to fruition but 100% Ralph thought he was getting personnel.

[Lighthouse]

It was relevant to the question I was responding to.

 

On the topic of transfers it was very clear from several of Ralph’s interviews last summer that he thought he was getting players in. And I don’t include Danso as one of them and I’m sure Ralph wasn’t referring to him either. Of course there are many reasons why these may not have come to fruition but 100% Ralph thought he was getting personnel.

 

Fair enough but we were talking about transfers. Kat hasn't been proven wrong on that yet, I mean if Gao takes us to a 5th place finish in 5 years, she can say she was correct. Anyway, that's a different topic. I never believed the 'next level' stuff anyway and I don't think I've met anyone else who did.

 

Ralph did get personnel, I don't know what you mean. We signed Adams, Danso and Djenepo, when the squad was already bloated with players hard to shift. You can't just say Danso doesn't count, just because you don't rate him. Ralph would have known when he was appointed that we could only bring in what we can sell and get off the wage bill.

[sadoldgit]

It tones down the initial rage at selling VVD for e.g., with the idea that we wanted to do it early so we had all month to reinvest etc - it suddenly deflects fans anger and makes them think more positively, and the terrace chat becomes more around exciting additions as opposed to who we lost.

 

Keep stringing those out for a few weeks until the ''how difficult it is'' lines start coming out, and by this time the actual rage has died down from the sale and the club have engineered the fans mood. Then comes frustrated acceptance, but not the pure anger they’d have had if the club admitted they weren’t spending the VVD fee when we sold him.

 

I remember a lot of anger over the non signing of Promes. It would be a lot easier just to say they are working hard to bring a player or two in rather than actually put a name out there. As soon as a player is named, the expectations become so much higher. We also hear a few years down the line of players we were genuinely interested in signing and the reasons that they didn’t come. It is better for your nerves if you believe a player is sold when he signs for another club and a player is signing when he actually signs on. Everything else is just bull**** until the ink is dry on the contract. We all read the transfer rumours, how many of them actually happen?

[hypochondriac]

Should we stay up, the summer is is going to see us need replacements for the out of contract players that leave AND to your CM point, I would assume Hojbjerg may need replacing (depending what his mystery agreement with the club is)

 

Yes but I meant not essential in January. Given we are clearly reluctant to do much business in January, my guess is RB will be the priority.

[egg]

You rarely see much in fairness. Should wipe that egg away. How are the club accounts doing this January? Have we enough yo to sign anyone with your intricate knowledge of the wage bill?

 

It’s fairly essay concept to grasp if you tried and you are capable of thinking. Using Quincy Promes as an example: The club want to appear to be pursuing players but failing on the bid. Making a multitude of excuses which lay at the door of others. Truth is, if any club were in serious talks, a player won’t play a PL or cup match, let alone a pointless friendly. Also, historically, when Saints are seriously considering signing players, they have back up targets. I think the phrase is “tyre kicking”.

 

A few points:

 

1. Show me where THE CLUB have made promises (or something close to it) that it hasn't kept. Please spare me one of your 47 paragraph essays, just a link will do. If you link me to an article in the press, please remember that it's a fact that journalists publish rumours, it's what they do.

 

2. Please explain (as per Lighthouse sensible post) why a football club would ask a journalist to write an untruthful statement that the club is trying to sign a certain player. It makes no sense whatsoever. How does it benefit the club or its fans?

 

3. Not getting targets over the line is a football reality; it doesn't suggest a broken "promise".

 

4. You mention my previous knowledge of financial facts as a criticism. I'm not sure what point you're making, but tell me how it's a negative that in the past (not recently, I have no current information) that I have posted from a position of knowledge rather than just guessing/speculating as per. It's obvious that you know feck all but you insist on telling everyone, at ridiculous length, what you don't know.

[Trout-Tickler]

What? The above is what I've said about every window and every club for years. It doesn't rule out wanting us to buy a good player or two.

 

I would love us to make a decent signing. I just don't expect them wrapped up early or even possible in January, and would rather avoid more panic signings that prevent us spending properly in the summer due to an expensive squad of overpaid average signings.

 

The only panic buy we've made in recent times is Carrillo. Him apart our 'expensive squad of overpaid average signings' were signed in the summer window, lets face it our recent recruitment has been poor whether it be in the summer or winter window!

[egg]

Weird how Jeremy Wilson regularly goes into detail about our club.

 

He could just be making it up out of thin air, don’t know though!

 

That's a journalist. I'm asking where THE CLUB has broken it's promises. Sure, Wilson may well be fed stuff from the club as part of it's PR machine, of course they'll put stuff put there but I still don't see the broken promises from the club re transfers that people go on about.

[egg]

How about Kat telling us that Gao would take us to the next level..

 

As Lighthouse says, "Vague and meaningless. Also that’s a separate issue to player transfers". I'd add that none of us know what she was told/assured/promised by Gao and may well have said what she believed to be true. At the end of the day she was a seller and understandably wanted to cash in on her inheritance.

[Smirking_Saint]

He has a brief cameo and makes an impact then is given a start and his lack of technique really shows and he fades away again.

 

Repeat x 3 or 4.

 

If he was dangerous almost every time he plays then he would always play. He doesn't.

 

He isn't PL quality. Which is no shame as the standard is so high. Can see why a long term move to the US appeals to him, mich better than clogging around in Huddersfield or similar.

 

Spurs game aside, I always thought we looked weaker last season when he was on the pitch. Like that awful Newcastle game when he was dragged off at HT or against Watford and Liverpool when we were immediately overrun when he came on. Even the win over Wolves, which was decent, we played better as a team after he went off.

 

He was in and out of a poor Reading team too. I just don’t see him being consistently close to the level we’re looking for.

 

Yes but I meant not essential in January. Given we are clearly reluctant to do much business in January, my guess is RB will be the priority.

 

I think both fullbacks are the priority for us in January, if truth be told, or at least a RB that can cover both.... I suppose Cedric can do that but he always looks even more disastrous on the left as he does on the right (ignoring his recent form to be fair to him)

 

I would suggest though, despite the upturn in form we do need a new CB, one of our main reasons for success, certainly on the road is Ralphs tactical consistency, this allows us to play and press against teams that are more open against us, and it works.

 

It is also why we do not play so well at home, often struggling against teams that play direct towards any area of our backline and bypassing the press. In order to make this work we probably need either a CB OR mobile DM that is effective in the air, and so can be deployed against these sorts of teams allowing us to continue with Ralphs preferred tactics.

[Smirking_Saint]

Apologies....for some reason it kept my tags from earlier... so yeah... ignore the Sims bit

[ally_uk]

Jesus can we stop the essays and harping on..... Does anyone actually have any links or news? Keep it short and sweet aswell fell asleep browsing this thread.

[Give it to Ron]

Drinkwater gone to Villa to replace injured McGinn

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Wade Garrett]

That's a journalist. I'm asking where THE CLUB has broken it's promises. Sure, Wilson may well be fed stuff from the club as part of it's PR machine, of course they'll put stuff put there but I still don't see the broken promises from the club re transfers that people go on about.

 

So it’s ok for the club to feed bullsh*t to the supporters if it’s done via a journalist?

[Lighthouse]

So it’s ok for the club to feed bullsh*t to the supporters if it’s done via a journalist?

 

I’m still not sure what exactly you think has been said by the club, to journalists and why?

 

Supposing the club (indirectly) tell the fans we’re going to sign Carlos Soccerama, Corinthians top scorer, for £40m - then we actually sign Ade Akinbeye on loan from Stoke. How is that beneficial to anyone associated with the club?

 

If far more likely:

A) We did at least make enquiries, nothing came of it and rumours leaked out that we were interested.

B) Carlos Soccerama’s agent made it up because West Ham are interested and want to force their hand/up the wages.

C) Trolls and journalists need people to pay attention to their ramblings and make stuff up on a daily basis.

[egg]

I haven't said that bullsh1t is fed via journalists. I've said that some information is likely fed to journalists.

 

Everyone is avoiding the subject though - where have the club lied to its fans, or broken promises to them, about transfers? People keep saying that they do but nobody can point to a single link. Not one.

[egg]

So it’s ok for the club to feed bullsh*t to the supporters if it’s done via a journalist?

 

I haven't said that bullsh1t is fed via journalists. I've said that some information is likely fed to journalists.

 

Everyone is avoiding the subject though - where have the club lied to its fans, or broken promises to them, about transfers? People keep saying that they do but nobody can point to a single link. Not one.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

I haven't said that bullsh1t is fed via journalists. I've said that some information is likely fed to journalists.

 

Everyone is avoiding the subject though - where have the club lied to its fans, or broken promises to them, about transfers? People keep saying that they do but nobody can point to a single link. Not one.

 

I think the misinformation spread for PR purposes is done much more subtly than that. No club makes promises when it comes to transfers but they like the fans to think that perhaps they are beavering away in the background with serious intent (even if they're not).

[Danbert]

Vestergaard not pushing for a move

 

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/jannik-vestergaard-opens-up-southampton-21233043

[the saint in winchester]

Meanwhile, back on transfer window ....

I see some clubs looking at Glenn Murray. He would be a good loan option for us to cover if Ingsy gets an injury or needs a break.

[Danbert]

Meanwhile, back on transfer window ....

I see some clubs looking at Glenn Murray. He would be a good loan option for us to cover if Ingsy gets an injury or needs a break.

 

No he wouldn't. We have 2-3 other strikers on our books, and none of them are 36.

[The Cat]

Vestergaard not pushing for a move

 

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/jannik-vestergaard-opens-up-southampton-21233043

 

If any potential suitors watched him on Saturday they'd have run for the hills. Awful performance against a team with barely any threat. He knew it too, he couldn't wait to get off the pitch and down the tunnel while the rest of the team hung around for a couple of minutes and clapped the fans.

[Turkish]

I haven't said that bullsh1t is fed via journalists. I've said that some information is likely fed to journalists.

 

Everyone is avoiding the subject though - where have the club lied to its fans, or broken promises to them, about transfers? People keep saying that they do but nobody can point to a single link. Not one.

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/12/28/southampton-keen-daniel-sturridge-ready-make-audacious-move/

 

Wilson, one of the clubs favoured journalists, did this piece, a few days after Van Dijk was sold BEFORE the transfer window opened. Whole host of big names mentioned, Sturridge, Seggisnon, Mawson, Walcott, Shaw. What happened? We got in Carillo.

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/11/19/southmaptons-off-field-overhaul-could-include-division-les-reeds/

 

then of course there was this little beauty, Paul Mitchell linked with move back, lots of talk of splitting Les Reeds role between several people, a new structure in place by January? What happened? Ralph came in, results got a bit better and it all went quite with the job being given to wee Ross and no one coming in.

 

So that's two examples in the past 2 years where articles have appeared in the clubs preferred media outlet via their preferred source when absolutely nothing like what was claimed was happening did. Not saying it's a lie but it's certainly misleading, don't you think?

 

Maybe Jeremy Wilson made it all up but he always seems to be the journalist with most names, most details and first to print whenever there is any saints news.

[Stu Man Do]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/12/28/southampton-keen-daniel-sturridge-ready-make-audacious-move/

 

Wilson, one of the clubs favoured journalists, did this piece, a few days after Van Dijk was sold BEFORE the transfer window opened. Whole host of big names mentioned, Sturridge, Seggisnon, Mawson, Walcott, Shaw. What happened? We got in Carillo.

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/11/19/southmaptons-off-field-overhaul-could-include-division-les-reeds/

 

then of course there was this little beauty, Paul Mitchell linked with move back, lots of talk of splitting Les Reeds role between several people, a new structure in place by January? What happened? Ralph came in, results got a bit better and it all went quite with the job being given to wee Ross and no one coming in.

 

So that's two examples in the past 2 years where articles have appeared in the clubs preferred media outlet via their preferred source when absolutely nothing like what was claimed was happening did. Not saying it's a lie but it's certainly misleading, don't you think?

 

Maybe Jeremy Wilson made it all up but he always seems to be the journalist with most names, most details and first to print whenever there is any saints news.

 

Didn’t he also report that we’d be back in the summer for absolute definite for that Dutch guy Promes? Although i also remember that Adam Blackmore said the same.

[Batman]

we were promised to know what the '5 pledges' were sat on Krueger's desk

[egg]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/12/28/southampton-keen-daniel-sturridge-ready-make-audacious-move/

 

Wilson, one of the clubs favoured journalists, did this piece, a few days after Van Dijk was sold BEFORE the transfer window opened. Whole host of big names mentioned, Sturridge, Seggisnon, Mawson, Walcott, Shaw. What happened? We got in Carillo.

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/11/19/southmaptons-off-field-overhaul-could-include-division-les-reeds/

 

then of course there was this little beauty, Paul Mitchell linked with move back, lots of talk of splitting Les Reeds role between several people, a new structure in place by January? What happened? Ralph came in, results got a bit better and it all went quite with the job being given to wee Ross and no one coming in.

 

So that's two examples in the past 2 years where articles have appeared in the clubs preferred media outlet via their preferred source when absolutely nothing like what was claimed was happening did. Not saying it's a lie but it's certainly misleading, don't you think?

 

Maybe Jeremy Wilson made it all up but he always seems to be the journalist with most names, most details and first to print whenever there is any saints news.

 

Cheers Del. At least someone has pointed to a link. I won't comment re Mitchell as the focus here is transfer. Re those, two points :

 

1. Why would the club leak untrue transfer speculation? How does it help the club or fans?

 

2. Assuming though that those names came from the club, what's to say that all or some were not targeted but didn't come off, hence Carillo? I love a conspiracy theory but a need persuading that there's one here.