Fraser Forster - Official: Signs for Spurs

[Dusic]

Still have no idea why Saints and Hasenhuttl haven't dealt with his departure better. 

Obvious as soon as we signed up McCarthy that he wouldnt be offered anything with us.

Why say he is injured when he is leaving as everyone knows anyway?

Edited 21 May, 2022 by Dusic

[Baird of the land]

  On 21/05/2022 at 09:43, Dusic said:

Still have no idea why Saints and Hasenhuttl haven't dealt with his departure better. 

Obvious as soon as we signed up McCarthy that he wouldnt be offered anything with us.

Why say he is injured when he is leaving as everyone knows anyway?

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I do wish they were a bit more open about it especially now Mccarthy is back.

My guess he is carrying an injury though. He barely made the Brighton game because of an ankle problem.

[igsey]

Well that frees up £70k a week. 

It's strange how indifferent I am about a guy that's been here 7+ years leaving.

[S-Clarke]

  On 21/05/2022 at 09:43, Dusic said:

Still have no idea why Saints and Hasenhuttl haven't dealt with his departure better. 

Obvious as soon as we signed up McCarthy that he wouldnt be offered anything with us.

Why say he is injured when he is leaving as everyone knows anyway?

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It's the 'Southampton Way'.

We did exactly the same with PEH, Fonte, Bertrand etc.

[Suhari]

Shame the keeper situation wasn't dealt with in a better way. Much prefer FF to McCarthy.

The way we've dealt with the departure seems a little sad.

[SuperSAINT]

We do go around-the-houses a little bit.  I’m sure I remember Ralph (ages ago) being really blunt and clear in a press conference that 1 keeper would get a new deal & 1 wouldn’t & would leave.

Very blunt & honest, but after that, we’ve kind’ve tried to pretend that wasn’t the case (when it was always the case!)

[MarkSFC]

  On 21/05/2022 at 10:29, SuperSAINT said:

We do go around-the-houses a little bit.  I’m sure I remember Ralph (ages ago) being really blunt and clear in a press conference that 1 keeper would get a new deal & 1 wouldn’t & would leave.

Very blunt & honest, but after that, we’ve kind’ve tried to pretend that wasn’t the case (when it was always the case!)

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Wasn't that BEFORE the takeover which perhaps means (and I'm hoping here😂) that we can get rid of both FF and AM....

[S-Clarke]

  On 21/05/2022 at 12:04, MarkSFC said:

Wasn't that BEFORE the takeover which perhaps means (and I'm hoping here😂) that we can get rid of both FF and AM....

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Sadly we gave McCarthy a new contract, he's going to be here next year. We just have to hope we either sign a new number 1, or a young keeper who is Tino levels so he can oust him straight away. I'll be so, so bored if we start with McCarthy as number one again next season, there is no point.

[beatlesaint]

So will they bother to announce McCarthy has a new contract or is it being swept under the carpet ?

Not sure how they could put a good spin on it to be honest.

[Chez]

 

  On 21/05/2022 at 13:00, beatlesaint said:

So will they bother to announce McCarthy has a new contract or is it being swept under the carpet ?

Not sure how they could put a good spin on it to be honest.

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How can you announce that a guy has signed a three year contract a year after he signed it?

News ain't news if it isn't news.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

  On 21/05/2022 at 10:19, S-Clarke said:

It's the 'Southampton Way'.

We did exactly the same with PEH, Fonte, Bertrand etc.

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The flip side to promoting ourselves as a club for players on the cusp of making a breakthrough (get 'em while they're cheaper) is that if those players don't move on, don't sign extensions or follow every command then we will go into a petulant huff about it.

[Saint_clark]

  On 21/05/2022 at 13:07, Chez said:

 

How can you announce that a guy has signed a three year contract a year after he signed it?

News ain't news if it isn't news.

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It's weird that he's still going to be here next season without us ever acknowledging his contract being up in the summer and subsequently being renewed. 

Still waiting for the club to update us on the Youssef Safri situation.

[Nordic Saint]

  On 21/05/2022 at 09:37, The Curse of St Mary's said:

good move for him and we need better.

 

 

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Good move for him and we've got worse. What's the betting we'll see McCarthy in goal for our first team again next season?

[rallyboy]

All those extra hours that Prowsie puts in on the training ground perfecting his free-kicks, how about McCarthy stays on late too and tries passing to some fucking cones?

 

[Ivan Katalinic's 'tache]

Undergoing a medical apparently:

[Saint Garrett]

Good move all round. Shame to lose him in the end, as I'd have prefereed him to stay over Macca but he's had a good run here and one had to go.

[rooney]

At least he will be familiar with their song as he comes out to dominate the penalty area.

[Convict Colony]

First Gazzanigga now Forster, I will laugh a lot if lloris is injured after the transfer window shuts

[saint1977]

  On 25/05/2022 at 12:03, Saint Garrett said:

Good move all round. Shame to lose him in the end, as I'd have prefereed him to stay over Macca but he's had a good run here and one had to go.

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Start of a little goalkeeper merry go round I suspect with Johnstone, who was linked to Saints and Spurs probably going back to Man U, with Forster to Spurs and Dragowski seemingly Southampton bound. Henderson to Newcastle next.

[Dellman]

Forster suffered years of abuse on this forum 'flat footed lump' and so on, but now most think he was the better keeper of the two. We will miss him unless we get someone who can control the area and boss his defence, that's what is missing and Macca won't provide it.

[beatlesaint]

  On 27/05/2022 at 11:03, Dellman said:

Forster suffered years of abuse on this forum 'flat footed lump' and so on, but now most think he was the better keeper of the two. We will miss him unless we get someone who can control the area and boss his defence, that's what is missing and Macca won't provide it.

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When he was being called a "flat footed lump" did anyone on here actually know about the mental breakdown and issues outside football he was having ?

I mean whilst he was having health problems its no wonder his form fell of a cliff is it ? 

Big respect to him for getting himself sorted out and I wish him all the best at Spurs, shame he hasnt gone somewhere where he would play more but thats his choice of course. 

[Le Timmier]

  On 25/05/2022 at 16:40, Convict Colony said:

First Gazzanigga now Forster, I will laugh a lot if lloris is injured after the transfer window shuts

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You mean "slams shut"?

[East Kent Saint]

  On 27/05/2022 at 12:36, beatlesaint said:

When he was being called a "flat footed lump" did anyone on here actually know about the mental breakdown and issues outside football he was having ?

I mean whilst he was having health problems its no wonder his form fell of a cliff is it ? 

Big respect to him for getting himself sorted out and I wish him all the best at Spurs, shame he hasnt gone somewhere where he would play more but thats his choice of course. 

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As I remember it he did have ‘problems’ allegedly a broken relationship . The club kept him on eventually loaning him out to Celtic as well as giving him an excellent contract . I appears after that he didn’t want a new reduced contract and decided to leave . He now has his retirement deal at Spurs . So I think the Club has seen him alright overall .

[LiberalCommunist]

Good luck to him. I didn't expect him to stay, but at least he showed up this season when called upon. 

During his time here under RK he set the record for game time without conceding. A record that will be his long after all of us are gone.

 

 

Edited 27 May, 2022 by LiberalCommunist

[Lighthouse]

It’s official, he signs for Spurs. Good luck to him.

[MarkSFC]

Just need AMC to follow him out of the door as unlikely as that seems right now. 

[Saints foreva]

It will only be a mistake letting him go if McCarthy starts the season as number 1. 

[The Left Back]

  On 08/06/2022 at 10:14, Saints foreva said:

It will only be a mistake letting him go if McCarthy starts the season as number 1. 

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We didn't 'let him go', he left.  

[skintsaint]

Started his Saints career well, fell away badly and come back later this season into some sort of form, funnily enough when he needs a contract somewhere. Still a stupid decision to give him a bumper contract so early on for big wedge. Strange with a WC coming up he is happy to sit on the bench after being the squad not long ago, 6 months of great form 'could' have got him in there.

[Saint Garrett]

  On 08/06/2022 at 10:45, skintsaint said:

Started his Saints career well, fell away badly and come back later this season into some sort of form, funnily enough when he needs a contract somewhere. Still a stupid decision to give him a bumper contract so early on for big wedge. Strange with a WC coming up he is happy to sit on the bench after being the squad not long ago, 6 months of great form 'could' have got him in there.

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Not sure I agree really, he was contending with england no 1 spot, and we'd had a history of losing our best players. We wanted to tie him down for the best bit of his career. There is a risk with any contracts, and unfortunately, for us, he lost his way and got injured. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they dont. We could be saying the same thing about JWP right now, but he's kept improving and getting better and now we're sat here thinking we won't lose our best player and if we do it will be for mega money on our terms.  I'm not sure it was "stupid" really.

[EBS1980]

  On 08/06/2022 at 10:14, Saints foreva said:

It will only be a mistake letting him go if McCarthy starts the season as number 1. 

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How do we know that it was Forster decision to leave by not signing a contract rather than ours for not offering him one???

[ErwinK1961]

  On 08/06/2022 at 10:51, Saint Garrett said:

Not sure I agree really, he was contending with england no 1 spot, and we'd had a history of losing our best players. We wanted to tie him down for the best bit of his career. There is a risk with any contracts, and unfortunately, for us, he lost his way and got injured. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they dont. We could be saying the same thing about JWP right now, but he's kept improving and getting better and now we're sat here thinking we won't lose our best player and if we do it will be for mega money on our terms.  I'm not sure it was "stupid" really.

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The first new deal we gave him after he came back from injury made sense, as he looked decent on his return.

The one we gave him a year later made no sense at all.

[Daft Kerplunk]

  On 08/06/2022 at 11:02, EBS1980 said:

How do we know that it was Forster decision to leave by not signing a contract rather than ours for not offering him one???

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Surely you know it is the player or another club’s fault, and never a Saints mistake 😎

[S-Clarke]

All the best Fraser, was more than decent for us during the Koeman years.

The first contract he signed in 2016 made some sense, but the next one he signed in 2017 made zero sense and that painted him and the club into a corner and tarnished his time here. He was never the same after that weirdly.

Glad he came back this season and had a final crack, but we do need to move on from both Forster and McCarthy and this will free up a considerable chunk of wages. He was one of our highest earners, maybe top 2.

[Saint_clark]

Lots of wages freed up and we've needed to improve goalkeeper for the longest time. 

However I am so worried that we're planning to go into next season keeping McCarthy as number one.

 

[Bad Wolf]

Awful keeper who's main attribute seems to be that he's "better than McCarthy"

[Pamplemousse]

Frees up wages for someone far better.

 

Lots of bed wetting amongst Saints fans on Twitter, bizarrely.

[Bad Wolf]

  On 08/06/2022 at 11:41, Pamplemousse said:

Frees up wages for someone far better.

 

Lots of bed wetting amongst Saints fans on Twitter, bizarrely.

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Same on Facebook. Everyone whinging at Ralph and the club for forcing Fraser out. Nothing to do with Spurs being in the CL with world class facilities...

I don't rate Forster but don't wish him any ill-fortune. All the best to him, it's a bit of a no brainer even if he is just going to warm their bench which he'd probably done here too.

[Lighthouse]

  On 08/06/2022 at 10:14, Saints foreva said:

It will only be a mistake letting him go if McCarthy starts the season as number 1. 

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No, the mistake there would be not signing another ‘keeper. There is no scenario this summer which will make me think it was a mistake to let him go (ignoring the fact that he is no longer ours to let go anyway).

[Turkish]

calling @Crab Lungs to the forum, FFs biggest fan

[Bobbyboy]

As long as they haven't given us Tommy Fourpast again in the small print of the contract. Someone needs to check it REALLY closely.

[Matthew Le God]

  On 08/06/2022 at 12:38, Bobbyboy said:

As long as they haven't given us Tommy Fourpast again in the small print of the contract. Someone needs to check it REALLY closely.

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There is no contract between Saints and Spurs regarding Forster. He is leaving at the end of his contract so it isn't a transfer. 

[VectisSaint]

  On 08/06/2022 at 11:02, EBS1980 said:

How do we know that it was Forster decision to leave by not signing a contract rather than ours for not offering him one???

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WE don't know, but it was reported last summer in one of the Scottish newspapers (Sun?) that he had turned down the contract offered. Just because a newspaper reported it doesn't make it true, but the Scottish rag (whichever it was) have/had a much closer relationship with Forster than their English counterparts because he was a Celtic player and was still wanted by them back then. It all made sense at the time, both keepers were offered new contracts, one declined and one accepted. The one that declined clearly knew that he had a better chance of being offered something elsewhere. Of course things at the Club changed massively since then, but I would guess that Forster was quite categorical in his refusal to sign a new contract and probably had already agreed a move n principle before Sport Republic took over and before his brief run of good form happened after McCarthy's injury. Bottom line, Saints did not "let him go", Forster decided to leave. I'm confident that we will sign a new #1 for the coming season, and McCarthy will do as a backup. He was actually doing well before the Norwich game and then the game where he was injured.

[SuperSAINT]

  On 08/06/2022 at 11:15, S-Clarke said:

He was one of our highest earners, maybe top 2.

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Can’t remember where I read it, but sure I read he was taking a pay cut to join Spurs.

[Chez]

 

  On 08/06/2022 at 12:52, VectisSaint said:

WE don't know, but it was reported last summer in one of the Scottish newspapers (Sun?) that he had turned down the contract offered. Just because a newspaper reported it doesn't make it true, but the Scottish rag (whichever it was) have/had a much closer relationship with Forster than their English counterparts because he was a Celtic player and was still wanted by them back then. It all made sense at the time, both keepers were offered new contracts, one declined and one accepted. The one that declined clearly knew that he had a better chance of being offered something elsewhere. Of course things at the Club changed massively since then, but I would guess that Forster was quite categorical in his refusal to sign a new contract and probably had already agreed a move n principle before Sport Republic took over and before his brief run of good form happened after McCarthy's injury. Bottom line, Saints did not "let him go", Forster decided to leave. I'm confident that we will sign a new #1 for the coming season, and McCarthy will do as a backup. He was actually doing well before the Norwich game and then the game where he was injured.

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I'd like to add that having been `forced' out on loan and `messed about' and `not valued' by Ralph, he no doubt had his nose put out of joint and as a result would have been dead set on departing once his contract was up - the `love' for the club having long gone. His departure is down to the manager and of course himself not wanting to stay. 

As with any player leaving for another Prem team, I hope he is fucking shit when we come up against them. 

[S-Clarke]

  On 08/06/2022 at 13:03, SuperSAINT said:

Can’t remember where I read it, but sure I read he was taking a pay cut to join Spurs.

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He'd have had to! I can't see anyone paying what we were paying him to be a 'backup'.

Absolute madness, upwards of 85k p/w I believe.

[SuperSAINT]

  On 08/06/2022 at 13:05, S-Clarke said:

He'd have had to! I can't see anyone paying what we were paying him to be a 'backup'.

Absolute madness, upwards of 85k p/w I believe.

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The lesser-spotted double-contract renewal. 

[Chez]

  On 08/06/2022 at 13:03, SuperSAINT said:

Can’t remember where I read it, but sure I read he was taking a pay cut to join Spurs.

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Football Insider - no idea of their credibility - said that he had taken a wage cut from his `just shy of £100k a week contract'. 

[Saint Garrett]

  On 08/06/2022 at 13:05, S-Clarke said:

He'd have had to! I can't see anyone paying what we were paying him to be a 'backup'.

Absolute madness, upwards of 85k p/w I believe.

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He was on something like £60k plus bonuses I believe. 

[david in sweden]

  On 27/05/2022 at 17:15, East Kent Saint said:

As I remember it he did have ‘problems’ allegedly a broken relationship .

The club kept him on eventually loaning him out to Celtic as well as giving him an excellent contract . I appears after that he didn’t want a new reduced contract and decided to leave . He now has his retirement deal at Spurs . So I think the Club has seen him alright overall .

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I think perhaps a " mental breakdown " following that 2-5 defeat v. Spurs (when they played at Wembley)..... didn't help much either.....