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Saints release Skacel and Smith


John B

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But BWP and Euell can get new contracts - thats god news I think. And that nobody but Saga said that they will leave shows that the players actually cares about Southampton FC !

 

 

Question ...... We are in Administration, will go to the wall if a "buyer" is not found .........

 

So, WHO is calling the shots ???? ........ Who is dictating who stays or goes ???

 

Mr Fry is NOT qualified in such matters ...... so, WHO knows something we don't, and is being ALLOWED to make Football decisions in such circumstances ???

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Interesting... Would've thought they were on tiny wages and would be in the squad/ on the bench for next season.
If they were out of contract the club cannot afford for them to sign another one.It costs to even arrange these things.There will be a total stop on spending.The only money the club will be getting in is the merchandise form the stock we hold. Lets hope the rent on the West Quay shop is not due because if it is that could make us fold if the landlords get impatient
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Also Jamie Hatch and Jeffery Imudia not being kept. Thoughts on them being let go..?

 

Would be interested to hear Navyred's take on this as I am a tad surprised.

 

I wonder if Racine has matured this season as he looked a good prospect during last pre-season's friendlies... Ditto Gobern.

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Question ...... We are in Administration, will go to the wall if a "buyer" is not found .........

 

So, WHO is calling the shots ???? ........ Who is dictating who stays or goes ???

 

Mr Fry is NOT qualified in such matters ...... so, WHO knows something we don't, and is being ALLOWED to make Football decisions in such circumstances ???

But we keep getting told that the Football Club is NOT in administration, so presumably it continues to function, and to plan for next season - with Wotte in situ as the manager.

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Could have sworn Jamie Hatch was meant to be a very good prospect? Didn't we snatch from Exeter for a fee despite him being 14 or something?

 

Very good prospect was young Hatch...Injured in pre season game at Exeter season before last....Never fully recovered but not really given a chance....BUT then again we owed Exeter a big handful of money at different stages.....I for one will be very interested to see what he does over the next season or so.....Most go to the lower leagues...but..:rolleyes:

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Very interesting that Smith is being released. Wotte described Smith as having "world class" abilities here.

 

So does that mean that a) Wotte was lying/talking up Smith's abilities b) Whoever is making these decisions is not listening to Wotte or c) Wotte is not going to be making these decisions next season?

 

how do you re-name link thing?

 

or d) Smith didn't want to stay

 

or e) unrealistic in his wage requirements

 

or f) as his contract finished end of season a player we could quickly get off pay roll and save a bit of money!

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I'm not at all sorry to see Smith go. He has been a dismal failure. He obviously showed promise at an earlier stage of his career, but has failed to deliver. Millwall didn't want him and he has proved why that was. Wotte has been made to look an idiot with his comments about him having World class abilities. Those abilities must be buried very deep for them not to manifest themselves at the level that we have been playing, or indeed in the division below.

 

He clearly does have some ability (though not world class - put that down to a Dutchman talking English) - but he also clearly has a serious attitude problem & that is going to finish his career

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Euell has been one of our best players this season, when he has been used. His experience has been obvious to see and so desperately needed.

 

Rubbish! He has been one of our worst. I love to watch and laugh as he falls over or skies a shot. He is a lame player

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Euell has been one of our best players this season, when he has been used. His experience has been obvious to see and so desperately needed.

 

With 2 goals in twenty odd games as centre forward?! There are better, fitter, younger cheaper alternatives out there

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Very interesting that Smith is being released. Wotte described Smith as having "world class" abilities here.

 

So does that mean that a) Wotte was lying/talking up Smith's abilities b) Whoever is making these decisions is not listening to Wotte or c) Wotte is not going to be making these decisions next season?

 

Mind games. Wotte was talking up Smith's abilities I an effort to inject a bit of belief into the kid. He's obviously got pace and must show some ability in training, but struggles to make an impact in matches. My take is that Wotte was just trying to boost the kids's confidence.

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I can't believe some people think that KD is the only one worth keeping.

 

If you honestly think that Lallana, Surman, DMG, James etc aren't good enough for league 1. Well, You're VERY wrong imo.

 

Good point, would love to keep them for the promotion charge.

 

Also cannot believe we have let hatch go, as somebody pointed out he is a promising RB on small wages ?? Who else are we going to draft in ?? Unless he is not making good progress on his injury.

 

A bit surprised about smith, i don't rate him really but feel if he played on left in league 1 CDAGJ.

 

Feel we should keep Euell, i know he is sh!te in front of goal but brings more to the team, allows other players to play off him and hassles. Think it will help in league 1.

 

Not surprised about Skacel, could we have got a fee ? Otherwise i feel it was probably a good decision to lower the wage bill.

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how do you re-name link thing?

 

or d) Smith didn't want to stay

 

or e) unrealistic in his wage requirements

 

or f) as his contract finished end of season a player we could quickly get off pay roll and save a bit of money!

 

All true and I must admit I hadn't considered that the decision may have come from Smith.

 

But if Wotte really considered him to have "world class" abilities surely he'd rather keep him versus some of our other "stars" so would bust a gut to keep him.

 

Hence I wondered whether Wotte was the man making decisions or whether he didn't really think he was world class.

 

Re renaming the link thing - not sure what you mean. But if you're asking how you can do a link to an external site from a word rather than posting the entire URL, just highlight the text of the word(s) you want to link from before you use the link button (globe with a couple of chain links).

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I read the article and took most of it with a pinch of salt. These players that are saying they are committed to getting us back up are not daft - they would have to say whatever is in their best interests. Saying it and doing it are two different things, and saying it means they come across to the fans as jolly good chaps. They will still go if the offer is right for them. I think most of them are reserving judgement until they see what plans a new buyer has for the club.

 

OK, so maybe I am being a tad cynical.......

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I remember Smith coming on for his debut as a sub and within 5 minutes he had misplaced about 6 passes and had an air kick trying to trap the ball (which went for a throw). I remember saying to OoohTerryHurlock that it was one of the worst debuts I had seen since Ali Dia (who actually looked quite good in comparison). Clearly very nervous, because he settled down a bit afterwards, but reminded me of Nathan Dyer - fast and tricky but you always knew that the end result would be very disappointing. His run and shot against Man U summed him up - went for a throw in!

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I read the article and took most of it with a pinch of salt. These players that are saying they are committed to getting us back up are not daft - they would have to say whatever is in their best interests. Saying it and doing it are two different things, and saying it means they come across to the fans as jolly good chaps. They will still go if the offer is right for them. I think most of them are reserving judgement until they see what plans a new buyer has for the club.

 

OK, so maybe I am being a tad cynical.......

 

Some of them probably mean it but you're right if any of them get a good offer from a championship, or even premiership, team I doubt getting saints out of league 1 will be so important after all.

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I hope we get Mills tied to a contract and I can't wait to see him giving everything in games.

 

Totally agree! If there's one player I think will have a huge impact on our season i think its young Joseph! He's already proved himself at this level with s****horpe. He put in a fair few MOM performances if i recall correctly.

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No surprises that Skacel has been released. Had he been given a proper run in the side in his favoured position of left-midfield then I think we would have seen the best of him. Still, he's gone now and it's one big earner off the wage bill so good news, especially as he doesn't want to be here.

 

As for Smith, well I'm glad he's been released. He definitely has potential, but he doesn't ever look like reaching it. He's pacy, has quick feet, and runs at defenders, but his final ball is terrible and he's too lightweight. If he can get his head down and sign for a League Two side next season, he could go on to make it at a slightly higher level. He's still young after all.

 

Interesting to see Hatch and Imudia released. I've been impressed by both from what I've seen during Academy and Reserve games, but obviously the club don't share that view! I'll be keeping a close eye on the progress of these two, especially Hatch. Be interesting to see how well (or bad) he does in the long run.

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I will bet Immudia gets snapped up by someone - he is a very good player IMO.

He would of been my shoe-in for right back next season. Think Darren Kenton without all the falling over. Not tall but built like a brick sh1thouse and quick.

Shame but am sure he will make a career somewhere.

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+1. When he was at Bournemouth on loan he banged in a load for them & virtually kept them up that season. If he can manage almost 15 in a struggling championship team i reckon he can get 25 in League 1, just need another 20/25 goal man to go with him, Ricky Lambert anybody?

 

He scored 6 in 12 games for them. He was only there for just over 2 months and they won 5, drew 2 and lost 5 with him playing, which is midtable form at best - admittedly better than bottom 4 form, but nothing to get excited about.

 

Bournemouth 16-02-2007 22-04-2007 Loan 12 (0) 6

 

And I don't care how many he "almost" scored. He didn't score 15 this season and a chunk of the ones he did score were penalties.

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On the subject of releases, I'm glad we can save on Rudi's wages, but I'm still bewildered as to why we rarely played him in his actual position, and to some extent why people keep slating him for not being the Second Coming when he was clearly played out of position for getting on for 2 years, yet did a good job there. Can't blame him for not wanting any part of League One, he's at worst a top 10 CCC player.

 

Hatch I thought looked very lightweight every time I saw him though he's a good ball player and quick - but even Jake Thomson looked stronger.

 

Imudia I'm surprised at releasing, he showed promise early in pre-season and has the physical attributes, but also showed a tendency towards inconsistency that a defender can't afford to have - having said that I've rarely seen him play at CB except against Swansea reserves and I think Winchester, and that's meant to be his position!

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Or not :(

 

Obviously a chunk of the ones he "almost" scored were penalties too.

 

I am staggered that anyone on here thinks Euell had anything but a decent season. He was superb in a few games, especially when Wotte first took over, putting himself about, holding the ball up and linking play in situations which allowed us to attack quickly, rather than when there were 8 defenders back.

 

I think Gillet deserves some credit for his performances towards the end of the season too, having started ok and then lost the plot for a bit he came back and played much better - he hasn't had much credit for putting himself on the line when injured late on in the season either.

 

The releases of Hatch and Imudia suggest to me that we're confident Lloyd James will be staying, because I'm pretty sure we won't be relying on Jake Thomson at right back next season - right midfield maybe.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing Gobern get a decent run in the side too, looked class for the reserves and didn't get the chance to get involved earlier in the season. I think potentially he could be the most valuable of our current squad.

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Good point, would love to keep them for the promotion charge.

 

Also cannot believe we have let hatch go, as somebody pointed out he is a promising RB on small wages ?? Who else are we going to draft in ?? Unless he is not making good progress on his injury.

 

A bit surprised about smith, i don't rate him really but feel if he played on left in league 1 CDAGJ.

 

Feel we should keep Euell, i know he is sh!te in front of goal but brings more to the team, allows other players to play off him and hassles. Think it will help in league 1.

 

Not surprised about Skacel, could we have got a fee ? Otherwise i feel it was probably a good decision to lower the wage bill.

 

Apparently Skacel agreed with the club to reduce his contract from the remaining two years to 1. So he's out of contract this summer and so no fee I'm afraid. Mind you given the the way we haven't been able to shift on a free over the last 18 months not really surprising.

 

Agreed with the common thoughts on Smith - talented but not consistent - Wotte's words were purely to talk the kid up prior to our run in.

 

Gasmi apparently great for the reserves but poor otherwise and if the agreed fee was anything near Schneiderlin's then best to not buy him. Whole season of his wages mind for about 100 minutes in the first team. What a waste.

 

BWP is ok but I think we can get a similar option for alot less money in League 1. Euell is good in the air and would be a help but has been dire some games and I doubt his wage demands will come down enough for us.

 

Think we should keep KD and Saejis - I'm sure we can get the Dutch club to drop the fee if they want rid of him.

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Skacel never really performed I don't think. Also, whlie his heart seemed to be in it in the play-off season, the rest of the time he looked like he couldn't be arsed!

 

Skacel came here because Burley convinced him to join, same with Rasiak. Neither of them performed after GB left - in fact Rasiak hasn't played for us since GB left.

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Also Jamie Hatch and Jeffery Imudia not being kept. Thoughts on them being let go..?

 

More natural wastage that will probably do well enough elsewhere.

Bitterly miffed about BWP and Euell not being kicked up the ass and down the road. All is not yet lost on that front of course because they're out of contract and may well move on anyway.Would have preferred something more definite on that front though.See Stern John is back to stick his snout in the ever diminishing trough for 2 more months,I suppose Rasiak will be back to do the same again soon.

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Skacel came here because Burley convinced him to join, same with Rasiak. Neither of them performed after GB left - in fact Rasiak hasn't played for us since GB left.

 

not sure Skacel has played full stop.

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More natural wastage that will probably do well enough elsewhere.

Bitterly miffed about BWP and Euell not being kicked up the ass and down the road. All is not yet lost on that front of course because they're out of contract and may well move on anyway.Would have preferred something more definite on that front though.See Stern John is back to stick his snout in the ever diminishing trough for 2 more months,I suppose Rasiak will be back to do the same again soon.

 

 

Stern's and Euell's wages (about 30k a week combined is £3 million over the two years) have probably made all the difference to our financial downfall. We didn't really need to sign either and we certainly couldn't afford either.

 

John and worse still Rasiak will now bleed us dry all summer.

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Don't get the aminmosity towards Skacel at all.

 

If people could just get over the preconceptions they had of Skacel as some kind of Messiah before he joined, they'd actually realise he wasn't a bad player.

 

He was, like it or not, a key player in our playoff season. He linked well with Bale, covering when he went forward, and between them they probably got more assist than the whole squad has managed this year. 4 goals is also a respectable enough tally for a midfielder. Only Surman and Viafara have managed to match that from midfield since Anders Svensson left. I can't think of another midfielder who has scored more than 4 in a season since a certain Mr Le Tissier.

 

Based on that, I'd say he has contributed easily as much, in many cases more, to Saints cause as Viafara, Safri, Belmadi, Kosowski, Wise, McQ, McCann, Hammill, Euell, Pele or Guthrie. All of them would have been on similar wages, yet rarely get slagged off on here.

 

We shipped him out in January 2008 to save money, we did the same in Summer 2008. We've been playing him at left back for 2 years even though it's blatently not his best possition. 1 year ago he was one of only 4 CCC players to get a ticket to Austria/Switz, we've been on course to Division 3 since day one and now everyone is on their high horse because he wants to leave.

 

Good luck and thanks Rudi. I hope you get a move to a decent side and prove some of our muppets wrong in midfield.

 

As for Ryan Smith... I guess with Lee Robben and Bradley Wright-Torres able to play on the left wing, we've got enough "world class" players. :rolleyes:

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I agree with the 'Howards like' comment, we need a big, ugly CF for the likes of McG and hopefully BWP to play off.

 

I can't see Euell staying though unfortunately. He is too good for L1 and he will be snapped up by a CCC club.

 

But a solid CF and McG + BWP will get goals.

 

Based on what?

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One more thing.

 

The article saying that everyone apart from Skacel and Saga is 100% comitted to the cause next season is pure bull. Where was that comitment at Sheff Weds, in the crunch game against Charlton or in the first 15 minutes against Wolves?

 

They all talk big, but when it comes to actually doing something, they will either be off or stick around and be just as hopeless next season. We need a big clear out. Out of the current lot I'd keep Davis, Size, Perry, James and Gillett. Surman and Lallana have looked waaay off the boil and if selling them means we'd be able to bring in some decent experienced pros I'd be all for it.

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I think it's good news that most of the players want to stay, although we'd certainly need to rationalise Euell's and BW-P's wages.

 

I'm not as down as some on the qualities of our playing staff. I think the raw skill is there, although there have been some exampels of serious attitude problems.

 

With the right preparation, motivation and management, a team that got 45 points in the CCC, should manage 80+ points in League One.

 

I think Euell might be a good centre-forward at L1 level. I'd also say that he never seemed to lack commitment.

 

A line-up of:

 

Davis

James Saeijs Perry Surman

Lallana Gillett Wotton Holmes

McGoldrick Euell

 

subs: Forecast, Mills, Paterson, Lancashire, White

 

looks bloody good for a third tier team IMHO

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