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A clean sheet for @hassen_mouez on his first appearance in a #SaintsFC shirt!
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 07/02/2017 00:02:30
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U23 Report: Leicester City 0-2 Saints
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Ryan Seager netted an early opener at Holmes Park before Alfie Jones then doubled proceedings just minutes from time to ensure victory for Martin Hunter’s men.
It took Saints just ten minutes to have the ball in the net. Jones’ decisive pass found Seager on the right of the penalty area, and the striker provided a smart finish past Daniel Iversen in the Leicester goal.
Despite the early set back, the Foxes weren’t prepared to lie down and Admiral Muskwe came close. Shifting the ball into space on the edge of the area the wide man unleashed a strike at goal, but it flew over Mouez Hassen’s crossbar.
It was Martin Hunter’s men that were really piling on the pressure at the other end, though.
A number of crosses into the box almost saw Saints double their advantage before the break; the best of which came as Harrison Reed picked out the free head of Florin Gardos from a corner, but the defender steered his effort the wrong side of the post.
Josh Sims and Sam McQueen continued to link up well down the left flank and they combined just before the half-time whistle for the latter to cross towards Olufela Olomola, but the striker headed over from close range to draw the first half to a close.
The second half was slow to get started, but it was Saints that eventually created the first meaningful chance on 65 minutes.
A quick break saw Olomola steam free into the Foxes’ penalty area and fire hard at goal, but he was denied by a strong hand from Iversen.
The ball was almost in the net again just two minutes later. Reed’s in-swinging cross caused a melee in the penalty area as Saints looked to tuck the ball over the line, but the visiting defence were able to hook clear to safety.
Not to be outdone, the hosts continued to search for a way back into the encounter. Connor Wood went on a marauding run from left back to the edge of the Saints penalty area and fired at goal, but his effort bounced clear off the top side of Hassen’s crossbar.
The hosts rallied towards the end and continued to search for a way back into the match, but it was Saints that eventually doubled their lead.
Steaming in at the near post, Jones powered a header well past Iversen to double the tally and ensure all three points would be coming back to the south coast.
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 07/02/2017 01:02:47
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U23 Gallery: Leicester City 0-2 Saints
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It’s a win that we needed, says Jones
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Ryan Seager fired Saints ahead after just ten minutes at Holmes Park, after Jones – playing in midfield rather than defence for the evening – teed him up on the right of the area.
“It’s a win that we needed,” explained Jones.
“Results haven’t been going our way the past few games, so the win and three points were really important today.
“We looked to get an early goal, settle down and put them on the back foot – that was our plan and that’s what we did and it paid off.”
Jones put the result beyond doubt in the 88th minute, when he powered a header in after a smart cross from Sam McQueen.
And the 19-year-old was delighted to add another goal to his tally for the season.
“It was a great ball from Sam,” he continued.
“I just came onto it and didn’t have to do much to guide it into the corner – I don’t really score many, so it was good to get one.
“They gave us a physical test tonight but we dealt with it and kept a clean sheet, so it’s good to be able to go back with a win and three points.”
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Eligible Official Members can now purchase tickets for #SaintsFC’s #EFLCup final clash with #MUFC: http://sfcne.ws/EFLCFinalTickets
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 07/02/2017 09:04:51
| | Virgil van Dijk Should Be A Priority Target For LiverpoolUMAXIT |
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Main men: Stats reveal each club’s most important player right now
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WHO is your Premier League club’s most in-form player right now according to the power rankings?
Sky Sports have released their latest list of power rankings after the 24th round of fixtures and revealed who is in red-hot form.
Every player’s performances are assessed by a complex system which analyses 32 different matchday stats.
Each position on the field is awarded a different number of points for different achievements.
A higher weighting is given to more recent games, with only the previous five matches taken into account.
There have been some unbelievable individual displays in the English top flight in recent weeks.
So who has been most important for your club of late?
Click through the gallery above to find out.
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Puel cannot be blamed for Saints’ Premier League form
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SAINTS’ current Premier League woes cannot all be blamed on under-pressure manager Claude Puel.
The Frenchman has come in for increased criticism after losing six of his last seven league matches.
He has not been helped by losing talismanic centre half Virgil van Dijk and top scorer Charlie Austin to long-term injuries.
In addition, captain Jose Fonte was sold to West Ham last month after handing in a transfer request - a few weeks after Saints’ executive director of football Les Reed said the player would not leave until a replacement had been brought in.
Nick Illingsworth, who runs the Saints website The Uglier Inside, said: “Puel has made mistakes, certainly, but he has also been very unlucky.
“One of his mistakes was in fielding a reserve team at Sparta Prague in the Europa League, while he has always seemed to work on looking at the next four games as a bunch rather than concentrating fully on the next one.
“But it is unfair to blame him for the club not signing a centre half last month.
“I remember Gordon Strachan once saying that no manager would ever turn down the chance to improve his squad, and Puel is the same.
“He can only work with what he’s got. But what he’s got at the moment is no fit centre half who would get into any other Premier League club in the country.
“Maya Yoshida has been a good servant but he’s been here almost five years and never won a regular place in the team. There’s a reason for that - he’s not good enough.
“Jack Stephens is inexperienced and Florin Gardos has hardly played for two years.
“We could just about cope with Van Dijk and Yoshida together at the back, but not Yoshida and Stephens.
“I’m worried about going to Wembley with any combination of our currently fit centre halves.”
Illingsworth added: “The club knew about the Jose Fonte situation at the start of this season. We should have been bringing in a new centre half as soon as we could in January.
“I’m told we were keen on one centre half but as soon as Fonte was sold the club put the asking price up £5m.
“I understand why we didn’t go for Sakho because he would have cost a certain amount.
“But we’re in a cup final which we should be looking to win. Paying an extra £5m is peanuts.
“Sometimes the club must realise that we have to pay over the odds for a player.”
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COMMENT: Can Caceres be Saints’ knight in shining armour?
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MARTIN Caceres might as well be riding in on horseback, armour glistening in the February sunshine.
Is the cavalry finally here?
Well, the Uruguayan defender could be Saints’ knight in shining armour.
Claude Puel’s side needed a centre-back in the January transfer window, but they failed to get one.
With Virgil van Dijk out injured and Jose Fonte gone, Saints had to act, but their problems were not rectified.
Back-up Maya Yoshida, youngster Jack Stephens and Florin Gardos, who has been out injured for the past two years and has just returned, are the only centre-back options Claude Puel has at his disposal.
It’s abundantly clear that it is not sufficient to keep Saints solid at the back – the 3-1 defeat to West Ham is testament to that.
While Yoshida and Stephens performed admirably at Liverpool in the League Cup semi-final second leg victory, the defensive performances since have shown a glaring chink in Saints’ armour.
The once solid pairing of Van Dijk and Fonte is no more.
Now, they look to a potential solution. A player of quality, undoubtedly, and one they need to come in and be ready for action immediately.
If the former Juventus and Barcelona defender is to do the job, he must prove that he is fit enough.
That is surely the main priority.
He may well demand wages of around £100,00-a-week, but with a trophy and potentially Premier League survival on the line, the money can’t be a major stumbling block at this point.
The 29-year-old hasn’t played a competitive game for a year. To be fit for Premier League action is a huge ask straight away.
But if Saints do land Caceres it could be the slice of luck that cancels out the “unlucky” (as Claude Puel labelled it) injury to Van Dijk.
If it does happen, it doesn’t feel like a normal Saints signing in many ways.
In the past they have come across highly organised, bringing in players that they have tracked for some time.
Each move is seemingly calculated and carefully thought about. No stone goes unturned and the word ‘luck’ rarely comes to mind.
This potential move for Caceres, however, is one that is borne out of necessity and nothing else.
With the transfer window shut, Saints’ options are limited. There isn’t a bank of quality free agents that will add something to the side.
Although, in saying that, Vegard Forren, who was signed for £4m back in January 2013 and never played for Saints during his six-month stay, is without a club? Perhaps not.
However, Caceres seems to be a freebie that might actually add quality. That is a huge stroke of luck, if they can pull it off.
This move is one that Saints simply must do if they feel Caceres is fit enough and able to add quality.
Firstly, having lost six of their last seven Premier League games, Saints just need results and to plug the gap at the back.
On top of that, if Saints were simply meandering towards the end of the Premier League season and nothing else, then perhaps they’d be more inclined just to leave things as they are. Saints would likely feel they could get enough points with what they have.
But, Saints are heading for Wembley. They are heading for one of the biggest games in their history, with a vulnerable defence.
Surely, if Saints are going to end their 41-year search for major silverware, then bringing in Caceres makes every bit of sense.
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Catch the best of the action from an impressive #PL2 win for #SaintsFCU23s last night: http://sfcne.ws/U23LCFCA
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The Ugly Inside News for Southampton
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Final Premier League table predicted by stats geeks… where will your team place?
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WHERE will each Premier League team finish in the table? Stats geeks may have the answer.
Sky Sports’ Premier League predictor uses a detailed algorithm to rank results, previous performances and the difficulty of fixtures.
It then works out how many points each team should rack up by the end of the campaign.
So where will your side finish, according to the predictor?
Click through the gallery above to find out.
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Martin Hunter was full of praise for a professional performance from #SaintsFCU23s against #LCFC last night: http://sfcne.ws/MHPostLCFCA
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 07/02/2017 12:09:55
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U23 Highlights: Leicester City 0-2 Saints
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Henry, Cantona and Bale tops but Gervinho, Diouf, Bebe and Rebrov flop
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Who is the best purchase in your club’s history and who flopped the most?
ESPN FC asked our club bloggers for their all-time tops and flops in the transfer market. Whether goal scoring machines or cult heroes, big money flops or reviled characters, the good and bad of each Premier League side’s business down the years is here.
Top: Frank Lampard. Went on to become Chelsea’s all time record goalscorer with 211 goals from 649 appearances in all competitions. In a glittering 13-year career at Stamford Bridge, he won 11 major trophies and captained the Blues’ Champions League final winning side in 2012.
Flop: Winston Bogarde. Chelsea signed him on a four-year deal worth £10 million in wages. Despite winning the Champions League with Ajax and two La Liga titles with Barcelona, Claudio Ranieri didn’t rate the player. Bogarde started just four games and featured off the bench eight times, but rather than seek a move away and play for less money, he opted to “honour” his contract and ended up training with the kids and commuting daily by plane from the Netherlands. Wages of £10m divided by 12 appearances = £833,333 per game played … nice work if you can get it! – Mark Worrall
Top: Thierry Henry. An inconsistent winger from Juventus who went on to become arguably the greatest striker in Premier League history.
Flop: Gervinho. Arsenal plumped for the Ivorian winger instead of pursuing his Lille teammate Eden Hazard. Fair to say Arsene Wenger got that one very wrong. – James McNicholas
Top: Eric Cantona. Without him, who knows what Manchester United would have achieved over the next couple of decades. He was the catalyst for all the glory that followed his 1992 arrival from arch rivals Leeds. He cost just £1.2m – one of the best value transfers in the history of the game, let alone the Premier League.
Flop: Bebe. He cost an small fortune (£7.2m) in a deal that aroused plenty of suspicion – and Sir Alex Ferguson admitted he had never watched him play before making his move. He was atrocious. – Scott Patterson
Top: Kenny Dalglish. Signed to replace a legend, Dalglish quickly made supporters forget about Kevin Keegan as he went on to become, in the eyes of many, Liverpool’s greatest ever player, before enjoying two spells as manager which both brought silverware to Anfield. The King.
Flop: El Hadji Diouf. Gerard Houllier turned down the chance to sign Nicolas Anelka and instead squandered £10m on Diouf, who after a reasonable first season at the club went on to become one of the most reviled players in Anfield history. Disliked by teammates, he embarrassed the club on more than one occasion by spitting at opposing fans and also becoming the first No.9 in Liverpool history to go through a whole season without scoring a single goal. Eventually joined Bolton for a huge loss. – Dave Usher
Top: Yaya Toure. The Ivorian has been behind every positive change at City in his time at the club and has played a hugely important role in every trophy his side has won, from FA Cup goals at Wembley and the strikes at Newcastle in 2011-12 to his midfield dominance in 2013-14 and his influence on the League Cup finals.
Flop: Jo. For a £19m signing, Jo’s return of three goals in 15 games was terrible – compounded by his inability to get on the ball, control the simplest of passes or pose any threat to the opposition. There was a lot of misplaced excitement about this absolute waste of money. – David Mooney
Top: Gareth Bale. Arrived as a £10m left-back but developed into an £85m attacking midfielder, scoring 31 goals for club and country in the 2012-13 season and becoming the most expensive player in the world when he left for Real Madrid.
Flop: Sergei Rebrov. Tottenham almost doubled their £6m transfer record when they paid £11m for Rebrov in 2000, but the Ukrainian striker flopped, only netting four goals in 39 games in his second season at the club, and he had two loan spells with Fenerbahce before leaving as a free agent in 2004. – Ben Pearce
Top: N’Golo Kante. Joined from Caen for a bargain £5.6m and became Leicester’s secret, often unsung weapon en route to a miraculous Premier League title. Known affectionately as “The Rash” because he got all over the pitch, Kante was named Players’ Player of the Year for 2015-16. It is no surprise Leicester are struggling without him, while his new club Chelsea are flying at the top of the table.
Flop: Ade Akinbiyi. The fact his nickname was “Akin-bad-buy” says it all. Signed from Wolves to replace Emile Heskey for a then club-record £5.5m, he scored just 11 goals and missed many more sitters as Leicester were relegated from the Premier League. – Ben Jacobs
Top: Harry Arter. Bournemouth have brought in some brilliant players to get them where they are today but Arter’s move from Woking for just £4,000 was the bargain of the century.
Flop: Tokelo Rantie. Joined for a then club record fee of £2.5m in 2013 but is now widely regarded as Bournemouth’s worst ever signing due to consistently underperforming in a Cherries shirt. – Will Kent
Top: Michael Duff is the best pound-for-pound signing Burnley have ever made and likely will ever make, with 383 appearances and three promotions to the Premier League for his £30,000 transfer fee from Cheltenham Town providing outstanding value. He is now on the coaching staff after 12 years playing at Turf Moor and could be considered a potential future manager.
Flop: Leon Cort. At the other end of the value-for-money scale is the atrocious Cort, who seven years ago Brian Laws bafflingly believed to be a Premier League centre-back, lavishing a then-substantial £1.5m on a player who frequently resembled Bambi on ice and contributed heavily to the team’s relegation with appalling defending. – Jamie Smith
Top: Andrew Johnson. He made himself popular with a hat trick against arch rivals Brighton & Hove Albion shortly after signing and the following season scored 32 goals to help win Palace promotion. He scored a total of 84 goals during his time at Selhurst Park, 20 of which were in the Premier League, and now works as an ambassador at the club.
Flop: Amir Karic. It’s said that the loan signing of Karic was influenced by the use of the Football Manager database. Statistically, the defender appeared to tick all the right boxes. However, his solitary performance was atrocious, and he was promptly sent back to his parent club Ipswich Town. – Rob Sutherland
Top: Mikel Arteta. Before injuries took their toll and forced a change in his style of play, Mikel Arteta was an absolute joy to watch in his time at Everton, excellent value for money at £2m and the best player to grace Goodison in recent years.
Flop: Oumar Niasse. Has to go down as the worst signing in recent memory, a catastrophic waste of money whose staggering £13.5m transfer fee amounted to just 142 minutes of league football and no goals scored. – Luke O’Farrell
Top: Ian Ashbee. A free transfer from Cambridge United in the summer of 2002, the midfielder recovered from a red card on his debut to captain Hull City from Division Three up to the Premier League. An unrivalled achievement in English football.
Flop: Jimmy Bullard. A club record buy at the time, the £5m spent on the chirpy cockney was an awful investment. Even Bullard himself has come to laugh at the money he earned during three injury-hit years in East Yorkshire. – Phil Buckingham
Top: Juninho. Bryan Robson’s Brazilian wonder sent ripples through the Premier League and put Middlesbrough on the map with his £4.75m move in 1995. He loved it so much he returned for two more magical spells.
Flop: Afonso Alves. The Dutchman goes down in Boro’s history as one of the club’s biggest howlers, to the tune of £12.75m. He scored two fine goals against Manchester United in 2008 but rarely found the back of the net again. – Catherine Wilson
Top: Michu. For an outlay of just £2m, Swansea City got a 22 goal return in all competitions and an instant cult hero. They probably made his transfer fee back in shirt sales alone.
Flop: Bafetimbi Gomis. The Frenchman wasn’t a complete flop, but a 0.2 goals-per-game return (13 in 64) for an £8m signing-on fee is poor. The club made plenty of less expensive mistakes with bit-part players but Gomis was expected to lead the line. – Max Hicks
Top: Ryan Shawcross. Bought for a mere £1m from Manchester United in 2008, he would go on to play a captain’s role in the Potters’ rise to the top 10 of the Premier League, while racking up over 300 appearances.
Flop: Wilson Palacios. On paper he was ideal but instead endured a miserable spell that was epitomised by Tony Pulis’ proclamation that he couldn’t play if it was “too windy”. – James Whittaker
Top: Niall Quinn. Great player who bought into the club, the area and the psyche of the fans, just like his Irish predecessor Charlie Hurley had in the 50s and 60s.
Flop: Milton Nunez. So many to choose from but it probably goes to Nunez, a tiny player from Honduras signed by Peter Reid from PAOK Salonika and who would have struggled in the Under-18 league. Steve Hetzke, a carthorse centre-half, pushes him close. – Pete Sixsmith
Top: Rickie Lambert. Eyebrows were raised when, fresh from leaving administration, then-League One Southampton paid Bristol Rovers £1m for Lambert. But the Liverpudlian’s goals fired the south coast side to back-to-back promotions to the Premier League and he played a key part in them establishing themselves in the top flight.
Flop: Dani Osvaldo. The fiery Italian cost a whopping £25m in transfer fees and wages but his time at St Mary’s will be remembered more for him head-butting captain Jose Fonte in training than any heroics on the pitch. – Alex Crook
Flop: Kieron Dyer. There is a long queue of players jostling for position as West Ham’s worst ever signing, but the £6m fee for the notoriously injury prone Dyer, plus the £450,000 earned in each of his 30 game, four-year career at the club, still astounds even today. – Peter Thorne
Top: John Barnes. Without question. Outrageously skilful, quick and powerful, watching footage of him in action remains a pleasure today. Great business from the late Graham Taylor, too – the transfer fee was a set of tracksuit tops!
Flop: Nathan Ellington. Watford manager Aidy Boothroyd resurrected the career of wayward striker Marlon King to great effect, but he found his Midas touch missing when he splashed a then club record fee of £3.25m on Ellington. If Ellington’s career had stalled at West Brom, it went fully into reverse at Vicarage Road. A horrible, expensive mistake that haunts Hornets fans to this day. – Mike Parkin
Top: Chris Brunt. For £3m, West Brom have had 10 excellent years of service out of the Northern Ireland international, who played a pivotal role in first keeping the club in the league and then establishing themselves.
Flop: Victor Anichebe. Sums up the worst years of West Brom’s recent Premier League stint, a panic buy at a vastly over-inflated fee who contributed very little over three seasons other than keeping the physios busy. – Matthew Evans
Follow @ESPNFC on Twitter to keep up with the latest football updates.
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Hunter praises professional performance
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Goals from Ryan Seager and Alfie Jones secured all three points at Holmes Park, but it was the manner of the victory that most impressed Hunter.
“From start to finish we were very professional,” he started.
“We prepared for their type of play, which we got, and to a man we played really well and created several chances.
“We had an experienced team out tonight with more of our Under-23s players. I also thought the senior players were excellent.
“Cuco was great – he influenced the players in front of him. Florin was also very assured and Harrison’s attitude was again outstanding. He ran the game for us.”
Alfie Jones played alongside Harrison Reed and Thomas O’Connor in midfield for Saints.
And although playing away from his usual defensive position, the 19-year-old put in a fine display – setting up Seager’s opener before netting himself.
“He’s played there before as a youngster,” explained Hunter.
“There wasn’t a slot for him tonight at centre half, so it’s always good to expose a player sometimes to a different position.
“Playing there certainly relies on your feet being sharper and I thought he did really well in all aspects this evening.”
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