Saints to step up pursuit of Phillips

9:54am Thursday 16th August 2012 in Sport Photograph of the Author By Simon Peach

Matt Phillips Matt Phillips

SAINTS are today expected to step up their bid to land Blackpool winger Matt Phillips.

Last night Saints made a £6million bid for the 21-year-old.

Phillips has impressed since joining the Tangerines from Wycombe two years ago, plundering 18 goals for the npower Championship side last season.

The Scotland international's form has seen him linked with a move away from Bloomfield Road, with the south coast club strongly linked as a potential destination.

The move came just days after Blackpool boss Ian Holloway pledged to report an unidentified club he claimed made an illegal approach for Phillips.

Some reports named Southampton as the team in question, forcing Adkins to deny such a move.

''It's a shame that Blackpool have had to go and do things via the media in the way that they have done.

''I don't think there is any hiding from the fact that Matt is a player that we have been an admirer of for the past few years, and I think in the last couple of weeks he has probably been identified as a target for a number of teams in the Premier League.

''I know that from the chairman's point of view he has been in contact with the Blackpool chairman and that we have had a conversation with their chief executive, and I have spoken to Ian Holloway myself, so it's not as if there has not been an interest demonstrated from Southampton.

''As I have said, we like to think that we do everything properly, by the book and we will continue to do our matters privately and behind the scenes.

''Obviously this situation has now arisen and we will take action on that and respond in the appropriate manner.''

Comments(23)

#1saintsfan says...
10:07am Thu 16 Aug 12

get him on the bus nigel. player with good eye for goal and pace to burn. great potential.

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Saint1388 says...
10:13am Thu 16 Aug 12

I hope we do sign him! He would fit really well into the team! Can't wait for Sunday, I think we'll give city a good game!

Although I do think we still need some much needed cover for CB. There is no doubt in my mind that NC an NA are working on this though and will have something sorted soon!

COYR's!!!

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Melbsaint says...
10:28am Thu 16 Aug 12

Phillips, Ramirez, and a decent centre half and I would feel a lot happier! Problem is these days thats 25 million straight away without blinking. Good young players again though which bodes well for the future. A decent centre half with a bit of experience to help the younger ones would be great. If we are really pushing the boat out I'd like Jarvis and lens as well but I don't want to sound like west ham being linked with every player out there!

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D4n1el says...
10:43am Thu 16 Aug 12

Hopefully fox put in a good word about saints last night while playing for Scotland!

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simon101 says...
10:49am Thu 16 Aug 12

Hopefully he will be in place in time for Sunday. If anybody from the Abu Dhabi area is interested in watching the Saints with fellow Mushers, we will be in Stars and Bars on Yas Marina to ensure the temporary City fans have something to think about (Ramadam timing dependent)
COYR

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SFCOLDBOY says...
11:08am Thu 16 Aug 12

Even though Phillips is a very tallented player.
If Saints manage to get him there will be posters on here saying he has no Prem experience.
Well whoever we add to the squad will soon get it cos it all starts Sunday.
So stop all the negativity, get behind our management team and urge the Saints on to the first shock of the season for the so called big clubs.
You watch the bookies odds drop like a stone then, regarding our relegation.
COYR.

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SO50 Saint says...
11:26am Thu 16 Aug 12

Or look at it another way and if we take a beating which I don't want to happen but there's a good chance of it happening not just to us but other established teams at City this year watch the odds on top 10 etc go out and then put the money on which is what I am waiting for

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SimplyAwesome says...
11:51am Thu 16 Aug 12

Swansea had City first game last season and lost 4-0 but had a very good season. Nobody is expecting us to get anything from the game apart from a dent in our goal difference tally !! A point would be amazing but losing to the league winners isn't the end of the world. At least we aren't opening our season playing League 1 football against Bournemouth !! COYR !!!

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shirley-bill says...
1:40pm Thu 16 Aug 12

SKY SPORTS now saying saints have today bid 6m for him .... coyr

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Severntrent says...
2:05pm Thu 16 Aug 12

SimplyAwesome wrote:
Swansea had City first game last season and lost 4-0 but had a very good season. Nobody is expecting us to get anything from the game apart from a dent in our goal difference tally !! A point would be amazing but losing to the league winners isn't the end of the world. At least we aren't opening our season playing League 1 football against Bournemouth !! COYR !!!
Jealous?

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Severntrent says...
2:06pm Thu 16 Aug 12

SimplyAwesome wrote:
Swansea had City first game last season and lost 4-0 but had a very good season. Nobody is expecting us to get anything from the game apart from a dent in our goal difference tally !! A point would be amazing but losing to the league winners isn't the end of the world. At least we aren't opening our season playing League 1 football against Bournemouth !! COYR !!!
Jealous?

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Rising_Son says...
3:48pm Thu 16 Aug 12

SFCOLDBOY said, "Even though Phillips is a very talented player.
If Saints manage to get him there will be posters on here saying he has no Prem experience."

He has no Prem experience!

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Rising_Son says...
3:49pm Thu 16 Aug 12

Actually, he has. (I only sent my previous post to prove you right.)

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Hobson82 says...
3:52pm Thu 16 Aug 12

Would be a good signing without a doubt, i didn't realise he was scottish. Learn something new everyday. David Moyes is pretty good at signing scottish players, lets hope he fails in his attempts to sign him.

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Severntrent says...
3:57pm Thu 16 Aug 12

Rising_Son wrote:
SFCOLDBOY said, "Even though Phillips is a very talented player.
If Saints manage to get him there will be posters on here saying he has no Prem experience."

He has no Prem experience!
Your squad in general is lacking prem experience, just ask any bookie

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SO50 Saint says...
4:06pm Thu 16 Aug 12

That's an excellent point that i'm sure none of us on here were aware of having seen the vast majority of this side play in league 1 and the championship in the past few years. Thanks for letting us all know about that much appreciated

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SimplyAwesome says...
4:14pm Thu 16 Aug 12

Better to have Championship and League 1 experience than having a squad that will be going back to school in a few weeks.....

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Severntrent says...
4:20pm Thu 16 Aug 12

SimplyAwesome wrote:
Better to have Championship and League 1 experience than having a squad that will be going back to school in a few weeks.....
funny (no really, that was actually) but I would argue that its better to have a young, hungry squad in league one than an in inexperienced one in the premiership. Which would be more likely to succeed in their respective league?

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SimplyAwesome says...
4:30pm Thu 16 Aug 12

A young hungry squad can succeed in any league, Man Utd proved that. Now im not saying our squad are of the same level, but, it proves it can work. League 1 will be tough if the defeat to Plymouth is anything to go by, yes you held the game at 1-0 until the closing stages but conceeding late goals is a bad habit to get into. I feel for the decent Pompey fans, you have been royaly screwed over by money grabbing owners, players and managers.

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Rising_Son says...
5:46pm Thu 16 Aug 12

Severntrent wrote:
Rising_Son wrote:
SFCOLDBOY said, "Even though Phillips is a very talented player.
If Saints manage to get him there will be posters on here saying he has no Prem experience."

He has no Prem experience!
Your squad in general is lacking prem experience, just ask any bookie
We don't just lack experience "in general", we also lack it it specifically. But in neither case does it mean we will do badly.

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Exiled Saint - front line eastern outpost of Gosport says...
6:51pm Thu 16 Aug 12

Theres alot of dross in the Premier league how Robbie Savage tipped us to go down is beyond me. Its bottom six for sure unless we start looking at CB situation with a matter of urgency. But relegated? Nope not with the poor standard of the bottom half of this league.

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dadofmy3sons says...
8:32pm Thu 16 Aug 12

Has Hologram come out and said who this mysterious club is ?
No ?
I didn't think so !
Just another ploy to advertise the fact that he needs to sell a player who has admitted that he wants to leave !

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Alty Saint says...
11:31pm Thu 16 Aug 12

Saint1388 wrote:
I hope we do sign him! He would fit really well into the team! Can't wait for Sunday, I think we'll give city a good game!

Although I do think we still need some much needed cover for CB. There is no doubt in my mind that NC an NA are working on this though and will have something sorted soon!

COYR's!!!
Love the positive attitde, there are so many doom and gloomers on this site. COYR!!!!

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