Saints to keep first-team stars (From Daily Echo)

Tirau Dan wrote:
It's great the core will stay and even better when senior players have said frequently this if the best and most cohesive unit they've ever worked with. I love that. However given that Nigel Adkins stated that his now looking to bring in some quality I don't understand The Echo assuming: "it is also perhaps an early indication that manager Nigel Adkins doesn't plan to be too active in the transfer market over the coming months." To assume makes an **** out of you and me. Ithink we would do well with no additions but know that Nicola and Nigel will want to ensure our fastest possible return to the Premiership so will add quality; probably up front and in the midfield. Fun though it may be anything else said is speculation and guessing. Cheers Nigel for the Autograph "Together as One" and to Stormus for sending out to NZ for me. With the internet globally Saints fans have never been more so! Up The Saints - encore 2012!!

Block 42 wrote:
mmmmmm,worrying to say the least.
dan harding is no championship player.he has not got the quality or pace.we need 3 or 4 big name players.now is the time to start spending out a little.2 mill here 3 mill there.no loannes or youth players from other clubs.

Baddesley Bill wrote:
I blame it on a lack of football on a Saturday...makes me a bit grouchy too! :O)

Baddesley Bill wrote:
I blame it on a lack of football on a Saturday...makes me a bit grouchy too! :O)

montecristosaint wrote:

Block 42 wrote: mmmmmm,worrying to say the least. dan harding is no championship player.he has not got the quality or pace.we need 3 or 4 big name players.now is the time to start spending out a little.2 mill here 3 mill there.no loannes or youth players from other clubs.

Are you serious? Harding is one of the quickest at the club, why do you think he nearly always gets pickedfor hoe games when we need width? duh... you obviously dont play football or never have..

Snooky wrote:
People will still leave to make way for new faces. Can't see Jaidi being first choice next to Fonte but he does offer good cover. That would mean Seabourne would have to leave with Martin 4th choice. Also can't see us keeping Forte and N'Guessen. Mills and Puncheon as good as gone and depending on Barney doing time, there could be a lot of room for 4-5 players to come in. We'll be looking at getting a few loans in i'm sure from the Premier League.

SouthamptonLegend wrote:
I hate watching Harding, he's fcukin poor! He'll be well out of his depth nxt term. Dickson number 1 left back With Mills to cover. We need footballers now not hoof kings! Hardings technical ability is zero, and this IS the same Harding who got voted in the team of the year. I still think he's shiit to watch.

SouthamptonLegend wrote:
I hate watching Harding, he's fcukin poor! He'll be well out of his depth nxt term. Dickson number 1 left back With Mills to cover. We need footballers now not hoof kings! Hardings technical ability is zero, and this IS the same Harding who got voted in the team of the year. I still think he's shiit to watch.

montecristosaint wrote:

Block 42 wrote:
mmmmmm,worrying to say the least.
dan harding is no championship player.he has not got the quality or pace.we need 3 or 4 big name players.now is the time to start spending out a little.2 mill here 3 mill there.no loannes or youth players from other clubs.

Are you serious? Harding is one of the quickest at the club, why do you think he nearly always gets pickedfor hoe games when we need width? duh...
you obviously dont play football or never have..

Reality-man wrote:

montecristosaint wrote:

Block 42 wrote: mmmmmm,worrying to say the least. dan harding is no championship player.he has not got the quality or pace.we need 3 or 4 big name players.now is the time to start spending out a little.2 mill here 3 mill there.no loannes or youth players from other clubs.

Are you serious? Harding is one of the quickest at the club, why do you think he nearly always gets pickedfor hoe games when we need width? duh... you obviously dont play football or never have..

I'm constantly stunned by people who knock Harding. As a full back myself I always watch the defenders closely and Harding is a class act. He's got pace, energy, commitment , the whole package. Those that are always knocking the guy obviously haven't played the game. He was in the league team of the year which is voted by fellow professional footballers who have played against him and was also on the shortlist for our own fans player of the year. As hard as it may be we just have to try to ignore morons such as block 42

Reality-man wrote:

montecristosaint wrote:

Block 42 wrote:
mmmmmm,worrying to say the least.
dan harding is no championship player.he has not got the quality or pace.we need 3 or 4 big name players.now is the time to start spending out a little.2 mill here 3 mill there.no loannes or youth players from other clubs.

Are you serious? Harding is one of the quickest at the club, why do you think he nearly always gets pickedfor hoe games when we need width? duh...
you obviously dont play football or never have..

I'm constantly stunned by people who knock Harding. As a full back myself I always watch the defenders closely and Harding is a class act. He's got pace, energy, commitment , the whole package. Those that are always knocking the guy obviously haven't played the game. He was in the league team of the year which is voted by fellow professional footballers who have played against him and was also on the shortlist for our own fans player of the year. As hard as it may be we just have to try to ignore morons such as block 42

Baddesley Bill wrote:

Reality-man wrote:

montecristosaint wrote:

Block 42 wrote: mmmmmm,worrying to say the least. dan harding is no championship player.he has not got the quality or pace.we need 3 or 4 big name players.now is the time to start spending out a little.2 mill here 3 mill there.no loannes or youth players from other clubs.

Are you serious? Harding is one of the quickest at the club, why do you think he nearly always gets pickedfor hoe games when we need width? duh... you obviously dont play football or never have..

I'm constantly stunned by people who knock Harding. As a full back myself I always watch the defenders closely and Harding is a class act. He's got pace, energy, commitment , the whole package. Those that are always knocking the guy obviously haven't played the game. He was in the league team of the year which is voted by fellow professional footballers who have played against him and was also on the shortlist for our own fans player of the year. As hard as it may be we just have to try to ignore morons such as block 42

We could ignore them...but I find ridiculing them works for me!
I thought Harding had a great game against Man U, and is well capable of stepping up to Championship football...if it was all down to heart...then he'd be top of teamsheet! :O)

SouthamptonLegend wrote:

Baddesley Bill wrote:

Reality-man wrote:

montecristosaint wrote:

Block 42 wrote: mmmmmm,worrying to say the least. dan harding is no championship player.he has not got the quality or pace.we need 3 or 4 big name players.now is the time to start spending out a little.2 mill here 3 mill there.no loannes or youth players from other clubs.

Are you serious? Harding is one of the quickest at the club, why do you think he nearly always gets pickedfor hoe games when we need width? duh... you obviously dont play football or never have..

I'm constantly stunned by people who knock Harding. As a full back myself I always watch the defenders closely and Harding is a class act. He's got pace, energy, commitment , the whole package. Those that are always knocking the guy obviously haven't played the game. He was in the league team of the year which is voted by fellow professional footballers who have played against him and was also on the shortlist for our own fans player of the year. As hard as it may be we just have to try to ignore morons such as block 42

We could ignore them...but I find ridiculing them works for me! I thought Harding had a great game against Man U, and is well capable of stepping up to Championship football...if it was all down to heart...then he'd be top of teamsheet! :O)

Couple of games of Championship Manager on the PC and you think your a top manager. LOL Harding was sold to us because he couldn't hack the Championship. Why after 2 years in league 1 do you think he's suddenly gonna kick ar5e back in the league he got dropped from??

SouthamptonLegend wrote:

Reality-man wrote:

montecristosaint wrote:

Block 42 wrote:
mmmmmm,worrying to say the least.
dan harding is no championship player.he has not got the quality or pace.we need 3 or 4 big name players.now is the time to start spending out a little.2 mill here 3 mill there.no loannes or youth players from other clubs.

Are you serious? Harding is one of the quickest at the club, why do you think he nearly always gets pickedfor hoe games when we need width? duh...
you obviously dont play football or never have..

I'm constantly stunned by people who knock Harding. As a full back myself I always watch the defenders closely and Harding is a class act. He's got pace, energy, commitment , the whole package. Those that are always knocking the guy obviously haven't played the game. He was in the league team of the year which is voted by fellow professional footballers who have played against him and was also on the shortlist for our own fans player of the year. As hard as it may be we just have to try to ignore morons such as block 42

I've played semi-pro football most of my life and have been coached by some great managers and ex players of the pro game. At league 1, yes Harding did very well last season, full stop. But is he as good as you make out, no. Anyone who played left back for saints last season would have won the vote.

And to say Harding has pace.....LMFAO, Harding got left behind a number of times by young players, I really don't think you've been watching him.

We've got 2 better left backs at the club, Mills and Dickson.

I CAN'T BELIEVE SAINTS FANS AFTER WATCHING SOME GREAT LEFT BACKS HERE, LIKE BRIDGE, BALE, BERNARD, LE SAUX, HOLMES ETC ETC YOU THINK HARDING IS ACTUALLY GOOD. TAKE A LONG HARD LOOK AT YOURSELF REALITY-MAN AND ASK IS HE REALLY THAT GOOD? LOL

devoniansaint wrote:
From someone who only missed 5 games home and away this season I think I can judge on Harding fairly well. He is ok, but not brilliant. Like many full backs he is good going forward ( like johnson @liverpool ). Trouble is his positioning sense is awful. When the opposition see that he is often caught out. NA obviously saw that and that is why he kept switching full backs. I think Saints can do much better than Harding but definitely not Mills , who is one of the worst players I have seen in a saints shirt in 45yrs of following them. I hope Saints get Neil Danns who would be a great addition. I see Palace are after Lines of Bristol R. Maybe to allow for Danns to leave.

promised land wrote:
I hear comments that this player or that player at Saints will not be good enough to step up to the next level, be it, he's not fast enough or he doesn't have the skill etc. What I do see is stability, something we have not had for a while. Adkins has identified this, and knows his squad of players will grow together. Not withstanding a tweak here and there, to complement our higher status. In Adkins I trust !

SouthamptonLegend wrote:

Reality-man wrote:

montecristosaint wrote:

Block 42 wrote:
mmmmmm,worrying to say the least.
dan harding is no championship player.he has not got the quality or pace.we need 3 or 4 big name players.now is the time to start spending out a little.2 mill here 3 mill there.no loannes or youth players from other clubs.

Are you serious? Harding is one of the quickest at the club, why do you think he nearly always gets pickedfor hoe games when we need width? duh...
you obviously dont play football or never have..

I'm constantly stunned by people who knock Harding. As a full back myself I always watch the defenders closely and Harding is a class act. He's got pace, energy, commitment , the whole package. Those that are always knocking the guy obviously haven't played the game. He was in the league team of the year which is voted by fellow professional footballers who have played against him and was also on the shortlist for our own fans player of the year. As hard as it may be we just have to try to ignore morons such as block 42

I've played semi-pro football most of my life and have been coached by some great managers and ex players of the pro game. At league 1, yes Harding did very well last season, full stop. But is he as good as you make out, no. Anyone who played left back for saints last season would have won the vote.

And to say Harding has pace.....LMFAO, Harding got left behind a number of times by young players, I really don't think you've been watching him.

We've got 2 better left backs at the club, Mills and Dickson.

I CAN'T BELIEVE SAINTS FANS AFTER WATCHING SOME GREAT LEFT BACKS HERE, LIKE BRIDGE, BALE, BERNARD, LE SAUX, HOLMES ETC ETC YOU THINK HARDING IS ACTUALLY GOOD. TAKE A LONG HARD LOOK AT YOURSELF REALITY-MAN AND ASK IS HE REALLY THAT GOOD? LOL

Stormjuice wrote:
Good to see lot's of passionate supporters on here. You lucky bastards get to actually see the whole games... I'm stuck downloading The Football League Show here in Oz (Perth), and Saints Player. . Good news the team is all sticking together. I'm hoping Connolly is staying as well.... now he is fit, he will rip up defences again. . Hopefully Bart get's a few more games, as he is as good as Davis, and better in some ways... and Davis is brilliant.

legod7 wrote:

Snooky wrote:
People will still leave to make way for new faces. Can't see Jaidi being first choice next to Fonte but he does offer good cover. That would mean Seabourne would have to leave with Martin 4th choice. Also can't see us keeping Forte and N'Guessen. Mills and Puncheon as good as gone and depending on Barney doing time, there could be a lot of room for 4-5 players to come in. We'll be looking at getting a few loans in i'm sure from the Premier League.

Seabourne is on contract and Forte has 3 years left on his contract after being signed by NIGEL ADKINS in January

Folkestone Saint wrote:
Is this the team that out played Man u for about 70 min's, or was I watching another Soton team that day as they looked more than capable of beating championship teams like the soon to be Blackpool again, as for Harding he reminds me of Nick Holmes and as the opposition improves so will he

Seedhouse the Unrepentant wrote:

Folkestone Saint wrote: Is this the team that out played Man u for about 70 min's, or was I watching another Soton team that day as they looked more than capable of beating championship teams like the soon to be Blackpool again, as for Harding he reminds me of Nick Holmes and as the opposition improves so will he

Well said. Those that slag some of our players off have absolutely no understanding of loyalty or team spirit which this team has in abundance. As players reach the limit of their talent or age catches up with them why can't we clap them off and thank them for their part in our revival instead of shouting about their weaknesses?

Jesus_02 wrote:
Its amazing that Harding splits the opinion so drastically. Personally I think he will do a job in the Championship but each to their own. I also think that full backs are quite hard to judge, Glen Hoddle once said that Jason Dodd was one of the most underated players in the Prem, then again he also said that thing about re-incarnation!

Suprised that Jarrod and McNish went, they have been here a while and are still young

saintssaintssaints wrote:
Connelly can do one, scored a few goals tail end of season did it last year as well just to get a new contract and sit in the wings. We can do much better now and need that stiker slot given to someone quality.

All we need at the back is a young hard strong CB to play with fonte and thats all the defenive side sorted. Just attacking midfielder (centre & winger) needed with the striker mentioned above and we are all there.

ITS ALL ABOUT QUALITY THIS SUMMER. last summer the money was spent on QUALITY defensive players (Dickson, Butterfield and Richardson) this summer it needs to be spent on offensive players.

QUALITY QUALITY QUALITY.
1 CB
2 CM
3 Winger
4 Striker

Reality-man wrote:

montecristosaint wrote:

Block 42 wrote: mmmmmm,worrying to say the least. dan harding is no championship player.he has not got the quality or pace.we need 3 or 4 big name players.now is the time to start spending out a little.2 mill here 3 mill there.no loannes or youth players from other clubs.

Are you serious? Harding is one of the quickest at the club, why do you think he nearly always gets pickedfor hoe games when we need width? duh... you obviously dont play football or never have..

I'm constantly stunned by people who knock Harding. As a full back myself I always watch the defenders closely and Harding is a class act. He's got pace, energy, commitment , the whole package. Those that are always knocking the guy obviously haven't played the game. He was in the league team of the year which is voted by fellow professional footballers who have played against him and was also on the shortlist for our own fans player of the year. As hard as it may be we just have to try to ignore morons such as block 42

MGRA wrote:

saintssaintssaints wrote: Connelly can do one, scored a few goals tail end of season did it last year as well just to get a new contract and sit in the wings. We can do much better now and need that stiker slot given to someone quality. All we need at the back is a young hard strong CB to play with fonte and thats all the defenive side sorted. Just attacking midfielder (centre & winger) needed with the striker mentioned above and we are all there. ITS ALL ABOUT QUALITY THIS SUMMER. last summer the money was spent on QUALITY defensive players (Dickson, Butterfield and Richardson) this summer it needs to be spent on offensive players. QUALITY QUALITY QUALITY. 1 CB 2 CM 3 Winger 4 Striker

love your "that striker slot" comment. You obviously have no concept of a squad-based sport. Connoly is a gift for a one year extension.... Most fans that know the game wanted that. They understand what you need from a squad of players. Saints are not deficient in ANY department to challenge for top 6 in the championship. BUT we need to strengthen the squad generally to have more quality cover when injuries and suspensions hit. Players do not get injured on purpose and david is easily good enough to score vital goals in a championship.

SouthamptonLegend wrote:

Reality-man wrote:

montecristosaint wrote:

Block 42 wrote:
mmmmmm,worrying to say the least.
dan harding is no championship player.he has not got the quality or pace.we need 3 or 4 big name players.now is the time to start spending out a little.2 mill here 3 mill there.no loannes or youth players from other clubs.

Are you serious? Harding is one of the quickest at the club, why do you think he nearly always gets pickedfor hoe games when we need width? duh...
you obviously dont play football or never have..

I'm constantly stunned by people who knock Harding. As a full back myself I always watch the defenders closely and Harding is a class act. He's got pace, energy, commitment , the whole package. Those that are always knocking the guy obviously haven't played the game. He was in the league team of the year which is voted by fellow professional footballers who have played against him and was also on the shortlist for our own fans player of the year. As hard as it may be we just have to try to ignore morons such as block 42

I've played semi-pro football most of my life and have been coached by some great managers and ex players of the pro game. At league 1, yes Harding did very well last season, full stop. But is he as good as you make out, no. Anyone who played left back for saints last season would have won the vote.

And to say Harding has pace.....LMFAO, Harding got left behind a number of times by young players, I really don't think you've been watching him.

We've got 2 better left backs at the club, Mills and Dickson.

I CAN'T BELIEVE SAINTS FANS AFTER WATCHING SOME GREAT LEFT BACKS HERE, LIKE BRIDGE, BALE, BERNARD, LE SAUX, HOLMES ETC ETC YOU THINK HARDING IS ACTUALLY GOOD. TAKE A LONG HARD LOOK AT YOURSELF REALITY-MAN AND ASK IS HE REALLY THAT GOOD? LOL

saintssaintssaints wrote:

MGRA wrote:

saintssaintssaints wrote: Connelly can do one, scored a few goals tail end of season did it last year as well just to get a new contract and sit in the wings. We can do much better now and need that stiker slot given to someone quality. All we need at the back is a young hard strong CB to play with fonte and thats all the defenive side sorted. Just attacking midfielder (centre & winger) needed with the striker mentioned above and we are all there. ITS ALL ABOUT QUALITY THIS SUMMER. last summer the money was spent on QUALITY defensive players (Dickson, Butterfield and Richardson) this summer it needs to be spent on offensive players. QUALITY QUALITY QUALITY. 1 CB 2 CM 3 Winger 4 Striker

love your "that striker slot" comment. You obviously have no concept of a squad-based sport. Connoly is a gift for a one year extension.... Most fans that know the game wanted that. They understand what you need from a squad of players. Saints are not deficient in ANY department to challenge for top 6 in the championship. BUT we need to strengthen the squad generally to have more quality cover when injuries and suspensions hit. Players do not get injured on purpose and david is easily good enough to score vital goals in a championship.

Dont wind me up mate. Trust me I been watching saints home and away for the last 17 years, I think I have an opinion which counts. Connelly, with his injury record and age isnt good enough now. The "striker slot" is a valid one, perhaps I need to explain. With Lambert, Barnard, Guly going nowhere, we only need one more first team striker. We are all hoping that we sign a QUALITY striker, Craig M Smith for example. If we keep connelly mate, we're not going to have 5 first team strikers on the books. 1 year, pay as you pay, whatever, we dont want or need him to progress. I dont think either him or gobern will sign the terms they are offering will be pants. So thanks for the comment about not knowing what a squad based squad is all about. We need two first teams for each position, 22 first teams and the 3-6 youth team pushing them. U do your maths mate, how many strikers will that be? not 5..! 4 and ditch connelly.

saintssaintssaints wrote:

MGRA wrote:

saintssaintssaints wrote: Connelly can do one, scored a few goals tail end of season did it last year as well just to get a new contract and sit in the wings. We can do much better now and need that stiker slot given to someone quality. All we need at the back is a young hard strong CB to play with fonte and thats all the defenive side sorted. Just attacking midfielder (centre & winger) needed with the striker mentioned above and we are all there. ITS ALL ABOUT QUALITY THIS SUMMER. last summer the money was spent on QUALITY defensive players (Dickson, Butterfield and Richardson) this summer it needs to be spent on offensive players. QUALITY QUALITY QUALITY. 1 CB 2 CM 3 Winger 4 Striker

love your "that striker slot" comment. You obviously have no concept of a squad-based sport. Connoly is a gift for a one year extension.... Most fans that know the game wanted that. They understand what you need from a squad of players. Saints are not deficient in ANY department to challenge for top 6 in the championship. BUT we need to strengthen the squad generally to have more quality cover when injuries and suspensions hit. Players do not get injured on purpose and david is easily good enough to score vital goals in a championship.

Dont wind me up mate. Trust me I been watching saints home and away for the last 17 years, I think I have an opinion which counts. Connelly, with his injury record and age isnt good enough now. The "striker slot" is a valid one, perhaps I need to explain. With Lambert, Barnard, Guly going nowhere, we only need one more first team striker. We are all hoping that we sign a QUALITY striker, Craig M Smith for example. If we keep connelly mate, we're not going to have 5 first team strikers on the books. 1 year, pay as you pay, whatever, we dont want or need him to progress. I dont think either him or gobern will sign the terms they are offering will be pants.

So thanks for the comment about not knowing what a squad based squad is all about. We need two first teams for each position, 22 first teams and the 3-6 youth team pushing them. U do your maths mate, how many strikers will that be? not 5..! 4 and ditch connelly.

Exiled Saint - front line eastern outpost of Gosport wrote:
I played for Hedge End cub scouts in their glory season of 1979-80 which pretty much makes me an expert in all things left back related, and I can say I like Dan Harding as a player. Although he does like better going forward then defending.

Seedhouse the Unrepentant wrote:

Folkestone Saint wrote:
Is this the team that out played Man u for about 70 min's, or was I watching another Soton team that day as they looked more than capable of beating championship teams like the soon to be Blackpool again, as for Harding he reminds me of Nick Holmes and as the opposition improves so will he

Well said.

Those that slag some of our players off have absolutely no understanding of loyalty or team spirit which this team has in abundance.

As players reach the limit of their talent or age catches up with them why can't we clap them off and thank them for their part in our revival instead of shouting about their weaknesses?

Baddesley Bill wrote:
So...who do we want for the drop today? Do I detect a general consesus that we all want to be singing "Championship, you're having a laugh" to a certain Mr Holloway?

slugger wrote:
i trust that mr holloway will show us a little more respect when he re-visits st marys next season ...... what goes around , comes around ......muppet !

slugger wrote:
i trust that mr holloway will show us a little more respect when he re-visits st marys next season ...... what goes around , comes around ......muppet !

slugger wrote:
to be fair to holloway , he was very honest and gracious after the game ......said that he expected his squad to be torn apart .

Seedhouse the Unrepentant wrote:

slugger wrote:
to be fair to holloway , he was very honest and gracious after the game ......said that he expected his squad to be torn apart .

Everyone forgets that despite huge parachute payments relegated clubs still have much less coming in than before relegation. It's the gamble - do you deliberately lose money and keep the squad together to try and go straight back? If you don't bounce back you end up in financial shitte.

MGRA wrote:

Seedhouse the Unrepentant wrote:

slugger wrote: to be fair to holloway , he was very honest and gracious after the game ......said that he expected his squad to be torn apart .

Everyone forgets that despite huge parachute payments relegated clubs still have much less coming in than before relegation. It's the gamble - do you deliberately lose money and keep the squad together to try and go straight back? If you don't bounce back you end up in financial shitte.

you have perfectly summed up why parachute payments are a disgrace.... they should be called "las vegas" payments.

Baddesley Bill wrote:
I see Chelski have another managerial vacancy...total madness...please please please let's all agree that stability is the way forward for us here at Saints if the going happens to gets tough next season!

MGRA wrote:

Baddesley Bill wrote: I see Chelski have another managerial vacancy...total madness...please please please let's all agree that stability is the way forward for us here at Saints if the going happens to gets tough next season!

Amen

Seedhouse the Unrepentant wrote:

MGRA wrote:

Baddesley Bill wrote: I see Chelski have another managerial vacancy...total madness...please please please let's all agree that stability is the way forward for us here at Saints if the going happens to gets tough next season!

Amen

Yep. We've sponsored the manager for about five years now and i've never sat at the end of season dinner with the same guy twice.