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  • "
    george chivers wrote:
    randre wrote:
    george chivers wrote:
    Landdo wrote:
    Anyone else worried about rickie, I have the feeling he's going to be fighting for his spot this year and wont feature so much, billy no pun intended looks very sharp and seem's to be going from strengh to strengh can't help wondering how many goals billy would have grabbed last season if we'd secured his services in the summer rather than in the january window
    Yep. I worry about us in the transfer market. We seem to be driven too much by saving a few quid here and there.
    Really? I think we have signed some good players so far... Maybe I'm wrong.
    I meant it in terms of what Landdo said about holding off on the Billy Sharp deal until January to buy him cheaply because he was then nearer to the end of his contract with Doncaster. I think it would have been better to pay a bit more for him at the beginning of last season.

    I do think we have bought well so far this season, but we have probably missed out on some deals because we are not willing to pay a little bit over the odds to get players in.

    Gorkss who went from QPR to Reading last year was an example of that. We dithered and he went to the club that became champions. I'm sure that was about a small amount of money.

    I am concerned we have a serious weakness at CB and RM and possibly LB and we are leaving it late to bring players in for those positions.
    I agree, and alledegdly we signed forte as a panic buy which if true is bad business. Same as not lowering ticket prices for wolves game getting bums on seats and food and drinks sold.
    If you pay peanuts you get monkies, until we reap the rewards of our youth system, to stay in the prem we have to buy."
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Saints warm up with St Mary's win over Wolves

5:33pm Saturday 4th August 2012 in Saints News Photograph of the Author By Adam Leitch , Chief Sports Writer

Saints celebrate Billy Sharp's opener against Wolves Saints celebrate Billy Sharp's opener against Wolves

Click here for the full picture gallery

Saints continued their pre-season preparations with a comfortable 2-0 win over Wolves at St Mary's.

Goals midway through each half from Billy Sharp and Jason Puncheon did the damage.

The win would have been pleasing for manager Nigel Adkins just two weeks ahead of the Premier League kick-off and Saints rarely looked like getting any other result after seeing off an early Wolves threat.

Saints once again lined up in the 4-3-2-1 formation that it appears increasingly likely they will begin the Premier League season with.

This was a chance for Adkins to give some other players a chance to get used to it with the likes of Rickie Lambert, Morgan Schneiderlin and Luke Shaw left out after picking up knocks.

Saints took a while to get going against a Wolves side who still boasted many of the team who played regularly in the top flight before their relegation last season.

However, once Saints had seen off the initial threat and settled down there was only one side in it.

That said it was a game of few chances and the first one fell to Wolves.

Saints failed to deal with a ball over the top and Sylvain Ebanks-Blake found himself one-on-one with Paulo Gazzaniga with the keeper grateful that the striker scuffed a poor finish straight at him.

There was no let-off for Wolves though as Saints converted their first opening of note on 26 minutes.

Adam Lallana’s low ball into the box just evaded Jason Puncheon but Billy Sharp was alert and turned home from close range.

The second half followed a similar pattern with Saints well in control. The only real scare was when Ebanks-Blake found David Davis at the far post and he should probably have scored but missed the target.

Saints sealed the win on 69 minutes thanks to a solo effort from Puncheon.

He cut across the face of the area onto his left foot and drilled the ball low and across the keeper into the far corner for 2-0.

There were plenty of second half changes to rest some players and get others a taste of the action but no more chances.

Saints now play the final two games of their pre-season campaign in the space of a week.

Firstly they travel to Bristol City on Tuesday night before entertaining Udinese at St Mary’s next weekend.

The big Premier League kick-off at Manchester City is on Sunday, August 19.

Saints: Gazzaniga, Clyne (Richardson 60), Hooiveld, Stephens (Fonte 60), Fox, Do Prado (De Ridder 75), Chaplow (S Davis 70), Hammond, Lallana (Ward-Prowse 70), Puncheon (Rodriguez 75), Sharp.

Subs (not used): K Davis, Chambers, Seaborne.

Wolves: Ikeme, Zubar, Ward, Doumbia, Johnson, Stearman (Berra 65), Davis (Foley 65), Henry, Ebanks-Blake, Sigurdarson, Forde.

Subs (not used): McCarey, Jonsson, Doherty.

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