Saints are now a little over two weeks away from their first pre season friendly, but with only three games scheduled so far it is a sparse pre season fixture list and a strange choice of opponents.
It was always going to be a little difficult to put into place a pre season programme of training and fixtures, not only was there the uncertainty of the division that the team would be playing in up to mid May, there was also the question of just who the manager would be.
Both questions were answered quicker than most Saints fans would have liked, but although it gave Saints a little more time to cobble together a programme and lets be blunt, Russell Martin was working on this before the final game against Liverpool, it was still going to be a rush given the fac that the difference between the final game of the Premier League season and the opener in the Championship was only about 10 weeks rather than the usual 12 it was going to be tough.
Also Saints buying power as a Championship club is far less than that of a Premier League one, it will be difficult to get prestigious friendlies in place.
The trip to Goztepe on 15th July is an obvious one, I’m sure Sport Republic are keen to forge links between the clubs they own and will look to develop relationships both on and off the pitch.
The trip to Reading a week later is possibly one that was set up prior to Ruben Selles appointment as manager of the Royals, I’m not sure that he would be keen to face the club he has just presided over the relegation of in his first game as manager, I’m even less sure of what sort of welcome he will get from the travelling Saints supporters who make the short trip, on one hand he was never the pariah Nathan Jones was, but on the other hand he failed to get results despite a squad that should really not have been relegated as documented by the number of top Premier League clubs after our players.
Even more bizarre is the midweek visit of Bournemouth to St Mary’s on July 25th, I just can’t see what will be gained from this.
From a Southampton point of view it will not be a big attraction for Saints fans, but for Bournemouth fans the opportunity to come down and crow about the fact that they are actually in a division above us for the first time in their history.
All this adds up to the potential for trouble and public disorder.
I am sure that there will be at least one more friendly added to the list, probably on the weekend of the 29th just before the season kicks off and if tradition is continued against a European team t home.
So not yet an exciting pre season and indeed as I type it is impossible to tell just who will be in the squad by the time we kick off at Goztepe, let alone by the kick off in the Championship and that presents a dilemma in itself.