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Thread | Where have all the young guns gone?
at 18:19 19 Oct 2026
Garteh Bale, Theo Walcott, Luke Shaw, JWP and Danny Wallace were just 16 when they made their Saints debut. - MLT, Mick Channon, and Steve Williams were 17.
There may be many others through the history books, but what has happened to our "famed" academy recently?
Apart from Dibling and Robinson - neither of whom have lasted very long - what other youngsters have come through the ranks in the last few years and established themselves in the first teamt? (I'm not counting Cameron Bragg as he is not yet quite a fixture).
The current lack of alternatives to cover for Larin emphasises this dearth of homegrown talent - or at least confirms the fact that that our manager(s) have little faith in our academy players, despite that some of them seem to be performing well and scoring regularly.
Exactly why we have brought in the likes of the Man City kid and won't play him, and that people like Ballard were never given an opportunity , is a complete mystery.
I can't see that this is an area that SR would be involved in directing operations as it can't be a financial issue. |
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Reply | Lawrie McMenemy
at 09:47 27 Jul 2026
Interesting how the passage of time colours memories..........
When McMenemy first arrived at the Dell as assistant to Ted Bates,his appointment was met with derision - he had no experience as a pro footballer and very few credentials as a manager. Bates himself wasn't popular at the time as many people felt that he had outstayed his welcome - but it seemed that he was an immoveable and integral part oF Southamton FC.
As said, the team's performance and reults at the start of Lawrie's Saints career were very poor - in these days he would have been sacked long before things turned around.But turn around they did - 1976 and all that followed.
Quite how he manged to lure Keegan, Ball, Shilton, Osgood at al to the Dell remains a mystery, but will always be a testament to his persuasive skills and "emotionally intelligent" man management (despite the coccassional high profile bust ups).
Later, there was a big sense of disappointment when he left to chase the dollar, and in hindsight, I can imagine he regretted some of the ill advised moves he made post Saints.
There is no doubt however that the Saints remained the high spot of his footballing life and it is also evident that he continues to hold the club in great affection.
I have been fortunate enough to meet Lawrie on a few occassions (normally on a golf course) and always thought he was a great guy - polite, well mannered and always open to a chat.
Happy birthday Lawrie - and thank you for giving us so many great memories that have long since extinguished any earlier disappointments.
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Reply | Tonda Eckert
at 17:42 25 Feb 2026
How the players view him?
Perhaps they respond well to someone of their own generation - who shares a clear vision of how football sholud be played but is also prepared to listen to ideas. His apparent intellect and modest positivity shine at press conferences, so no reason that his team talks and player interractionwould be different/
Or would the players rather work with a bellowing middle aged journeyman (Chris Wilder comes to mind - there ar many others) who relies on "experience", which generally means having been sacked multiple times.
Mmmm, let me think. |
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Reply | RIP Chivers
at 18:32 7 Jan 2026
Rock solid is right!
I remember him nonchalantly knocking the barrel-chested Dave Mackay off the ball at the Dell; rumour has it that, as a consequence Mackay told Bill Nicholson that he simply had to sign him.
Unfortunately, I think we got lumbered with Frank Saul in part exchange. |
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Reply | Being a Saints supporter
at 14:46 12 Dec 2025
First concrete memory is when it took us three matches to get past Notts Forest in the FA cup. First game at the Dell ended 3-3 and then it was a goalesss replay up there.
My uncle had tickets for us to go up to White Hart Lane for the second replayl but the car,a Triumph Herald, broke dowm on the Winchester bypass, so we never got there - I think we won 5-0 and went on to the semis where we lost to Man U at Villa Park.
Also I can remember the saints supporterss club which was upstairs in in the car park behind the west stand; players, Terry Paine, George Kirby, O'Brien, Hollywood etc.etc. would mingle with us ordinary mortals after the game, share a sherbert or two.
Girls would scream abuse and wanted to kill Ron Davies'wife when she came to collect him in his car after a match; they all wanted hinm for themselcves.
My dad ran a pub in the centre of Southampton; one Friday coming home from school I saw Freddie Kemp in a phone box outside the pub. I told my dad (who has having and afternoon lock-in with his mates), who went and literally pulled Freddie in and forced him to have a drink. I remenber coming back down to the bar at 6 p.m. when it officially reopened and Freddie was still there.
I can't remember the exact game but I was at the Dell the next day and I'm pretty sure that Freddie, perhaps because he still had the booze circulating in him, scored a goal or two.
Long lost days, never to be repeated in this current era, which seems to be mostly populated by overpaid underperforming prima donnas.
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Reply | Look at the quality of the teams Tonda managed to beat …
at 18:25 11 Nov 2025
I'm in total agreement with "wait and let's see" brigade.
This is reinforced by the fact that the list of "available" managers or coaches seem to be mostly made up of abject failures.
And I can see no reason why a successful manager would want to come to us, in the first place - especially if they have any knowledge of SR. |
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Reply | Southampton At QPR Matchday Thread
at 16:20 5 Nov 2025
The U21s managed to achieve a draw playing a vastly superior Real Madrid team.
The first team can't even manage that against (allegedly) vastly inferior teams.
COYU21Rs! |
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Thread | Disciplinarian Required?
at 13:06 5 Nov 2025
There seems t to be a groundswell for a new manager to send a few rockets up the player's appropriate body parts .
If Tondo wants to make an impression he could start by dropping AA, and any others of his shabby cohort who admit to having given less than 100%.
If that means major overhaul and a shedload of U21s coming in then bring it on.
Hansen once said "you'll win nothing with kids" - well we can't seem to win anything with "experienced" old pros. |
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Reply | Things will get better
at 14:48 3 Nov 2025
Everyone is understandably calling for an experienced manager/ disciplinarian/ miracle worker.
But who / where is this person? Certainly not amongst the names currently being bandied around.
With SR at the helm, we have become a loathsome proposition for any coach/manger with a pedigree. Hence SR will have to once again scrape the barrel - or waste another few dollars in the last chance saloon -how many last chances are there?
It would be great to experience the new manger bounce, but, without other key components (striker, CB, keeper etc.) I feel deflation is more likely. |
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Thread | Striker Problem Solved
at 12:49 30 Oct 2025
Baz's effort in stoppage time last night was the best header from a Saints player this season.
QED !?
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Reply | Have Saints lost their'Devil May Care'attitude ?
at 10:50 13 Oct 2025
The " devil may care" spirit is sadly lacking from most professional football these days, largely replaced by hopeless attempts at "possession football" as in the style of Barca and Man city at their heyday
It just happens that Saints are amongst the very best/worst proponents of boring, risk free and incompetent teams. |
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Reply | Delusions
at 13:51 31 Aug 2025
Hollywood & Huxford vs Gabriel & McGrath.
Who's your money on? |
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Reply | Delusions
at 13:02 31 Aug 2025
As a hard up pensioner, it's a bag of broken biscuits every time...........
Also, I'm not a new poster, though admit to being infrequent |
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