Southampton FC: The return of a legend

Breaking news has just come in that new Southampton manager, Matt Le Tissier has wrapped up the signing of three experienced players as he looks to add some experience to the youth filled first team. Yossi Benayoun has joined Southampton on a free transfer, Keisuke Honda signed from CSKA Moscow for a fee of 1.3 m and Simone Pepe joined the club on a season long loan deal.

It seems Mr. Le Tissier was not satisfied with the Southampton squad despite them being heavily strengthened with the signings of Vincent Wanyama and Pablo Osvaldo, two very good players. According to a source within Southampton, the club worked very hard to pull of the signings as they faced stiff competition from other clubs, especially for Keisuke Honda. The club officials are very pleased that they managed to get the Japanese star for such a cheap price.

Southampton are said to be very happy with their signings and believe they will add "super quality" and a bit of experience to their side. The club enjoyed a good pre-season before Matt Le Tissier joined and are set to face West Brom, a team who have also been strengthened greatly at The Hawthorns. Everyone will be raring to go, all 20 teams, the press and most importantly the football fans!

So now Southampton seem to have a balanced and squad with good quality, is Europe really a distant dream or could it become reality?

They are some quality players for Southampton, hopefully they do well for you.

2013-11-14 18:01#143644 LFC : They are some quality players for Southampton, hopefully they do well for you.

I'm hoping they perform well too because it took quite a toll on my wage budget!

Good signings and looking forward to what impact Le Tiss will have on the side!

nice start Honda will help you a lot.. keep going

@Dean: Thanks man! I think we will do well this season!

@Zogra: Honda will definitely be essential to the success of the team

Recently, Southampton FC captain Adam Lallana expressed his childhood desire to play for his nation one day. Last season, the attacking midfielder put in some memorable performances in and was very unlucky not to get a call up however, this season if he can keep up the good form, then there is a good chance that Roy Hodgson calls him up to the squad, most likely in a friendly.

Adam, who is 25 years of age was speaking to us a few days ago about the England national team, how it's been in England and whether he would like to play for the national team one day, this is what he said:

"I've spent all my life at Southampton and I've watched the game develop and change massively. Despite what everyone says, I still think the premier league is the best in the world. The quality of players and the hard work that is put in alongside with the fast tempo is what makes it enjoyable to watch and even play in.

Unfortunately less youth players are coming through the ranks, but that's why I love Southampton because everyone has a good chance of making it as a professional. I think the England national team itself has a very promising future. You've got players such as Walcott, Wilshere, Chamberlain, Jones, Welbeck and many more who are already part of the squad at such a young age. Would I like to play for England one day, of course, it would be a dream come true! Ever since I was a little boy I've always wanted to represent my nation, maybe it will happen soon, who knows."
"

Southampton will face West Brom at the Hawthorns in the season opener tomorrow. Both The Saints and The Baggies will be desperate for a good start to what could be one of the toughest campaigns ever.

What a signing in Honda and Pepe should add good depth to the squad. Saints have been incredible in real life so hopefully you replicate that here!

2013-11-15 20:40#143947 k1rups : What a signing in Honda and Pepe should add good depth to the squad. Saints have been incredible in real life so hopefully you replicate that here!

Was delighted to have gotten those two! Benayoun was just to add some depth and cause he was on a free transfer

Honda is such a good signing for a club like Southampton and shows they can actually attract high quality players. Benayoun on the other hand might be a bit past it but a good back up player

It was a successful debut for Matt Le Tissier as he saw his side defeat West Brom 2-1 in front of 26,000 fans at the Hawthorns. It was the season opener and both sides were eager to start of with a win. West Brom put out a stronger side but it was the determination of their opponents and their creativity and the ball that made the match sway in favour of Southampton.

The home side started the game well testing Arthur Boruc on numerous occasions. Nicolas Anelka came closest to breaking the the deadlock but he failed to find the net and instead, put his shot straight into the side netting. Shane long then failed to convert his header into a goal from just six yards out following a lovely cross from Morrison. Gaston Ramirez had the chance to put Southampton 1-0 up following some good play from Luke Shaw and Rickie Lambert but Ben Forster was there to deny him. Forster then made three consecutive word class saves to frustrate the Saints. Rickie Lambert was involved in everything and really looked fired up.

In the 36th minute, Adam Lallana found Pablo Osvaldo on the edge of the box, who deftly flicked the ball to Gaston Ramirez and it was 1-0 Southampton. Finally their frustration was over and their hard work had paid off. Southampton went into the half time break, with a 1-0 lead. Just four minutes into the second half, Goran Popov equalized with a total fluke goal which sent the West Brom fans into raptures

Both sides kept cancelling each other out but it was Southampton who looked more likely to score. Their passing was crisper, their tackling was firmer, their work rate was higher and they generally wanted it more. Wanyama had a brilliant chance to restore Southampton's lead but he scuffed his shot wide. In the 60th minute, Southampton were awarded a corner and shortly after the corner was delivered the referee blew his whistle and pointed to the spot, penalty! Reid had pushed Lovren in the air. The West Brom players protested widley like animals but they couldn't change anything.

Rickie Lambert was the one designated to take the penalty and he looked very relaxed when walking up to take it. His composure paid off as he scored the winning goal that secured Southampton's three points.

When speaking to Matt Le Tissier after the game, he expressed his joy with his teams performance:

"We were brilliant, I loved what I saw from the side. We showed determination, hard work and a bit of flair which is always wonderful to watch. I think we were very unlucky to concede that fluke goal, I think it was the wind that helped that ball in, I've never seen such a freak goal!

When attacking we looked extremely dangerous. When defending we were comfortable. Now we want to try and control our games and dominate in the midfield. This may not be possible against the bigger sides such as Arsenal, Chelsea, City and United but you never know, anything can happen in football!"



So a good three points for Southampton, but can they keep on playing with so much passion and determination?

A great start to win first up. Nice update along with it Seni

Remarkably, Gareth Bale has broken his silence over the contentious topic about him showing a lack of respect to his former club, Tottenham Hotspurs. Reports this week have suggested that the Welsh Wizard disrespected the club during the latter stages of his career. According to the sources, Bale skipped training, refused to pick the clubs phone calls and vowed never to play again for the North London side if his move to Madrid fell through.

We wondered how long it would take for Bale to break his silence, and this morning he has broken the silence with some intriguing words:

"I'm disgusted with the reports going around claiming I disrespected the club. During my years at Tottenham, I gave it my all and played my heart out for the good of the team. There were times that I even had injuries but I played with them because I knew how much I meant to the club and for me to hear that I disrespected them is saddening. In any case, I feel I was disrespected by the club, concerning my move to Real Madrid. A few years ago, the club promised me I could leave if we didn't qualify for the champions league, which unfortunately we didn't. Out of pity and my genuine love for Tottenham, I decided to stay for one more season and see if we could finally break the jinx. We didn't and I requested to leave, especially with United and Madrid interested.

When I had agreed terms with Madrid and even flown out to the city to finalize the due, Tottenham decided to stall and ask for a lot more money, which nearly made the deal fall through. I was furious that I had to return to England. In my opinion, if you've been loyal to a club for years and when its obvious its time to move on, you try and prevent them then that is a huge sign of disrespect.

Since I moved to Real Madrid, almost everyone has said I owe Tottenham everything because without them, I wouldn't have made it to Real Madrid. That is 100% true and I thank them, however all the credit must go to where it all started, Southampton FC, after all they created me, nurtured me and developed me. If you talk to the likes of Theo and Alex (Chamberlain), they'll thank Arsenal for giving them the chance etc but they too know that Southampton deserve all the credit.

Honestly, I think after La Masia, Southampton have the best academy in the world. Why do I say this? With a limited budget, Southampton have still managed to produce class players. Teams like Arsenal, Ajax and West Ham have had the money to produce the players. I wish Southampton all the best in their upcoming season, I'm sure Matt Le Tissier will be immense for them."

What's with the 125 logo? That was from their League One days!

2013-11-16 12:23#144082 The 510 Series : What's with the 125 logo? That was from their League One days!

I know but it looks lovely so decided to use it!