Liverpool B (So'ton) vs Liverpool A Match Thread

[Judge Jules]

What I don't get is why they hate us so much given the fact we've bankrolled them for the last few years. We've paid them top fees. It's not like they've given us any player for cheap.

It's funny. The one year they got ideas above their station and decided not to sell us and reinvest the money early, is the one year they're in a relegation fight.

Perhaps this is the arrogance in me speaking, but I reckon if they didn't have the VVD cloud hanging over them in the summer, and decided against making a political statement in holding on to him against his will, they'd be in a better position and have better, more settled squad now.

C'est la vie.

They, and their celebrity spokesmen like that tw@t le Tissier, are a bunch of hypocrites. Their hissy fit over van Dijk was a put-up job all along as we did no more than other clubs do in similar circs (including So'ton themselves in all likelihood) when pursuing van Dijk. What really annoyed them was the fact that van Dijk himself spoiled the bidding war they wanted by insisting on a move to LFC, so they complained about us in an attempt to reinstate that bidding war by forcing us out of the picture so that Citeh and the Chavs would be tempted to come back in for him.

I don't think that last bit of your post is arrogant in the least. IMO it's the simple truth, and it couldn't happen to a "nicer" club. I'd love to see them get relegated.

 

[Judge Jules]

Plenty of our fans hate Barca despite the situation being almost the same.

We unsettle their players & try to prise them away from their club, then pay a whacking great amount of cash to get them.

This is way too kind to Arselona. We tap players up, sure (everybody does), but we don't pull the kind of strokes they did over Coutinho.

 

[manwithnoname]

They, and their celebrity spokesmen like that tw@t le Tissier, are a bunch of hypocrites. Their hissy fit over van Dijk was a put-up job all along as we did no more than other clubs do in similar circs (including So'ton themselves in all likelihood) when pursuing van Dijk. What really annoyed them was the fact that van Dijk himself spoiled the bidding war they wanted by insisting on a move to LFC, so they complained about us in an attempt to reinstate that bidding war by forcing us out of the picture so that Citeh and the Chavs would be tempted to come back in for him.

I don't think that last bit of your post is arrogant in the least. IMO it's the simple truth, and it couldn't happen to a "nicer" club. I'd love to see them get relegated.

I particularly enjoy the annual "we don't need to sell anybody" statement, weeks before they sell everyone to Liverpool.

I remember having a most enjoyable dust-up with someone on here about exactly this, with whoever it was claiming that this time they really meant it. Weeks before selling everyone to us.

Edit: Just checked and unsurprisingly, the "Southampton don't need to sell" poster was Hansern. And equally unsurprisingly, I fucking ruined him.

 

[FoxForceFive]

This is way too kind to Arselona. We tap players up, sure (everybody does), but we don't pull the kind of strokes they did over Coutinho.

Only cos we know we can't get away with it.

If we thought we could we definitely would do. We met the player in Blackpool directly to discuss a deal without Southamptons permission. We have encouraged players to make life difficult for their clubs to try to force moves through, & we get loads of press on side to increase the pressure as well.

We're not really so different, we're just further down in the pecking order.

 

[Judge Jules]

The meeting in Blackpool was no different from any other of the countless such meetings which must take place in similar circs. The only thing which marked it out is that we got caught where others haven't, because someone at LFC flapped his gums at the wrong time, which does not make this example any worse than others.

For the rest: do we habitually get a string of ex-teammates who now play for us to tap our targets up publicly? Do we arrange media unveilings before any deal's been done in order to try and force selling clubs' hands? "Mas que un club" my Arsenal.

 

[Woland]

But it's not an illegal approach if the side is in another FA. Everyone seems to forget it, so it needs repeating.

 

[Judge Jules]

Not the point. Behaviour can be legal and still Cnutish with a capital "C".

 

[peekay]

I've been very much advocating Bertrand for a long time now, and still do, but Lamina for me is their stand out player for the moment. His close control and skills are outstanding, I even think I'd prefer him to Mahrez. Almost, at least.

Ward-Prowse is a decent player with good potential I am just not sure he'll ever be much more than that mind. Decent.

Lamina and both their fullbacks looked decent.

 

[darkstarexodus]

If Southampton got relegated and had to adjust their squad to the Championship, where would we find players?

Squad is thin enough as it is, never mind if we lost them as a source.

 

[Judge Jules]

Raid them for young players instead - equally important, and cheaper too.

 

[rurikbird]