Southampton: A Woman's Touch

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TodayForTomorrow

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19/02/2015

Today's Footballing Feature, is an in-depth look at the Surprising fortunes of Southampton Football Club. Currently 6th in the Premier Division, Southampton and female Manager Katy Forrest have been something of a surprise package in English football for the last 2 seasons, as can be seen below.


Previous Standings
2013/14:
Premier Division: 6th (W20 D3 L15, 63pts)
FA Cup: 3rd Round
Capital One Cup: 4th Round


Current Standings
Premier Division: 6th (W14, D2, L11, 44pts)
Euro Cup: 1st Knockout Round
FA Cup: 4th Round (out)
Capital One Cup: 3rd Round (out)

Impressive progress overall, particularly reaching Europe in her first season in charge. Time now, for a quick look at the squad over at St. Mary's Stadium.

1st Team
Goalkeepers
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Gazzaniga/Khune/Rubery

Defenders
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Chambers/Shaw/Mussachio/Desole/Camporese

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Clyne/Caulker



Midfielders
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Anderson/Cork/Ward-Prowse/Henderson/Honda

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Wanyama

Attacking Mid/Wingers
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Lallana/Ramirez/Shaqiri



Strikers
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Rodriguez/Vydra



We join the Southampton Story on the 19th of Febuary 2015, and will continue to follow the exploits of very possibly the first Female manager in professional mens football.​
 
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West Brom 3 - 3 Southampton

It was a tightly contested affair this evening, in a game which saw Southampton two goals up after only 11 minutes, through goals from Michele Camporese and James Ward-Prows.
West Brom drew level and then went ahead by the 38th minute, with strikes from Ola Toivonen, Shane Long, and an unfortunate own goal from Paulo Gazzaniga.
Southampton's equalizer came on 54 minutes, with a poacher's effort from Xherdan Shaqiri. We caught up with Southampton defender Michele Camporese after the match

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BBC: Michele, congratulations on a solid performace and a goal today! How do you feel the match went?
Camporese: *smiles* Thankyou, it's always good to get a goal, especially as a defender...I think we played well, especially with the two early goals...Paulo was unlucky with his own goal, as it hit off his back after a great save...on balance I think we deserved a win, but a draw is always better than losing *laughs*
BBC: That's true! Now, Michele, there has been speculation in the media linking you with bigger clubs like Barcelona; can we still expect to see you in a Southampton shirt after summer?
Camporese: Hmm...thats the first i've heard of this...I think yes, I will stay with Southampton; our manager is building for the future, and a strong future, and with the majority of the squad so young, there are many years of potential success to come...Barcelona would be nice though, perhaps as a holiday!
BBC: Thanks for talking to us Michele, and well done again
Camporese: Thanks.




So, after that draw, Southampton have dropped to 7th in the league, and will surely now be focused on the Euro Cup match against Sevilla in 4 days time.

Thats all we have time for just now, back to you in the studio!​
 
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Saints go Marching On!
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A 64th minute strike from Czech wonderkid Matej Vydra was the icing on the cake tonight as Southampton ran out 2-1 winners over Sevilla The win sees the English side take on HSV in the next round, and fans will be hoping the continued involvement in European competition will stand the club in good stead for the future.

Player Spotlight: Matej Vydra
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22 year old Czech starlet Matej Vydra joined Southampton in 2014, after loan spells with Club Brugge, Watford and West Brom. He started his career at Jihlava, and moved to Banik Ostrava, before a ?2.6 Million move to Udinese. Southampton boss Katy Forrest snapped him up on a free transfer in summer, beating Udinese's contract offer. Vydra made his international debut against Denmark in 2010, and has since made 17 appearances for his national team, scoring four goals.
Definitely a prospect for the future, Vydra has recently expressed his delight at at how the club is performing in Europe, and has told the media of his determination to break into the first team squad on a regular basis.


Southampton must now look forward to their March 1st encounter with Liverpool, as they seek to protect their unbeaten run, and move up the league table.​
 
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Tough Test for Saints
Southampton - HSV
These two teams met at St. Mary's stadium this evening in the first leg of their Euro Cup tie. Juventus were just one of 14 teams that awaited the victors. Fans from both sides were positive about their chances, and songs rang around the stadium as the two sides warmed up. Southampton gave Mattia Desole his first start of the side, in place of Luke Shaw, who is one booking away from suspension. Other than that, they name an unchanged side from the weekend defeat to Liverpool.

Southampton started brightly, with striker Jay Rodriguez clean through on goal after 3 minutes, only to be flagged offside, much to his team-mates disdain. The first have petered out after that, with right-back Nathaniel Clyne providing the best performance of the half, bombing up and down the touchline and causing HSV some problems. Xherdan Shaqiri replaced Matej Vydra at half-time

Southampton looked much better after the break, and Xherdan Shaqiri finished a flowing team move, directing Clyne's cross into the net, past the helpless goalkeeper.
Clyne and Shaqiri combined again on 58 minutes, again Clyne provided the cross, and again Shaqir made no mistake, scoring his 6th goal of the season.

Overall, a convincing display from Southampton, and stand-out performances from Nathaniel Clyne and Man of the Match Xherdan Shaqiri. We caught up with them after the match.

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BBC: Gents, congratulations on a great win: you two seemed to link well today and provided both goals; how do you feel?
Clyne: It feels amazing, to make such a huge contribution in a European game; hopefully it's something I can build on and move forward with to help the team improve.
Shaqiri: Yes, I agree. To score two goals in a game is always special, but to do so as a substitute and make such an impact is extra special, and it's always good for a manager to have such options on the bench.
BBC:Do you think your performances here are going to increase interest from other clubs?
Shaqiri: I don't know...I would imagine so, but i'm happy playing my football here.
Clyne: Yeah, of course playing well on a big stage is going to get people interested, but i'm more interested in seeing my club improve, and improving myself. I'm happy here.
BBC: Thanks guys, and well done again!



So, with a 2-0 win under their belts, Southampton will be looking to improve and establish a run of form. Join us next week, where we look at some of the upcoming talents in their squad!​
 
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Team Focus: Southampton.

Welcome to this week's Team Focus. Today, we will be looking at some of the younger talents currently plying their trade with Southampton. Manager Katy Forrest has built something of a reputation for singing young players, and while some have criticised this approach, it is clear to see the abundance of talent in both the Reserves and u18s. Here, we pick 3 of the hottest talents in the squad.

1. Lloyd Isgrove
View attachment 449926
Age: 22
Nationality: Welsh
Position: Left Winger
Isgrove has been with Southampton since 2009, but didn't make a 1st team appearance for the club, and moved to Motherwell on loan in 2013, playing in 22 games, with 1 assist to his name, and an average rating of 6.65.
This season, Lloyd is plying his trade at Sheffield Wednesday, racking up 33 appearances already, and contributing 3 goals and 3 assists, with an average rating of 6.70.
Isgrove made his international debut in June 2014 against South Africa, and has since made 5 appearances.
Forrest is known to rate Lloyd highly, and he is set to feature next season, rumours say.


2.Alberto Cerri
View attachment 429940
Age:18
Nationality: Italian
Position: Striker
18 Year old Alberto Cerri is possibly one of the hottest talents in the Southampton Squad. He began his career at Parma in 2009, making one appearance for the club before his ?875k move to Southampton in 2013. He made one appearance for the club before moving to Wolves on loan for the remainder of the season.
While at Wolves, Cerri made 26 appearances, scoring 12 goals with an average rating of 6.90.
This season, Cerri has moved on loan to Montpellier, and has so far made 23 appearances, scoring 5 goals.
In terms of career honours, Cerri already has a Sky Bet League 1 winners medal, and a Euro U19 Championship Golden Boot award.
Cerri looks to have a bright future with Southampton, and we are keen to see how he develops.


3.Luciano Vietto
View attachment 449924
Age: 21
Nationality: Argentinian
Position: Attacking Midfielder/Striker
Another attacking talent, Luciano Vietto started his career at Estudiantes in 2008, before moving to Racing Club for free in 2009. Vietto didn't make a first team appearance until 2011. In that season, he made 2 appearances for the club. He really forced his way into the first team and Racing Club in 2012, making 32 appearances and scoring 13 goals, before moving to Southampton for ?7M.
In his first season at Southampton, Vietto made 26 appearances, scoring 14 goals, before losing his form and being replaced by fan favourite Jay Rodriguez in the starting line up.
This season, Vietto has only made 5 appearances for the club, but rumours suggest he may be returned to action soon as a rotation option, with the club facing fixture congestion.

One thing we have noticed, is that these 3 players are all attacking players, and it will be interesting to see how Forrest incorporates them, along with other talents such as Sebastian Druissi and ​Gabriel Barbosa.
​
 
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Comfortable Southampton Cruise Through
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It was an excellent night for Southampton fans as they watched their team progress to the Quarter-Finals of the EURO Cup.
Fan favourite Matej Vydra opened the scoring on 8 minutes with a deadly accurate header from 6 yards, and added his second on 52 minutes with a looping shot from outside the box. Right Back Nathaniel Clyne finished the scoring on the 90th minute, with a powerful shot from outside the box which was helped on it's way by the upright.
In particular, the performance of Jay Rodriguez, who has been criticised in the media recently for his lack of goals, has left his manager delighted. Rodriguez had a hand in both of strike partner Vydra's goals, and picked up the Man of the Match award for his tireless performance.
Despite his current drought, Rodriguez is still the club's top scorer this season, with 20 goals in 45 appearances.
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We tried to catch a member of the Southampton squad after the match, but they were all far too busy celebrating with the fans!

- - -

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Southampton's EURO Quest Latest!
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Southampton will be without central defender Matteo Musacchio, after he picked up a one-game suspension for reaching his yellow-card limit.
Southampton have drawn Lyon in the Quarter finals, with a tie against either Newcastle of Marseille awaiting the winner in the semi-finals.

​
 
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Saints March On Again

It was another special European night for Southampton, as they bounced back from their 2-0 league defeat against Stoke to beat Lyon 1-0 away from home. Captain Adam Lallana provided the goal on 18 minutes, and a tremendous defensive display, anchored by Argentinian Musacchio, sealed Southampton's passage to the next round.
Southampton fans are jubilant, pinpointing the goalscoring prowess of Jay Rodriguez, and the outstanding performances of Nathaniel Clyne as the sources of their success in Europe. Manager Katy Forrest will be praying her side can translate this into league wins, as the club sit in 8th position, with 5 Games left.

Southampton's Season Run-In
As we approach the business end of the season, we take a look at the 5 remaining league games awaiting Southampton fans as they fight to reach European football for the second season running.
1.Man City (A)
2.Arsenal (H)
3.Everton (H)
4.Fulham (A)
5.Aston Villa (A)

We caught up with Midfielder James Ward-Prowse, to ask him how he felt about the run-in.
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Sky: Hey James, thanks for taking time out to talk to us! How are the squad preparing for a tough run-in to the league season?
JWP: No problem..Erm...we're just trying to stay focused, taking one game at a time...there are some tough matches in there, but we've shown this season that we can beat anybody on our day...the boss is keen to make sure we give our best every match, and play good football.
Sky: Are you confident you can get results?
JWP: Definitely. We know how good we are as a side, it's just about translating that into results on the field...its all about mentality, and there may be a need for some rotation given our continued involvement in Europe...It will definitely be interesting
Sky: Well, good luck James!
​
 
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Southampton Fizzle Out

Southampton's European adventure was brought to a heartbreaking end as they fell to a 2-0 defeat to Marseille. It was a devestating moment for a squad who have given the fans an absolute treat this season. Speculation has been increasing in the past few weeks that manager Forrest could be facing the sack from St James' Park, however the squad rallied around, coming back from 2 goals down to defeat Fulham in their next game, and handing their manager a lifeline.
In their final game of the season, Southampton travelled to Birmingham to play Aston Villa.

- - -
Aston Villa 1 - 2 Southampton
Southampton started the match brightly, with several clear-cut chances in the first 20 minutes. But unfortunately, the poor finishing which has haunted them in previous games, continued to plague their strikers.
It was Aston Villa who opened the scoring, Libor Kozak slotting the ball into the bottom corner on 30 minutes.
The Southampton fans didn't have much to cheer until the 56th minute, when Mattia Destro scored only his second goal of the season to top off an excellent flowing move.
Victor Wanyama put the Saints ahead with a long-range strike on 89 minutes, his 6th goal of the season, which proved the be the winning goal.

Southampton fans were jubilant that their side finished the season on a high, and the players stayed on the pitch to give them the applause they deserved.

Join us next time, when we look back at Southampton's season, and pick out their top performers, and potential improvements for next season!​
 
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Season Roundup.
Southampton consolidated the work done last season, reaching the Semi-Finals of the EURO Cup, and finishing 8th in the English Premier Division. Here, we look at some of the standout performers, and upcoming talents who have made their name this season.

1.Michele Camporese
View attachment 449569
Appearances: 48
Goals: 3
Assists: 1
Average Rating: 7.17



2. Mateo Musacchio
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Appearances: 53
Goals: 4
Assists: 2
Average Rating: 7.17



3. Jordan Henderson
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Appearances: 52
Goals: 5
Assists: 8
Average Rating: 7.00



4. Jay Rodriguez
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Appearances: 57
Goals: 23
Assists: 7
Average Rating: 6.97



5. Nathaniel Clyne
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Appearances: 48
Goals: 9
Assists: 8
Average Rating: 6.96


Top Scorer(23) Most Assists(12)
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Jay Rodriguez Luke Shaw
​
 
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Preseason Roundup: Southampton

Good evening, and welcome to our pre-season roundup! Today, we are focusing on Southampton, as manager Katy Forrest builds her squad to meet the board expectation of mounting a title challenge; a massive step up from last season's 8th placed finish.

First of all, let's look at the transfers made so far:

In:
1. Erik Lamela - Tottenham - 28m
Southampton took advantage of Lamela's release clause, activating it before any other clubs noticed, and Lamela has said he sees the club as an excellent opportunity to further his career under less pressure than he faced at Spurs
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2. Mattia Desole - AC Milan - 2.5m
Taking advantage of a clause in Desole's loan agreement from last season, Forrest swooped and made the deal permanent, with Desole seen as an ideal rotation option with Luke Shaw
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3. Pedro Chirivella - Liverpool - 16.75m
A deal seen as expensive by many; Chirivella has been touted by many as a future star, and Southampton fans will be hoping this is the case come the end of the season
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4. Leon Goretzka - Schalke - Free
The club moved quickly, snapping Leon up on a pre-contract agreement; fans will be intrigued to see him in action during pre-season, and he will be looking to make an impression and break into the first team.
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Some interesting moves this summer; it will be interesting to see how the squad line up come the season opener!
​
 
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Southampton - Tottenham

Today saw the start of a new English Premier Division season, and Southampton travelled to Tottenham, hoping to improve on the end of last season.

During pre-season, Southampton provided an insight into their team selection and playing style, and notched some good solid victories.

Preseason Results (Goalscorers in brackets):
Estudiantes 1 - 1 Southampton (Adam Lallana)
VVV - 1 - 2 Southampton (Jordan Henderson, Anderson
CFR Cluj - 0 - 5 Southampton (Jay Rodriguez (2), Michele Camporese, James Ward-Prowse (2)

Preseason also saw a number of squad players move on loan to high-profile clubs, below, we have compiled a list of the most potentially beneficial loan moves.

View attachment 433830Alberto Cerri - AZ
Cerri is said to be excited about the prospect of playing Champions League football with AZ this coming season, and Southampton fans will be hoping that experience stands him in good stead for future seasons.

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Tomas Martinez - OM
Another young prospect gaining European Experience this season, and looking to make his break into the first team next season.

---
Back to the opening game, and Southampton announced their squad, feeding the story-hungry journalists. They lined up like this:

GK: Paulo Gazzaniga
LB: Luke Shaw
CB: Mateo Musacchio
CB: Michele Camporese
RB: Nathaniel Clyne
DM: Leon Goretzka
CM: James Ward-Prowse
CM - Jordan Henderson
LW: Neymar
RW: Adam Lallana
ST: Jay Rodriguez
Subs:
Cody Cropper
Callum Chambers
Luciano Vietto
Cesc Fabregas
Xherdan Shaqiri
Erik Lamela
Matej Vydra

Match Report
Both teams started well, playing open, end-to-end football, and crafting some serious chances, but it was Southampton who had the ball in the net first, Jay Rodriguez cooly slotting the ball home after a Nathaniel Clyne Cross. The game was more or less even after that, and Southampton went in at the break looking good value for their lead.
New signing Cesc Fabregas came on at half time to replace Jordan Henderson, who looked like he may have fallen victim to an injury. Defender Mateo Musacchio had the ball in the net again on 53 minutes, with James-Ward Prowse providing the assist.
In the end, Southampton looked comfortable against a Spurs team that many had tipped to win easily.

Man of the Match
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James Ward-Prowse (8.6)​
 
Monthly Update: August 2015

Tottenham 0 - 2 Southampton
Rodriguez (18)
Musacchio (53)

Southampton 3 - 0 Aston Villa
Neymar (9)
Vydra (35)
Fabregas (70)

Bolton 0 - 5 Southampton
Lallana (19,35)
Neymar (44)
Ward-Prowse (47,71)

West Brom 0 - 2 Southampton
Vydra (65)
Neymar (83)

Player of the Month
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An absolute rock at the back this month, as we play the full month without conceding a goal! Attracting interest from teams like Man City, but i'll be keeping a hold of him for the forseeable (and not so forseeable)
Young Player of the Month
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It's testament to our defense that both players are defenders: Luke has been phenomenal this month, causing opposition sides real problems with his forward runs, and creating space for Neymar to play in, with devestating effect.​
 
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Monthly Update: September 2015

Southampton 6 - 1 Norwich
Lallana (2,20)
Musacchio (19,55,71)
Lamela (82)

Southampton​
3 - 2 Ipswich​
Neymar (32)
Henderson (57)
Camporese (90)
​
Wolves 2 - 4 ​
Southampton​
Neymar (13)
Lallana (24)
Goretzka (56)
Rodriguez (81)​

Fulham 1 - 4 ​
Southampton​
Goretzka (12)
Vydra (34,90)
Henderson (79)

​
Player of the Month
​
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In outstanding form this month, James is currently top of the league's assists chart with 8; his influence cannot be underestimated, and it's certainly central to the team's success.

Young Player of the Month
​
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Leon Goretzka. Take a bow. A rock playing in front of my defence, he's adapted incredibly quickly to life in England, and has even chipped in with a league goal. Another key player for us​
 
December Update
Haven't updated in a while, so this is more or less 3 months of updates combined into 1. Firstly, a Rundown of the fixtures we've played and how we got on.

October 2015 - December 2015
Chelsea 1 - 1 Southampton
Jordan Henderson (6.)

Everton 0 - 1 Southampton
Michele Camporese (15)

Southampton 0 - 0 Man City

Hull 1 - 0 Southampton

Liverpool 6 - 4 Southampton
James Rodriguez (26)
James Ward-Prowse (30)
Xherdan Shaqiri (32,87)
Matteo Musacchio sent off (31)

Man Utd 1 - 1 Southampton
Robert Steiner (10)

Southampton 3 - 0 Newcastle
James Ward-Prowse (9)
Jay Rodriguez (21,87)

Southampton 4 - 0 Reading
Jordan Henderson (26,59)
Luciano Vietto (73)
Adam Lallana (76)

Cardiff 2 - 2 Southampton
Luciano Vietto (6.)
Matteo Musacchio (11)

Stoke 2 - 0 Southampton

Southampton 2 - 0 Crystal Palace
Jordan Henderson (4)
Jay Rodriguez (88)

QPR 0 - 2 Southampton
Erik Lamela (13)
Michele Camporese (40)

Southampton 5 - 1 West Ham
Neymar (18)
Matej Vydra (21,71)
Jay Rodriguez (81)
Victor Wanyama (87)

Southampton 3 - 1 Arsenal
Matej Vydra (11,20)
Neymar (57)

Aston Villa 2 - 4 Southampton
Neymar (11,18)
Mateo Musacchio (57)
Luciano Vietto (77)




Young Player of Month(s)
October - Luke Shaw
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November - Leon Goretzka
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December - Luke Shaw
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Player of the Month(s)
October - Jordan Henderson
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November - Jay Rodriguez
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December - Jordan Henderson
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World Awards
Neymar: World Player of the Year (3rd), Sub, World team of the Year, Best Europe-based Player, BOC Footballer of the Year,
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James Ward-Prowse: European Golden Boy
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(plus i was manager of the month for december....)
Anyway, an excellent few months all round, very proud of Ward-Prowse...we're currently top of the league, with 20 games played, and a point ahead of Man City​
 
January 2016


No real transfer movement in the January window, apart from Khune leaving on a free transfer, after being knocked out of the 2nd choice spot by youngster Cody Cropper.
In terms of team selection, i've been doing a lot of rotating in order to keep all my attacking players happy, with a choice of Neymar, Vydra, Shaqiri, Rodriguez, Lamela and Lallana in my 3 attacking positions, and also a choice of 5 midfielders; Wanyama and Goretzka at defensive mid, and Henderson, Cork and Ward-Prowse in the central roles...my defence is settled, and working well, and towards the end of the season I may rotate slightly to give younger stars a shot.

Results

Southampton 6 - 1 Bolton
Neymar (8,77,83)
Jay Rodriguez (11,31)
Mateo Musacchio (52)

Southampton 2 - 0 Tottenham
James Ward-Prowse (36)
Mateo Musacchio (42)

West Brom 3 - 3 Southampton
Jay Rodriguez (7,25)
Jordan Henderson (62)

Norwich 0 - 2 Southampton
James Ward-Prowse (6.)
Mateo Musacchio (74)

West Brom 0 - 4 Southampton
Neymar (22)
Victor Wanyama (45)
Michele Camporese (70)
Jay Rodriguez (80)

Southampton 2 - 0 Ispwich
Leon Goretzka (34)
Jordan Henderson (58)


Player of the Month
View attachment 445538
Mateo Musacchio
Once again, an absolute rock at the back, and contributing goals from corners; A key part of the success of this side, and an excellent month from him.

Young Player of the Month
View attachment 445537Luke Shaw
Another amazing month for this guy, pulling opposition defenders all over the place and creating space for his team-mates, as well as turning in consistently good performances in defence: A Mainstay for years to come!

Honourable Mention
View attachment 445533
Neymar
Finally seems to have settled in English football, and is terrorising defences week-in-week-out from his left wing position, and is currently our top goalscorer on 13!​
 
I can't seem to find transfer details of Neymar, when did you pick him up and for how much?
 
Like, 70 mil on a release clause when barca gave him a new contract, 2015 . would ss but having issues atm
 
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