The Saint

[Tobey Mason]

Love the setup of this story, and like it overall! you've got a new follower

Thanks Ryan. Appreciate the comment.

 

[JoshSUFC]

Loving this pal. Lovely set up.. Always enjoy Southampton saves too!

 

[AldoKemp-1]

great story so far very well detailed, Gauld dominates in the SPL will be interesting to see how he can cope in the PL.

 

[Tobey Mason]

Pre Season Continues



Mauricio Pochettino has decided to take his team off to Portugual for the rest of the clubs Pre-Season with just one more game against Eastleigh shortly after the trip. Southampton will play Rio Ave, Braga and Belenenses and will fancy themselves to win all three. After having won the Markus Liebherr Cup recently confidence should be running high. Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Morgan Schneiderlin will be relishing the chance to play and to earn their place in the side which each is expected to do by the time the season starts.

Portugal will probably be the place where we see alot of the clubs new transfers play and it's been speculated that Pochettino is willing to give anybody that plays well on this tour and against Eastleigh a place agianst Manchester City come the first day of the season.

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Tuesday 20th July - 20:00
Estadio Do Rio Ave
Pre Season: Friendly
Referee: O. Benquerenca
Attendance: 6,009
View attachment 425237Rio Ave 0 V 2 SouthamptonView attachment 425233
Rickie Lambert (75, 88)

Southampton Line Up: Cropper, Chambers, Lovren, Montelone, Shaw, Schneiderlin, Wanyama, Ward-Prowse, Lallana, Osvaldo, Lambert

x2
Subs Used: Boruc, Clyne, Rodriguez, Lascelles, Rugani, Fox

MOM - LambertView attachment 425132

Southampton play well in their first game in Portugal and Rickie Lambert really inspired the result. The powerful striker comfortably beat his defender time and time again and it's a shame he couldn't have scored more really. Cody Cropper was given a chance in goal and impressed his manager before being swapped at half time with the experienced Artur Boruc.

Jamaal Lascelles and Daniele Rugani started the second half and both put in strong displays. Lascelles looked a real handful in the air and nearly grabbed himself a goal but he saw his header fly just over the bar. Southampton looked by far the better team and really puished the home team.

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Tuesday 24th July - 19:00
Estadio AxaPre Season: Friendly
Referee: O. Benquerenca
Attendance: 8,721
View attachment 425236Braga 0 V 2 SouthamptonView attachment 425233
Adam Lallana (4), Rickie Lambert (21)

Southampton Line Up: Boruc, Clyne, Rugani, Fonte, Shaw, Schneiderlin, Wanyama, Ward-Prowse, Lallana

, Osvaldo, Lambert

Subs Used: Cropper, Chambers, Oztunali, Monteleone, Fox, Gauld

MOM - LallanaView attachment 425132

Pochettino decided to play a mixed bag in this match with some youth and experienced mashed together. It seemed to work though as Lallana scored after just four minutes. This seemed to deject Braga who simply did not look a patch on a surging Southampton side. Daniele Rugani started the match and looked happy to play alongside the experienced Fonte.

Lambert once again scored and has really shone so far this Pre-Season. He will surely have worked his way into contention for the first day of the season against the 'Juggernaught' that is Manchester City. Davide Monteleone came on for Rugani at half time and he looks to be a real gem of a player.

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Tuesday 1st August - 19:00
Estadio Do Restello
Pre Season Friendly
Referee: O. Benquerenca
Attendance: 8,456
View attachment 425235Belenenses 1 V 3 SouthamptonView attachment 425233
Fernando (24), Rickie Lambert (28, 50), Dario (OG 65)

Southampton Line Up: Boruc, Clyne, Lascelles, Fonte, Shaw, Schneiderlin, Wanyama, Ward-Prowse, Gauld, Osvaldo, Lambert

x2
Subs Used: Cropper, Chambers, Oztunali, Rodriguez, Lallana,

MOM - LambertView attachment 425132

Once again Southampton looked strong but this time they faced their sternest challenge in the form of relatively unknown Belenenses who scared the Saints when they took the lead in the twenty-fourth minute with an excellent volley by Fernando. The home crowd went wild and the Southampton fans fell into a stunned silence.

Four minutes later and those fans jumped for joy as once again Rickie Lambert scored, this time from a Ryan Gauld through ball. He scored again after half time with an exact replica of his first goal, only for the ball to have come from Oztunali this time. Belenenses rounded the day off in misery as Dario scored a calamatous own goal.
_________________________________________

Tuesday 5th August - 15:00
Saint Mary'sPre Season Friendly
Referee: B. Madley
Attendance: 10,824
View attachment 425232Southampton 4 V 0 EastleighView attachment 425104
Gallagher (4, 19, 27), Ward-Prowse (81)

Southampton Line Up: Boruc, Clyne, Rugani, Lascelles, Shaw, Schneiderlin, Wanyama, Ward-Prowse

, Gauld, Rowe, Gallagher

x3
Subs Used: Cropper, Chambers, Oztunali, Monteleone, Fox

MOM - GallagherView attachment 425132

Southampton played their local affilate team and didn't look likely to lose at Eastleigh. More of a money making scheme for Eastleigh than anything else as they sold all of their tickets days before the match took place. Pochettino decided to play alot of his youth players today who will have undountedy impressed him, especially Sam Gallagher who scored a sublime hattrick!

The youngster who looks on course to be the next big sensation coming out of Southampton scored from a couple of neat touches to score his first and third goals but for his second he dribbled past two Eastleigh defenders before smashing a shot into the top right hand corner of the net.



Southampton look ready and raring to go but with Manchester City lying in wait the Premier League campaign may get off to a bumby start for the Saints.

​

 

[Tobey Mason]

Premier League Begins
View attachment 489696

It's the day that every football fan loves, the first game of the season. The clubs will be in action and the sound of cheers will ring out of the stadiums today. It will be interesting to see how David Moyes fairs as Manchester United manager after the departure of Fergie. How will Mourinho do in his second stint at the club? Will Arsenal ever win a trophy? Is Pellegrini the man to bring success back to Manchester City and will Alan Pardew sleep with anyone elses wife. It look's like it's going to be another blockbuster season so hold on to your hats people...

Southampton have been thrown to the lions in their first league encounter as they face off against Manchester City at the Etihad stadium. The Saints fans will be hoping the club avoid a whitewash and anything other than a defeat will be seen as an over achievement. Pochettino has had to do some juggling prior to the game with Wanyama injuring himself in training and Luke Shaw now 100% match fit. It seems it might be a long day for Southampton.

_________________________________________


View attachment 424781
Sunday 18th August - 16:00
Etihad Stadium
Barclay's Premier League: Matchday 1
Referee: Phil Dowd
Attendance: 47,457

View attachment 424783Manchester City 2 v 1 SouthamptonView attachment 424782
Aguero (Pen 2), Negredo (58), Lambert (80)

Southampton Line Up: Boruc, Chambers, Lovren, Lascelles, Clyne, Schneiderlin, Oztunali, Ward-Prowse, Lallana, Osvaldo, Lambert

Subs Used: Rodriguez, Ramirez, Shaw

MOM - Negredo

Manchester City started off their campaign with a bang. They overcame a resiliant Southampton side who had to deal with some niggly injuries which ocurred just a few days before the game. Luke Shaw wasn't match fit and Victor Wanyama was sidelined. However Southampton were no pushovers in this game. They did however start the match on the back foot after Sergio Aguero scored from a penalty in only the second minute. The spot kick was awarded after Boruc had felled David Silva in the box. The Argentine swifty dispatched the ball into the net and it was beginning to look like a long afternoon for Pochettino and his team.


The Saints never let thier heads drop and with their fans roaring them on they played valiantly. They didn't get much of the ball and realised that they had to make what possession they had count. Osvaldo came closest for the Saints but he saw his effort comfortably saved by Joe Hart.

View attachment 424765

After half time the Saints once again were being out played by the richest team in England. Negredo who was having a fantastic day scored in the fifty-eighth minute with a powerful strike just inside the box. Pochettino was spitting feathers on the touch line as his team just couldn't keep hold of the ball.

Rickie Lambert did score a consolation goal in the eightieth minute putting the hope back into the Southampton fans eyes but it was Manchester City's days and they confortably won the match.

​

 

[bornexplorer88]

Nice introduction to the season. A good read, shame about the away defeat, to a strong city side at that.





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