Katie Ball

Katie recently completed a degree in Sports Journalism at the University of Bedfordshire. In addition to her passion for football and specifically Southampton, she maintains a keen interest in all sports, especially tennis.

You can follow Katie on Twitter here…

Southampton’s transfer policy showing promise – July 29th 2012

Premier League new boys Southampton finally completed their fourth signing of the summer this week with the capture of Crystal Palace right back Nathaniel Clyne.

The 21 year old had already linked up with his new team-mates on their pre-season training camp in Switzerland a week ago, but compensation was only agreed on Thursday – ensuring the two clubs avoided a tribunal hearing.

Clyne is another promising signing for the Saints. After being named the Football League’s Young Player of the Year in 2010, he has progressed significantly receiving Palace’s Player of the Season award in 2011 and he earned a place in the 2011/12 Championship Team of the Year.

He has also represented England at Under 19 and 21 levels, which led him to be strongly linked with a move to Manchester United.

It is Nigel Adkins though that has been successful in bringing Clyne to the South Coast and he looks set to continue the strengthening of his squad.

Saints’ transfer policy so far can give fans a lot of hope. It seems young, hungry players with big potential are their main targets, reflected in the signings of Clyne and striker Jay Rodriguez. Gillingham goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga also joined the club in the last fortnight.

These players are not unproven however, with Rodriguez scoring 29 Championship goals in the past two seasons whilst Gazzaniga transferred to England from Valencia. He made 20 appearances for the Gills at the end of last season and received high praise for some match winning performances.

Mixing this youth with experience could prove to be vital for the Saints’ survival chances. Former Rangers midfielder Steven Davis will go some way to providing a reliable head whilst it is widely recognised that another centre back needs to be added to the squad. Someone with Premier League experience would be of great advantage.

A position Adkins found hard to pin down towards the end of last season was right midfield. With Adam Lallana preferred on the left, the role down the right has proved problematic.

After inconsistent displays by Jason Puncheon and Steve De Ridder it is clear that a new face must be brought in. This may be why Dutch international Jeremain Lens has been strongly linked with a £4 million move.

The club seem to have distanced themselves from the Alexander Buttner transfer which was set to go ahead only weeks ago. A contract dispute with his club Vitesse Arnhem has seen the move break down and whether it will be revived remains to be seen.

With the new season quickly approaching, the transfer window is set to become congested in the coming weeks. Saints fans will be hoping for more encouraging signings to follow the four they have already acquired – and who can blame them.

Premier League new boys ready to make an impression – July 10th 2012

After last season’s newly promoted teams all successfully retained their Premier League status, talk has now turned to whether the latest group can replicate their achievements.

Reading, Southampton and West Ham are no strangers to the Premier League and after their gruelling, but impressive campaigns last season it will be interesting to see how they fare in the top division once more.

Championship winners Reading’s storming run following the Christmas period saw them overtake their two rivals to claim their second title in six years. Only a few weeks later their takeover by Russian Anton Zingarevich was finally completed with manager Brian McDermott reported to have a £15m kitty to spend on strengthening his squad.

The Royals have already signed up Garath McCleary and former Newcastle midfielder Danny Guthrie, but their notable new purchase Pavel Pogrebnyak is the man who has caught the eye of supporters.

A Russian international, Pogrebnyak scored six goals at Fulham last season after joining on a short term contract. It has been widely rumoured that the London club could not match Reading’s offer of £65,000 per week – a figure that should surely alarm their fans.

Yes, he could well prove to be a fantastic coup for the club. On the other hand if he fails to impress and the club are subsequently relegated, will he really want to stick around for a further three years and play outside the Premier League?

McDermott already boasts some exciting attacking players in Adam Le Fondre and Jimmy Kebe who blended magnificently last year with his more experienced pros such as Ian Harte and Jason Roberts.

It may not be enough this time in the harsh reality of the Premier League, but in McDermott they have a shrewd, organised manager who could well prove a lot of people wrong.

Runners up Southampton are returning to the top flight after a seven year absence and will most definitely not want to make up the numbers.

Manager Nigel Adkins has big ambitions for the club and is hoping to prolong their continuing progress with the Premier League proving no exception.

The Saints were in the top two of the Championship throughout the whole of last season and boasted the best attacking stats in the division, scoring 85 goals.

Adkins has no plans to stop his team playing their free flowing football and has already added another striker to his squad in Jay Rodriguez.

Former Aston Villa midfielder and Northern Ireland captain Steven Davis became the club’s second pre-season signing last week and looks set to be joined by Vitesse Arnhem left back Alexander Buttner in the coming days.

Southampton’s squad lacks a significant amount of Premier League experience – a factor that could well be their downfall. However they certainly do not lack in quality. With the likes of Adam Lallana, Jack Cork and Rickie Lambert they have every chance of producing another successful season.

Finally we have West Ham. A club that has always had high expectations, turbulent seasons and who will most definitely face the most pressure when it comes to Premier League survival.

The Hammers experienced a mixed season in the Championship. A fantastic away record could not be replicated at Upton Park meaning they could only finish third.

However when it truly mattered they managed to overcome Cardiff and Blackpool in the play-offs to ensure promotion back to the top flight at their first attempt.

Hammers fans will be hoping this will be the season where they can consolidate their Premier League status once more and not face the strain of another relegation battle. You cannot help but feel this is their best chance to do just that.

Manager Sam Allardyce has completed four signings so far including Mohamed Diame and former Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen. However it is Allardyce himself who should prove to be the key man over the course of the season – and while may not be to everyone’s taste, but he does know what is needed to create a successful Premier League team.

All three clubs will be hopeful of survival after witnessing the brilliant seasons Norwich and Swansea produced last term. With the same passion and commitment, surely they cannot be underestimated as competition within the league increases yet again.

Southampton excitement builds as fixtures are announced – June 20th 2012

On Monday morning the eagerly anticipated fixtures for the 2012/13 season were released and with it brought an air of excitement for what lies ahead.

Newly promoted Southampton travel to champions Manchester City on the opening day after their seven year absence from the top flight. A nice, easy start for Nigel Adkins’ team.

Manchester United face a tough trip to Everton, whilst other new boys Reading host Stoke and West Ham take on Aston Villa at Upton Park.

The Saints have a challenging start to the season meeting City, United and Arsenal in their first four matches. Wigan will be the first side to visit St. Mary’s in what is already feeling like a must win game for the South Coast team – a mere two months before the season gets underway.

However that is the beauty of the fixtures announcement. It provides fans with a chance to predict and analyse almost anything, whether it is how well their team will fare by Christmas or what matches will prove crucial over the course of the season. Even planning what away matches to attend creeps up in conversation.

For the newly promoted clubs the fixtures will have been the final realisation that they are competing at the highest level once more. It will be almost impossible for them or any other team outside the top four to find a straightforward month where results should be simple – each game will be a test of their capabilities.

Southampton’s will certainly be pushed to the limit when they meet the champions, but they should hold some hope that they can cause a slight shock. They may well have lost their last league visit to the Etihad seven years ago, but two memorable matches before were quite the opposite.

In their first match at City’s new ground Paul Sturrock led his team to a 3-1 victory and in the process pushed his opponents closer to the relegation places.

And of course the year before the two sides met in City’s last ever match at Maine Road. A Michael Svensson header on the final day of the season gave Saints a 1-0 victory and ensured they finished ahead of their rivals in eighth place.

Those fond memories may just provide a stroke of inspiration to gain a result against the champions. If not, there is always the rest of the season to look forward to.

Loyalty vs Ambition: The contrasting traits of Premier League managers – June 13th 2012

Loyalty has been lost in football in recent years. With players becoming more financially motivated and often calling the shots, clubs are having to cash in on their most valuable assets.

However it seems this lack of respect has now rubbed off on certain managers within the Premier League.

There has been a rise in managerial changes this summer as West Brom lost Roy Hodgson to England, whilst Swansea and Norwich saw their main men poached by Liverpool and Aston Villa respectively.

Brendan Rodgers’ elevation from Watford to Liverpool in just four years is extraordinary. His achievements at Swansea and their style of football have been highlighted all year, but it remains to be seen whether his replacement can continue their progress.

No one can begrudge Rodgers’ move to Anfield. Opportunities to manage one of the top club’s in the country do not come around often and if Swansea had failed to impress next season Rodgers could have been left rueing his decision.

On the other hand we have Paul Lambert. A man that has achieved just as much at Norwich with two successive promotions and a 12th place finish in their first season back in the Premier League.

Surprisingly not much has been made of the way his move to Villa took place. Upon Norwich rejecting their approach to speak to Lambert he subsequently offered his resignation. A somewhat kick in the teeth to the Norwich board and chairman who have supported him well over the past three years.

Yes, the move to Villa is understandable. They are a bigger club and offer a real challenge right now after their miserable season under Alex McLeish. But the manner of Lambert’s exit must leave a sour taste in the mouth of many Canaries fans.

He of course also did the same at Colchester United, when Norwich made their move for him back in 2009. It may seem his ambitions are his priority, not commitment.

One man who has this in abundance is Roberto Martinez. The Wigan manager rejected Villa around the same time last year – a decision that was well and truly justified after the club’s fantastic end to the season.

Martinez will inevitably move on in the future, but you feel it will be completed with the upmost respect and on Wigan’s terms.

Chelsea’s Roberto Di Matteo is yet to find out if he has convinced Roman Abramovich he deserves the managerial role on a permanent basis. Ironically he is another fantastic example of commitment, passion and true love of the club. You would think that would be enough alongside the small matter of winning the Champions League.

Managers can transform a club with their success, however before they can set about achieving this clubs themselves have to ultimately place their faith in their main man.

Lambert may well have provided three outstanding seasons at Norwich, but if it was not for them his bigger ambitions would surely have not been realised.

Rodriguez adds to Saints’ attacking promise – June 11th 2012

Jay Rodriguez’s transfer to Southampton from Burnley should fill Saints fans with optimism for their return to the Premier League and rightly so.

Saints now boast three of last season’s top Championship strikers in Rickie Lambert, Billy Sharp and Rodriguez.

Scoring 61 goals between them, the trio all played key roles for their clubs throughout the season. Lambert was the Championship’s top goal scorer as the Saints gained their second successive promotion, and hee also claimed the personal accolade of Championship Player of the Year.

Sharp started the season at Doncaster Rovers and his move down south in January undoubtedly contributed to their relegation to League One. Scoring nine goals upon his arrival at Southampton, he grabbed crucial braces in important games against rivals Portsmouth and Peterborough.

New boy Rodriguez netted 15 times for mid table Burnley, following up from his 14 in 2010/11. His performances saw him included in the Championship Team of the Year alongside Lambert.

Of course none of the three have any experience in the Premier League – a factor that understandably draws questions on how they will perform in the top flight. However they all have the ability to score goals. And that doesn’t disappear overnight.

Saints have splashed out a reported £7 million on Rodriguez, breaking their previous record signing by a significant amount. Some may say it’s a big risk, but on evidence of manager Nigel Adkins previous signings it may just prove to be a real coup. Rodriguez is only 22, has an England Under- 21 cap to his name and had previously been attracting interest from established Premier League club such as Everton and Fulham. A potential partnership alongside Lambert is an exciting prospect.

Lambert’s rise throughout the leagues has been nothing short of remarkable. In his three years with the club he has scored 78 goals and it will be intriguing to see what he can achieve next season.

As well as Sharp, Japanese international Tadanari Lee signed for the club in January and displayed a glimpse of his potential with a stunning goal at St Mary’s in a 4-0 victory over Derby. It was subsequently chosen as the club’s goal of the season.

It is widely recognised that to achieve success in the Premier League a solid, sound defence is needed. But as the free scoring matches of last season have proven it is also imperative to have a goal scorer or even multiple ones.

If Saints can strengthen their midfield options to create chances for their new signing and his fellow strikers, they may just cause some defences a real scare next season.