Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Episode 180: The importance of youth...
0 Playsin 13 hours
Southampton – Zak and Greg take a look at how important our youth system is going to be to our championship endeavour next season..
Follow us on social media:
Linktree - https://linktr.ee/gspndailysouthampton
X - https://x.com/GSPNSouthampton/
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@gspnsouthampton
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@gspnsouthampton
Instagram – https://www.instagtam.com/gspnsouthampton
Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/gspnsouthampton.bsky.social
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572875812052
Our Sponsors
Bioniq - Don't settle for off-the-shelf solutions made for ANY body. Get what's right for YOU. Right now.
We’ve spent years analyzing blood markers to develop our patented algorithm, enabling us to create a 100% personalized supplement to support your health by optimizing your micronutrient status.
Follow the link and Use code GSPN2025 for 40% of your first month’s subscription.
Zencastr
Built for quality - Designed for growth
A new era for creation is here.
The only complete audio + video platform to get best-in-class recording, intuitive editing, AI-powered growth features, and top-tier distribution tools — all in one place.
Get started for free!
We highly recommend it!
Global Sports Podcast Network - Creating the world’s first network of 30-minute daily podcasts for the world’s biggest sporting export, the English Premier League.
For advertising and sponsorship details or to learn more about the scale and demographics of our audience – email Ken Davies, VP Business & Development at:
ken.davies@globalsportspodcastnetwork.com
www.globalsportspodcastnetwork.com
Copyright | 2025 | Global Sports Podcast Network | All Rights Reserved
Recommended
Transcript
00:00:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello
Introduction to the Daily Southampton Podcast
00:00:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
and welcome back to the Daily Southampton, part of the Global Sports Podcast Network. My name is Greg Elliott and as always joined today by my good friend and wonderful co-host, Zach Ingo Finch. How doing mate?
Greg's Illness and Saints Fans' Frustrations
00:00:22
Zak
I got ill at like a conference that I went to for work last week, and it's annoyed me, because if you remember rightly, I was ill like two weeks ago, so I'm just annoyed, which is great to talk about Saints, because we're all annoyed at Saints. like
00:00:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, yeah.
00:00:35
Zak
Ties in quite nicely.
00:00:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, that's fair mate.
00:00:38
Zak
um'm Unnecessarily annoyed about something. and That's kind of how I feel about football at the moment.
00:00:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well look, we're trying here not to be too annoyed. We're trying to feel positive and look to the future and... and made some
00:00:52
Zak
say it enough, someone will believe it.
00:00:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
I made some thoughts and points. car I don't know where we are in the week.
Youth Development Strategy for Next Season
00:00:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
where I don't know if it was last episode, a couple of episodes ago, about what we need to do, right? And the the statements we need to make and the quality we need to invest.
00:01:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
But there's there's another really important part of next season, which we saw a bit of on Saturday, and I suspect we're going to see a bit more of through the season.
00:01:07
Zak
Monday.
00:01:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
that sort of is the one thing that sports Republic said when they first came in that they really appear to be sticking to their guns about.
00:01:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
And, uh, I find them respectful under their point, right? That's, that's bringing the youth through, right? So we talked a bit about, uh, Robinson and his debut and bringing him on the pitch and the importance of that and getting the minutes.
00:01:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
And, uh, Yeah, but just wanted to sort of ruminate on that bit, really, and think about how important that might play for us next season, what balance the team might look like, what we think may be the right balance. How many youth players do we see coming through?
00:02:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
don't know neither you or I, particularly the under-23s, but there's three or four names that are in amongst it, right?
00:02:10
Zak
Premier League 2, remember now, we don't call them by the youth team or anything like that for some weird reason.
00:02:15
Zak
Yeah, it was it was Monday we talked about it because it was off the back of me being absolutely miserable and you trying to convince me that not all is lost.
Recruitment vs. Youth Development Debate
00:02:23
Zak
I'm very much of... We say they've stuck to their guns about it, and I guess they have in the sense that Dibbling came through under Martin, technically, and Rusk gave Robinson his debut the other day.
00:02:38
Zak
Juric was hired on the basis that he was going to bring in play the youth a little bit more, and I don't think he did that once. So that was quite the funny. And don't know if you've seen words from Carl Walker-Peters that have come out today, which is they, as in Southampton, not us, which is very telling as to where his head's at already, need to make sure that they spend some time thinking about who we get in as the next manager.
00:03:02
Zak
And I think that you're right. It needs to be, in my opinion, a key focus. And it really depends. If we're going to be this sort of calendar... If we're going to be this sort of like... We're going to...
00:03:15
Zak
sort of wait for a long time and try and pick and choose our transfers? Or are we going to develop young players and put them through with the right leadership skills, under the right leadership skills to to play in the league later on? And I think that that was quote-unquote part of the Southampton way previously, which is funny because it it wasn't really part of the Southampton way either. Like other than Smallbone, maybe Obafemi,
00:03:41
Zak
And like i could think of Ndulu, a couple of of people that had a few small appearances that then went on to transfer to smaller clubs during that whole the Southampton way period of time where part of that is our academy.
00:03:53
Zak
There weren't really a huge amount of players that came through, right?
00:03:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:03:57
Zak
and and And that's the thing, is that if what we need to do is get back to the Premier League and what we need to do is focus on recruiting in the right positions to get us back into the Premier League, I do not know if their focus is going to be the youth system at this point, because I don't know if that's going to be the strength that we need to get up.
00:04:16
Zak
And I don't know if we have the right environment to foster that.
00:04:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
i I think I disagree. I think that the getting back to the Premier League and pushing that is why it's so important because I talked about the importance of making those maybe one or two big quality signings. and What that means is that for the rest of the depth, because we have to imagine we're going to be having a big clear out in the summer, right? Because if we don't, it's a categoric failure.
00:04:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
there is there are so many players that don't want to be here. There are so many players that are not good enough to be here. and And, you know, we need to trim properly.
00:04:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
But that means if you if we're trimming and we're we've only got the money to put down for one or two big signings, which is what we want to see, that means that the depth has to come up from below.
00:05:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
And
Concerns Over Losing Youth Talent
00:05:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
so that's why I think it becomes so important to build on what we've got, which is why I think it's important that there are, I think, three or four names I've heard Alfie House particularly raving about coming up and coming through. And especially in the championship where, in theory, it should be easier to get their minutes in.
00:05:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think it becomes really important.
00:05:34
Zak
When we talk about youth and bringing these sort of players up, right? are we talking about from the Southampton Academy from point A to point B? So as we've discussed before, there's a couple who have come through that we've lost.
00:05:46
Zak
Amimeo, Magoma, who we actually bought off of other clubs during youth contract still. But I can't help but think about relegation season. One of the big things that everyone was excited for was Romeo Lavia, Gavin Bizzunu, Shea Charles.
00:06:02
Zak
These were all youth players and we gambled on the youth at that point and it didn't pay off. And I don't know if that was because of poor management. The fact that we gambled on players we thought were good enough that weren't good enough.
00:06:15
Zak
We even realistically tried to do it by... We we tried to get the full sweep of that like that lot of City players as well, right? Because you could arguably put Taylor Harwood-Bellis into that category. He was just on loan already at Burnley this season that we bought all of these players.
Balancing Academy Promotion and Strategic Recruitment
00:06:29
Zak
So yeah, when you say... so Okay, we we make our big two-statement sign-ins. are we just going to focus on what we have in our academy? Or do you think recruitment in in itself is going to be less about picking for the first team and picking for those behind the scenes? Because that's kind of what we've seen them do already. They were like, they've they've done this quite a few times with a few transfers of both us and Gestepi and our French team as well. As in like Kaya Sander came from our French team, right?
00:06:55
Zak
So like, how do you see this playing out? Is it going to be, we're going to get youth prospects directly into transfer them directly into the team? Or do you think it will be a much larger focus on the Academy?
00:07:07
Zak
Because, or yeah, both.
00:07:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think it has to be a little bit of both. Yeah. Realistically, like I say, if we're going for the the big money spending,
00:07:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
we had like, eight or nine medium spends and one big spend in the summer, right? And if we're talking about we want one or two proper quality big spends...
00:07:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
that probably pushes the rest down to, you know, depending on what goes out, five or six smaller spends instead of that middle size. So I think it's going to be important to look within to what we've got already and bring some of them up for that depth in the squad.
00:07:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
But there's you know there's they're not going to immediately jump ship and abandon their approach of sign young, promising players and try and make that come good.
00:08:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
like that's That's not just going completely thrown out of the window. That's still something we're going to have to deal with, and that's fine. I don't hate that. I like that. It just needs to almost take a backseat to that quality
Critique of Youth Promotion and Transfer Strategies
00:08:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
this time around.
00:08:16
Zak
Yeah, and I think that's that's the difficulty we've had in the last couple of seasons as well, because we've needed to keep keep doing this because of the fact that we've had like a crisis season, and then it was a, we need to get back up to the top of the Premier League, and then maybe we didn't expect to do it straight away, and then we then we suddenly realised we were.
00:08:34
Zak
During that time, we also lost who was in charge of the footballing side of the business. We've had... Cruter, who quite frankly has been so hit and miss that, you know, you don't really know. It feels like they roll dice and watch maybe you like half of the clips of a player and hope to sign them off of that. We've made lots of gambles with different players players as well. So it's just...
00:08:53
Zak
It's wondering when we're actually going to have a a proper policy in place.
00:08:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thank you.
00:08:57
Zak
And it's if i I find it very contradictory from them constantly to be like, yeah, we're really trying to promote the youth and trying to promote our our sort of second under team. But what actually happens is that they they buy a bunch of players and then they almost call them youth transfers at like 21, which i I mean, arguably you can say that, but like one of the things about Dibbling that's come through that's really good is like he's 18 years old, was 17 when he like made his debut, right?
00:09:19
Zak
and But then also we've lost a couple of those key players that they told us we were going to bring into the first team. Like now, if you if we'd had out if we'd had Sammy, and you know considering how well he's doing at Strasbourg, we kept Magoma as a centre-back option.
00:09:33
Zak
right A lot of the players that we've kind of lost who were in that system we're now relying on sort of like their backups, the 23 team to come into the first team in into these areas.
00:09:44
Zak
I just find it, find it fascinating, and I think. And I guess I hope they have more of a plan and you seem to think they do, but like my worry is from what they've shown through running the football club so far,
00:09:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:09:56
Zak
is that they might say that they have a plan, and then they do a lot of not plans. But like I'm hoping that this focus on spores and like a Red Bull model and this, that, and other, and an understanding of the heritage of our team of being a, let's actually pull people through, is you're right. Maybe we will make a bunch of really, really good, shrewd, under-sort of... under Premier League two team transfers that will then pay off in dividends.
00:10:19
Zak
But
Impact of Multi-Club Model on Youth and Transfers
00:10:19
Zak
there's also big elephant in the room that neither me and you have really mentioned that I am worried will come into play whether we like it or not. And that is the whole multi-club model thing, right?
00:10:31
Zak
Where...
00:10:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm-hmm.
00:10:32
Zak
some of the players were probably just going to be sent elsewhere. And we brought a couple of players in that we thought were going to be youth prospects that have gone on to Gestepi or they finally come to Southampton. I can't remember one of the young Japanese internationals, he's like 18 or something.
00:10:45
Zak
He came to join the squad. He was caught in Southampton a couple of weeks ago. So like that kind of side of things is growing. i know I don't know really where I'm going with my points, which is not really shocking to anybody, but it's it's I don't know how I feel about it all. I love the idea of it.
00:11:02
Zak
I'm very, very scared of the execution of it. But you're right. I think they do need to start...
00:11:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well, I've got some points towards that execution that i think might cheer you up, but we'll come to that after a message from our partners at Bionique.
00:11:12
Zak
Good. Good.
00:11:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay,
New Deputy Head of Recruitment and Youth Focus
00:11:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
and we are back. So, something that's sort of flown under the radar, but I've seen talked about a bit, and it's another one of these, like, back office staff sign-ins, Zach, that sort of come in and fly under the radar and don't get mentioned because no one cares about the people that actually do the stuff.
00:12:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
it some It is the deputy head of recruitment from Norwich that we've brought in
00:12:23
Zak
Yes, I did see that briefly.
00:12:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, so she's got a really complicated job title that I can't care to remember improper. But effectively what it means is that she is going to be in charge of youth recruitment.
00:12:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
So that in itself is a point that...
00:12:36
Zak
good
00:12:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
puts forward an opinion that that is just what they're going to continue with doing and bring in this promising talent. and And that will probably look like all of the things you've said. That will probably be some that we sign and slot straight into Not the B team.
00:12:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
The Premier League 2 team.
00:12:58
Zak
Premier League 2 team.
00:12:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, whatever you call it. Why don't they just call things the proper names? We go back to the Johnson State Trophy.
00:13:03
Zak
Why would they do that?
00:13:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
This is...
00:13:06
Zak
bob I just called it the Papa John's trophy the other day Turns out it's not even sponsored by Papa John's the other day. We're never going to win that war, mate. So we should probably not try.
00:13:14
Zak
But yeah, carry on. Sorry.
00:13:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah, some will get assigned to the genno to the youth team, some might get brought in to that position and train with the first team and sort of get in, and some will probably end up going off on loan to some of our so sister clubs.
00:13:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
But it shows that again, a single point of lineage, a direct point of responsibility for that role is not something that we have seen previously.
00:13:42
Zak
It's not just random, it's what it felt like previously.
00:13:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's just, yeah, it's just sort of happened under the, the yeah. So it will be pointed, it will targeted. Now, I don't claim to know a lot about this signing and certainly haven't done the research into what she's done, but some of the players that she was responsible for signing at Norwich have gone on to do some some pretty good things. So there is hope that that's a step in the positive direction. It's a case of aligning all of those thoughts and it's another action
00:14:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
that's a tick box for me into feeling like there is a plan.
00:14:17
Zak
Yeah, rather than it just being disjointed.
00:14:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
It doesn't feel like they've like outwardly projected to us that there is a plan, but it feels like at least internally one is starting to come together and that in itself is almost enough to give me proper optimism.
00:14:32
Zak
Yeah,
Scattergun Recruitment Approach Critique
00:14:32
Zak
I guess that's the case. like I'm not going lie. I completely forgot about that signing, other than the fact that I briefly saw it in a passing article, as you pointed out. And it does, because i think you're right. The lack of sort of a proper trajectory trajectory around what they are doing with both the academy and where it's going, and they sort of take a lot of pride in it. but also, it was such a weird, we've had such a weird scattergun approach to recruitment.
00:14:56
Zak
recently, and I say recently, I mean over the last sort two, three years, but also just so much has happened over the last two, three years, right? We had the whole, let's, let's buy the entirety of Man City's Academy. And then we had the quick, we need to stay in the Premier League transfers plus James Bree.
00:15:12
Zak
That's disrespectful to James Breen. We bought him for like half a million quid. We weren't expecting him to be like a break the bank, save our season signing. However, you know, it probably turned out to be one of our shrewd ones but besides the point.
00:15:22
Zak
And then obviously we go down and then a lot of those players end up playing bigger parts in the championship we'd expect. Uh, Sammy Odozie, Bazunu specifically. And then obviously we so we start to pick and choose some other plate people on loan, like Taylor Harbour-Bellis. And then we've kind of we've kind of come up and the entirety of the focus has been around Tyler Dibbling and everyone asking what Sam Amu has to do to get a game.
00:15:43
Zak
And then he leaves and then he starts doing really, really well Strasburg scoring goals and stuff for us. So yeah, it's just the that like that has been so scattergun. It's felt so strange because it's like, yeah, we have such a focus on this. I'm like, I feel like...
00:15:56
Zak
you can't concentrate on one thing for more than two seconds because there's so many different things happening so rapidly. And like, I think what we've already established is there wasn't much of a plan, but you're right. Having somebody in charge of the footballing operations, including recruitment, and then hiring someone who's in charge specifically of youth recruitment implies at least on paper that they are planning to specifically recruit for the youth now.
00:16:20
Zak
And I hope they take a model like we did with, and know, Homegrown Academy players, like, think me wrong, like Smallbone and Dibble and stuff, like, wonderful. But, like, when you've got opportunities in in players like Magoma and Sam Amu, who you who bring from elsewhere, and we somehow make our Academy lucrative more lucrative, right? Because
Hope for Premier League Level Youth Talents
00:16:40
Zak
that's the other thing, is that we are having players poached from us very, very early on, because we're not...
00:16:45
Zak
We're not what we used to be. it'd be nice to see us get back to that.
00:16:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:16:48
Zak
And maybe, you know, we end up with a season where we have some like Walcots, Lallanas and Oxlade-Chamberlins all come through at the same time because that was a, you know, Gareth Bale, all them lot were quite over a rapid period of time.
00:17:00
Zak
It wasn't, the and and we had, they've ended up going on to be massive players in the Premier League and and further. So, and you know, Gareth Bale's case. So yeah I would love to see it. I'd like to see some, something to look forward to that isn't going to be us panicking about what the position of the club's going to be in.
00:17:21
Zak
And, I can't remember but who we're talking to. I think it was Oscar that specifically said that our loss of Premier League status and just the state of the last couple of years and, has resulted in hurting our academy.
00:17:32
Zak
But then it got better again after we, like i was talking about the relegation like 10 years ago. So that hurt our academy.
00:17:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:17:38
Zak
But then now we've kind of,
00:17:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think it was me. I think it came out of my tour of Staplewood last year......................
00:17:43
Zak
yeah, no, you're right. So it's one of those things where like, that means that we're now in a position where theoretically we should start to see some of those players come through. And you are seeing, you know, good players in the under 21s you are seeing sort of good to a recruitment.
00:17:57
Zak
It's just, yeah, I think that for me, the the monkey on my back is consistently this worry of, well, they've had literally no plans so far. So I really hope that this is actually intent and not just a, yeah, we've hired a youth like recruiter and it's like, what for?
00:18:15
Zak
Yeah, that's what we've been told that we should get.
00:18:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
i It feels pointed. It
Optimism with New Recruitment Structure
00:18:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
feels like this, you know, Johan Sporz has come in with the framework he wants. He's starting to put it in place. Is it going to be an instant and immediate success?
00:18:29
Zak
Oh, no.
00:18:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Probably not, but it's got to be better than it's been. And that is something, right? some Some semblance of structure and planning is is all we really ask for.
00:18:40
Zak
Yeah, and I think with the Yves team specifically as well, like it would be nice to see...
00:18:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:18:45
Zak
us pick some players in the youth who are doing really, really well, put them on the stage of the championship and watch them shine and then go, hey guys, turns out we didn't need to pay 30 million for random players no one knows about or alternatively players that people do know about that have ended up playing terribly for us and we can actually concentrate on like the resources we have in-house.
00:19:08
Zak
say but You're right. Maybe you're getting me back on site, slowly but surely. Put it that way.
00:19:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well, I have got some some more good news and some more positives to push through. But first, a message from our partners at Zencaster. Here at the Global Sports Podcast Network, we spent a lot of time selecting our delivery platform.
00:19:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Zencaster came out the clear winner. With 4K video recording from your phone and AI editing that automatically removes all those ums and ahs, it's super easy to start podcast that sounds great and is delivered efficiently.
00:19:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
If you're ready to tell your story, check out the link in the show description and learn more about Zencaster. So,
Youth Team Success and First-Team Experience
00:19:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
want to... want to go back to your point about like picking some players from the youth team or being a bit more outgoing about the youth team and the sort of successes they are having. and Because they are having success.
00:20:05
Zak
Yeah.
00:20:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
And now my final point is that they our youth team has a home playoff coming up.
00:20:11
Zak
It does.
00:20:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
in in the playoff for the Premier League 2 which again can't remember the name of the competition let alone how we understand how it works but if we win we get another home fixture think but we're playing Brentford B at St Mary Stadium on the 1st of May so it's going to be a good thing right
00:20:34
Zak
Yeah, this is what It must be... That's one of the reasons I think... I didn't really explain my point when you were like, oh, I think Jay Robertson will be happy to just come in and play in the Premier League. And you're right, probably is. But it's like, I always don't want to taint any of the players with this season because of the fact that...
00:20:51
Zak
if you are feeling a success and everything's buzzing and positive, and then you you join the the senior team, like, yeah, I'm really excited to play. And then you look around and you've got like 50% of the people whose heads aren't even here. 25% that are in absolute distraught because they've got the team club relegated and feel responsible.
00:21:06
Zak
And 25% that haven't paid attention all season aren't going to start paying attention now. And it's got to be like a weird environment to be in. But obviously I think changes when you get on the field, right?
00:21:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
I get that, but I think that there's an important differentiation here, and I think that the main difference is getting rid of Juric, because it's not it's not...
00:21:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Honestly, it's not Juric's fault, to be clear, but it's a like a line in the sand, right? Because effectively...
00:21:31
Zak
it's It's a little bit his fault. He could have tried.
00:21:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
well Yeah, okay. effectively what we have done by drawing that line in the sand and giving it to Rusk and Nalana, who are, you know you know, popular enough to have, for Rusk to have made his way as, in a first team coach. And Nalana has been there and doing that. And we know, you know, putting his arm around the youth and dragging them up to the quality and make, protecting them.
00:21:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's like a line in the sand. And as horrible as it is, it's like a pre preseason, right? Because,
00:22:05
Zak
Oh, it is. And I think, I can't remember who was saying that we need to start, true I can't remember which former player, some were saying that we need to start treating this like a pre-preseason now. we just We just need to treat these last few games as like, well, what can we do with the players we've got who are probably potentially going to be here or not, right?
00:22:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:22:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
And to some degree we have been, and that's what bringing Robinson on for that experience is doing. You know, bringing him on at home for his debut to get a reception like he got.
00:22:25
Zak
Okay.
00:22:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
You know, the crowd were very happy to see that happening. And that's exactly, you know, Ross Stewart. Do you really think if we're chasing Villa down for a win...
00:22:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
we bring on an 18 year old and a striker who hasn't played football in the best part of three years, you know, as disappointing.
00:22:49
Zak
I mean, when when when the when the alternative is nothing, I guess.
00:22:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. As disappointing as it is, that is the reality is that that's what we're doing. We're treating it like a pre preseason. Let's try and get Matt sharpness and match fitness into Ross do it, who might be a, you know, reasonable option next season. sir let's get some of these players who are the youth players who are in and around the first team out on the pitch and get them used to because you know it is a step up not just in the opposition but you've got to think that when you're playing in the Premier League 2 at Staplewood or even at their games at St Mary's you get at best like a half full stadium
00:23:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
You know, you come out onto the pitch with a full 32,000 people at St Mary's. That's a completely different kettle of fish. Just getting that notch on your belt is important, irrelevant of the rest of the team and their mentality and the 3-0 scoreline.
00:23:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Because that's not what causes the adrenaline. 32,000 people cheering because you're coming on. That's a surge of adrenaline that you need to get used to handling to learn how to play.
00:23:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's,
Rebuilding Plan Post-Relegation Concerns
00:23:56
Zak
it's true
00:23:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
and, and, you know, it is a bit sad that that's what our previews are going to have to be like the rest of the season, right?
00:24:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's like, oh, we're going to play West Ham. Are we going to play our best 11? No. Are we going to win? Probably not.
00:24:10
Zak
Mate, at this point...
00:24:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Are we going to see some good play, some, you know, some positive things that set, set in motion the parts of the season?
00:24:16
Zak
Mate, we've got try and do a preview tomorrow.
00:24:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
a Yeah.
00:24:19
Zak
Don't gas out all our content at all. oh
00:24:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
But yeah, by then I'm sure the circle of optimism, look, maybe our youth team is enough to compete in the Premier League.
00:24:23
Zak
But no, I get you. I get you. I understand.
00:24:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:24:31
Zak
yeah You're right. we We still don't even know, in my opinion, what our best 11 is. And I don't think we' we're going to know that. I don't even know if we could pick a best 11 for the season, realistically, because some players work well with others and some don't. But I guess i guess you're right.
00:24:43
Zak
I think for me, it's just accepting that that's what it is now. And I think it's because I really want at least to see us beat that points record before we go any forward any any anywhere forward. But at the same time, if we don't beat it, it means we are rightfully the been the worst Premier League team ever.
00:24:59
Zak
in history in this season. And I think that, you know, maybe that gives a goal for us potentially if, and when we come up next time, right, is to make sure we don't ever end up that bad again.
00:25:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:25:13
Zak
like
00:25:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Last thing, right? Because it's been so... Like you said, your point is exactly right. We had panic state... You know, we had horrible...
00:25:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
situations to be in with our first relegation season. a series of panic buys, not really dealing with that very well, bringing in a head of recruit director of football, losing that director of football, losing our way, and we're still sort of dealing with the consequences of that through the squad. We had an awful recruitment this season.
00:25:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
And so... we need to get back to that foundation and there's going to be a balance to strike, right? There's the, there's the, the beautiful end goal where in three or four seasons time, we're in a position where we're financially comfortable when signing one or two really good players, probably selling some players for profit, bringing in a few youth players.
00:26:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
And,
Uncertain Future and Player Potential
00:26:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
you know, that's, that's the reality of Southampton is we're going to be a selling club.
00:26:09
Zak
So so you're what you're describing is Aston Villa, except with the youth players.
00:26:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:26:14
Zak
Because we we both watched that PSG game last night and fair play to Villa.
00:26:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
No.
00:26:20
Zak
They put in a fight. And then it really, but but for me, it confounded the fact that there is the gulf between our team and theirs and the fact they had such such talents to bring on and off the pitch. And, you know, it still didn't quite make the difference for them. But, you know, when you're watching them play and the fact that they managed to sell one of their best sort of strikers to a Saudi Arabian team,
00:26:39
Zak
And then you kind of look where a lot of our players probably going to end up in the summer and it's not going to be but goingnna be roses for I don't think. It's not going to be...
00:26:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
but
00:26:46
Zak
they not going to i made Maybe Kyle Walker-Peters gets lucky and ends up going to Liverpool or something, right? That's what some of the rumours are.
00:26:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, he'll get half-eater move.
00:26:52
Zak
Chances are,
00:26:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
He'll be either West Ham or Liverpool, somewhere like that.
00:26:56
Zak
But then and then a lot of the other a lot of the others that I think that think they're going to move on to are amazing things. Again, need to understand that they might have the moniker of being part of the worst Premier League team of all time. So you're you're right.
00:27:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:27:08
Zak
like i it's It's hard to visualise now. And that's my problem as well. As you're aware, can get... very as as you aware i can get emotive after games and emotive reaction and sometimes I can sit and do research episodes about spores and logically see four years into the future and then like the part of my brain that does that turns off for me to get really annoyed and think the entire thing is doom and gloom because we lost 5-0 again so yeah it's difficult
00:27:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. We've got to find the balance. We know that it's going to take time to get to that sort of promised Greenland, but we still need to do enough that it's not going to be that beautiful dream next season, but we need to do enough that it's not this.
00:27:49
Zak
and
Critique and Hope under Sports Republic
00:27:50
Zak
At least we're still a club, I guess.
00:27:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, yeah.
00:27:51
Zak
There you Here's a point of optimism from me. As much as we we rag on about things, I mean, we're not huge critics of Sports Republic. Well, we'll criticise where it's due. But at the same time, like, we don't have, like, whenever we don't have Reading's owner, right?
00:28:03
Zak
we we are we are we are they We don't have, or even in this case, Sheffield Wednesday, like, just actively hostile owners that seem to kind of hate owning you.
00:28:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:28:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:28:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
I agree. I think that Sports Republic have made flaming hot mess of owning Southampton Football Club so far.
00:28:12
Zak
That isn't where they're at, right?
00:28:14
Zak
And that's what
00:28:19
Zak
I just think that they've been dumb. They've just been dumb.
00:28:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah but theyve But they are mistakes.
00:28:23
Zak
They've been dumb when it comes to the business they've invested in.
00:28:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
And they have acknowledged mistakes. And so what else can you do from that point? But also, it's worth mentioning, we turned a profit this year. Like,
00:28:34
Zak
This is also true.
00:28:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
it's not the business side of it that they're struggling with. And that is obvious for anyone to see. It's clearly the football that comes with that. But all we can do is hope that the the structure they're bringing in improves that. And is it going to get to the Greenland straight away?
00:28:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
but is it going to be better? Let's hope.
00:28:58
Zak
Yeah, that's what we can hope for.
00:28:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Things crossed.
00:29:00
Zak
But it will be... Things are get better. That's kind of where I'm at at this point. It might get worse in the sense of we might get battered the rest of the games this season, but honestly, at this point, does the see does does know does but other games this season matter much anymore?
00:29:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, is that any different than the rest of the season?
00:29:15
Zak
really depends on your perspective.
00:29:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's pre-season, mate. It's pre-season. change Change West Ham into Eastleigh, and that's the expectations that we need to have going into these games. It's irrelevant.
00:29:25
Zak
If they beat us like I'd be pretty upset. But there we are.
00:29:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
but Look, that's it.
00:29:29
Zak
if If they're Eastley, I jest.
00:29:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's the balance you've got to tread. Right. Well,
Conclusion and Social Media Engagement
00:29:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
that is just about all we've got time for today.
00:29:36
Zak
Perfecto.
00:29:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
Zach alluded to, we'll be back tomorrow with a preview heading into our pre-season friendly at the weekend against West Ham. Thank you very much for joining us. Give us a shout on all the socials. Are you feeling optimistic for next season yet?
00:29:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Or is the pain just still too real? Let us know. We're on Facebook, X, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Blue Sky.
00:30:02
Zak
Hey, there you go.
00:30:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
think I've got them all.
00:30:03
Zak
All of the social medias that potentially exist apart from maybe like threads and LinkedIn because it's hard enough posting it everywhere as it I'm not going to try and teach Greg how to use LinkedIn.
00:30:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Absolutely. Well, thank you very much. We'll be back tomorrow. Until then. See soon.
00:30:23
Zak
ah