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Episode 64: The Wonder Years - We look back on 2015/16...
29 Plays1 month ago
Southampton – It's the international break, which gives us a chance to look back on some fond memories. We take a look at our 2015/16 record high finish of a season, and where some of the players who got us there are now.
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Transcript
Introduction and Host Energy Levels
00:00:09
Zak
Hello and welcome to the Daily Southampton part of the Global Sports Podcast Network. I am your host today, Zakingo Finch, and I am joined by Gregory Elliott, a good friend of mine, a fantastic co-host, just a generally good human being most of the time.
00:00:27
Zak
How you doing mate? I know you're tired today.
00:00:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah i'm right, picking me up picking me up more than I deserved there. yeah Running on some ah ah low energy this week, there's ah ah no real football to fire me up. so just
00:00:39
Zak
Nah, it's not ideal. Greg's had some busy personal life stuff. I had a flu jab the other day, and apparently I'm still dealing with it the man flu that comes from it. So yeah, we start we start we starting low energy. We'll pick up, because we're going to talk about a ah ah fun season, a season that feels like a bygone era at this point. It is the 2015 to 2016 season, where we got, I want to say, our highest ever finish, at least in the Premier League of sixth.
00:01:07
Zak
It was also our first season back in European competition since like 2003, 2004. So yeah, it was a very, very exciting season.
Remembering the 2015-2016 Southampton Season
00:01:17
Zak
And I wanted to cover off a few of the players and personnel because that's the kind of way that my brain works when I think back to these sort of times. And then obviously other bits and pieces of course as well. Any thoughts on that season? Do you remember much of it, Greg?
00:01:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I do. I do remember ah that season season really well, actually. And it was is another one of those seasons that was really strange, right? Like we finished sixth and it was fantastic.
00:01:44
Zak
oh
00:01:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
Obviously we were flying. I mean, it's another one of those ones where like, I'm just looking at the table now, and we finished on 63 points, which really in the scheme of things, when you think about,
00:02:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
you know the last four or five seasons and the amount of points totals the top teams have been on 63 seems like such a low number but but then i guess in the same regard i'd give my left leg for 63 points this season so
00:02:08
Zak
Well, that's the one.
00:02:15
Zak
Well, that's the thing.
00:02:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
its
00:02:16
Zak
It was it was kind of weird because, like, Leicester won with 81 points. And then Villa Norwich and Newcastle relegated this season. Newcastle relegated with 37. So that was back when I think the big 40 number mattered a lot more.
00:02:30
Zak
I just don't think it does nowadays.
00:02:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:02:32
Zak
Like, look at the bottom of the the table nowadays. It's crazy. But this is where we were sandwiched in between Manchester United and West Ham. had three points less than Man U.
00:02:43
Zak
bad new work yeah So they obviously City finished in fourth, Leicester won. It was that kind of last year I remember it being that it felt like anybody could win the league. Whereas it feels like after this season everybody got their act together. Lots and lots of money started being spent and now I think that the divide is is kind of crazy, right?
00:03:05
Zak
like Yeah, it's really weird to think, and obviously the bottom for the relegation was quite tight. You had Sundun finishing on 39 points Newcastle, relegated with 37, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace both were 42.
00:03:19
Zak
So that's not like a huge, it was a very, it was a much more, I don't know, I guess i guess the Leicester winning really shook everybody, right?
Cedric Suarez's Football Journey
00:03:27
Zak
Because this they didn't go undefeated, but it was that was, yeah, it was a crazy, crazy season.
00:03:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:03:31
Zak
One of our best seasons ever. and one of ours where we picked up quite a lot of what I would consider like core prophilic Saints players over the last couple of years. we're going to talk about a couple of them today, most or base will know. So we're going to start off with with a man who played alongside Fon in the Euros and that is Cedric Suarez. So where do you think Cedric Suarez is nowadays Greg?
00:03:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Uh, I don't know. I have absolutely no idea mate. This is...
00:04:01
Zak
Do you remember where he left after he left us?
00:04:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, No, I can't say that I do.
00:04:07
Zak
so So that's that's funny because because it should, because as he went to Arsenal.
00:04:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's right. Yeah, he did.
00:04:12
Zak
He is still technically at Arsenal, but mainly on the bench.
00:04:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yes.
00:04:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Wow.
00:04:17
Zak
like I think last season he had a lone spell at Fulham, yeah he's been relatively anonymous since then. I think he he he appears throughout the the Arsenal documentary quite a bit.
00:04:28
Zak
And he was also, he's also not played internationally since 2021 either. So it's it's really sort of one of those, in comparison to some of other the other people that have left Saints, obviously he was a really solid right back for us.
00:04:40
Zak
and And it was one of those things where you were talking about how, like, oh, we've got somebody right back. So so you remember I was telling you, we went through that little weird crisis where like, Jaden was more proud to play it right back.
00:04:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
and
00:04:49
Zak
Because if Cedric got injured, there was like no other players that would play it. He was kind of, I think, our natural
Jordy Classy and Sadio Mane's Career Highlights
00:04:54
Zak
replacement for, Nathaniel Klein after Klein went as well and obviously he put in ah put in a few good seasons for us and yeah it's kind of weird to think because obviously he was a lot smaller than you but he kind of also was one of those the start of sort of the attacking fallback as well where like he wasn't really as good defenses leave as I remember but it was always there like Yeah, 100%. So yeah, it's kind of a bit of a sad progression of when a player leaves a club for better and brighter things and then kind of just doesn't really get the game time. And that seems to have kind of been what's happened with him. So then he had a loan spell and obviously he's still there as an option for Arsenal, but obviously that's not really the case. So yeah, it's a bit of a, bit of a strange one because as you said, like a lot of people who just kind of forgotten about him entirely, but he still technically plays in the Premier League and that's where he's been the whole time. So.
00:05:44
Zak
That's ah Cedric Cedric Suarez. Now, another person who sort of played in the middle role, sort of defensive midfielder, kind of. you remember Jordy Classy?
00:05:54
Zak
Another... Yeah, there it is.
00:05:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
do, yeah. hi
00:05:59
Zak
So so he he yeah this was probably his easiest season for us. So he had about 20 20 appearances in the league yeah it was just this main sort of season of action before how he had like the next season where he had some some bit parts and then he disappeared off to AZ, Alkmaar where we we he played in the friendly in preseason this year if you remember rightly.
00:06:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'll do. Yeah.
00:06:27
Zak
Yeah so he played he played in that friendly and obviously he talks fondly about his time at Southampton yeah he was kind of like a player where
00:06:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:06:35
Zak
I just remember they're sort of like being, I feel like if you're going to join around the same time as like, as like Rameu, then you still got big Vic in the middle of the park as well.
00:06:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:06:45
Zak
This is before he went to Tottenham.
00:06:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:06:47
Zak
It's kind of difficult to get sort of a look in and I don't think he had the, I don't know, he played really well, but I don't think he quite had the strength and physicality to play in that role as as much as the rest of them.
00:06:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
Not that we were looking for at that particular period of time.
00:06:59
Zak
No, so, but like he seems to have sort of been alright and He's had a sort of relatively sort stable career at AZ since then. So yeah, that's kind of that's where Jordy Classy goes is currently now. So we'll talk about a definite famous saying that will be on your list after a word from our partners at Zencaster.
00:07:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, so here at the Global Sports Podcast Network, we spent a lot of time selecting our delivery platform and 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 a podcast that sounds great and is delivered efficiently. If you're ready to tell your story, check out the link in the show description and learn more about Zencaster.
00:07:44
Zak
Rightio mate, so the the next player on this list ah ah is the ever reliable, a man who managed to get himself a transfer off of the back of dominating Liverpool at St Mary's is Sadio Mane, who I recently saw in like a Twitter post that went viral, did my head in, that was like, just remember what Klopp did for this club, it was sort of like insinuating that Klopp is the one that developed Mane and Virgil,
00:08:10
Zak
as opposed to seeing two really good players and taking them away from what it was a fantastic Southampton side at the time.
00:08:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:08:17
Zak
So it's very upsetting. But obviously he was our top scorer during that season as well with 15 goals, including a hat-trick against Man City.
00:08:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's crazy. The fastest hat-trick in premier league history right again and yeah You know want to change your room, bust up with someone, right?
00:08:27
Zak
Yeah. and But I think, but yeah, yeahs he had the that was the season he had the hat-trick against City as well. But obviously it it didn't, you know, I'd say it didn't work out great for him.
00:08:36
Zak
It did at Liverpool. And then afterwards sort of he had that what like year by Munich where?
00:08:44
Zak
Yeah And then they call the see that kind of spelt the end of his career By it.
00:08:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
Was it Napri?
00:08:50
Zak
Yeah, somebody like it was very it was very sort of weird It like it so sort of felt with him going out of that Liverpool system. He played him for so long It just didn't really get to shine as much and now obviously he's in Saudi Arabia as as we found out The other day my favorite football league It's not. They annoy me.
00:09:09
Zak
Al Nisar is where he plays who plays alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. It's a weird one. like he was we have never We have never replaced him. We have always tried to sort of find a really, really pacey ah winger on the side, usually sort of of African origin as well. so like We we kind of replaced him with Gennepo a little bit, if I remember rightly, for a short period of time. we no but like The idea was that we picked up this sort of this sort of unknown in sort of the lower European leagues, really, really pacey winger.
00:09:37
Zak
and we would And he would become another Manet, and it just hasn't happened.
00:09:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
there's just no comparison there whatsoever it's mad to me but yeah I mean money was just such a an unbelievably quality player he was sort of still quite raw when he played for us you there was a lot of really felt when he picked up the ball that you had no
00:09:42
Zak
yeah
00:09:53
Zak
Could go either way, right?
00:09:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
clue what he was going to do with it because neither did he and it just sometimes that turned into a flash of absolute brilliance but yeah what a player and what a player he went on to become and yeah and I mean it's often said I i mean I see it posted a lot about sort of how humble of a man he is and what he does for his uh sort of roots and his village in Africa so shout out for being a good human too
00:10:23
Zak
yeah there Yeah, I think that's that's that's like the
Dusan Tadic and Romeu's Impact at Southampton
00:10:27
Zak
nice thing. It's the same with Vic in Kenya, right? like I remember he had like a road named after him or something like that as well. like you can you These players deeply care about their background and have always represented their nations in the African populations. Manet truly was one of like the greats to put on a Southampton shirt, but you're right. he He wasn't the player that he went on to become.
00:10:47
Zak
But I think the difference with him when he played for us is he had those moments of absolute brilliance that came out of nowhere more often than he had those moments of why have you managed to put the ball out of the stadium sort of thing.
00:11:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:11:02
Zak
So so yeah, fantastic play for us.
00:11:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
absolutely
00:11:04
Zak
And then a personal favorite player of mine, that I don't think you named in your your your top 11, which was upsetting, is Dusan Talic. Because Dusad Haddix was just an incredible...
00:11:15
Zak
He was Coomans first signing, by the way, in 2014.
00:11:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
a was try
00:11:20
Zak
He was the fourth player to achieve three or more assists in one Premier League game as well.
00:11:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah,
00:11:26
Zak
It was just like a random stat. I know how you like your stats. But yeah, Dusad Haddix was just an amazing player.
00:11:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
absolutely.
00:11:31
Zak
I was kind of devastated when he went. It felt like the reason he was let go was they were kind of like, Oh, he was past his best kind of thing. And he went on to IACS and got some of the Champions League final.
00:11:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
It was just crazy, right? Yeah.
00:11:42
Zak
It was like, what?
00:11:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah i yeah You're right. It felt strange at the time as well because he was such a quality player. We talk about those players who raised the game of the players around them. And he is one of those, just his presence and, you know,
00:12:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
Just the visibility he had of a game of football was, or presumably has, is, yeah. That's another player that we've never had a player of that same sort of quality.
00:12:14
Zak
No.
00:12:17
Zak
So where do you reckon he's playing his trade nowadays? Or do you know?
00:12:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah Was he, he went to, was it Fenebache he went to after I act?
00:12:24
Zak
He is a fan about Chase, so he he is cooper currently being managed by the special one in a league which he keeps describing as corrupt and terrible and blames every single defeat he has on the officials.
00:12:39
Zak
means if he wants to come and manage us, he'll be at home, right?
00:12:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, he'd fit empirically with with our fanbase and with what's happening.
00:12:48
Zak
Right, so so the next man on my list, Greg, the next guy who we all know and we all love, and we miss, and I still miss all of his little pictures of him going on dog walks in Winchester, because I'm a sad little man, and that is Oreo Rumeu. Plus, I also miss his absolute love and friendship between my Yoshida. It was a beautiful thing.
00:13:07
Zak
So Ramey joined this year, and he joined us for £5 million, pounds which you look at the money that's spent nowadays, and that is a sickeningly low amount for the player that we had for such a long period of Saint's career, right?
00:13:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
He probably paid more out of his wages in booking fines than that transfer, I see.
00:13:31
Zak
You are not properly wrong. I'm pretty sure he got a book in his first game.
00:13:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
He never got sent off either, like he, like, ah ah to this point, if you put a pound on him to get booked every single week in every game he played, there's no way you weren't leaving the season quids in, like,
00:13:37
Zak
i
00:13:49
Zak
Did he get like his first... I can't remember if it was recently he got his like first ever red card for either Girona or Barcelona. One of the two. I remember that being like a big thing on on Saint's Twitter at the time.
00:13:59
Zak
But he was just such a... such a We always played better with him than without him. And I don't think that...
00:14:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:14:07
Zak
you know Obviously our style of football has changed quite a lot since then. But he was just such a... Just such like a ah ah brick in like the middle of the park. like No one could get past him, right? And or if they you know that You probably fit in now still This is also true, but yes, it's kind of mad because obviously see he he left us and he went to He obviously went ended up going back to Barcelona at one point and he's currently on loan To Girona, so I think he went to Girona
00:14:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
You say our style of football's changed a lot, but really, I mean, yeah, he, you know, if you're telling me that Flynn Downs isn't trying to emulate an Oriel Romayu type role, you're kidding yourself.
00:14:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
like
00:14:46
Zak
went from Girona to Barca for like two seasons. And now he's back on loan at Girona alongside Ex-Saint, who we've already discussed before, Paolo Gazinga. So that's kind of like weird that there's like two little, I love those sort of little two beat ups.
00:14:58
Zak
The same thing with like Billy Sharp playing alongside Yoshida at LA Galaxy for like half a season. It's just sort of bizarre little like, you know, they get to know each other in the locker room kind of things.
00:15:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:15:07
Zak
But obviously, yeah, like I consider Romeo to be a club icon. I did not begrudge him leaving. It wasn't, I don't think him leaving was anything like some of the other ones that have thrown their toys out of the pram.
00:15:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
I quite agree it was it was done in a ah fitting manner and to go back to his this boyhood club writing Joanna so can't say fairer than that.
00:15:27
Zak
Exactly.
00:15:30
Zak
Rightio, so I've got some more. We've got some some sort of big names and then some special mentions. However, first of all, let's hear from the Global Sports Podcast Network.
Kuka Martina and Virgil van Dijk's Southampton Legacy
00:15:40
Zak
So the Global Sports Podcast Network is changing the face of football podcasting with dedicated daily content for every Premier League team, women's football, fancy football and a daily Premier League wrap up broadcasted in five different languages. This is your one stop shop for your daily football fix. Find GSPN wherever you find your usual podcasts.
00:15:58
Zak
Rightio, so the next person on our list who who's not as prolific in a Saint shirt, but is prolific for one thing. And I think that's, to be honest, probably one of the small highlights of his career, which is Kuka Martina, who you will remember as the guy that scored the absolutely cracking goal against Arsenal on Boxing Day one year.
00:16:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
but that goal will forever stick in my memory and the I mean the reason that that goal sticks in my memory is that I had just got back home that day from bringing my daughter home from the hospital for the first time so we we got home about 10 minutes before kickoff and my father-in-law put a roast dinner in front of me and I sat down and nearly threw it everywhere as I jumped up a shouting of that goal and definitely woke up my newborn daughter at that point
00:16:30
Zak
Wow.
00:16:40
Zak
yeah
00:16:44
Zak
Good Lord. That's the thing, that was just such ah ah such an incredible goal and like that is mainly what he's known for which is I guess I'm saying because he's also played, he also plays international football for, let's see, Caracao?
00:16:58
Zak
my If I made that up, if I massively fluff this, let's find out. But he's obviously like, one of the other things is he was like a loyalist loyalist of, yeah, I was right, Kureko, or Kureko, I can always pronounce that really badly. But he was like a Kuman loyalist. So after he left us and his contract expired, he was picked up again by Kuman at Everton.
00:17:22
Zak
So he is one of two players that another one will discuss later. But like, yeah, you know, he played pretty solid for us, really. And like he so he debuted in our second away leg to the tease in the Europa League. So to be fair, considering I'm also going to talk about somebody that played a bit of European football over Jose Font. I'm not really surprised Jose Font kind of felt like he was going to go out the door eventually.
00:17:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:17:47
Zak
But yeah, so obviously he went on to play for Everton for a while. then after leaving Everton, he went to the Netherlands and played for some teams there. And his last team was NAC Breda. And he still I think he still technically plays for his international club, or international team, sorry. But he ah couldn it was difficult to find like information out of whether he was retired or not, because technically his contract and expired July last, or July this like this year. He hasn't been picked up again.
00:18:16
Zak
but it still lists him as an international player. So I think it's one of those sort of like weird middle ground sort of areas where no one quite knows. But either way.
00:18:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
but it According to the ever reliable source of Wikipedia in front of me, he's had two appearances for the international team in the year 2024.
00:18:33
Zak
Yeah, so I can't work out if it's beginning of the year or end. So it's very much very, very strange one. Obviously next one, not to say he overshadows Kuka Martina, but definitely does.
00:18:45
Zak
It's obviously Virgil van Dijk, who's one of my favourite players of all time, who we don't need to discuss where he is because he's at Liverpool. And he still plays solid football and he's still an absolute hero in my eyes, but unfortunately did throw his toys about the pram a little bit when he left.
00:18:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:18:59
Zak
13 million quid and we sold him for 75. That's kind of, that is some crazy business that was done back then.
00:19:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:19:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
Classic saints methodology of making profit back then. But yeah, I mean, what can you say? Just one of the best centre backs to ever do it.
00:19:15
Zak
Yeah, well, I think it's also like goal scoring for us as well.
00:19:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
were Almost indisputably.
00:19:18
Zak
So like three appearances in, he scored against Swansea.
00:19:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:19:21
Zak
And he was also the fan and teammates player of the season, his first season, and signed a six year deal afterwards. Not that deal meant anything and other than the fact that we got 75 million for him.
00:19:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:19:32
Zak
But yeah, he's just it was it was amazing to see him in in a Saint shirt and go, oh, that's kind of crazy that he was a Saints player for like a little bit, right? i
00:19:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
And that partnership with him and Font is just one.
00:19:44
Zak
Yeah, ah ah incredible.
00:19:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, yeah. Imagine. Imagine what could have been.
00:19:50
Zak
That's how I feel most days mate, especially with us sitting so glued to the bottom of the table at the moment. So the next player is Graziano Pella, who obviously we all know
Graziano Pelle and Other Notable Players
00:20:00
Zak
in love. And he he has so much, there's such like a cult formed around him nowadays, right? And that's because he was, the score but I still remember like,
00:20:10
Zak
when he first came in, people still complaining he wasn't scoring enough goals. He was obviously like, ballet I've scored in this season as well. But it's one of those things that like, now we would just be happy if we had shots off on target.
00:20:22
Zak
But back then, like we were so we were so ruthless as a fan base.
00:20:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
It like.
00:20:28
Zak
And obviously, famously, when he left our club, he went over to China to become the seventh best played player in the world at the time on £350,000 a week.
00:20:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's crazy.
00:20:41
Zak
but for for sort of this little old striker Italian striker from Southampton and then had a season at Palmer which was his last season before his contract was not renewed but he did score an overhead bicycle kick which was his first like I say oh I was an overhead kick but which is crazy when you think that you know sort of comes from sort of the you know he hadn't played in the Serie A for so long and plays in sort of a much lower quality standard league. Although I say that, I think he played a couple of Asian Champions League games in Shandong and then goes back and and still manages to do it sort of in an older age. He's retired, but not formally. So he just hasn't had a club, is quite happy to jet set about with his I can't work out if his fiance wife or girlfriend, but it's quite happy and comfortable just sort of chilling and not being picked up because he's probably got enough money to survive forever if he doesn't need to.
00:21:35
Zak
But yeah, he was just he was just a really solid player for us.
00:21:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:21:38
Zak
But yeah, I do remember sort of the, I think maybe be overshadowed by the return and of goal scoring form of like Danny Inks, but he did a proper job for us and he always scored stylish goals.
00:21:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. But what a front three that season, right?
00:21:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
Him, Mane, Talic just seems such a world away, doesn't it?
00:21:48
Zak
It's insane, isn't it?
00:21:55
Zak
It really does. And that's that's the thing, like this wasn't a huge amount of time ago. I say that eight years for sort of a lot of our younger fans, it's going to be a long time for us though. It's like a blink in time, right?
00:22:06
Zak
You just, you kind of flick through.
00:22:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:22:09
Zak
So yeah, a very, very sort of good player for us. And we're going to move on now to somebody that only had, but I barely remember ever playing. And he only played made that 12 appearances for us.
00:22:22
Zak
But it's you and me, I think is how you spell his name. He was a Spanish player, a little guy.
00:22:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah i do remember him yeah just about
00:22:25
Zak
Do you remember him? So he only, yeah, he played like 12 play times against us. His debut was against Viteze where he replaced Jordi Classi. And he's still playing as well. So he's still playing for Betis in the Liga. He also had a season in Saudi, I think just before the Saudi League kicked off to the way that it is now, where it's a highly like highly paid money league.
00:22:50
Zak
and then he's back, but he's still he's still kind of playing, like he's played six games for the League of two this year. So fair play to the guy, but I just, I genuinely can't remember him much. but so and So disrespect, like he seems to have got to have like a pretty, pretty right career afterwards, but it's like, sometimes you get these sort of players, right? That you kind of, we have for a little, for like such a short period of time. And one of them is on this list that, you know, I'm hoping I'll get to you. Cause I know that we're,
00:23:17
Zak
rapidly running out of time. But yeah, he was he was a player we had this year.
00:23:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's crazy.
00:23:23
Zak
That's all I have to say. The next one, however, is a much more prolific saint. And that is Ryan Bertrand, who this was the season that he officially joined us after being on loan from Chelsea for a year. made 32 appearances during this season, scoring once and stayed right up until 2021.
00:23:39
Zak
So he did stay solidly for the remainder of his contract, where after his contract expired, he went to Leicester, where he played all of four games which is kind of upsetting before eventually obviously retiring.
00:23:47
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:23:50
Zak
I think there was an injury or something there, if I remember rightly. And say what you want. He was one of the ones that went to Leicester after he was one of the unfortunate cohort that got nine-nilled. But I don't think that's what I remember of him.
00:24:02
Zak
I just remember him being our left back solidly. Like my memory goes pretty much Luke Shaw, blank, Ryan Bertrand.
00:24:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:24:12
Zak
Then a couple of seasons where we were trying to figure out whether it was Peru, or whatnot after sort of Ryan went. So yeah, I just I think he considered like, you know, technically when he came to us, he was a Champions League winning like left back, right?
00:24:25
Zak
And he played that game, so like. But yeah, it was just yeah I just I just really I really liked Bertrand. I still remember that sort of I think that just knocks him out.
00:24:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, he was brilliant for us. He was a bit of a character on and off the pitch, I think.
00:24:33
Zak
Yeah.
00:24:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
It was brilliant, yeah. Sort of embodied, I think, a lot of the character that ran through this team of that season, for sure. But doug did when you say Ryan Bertrand, the only clip that springs into my mind is the awful throw-in and the tap of the watch with a wink, like...
00:24:42
Zak
Yeah. and
00:24:47
Zak
Is it there?
00:24:51
Zak
yeah Yeah, the awful throwing. I remember the tap of the watch all the time in the weeks of the camera, but that is it. He was a great servant for the club and it's kind of, you know, we've struggled, I really think, to to have a consistent left back really until we got Manning in.
00:25:06
Zak
in my opinion, and then Manning was also a consistent left-back for most of last year, and now it kind of differs between whoever really fancies giving it a crack, right? Or whichever four players they the decide decide to shove down the left wing, but it works out quite well.
00:25:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:25:22
Zak
So the nextberg next person is Martin Stecklenburg. who also was one of those ones who was a Cuman, I guess, loyalist. He actually joined us on loan from Fulham that year and ah made a couple of appearances. He ended up, after going to Everton, going to Ajax, which is, I think, his original club, and he ended up actually playing in 2020, I think it was 2021 season, he got his place back because Anana was banned for doping, which is a thing that I just never knew about is unfortunately like like our man you cohorts, I just don't don't have as much knowledge about the ins and outs of every other player. But yeah, so he and then it was he he's retired now, but he was one of these ones where like, yeah, he just kind of was brought in. And then I remember seeing him later on down the years on the Everton team sheet. But I think it was hard to kind of move like foster at this point out of the goal, right?
00:26:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, ah ah yeah, absolutely. I mean, Forza was on fire at the time. And I think in the couple of games he had with us, he was, you know, half decent, showed promise, but...
00:26:17
Zak
It seemed alright. I think it wasn't anything. He was a goalkeeper. He was assured was a goalkeeper that played for Southampton.
00:26:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:26:27
Zak
He's retired now and obviously he went on. Right, so we've got two more Greg. the rest of the team are all members of the team that we've spoken about previously and you know it's kind of it kind of takes the fun out of it if i tell them if I tell Greg where they are now, if I've already told him, even if knowing Greg he probably has forgotten.
00:26:47
Zak
So, Greg, it's a joke. It's an absolute joke. Park Life is probably what he's most known for for playing against Aunton.
00:26:57
Zak
I know him as
00:26:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
could hold Schmolly often.
00:26:58
Zak
I know him as the man that scored like a couple of days after we signed him at Manchester United, giving us a win at Old Trafford. That's how I like to remember him. but Not as the guy that was fighting with fans on Twitter, uploading a picture of himself in a Liverpool shirt and having a scrap. I we will point out before we go any further, like he's admitted nowadays that maybe his behaviour was a bit over the top and has attributed a lot of it to the fact that he's recently, as an adult, being diagnosed at ADHD.
00:27:25
Zak
something that both me and Greg also know about, so you can kind of forgive him a little bit. However, um he now plays his trade mate at my hometown, which is bizarre to think, and he plays for AFC Tottenham, plays for the Stags.
00:27:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:27:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, that's mental, isn't it?
00:27:40
Zak
That is... I guess some people just love the game, because clearly you must have enough money to not.
00:27:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, fair play absolutely fair play. like why Why wouldn't you want to keep playing?
00:27:47
Zak
Yeah.
00:27:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, it shows that he was always a player in it for the football and nothing else.
00:27:56
Zak
Exactly. like I think he was quite more realistic.
00:27:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
always I think did a job for us and you know right up until you know the sort of the crazy stuff always gave a hundred percent on the pitch you can't hold widely into the game
00:27:58
Zak
Some of our fans had a bit of a meltdown about it. Yeah.
00:28:08
Zak
i I still remember him. No, not at all. There was there was one game I remember. He scored like, I think it was like, we were playing West Ham and he scored like the last gas minute penalty against West Ham. It was like, it's not like the 96 minute, we got a pen against them, we scored, we won. It was like 2-2 right up until that point. I'll always remember that, but he was just, he was just a solid player for us. And like, I know that I think it was just a bit sour when he left, I think from both ends, right? like fans giving him a bunch of stick because he actually supports a team and put it up there like you should never do that. And obviously he would get rolled up. So then he would start tweeting back. And if anything, I think it shows you the the how good the social media managers of players are nowadays in comparison to even a couple of years ago. yeah, the fact that he he rocks out for my hometown is very, very bizarre. But fair play to the guy. So the last one, Greg, the last man is a center back we had for a little bit is Stephen Kalka.
00:29:01
Zak
who but so yeah exactly who was on loan that season from QPR who played like eight times in total he only played twice in the league one time starting two as a substitute the rest of the times he played in Europa which is nuts if you think about it he played in the Europa league more than he played the league for us he's now
00:29:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
Crazy.
00:29:23
Zak
at Ankara in the Turkish Second League. So basically the Turkish equivalent of the championship.
00:29:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
Wow.
00:29:29
Zak
But like, he is a comedy that comes up on a list quite a lot of players you never knew played for Saints. And it's like, yeah, it was a bit weird.
00:29:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, that's mad.
00:29:37
Zak
It's not a huge amount, you can say, like he played it enough games to have made an impact that season, I guess, but not enough for me to remember much of anything other than seeing him with the starting lineup being like,
00:29:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:29:49
Zak
Who's Kolker and Stecklenburg? That was probably a couple of the thoughts I had at that time. But yeah, so it's obviously the rest of who were at the club with people like Yoshida, Steven Davis, Rodriguez, Gaston Ramirez went out alone that season, James Ward-Prowse, Matt Target, Harrison Reed, Sam Gallagher, obviously all went off to their respective destinations in
Reflecting on the Unique 2015-2016 Season
00:30:09
Zak
the end. But yeah, it was just ah ah it was just kind of a mad season, like us getting one of our highest finishes in like one of the yeah weirdest years that we possibly could have.
00:30:18
Zak
And then obviously afterwards, you know, this, this, the problem was, is that this was the season that put everybody in the shop window, right?
00:30:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:30:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:30:24
Zak
So, so Virgil van Dijk got in the shop window, so did Mane and everybody.
00:30:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
la less me that year was this Was this the last year that football was really truly great?
00:30:27
Zak
And then.
00:30:32
Zak
I think if you look at the, the points in the league and you look at the difference, you know, like sort of. people going in down on sort of like 37 points and then the league being won on 81 shows you that it was far more competitive that year.
00:30:47
Zak
And what I mean by far more competitive is a lot of the big players sort of or sort of sort of the big players of the league really struggled to kind of get into the positions you'd be expecting to us. like Like to put it into context, we finished two places above Liverpool that year.
00:31:01
Zak
ahs That's crazy.
00:31:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
Crazy man.
00:31:02
Zak
Chelsea chelsea finished 10th. you know, Leicester 1, Arsenal and Tottenham were third, Arsenal were second, City were fourth, which you just can't fathom nowadays, I don't know your current form.
00:31:13
Zak
And you know, and that was that was also a season that like West Brom and Sunderland and Swansea and Stoke were like solid staples of the Premier League.
00:31:22
Zak
And that shows you like you think now of like solid Premier League teams, you know, you think of your sort of evidence and your Crystal Palace and that kind of stuff. But this season really shows like, look, you've got You've got Stoke who are no longer in the league, Swansea, Watford, West Brom, Sunderland.
00:31:38
Zak
Sunderland managed to stay up by by like you know two by two points. It's kind of crazy. I just ah ah i genuinely do think that like the league is something different now because even the amount of points being taken by sort of the top 10 to the bottom 10
00:31:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's very easy.
00:31:51
Zak
means that you're you're not having the level of competition. like I think that a lot of fans are stuck in that mentality of like, well, you know, four points is not even by Christmas, we're going to be down automatically.
00:32:02
Zak
And I think that back then, yeah, because Villa went down with 17 and was stone cold bottom. But they also got three, one and eight draws that season.
00:32:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:32:10
Zak
Whereas I just don't think that's something that happens nowadays that shows you you the goal. That's not even a decade.
00:32:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, crazy.
00:32:17
Zak
And yet, you know, the difference is between absolutely crazy. But it was a it was a fun year all round. We all remember Leicester fondly. I will remember all of those people that were like, I hope Leicester beat us at home. It'd be nice to see him win the league because that's not how you support a football club.
00:32:33
Zak
Especially a football club like Saints, we need to support our players as much as they possibly can, which is why we try desperately to remain positive.
00:32:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
Podcast Reflections and Future Plans
00:32:41
Zak
I do all of my work possibly to undo Greg's positivity. not Not intentionally, it's just unfortunately who I am as a person. but it was a fantastic season and long may I think hopeful hopefully it gives a bit of hope to everybody that with the ups and the you know with the downs there are also ups and this was probably peak of our at least our lifetime of the ups then we went on to play pool elbow for a little bit and that was terrible and we kept finishing all right so you know what do we what do we know swims and roundabouts hopefully there's some light at the end of the tunnel we never we never know we might end up becoming good so that's the positive note I want to leave you on
00:33:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
telling you mate, 15 points next five fixtures, you wait and see.
00:33:22
Zak
Wonderful. So just to let you know, Greg, still got that clipped for Christmas. It's actually scheduled for all of our socials to go out on Christmas Day, regardless of the position of the league.
00:33:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
Perfect.
00:33:35
Zak
And with that, I have been Zackingo Finch. This has been Gregory Elliott. You've been listening to The Daily Southampton, part of the Global Sports Podcast Network. If you want to help us out as we're a young, growing podcast, you know, follow us on all the socials or on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
00:33:48
Zak
And we will join you in the next week for whatever we've got planned up our sleeve. We've got lots of wild card content.
00:33:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
I dunno mate. Yeah, reviewing Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson because there's no real football one.
00:34:02
Zak
Hopefully, maybe we'll talk about what some of our players got into the internationals and how upset we are that Rambo didn't make it and also how upset we are that he definitely is going to be back after two weeks, right?
00:34:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's it, let's hope.
00:34:12
Zak
Right. Thank you very much, everyone. Bye bye.