Loanwatch 09-10

[winchester_royal]

Antonio starting for Saints on SS1 for those interested.

[Wimb]

Antonio starting for Saints on SS1 for those interested.

Playing well so far, the lads got some pace!

[winchester_royal]

Looks a tad raw, but definitely a prospect.

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Looks a tad raw, but definitely a prospect.

What is he 20/21?

Not come through an academy, so he'll be taking a while to adapt. Certainly improved 100x since I lost saw him.

Think L1 is his level for the nxt couple of seasons at least. Still we could make a nice profit if we sell....

[Victor Meldrew]

Back to Loanwatch-did others see Saints v Charlton Reserves last night?
Antonio still looks very raw and his passing needs sharpening up but he looks to have something to offer,whether (like the other younger ones)he will eventually offer enough only time will tell.
Mooney-I suppose he was worth a punt from Cork bearing in mind the success of Doyle but he looks just too lightweight for professional football.

Saw Scott Davies on TV yesterday in Wycombe's thrashing by a very attractive Huddersfield.
Saw Antonio again today for Saints defeat by Brighton.
Scott Davies was non-stop and was involved in nearly all of Wycombe's attacking play which surprisingly was quite a lot considering they lost 6-0 although something like 9-3 would have been a better reflection of the game.
Antonio looked lively and very quick early on but as with the other night his passing isn't great.

AS BTWs Duberry looked poor for Wycombe whereas the other oldie,Nicky Forster, looked as sharp as ever and he even passed the ball a couple of times to his fellow striker -yes he did.
Oh and Pardew's side lost at home to a side that would have been in the relegation zone if they had lost.
Another BTW at the moment Reading look no better than Huddersfield nor Southampton or Brighton.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Sam Sodje scored yesterday.........so what's proven?


Seriously, nice to see a lot of past present and loanee players featuring on the Beeb last night

[Sarah Star]

Looks a tad raw, but definitely a prospect.

What is he 20/21?

Not come through an academy, so he'll be taking a while to adapt. Certainly improved 100x since I lost saw him.

Think L1 is his level for the nxt couple of seasons at least. Still we could make a nice profit if we sell....

I thought Antonio had improved a lot too. Made me wonder if there was hope for Shaun Cummings.

[Sun Tzu]

Looks a tad raw, but definitely a prospect.

What is he 20/21?

He's 19 and played a handful of games at League level.

[Hoop Blah]

Looks a tad raw, but definitely a prospect.

What is he 20/21?

Not come through an academy, so he'll be taking a while to adapt. Certainly improved 100x since I lost saw him.

Think L1 is his level for the nxt couple of seasons at least. Still we could make a nice profit if we sell....

I watched the extended highlights of the Saints vs Brighton game last night and I think people are getting very carried away if they think Antonio can add any of the missing quality we're crying out for.

Yes he's quick, and stronger with it than Kebe, but he looked woeful with the ball, and if he was anywhere near the standard we need he'd be doing more than struggling to win a place in a Southampton side that's in the relegation places in the league below us!

I thought Forster looked twice the player Antonio did by the way...

As for Davies. He does some good work, but he just gives the ball away far too much at the moment. The brief bit of the Wycombe game I saw he set up two good opportunities though...however both were for Huddersfield by giving the ball away needless. In time he might turn into a decent Championship midfielder (in Gerrard type role probably - but not good enough to do it at this level) but he isn't up to it yet.

[winchester_royal]

Looks a tad raw, but definitely a prospect.

What is he 20/21?

Not come through an academy, so he'll be taking a while to adapt. Certainly improved 100x since I lost saw him.

Think L1 is his level for the nxt couple of seasons at least. Still we could make a nice profit if we sell....

I watched the extended highlights of the Saints vs Brighton game last night and I think people are getting very carried away if they think Antonio can add any of the missing quality we're crying out for.

Yes he's quick, and stronger with it than Kebe, but he looked woeful with the ball, and if he was anywhere near the standard we need he'd be doing more than struggling to win a place in a Southampton side that's in the relegation places in the league below us!

I thought Forster looked twice the player Antonio did by the way...

As for Davies. He does some good work, but he just gives the ball away far too much at the moment. The brief bit of the Wycombe game I saw he set up two good opportunities though...however both were for Huddersfield by giving the ball away needless. In time he might turn into a decent Championship midfielder (in Gerrard type role probably - but not good enough to do it at this level) but he isn't up to it yet.

Antonio has hardly been struggling to win a place at Southampton, he's been a regular recently, and has greatly impressed while there. He's by no means the finished products, but his improvement since he joined has been remarkable. If he continues at this rate he'll be a real asset next year.

[Hoop Blah]

Really?

I thought I'd checked that out to see how he'd been getting on and that was his only league start following 4 sub appearances.

I know he also played the couple of cup games before, but my point was, if he was that good he'd have got in the side quicker wouldn't he?

His pace will always be a threat, but if you can't do much with it there's still little point in playing. He should get better of course, and he's only young, but being realistic I just don't see him being any better than a lower half League 1 player, and an inconsistent one at that.

[Wycombe Royal]

I have read comments from Southampton fans that said they want to buy him from us - they rate him pretty highly........

[Sun Tzu]

Classic case of huge over expectation !
He's a kid who has made the jump from non league to the pro game and probably hasn;t reached double figures in terms of appearances. He's not the answer to anything just yet, but then did anything think he would be ? Give him another 3 or 4 months of playing regularly and then there may be a better idea.

I'd also point out that to describe Saints as being in the relegation places ignores the fact that they are actually in the top half if you simply consider footballing issues. Given their points deduction their league place does not reflect their actual standing.

[Hoop Blah]

True, without the penalty they'd be level on points with Swindon in and around 10th place.

I still don't think that alters his abiilty, or that people are getting very carried away if they think he's going to provide us with anything we haven't got already.

[Sun Tzu]

Anyone claiming to be able to make a definitive call about Antonio would be better off keeping quiet IMHO.

You may as well pick out a couple of our U13s and attempt to decide whether they will make it or not.
Antonio has played a tiny number of games for 3 different sides, it's simply too early to form any impression of what he may become.

Why do people seem to think they have to judge a youngster as soon as he steps foot on the pitch ?

[Wimb]

Anyone claiming to be able to make a definitive call about Antonio would be better off keeping quiet IMHO.

You may as well pick out a couple of our U13s and attempt to decide whether they will make it or not.
Antonio has played a tiny number of games for 3 different sides, it's simply too early to form any impression of what he may become.

Why do people seem to think they have to judge a youngster as soon as he steps foot on the pitch ?

Because Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen and some of Arsenal's kids we're great from the word go and it's raised expectations to silly levels

[Hoop Blah]

Anyone claiming to be able to make a definitive call about Antonio would be better off keeping quiet IMHO.

You may as well pick out a couple of our U13s and attempt to decide whether they will make it or not.
Antonio has played a tiny number of games for 3 different sides, it's simply too early to form any impression of what he may become.

Why do people seem to think they have to judge a youngster as soon as he steps foot on the pitch ?

I agree in principle. I'm not writing him off, I just don't see how anyone can think he's currently worth a place in our squad.

I do think we're allowed to have an opinion though, or should we not discuss players ability, progress or potential at all?

[Royalwaster]

Anyone claiming to be able to make a definitive call about Antonio would be better off keeping quiet IMHO.

You may as well pick out a couple of our U13s and attempt to decide whether they will make it or not.
Antonio has played a tiny number of games for 3 different sides, it's simply too early to form any impression of what he may become.

Why do people seem to think they have to judge a youngster as soon as he steps foot on the pitch ?

On that note have we got any decent U13s or U16s for that matter? Just wondering whether the current academic crop is just a taster for things to come?

[sandman]

Was he still running away from the ball like he did against Barnsley in the cup, or did he remember to take it with him this time?

[Terminal Boardom]

Anyone claiming to be able to make a definitive call about Antonio would be better off keeping quiet IMHO.

You may as well pick out a couple of our U13s and attempt to decide whether they will make it or not.
Antonio has played a tiny number of games for 3 different sides, it's simply too early to form any impression of what he may become.

Why do people seem to think they have to judge a youngster as soon as he steps foot on the pitch ?

Welcome to the world of instant results and self gratification. Perhaps if football was removed from TV there would be a lot less "punditry". I think in RFC's case, it feels so long since any youngsters came through that we get naturally excited by someone who may have something about them. hence the threads about Henry amongst others. We are also doing badly. This is the Championship Manager effect on supporters where the call is to change ad keep chaging until something good happens. Unfortunately, we all make first impressions whether we like it or not and in everyday life - not just football.