http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/15421351.Saints__academy_production_among_the_world_s_best/ Not the minutes played for their own clubs, but minutes played in the top flight in 2016/17....so for instance, Lallana's time at Liverpool counts in our Academy success. So, as said before, United graduates are the most successful....remember their golden generation, but we come in at 4th in the world. Not bad for a tinky little club.
I didn't realise we'd signed Bailey Owen - he played for Swansea U18s last I saw and has represented Wales at various age ranges.
Cheers Fran. I'm still curious to how City got so many. Would have liked to see workings out. Be interesting to see how they defined academy too, do they count Stephens for example?
Perceptions in football are that big clubs don't get beaten. They lose. This even filters down to academies. ManU U15s beat Co Fermanagh's U15 side last Monday. And they received due praise, even getting into the BBC Football video section: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40723855 Now let's see what happened when they lost 2-0 to Southampton's U15 side: http://allnigeriasoccer.com/read_news.php?nid=23944 You see.? They didn't get beaten, they merely lost. There's a difference. And btw, they don't get to play for the Super Cup NI Junior title because of it. Can't imagine what the Saints youngsters are doing. Nobody is interested enough to say.
But this might make you giggle. Pick yourself off the floor after the commentator says TWO BIG TEAMS go head to head. : http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40735702
Frank Lovett is a good name for a footballer, although not a name you'd associate with the younger generation
I was having one of my rare thoughts when I was back in Southampton the other week. I was with my kids in the park behind Primark in City Center and looking at all the different races that were there. I was reading about the young England teams doing so well and seeing that around half the team being mixed race. It is also happening at Southampton, maybe nature has found that the perfect footballer is a mix race, whites being too slow, and not as strong at a younger age as black players. Maybe having a lighter frame from white parent and strength and faster muscle action from black parent is producing the perfect footballer. If my thoughts have any merit then England should finally get a decent international team as we have one of the most diverse countries in Europe, us and probably France. It could also go a way to explain why Brazil kicked ass for 50 years. The age of The Ginger Ninja may be coming to an end
Didn't realise we had a young lad in our ranks who made his full international debut in March!!It was for Benin so I'm sure it wasn't a great standard but fair play all the same
https://southamptonfc.com/news/2017-07-28/premier-league-2-fixtures-2017-18-season-confirmed Despite dropping down a League there are still some good fixtures to watch if they let us!
Anyone know much about Rugare Musendo who we released this summer? Currently on trial at Bristol City and a mate of mine was asking if I knew anything about him