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Opposition Q & A

Opposition Q&A Southampton

This week I spoke to Saints fan Ben Gammon from www.gomarchingin.co.uk

Are you happy with your transfers this summer after losing so many talented players over the summer?
I am happy with the players we have signed over the summer and even though more players have joined the club than have left, we could definitely do with more squad depth.

How did your pre season gone?
Apart from the players who have left the club over the summer, it hasn’t gone too badly. What started off as a feeling of complete doom and gloom has actually finished quite positively. Whilst none of our signings have been spectacular, they all seem to be well thought out. A few more of our academy graduates have been getting game time too, so keep an eye out for the likes of Harrison Reed, Lloyd Isgrove and Matt Targett.

Do you blame the players for leaving Southampton?
As for those who left, no I don’t blame them for going. I’m obviously disappointed about the way some of them engineered their moves away, but if other teams want to throw that much money at us for players who don’t want to be at the club anyway, then we’ll gladly take their cash!

What do you make of your new owner Katharina Liebherr, is she doing the right thing by your club?
There was plenty of concern when Nicola Cortese left the club back in January, with fears that Liebherr was planning to sell up. Those concerns resurfaced after the World Cup when we started to sell some of our players.Now we have a board in place, rather than just one man making all the decisions. Which I do believe is the right way to go about it, but there have been teething problems.

What do you think of your new manager Ronald Koeman?
When Southampton announced the appointment of Ronald Koeman I was very happy. Koeman has conducted himself very well during everything that has gone on over the summer and always comes across as a calm but assertive character. It’s been pleasing to hear our new signings speak of how the Dutchman played a big role in their decision to join the club.

What is your view on Mauricio Pochettino leaving to join Spurs?
Pochettino leaving for Spurs wasn’t such of a shock, because he had refused to comment on his future since Cortese left at the start of the year. It was obvious he was just weighing up his options and saw the Tottenham job as the right move for his career. Whilst I do think he can get more out of the players than he predecessors, I doubt whether it will be enough to satisfy his new Chairman’s expectations.

What is your view of West Ham’s current relationship with Sam Allardyce?
think he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place. The only way he will keep his critics quiet is by winning games and even if he does do that there will always be those who criticise his style and say that he isn’t doing it “The West Ham Way”. The best way I can sum up my feelings about Allardyce is if I imagine that Southampton are managerless and he is linked with the club. No disrespect to the man but I would be underwhelmed and probably questioning the level of ambition from those at the top. I’m guessing that’s probably how a lot of Hammers fans feel too.

Where do you think Southampton and West Ham finish in the Premier League this season?
Having said what I did in my answer to the previous question, I actually believe West Ham will probably finish above Saints this season. We really need to find our feet again, so I have us down for a 10th-12th placed finish. But I’d have West Ham down to finish between 8th-10th.

Which three teams do you tip for relegation and which team do you tip to win the Premier League?
I think the current bottom 3 will go down: Palace, Burnley and QPR. As for the winners, I think it’ll be City.

What will be your achilles heel this season?
A lack of (quality) squad depth. Our first choice eleven should be good enough to finish in the top half of the table, but once injuries and suspensions start to creep in I think we’ll begin to struggle.

If you could have any current West Ham player in your team who would you choose?
Southampton could do with some more quality in the centre of defence, so for that reason I would probably opt for the pace and power of Cheikhou Kouyate.

How many fans do you think will make the trip to East London?
London fixtures are always popular with Southampton fans because it doesn’t take a great amount of travelling to get there. I expect us to take pretty much our full allocation.

Favourite West Ham player of all time?
Bobby Moore.

What is your score and prediction for Saturday?
I think it’ll be a close game with maybe only one goal in it. We played very well in our opening away game against Liverpool and were desperately unlucky not to take anything from that match. Here’s hoping we can put in another solid performance, but I think Ronald Koeman will still be looking for his first win after this game has been played. 1-1.

My thanks to Ben Gammon from www.gomarchingin.co.uk @gomarchingin on twitter

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