Saints News & Rumour Mill

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Sunderland are lining up a move for Southampton's Chris Baird.

The Black Cats are hoping to beat Fulham to the signature of the Northern Ireland international after tabling a £3million bid for the defender.

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Saints take Vignal on trial

Former Portsmouth defender Gregory Vignal has joined Southampton on trial.

The 26-year-old had returned Lens at the end of last season after failing to settle during a loan spell at German side Kaiserslautern.

He was due to join the Ligue 1 side at a pre-season training camp this week in Switzerland, but the French club's website confirmed his move to the South Coast side.

George Burley has agreed to take a look at the left-back, who is under contract at Lens until 2010, as possible cover for Chris Baird, who looks set to quit St Mary's this summer.

Source: Skysports

He would have been a reinforcement.They should go for him.

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Sunderland set to land £3m Baird

Sunderland are set to complete the £3m signing of Southampton defender Chris Baird, BBC Sport understands.

Saints turned down a "derisory" £2.5m bid from Fulham for the 25-year-old but have accepted Sunderland's offer.

Baird is set to undergo a medical and, if he agrees personal terms, could become a Sunderland player late on Monday or early Tuesday.

The Northern Ireland international handed in a transfer request to the Championship club in June.

Southampton boss George Burley had warned Fulham's former Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez that Baird was not for sale.

Baird was voted the south-coast club's player of the year last season and his performances attracted interest from several Premiership clubs.

Source: BBC Sport

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Liverpool winger loaned to Saints

Southampton have secured the services of 19-year-old Liverpool winger Adam Hammill on a season-long loan.

Saints beat off strong competition from Scottish champions Celtic to sign the England Under 19 international, who can operate on either flank.

Manager George Burley said: "He is a young player who did very well on loan at Dunfermline last season.

"He is a quick player who likes to take people on. He has bags of potential and I am very pleased to have got him."

Source: BBC sport

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SAINTS IN SHEIKH'S SIGHTS

Southampton are the target of a multi-million takeover bid from Dubai Holdings - the Arab group which tried to buy Liverpool.

Billionaire ruler Sheikh Maktoum and his money men have been looking to buy a club since they were beaten by Americans Tom Hicks and George Gillett to the keys of Anfield.

Insiders claim that talks are advanced with Dubai Holdings group now the front runners for the club who have been looking for a buyer over the past few months. Billionaire US businessman Paul Allen and former boss Graeme Souness were among those keen on the southcoast outfit.

Saints sold Gareth Bale to Tottenham to reduce their debts, but they are still estimated at around £25million. Buying all the shares would cost a further £30m. However Maktoum is one of the richest men in the world and the attraction of Southampton is that they have their own modern ground and a large fan base.

Source: The Mirror

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Vasko handed Saints trial

Southampton have invited Hungarian defender Tamas Vasko for a five-day trial.

George Burley is looking for reinforcements after Chris Baird completed his move to Fulham.

Ujpest FC captain Vasko will be in England until Wednesday and will feature in the friendly with Eastleigh this weekend.

"We will be having a look at him over the next few days," said Burley.

"He's a big lad, a real centre-half and an international.

"We've got the chance to check him out so he will play at Eastleigh before coming with us to Norway."

The 23-year-old has so far made three appearances for Hungary.

Source: Skysports

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Southampton are ready to offer £1 million for Reading defender Sam Sodje.

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George Burley says he will soon decide whether to take trialists Tamas Vasko and Gregory Vignal on loan for next season.

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Saints in investment talks

Southampton say they are in discussions with "more than one interested party" about a possible takeover.

In April, the Championship club confirmed they had received a preliminary approach about a possible investment in the club.

But the St Mary's outfit have confirmed to the Stock Exchange they are now holding talks with at least one other potential investor.

"The board had hoped, and were given an indication, that certain parties would make an investment in the company during the course of the financial year," the statement read.

"Unfortunately, no such investment was made and the board have subsequently sought to identify and obtain funds from other potential investors to enable the company to achieve its full potential.

"Subsequently the board announced on 27 April 2007 that it had received a preliminary approach that may or may not lead to an offer being made for the company.

"The board is pleased to report that it is now in discussions with more than one interested party which may or may not lead to an offer. Further announcements will be made as and when appropriate."

Source: Skysports

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Burley: Rasiak not for sale

George Burley has warned Sheffield Wednesday that Southampton striker Grzegorz Rasiak is not for sale.

Rasiak rattled in 18 goals in the Championship last season and has been linked with a £2million move to Hillsborough.

But Saints boss Burley insists the Polish hit-man will not be leaving St Mary's as he does not want to weaken his squad further.

"You always get speculation, but I've told Grzegorz I don't want to sell him," Burley told the club's official website.

"Wednesday have not made a bid and I have told Brian Laws certainly now I'm not looking to sell him.

"We've had to sell two of our best players from last season in Gareth Bale and Chris Baird, and we've lost Leon Best, and those three players are big misses to our squad and we can't afford to weaken the squad any further."

Owls boss Laws confirmed he is a fan of Rasiak, who has shone at Southampton after a difficult spell with Tottenham.

Laws told the Sheffield Star: "What we are interested in are good players - and Rasiak's a good player."

Meanwhile, Burley is still making up his mind about trialists Tamas Vasko and Gregory Vignal, who have been with Saints on the pre-season trip to Norway.

Burley added: "Tamas is a fairly simple one where we can get it as a loan, but with Gregory finances come into it and it is a case of whether I think they are going to add to the squad and be better than what we have got."

Source: Skysports

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Burley hopeful on Vignal

Southampton manager George Burley is hopeful of landing former Liverpool defender Gregory Vignal on loan.

The Lens defender has impressed the Scottish tactician after linking up with the South Coast side on trial.

Burley is now looking to push through a loan deal for the Frenchman, who spent the 2005/06 season with Portsmouth.

"We are speaking to Lens about a year-long loan. That is where we are at the moment," he told the club's official website.

"We are short of a left-back with Gareth Bale leaving and he has good ability.

"He loves to get forward and has a good left foot and we should know more in the next week."

Source: Skysports

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Crouch sacked as Saints chairman

Leon Crouch described himself as "gutted" after being sacked as acting chairman of the football board this morning.

Crouch attended a specially arranged PLC board meeting at St Mary's where the executive directors voted in favour of removing him from the football board and therefore taking away his position as acting chairman.

The New Forest based businessman, who owns just under ten per cent of the club's shares, decided to go to St Mary's to have his fate confirmed rather than take part in a telephone conference.

The move to remove Crouch has only deepened the now massive rift between the executive and non-executive directors of the club and an emotional Crouch was clearly upset as he spoke outside St Mary's after leaving the meeting.

He said: "I'm gutted. I'm gutted with the use of executive powers today.

"I shouldn't have been sacked. I have done my best and will continue to do so. This is a great job and a club that deserves to be in the Premiership and I will do everything I can now and in the future to make that a reality."

He added: "To be chairman was a life long dream. To me Southampton Football Club is a great club with a great fan base and a good set up and good academy.

"George is a good manager and he can get us back to the Premiership. I hope whatever happens today does not distract what happens on the pitch. I don't want that.

"This club is not about me it's about the fans."

Crouch also issued a statement detailing his views on what is happening at the club, as did another non-executive director Patrick Trant.

An official club spokesman responded to Crouch's comments by saying: "The work to bring in the much needed new investment continues."

Source: The Daily Echo, news, sport and features from the pages of your favourite Hampshire newspaper

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Three game ban for Powell

Southampton's Darren Powell will miss the first three games of the season after being sent off in the pre-season friendly game against Bournemouth.

Referee Keith Stroud produced a red card after the defender was involved in a scuffle with Cherries midfield trialist Phil Mulryne.

On Tuesday the suspension was confirmed and Powell will now miss the matches against Crystal Palace, Peterborough United and Norwich City.

George Burley's men went on to win the game 2-1 but that will be no consolation to the Saints boss as he is short of players in the defensive department.

Source: Skysports

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PELE BLUNDER GOAL LIFTS CITY BUT SAINTS EASE TO FRIENDLY VICTORY

Southampton produced a much-improved second half display to come from behind and defeat Exeter 4-2 in a pre-season friendly at St James's Park last night.

Richard Logan gave City a deserved lead on the stroke of half-time but the visitors improved immensely after the break and the margin of victory could have been greater.

As it was, goals from Adam Lallana, Kenwyne Jones and a double from Gregorz Rasiak earned the Saints a deserved victory with a comedy own goal from Pele, of all people, reducing the arrears.

City manager Paul Tisdale persevered with the 3-4-3 formation his side experimented with in last Friday's 1-1 draw against Port Vale and he will take positives from his side's first half performance.

There was another refreshing display from Dean Moxey down the left, a competent performance from George Friend on the left of a back-three and a also from Logan in attack.

However, the gulf in class between the Conference and the Championship became increasingly apparent after the break and a video of the game could well highlight one or two defensive lessons.

Matt Gill came in for Neil Saunders in central midfield with the recent recruit from Team Bath nursing a sore knee.

Moxey and Steve Tully continued on the flanks with Logan up front alongside Jamie Mackie and Adam Stansfield.

The big news as far as the visitors were concerned was the inclusion of Exeter-born full-back Jamie Hatch.

But, unfortunately for the talented youngster, a promising return to St James's Park was cut short when he was replaced after 28 minutes, unable to run off an ankle knock sustained in a challenge with Logan.

Southampton named a strong side, featuring Czech international Mario Licka in midfield and the free-scoring Polish international Marek Saganowski up front alongside Trinidad and Tobago's World Cup player Kenwyne Jones.

The Grecians had the ball in the net as early as the fourth minute only for the linesman's flag to disappoint the home fans. A slick move set up Andy Taylor on the right. He produced a measured cross but Moxey was adjudged to have strayed offside as he thumped home on the volley.

Saints immediately swept up the other end and once Paul Jones had just about dealt with a dangerous cross from Chris Makin, he had to be at his best to beat away a header from Darren Powell.

At the other end, a hopeful cross from Logan almost embarrassed Bart Bialakowski in the Southampton goal but he back-tracked adeptly to palm the ball over from underneath his crossbar.

Hatch was becoming more involved and, after a dogged 50-50 with Moxey, the right-back emerged with the ball to crisply prompt a Saints attack down the left.

That was to prove his last contribution, though, as he limped off just before the half hour mark.

Just after his exit the visitors came within a whisker of taking the lead when Richardson acrobatically cleared Kenwyne Jones' header off the line.

It would have been harsh on City who played well throughout the opening period and instead, their enterprise was rewarded with a goal of their own.

Stansfield burst down the right and surprised the advancing Bialakowski with his pace.

His touch took him wide and, after he had cut back and shot, the Polish keeper's parry fell to Logan for the striker to gobble up his second goal in as many games.

Saints made three changes at the break and less than 10 minutes into the half two of their substitutes combined to create an equaliser.

Andrew Surman found space on the left before crossing for Lallana to cushion the ball and find the bottom corner of Paul Jones' goal. Saints were beginning to show glimpses of their attacking potential and just four minutes later they completed the turnaround as Saganowski collected Joseph Mills' pass and cut back for Kenwyne Jones to tap in.

A string of substitutions followed but Saints continued to tighten their grip on proceedings and Surman came close to a third with a spectacular volley that just missed the far post.

Wasteful finishing from Bradley Wright-Phillips, Licka and Surman kept the score down before