King Billy

[philsky]

Just a thought:


@ Will he start today (is he eligible yet ?)
@ Will he score
@ Will the buggers sing our BS song

I reckon it could be y,y,y

RTID

[wardy16]

He's only on the bench for Southampton today

[grayx]

Not even on bench today. Needs playing time or King Billy becomes Fat Billy.

[philsky]

Im sure Sky Sports have just said he's on the bench ?

[Filo]

Not even on bench today. Needs playing time or King Billy becomes Fat Billy.

On the bench, first choice to squad player!

Southampton

    01 Davis
    02 Richardson
    06 Fonte
    13 Fox
    16 Martin
    04 Schneiderlin
    08 Cork
    20 Lallana
    42 Puncheon
    07 Lambert
    22 Connolly

Substitutes

    21 Bialkowski
    03 Harding
    10 Guly
    14 Hammond
    11 Sharp

[DonnyRTID]

Yeah, he is, what a bloody waste.

[philsky]

Strange.

He'll have zero pressure now though and its at fortress St Andrews so maybe its just one up top for Saints

[grayx]

My apologies, must have misheard Jeff.

[PaulRover08]

Sort of proves what I was saying to a lad at work. Connolly is a great player for them when fit and is probably ahead of Sharp in terms of ability, pace and movement. His goals record is not bad either. I think Sharp will have to bide his time.

For me, he should have stayed till the end of the season. I don't think he'll get to the Prem with Saints. I have a sneaky feeling for Blackpool now.

[dumbroofer]

just watched the game,backed billy @ 12/1 to be first scorer after he came on,with saints @5/1 for good measure.
the saints fans singing his name thought it was nailed on,then he misses (for him a sitter)oh well.
still got him as the championships top scorer,so heres hoping

[The Red Baron]

I love the guy and part of me says that I'm happy he's gone to a club who have a sporting chance of getting to the Premier League. The other part says that Billy has only succeded at clubs where their game has been built around him. Southampton have two established strikers in Lambert and Connolly and I don't see either of them being the players to make the bullets for him to fire. Neither is an Andy Keogh or a James Hayter.

It was interesting to note that when Southampton went down to ten men that Billy was asked to play wide right and hardly got in the game at all.

As I say, I'd love him to succeed but I fear that he may not.

[Bentley Bullet]

I fear Billy will only show his true value as a big fish in a small pond. maybe a return to Donny may not be in the too distant future.

Despite this I genuinely hope he achieves his full potential, he fully deserves it.

[grayx]

I love the guy and part of me says that I'm happy he's gone to a club who have a sporting chance of getting to the Premier League. The other part says that Billy has only succeded at clubs where their game has been built around him. Southampton have two established strikers in Lambert and Connolly and I don't see either of them being the players to make the bullets for him to fire. Neither is an Andy Keogh or a James Hayter.

It was interesting to note that when Southampton went down to ten men that Billy was asked to play wide right and hardly got in the game at all.

As I say, I'd love him to succeed but I fear that he may not.

My thoughts exactly. Some players are better being the \"big fish in a little pond\".
Will always be welcome back though.

[RedJ]

Happy birthday, King Billy.

[mutleyrover]

Not only that but should they get promoted, I would expect several new arrivals particularly in the striker department. Hope he gets his shot at the Premier with them though!

[jonnydog]

I don't think he will, not with Southampton anyway. I really can't see it.

Surely when he said he wanted to get into premiership he didn't mean via picking splinters. And as previously stated, if Southampton get promoted new strikers will come in and he may eventually end up in a similar situation.

I really hope this is not the case, but IMO he would have been better staying with us and banging the goals in then, at the end of the season an established premiership outfit would come in and want a proven 20+ a year goal scorer.

I've resisted posting on other Sharp threads as I wanted to let the dust settle so it wasn't just sour-grapes. But after several nights sleeping on it, I can't honestly see how this move will improve anything other than his bank account! (not saying thats whay Billy went, cos I don't believe it is, just dont think it was the right move footballing wise!).

Love the man, loved the player, but I fear the gamble may not pay-off. Hope I'm wrong for Billy's sake though, cos he'll always be a Legend in my eyes!!

[RoversAlias]

I like how people can judge his career at Saints after he is on the bench for his first game. Loads of big new signings start on the bench at their new clubs, Jelavic was a sub for Everton yesterday. There's more examples, he's hardly been consigned permanently to 4th in the pecking order just off of this. He will aim to prove to everyone at Southampton that he is the best striker there.

[northern soul]

My take is that its a no lose investment. We all know he's worth far morethan £1.8m, so of he does fall foul of things, then they could easily recoup that back. Also sod always said he was always better as a lone fro.t man rather than one of two. He was the same at the blunts.

Nothing against the lad, I hope I'm wrong, cos he deserves his chance, but I'm another that thinks its the wrong club.

And I has only been one game, and they did go down to ten men, so..... I could just be talking fiddlesticks.

[RobTheRover]

I like how people can judge his career at Saints after he is on the bench for his first game. Loads of big new signings start on the bench at their new clubs, Jelavic was a sub for Everton yesterday. There's more examples, he's hardly been consigned permanently to 4th in the pecking order just off of this. He will aim to prove to everyone at Southampton that he is the best striker there.

Spot on RA, you'd have thought our fans more than any other would know how capable and determined Billy is. If he isn't playing regularly in 5 games I'll be amazed.

[Sandy Lane]

Disappointing for him, but as you say it's early yet. But I was hoping if/when he went that he would go to Fulham.  I always liked that club, (FulAMerica after all). ;-)    I'm always proud me, when us Yanks do well at your clubs.

But seriously, he would have been in a prem club, one which always seems the need to prove itself, so right up his alley.  Although I didn't really follow that saga, I was secretly hoping if he went, it would be there and at the end of the season.