Saints' starlets attracting attention.

17 year old Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

For a number of years now the Southampton FC Youth Academy has been producing some of the brightest young talents in the UK. Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale, Wayne Bridge and even the great Alan Shearer are all products of the Southampton youth system. All have since left the Saints to go on to bigger and better things in the Premiership. Walcott plays for Arsenal, Bale for Spurs and Bridge now plays for West Ham but had stints at Man City and Chelsea too. Alan Shearer initially left Southampton for Blackburn before returning to his home town of Newcastle, where he played for the majority of his career.

Anyways, enough of the history lesson. The fact is, two new youngsters, both products of the Saints Youth Academy, are being watched by Premier League clubs. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Adam “I don't-have-a-fancy-double-barrelled-second-name” Lallana are playing some great football for Southampton down in League One.

Adam Lallana (Right)

Lallana had a breakout season last year, scoring 20 goals as Saints marched towards success in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and a 7^th place finish in the League (they started the season with -10 points). Oxlade-Chamberlain, on the other hand, is currently in the middle of his breakout season. His recent form on the wing for Southampton has been nothing short of astonishing and he deserves all the plaudits he is getting.

Despite the undoubted talent of both players, whether or not they could play in the Premier League, at least right now, is disputable. If either player moved to a club like Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea, they wouldn't get anywhere near the first team. They would be playing reserve team football or warming the bench. They might get 10 minutes of game time here or there in the cup competitions but they won't progress as players.

Theo Walcott made the mistake of leaving Saints for Arsenal at too young an age and sat on the Gunners' bench for two years before playing. In contrast, Gareth Bale stayed at Saints for an extra year after gaining the Premier League's attention, learned his trade by playing regularly, and is now thought of as one of the best left wingers in the world.

Southampton do not have to sell their prize players any more (thank you Markus Liebherr), but if the players really want to leave and would like to ply their trade at a higher level, they should really make sure they are ready to do so. Lallana seems to have already made his decision by signing a four-and-a-half year deal with Saints in a move that will delight the fans.

It is worth noting that Southampton have yet to recieve any offers for either player despite Lallana and Oxlade-Chamberlain being linked to Newcastle United and Liverpool respectively.

FA Cup Weekend: A look at some of the tastier ties.

The FA Cup

Saturday:

Arsenal v Leeds

Brighton v Portsmouth

Burton v Middlesbrough

Southampton v Blackpool
Stevenage v Newcastle

Tottenham v Charlton

Sunday:

Leicester v Man City
Man Utd v Liverpool

Arsenal v Leeds:

Two great clubs with great history will clash at the Emirates on Saturday. While one has fallen quite spectacularly from grace, the other finds itself chasing Man Utd for the Premiership title. A forgone conclusion then? I'm not so sure. Arsenal have not been entirely convincing at home this season and Leeds are a tough side to face on their day. They will be pumped up for this game and could, with a bit of luck, pull off a big upset here. Arsenal are the favourites of course, but keep your eyes on this one. Leeds have already proven they are giant killers after dumping Man Utd out of the FA Cup at this point last year.

Brighton v Portsmouth:

South coast rivals Brighton and Portsmouth face each other this saturday in what should be a fiery affair. Red hot Brighton, who top League One, will find themselves to be the underdogs in this game despite the fact that Portsmouth, 18^th in the Championship, are struggling at the moment. I fancy Brighton in this one although manager, Gus Poyet, will surely ring some changes as he has one eye on the League One title race.

Burton v Middlesbrough:

Look to this game for an FA Cup upset. Middlesbrough are having an awful season in the Championship and find themselves sat just outside the relegation zone despite being favourites for the league title before the season started. Burton Albion (currently 17^th in League Two) will be playing on their own turf in front of their own fans and will very much believe that they can pull off a shock here. This one could be very interesting indeed. The Teesiders simply cannot afford to lose this game.

Southampton v Blackpool:

Blackpool, with their focus on Premier League survival and Southampton, with their focus on promotion from League One, will probably both make several changes to their squads. This will cast the spotlight on some of the fringe players from both squads who will be looking to stake a claim for their respective first teams. Southampton come into the game in the better form of the two sides but Blackpool are a Premiership club and will be heavy favourites. I fancy Saints to take the game to Blackpool, possibly forcing a replay. A cup run is hardly in either club's plans this year but they are always welcome for the morale boost they bring.

Stevenage v Newcastle:

A replay of one of the best FA Cup ties of the last 20 years sees Stevenage take on the club they so very nearly dumped out of the Cup back in 1997/98. After drawing 1-1 with the Toon at Stevenage, the Boro were unfortunate to lose the replay 2-1 at St. James' Park where goal-line technology actually showed that Alan Shearer's opening goal in the replay did not cross the line. While we all hope the magic of the FA Cup will produce a game similar to the one we witnessed over ten years ago, I think the Magpies will overcome Stevenage at the first time of asking here.

Tottenham v Charlton:

An all London clash awaits us at White Hart Lane this Saturday as Tottenham host Charlton. This game should be a forgone conclusion, with Tottenham playing so well this season and Charlton sitting two leagues below them. However, derby games have a way of upsetting the status quo, as do FA Cup games. I would still expect Tottenham to win this one but it might be closer than first expected.

Leicester v Man City:

Sven Goran Eriksson entertains his former club at the Walkers Stadium this weekend in what should be a relatively easy game for the away side. Eriksson enjoyed a decent spell at the Manchester club (that included two derby wins over rivals Man Utd) before being rather unjustly sacked after just one season in charge. Leicester will fancy themselves, as they are playing at home, but the might of Man City will be too much for the Swede and his Foxes.

Man Utd v Liverpool:

In what is easily the pick of all the third round ties, Manchester United will host their bitter rivals Liverpool. This could be the make or break game for Roy Hodgson as Liverpool manager. Lose and he may be out of a job. Win and things could start to turn around. To beat heavy favourites United on their own turf could provide the team with a much needed spark to kick-start their season. I would like to see Liverpool win this one but they have been so naff this season that I just can't see it. Man Utd are a tough side to face even on a bad day and should have more than enough to see off the Merseysiders.

The problem with football

Le Tiss: loved, and loved by, his club

Contracts don't seem to mean anything in football these days. Managers are hired and fired at an alarming rate and players are signed to lengthy contracts that they rarely intend to stick to. In the last 10 years I can think of only a handful of people, both managers and players, who have been with one club for a long time. Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have been at Manchester United and Arsenal for 24 years and 14 years respectively. Francesco Totti (AS Roma), Ryan Giggs (Manchester United) and Matthew Le Tissier (Southampton) are three players who committed their entire careers to one club. There aren't too many more to tell you about, at least not in the last 20 years, which is both a shame and a sign of what football has become today.

Footballers are becoming more and more like mercenaries, playing for whoever will pay them the most money, and managers are under increasing pressure to bring instant success to their clubs and are cast aside if results go against them. Whereas in the past the leagues in any one country would be full of native players, today there are many foreigners who play alongside them. This is the especially the case in the Premier league, which attracts the best players from all over the world. The main problem I have with this is that all the new players coming in to the country have no affinity for any club. They don't support any team and therefore have no ties or love for that team. There is nothing to stop them from leaving when the going gets rough.

Modern players are only out for success. If they don't get it at one club, they will move to another, and another until they do. Call me old fashioned, but I believe you should play primarily for the love of the game and the love of your team. Any trophies or success should be secondary to that. Players like Matthew Le Tissier at Southampton and Alan Shearer at Newcastle United have attained an almost god-like status with their fans but have never won any major honours at those respective clubs. Success was secondary to them and they are loved because of it. The game desperately needs more characters like them.

Also, I have a problem with the frequency with which managers are being fired these days. To expect one man to come in and deliver instant success to any club is utter madness. Sure, the manager plays a big part and a great manager can do great things, but success is also down to the players, the staff behind the scenes and, of course, the Chairman. The reason for managers being fired so often is simple: there are more and more non-footballing people getting involved in football.

We have a lot of loaded businessmen who are buying football clubs these days who have too much say concerning how the club is run at the football level. There are also a lot of chairmen around who also don't know football. These people don't realise it takes time to build a trophy-winning squad and short term success is not always attainable. 

Alex Ferguson

Look at Alex Ferguson. His first three years at Manchester United were pretty naff. It is also claimed that he was on the verge of being fired before he was fortunate enough to win the FA Cup in the 1989/90 season. Following this, Manchester United stayed with him and are now on the verge of becoming the most successful English club in history.

There is a lot wrong with football these days and unfortunately it is all down to money. Football is a business, the players are the assets and we are the customers. Rant over.