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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Yoshida captains Japan to victory

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The Southampton defender captained the Blue Samurai for the first time in his career at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain.

Yuya Kubo’s first-half strike gave Japan a well deserved lead at the break before Yasuyuki Konno then doubled the score and confirmed the victory on the 51st minute.

The result sees Japan remain joint top of Group B with Saudi Arabia, who saw off Thailand 3-0 earlier in the day.

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 24/03/2017 08:34:01

| | 10 goals, five assists this season - should Southampton make summer move for one-time loan flop starring in Serie A?HEREISTHECITY |
| | Southampton star makes vow to fans | | Where football transfer rumours fly or die!THETRANSFERTAVERN |
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| Puel favourite makes huge hint over summer Southampton switchSHOOTCOUK |

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

As many as six #SaintsFC players could be in international action today!

Find out who is set to feature: http://sfcne.ws/Intls240317

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 24/03/2017 09:34:14

| | Simon Peach’s first Southampton shirt will make you long for Le TissTHEFOOTBALLSHIRTCOLLECTIVE |
| | Should Everton boss Ronald Koeman target first signing for Southampton following his recent comments about Puel?HEREISTHECITY |

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The Ugly Inside News for Southampton

New content from (- The Ugly Inside News for Southampton)

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Sourced from Daily Echo article

Saints in danger of falling behind

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IT is, in some ways, a total no brainer.

Katharina Liebherr could be about to sever her family’s eight-year ownership of Southampton Football Club, by selling out to Chinese firm Lander Sports.

A figure of £190m has been mentioned - a huge increase on the £12m her father Markus splashed out to save Saints from potential oblivion in the summer of 2009.

Though Chinese ownership has brought strange managerial changes to several midlands clubs in recent months, there is no doubting Saints are in need of fresh investment if they are to avoid being left well adrift by the Premier League’s elite.

Not necessarily in terms of being competitive on the field of play, but certainly in terms of being competitive off it.

What follows are some figures which starkly illustrate the task facing those who run Saints.

This is what Southampton FC are up against - some of the most impressive money-making machines in world sport.

And, as we can easily see, the rich are only getting richer …

Saints last week revealed their accounts for the year ending June 2016.

Most of that came via the Premier League’s recession-proof television deals, with £18.8m coming from matchday income and £12m from commercial income.

They might seem healthy figures, and indeed they are. But compared to the clubs Saints are up against in the races for silverware and European places, it is the proverbial drop in the ocean.

In the 20th annual Deloittes report into football finance, published earlier this year, United were revealed as the richest club in the world.

While Saints’ turnover was £124.2m in 2015/16, United’s was £515m.

Of that, a staggering £272.1m was from commercial income - £260.1m more than Saints’ total in the same period.

United’s cross-city rivals were fifth in the latest Deloittes rankings with a turnover of £392m. Their commercial income was over £170m.

Arsenal Seventh in the rankings with a turnover of £350.4m. A staggering £99.9m of that was via matchday income - the second highest in the world behind Manchester United’s £102.8m total. But United do have around 14,000 seats more at Old Trafford than the Gunners have at The Emirates.

Eighth in the Deloittes list with a £344m turnover, including £122m of commercial income.

That is not enough, for the club are eager to build a new 60,000-capacity stadium at their historic Stamford Bridge home (current capacity 41,000). Plans were recently approved by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who said the £500m redevelopment would produce “a jewel in London’s sporting crown” and attract visitors and fans from around the world. And they would all pump more cash into Chelsea’ bank account.

Ninth in the Deloittes list with £302m, including commercial income of £119.5m. Those figures will only increase now the club have opened their new £100m stand, which boasts an extra 8,500 seats - taking the Anfield capacity to 54,000.

12th in the Deloittes list with £209m. Their matchday income in 2015/16 was ‘only’ £40.8m - nowhere near half of Arsenal’s - hence the club’s move to a new stadium. From the start of 2018/19, Tottenham will be playing at a 61,000 capacity stadium - so watch their income soar as a result.

18th in the Deloittes list with £143.8m. Though not as successful on the pitch as Saints in recent years, in 2015/16 the club’s matchday income (£26.9m) and commercial income (£30.2m) figures were both higher than Saints’. And, now the Hammers are attracting 50,000 plus crowds following their move to the London Stadium, just watch their revenues rise dramatically.

The surprise 2015/16 Premier League champions just sneaked into the Deloittes’ top 20, with a turnover of £128.7m. Though their matchday income was smaller than Saints’ - at just £11.5m - their commercial income was noticeably higher at £22.5m.

So there you have it. Eight of Saints’ top flight rivals enjoyed greater earning power in 2015/16.

Now bear in mind that only the top five in the Premier League are guaranteed a European place through their league position.

Finishing sixth and seventh - as Saints have done in the last two seasons - can gain you a Europa League place … BUT only if teams who finish in the top five also win the FA Cup and League Cup.

In itself, that underlines the task facing Saints. Namely, how to try and keep up with those able to flex larger financial muscles?

Now bear this in mind - the above list does not include Everton.

But the Toffees are starting to re-establish themselves as a top seven force following Iranian-British businessman Farhad Moshiri’s takeover in February 2016 and the subsequent appointment of Ronald Koeman as manager.

Moshiri’s personal wealth is believed to be over £3bn, and he is serious about making Everton a big player on the Premier League stage. A new £300m 60,000 stadium is on the agenda and only yesterday the club took a significant step towards their goal of building it on the banks of the River Mersey after securing a deal to acquire land in the city.

Add the Toffees into the equation - and then add Newcastle, with their 50,000 home attendances, if they come back up to the top flight - and the maths become ever harder for Saints.

Given all those financial stats previously mentioned, how can Liebherr NOT sell to a company that is promising larger investment than she can either a) afford or b) willingly commit to?

Deep down, she probably knows the answer to that one.

Chief executive Gareth Rogers probably knows it too.

Only last week, he told the Echo that the club cannot just rely on the ever increasing broadcasting incomes. Handsome though those sums are, every club gets them - not just Saints.

Speaking about the broadcasting income, Rogers said: “We have to rely on that significantly but we don’t want that to be our sole source of income.

“We want to supplement that to become more competitive.

“Everybody has the broadcasting income and the difference between the top and the bottom is not that great in the spread in the Premier League.

“Therefore, your competitive advantage comes from being able to have greater commercial income.

“Look at the top six clubs and their competitive advantage comes from massive commercial income, not necessarily from broadcasting.”

And they also shine a light on why Saints should crave fresh investment if they are to keep pace in an increasingly tough environment.

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Sourced from A tweet by SouthamptonFC tweet

@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

#SaintsFC’s @NathanRedmond22 is up for the #PL March Player of the Month award!

Vote here: http://sfcne.ws/VoteRedmond https://grabyo.com/g/v/dXKVH4InWgD

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

#OnThisDay in 2012, @billysharp10 struck twice as #SaintsFC recorded a 2-0 win over #DRFC at St Mary’s: https://grabyo.com/g/v/VEcajwg9z2o

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Read Southampton

New content from (- Read Southampton)

| Liverpool to rival Chelsea in van Dijk pursuit | Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk could be the subject of a tug of war between Liverpool and Chelsea this summer. … 24-03-2017 |

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Sourced from A tweet by SouthamptonFC tweet

@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

:trophy: @ShaneLong7
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:trophy: @HarrisonReed

Let the @GarminUK #SaintsFC Stadium Challenge begin! #BeatYesterday https://grabyo.com/g/v/JgUuyqEtUZ9

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Sourced from Reuters.co.uk article

Stand-in skipper Yoshida ‘buzzing’ after Japan win

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Yuya Kubo and Yasuyuki Konno scored a goal in each half in Al Ain to keep the four-times Asian champions locked on 13 points with Group B leaders Saudi Arabia in Asian qualifying for the next year’s World Cup finals.

Yoshida said he felt a lot more pressure to deliver a result in the absence of Hasebe.

“I’m buzzing. Of course, for me it was the first time to take such a great responsibility,” the 28-year-old told Kyodo News.

“You feel more pressure than usual and I wanted to try even harder for Hasebe. In another way, I didn’t want us to lose and people say the reason was because Hasebe was not in the team.”

Hasebe was forced to undergo surgery on his right knee in Tokyo this week and will miss the rest of the Bundesliga season, his German club Eintracht Frankfurt said.

“I’m sure I’ll be able to rejoin the team in time for next year’s pre-season training,” the 33-year-old told the club website.

Midfielder Hasebe has been an important figure for Japan over the last decade, helping the side win the 2011 Asian Cup and qualify for 2010 and 2014 World Cups.

Japan, who are looking for a sixth straight appearance at the World Cup finals, host bottom-placed Thailand at the Saitama Stadium on Tuesday. The top two from the group go through to the finals.

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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Busy day of internationals ahead

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Dušan Tadić is with the Serbia squad for an important World Cup qualifying match away to Georgia (5pm GMT).

Serbia are currently second in Group D, with eight points from their opening four matches, putting them two behind Republic of Ireland.

Ireland, who have Shane Long in their squad, will be looking to at least maintain that advantage at the top of the group tonight, as they host third-placed Wales, in Dublin (7.45pm GMT).

Elsewhere, it’s friendly action for Saints’ players, with Under-23s defender Richard Bakery with Benin for their visit to Mauritania (5pm GMT).

Sofiane Boufal is back with Morocco, after missing the Africa Cup of Nations through injury, as they host Burkina Faso (7pm GMT).

Sam McQueen and Jack Stephens will both also hope to see some playing time, as they are with the England Under-21s team for their visit to Germany (7pm GMT).

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Sourced from Daily Mail article

Quiz: Can you name these players from their list of clubs?

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Just how well do you know the career paths of most well-known footballers?

Well enough to identify a footballer - from four possible options - from just a list of clubs that he played for?

What if the list of clubs he played for are in a random order? That is, not the order in which he played for them.

How about if the other player options also represented many of the clubs listed?

Could you still figure out who they are if some of the players retired a number of years ago or perhaps never played in the Premier League?

Your task is to identify as many of the 20 different footballers as you can.

And remember, the clubs listed are in random order.

If you’re unable to see the quiz in the MailOnline app or in Facebook Instant Articles please click on the following link to view it on our website instead.

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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Pied thrilled to be back

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The right-back has been sidelined for almost the entire season so far with a knee problem, but was today once again involved in a session with Claude Puel’s squad.

Pied, who made a substitute appearance in the 1-1 home draw with Watford on the opening day of the campaign before suffering the cruciate injury, was thrilled to be back among it.

"I am very happy to come back with the first-team,” said the 28-year-old. “I had some training with the Under-23s two weeks ago, so it was not my first training, but I am happy to come back with the first-team today.

"It’s been very difficult. I’m an ambitious guy, so it has been difficult for me with this injury, but with a lot of work and motivation, and thanks to my teammates and medical staff, everyone in Southampton helped me to have a good rehabilitation.

“Between six and seven months was very long, but today the worst is behind me and I feel good on the pitch and I am really happy to have this good rehabilitation.”

The French defender added: “Today I feel good and I am happy and ready, step by step, to show to my teammates and the fans, and everybody who believes in me here, my best and to give my best for them.”

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Sourced from Sky Sports article

Football manager job security at all-time low, study finds

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How long do managers last at the top 92 clubs in England? We’ve crunched the numbers to reveal the exact average in days…

Job security for managers in England’s top four tiers is at an all-time low, a Sky Sports study has found.

A remarkable 75 managers were sacked, quit or failed to last after temporary stints in charge last season - the highest total in English football history.

In addition, the average tenure for a departing manager last term was an all-time low of just 423 days.

This season, 51 managers have been axed or walked already and the average tenure is just 477 days and, with over three months until July 1st, that number could still drop below that threshold to break a new record.

In the first years after the Second World War, managers had an average tenure of more than seven years, with just 20 departing their roles during the 1946/47 season.

But even as recently as 1992/93, managers could expect to be in charge for nearly three years, with just 25 coaches losing their jobs in the first Premier League season.

For the study, Sky Sports recorded every manager who has lasted 35 days or more at a current top-four tier club since 1946/47 to work out how long the average boss keeps his job, with the help of Soccerbase.com data.

There have been a number of managerial departures this season which have highlighted the insecurity football managers face.

Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri was sacked in February 2017, despite leading Leicester to a 5000-1 shock Premier League win last season, while Aitor Karanka - who led Middlesbrough to the top flight last term - left his post last week.

Bob Bradley only lasted 85 days at Swansea before receiving his marching orders, while Walter Zenga (Wolves), Kenny Jackett (Rotherham), Alberto Cavasin, Andy Edwards (both Leyton Orient), Russell Slade (Coventry), Chris Brass (Bury), all lasted fewer than 100 days at the helm this term in the lower leagues.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is under pressure to step down after a string of poor results, but the Frenchman is unlikely to consider resignation lightly after more than 20 years in charge of the Gunners.

Wenger is England’s longest-serving, active manager and currently holds the 10th-longest reign in our study, which is nearly twice as long as the next longest active tenure, held by Paul Tisdale at Exeter (10 years, nine months).

But neither Wenger or Tisdale come close to the all-time record set by Fred Everiss, who was in charge of West Brom between 1902 and 1948 - the longest tenure of any football manager in English history.

Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson’s 26-and-a-half-year reign at Old Trafford was the third-longest in our list, ahead of another ex United boss Sir Matt Busby.

In terms of average tenures at clubs since 1946/47, Manchester United, boosted by Ferguson’s tenure, lead the pack with the average boss lasting 2,346 days.

Arsenal have the second longest with 2,172 days, followed by Ipswich (2,007), West Ham (1,916), Liverpool (1,741) and Everton (1,473).

Relative Football League newcomers Morecambe (1,988) and AFC Wimbledon (1,790) also have high averages, due to their recent promotions from non league.

Meanwhile, Notts County have had more managers than any other current top-four tier club over the last 70 years - appointed 48 managers for more than 35 days and averaging around 500 days at the helm each.

Check out the table below to see how many managers your club has appointed…

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Sourced from London Evening Standard article

Liverpool will rival Chelsea for £50m-rated Van Dijk

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Liverpool have emerged as serious rivals to Chelsea to sign Virgil van Dijk if the defender leaves Southampton this summer.

Chelsea have been keen on the Netherlands international for much of the season and are expected to intensify their interest at the end of the campaign but they may face serious competition from Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Both clubs are in the market for at least one new centre-back and Van Dijk is top of their lists.

Southampton would demand a huge fee for the 25-year-old — probably in the region of the £50million Manchester City paid Everton for John Stones last summer.

Last December, Southampton boss Claude Puel was forced to deny reports that Van Dijk had a £25m release clause in his contract.

Van Dijk joined Saints from Celtic in September 2015 and signed a new contract the following May. That deal still has five years to run, leaving Southampton in a strong negotiating position.

But Van Dijk, who has been sidelined with a foot injury since January 22, would be open to leaving St Mary’s for one of the Premier League’s top clubs if given permission.

Van Dijk had established himself as one of the most impressive centre-backs in English football before his injury, and Manchester United and City also showed a tentative interest in January before he was sidelined.

It is believed Chelsea have identified Van Dijk for the right-side role in their three-man defence, currently occupied by Cesar Azpilicueta.

Chelsea’s extra fixtures — they are virtual certainties to play in the Champions League next season, after their absence from Europe this term — means manager Antonio Conte is keen to add to his squad. The Italian is thought to have been promised significant funds to do so.

If Liverpool fail to qualify for Europe’s main club competition, it will be more difficult to sign coveted players such as Van Dijk. Klopp’s team are currently fourth in the Premier League, four points clear of fifth-placed Manchester United, who have two games in hand.

But Liverpool hope their rich history, exciting style of football and Klopp’s plan to restore them to the summit of the English game can persuade transfer targets to choose them over wealthier clubs such as Chelsea.

Former Southampton players Sadio Mane, Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne and Dejan Lovren are key members of Klopp’s first-team squad.

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 24/03/2017 12:35:02

| | Report: Ryan Bertrand is ready to quit Southampton amid Manchester City interest; Dusan Tadic will also consider his …HEREISTHECITY |
| | New England Duo Show Saints Are Getting It Right ! - Southampton NewsTHEUGLYINSIDE |
|

| Premier League news: Chelsea’s Matic one of the best but Liverpool’s Grujic needs time, says TadicGOALDOTCOM |
| | Saints scout set for Austrian spying missionCLUBCALL |
| | Southampton FC hails positive performance with turnover riseINSIDERMEDIA |
| | International round-up: How did Southampton’s players get on for their countries?STMARYSMUSINGS |
| | Talented: This could be the potential Southampton XI in five years time | | Where football transfer rumours fly or die!THETRANSFERTAVERN |
| | Scout: Just what could Southampton get from this huge Chelsea deal?SHOOTCOUK |

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Sourced from Daily Star article

Liverpool out to beat Chelsea to Virgil van Dijk - Southampton will demand upwards of £50m

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But Southampton could demand as much as £50m for the Dutch defender. Both Premier League giants want to bolster their back-line at the end of the season and the London Evening Standard claim that Van Dijk is now top of their wish-lists. The 25-year-old, who joined Southampton from Celtic in 2015, has five years left on his current contract.

That puts the Saints in a strong negotiating position and they will reportedly want any potential fee for their star to be near the £50m mark that Manchester City gave Everton for John Stones. Chelsea will hold a major advantage over their transfer rivals Liverpool if Jurgen Klopp’s side miss out on Champions League football next season. Van Dijk would only look to leave St Mary’s for a club competing in Europe’s elite competition. Runaway Premier League leaders Chelsea look nailed on to qualify for the Champions League next season whereas Liverpool face a real challenge to hang on to a top-four finish.

The London Evening Standard add, however, that Liverpool believe their rich history and strong relationship with Southampton will not rule them out of a deal even if they fail to claim top European football. Van Dijk has been out of action since late January with a foot problem. The former Groningen ace had scored four goals in 34 appearances for club and country before that injury blow.

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

As #SaintsFC’s clash with #AFCB next week approaches, reporter @paulbelvers looks ahead to the game: http://sfcne.ws/PBCherriesH

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