Guly do Prado – a Lower League Brazilian at Southampton

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Southampton fan Rob Orr profiles Guly do Prado, a player who helped Saints secure back-to-back promotions…

Guilherme do Prado, known more commonly to Saints fans as ‘Guly’, first arrived on English shores as a loan signing from Italian side Cesena in August 2010. Being only the second Brazilian to play for Southampton after the great Charles Miller, the man credited with introducing the sport to Brazil, his unveiling was met with much optimism by fans of the South Coast club.

The club hierarchy did their best to float the deal as a marquee signing, promising that Guly’s samba skills would soon be lighting up the pitches of League 1 and might provide the catalyst to propel the Saints out of the lowly depths to which they had fallen. Do Prado did indeed do enough in his five-month loan spell, scoring six goals in 17 appearances, to ensure Southampton exercised their right to purchase him that January. He would go on to have a successful season, playing a major part in promotion to the Championship. Continue reading

Southampton’s Success Built On Solid Foundations

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TFN debutant and Southampton fan Rob Orr takes a look at the Saints’ exciting return to prominence in the Premier League…

It has been quite a week for Southampton Football Club. Not only did they finish it in third place in the Premier League but a trio of their attacking stars found themselves selected in the England squad. For many outsiders, the Saints remarkable rise has come as just as much of a surprise as the call up for Jay Rodriguez, an event unpredicted even by the majority of Saints fans. To those within and around the club, however, the ascent to the top quarter of the Premier League has come as no great shock, though perhaps it has occurred a season or so earlier than most might have imagined.

Southampton’s current form should not be considered a flash in the pan. Theirs has been a rapid yet measured and continual rise from the depths of League One, augmented last year by the appointment of a truly gifted manager in Mauricio Pochettino. Yet, despite back-to-back promotions from League One and the Championship, and an impressive first season back in the Premier League, many neutrals are still ignorant of the reasons for Southampton’s resurgence.

A question that seems to come up time and again is “But aren’t Southampton bankrupt?” – the simple answer is, “No”. As of July 2009, when the Saints were bought by Swiss businessman Markus Liebherr, the club have been in fantastic financial health, hence their ability to break their transfer record several times with acquisitions including Rodriguez, Victor Wanyama and Dani Osvaldo. Continue reading

Hypothetical XI #12 – PFA Player of the Year 2012-13 Omissions

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Following the announcement of the nominations for PFA Player and Young Player of the Year, James Dutton and Greg Johnson looked at some of the notable omissions… Continue reading