Bye Bye Baird, but Hello Hammill

So Chris Baird has eventually left for Fulham. It's a shame to see him go, but if he really wanted premiership football then fair play. It was interesting to see him snub a move to Sunderland in favour of waiting for one to Fulham. There are probably two good reasons though; Lawrie Sanchez and Mrs Baird (apparently she doesn't want to leave Hampshire). Plus we could do with the £3m we received to bolster the defence. We still need at least two centre backs and maybe another full back.

Looking at a full-back is exactly what Burley is going to do, Saints have taken Gregory Vignal on trial from Lens, where he would be available on a free transfer. He first came to England when he signed for Liverpool back in 2000, when he was one of the most promising french prospects, despite winning some cup winners medals, he struggled withg injury which led him to be sent out on loan to Rangers. He then opted to join Pompey (under Perrin), but was released when Redknapp returned. He sounds a good prospect and hopefully he can impress over the next week or two and can win himself a contract.

Another missing piece of the puzzle was a winger, someone to add pace, creativity and a cutting edge going forward. Hopefully this may have been filled with the arrival of Adam Hammill on a years loan from Liverpool. The 19 year old winger, who can play on either flank, played most of last season at Dunfermline in the SPL, where he helped them to the Scottish cup final. Hopefully he can proved an excellent addition to the midfield and add some really quality.

In takeover talk, something may or may not happen tomorrow or at the beginning of next week. But that is what's been said nearly every week for the last couple of months. The talk this week has sounded more believable with many people in the know (ITK) all agreeing on a big story, but not letting anything slip to the rest of us. Although, it has been commented that the proposal of one of the possible interested parties would rock the whole footballing world. To be honest this probably sounds to good to be true, which it usually is for Saints. Anyway, getting bored of the whole saga, lets just hope the whole thing is sorted (either way) sooner rather than later, so we can get back to concentrating on the football!

A musical tribute to Adam Hammill from the Dunfermline fans:

Potential Takeovers

So still no word on a prospective takeover and so I've recently become addicted to following the Saints Forum, where the PA takeover thread provides great entertainment, frustration, hope, disallusionment etc etc. At the time of writing the thread had 95,964 views with over 2000 posts. There has been lots of speculation, with a few people claiming inside knowledge (some more credibly than others!). The general consensus is that Paul Allen is in the process of a takeover attempt, but this might also be dependent on him acquire much of the surround land to create a new development. This is what may be slowing up the proposed move. If this is true and is eventually completed, this is hugely exciting prospect, not just for the Saints, but for the city as a whole. A benefactor like Allen, redeveloping some of the old industrial area would surely breath life back into a large part of the city.

Over at the Forum, the stock market is watch constantly, and attempts are normally underway to locate/track Mr Allens three super-yachts. The fact that the share price has been at a constant high of about 62p for a week or so is very promising. I have personally tried to contact Mr Allen's people through his press office, but have had no response. I guess if it was a complete load of rubbish they would have said that and be done with it.

So, hopes are high that a takeover will happen, although the timing is anybodies guess, could be monday, could be september (or later). A waiting game is required here, the patience of a Saint!!!

In other news, Chris Baird handed in a transfer request after clear interest from Fulham. Saints rejected an initial bid of about £2.5m, and since Baird requested to be transfer listed. You may ask why, if a takeover is imminent? But it may be the case that he knows no more than us, and he wants the chance to play top-flight football next year, while at the peak of his career. He would also be joining his former international boss Lawrie Sanchez, who is clearly a huge fan of Baird. I personally can't really blame him for requesting a move and wish him all the best for the future. But I still can't help feeling a little disappointed by his decision. He had a great season last year, and Saints really made progress. I might have hoped he could have repayed the fans (who voted him player of the year) with one more season. Never mind! Unless the board are trying to delay selling him a bit longer, hoping that a takeover will happen and we can persuade him to stay.

So keep the faith all, keep your fingers/toes/arms/legs/EVERYTHING crossed, that we get some good news soon and the club can really start to build for the future.