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Kevin Phillips adds to Jan Poortvliet’s
pain
Russell Kempson
Times
Online
Saturday 26 July 2008
Southampton 1 Birmingham 2
It is a sad state of affairs when,
less than two weeks into the season, a manager admits
that he is not sure which of his players are staying
at the club, who is leaving, where they are going and
when the fire sale will stop.
For Jan Poortvliet, the personable Southampton head
coach, the which, who, where and when has rendered any
planning useless. Asked if Andrew Davies, the central
defender, was moving to Stoke City, Poortvliet said:
“That’s what I heard. I did know they talked
with him but it is possible because they need some money.
It is possible that players are going.”
Asked how much the club needed to either bring in through
sales or cut from the wage bill, he said: “I don’t
know exactly, except that maybe it is something like
£6 million. I’m not sure if they will shoot
me now.” Cue swift intervention from alarmed Southampton
PR official.
If that sounds like double Dutch from the former coach
of Helmond Sport in the Netherlands, it is not because
of his fractured English. It is because he has little
idea of what he will be left with when the transfer
window shuts at the end of the month.
Southampton are in dire financial straits due to recent
boardroom strife and are not so much cutting their cloth
as slashing it to ribbons. Their fluid Dutch-style football
may be pleasing on the eye – as it was in the first
half at St Mary’s Stadium – but a cobbled
together team of youngsters cannot do men’s jobs
for a full match and, for the second week running, they
succumbed to a late goal.
Chris Perry’s first-half header had been cancelled
out by Gary O’Connor, but Kevin Phillips, the former
Southampton striker, tucked in a rebound after Marcus
Bent’s mistimed header had bounced down from the
crossbar. Birmingham City, also for the second week
running, had pilfered a victory in the Coca-Cola Championship
thanks to Phillips.
Not that Phillips is particularly impressed with his
role as an “impact” substitute. “In two
games in the Championship, I’ve played little more
than 30 minutes,” he said. “It’s so frustrating.
All I can do, when I get a little chance, is come on
and take it.”
Southampton (4-4-2): K Davis – L James, M Svensson,
C Perry, A Surman – D McGoldrick, M Schneiderlin,
L Holmes, S Gillett – S John (sub: J Thomson, 69min),
A Lallana.
Substitutes not used: B Bialkowski, P Wotton, O Lancashire,
J Mills.
Birmingham City(442): Maik Taylor – S Parnaby,
Martin Taylor, L Ridgewell, D Murphy – S Larsson,
M Nafti (sub: C Jerome, 38), L Carsley, Q Owusu-Abeyie
(sub: K Phillips, 77) – J McFadden, G O’Connor
(sub: M Bent, 66).
Substitutes not used: C Doyle, S Kelly. Referee: C
Penton. Attendance: 18,925.
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