Russell Martin Has To Get This Right For Crucial Leicester Game
Southampton suffered a set back at Sunderland but it need not be a terminal one, but there w ill need to be work done at the back and there needs to be changes, this is the first big test for Russell Martin’s management skills at St Mary’s.
The performance at the Stadium of Light was unacceptable, but in truth a bad day was made worse by a series of defensive blunders, poor organisation, a lack of marking, giving the ball away,you name it we committed it against the Mackems.
Now as Leicester arrive at St Mary’s on Friday night, we have to ensure that this does not mirror the last time they played here on that day of the week.
That doesn’t just mean getting the players themselves right, but making the right selections, dropping Shea Charles was a strange decision last timeout and hopefully it won’t be a mistake Russell Martin will make again.
I wonder if the manager is considering going to a back three, he now has the personnel to play that way and it might suit our style in that it will enable the full backs to get forward with more cover behind them.
This is going to be an entertaining season in terms of goals that is for sure, we have the firepower up front with perhaps the best striking options in the division, but it is the back four that let us down.
So we need to get that right and build from there, after the turmoil of last season and the uncertainty and multiple comings and goings in the transfer window, that isn’t as easy as it seems, we are still not only a young side, but one that i still finding it’s feet playing together, we haven’t gelled yet, even though we won 3 out of the first 4 games and the debacle at Sunderland showed that.
We still lack a true leader of men and that I think is going to be a big issue to overcome, but perhaps one will emerge in the coming weeks.
It’s a big game this weekend, win it and we really throw down the gauntlet, lose it and the knives will be out, but this is a long season, one that has yet to throw up a true outright favourite for automatic promotion, hopefully the quality of our squad and the quantity will give us the edge.
Southampton’s majority owner Sport Republic: Net Worth, Business Interests, Saints plans and more
All you need to know about the majority owners of Southampton football club.
Following their relegation from the Premier League last season, as with most clubs dropping down to the Championship, the immediate aim for Southampton this year will be a return to the top flight.
With Russell Martin at the helm, and some big signings this summer, there is certainly the potential there to do that, too.
Putting the footballing side of things aside for the moment, though, we thought we’d take a look behind the scenes and at the club’s current ownership.
Who owns Southampton Football Club?
Southampton Football Club’s majority owners are an investment group named ‘Sport Republic’.
Sport Republic own an 80% stake in the Saints.
The club also have a minority owner in Katharina Liebherr, who retained her minority shareholding of 20% following Sport Republic’s takeover of the club.
Who are Sport Republic?
According to the Southampton Football Club website when the group took over the club, Sport Republic is a London-based investment firm in the sport and entertainment industry.
The firm was founded by Henrik Kraft and Rasmus Ankersen, whilst financially backed by lead investor Dragan Solak.
What makes Sport Republic interesting is that their philosophy is to use proprietary intelligence and data analytics in order to help sports businesses and sports technology companies reach their full potential.
When did Sports Republic takeover Southampton?
Sport Republic acquired their 80% stake in Southampton in January 2022.
Speaking at the time of the investment, lead investor Dragan Solak told Southampton FC club media: “My partners and I have experience in long-term investments in the sports and entertainment industry and Sport Republic has been founded to combine this expertise and deliver something unique to the market.”
“Southampton has so many of the qualities we have been looking for in a major sports organisation. It has a great management team, excellent talent development, talented teams playing attractive football and a dedicated fan base. We are delighted to be able to complete this acquisition as a first step towards execution of our investment strategy.
“Southampton will be a cornerstone of the organisation we plan to build.”
What is Sport Republic’s net worth?
As a business, it is unclear what Sport Republic’s finances are like. However, looking at the individuals involved in the business suggest they would have some serious financial muscle.
For example, an article back in May claimed that accounts show that both Henrik Kraft and Dragan Solak were billionaires.
The same article claims that Kraft is worth an estimated £2 billion, whilst Solak’s estimated net worth is claimed to be over £1 billion.
Rasmus Ankersen’s net worth is reported to be estimated at £3.9 million.
Do Sport Republic have other business interests?
According to Sport Republic’s website, the company “aims to identify attractive early stage and growth sports technology investments and use it’s ownership of football clubs to incubate and accelerate the development of the portfolio companies.”
This means that yes, they do have other assets outside of Southampton FC.
In fact, they are invested in other football clubs, for example, such as Turkish side Goztepe and French club Valenciennes FC.
Furthermore, Sport Republic’s portfolio includes Tonsser, the “largest football player app and community in the world, empowering youth players to progress and unlock their potential” as well as Sport Buff.”
They write that Sport Buff is “powering live, on-demand, and archive sports video experiences to million of users around the globe and empowers partners to engage and monetise their audiences much better than before.”
What are Sport Republic’s plans for Southampton?
In pure footballing terms, one would imagine that Sport Republic’s immediate plans are simply to get Southampton back into the Premier League.
The financial gulf between playing in the Championship and the top-flight is huge, and they will want to ensure they are reaping the financial rewards of the Premier League once again as soon as possible.
On a deeper level, though, due to their philosophy, the club is changing fundamentally.
As an article by The Athletic described back in January: “Sport Republic is building Southampton in its image. The club is fundamentally changing, ranging from the nuts and bolts of how it functions daily to driving through the long-term vision.”
The above article outlines some of the changes that were being implemented at the time, including a central scouting system for all of Sport Republic’s clubs.
With Sport Republic having invested in Valenciennes only back in July, it feels like the Saints moving forward will very much be a part of a multi-club model.
The article did caution, though, that relegation could potentially hinder the short-term success of their business model and that it could slow down their plans of putting into place a multi-club model.
