rshephard3

When Saturday Comes got each of their contributor fans to do a 1st-20th prediction league then averaged the positions out giving it a little more weight that a few guys in an office thinking up a table. Saints average position was either 18th or 19th (I can't remember). It seemed a pretty decent guestimate.

Fair point actually. £575 for a season ticket and the best part of £100 all in for each away game. It's an expensive hobby. As for the OP, I thought I was cynical and downbeat but that takes the biscuit. I kind of take the point but being a football fan is about up's and down's. This season is just another chapter and I'm rather looking forward to it.

We will sell out. But clearly haven't yet as we'd have found out from the OS. They love an article praising the fans!

As dirtily as we need in order to finish 17th in the 12/13 season. Watching football is a hobby to me, not the be all and end all. So if my club happens to not make too many friends but gets the job done, if anything I will be more entertained as I'll have more to read and speculate about.

You're wrong. A mate of a mates dog has a friend who works behind the scenes in NC's office and he saw a memo on NC's desk that confirmed Southampton are the only squeaky clean, straight down the line club ever to play football ever in the history of the world. I trust this person. This is FACT. I am ITK.

Everyone's picking on us and we didn't even do it. It was West Ham. But we are HUGE. Any team with Champions League ambitions is going to get a lot of press attention. All IMHO.

Mate of mine works at Wolves and seems pretty sure that the gossip is in favour of a move to Fulham at the moment.

Him and Ben Foster seem pretty shrewd signings. Don't know anything about their other purchases. Think they might have a decent season under Clarke.

You won't thank me when, despite the best efforts of the club to pull the wool, we don't invest heavily enough and go down. There is a HUGE difference between what I am advocating and what happened at Portsmouth. Do you think if we signed Jarvis that in a year or two's time the dinner lady will be made redundant? If so you're wrong.

I think you understood his point. To simplify, substitute 'Jarvis' for any other available, decent, Prem quality, better than we've got, right winger in their mid twenties.

Couldn't have said it better myself

If you steer clear of the 'madness' you'll finish bottom. Jarvis at £6 million plus another couple is a good price for a good player in the current market. It's the 21st century and the market is dictating these prices.

The guys 22 and has hardly played any football other than a loan spell at Bristol City. I would take a stab that his number of U21 games is more a signal of a lack of decent options on the left side rather than a sign of a great future prospect.

Agree. I would just have liked to see business done in time for players to have a pre season together. I know some people would consider it a load of guff but it's important the players get to know each other personally as much as anything. That said I don't expect too many points from the first 4 games, which is not being down beat but realistic!!

Well the City game is a week Sunday so I'd imagine a fair few other targets have already passed us by. No point taking someone like Rose, he's no better than squad player standard given what we have already. If we're going to make signings they need to be first teamers to strengthen the squad on the top layer, not just add another NPC standard player.

Agree with all of that. Just got one of those 'turmoil on the horizon' feelings. Hope I'm wrong.

There is a huge difference between the books not balancing by a couple of quid and what happened at Fratton Park. A fair few excellent players who'd command big wages end up being available on free's and would be less of a risk than Rodriguez at 6.5 million when he's never kicked a ball in the top flight before.

I was using him as an example but yes I really rate him. Likewise Park. With those 2 players alone and a squad that's quickly evolving I would argue barring a horror show QPR are pretty much safe this coming season. Despite being one of the richest clubs in the land with a proud history of top flight football, I believe our transfer policy is questionable. Rodallega is another one. There were good players around who you would feel would greatly help our chances of survival who I'm surprised we weren't linked with. Davis hasn't played in the prem for a few years and Clyne has never played there. I'm probably making a fuss over nothing but I predict an uphill battle this season.

Heads up well and truly accepted, I thank you sir. Hard hat in place.

When people keep going on about Hoiletts wages at QPR, can someone please explain what the problem would be with Southampton paying 50k a week to a few players in the modern day prem which has changed so much since we were there last. Surely there is a rather fine line between a policy of youthful potential and a policy of over cautious conservatism which will get you relegated. I really hope we end up on the right side of that line. Time will tell.

Jack, you're talking sense. You must be pis*sed my friend!

If the person who wrote that on football rumours doesn't know if we are due new OWNERS or a new INVESTOR then I give the story very little credibility.

I really hope we don't spend the season thinking if only about someone like Curtis Davis. Seems like a no brainer of a transfer to me.

NA is in a tough position. First possibility: Saints current squad scrap around at the bottom and Cortese thinks we can do better with another manager. Second possibility: NA does remarkably well and maintains us in midtable. Cortese sees this success but gets frustrated at SFC and Adkins as not being shiny enough for bigger name players. Cortese again thinks we could do better with another manager. I honestly think the season coming will see one of these scenarios played out. Hope I'm wrong as I really like Adkins and respect the superb job he has done.

English football fans always have and always will prefer a player like Chaplow to a player like Guly on the whole. It's that stupid bull dog/work hard/keep it simple mentality that gets so many people by in this country. Guly is erratic and allows his feelings to show through but is undeniably a better passer/mover/shooter/header of a football than Chaplow.