Do I want promotion in 2011/12?

[PokingFun]

Prem prices are what put me off. Did you see the QPR price rises? I've had a ST for 18 years now, but a 40% rise would put me off!

 

I think QPR is a slightly unique situations, having an owner that is more interested in attracting the rich and famous to his toy than actually servicing the real fans. I would hope our pricing would remain sensible and competitive in the PL. The added issue for QPR is that they are in London where everything is normally paid at an extra premium for the location.

[OldNick]

IMO the Pl is not the holy grail.

I have Sky and dont bother to watch a lot of the games. Unless you are top 5 it is dull.

Im sure the same can be sadi of the Championship, but it is a lot closer to the football i was brought up on.

I hate watching the PL players like Wes brown etc on over 80k a week and resent the fact they are overpaid prim ma-donas.

I dont think i can justify paying 70 notes to watch us play against Bolton/Blackburn/QPR/Norwich etc

[doddisalegend]

I guess for the good of the club we need to be back in the prem but the lower leagues have reminded me what Football is about

 

There is a lot to be said about going to Football 3pm Saturday seeing your team compete & win more than they lose watching players that have some connection with the club & have come through the ranks

 

The club has to progress & I would really enjoy watching us gain another promotion I wouldnt mind if we could do a WBA promotion every other year would be fun

 

^^^^^^ this

[View From The Top]

Of course every fan wants us to go up again. However not every fan who has gone through the dark days could afford or justify premier league prices.

 

If we were to go up I'll celebrate like a loon but I'll also know that someone else would be sitting my nipper and my season ticket seats the following year unless they were priced in a sensible manner.

[The9]

If Saints get promoted next season, the prize could be a year of anguish and misery as the team struggles for a few wins, gets lots of defeats and hovers around the bottom of the Prem until relegation in May 2012. The prospect could be of becoming a Brum-type yoyo club.

Or, true to his objective of Prem League stability, Cortese sanctions some big spending. Most of the players who had celebrated the promotion are politely thanked and in their place come a bunch of over-paid foreign journeymen who kiss the badge when they score but don't actually care who pays them to play. Even then, the team can't compete with the super-clubs of manuyre, mansh*tty, chelski, etc. whose obscene money keeps the top 6 sown up.

So what's better? Get promoted and have one of these two scenarios come about, or perform well enough to be competing in the top 6 or 8 places in the NcP but avoid going up?

The dilemma for me is, I want promotion, but I don't want the consequences.

 

I pretty much feel like this as well, which is why I have a suspicion Cortese's original 5 year plan went "Lge1 promotion, nPC consolidation, nPC promotion, Prem relegation, nPC promotion" and stay there.

 

I think his reworked plan, taking into account failure to go up last year is "Lge1 consolidation, Lge1 promotion, nPC consolidation, nPC promotion, Prem for keeps". But there's always the possibility of shooting straight through via the play-offs this year to get the yo-yo back on track.

 

What bothers me about the Prem is that the bottom 14 are basically interchangeable foreign imports and any of them in another kit could be any team. I don't particularly want us to get into that, but the only alternatives are Championship mediocrity and the "what if" feeling, or becoming one of the obscenely-spending faceless multinationals at the top. I suppose I could cope with the latter if I could afford to watch and the football was good enough.

[alpine_saint]

If Saints get promoted next season, the prize could be a year of anguish and misery as the team struggles for a few wins, gets lots of defeats and hovers around the bottom of the Prem until relegation in May 2012. The prospect could be of becoming a Brum-type yoyo club.

Or, true to his objective of Prem League stability, Cortese sanctions some big spending. Most of the players who had celebrated the promotion are politely thanked and in their place come a bunch of over-paid foreign journeymen who kiss the badge when they score but don't actually care who pays them to play. Even then, the team can't compete with the super-clubs of manuyre, mansh*tty, chelski, etc. whose obscene money keeps the top 6 sown up.

So what's better? Get promoted and have one of these two scenarios come about, or perform well enough to be competing in the top 6 or 8 places in the NcP but avoid going up?

The dilemma for me is, I want promotion, but I don't want the consequences.

 

A good question. Reckon I would be happy hovering around the top of the NPC for a few years, waiting for the SKY / Premier League house of cards to fall in, then when it does we are in poll position to go up, stay there, and challenge for Euro spots.

 

If things do unravel in the right manner, we could be on the verge of happy times indeed....

[Cabrone]

For the club, promotion ASAP.

 

For me. No thanks.

 

My thoughts too.

 

As a fan the prem is an awful league unless you like seeing your team lose all the time.

 

As a club it's £££££.

[alpine_saint]

********.

 

I would be delighted with a Wembley final appearance and a last day-tussle for a play-off spot.

[OldNick]

it is interesting to see that the general feel is against the costs of being in the PL.

That must start to show more as the PL goes on. This season I have noticed more empty seats.

The only thing i really miss is the lack of media coverage teams outside of the PL get, oh and the vanity of us being a PL club.

I wished for the teams below the top 4 to break away from them and forming a league, when the big 4 were using their muscle to get their own way just before the CL was starting.

Had the rest pulled away then the gap between the big and small would not be so vast. Of course the real difference started when gate receipts were not shared, unlike now where you keep your home receipts. i do understand the fairness in that but the league would be more even if the attendance money was split

[jjsaint]

I do want us to go up, but I won't be disappointed if we don't.

[Professor]

...............

What bothers me about the Prem is that the bottom 14 are basically interchangeable foreign imports and any of them in another kit could be any team............ .

Agree! This says very well one of the things that worries me about The Prem. Its becoming a foreign-owned league of teams of foreign players, funded by foreign-owned Sky TV but with the players wearing the shirts of what used to be English Football Clubs. The PL only needs to start playing the matches overseas, as has already been suggested, for it to stop being English football at all.

[tpbury]

I want us to be in a league where no ar 5 e hole gets to describe us as 'plucky'. It will cost me a lot in tellys/computers if we get to the prem and struggle. The Champ looks like a topflight UFC fight to me - bring it on! 'When' we get to the prem, we need to be regarded as better than Bolton and Stoke. And Fulham.

[Charlie Wayman]

If Saints get promoted next season, the prize could be a year of anguish and misery as the team struggles for a few wins, gets lots of defeats and hovers around the bottom of the Prem until relegation in May 2012. The prospect could be of becoming a Brum-type yoyo club.

Or, true to his objective of Prem League stability, Cortese sanctions some big spending. Most of the players who had celebrated the promotion are politely thanked and in their place come a bunch of over-paid foreign journeymen who kiss the badge when they score but don't actually care who pays them to play. Even then, the team can't compete with the super-clubs of manuyre, mansh*tty, chelski, etc. whose obscene money keeps the top 6 sown up.

So what's better? Get promoted and have one of these two scenarios come about, or perform well enough to be competing in the top 6 or 8 places in the NcP but avoid going up?

The dilemma for me is, I want promotion, but I don't want the consequences.

 

Exactly how do you "avoid going up"? That's a concept I can't quite get my head around unless you're talking about match fixing!

 

I'm hoping we can avoid going down but after that will take anything on offer. Evidently the current team couldn't beat ManUre's 2nd XI so no chance they could survive in the PL so the answer to your question is 'No'.

 

We must build a PL squad before we get promotion not when we get there and are struggling to survive.

[The9]

Exactly how do you "avoid going up"? That's a concept I can't quite get my head around unless you're talking about match fixing!

 

I'm hoping we can avoid going down but after that will take anything on offer. Evidently the current team couldn't beat ManUre's 2nd XI so no chance they could survive in the PL so the answer to your question is 'No'.

 

We must build a PL squad before we get promotion not when we get there and are struggling to survive.

 

There are plenty of current Prem sides that couldn't beat the Man Utd 2nd XI they finished up with at St Mary's, but I actually agree with you about building before we get there, Cardiff are stranded in the Championship much to my amusement but they've got a few Prem-quality players there already.

[Charlie Wayman]

Agree! This says very well one of the things that worries me about The Prem. Its becoming a foreign-owned league of teams of foreign players, funded by foreign-owned Sky TV but with the players wearing the shirts of what used to be English Football Clubs. The PL only needs to start playing the matches overseas, as has already been suggested, for it to stop being English football at all.

 

We are already a foreign owned club with (a few) foreign players are we not so where does that leave your pronouncement? Where does English-ness or British-ness begin and end for you?

 

You'd be wiser to remember that this so-called 'foreign money' is investing in Britain employing many thousands of UK nationals who might otherwise be jobless including players from these islands. The more attractive the product the greater the inward investment. Money attracts money so it's all to the good.

 

Your "professorship" is clearly not in philosophy or economics

[sperm_john]

straight up, then straight for the title, why not

[The9]

We are already a foreign owned club with (a few) foreign players are we not so where does that leave your pronouncement? Where does English-ness or British-ness begin and end for you?

 

You'd be wiser to remember that this so-called 'foreign money' is investing in Britain employing many thousands of UK nationals who might otherwise be jobless including players from these islands. The more attractive the product the greater the inward investment. Money attracts money so it's all to the good.

 

Your "professorship" is clearly not in philosophy or economics

 

IIRC Cortese has already stated a goal of wanting home-grown Saints at the top level. It's unlikely for any number of reasons anyway.

 

As for jumping all over someone for wanting top level teams to somehow reflect their surroundings and prevent homogeneity in the Premier League with an argument about the employment of UK nationals by foreign companies, I think you're missing the point. It's an argument about football clubs and local identities, not unemployment.

[sandwichsaint]

But SNSUN didn't say that. He said Premiership quality players. Arguably, we have had some in our team this past season, playing in the third division. There are plenty of options to gain Premiership quality players this coming season without paying Premiership wages.

 

Fair comment tho I think you can read the original both ways - your way is certainly a possible interpretation - I was thinking more of the 'let's sign some Prem Lge has-beens and reserves' - I hope we don't go down that road but I wouldn't say no to somebody like Bowyer (tho you have to balance that off with the fact if you pay one player a premium wage then, quite reasonably, half a dozen of our top boys will all then want to be on the same sort of whack).

 

Back to yours, genuine question, do you think there will be 'plenty' of options to buy Premier Lge standard players (players that have either already played in the PL or players with the potential to move up and be successful) and that we can sign these fairly scarce players for very much less than a PL wage?

 

As I say, genuine question. What is the gap in wages between the best 5% of players in the Championship and the bottom, say quarter, of players in the PL?

 

I think that if we continue our policy of buying players from the league above and buying the 'best' pound-for-pound players from our rivals, especially in a scenario where we are either backed by the 'Liebherr millions' or we are sitting on 10m from the sale of AOC we will surely have to pay near-to Prem wages for the privilige?

 

Tell me I'm wrong, perhaps we can pick up 4 or 5 'Prem standard' players for championship wages?

[bug187]

Well, as long as we end up somnewhere near the top and beat Pompey.. plenty of home wins will do me I suppose I'd love to be back in the Premiership. Not sure my bank balance would though.

[Leicestersaint]

Promotion please - and then i will worry about the consequences!

[Evil Monkey]

When we lose 7 out of our first 10 games can we call upon this thread and make sure those who didnt want promotion are happy that we arent winning games?

 

I go to games to see Saints, and hopefully to see them win. If we win enough, we'll go up. We cant then say, 'no thanks, we're happy in this league, someone else can go up instead.' The only option that leaves is not wanting us to win every game. F*ck that for an attitude.

[Crab Lungs]

When we lose 7 out of our first 10 games can we call upon this thread and make sure those who didnt want promotion are happy that we arent winning games?

 

I go to games to see Saints, and hopefully to see them win. If we win enough, we'll go up. We cant then say, 'no thanks, we're happy in this league, someone else can go up instead.' The only option that leaves is not wanting us to win every game. F*ck that for an attitude.

 

Lol, that's a really good point, actually...

[View From The Top]

Lol, that's a really good point, actually...

 

No, it's a 'kin stupid point by someone who cleary can't grasp what's being said.

 

We all want our club to succeed and that means being as highly placed in the top league as possible. However, that isn't necessarily compatible with the personal situations of some which would exclude them, on the grounds of cost, from being there to enjoy it despite having gone, week in and week out, in the lower divisions.

[Ohio Saint]

So, we don't want to go up too soon to avoid a ton of depressing defeats? If we don't go up, it will be because we are HAVING a ton of depressing defeats. I want to win, always.

[harwellsaint]

My entire football routine has become tied in with the Saturday 3pm kick off. Meeting mates in pub at 12, few beers after etc. I would definitely miss that if we ever made it back to the prem.

 

one of the best parts of being in lower leagues, how it should be

[Evil Monkey]

No, it's a 'kin stupid point by someone who cleary can't grasp what's being said.

 

We all want our club to succeed and that means being as highly placed in the top league as possible. However, that isn't necessarily compatible with the personal situations of some which would exclude them, on the grounds of cost, from being there to enjoy it despite having gone, week in and week out, in the lower divisions.

 

I fully understand the negatives of being in the top flight, but the alternative to another brilliant promotion season is losing games. I can handle that if it happens, but thats not what I'd choose.

 

What happens if we go up, and in a few years are playing in Europe? More games, more expense and even less conveiniently scheduled games. But I wouldnt want us to go out in the first round.

[Bearsy]

The first season back in the Prem will be brilliant no matter what.

[OldNick]

all valid points above, and nobody wants us to lose and will love it if we do go up.

The one thing above all is the concern that the price to go and watch the team could be beyond the pocket of a lot of fans who went when things were tough. They went and supported in the dark days.

Supporting Saints and not going to games means that the price of a ticket is of no concern to them.I myself rarely go to away games and so don't care how we play as long as we win, home games are a different matter as i've paid. Perhaps that is the mindset of those who support Saints but dont go to games.

[suewhistle]

From a selfish point of view living abroad I'd like us to go up purely so I can get to see Saints via the internet and occasionally in a local bar with Sky (only managed the FA cup game this season). I may well return to the UK in a year or so, even though there'd be less work for me than I have here, but I'd still want us to go up, and I'd scrape together for a season ticket, probably.

 

My own hope is that Cortese's business model is to get up there and very quickly expand the stadium so that the prices are kept down and the crowds are kept up, giving a great synergy. He's seen what the stadium is like with a full crowd: the sheer buzz and excitement which also helps performances. We've seen how the Wigan's of this world can survive on small stadiums which aren't even full (and the accordingly poor atmosphere). We can do better than that and it won't necessarily mean Arsenal or MU type prices (both teams paying off bid debts).

[Patrick Bateman]

Not overly fussed about being in the Premier League. Sure, it's great to have full stadiums, trips to Chelsea and watching Rooney score 5 overhead goals against us. But the prices are shocking, Premier League-type players are mostly overpaid w*nkers who no one can identify with and it's just all a bit, well, sterile really.

 

Gone are the days when Francis Benali, Matt Le Tissier, Jason Dodd, Matt Oakley, Ken Monkou, Claus Lundekvam and co kept us in the top flight by winning the last 5 matches of the season. In fact, not having many of those types of players got us relegated - we already had "Premier League" w*nkers who didn't care who paid them and didn't care much for the club, with a couple of exceptions.

 

I honestly believe that this season, we've seen 20 or so blokes who actually care and are actually really happy Saints have been promoted, there are some top lads in that group. We'll probably still see it next season.

 

Who watched Man Utd pick up the trophy at home, or Man City winning the FA Cup? The player celebrations just didn't seem the same. Lots of bouncing around in a line cheering a massive bonus, didn't appear to be any real "team" celebration, but I might be wrong, might just be my overactive imagination.

 

But then on the other hand, I miss seeing us on Match of the Day. Actually, I think that's all I do miss. I'd love us to go straight up again, but in answer to the original question, I'd be quite happy being a club like Fulham, Stoke etc. Might get the odd cup final appearance, but never going to win the league. Happy with that, we won't end up with a team full of "badge kissers" (great phrase) and players who don't give a monkeys for the club, unless of course we nurture a 1st 11 from the Academy with local kids ...

[alpine_saint]

Not overly fussed about being in the Premier League. Sure, it's great to have full stadiums, trips to Chelsea and watching Rooney score 5 overhead goals against us. But the prices are shocking, Premier League-type players are mostly overpaid w*nkers who no one can identify with and it's just all a bit, well, sterile really.

 

Gone are the days when Francis Benali, Matt Le Tissier, Jason Dodd, Matt Oakley, Ken Monkou, Claus Lundekvam and co kept us in the top flight by winning the last 5 matches of the season. In fact, not having many of those types of players got us relegated - we already had "Premier League" w*nkers who didn't care who paid them and didn't care much for the club, with a couple of exceptions.

 

I honestly believe that this season, we've seen 20 or so blokes who actually care and are actually really happy Saints have been promoted, there are some top lads in that group. We'll probably still see it next season.

 

Who watched Man Utd pick up the trophy at home, or Man City winning the FA Cup? The player celebrations just didn't seem the same. Lots of bouncing around in a line cheering a massive bonus, didn't appear to be any real "team" celebration, but I might be wrong, might just be my overactive imagination.

 

But then on the other hand, I miss seeing us on Match of the Day. Actually, I think that's all I do miss. I'd love us to go straight up again, but in answer to the original question, I'd be quite happy being a club like Fulham, Stoke etc. Might get the odd cup final appearance, but never going to win the league. Happy with that, we won't end up with a team full of "badge kissers" (great phrase) and players who don't give a monkeys for the club, unless of course we nurture a 1st 11 from the Academy with local kids ...

 

I like this post.

 

Having been only able to watch it on TV, I was struck by how the Arsenal fans behaved like it was a funeral when they won the FA cup against us in 2003, whereas our fans were partying like we won it, jus because the poor little diddums missed out on the PL title.

[diggers]

I know we're getting used to having big money somewhere behind us but quickly scanning this thread I can kind of see why other clubs fans are starting to despise us. Its our first year after promotion, surely our first target has got to be consolidation and make damn sure we don't get into a relegation fight, then onwards and upwards but we don't have any god given right to expect to **** all over this league.

[Crab Lungs]

I know we're getting used to having big money somewhere behind us but quickly scanning this thread I can kind of see why other clubs fans are starting to despise us.

 

Most of those clubs who did despise us had HUGE chips on their shoulder already over nothing:

 

Brighton (Adkins throwaway comment)

Bournemouth (no definable reason, which makes it even weirder)

Brentford (because their chairman f()cked up the ticket allocation 6 YEARS AGO and we refused to make alterations)

 

etc...

 

We'll see much less of it this year in the Champ with so many similar sized clubs. In fact, I'd imagine we'll probably get on quite well with the clubs fans in that league as we'd share similar aspirations..

[View From The Top]

According to my 9yo It's vital we go up ASAP so Saints Match Attack cards are available.

[Pat from Poole]

According to my 9yo It's vital we go up ASAP so Saints Match Attack cards are available.

 

 

Good point.

 

There is also the issue of the 40 minutes of highlights every Saturday evening on SKY's Football First, I guess.

[Bobbyboy]

It's good for Southampton (the city) to have a Prem team. (High profile etc)

 

Or is it?? (more traffic etc)

 

I was gutted when we lost that playoff semi-final, I wanted to be back in Prem. Still do. It's the prize for winning and doing well. Then we can do things like Beattie's last-minute winner over Man U in the league... or indeed any of those nice wins over them in the league.

[NickG]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-13352157

[Professor]

We know how elated the Norwich fans feel, but Saints are not alone in getting into the Championship next season. Anyone got a link for the celebrations at Blackpool?

[NickG]

I did look for a fans crying type video for Blackpool couldn't find one!

[Danny R]

I think the emotions on the faces of fans when their club gets relegated from the Prem tells you all you need to know about what it means to be there. You don't get many saying "goody 20 quid less a ticket and away at Doncaster will be an attractive fixture"

 

Southampton is a top division club, it's where we should always aim to be.

 

Doncaster away was brilliant to be fair.

[Wes Tender]

Fair comment tho I think you can read the original both ways - your way is certainly a possible interpretation - I was thinking more of the 'let's sign some Prem Lge has-beens and reserves' - I hope we don't go down that road but I wouldn't say no to somebody like Bowyer (tho you have to balance that off with the fact if you pay one player a premium wage then, quite reasonably, half a dozen of our top boys will all then want to be on the same sort of whack).

 

Back to yours, genuine question, do you think there will be 'plenty' of options to buy Premier Lge standard players (players that have either already played in the PL or players with the potential to move up and be successful) and that we can sign these fairly scarce players for very much less than a PL wage?

 

As I say, genuine question. What is the gap in wages between the best 5% of players in the Championship and the bottom, say quarter, of players in the PL?

 

I think that if we continue our policy of buying players from the league above and buying the 'best' pound-for-pound players from our rivals, especially in a scenario where we are either backed by the 'Liebherr millions' or we are sitting on 10m from the sale of AOC we will surely have to pay near-to Prem wages for the privilige?

 

Tell me I'm wrong, perhaps we can pick up 4 or 5 'Prem standard' players for championship wages?

 

I do believe it is possible and in fact we have done it over the years, often because we had to do it because of our financial contraints. Look at a few of the historical and current examples, some of which I have already mentioned. How much did Pahars cost in a buying fee and wages compared to the Premiership average? Kachloul? Claus and the Svennsons? Also, we have had a fair few youngsters coming through over the years who were Premiership quality but on much lower wages. Granted that in order to keep them we will have to pay them what they might earn at least in the lower reaches of the Premiership.

 

But options remain to continue pursuing strategies as above to obtain players of Premiership quality at Championship wage levels, until we are actually in the Premiership. To summarise the possibilities, they are to bring on players through our youth ranks, import players from around the World where wage levels are much lower and bring in some older players from the highest levels in the UK and Europe who are near the end of their careers, but still have something to offer at Championship level. Between those three options, it ought to be possible to bring in 5/6 players to enhance our chances of promotion.

 

I accept that having wealthy ownership and the possibility of £10 million from the sale of Chamberlain will encourage other clubs to expect higher fees for their players, but Cortese has shown himself to be quite an astute negotiator so far. The more other clubs believe that they ought to inflate their price demands, the more that Cortese will consider the other methods of obtaining players at more reasonable price and wage levels.