Turkish Posted 8 July, 2013 Share Posted 8 July, 2013 Come on guys, just being linked with these players is fantasitc!! Remember where we were 4 years ago!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olallana Posted 8 July, 2013 Share Posted 8 July, 2013 Come on guys, just being linked with these players is fantasitc!! Remember where we were 4 years ago!! 4 years and 1 day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dig Dig Posted 8 July, 2013 Share Posted 8 July, 2013 And we could have got him in before 1st July FFS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Martini Posted 8 July, 2013 Share Posted 8 July, 2013 I don't believe we're wasting our time. Wasting our time would be going for squad players instead of clear improvements on our current squad. As long as players and their agents don't flat-out dismiss us as an option we're targeting players that might want to come to us. Wanyama, Damiano and Banega have all been linked to us and so far it seems that all players have/had an interest in coming to Southampton and we seem to have the money to get their clubs to sell as well. No we might not sign any of them but that doesn't mean we're going for unrealistic targets since there was always a decent chance they would sign for us. Lets just hope we manage to make a signing that is a statement of intent (besides Lovren). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyo-Saint Posted 8 July, 2013 Share Posted 8 July, 2013 At least he is wearing a half decent kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dig Dig Posted 8 July, 2013 Share Posted 8 July, 2013 At least he is wearing a half decent kit. That kit is ****! Look at the cut of the shoulders FFS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyo-Saint Posted 8 July, 2013 Share Posted 8 July, 2013 I'd swap it for Bristol City's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 8 July, 2013 Share Posted 8 July, 2013 I don't believe we're wasting our time. Wasting our time would be going for squad players instead of clear improvements on our current squad. As long as players and their agents don't flat-out dismiss us as an option we're targeting players that might want to come to us. Wanyama, Damiano and Banega have all been linked to us and so far it seems that all players have/had an interest in coming to Southampton and we seem to have the money to get their clubs to sell as well. No we might not sign any of them but that doesn't mean we're going for unrealistic targets since there was always a decent chance they would sign for us. Lets just hope we manage to make a signing that is a statement of intent (besides Lovren). So what does it mean if we don't sign any of them then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperMikey Posted 8 July, 2013 Share Posted 8 July, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_saint Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 Another thread ruined by the tag-team bullying of Sanchez and Turkish. Pathetic really. Do grow up. Its called the other side of a debate, FFS. Damiao is so far out of our league, considering the other teams expressing an interest, I am wondering how anybody can claim we are not wasting our time over him, for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dig Dig Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 I'd swap it for Bristol City's. An upgrade on Exeter City's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daren W Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 Just out of interest, how does any of us know if we are not actually looking at realistic targets as well? Surely the more high profile targets have the most savvy agents and any interest in them is put in the public domain quite quickly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tajjuk Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 (edited) Do grow up. Its called the other side of a debate, FFS. Damiao is so far out of our league, considering the other teams expressing an interest, I am wondering how anybody can claim we are not wasting our time over him, for example. Really, I doubt half the people here had even heard of him. If he's so good why hasn't he been snapped up by Barcelona or Real or Arsenal or Man Utd or Bayern or PSG etc? Until Napoli started bidding for every person that has ever scored a goal the only linked teams were Spurs and some Russian club. Considering Spurs have been linked for about 3 years but haven't bought him I'm not sure how anyone can claim we are wasting our time bidding for him. Rubin Kazan, Spurs and Napoli, it's not exactly the G14 is it. We've bid for Liverpool targets, were interested in Valencia players and we've bid for Inter players. Why should Napoli scare us off? Edited 9 July, 2013 by tajjuk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_saint Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 Really, I doubt half the people here had even heard of him. If he's so good why hasn't he been snapped up by Barcelona or Real or Arsenal or Man Utd or Bayern or PSG etc? Until Napoli started bidding for every person that has ever scored a goal the only linked teams were Spurs and some Russian club. Considering Spurs have been linked for about 3 years but haven't bought him I'm not sure how anyone can claim we are wasting our time bidding for him. Rubin Kazan, Spurs and Napoli, it's not exactly the G14 is it. We've bid for Liverpool targets, were interested in Valencia players and we've bid for Inter players. Why should Napoli scare us off? I am not disputing any of that. But why the continual dig at certain posters for being sceptical ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Window Cleaner Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 Anyway it could be worse, we could be the Arse, they are a Top 4, CL club and they're getting knocked back on nearly every target. So bad has it gotten that they're reportedly trying to sign Gareth Barry, desperate times at the Emirates. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Tender Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 Really, I doubt half the people here had even heard of him. If he's so good why hasn't he been snapped up by Barcelona or Real or Arsenal or Man Utd or Bayern or PSG etc? Until Napoli started bidding for every person that has ever scored a goal the only linked teams were Spurs and some Russian club. Considering Spurs have been linked for about 3 years but haven't bought him I'm not sure how anyone can claim we are wasting our time bidding for him. Rubin Kazan, Spurs and Napoli, it's not exactly the G14 is it. We've bid for Liverpool targets, were interested in Valencia players and we've bid for Inter players. Why should Napoli scare us off? I'm not surprised when fans of other clubs express amazement that lil' ole Southampton are bidding for players like this and think it must be a joke. But what is disappointing is that some of our own fans think that players like him are out of our league. Even sports journalists who ought to know their stuff are guilty of this attitude, writing off our bid purely on the basis that Napoli have expressed an interest in Damiao, when as you say, they have been rumoured to be exploring several other striker options who are also of a similar standing. Patently they don't need all of those targets and is Damiao even their top target? As it stands, apart from Spurs whose interest seems to have cooled, we are the only club offering him Premiership football. We wouldn't be entering the fray if we couldn't afford him and in any event bidding for him raises our profile and signals our intent if we don't get him and move on to another player of equal calibre. If nothing else, people are starting to sit up and take notice of us, so that all of those on here who express the opinion that nobody else in World football has ever heard of Southampton ought to be pleased that we are doing something to change that perception. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
110_Persaint Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 Anyway it could be worse, we could be the Arse, they are a Top 4, CL club and they're getting knocked back on nearly every target. So bad has it gotten that they're reportedly trying to sign Gareth Barry, desperate times at the Emirates. :rolleyes: Quality player to be fair. One own goal does not a bad player make. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Window Cleaner Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 Quality player to be fair. One own goal does not a bad player make. but old, must have been about 20th on their CM target list (well if you believe the press that is) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 I am not disputing any of that. But why the continual dig at certain posters for being sceptical ? You know the answer to that Alps. If anyone dares to suggest that Southampton isn't some mega club that players are fighting each other to join you're called a troll. The reality is that we might be bidding for the same players as napoli, Liverpool, Spurs etc and might even be able to offer comparable wages. But these clubs all have a rich history of European footbal and challenging for trophies and are huge clubs. With all the will in the world the reality is we aren't. When Spurs qualified for the champions league we were in L1, when Liverpool last won champions league we were being relegated to the championship. With the TSW delision, some people on here seem to think that international footballers will take a look at Staplewood and spend 5 minutes in the company of Cortese and think he is the greatest man who ever lived and a club they had always dreamed of playing for, the reality is they wont. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
110_Persaint Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 You know the answer to that Alps. If anyone dares to suggest that Southampton isn't some mega club that players are fighting each other to join you're called a troll. The reality is that we might be bidding for the same players as napoli, Liverpool, Spurs etc and might even be able to offer comparable wages. But these clubs all have a rich history of European footbal and challenging for trophies and are huge clubs. With all the will in the world the reality is we aren't. When Spurs qualified for the champions league we were in L1, when Liverpool last won champions league we were being relegated to the championship. With the TSW delision, some people on here seem to think that international footballers will take a look at Staplewood and spend 5 minutes in the company of Cortese and think he is the greatest man who ever lived and a club they had always dreamed of playing for, the reality is they wont. Mods, can we have a sticky thread on the main board called "Turkish's thoughts on why we are not as big a club as we think" so it is mandatory reading for all posters? Hopefully then he wouldn't have to repeat his same exact opinion in the same trite fashion on every single thread on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint_ed Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 Personally, I am fed up and very, very, VERY bored of the ritual f**king circus that goes on every summer. And at the abuse I get for expressing my exasperation at it. We will sign the players - and they will perform, or do a Gashton - or we wont. As a result, we will go down, or we wont. Not much more to say, I reckon. Except to express a doubt about the grasp on the realities of the transfer market that our "transfer committee" seems to have. I think it's more a case of a grasp on the realities of the transfer market by fans that you should be questioning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjii Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 You know the answer to that Alps. If anyone dares to suggest that Southampton isn't some mega club that players are fighting each other to join you're called a troll. The reality is that we might be bidding for the same players as napoli, Liverpool, Spurs etc and might even be able to offer comparable wages. But these clubs all have a rich history of European footbal and challenging for trophies and are huge clubs. With all the will in the world the reality is we aren't. When Spurs qualified for the champions league we were in L1, when Liverpool last won champions league we were being relegated to the championship. With the TSW delision, some people on here seem to think that international footballers will take a look at Staplewood and spend 5 minutes in the company of Cortese and think he is the greatest man who ever lived and a club they had always dreamed of playing for, the reality is they wont. Actually, I think people just get fed up with people like you repeating the same half-a-dozen posts over and over and over.... And ruining the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 Actually, I think people just get fed up with people like you repeating the same half-a-dozen posts over and over and over.... And ruining the forum. Is it what i've said wrong then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
110_Persaint Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 Is it what i've said wrong then? Sometimes words fail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Martini Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 So what does it mean if we don't sign any of them then? It means that the club failed in its transferpolicy, it doesn't mean the targets were unrealistic to begin with. You can't judge something to be unrealistic by the result. At the olympics at least 4 people had as a goal to win the 100 meters sprint. Usain Bolt won, does that mean the others had an unrealistic goal or does it just mean they failed to achieve it? If were chaising unrealistic targets (players already at top clubs in the big leagues) then I'd agree we'd be waisting our time, but we're targeting players that have an interest in coming to Saints although we could lose out on these signings if someone else comes in. Its ambitious, and difficult to achieve but not unrealistic (in my opinion). If we don't sign anyone at the end of the transferwindow this means we failed but it can also be a blessing to not sign anyone compared to signing player that the club outgrows within 1/2 years as long as it doesn't mean we're not down to bare bones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daren W Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 It means that the club failed in its transferpolicy, it doesn't mean the targets were unrealistic to begin with. You can't judge something to be unrealistic by the result. At the olympics at least 4 people had as a goal to win the 100 meters sprint. Usain Bolt won, does that mean the others had an unrealistic goal or does it just mean they failed to achieve it? If were chaising unrealistic targets (players already at top clubs in the big leagues) then I'd agree we'd be waisting our time, but we're targeting players that have an interest in coming to Saints although we could lose out on these signings if someone else comes in. Its ambitious, and difficult to achieve but not unrealistic (in my opinion). If we don't sign anyone at the end of the transferwindow this means we failed but it can also be a blessing to not sign anyone compared to signing player that the club outgrows within 1/2 years as long as it doesn't mean we're not down to bare bones. Good post. You have to start somewhere, and even if that starting point is just showing an interest in better quality players, it's a start. Yes maybe these players are beyond the perceived grasp of a club like Saints, just where do you start? Accept you should take the scraps from the big table or say "Please sir, I want some more?" For what it's worth, yes of course clubs like Liverpool are bigger than Saints but how many modern professionals go with history compared to the here and now? That being the case Villa should be getting first dibs on some players surely? Let's be realistic, modern footballers will look at wages first, ambition second, facilities third and history way back in fourth at best. Liverpool are a bad example, they're nowhere near the force they were, Tottenham are a far better example and one that we'd be hard pushed to overtake right now... That's not to say that without showing a little bit of ambition and flashing a little bit of cash, we couldn't later on... Personally I'd much rather we try and fail than go for the mid table dross we usually went for and actually got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
110_Persaint Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 Good post. You have to start somewhere, and even if that starting point is just showing an interest in better quality players, it's a start. Yes maybe these players are beyond the perceived grasp of a club like Saints, just where do you start? Accept you should take the scraps from the big table or say "Please sir, I want some more?" For what it's worth, yes of course clubs like Liverpool are bigger than Saints but how many modern professionals go with history compared to the here and now? That being the case Villa should be getting first dibs on some players surely? Let's be realistic, modern footballers will look at wages first, ambition second, facilities third and history way back in fourth at best. Liverpool are a bad example, they're nowhere near the force they were, Tottenham are a far better example and one that we'd be hard pushed to overtake right now... That's not to say that without showing a little bit of ambition and flashing a little bit of cash, we couldn't later on... Personally I'd much rather we try and fail than go for the mid table dross we usually went for and actually got. They're in the Europa League!!! Take out you-know-who from the equation and I wouldn't swap our squads player-for-player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Tender Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 They're in the Europa League!!! Take out you-know-who from the equation and I wouldn't swap our squads player-for-player. Me neither. Bale's goals gave them an extra 21 points last season. OK, had he not played, then AN Other player might have scored a few goals instead, but there can be few top teams who placed such heavy reliance on one player as them. Whether Spurs remain the force they have been these past couple of seasons is rather dependent on whether they manage to keep him, on the face of it. There comes a point when all of these super-duper top teams in European football have squads full to brimming with star players. Most of them are already in that position and just need to replace players who leave, grow old or receive career threatening injuries. There really aren't that many places available and probably far more players of a decent standard currently, or with untapped potential to be a future star than there are places available for them at the top level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tajjuk Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 (edited) Is it what i've said wrong then? Well for a start, Spurs, Liverpool and Napoli are not huge clubs. Huge clubs are Barcelona, Real Madrid Man Utd etc. If Napoli were a huge club they wouldn't be selling Cavani and they wouldn't be interested in Damiao. If Liverpool were a huge club Suarez wouldn't want to leave. Spurs, Liverpool and Napoli are the tier below, bigger than us no doubt but "a rich history of European football and challenging for trophies"?, Liverpool yes, but not recently, Spurs?, their last trophy was a League Cup in 2008, they haven't challenged for a major trophy for about 30 years. If some people are guilty of overstating our importance, you are guilty of the exact opposite, completely overstating other clubs positions. Modern footballers simply don't care about history anymore, they care about Money, playing in high profile leagues, playing in the champions league and more money. A player isn't going to join Spurs over us because they won the double in 1961, they are going to join Spurs because they will pay them more money and have a squad that has a better chance of qualifying for the Champions League. I bet if a Spurs target was also courted buy money rich newly promoted Monaco the player would probably consider going there. The original question to this thread was "Are we wasting our time going for unrealistic targets", I can't see anything that makes Damiao an unrealistic target. The only clubs linked with him before we starting making bids were Spurs who hadn't really made any offers for ages and Rubin Kazan, Napoli then cam late to the party but considering the amount of strikers linked to them we still have a decent chance. I'm not surprised when fans of other clubs express amazement that lil' ole Southampton are bidding for players like this and think it must be a joke. But what is disappointing is that some of our own fans think that players like him are out of our league. Even sports journalists who ought to know their stuff are guilty of this attitude, writing off our bid purely on the basis that Napoli have expressed an interest in Damiao, when as you say, they have been rumoured to be exploring several other striker options who are also of a similar standing. Patently they don't need all of those targets and is Damiao even their top target? As it stands, apart from Spurs whose interest seems to have cooled, we are the only club offering him Premiership football. We wouldn't be entering the fray if we couldn't afford him and in any event bidding for him raises our profile and signals our intent if we don't get him and move on to another player of equal calibre. If nothing else, people are starting to sit up and take notice of us, so that all of those on here who express the opinion that nobody else in World football has ever heard of Southampton ought to be pleased that we are doing something to change that perception. Good post Wes. Quite frankly if we have bid then the transfer is realistic options because we must have the money, the wages and there must be some interest in the players otherwise Cortese wouldn't bother. Edited 9 July, 2013 by tajjuk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daren W Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 They're in the Europa League!!! Take out you-know-who from the equation and I wouldn't swap our squads player-for-player. Really? Sorry, can't agree with that. Spurs may rely heavily on Bale but they're still a fair distance better than us right now. They would have been better than us under Redknapp and have, if anything, improved under AVB. Don't usually do the icon thingy but if you think Bale is the only difference between us and Spurs.... I can go with the idea we can compete with them in a few seasons time but to say we're on their level already is just crazy... You're saying our defence is better than theirs? Centre backs? I think our right and left backs are but in the middle of defence? Really? We should be looking towards Spurs and aiming to be up with them but for the life of me I can't see how we're on a level with them right now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tajjuk Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 Really? Sorry, can't agree with that. Spurs may rely heavily on Bale but they're still a fair distance better than us right now. They would have been better than us under Redknapp and have, if anything, improved under AVB. Don't usually do the icon thingy but if you think Bale is the only difference between us and Spurs.... I can go with the idea we can compete with them in a few seasons time but to say we're on their level already is just crazy... You're saying our defence is better than theirs? Centre backs? I think our right and left backs are but in the middle of defence? Really? We should be looking towards Spurs and aiming to be up with them but for the life of me I can't see how we're on a level with them right now... I'd have Lloris, Vertonghen, Dawson, Sandro, Dembele, Lennon, Bale, Holtby, and probably Sigurdsson. About the only areas we maybe compete with them is full backs and striker, although if Adebayor actually bothered playing to his potential I'd have him as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuncanRG Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 (edited) They're in the Europa League!!! Take out you-know-who from the equation and I wouldn't swap our squads player-for-player. Then you are looking at the world through very, very thick fan-glasses. That team is full of top-class players. If I were to make a Saints and Spurs XI, I think Clyne would be the only Saints player in there. We're genuinely nowhere near and any neutral would laugh at you for suggesting otherwise. Edited 9 July, 2013 by DuncanRG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Tender Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 Then you are looking at the world through very, very thick fan-glasses. That team is full of top-class players. If I were to make a Saints and Spurs XI, I think Clyne would be the only Saints player in there. We're genuinely nowhere near and any neutral would laugh at you for suggesting otherwise. So Shaw and Schneiderlin not good enough to make the Spurs team? You're having a laugh, aren't you? Without Bale, Spurs would have been 21 points lighter in 8th position. The rest of their team only managed 37 goals between them. I wouldn't be creaming myself particularly if we were in for Defoe, Adebayor and Dempsey up front. I'd also have Cork in there alongside Schneiderlin too, but Wanyama if we got him would also have me preferring our midfield to theirs. The point is that we are not the ocean apart that you suggest and that depending on who they lose and replace and also who we bring in, the gap could well be much smaller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downthe36 Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 I think everyone is in agreement that we need to make signings that are improvements on the players we have, not just backup players to bloat the squad. People are moaning that we are going for unrealistic transfers, but which group of players should we be aiming for that would truly improve us, but wouldn't interest the big clubs? Sounds like a pretty small market to me, if it exists at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daren W Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 (edited) So Shaw and Schneiderlin not good enough to make the Spurs team? You're having a laugh, aren't you? Without Bale, Spurs would have been 21 points lighter in 8th position. The rest of their team only managed 37 goals between them. I wouldn't be creaming myself particularly if we were in for Defoe, Adebayor and Dempsey up front. I'd also have Cork in there alongside Schneiderlin too, but Wanyama if we got him would also have me preferring our midfield to theirs. The point is that we are not the ocean apart that you suggest and that depending on who they lose and replace and also who we bring in, the gap could well be much smaller. Wes,you can't just take Bale's goals out of the equation and come up with 21 points. His replacement might not have scored his goals but who's to say his input might not have lead to Spurs not conceding the goals they did? It's not just as simple as saying no Bale = no goals = No 21 points. That said, right now, the boy's world class... I agree we're not oceans apart and I'd take Shaw and Schneiderlin all day long, but as you well know you can't just go by individuals, it's how they play as a team and, sorry, Spurs are a season or two ahead of us at the moment. But that gap can shrink rapidly depending on who the two teams get for this forthcoming season. Sorry fellas, but even with my best red and white glasses I can't see us being better than Spurs right now... Edited 9 July, 2013 by Daren W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
110_Persaint Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 So Shaw and Schneiderlin not good enough to make the Spurs team? You're having a laugh, aren't you? Without Bale, Spurs would have been 21 points lighter in 8th position. The rest of their team only managed 37 goals between them. I wouldn't be creaming myself particularly if we were in for Defoe, Adebayor and Dempsey up front. I'd also have Cork in there alongside Schneiderlin too, but Wanyama if we got him would also have me preferring our midfield to theirs. The point is that we are not the ocean apart that you suggest and that depending on who they lose and replace and also who we bring in, the gap could well be much smaller. Great post Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CB Fry Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 So Shaw and Schneiderlin not good enough to make the Spurs team? You're having a laugh, aren't you? Without Bale, Spurs would have been 21 points lighter in 8th position. The rest of their team only managed 37 goals between them. I wouldn't be creaming myself particularly if we were in for Defoe, Adebayor and Dempsey up front. I'd also have Cork in there alongside Schneiderlin too, but Wanyama if we got him would also have me preferring our midfield to theirs. The point is that we are not the ocean apart that you suggest and that depending on who they lose and replace and also who we bring in, the gap could well be much smaller. What happens if you randomly/arbitrarily take a player out of the Saints team, and all their goals and all then remove the points gained from the games he scored in? Richard Lambert, say. How close are we then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Tender Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 Wes,you can't just take Bale's goals out of the equation and come up with 21 points. His replacement might not have scored his goals but who's to say his input might not have lead to Spurs not conceding the goals they did? It's not just as simple as saying no Bale = no goals = No 21 points. That said, right now, the boy's world class... I agree we're not oceans apart and I'd take Shaw and Schneiderlin all day long, but as you well know you can't just go by individuals, it's how they play as a team and, sorry, Spurs are a season or two ahead of us at the moment. But that gap can shrink rapidly depending on who the two teams get for this forthcoming season. Sorry fellas, but even with my best red and white glasses I can't see us being better than Spurs right now... I agree that without Bale, his replacement would no doubt have contributed something and I said as much in a previous post. Undoubtedly Bale also saved them some goals against when he defended too. Has anybody claimed that we are better than Spurs right now? That wouldn't be sustainable as an opinion for sure. But depending on who we sign and who they lose/sign as replacements, I don't think that we are a couple of years behind them. We play very well as a team and hopefully the new players will continue to uphold that great team spirit that has carried us this far. Equally, new players joining Spurs will also have to adapt to their team ethos too and it seems that they might be making quite a few changes themselves. But the loss of Bale would be a catastrophe for them, as his contribution has been key to their success and if they didn't have him, we would automatically move significantly closer to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
110_Persaint Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 No-one knows what realistic is. Even the club can't say until they try. If they didn't, the same people would moan about a lack of ambition. It's not about strategy or even football, just some very easily frustrated people with too much time on their hands. I'm sorry but as an STH I demand my club goes to great lengths to satisfy me and my fellow Saints brethren. If "unrealistic" signings are what is necessary to achieve said goal, then so be it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_saint Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 I think it's more a case of a grasp on the realities of the transfer market by fans that you should be questioning. Actually, as I indicated earlier, I couldnt give a f**king sh*t anymore. It doesnt matter how this window pans out in terms of who comes in. The happy clappies will be sneering at the impatience of others, then claiming we didnt need anyone when the signings they lectured everyone else to be patient for, dont materialise by the time the window shuts. A bunch of utter deluded bigots.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 (edited) Actually, as I indicated earlier, I couldnt give a f**king sh*t anymore. It doesnt matter how this window pans out in terms of who comes in. The happy clappies will be sneering at the impatience of others, then claiming we didnt need anyone when the signings they lectured everyone else to be patient for, dont materialise by the time the window shuts. A bunch of utter deluded bigots.... By repeatedly saying you are not going to complain about this transfer window and then outlining how you would complain, are you not complaining? 2013/14 - the season of Alpine disguised complaining. "I'm not complaining, but if I were to complain it would be like this..." Edited 9 July, 2013 by Matthew Le God Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raging Bull Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 What happens if you randomly/arbitrarily take a player out of the Saints team, and all their goals and all then remove the points gained from the games he scored in? Richard Lambert, say. How close are we then? Going all MLG here but he was christened Rickie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 Going all MLG here but he was christened Rickie. Indeed he was, thats Scousers for you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Tender Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 What happens if you randomly/arbitrarily take a player out of the Saints team, and all their goals and all then remove the points gained from the games he scored in? Richard Lambert, say. How close are we then? The number of points earned by an individual player is only a measure of his importance to the team and there can't have been many players in World football even who made such an individual impact as Bale. The point being that although a replacement player would have undoubtedly have made some contribution to their points tally, it probably wouldn't have come close to Bale's. Lambert was a very important player for us too, but if we didn't have him, he would not be that difficult to replace with another striker capable of scoring the same number of goals or more, especially given that we are not short of lolly to spend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buctootim Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 The number of points earned by an individual player is only a measure of his importance to the team and there can't have been many players in World football even who made such an individual impact as Bale. The point being that although a replacement player would have undoubtedly have made some contribution to their points tally, it probably wouldn't have come close to Bale's. Lambert was a very important player for us too, but if we didn't have him, he would not be that difficult to replace with another striker capable of scoring the same number of goals or more, especially given that we are not short of lolly to spend. Bale would sell for c£40m. Add £40m of new talent to Spurs team and Im pretty sure they would still be light years ahead of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Tender Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 Bale would sell for c£40m. Add £40m of new talent to Spurs team and Im pretty sure they would still be light years ahead of us. Probably, but not certainly. There are only 2 or 3 players in World football arguably comparable or better than Bale. Replace him with one of those, fine. Otherwise you are talking about spending the money on two or more players, who would be expected to replace other players and it isn't always the case that players costing loads of money necessarily prove their worth at every club, or indeed in a different country. It also depends if on receiving £40 million for Bale whether they spend it all on players to replace him to strengthen the squad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jez Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 Going all MLG here but he was christened Rickie. There it is. My new Fact of the Day. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuncanRG Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 (edited) So Shaw and Schneiderlin not good enough to make the Spurs team? You're having a laugh, aren't you? I'd keep Shaw out if Vertonghen's playing left back but he'd compete for a place, sure. Schneiderlin the same - could probably fit in but Dembele and Sandro are tough players to beat. Anyway, let those three in and you're still nowhere close to preferring Saints 'player for player'. Most of our first team would be strong options from the bench for them. If Spurs sell Bale for the huge fees that are being talked about (£60-80m) then I think they're capable of improving without him. You can't replace a player like him but that is so much money, and they've proven with Modric that they can move on without previously vital players. The danger for them is if they sell him late in the window, so they don't have the time to reinvest smartly. For my money I think he'll stay there another season anyway. Edited 9 July, 2013 by DuncanRG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_saint Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 By repeatedly saying you are not going to complain about this transfer window and then outlining how you would complain, are you not complaining? 2013/14 - the season of Alpine disguised complaining. "I'm not complaining, but if I were to complain it would be like this..." Another clown who cant see the wood for the trees. I aint p*ssed off at the club anymore. They dont seem to think they are answerable to the fans anymore (e.g. the shirt), so they will do what they bloody well like on the transfer front. The consequence will be survival or relegation. I cant change that, and cant be bothered getting uppity any more. No, my irritation now is purely about budgies like you lecturing the odds then changing your tune later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olallana Posted 9 July, 2013 Share Posted 9 July, 2013 Another clown who cant see the wood for the trees. I aint p*ssed off at the club anymore. They dont seem to think they are answerable to the fans anymore (e.g. the shirt), so they will do what they bloody well like on the transfer front. The consequence will be survival or relegation. I cant change that, and cant be bothered getting uppity any more. No, my irritation now is purely about budgies like you lecturing the odds then changing your tune later. Did you get a good odds on the higlight above?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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