saints_is_the_south Posted 18 August, 2013 Share Posted 18 August, 2013 The drive he has shown to get Wanyama and Osvaldo this summer has been extraordinary. Both looked doubtful at coming, but he simply would not take no for an answer and kept going and going until he'd convinced them to sign. So I guess it begs the question, just how far will that drive and determination take us? How far is he prepared to go? Discuss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 18 August, 2013 Share Posted 18 August, 2013 Totally depends how much money we can spend, which at some point is going to have to involve to us marketing the club to all kinds of previously untapped sponsorship resources to get around the FFP rules. The ladder has been pulled up, and the European competitors with global merchandise sales are escaping off with the silver. Unless we can keep the players we've got and still keep bringing through kids we're going to plateau somewhere in the top half once we top out our wages because we won't have the additional revenues the top sides will have. I'm not sure there are enough awesome players to overflow into the top 8 and accept lower wages, though Prem teams are still going to be able to outspend most of the rest of the World to attract players, so it might be possible. Otherwise, we could try and perform some kind of footballing miracle based on Aston Villa's title winning side of 1981 and only use 14 players all season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat from Poole Posted 18 August, 2013 Share Posted 18 August, 2013 Maybe also depends on any plans to extend the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pangy Posted 18 August, 2013 Share Posted 18 August, 2013 Like MoPo says skys the limit. We have the infrastructure to be very successful,but if I am being honest I think to start with top 8 has to be a target,if we can maintain that for a couple of seasons we should push for a top 6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 18 August, 2013 Share Posted 18 August, 2013 Maybe also depends on any plans to extend the ground. Are you trying to start an argument on here ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saints_is_the_south Posted 18 August, 2013 Author Share Posted 18 August, 2013 Everton average around 35K, not much more than us. Yes, they're a bigger club, but their revenue can't be much bigger than ours, and they've managed to finish in the top 6 on a consistent basis. I think top 8 is a good initial aim, and I see no reason why we could not mirror Everton & break the top 6. Anything above that is going to require significant funds, and possibly out of our reach with the FFP rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuncanRG Posted 18 August, 2013 Share Posted 18 August, 2013 Maybe also depends on any plans to extend the ground. Kind of -success on the pitch would have to come first, but increased capacity would be crucial to sustaining it. We'd have to be in the top six to shift 40,000 tickets on a regular basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint_clark Posted 18 August, 2013 Share Posted 18 August, 2013 Everton average around 35K, not much more than us. Yes, they're a bigger club, but their revenue can't be much bigger than ours, and they've managed to finish in the top 6 on a consistent basis. I think top 8 is a good initial aim, and I see no reason why we could not mirror Everton & break the top 6. Anything above that is going to require significant funds, and possibly out of our reach with the FFP rules. How long have Everton been finishing in the top 6? When did they originally break in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saints_is_the_south Posted 18 August, 2013 Author Share Posted 18 August, 2013 How long have Everton been finishing in the top 6? When did they originally break in? 06-07 - 6th 07-08 - 5th 08-09 - 5th Then went 3 seasons 7th, 7th & 8th. And then 6th again last season. So top 6 in 4 of the past 7 seasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smirking_Saint Posted 18 August, 2013 Share Posted 18 August, 2013 Kind of -success on the pitch would have to come first, but increased capacity would be crucial to sustaining it. We'd have to be in the top six to shift 40,000 tickets on a regular basis. This I think he can push us right up there, City and spurs are the only two in recent times to break the original top four dominance, we all know the level of spending at City but Spurs have also sustained high levels for a time. Just ask Liverpool how difficult it is to get there and as much as I dislike them they are massive. I think an Everton level of sustainability is our immediate level of ambition if he continues the forward momentum he is attempting to build. The spending would certainly help but also trying to hold onto our better players and owning a successful academy. Is top four possible ? Not for a long time, it needs more than just funds (that are only sustainable with the right income) but also attracting the right players, that takes time to build the status of the club. Im going to be optimistic and say we 'could' make top four in our lifetime, but ambition or not we are not the size of those that sit in those berths right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 18 August, 2013 Share Posted 18 August, 2013 How long have Everton been finishing in the top 6? When did they originally break in? 7, 17, 4, 11, 6, 5, 5, 8, 7, 7, 6 are their last 11 finishes. Before that they hadn't finished above 13th in the previous 6 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smirking_Saint Posted 18 August, 2013 Share Posted 18 August, 2013 Everton average around 35K, not much more than us. Yes, they're a bigger club, but their revenue can't be much bigger than ours, and they've managed to finish in the top 6 on a consistent basis. I think top 8 is a good initial aim, and I see no reason why we could not mirror Everton & break the top 6. Anything above that is going to require significant funds, and possibly out of our reach with the FFP rules. Moyes is a good manager that had them organised, disciplined and motivated. He bought well, was cautious and had his tactics spot on. I would attribute the majority of Evertons success to him and honestly think that you will start to see them decline as a force, I really dont rate Martinez, yes he plays good football but is just far too open and Kenright wont spend enough to patch up Martinez' defensive tactics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 18 August, 2013 Share Posted 18 August, 2013 Also, don't forget Everton have a national fanbase of plastic fans in their 30s and upwards due to their 80s successes... having grown up in an area which hasn't had a club in the top two divisions since 1945, I knew of numerous Everton fans, and no Saints fans. You can't just conjure up a massive international fan base to sell stuff to without winning a few things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spudders Posted 18 August, 2013 Share Posted 18 August, 2013 When I went to that fans meal with Cortese a few years ago, he said he wanted to see us play Champions League football. Many fans laughed at that suggestion at the time as we were in League one and it still seems a long way off at the moment. However having met him and heard him speak, I genuinely think he'll keep working hard to get us there within the next few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintBobby Posted 18 August, 2013 Share Posted 18 August, 2013 Maybe also depends on any plans to extend the ground. I'm pretty sure that's going to happen before long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now