kpturner Posted 1 June, 2014 Share Posted 1 June, 2014 (edited) Errr, what now? A real billion is a million million for those of us who like tradition. In the States it is a thousand million. Edited 1 June, 2014 by kpturner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpturner Posted 1 June, 2014 Share Posted 1 June, 2014 (edited) They've both been the same for a long while now. Try telling that to them....or us..... It still a million million for me. They'll be telling us to spell colour without a "u" next Edited 1 June, 2014 by kpturner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpturner Posted 1 June, 2014 Share Posted 1 June, 2014 ......but anyway, have Man City really spent £1bn (£1000,000,000) ?? I find that very difficult to believe but I am sure somebody will post a link to prove otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clifford Nelson Posted 1 June, 2014 Share Posted 1 June, 2014 If you think of yourself as small you are guaranteed to remain small. The only way to challenge this is to refuse to think like a club which is tempted by £20M for Lallana. And the only way your players are going to give you what is necessary is if they believe that they will play Champions League football with us. "Small town mentality" is never going to get you there whatever the size of the town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doddisalegend Posted 1 June, 2014 Share Posted 1 June, 2014 If you think of yourself as small you are guaranteed to remain small. The only way to challenge this is to refuse to think like a club which is tempted by £20M for Lallana. And the only way your players are going to give you what is necessary is if they believe that they will play Champions League football with us. "Small town mentality" is never going to get you there whatever the size of the town. Not really going to work though is it? You can tell a player the club is aiming for European football but it might take two or more seasons to achieve so If a big club comes and offers European football next season, more money and a chance to play with better players there's nothing a club like saints can do. Why would a player hang on at saints for an aim of Europe that might come true in a couple of seasons when they are getting a guaranteed offer to play in Europe right now with another club? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctoroncall Posted 1 June, 2014 Share Posted 1 June, 2014 But the problem as we are seeing now, is while we can get these players, we can't keep hold of them as we can't offer what the big boys can. We're in a massive catch 22, and without spunking a few hundred million we will be every year. I think you are right and there is only a slim chance of holding on to players for a season or two from the academy, unless they are average or perhaps there is a cup win in the team. All we can hope for is that we can produce a couple of stars each season and use the money wisely like Lille in the transfer market to slowly move up the table unless KL wishes to spend in excess of £250m in transfer fees and wages. That would be extremely unlikely, but at least our academy is I assume part of the strategy the current board have in mind to see the club progress. The manager selection and transfers will show what ambition and the type of progress football wise they mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintRobbie Posted 1 June, 2014 Share Posted 1 June, 2014 1. We will never be one of the bigger fish 2. Hodgson is right, but he is part of the problem, imo. His training camps were supposed to be transfer-free, but it seems to me he has actively encouraged this situation and I dont care for the accusations that England training camps are being used as cover for tapping-up. I dont agree with point 1. but I do with point 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamsaint Posted 1 June, 2014 Share Posted 1 June, 2014 If you think of yourself as small you are guaranteed to remain small. The only way to challenge this is to refuse to think like a club which is tempted by £20M for Lallana. And the only way your players are going to give you what is necessary is if they believe that they will play Champions League football with us. "Small town mentality" is never going to get you there whatever the size of the town. Leeds. Big city. Big fanbase. Big dreams. Won the league. And then..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offix Posted 1 June, 2014 Share Posted 1 June, 2014 Will Saints ever be a "bigger fish in the sea"? EVER is a big word. Sure there may come a time that we can make the jump like Man City have done. It won't be any time soon though. Man City, and earlier in history Chelsea, did it with the power of shedloads of money. Any club can do that given the right filthy rich ownership. But it certainly doesn't look an option for us right now. In my dreams we start the process this summer by getting Ranieri as manager, buying Fabregas and David Villa, but as I said - that's a dream, and they don't often dome true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordeaux Posted 1 June, 2014 Share Posted 1 June, 2014 1. It beggars belief that people would like to see the "top four" p*ss off and form a Europa league with Bayern, Réal etc. Do you really think we could break into that? Do you really think you'd even ever see Southampton on telly again? Get a f***ing grip! 2. Man City do not have an international fan base. Ten years ago they were in the third tier. As soon as FFP falls by the wayside, all clubs with any history at all will become the "play things of billionaires," and Saints are up there with Everton, Newcastle, Spurs - and also Wolves, Burnley and... I don't know... Accrington Stanly in that regard - wait and see! But only if we keep national leagues 3. Finally, where after the Europa league? The World league? New York Utd and Tokyo Dons breaking away to form their own version of the Scottish Premier League where they play each other thirty-two times a season, with every single human being on earth taking a side and buying the merchandise? Ffs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St_Tel49 Posted 1 June, 2014 Share Posted 1 June, 2014 sadly Roy is correct, there are an elite few any they go to any lengths to protect that gravy train they are on. Think about it, how many players have Chelsea bought that would be first teamers in any tean outside the top four but have never or nearly never played for Chelsea first team. They buy these players to stop the other sides getting them and these players are happy to sit on their bums getting fat cheques each month for nothing. You may think i'm being cynical here but its true. We will never ever be a big team.....but hey ho i accepted that years ago and i don't want to support a team that buys itself Championships and Cups....that is empty victories as far as i'm concerned. Woy might be correct but he should not be articulating it. That is the point at issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitzhugh Fella Posted 1 June, 2014 Author Share Posted 1 June, 2014 1. It beggars belief that people would like to see the "top four" p*ss off and form a Europa league with Bayern, Réal etc. Do you really think we could break into that? Do you really think you'd even ever see Southampton on telly again? Get a f***ing grip! 2. Man City do not have an international fan base. Ten years ago they were in the third tier. As soon as FFP falls by the wayside, all clubs with any history at all will become the "play things of billionaires," and Saints are up there with Everton, Newcastle, Spurs - and also Wolves, Burnley and... I don't know... Accrington Stanly in that regard - wait and see! But only if we keep national leagues 3. Finally, where after the Europa league? The World league? New York Utd and Tokyo Dons breaking away to form their own version of the Scottish Premier League where they play each other thirty-two times a season, with every single human being on earth taking a side and buying the merchandise? Ffs Not arguing with anything you say but you paint a bleak (but probably realistic) picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted 1 June, 2014 Share Posted 1 June, 2014 Not arguing with anything you say but you paint a bleak (but probably realistic) picture. you say that. but almost the same number of different teams won the 3 domestic trophies in the 20-odd year pre 1992 as they have since the prem started until recently, swansea and wigan were holders of the cups Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitzhugh Fella Posted 1 June, 2014 Author Share Posted 1 June, 2014 A better question is will any club? I can handle Saints not making it this time, individual mistakes, motivations, board members, whatever. But if no club can grow enough to become 'big', then ultimately what is the point? L1 to the peak of the average clubs Premier league placings in 4 seasons? Then what? Other clubs will want to replicate it, but then what to they do? Slip back down the leagues and let someone else do it? There has to be scope for clubs to break through and rival these big clubs. Clubs that are big primarily due to early success, i.e. trophies and relatively big money in the first 100 years of football. Doesn't seem right that that should shape the next 100 years with no chance of change. FWIW I don't think it will, but something needs to change sooner rather than later. Just in the last 15 years I've noticed far less patience with managers and players, more frustration and resentment shelling out lots of income to watch millionaires, watch less loyalty, a ridiculous gap between the fan and the megastar player, and your beloved club being smashed back down whenever it attempts to challenge. All very well for people to say accept it, but the moment a club does they will move rapidly backwards. Yep, pretty much agree with all your sentiments, something has got to change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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