asset stripping, aiming for 7th, or relegation?

[pangy]

Can't work out if Koeman has sanctioned these transfers or the board have left him out to dry,either way he has one hell of a job on his hands,I know he is supposedly known for bringing youth through but unless we buy some proven players he will struggle with the players we have.

At the moment I feel we are asset stripping,that's because I don't see any incomings and more players are being linked with a move away each week,the board have done nothing to show us that we are going to improve on lasts seasons 8th and no matter what way people look at it we have sold 5 first team players to top 4 teams.

If you think you can go out and buy the same quality players for what we pay your nuts,you buy unproven and hope they work eg Lovren,quite often they don't eg Osvaldo.

I am hoping by 1st Sept I can come back here and say that the board have shown intent by making 5-6 quality signings,but the pessimist in me says we won't get our targets as we look like damaged goods

[Puddings and Monkeys]

We'll just have to wait and see, won't we? I'll back my judgement as pretty well maintaining our current position and improving the season after. Many of the naysayers were exactly the same ones who said we wouldn't get back into the PL as soon as we did, that Adkins wouldn't be as good as Pardew, Pochettino wouldn't be as good as Adkins, Lambert wouldn't make the step up to the second division, then the first, etc.

 

 

Agree totally. Good post; one in the eye for the premature ejaculators.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

Well if Nick won't back up his words with a bet is there anyone else of the positive variety who wants to take my £50 bet on that we will finish in the bottom half?

[aintforever]

It's not something I would like to bet on because it could very easily go either way. Keoman could be a top manager and our kids could be the next golden generation and we could be as good as last year.

 

But at the moment I would bet on relegation, I think it's a very fine line between finishing mid-table and being in a relegation scrap. Our team has been ripped apart and we are basically starting from scratch - with a new manager who is untested in this league.

 

I don't think our squad is as good as many think. We were lucky last year with injuries so the lack of strength in depth wasn't exposed. unless we make 4 or 5 top signings I think it will be a very long season.

 

All the other football fans (non-Saints) in my office think we're nailed on to go down.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

Nick talks the talk but at present is not walking the walk. Hot Air.

[lickierambert]

My theory on things are/will be:

 

The club legislated and prepared for the losses of Pochettino, Shaw and Lallana and had some replacements lined up, but were taken aback by the Liverpool interest in Lambert. Lambert had to go quickly to complete the deal, and this set in motion agent behaviour and uncertainty in Lovren, Schneiderlin, Rodriguez etc. who are/will be seen as deserters by the club hierarchy. However, to get the best price for them, both parties have generally entered into a silence agreement so as not to give any further leverage to the big clubs.

 

Lovren, Schneiderlin, Chambers and Rodriguez will be sold over this window and replaced with 3 or 4 more fairly cheaply, whilst McQueen, Reed, Isgrove and Targett will be promoted to regular first team slots in order to try and keep us afloat in the league

 

Katharina and Krueger, taken aback by the scale and nature of the Premier League and realising they're out of their depth then sell the club for the best price possible next spring to decent owners, with Saints looking like they'll just about survive.

 

Anyone thinking we'll buy and more than 3 or 4 (when we need 7 or over the next few weeks I think is highly deluded. The promotion of the youth will be given the PR treatment by the club but our luck will run out eventually.

[Georgie]

I got 150/1 on us being relegated at the end of June. We're now 11/2!!!

 

We were 14/1 in May just after MP left.

[maysie]

Nick talks the talk but at present is not walking the walk. Hot Air.

 

Since when do you have to back up options on an Internet forum with hard cash?

 

Did you put 50 quid down when you had your meeting with RK and assured everyone we were in save hands? Or maybe that was all hot air as well because he liked your book.

[NickG]

Trying to look at which is most likely as objectively as possible.

 

Relegation?

All bookies I have just looked at have us safely finishing 9th.

In the 12/13 season Nigel Adkins achieved 14th, and nicely safe before the end of the season with;

Boruc /Davies

Clyne

Yoshida

Jos

Fonte

Morgan

Lallana - at time when many slated him

Lambert

Fonte

Davis

Ramirez

Puncheon

JayRod - not same level as last season

Puncheon

Shaw (inexperienced 17 year old one.

 

Even if we lose Morgan, Chambers, Lovren and JayRod it won't be hard to recruit to better that squad. JWP, reed, Gallagher, isgrove add something. We won't get relegated.

 

Asset stripping / fire sale?

Looking at search signing independently they can easily be justified and prices good. What gets to people is the volume. Most people are amazed at the prices we are getting - we clearly aren't cheaply cashing in. How much profit on Lovren? Lallana double price of Tadic? Shaw one of most expensive defenders in history?

Would we want, or be able to attract Koeman if in a fire sale? His brother? Watson from another club? Sammy Lee? Much cheaper ways of doing it. We have had a confirmed bit for England squad player.

 

I think it is likely Koeman saw Pelle and Tadic as upgrades on Lallana and Lambert so jumped at chance.

Lovren the club wanted but his comments made it hard, nothing to do with ambition - money and CL.

Chambers? He is too good to be 2nd choice in a team of our level. Thought at end of season some sense in selling him. Great to have, but how likely would he sit behind another RB for a club like us?

 

I think we have had disappointing departures

I wish club would make some signings but facts still more consistent with aim of 7th than a relegation battle / fire sale / asset strip.

 

Sorry for errors in list.

 

So even if Koeman and his team are no better than Adkins, and don't feel players such as Clyne improved, the comparison with side that comfortably stayed up is -

Targett v 17 year old Shaw

JWP, Reed, Wanyama v Morgan

Isgrove, Gallagher, McQueen v Puncheon

 

However, Koeman states several signings to come.

 

I'm not at all worried about relegation.

 

Think some replies are confused, probably due to hot heated mindless ranting that has been going on!

 

To be clear, it is bad we are losing players we are attached to, good players, or young players with potential.

 

It is also much better to have a preseason like last year, with players in early and lots of positive energy.

 

Things are negative and we are not where we were last season.

 

However, I'm not sure what exactly people are disagreeing with in my OP? Even with the rumoured further departures we are probably better off than our 14th finish season - and Koeman spoke on Friday about several more signings to come, - for example we know we have bid for Forster.

 

The attempts to sign Forster totally undermines the continual moaning about KL lacking ambition and cashing in. Why would a team who has given up of premier league, or an owner cashing in bother signing another keeper at all, when we have the three that have given us 8th and 14th? Surely that would be an easy position to justify no spending - none have left, even with all three current keepers suffering injuries we had impressive season. So, no need to spend money there particularly if happy to be relegated or just stay up. But, no, they have bid for a young member of the England squad - please explain how that fits? (BTW any replies that mention just a PR stunt or deliberately bidding too low will be filed in nutter responses )

 

We have seen some uninspiring management appointments at other clubs. Koeman was the fans choice, but not cheapest option. Please explain how his appointment fits with board with no ambition? Further more added his experienced brother, well thought of Sammy Lee and England goalkeeping coach? Hmmm fire sale?

 

There was a blog linked on here, by a fan from another club, criticising saints for not allowing players to leave unless we get silly money, even mourinhio agrees! Players are being sold for huge fees, more than they are worth. The profits on Lambert and Lovren are bizarre. Club bending over too easily? That's not the general view, quite the opposite.

 

I knew Shaw was on borrowed time, quite clear when he was already the best in the premier league but hoped that we may get one more season. But £30m ffs??!!

 

People argue that there is no proof that Tadic and Pelle will adapt and be successes. I agree. I don't know how they will compare with Lallana and Lambert. However, I am very confident that Koeman would have preferred them. I also think there is decent chance they will be improvements - particularly Pelle. But it is exciting to watch and find out.

 

There are risks with signings, as there is with a new manager. Which is why I cannot guage where we are. Its gutting to see a team disappear, losing its identity, but can I suggest you look at all departures one by one, judge how player acted, the fee, the likely replacements, etc - even if you are dead against the board, can you see an explanation that would make them correct decisions? For balance, of course I can see an explanation that fits evil board so will reserve judgement until I see the football.

 

If Chambers stays, do you think it would good for his career waiting for Clyne to drop form or be injured? Imagine that doesn't happen this season? And we had turned down enough to be bringing Ings off the bench just to keep a second choice RB? Bit harsh on Chambers as I think he will get better and maybe suits other positions but you get my point.

Am I confident that we will sign more players? -yes. That they will all work out? No.

That we will be top half? No, but think we have decent chance.

 

Am I confident we are not in a fire sale or not given up on top half - yes

 

Read the times article on another thread.

 

Nick talks the talk but at present is not walking the walk. Hot Air.

 

At least my 'hot air' discusses football, rather than rather sad macho 'I'll bet you ' challenges. As you want, I'll take the bet that I'm just talking hot air and we will get relegated.

 

Do you get any enjoyment from saints? You just seem to whine about everything, when I was posting, at request, the stats being updated on our great run in league one, you and alpine whined, you saying you can't enjoy it as you know it will come to an end, well maybe it has now and perhaps you could have enjoyed it more. Try looking forward rather than back.

 

Make it charity bet, then no real losers. £50 if we stay up.

[NickG]

Charlie wayman - me or you away with the fairies?

 

Professor, chapel end Charlie - am I deluded or did I judge it well?

 

And the whinging old woman Fitzfeller Hugh, full of hot air, disappears when I agree to back up my view in OP with £50 charity bet !

 

 

 

Club clearly not, and was always pretty clear, asset stripping or aiming for relegation.

 

Not sure exactly what the club will be saying internally, but appointing Koeman, adding Alderweireld (25 years old, playing 1/3 of games for team which win La Liga, & in champions league final) or Forster etc - suggests to me an aim of at least top 8.

[melmacian_saint]

I think people are mistaking squad for team. We may have spent some money on players who seem decent but that doesn't mean we're on for a top 8 push- teams around us have also signed new players and more crucially have not had their starting 11 suffer as many changes as we have.

 

While defensively I must admit we look as sound as we have since promotion (good keeper despite no back-up and good CB/FB options), there is one crucial thing that we have to do: we need to find and get the team to learn a new way of attacking effectively. At West Ham it may have worked, but I can't see us being as effective when we need to have some initiative and playing with one striker will likely not help. I'll wait to deliver my verdict on Pelle but I fear that with time defenders will learn how to mark him and with no support he won't be able to do much. It may turn out that Long is not the best companion as he needs someone as mobile to be effective, and I'm not sure Pelle is that kind of player.

 

The Ramirez situation also looks weird, but then again Mané may have the strength and pace that Gaston never had. Still the Austrian league is very far from the level of the PL. Alderweireld looks a decent signing but for someone that was back-up in a team that does need some squad depth it does seem like they let him go a bit too easily. Plus at 25 he really should be firing at all cylinders, but hopefully he will be great for us.

 

Bottom line, still a lot to be seen. But my guess is somewhere around 10th-15th in the table. We're good, but we're not as good as last season nor are we better.

[NickG]

I think people are mistaking squad for team. We may have spent some money on players who seem decent but that doesn't mean we're on for a top 8 push- teams around us have also signed new players and more crucially have not had their starting 11 suffer as many changes as we have.

 

While defensively I must admit we look as sound as we have since promotion (good keeper despite no back-up and good CB/FB options), there is one crucial thing that we have to do: we need to find and get the team to learn a new way of attacking effectively. At West Ham it may have worked, but I can't see us being as effective when we need to have some initiative and playing with one striker will likely not help. I'll wait to deliver my verdict on Pelle but I fear that with time defenders will learn how to mark him and with no support he won't be able to do much. It may turn out that Long is not the best companion as he needs someone as mobile to be effective, and I'm not sure Pelle is that kind of player.

 

The Ramirez situation also looks weird, but then again Mané may have the strength and pace that Gaston never had. Still the Austrian league is very far from the level of the PL. Alderweireld looks a decent signing but for someone that was back-up in a team that does need some squad depth it does seem like they let him go a bit too easily. Plus at 25 he really should be firing at all cylinders, but hopefully he will be great for us.

 

Bottom line, still a lot to be seen. But my guess is somewhere around 10th-15th in the table. We're good, but we're not as good as last season nor are we better.

 

Agree with a fair bit of what you say.

 

I was quite optimistic about our attacking ability with Pelle, Tadic, JWP and Morgan - but we also now have Long and Mane - with JayRod and Gallagher yet to be involved.

 

We were comfortably 8th last year, hard to compare due to so many changes but all regular 1st team starters have been replaced ( Tadic, Pelle and Bertrand all seem to be doing well). I saw Gardos as Lovren's replacement. If, big if I know, they match their predecessors and Koeman matches MP, we should be around last season's level. But we dropped points due to weaknesses in CB and keeper and have also added TW and FF.

 

It is hard to predict a position, if top 7 do well they will be very hard to break into but one may have off season, likewise teams below may improve.

 

To finish 15th, five of Burnley, Palace, Sunderland, west from, QPR, Leicester, Hull, west ham, Villa, Man U would have to be better than us, personally can't see it.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

I gave you plenty of time to accept my bet but had given up and not come back to this thread.

No one has been proved right or wrong yet incidentally. The Board has delivered (I said all summer I trusted them) and the chances are if the players gel we should be fairly comfortable, but your gloating and subsequent name calling do not enhance your argument.

However as it is for charity, my offer of a bet still stands on the original terms ie - if we finish in the top half I will gladly pay a charity of your choice £50, likewise if we don't you pay the charity of my choice.

[Professor]

The board have belatedly compensated as best they can for the asset sales. The extent to which that was motivated by fear of what they had done, negative reactions in the press and amongst the fan base, or the judgement of the new manager, or whether it was always the plan, we may never know. The outcome is a first XI that looks on paper very close to last year's in quality, in fact the bulk of last year's team is still in place, but it does look like we have greater strength in depth. We haven't really signed any world class players as the top 7 clubs may have done, but few would have expected us to. Whether this will be enough to hold on to a place in the second quartile of the table can only be speculated on because the other unknown is how well our competitors will compete, the likes of Hull, Swansea, Newcastle and Stoke for example. NIckG has already made his own assessment of how brilliant he is as a forecaster, and he's decided he's brilliant. Lets hope he's right.

[TwoPints]

I got 150/1 on us being relegated at the end of June. We're now 11/2!!!

Doesn't matter what the odds are as it's not going to happen so you've thrown your cash away I'm afraid.

[hutch]

(good keeper despite no back-up and good CB/FB options),

Where did Boruc go? I missed that.

[Professor]

It's easy to become blasé about large sums of money when we regard a million or two for a footballer as peanuts, but the truth is that even £1m for the average fan would be a life-changing sum of money. For someone in a well-paid job it could take 20 years to earn a £1m and for many people, much longer. But for the owner of Southampton FC, the net effect of the transfers in and out this summer is a profit of more than £20m. That may not be asset stripping but it has been achieved by liquidising assets.

Although fans were told back in May that there were funds available to buy players, presumably from the £70m or so earned from the prize and TV money last season, realistically, it may have been necessary for some sales to fund quality purchases. Even so, wouldn't most people prefer that Shaw, Lallana and Lovren were still Saints' players? Given their long contracts, freely signed, and the demonstration over Morgan that contracts can be enforced, a different approach might have produced a different outcome. What is not clear is how badly the Board wanted to keep those players when the transfer options became clear or whether the money became a bigger motivator.

In the end, we have seen a lot of that money spent on replacements to the squad to the extent that few people would think our Premier League status will be under threat. But it wasn't all spent, and neither does it seem that the transfer fund was used that people were told was available. On paper, this squad looks like it should achieve a similar outcome to last year and perhaps Koeman will get more out of the team than Pochettino did, but we haven't seen the genuine strengthening of our 8th place side, which is what many people were looking for at the end of the season. The OP asked which of three options was the target none of which are likely to be accurate. What we seem to have is a multi-million return of cash from player sales, eye-watering money in the real world, but the club does have a squad that should maintain mid-table. Whether that was a deliberate decision back in May/June or is just the outcome of events that took over, it's hard to say, but someone does have a healthy bank balance and the prospect of pocketing even more Sky TV money this season.

[hutch]

What a load of tosh. What are you a professor of, exactly?

[OldNick]

It's easy to become blasé about large sums of money when we regard a million or two for a footballer as peanuts, but the truth is that even £1m for the average fan would be a life-changing sum of money. For someone in a well-paid job it could take 20 years to earn a £1m and for many people, much longer. But for the owner of Southampton FC, the net effect of the transfers in and out this summer is a profit of more than £20m. That may not be asset stripping but it has been achieved by liquidising assets.

Although fans were told back in May that there were funds available to buy players, presumably from the £70m or so earned from the prize and TV money last season, realistically, it may have been necessary for some sales to fund quality purchases. Even so, wouldn't most people prefer that Shaw, Lallana and Lovren were still Saints' players? Given their long contracts, freely signed, and the demonstration over Morgan that contracts can be enforced, a different approach might have produced a different outcome. What is not clear is how badly the Board wanted to keep those players when the transfer options became clear or whether the money became a bigger motivator.

In the end, we have seen a lot of that money spent on replacements to the squad to the extent that few people would think our Premier League status will be under threat. But it wasn't all spent, and neither does it seem that the transfer fund was used that people were told was available. On paper, this squad looks like it should achieve a similar outcome to last year and perhaps Koeman will get more out of the team than Pochettino did, but we haven't seen the genuine strengthening of our 8th place side, which is what many people were looking for at the end of the season. The OP asked which of three options was the target none of which are likely to be accurate. What we seem to have is a multi-million return of cash from player sales, eye-watering money in the real world, but the club does have a squad that should maintain mid-table. Whether that was a deliberate decision back in May/June or is just the outcome of events that took over, it's hard to say, but someone does have a healthy bank balance and the prospect of pocketing even more Sky TV money this season.

I think this is valid. The argument that we couldn't hold people to their contracts was shot out of the water. I assume the counter will be that Morgan won't sulk like Lallana or Lovren

[Redslo]

It's easy to become blasé about large sums of money when we regard a million or two for a footballer as peanuts, but the truth is that even £1m for the average fan would be a life-changing sum of money. For someone in a well-paid job it could take 20 years to earn a £1m and for many people, much longer. But for the owner of Southampton FC, the net effect of the transfers in and out this summer is a profit of more than £20m. That may not be asset stripping but it has been achieved by liquidising assets.

Although fans were told back in May that there were funds available to buy players, presumably from the £70m or so earned from the prize and TV money last season, realistically, it may have been necessary for some sales to fund quality purchases. Even so, wouldn't most people prefer that Shaw, Lallana and Lovren were still Saints' players? Given their long contracts, freely signed, and the demonstration over Morgan that contracts can be enforced, a different approach might have produced a different outcome. What is not clear is how badly the Board wanted to keep those players when the transfer options became clear or whether the money became a bigger motivator.

In the end, we have seen a lot of that money spent on replacements to the squad to the extent that few people would think our Premier League status will be under threat. But it wasn't all spent, and neither does it seem that the transfer fund was used that people were told was available. On paper, this squad looks like it should achieve a similar outcome to last year and perhaps Koeman will get more out of the team than Pochettino did, but we haven't seen the genuine strengthening of our 8th place side, which is what many people were looking for at the end of the season. The OP asked which of three options was the target none of which are likely to be accurate. What we seem to have is a multi-million return of cash from player sales, eye-watering money in the real world, but the club does have a squad that should maintain mid-table. Whether that was a deliberate decision back in May/June or is just the outcome of events that took over, it's hard to say, but someone does have a healthy bank balance and the prospect of pocketing even more Sky TV money this season.

 

In my blog I have discussed how difficult it would be to catch any of the teams above us. (http://redsloscf.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-close-were-we.html) It has to be a long term project. If players like Lallana and Lovren wanted Champions League Football now, we could never offer it to them and holding four or five unhappy team leaders to their contracts was never a reasonable option.

 

I think this is valid. The argument that we couldn't hold people to their contracts was shot out of the water. I assume the counter will be that Morgan won't sulk like Lallana or Lovren

 

But, if true, isn't that a good counter.

[OldNick]

In my blog I have discussed how difficult it would be to catch any of the teams above us. (http://redsloscf.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-close-were-we.html) It has to be a long term project. If players like Lallana and Lovren wanted Champions League Football now, we could never offer it to them and holding four or five unhappy team leaders to their contracts was never a reasonable option.

 

 

 

But, if true, isn't that a good counter.

until you try you never find out. As soon as the window closes those players would need to play to keep their profile up. Their agents would soon be onto them if they were losing their bonusses and International place.

Agents are a curse to the modern game and they are a major reason why the unrest happens

[rallyboy]

Putting aside obvious stumbling blocks, strengthening from last year by retaining most players but also bringing in the new ones would have been an expensive exercise.

With our recent history I would have been nervous had we spent that sort of money with no attempt to balance the books.

We clearly overspent on Osvaldo, perhaps on Ramirez, you don't need too many of those mistakes before the balance sheets goes a bit storrie.

 

I'd love us to be able to finish as high as possible but it has to be through sensible spending.

Call me safe or risk-averse but I don't want us trying to compete in the transfer market with Chelsea or Man City.

 

 

I'd rather we punched above our weight in 6th-8th, unlike Liverpool who believe they can win the title, or Spurs who think they can finish in the top four.

IMO they are both weighed down by delusion and thus doomed to underachievement.

 

 

I'm happy that we are gently cautious and have made a profit on summer business, I don't wish to play Dagenham, pompey or Rochdale again anytime soon, other than in the preliminary rounds of a cup competition.

With every year that we retain our status and build well, the gulf between the Premier League and the Championship widens.

We are in a good place.

[sadoldgit]

It's easy to become blasé about large sums of money when we regard a million or two for a footballer as peanuts, but the truth is that even £1m for the average fan would be a life-changing sum of money. For someone in a well-paid job it could take 20 years to earn a £1m and for many people, much longer. But for the owner of Southampton FC, the net effect of the transfers in and out this summer is a profit of more than £20m. That may not be asset stripping but it has been achieved by liquidising assets.

Although fans were told back in May that there were funds available to buy players, presumably from the £70m or so earned from the prize and TV money last season, realistically, it may have been necessary for some sales to fund quality purchases. Even so, wouldn't most people prefer that Shaw, Lallana and Lovren were still Saints' players? Given their long contracts, freely signed, and the demonstration over Morgan that contracts can be enforced, a different approach might have produced a different outcome. What is not clear is how badly the Board wanted to keep those players when the transfer options became clear or whether the money became a bigger motivator.

In the end, we have seen a lot of that money spent on replacements to the squad to the extent that few people would think our Premier League status will be under threat. But it wasn't all spent, and neither does it seem that the transfer fund was used that people were told was available. On paper, this squad looks like it should achieve a similar outcome to last year and perhaps Koeman will get more out of the team than Pochettino did, but we haven't seen the genuine strengthening of our 8th place side, which is what many people were looking for at the end of the season. The OP asked which of three options was the target none of which are likely to be accurate. What we seem to have is a multi-million return of cash from player sales, eye-watering money in the real world, but the club does have a squad that should maintain mid-table. Whether that was a deliberate decision back in May/June or is just the outcome of events that took over, it's hard to say, but someone does have a healthy bank balance and the prospect of pocketing even more Sky TV money this season.

 

The point has been made before that you can keep one or two digruntled players without affecting the squad but if it is half the team you have no chance. There was clearly a probelm within the squad that has now mostly been sorted. As for Shaw, Lallana and Lovren - from what we know now, frankly no, wouldnt have any of them. Shaw it seems had his head elsewhere some time ago and it was only Reed that persuaded him to stay a bit longer. We have seen what kind of characters that Lallana and Lovren are and we are better off without them. Re the cash - it would make no sense to blow it all in one go. We have money for back ups in January should we need it and money to help the club continue to build at the grassroots level. I am sure none of us ever want to be in the position that we were in a few years ago. The future looks ok to me.

[Greenridge]

S.O.G you must have a set-up like this to maintain your frenetic posting activity! As Roy would say.....that's dedication wooah

 

[NickG]

Will be very surprised if we stay up now. Even if we bring players in, they won't be of the same quality as the 8 or so that we will inevitably sell There must be a massive air of negativity around the club right now, and it must be affecting the players who are still here. Quite simply, everything is going wrong. Bottom line is that we might line up for the first game with Yoshida and Hooiveld as centre backs, which would be a disaster.

Confused.

 

You said would be surprised if we stay up.

 

You moan about the standard of our players, JwP, long, Tadic, Pelle, etc

 

But we are far exceeding your expectations, and players are still not good enough???

[Saint_Tony]

Confused.

 

You said would be surprised if we stay up.

 

You moan about the standard of our players, JwP, long, Tadic, Pelle, etc

 

But we are far exceeding your expectations, and players are still not good enough???

What the **** are you on about? Sure, I got it wrong and am happy to admit it, but what is your point in dragging up this post?

How long ago is this post from?

 

And don't make stuff up, the only player I ever really moan about is JWP.

Go find something more productive to do with your time instead of trawling through forum archives

[Turkish]

What the **** are you on about? Sure, I got it wrong and am happy to admit it, but what is your point in dragging up this post?

How long ago is this post from?

 

And don't make stuff up, the only player I ever really moan about is JWP.

Go find something more productive to do with your time instead of trawling through forum archives

 

Especially sad dragging Up this thread in that it highlights that despite typing a lot and being the major stupid/foolish personboard cheerleader, he didn't have the balls to back up his words by taking FFS bet.

[Smirking_Saint]

Id of said its pretty obvious it isnt a fire sale, and I think we will be clear of rekegation however I genuinely believe squad upheaval especially, what ? 5 weeks until the season is potentially very damaging indeed for preperation, for that instance I dont think you can completely rule out relegation however I think we will be clear, a bottom 10 finish for me though

 

You cant really blame people for questioning the board, the level of departures worrying, damaging and personally I think points at certain rifts in the camp

 

I stick with what I said, I got it wrong but I wouldnt of changedmy opinion pre season. Those bleating about the position we are in now cannot genuinely tell me there was not times that they worried. I certainly did.

 

The reason that our position now is talkedabout with such enthusiasm is because of the situation we were in. And we will be foolish if we believe that particular transfer model is in any way sustainable

[Roboze]

we are recognised foe having one of the best scouting set ups and youth set ups in europe, if not the world!, our current business model is exactly to buy low, sell high.......this is not conducive to building a world beating side...but there will come a come a time when we don't need to sell! look at the big picture! not the papers! we are in good hands, and i believe if Kat wanted to sell, she would only sell to someone wanting to fufill her dads dream. COYS

[Saint IQ]

I wasn't worried until Chambers was sold. Then I did think we might be doing a Mike Ashley style sell up and stay up project, after Tadic and others came in I was fine, especially when we splashed 12m on Mane at the end of the window I thought top half would be achieveable, could of never envisaged being in the top 4 for so long though.

 

What a season it has been!