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Is this the most united the club has been?


Turkish
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No, definitely not, but the one thing that worries me, they think that next summer they will get away with losing RK, Tadic, Pelle, MS and J Rod and still get to second place. That would be amateurish

 

Do they? When did they tell you this?

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Not all of us were worried...I know a few Saints fans, myself included, who weren't worried when everything was happening.

 

We appointed a manager who had a better CV than any other manager we've had before coming to the club.

We were making huge profit on the players we were selling, all to clubs bigger than us.

We were expanding our club off the pitch, various appointments behind the scenes that don't have too much of an impact on the pitch but help the clubs profile grow.

We were in the middle of building the new state of the art training facilities, unveiled today.

We signed the third highest goalscorer in Europe, the best midfielder in the Eredivise, a Champions League winner and various other great players (Alderwireld is a big name, and I don't just mean it has a lot of letters!)

Krueger and Reed were both very positive through the whole thing, and let us know not to worry - there was no firesale, there were no plans to sell the club and there were players coming in. For all the put downs of them, all the people that said they were just easy PR wins, keeping the fans quiet? Well they weren't lying in the end, were they?

 

All the evidence that we were going to be fine was in front of us. Some just decided to ignore it and believe anything the Daily Mail spouted.

 

I repeated the above sentiments quite a bit through the summer, I believed whole heartedly we were going to be fine. Ralph Krueger and Les Reed were both very confident that we were going to be fine, and we were. The reaction on here was mental.

 

I will vouch for that. I can remember quoting I think it was Alpine Saint [haven't seen him for a while things must be good] who was saying something like" but Alpine thinks we are doomed, he could have a point this time, look we have got no players left" and you said, don't worry, what ever Alpine says the opposite always happens and sure enough you were right.

 

Roll on Saturday........................... can we win again Becks, surely not?

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Who is this ***t Noodles? Is he new? I normally remember the complete knobheads so figure he must be.[/quote

 

ahh, the resort to the usual clever 'keyboard warrior' abuse,well done sir, you have excelled in comprehending the word 'debate' and followed a crowd worthy of your presence

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I will vouch for that. I can remember quoting I think it was Alpine Saint [haven't seen him for a while things must be good] who was saying something like" but Alpine thinks we are doomed, he could have a point this time, look we have got no players left" and you said, don't worry, what ever Alpine says the opposite always happens and sure enough you were right.

 

Roll on Saturday........................... can we win again Becks, surely not?

 

Was a good post, wasn't it! Tough crowd, though.

 

If Alpine comes out and says we will lose, then I will think we will win!

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No, definitely not, but the one thing that worries me, they think that next summer they will get away with losing RK, Tadic, Pelle, MS and J Rod and still get to second place. That would be amateurish

 

Ah ok. Moving on from Ralph wrecking the club (he didn't), you are now making up hypothetical future scenarios to beat the club with. Because, logic.

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No, definitely not, but the one thing that worries me, they think that next summer they will get away with losing RK, Tadic, Pelle, MS and J Rod and still get to second place. That would be amateurish

 

What would be amateurish? Haven't you learned anything about this board and the meticulous way that they plan for every enventuality? You seem to have come up with quite a random list of names of personnel that you believe will leave us next Summer and are prepared to make projections of where we will end that ensuing season, before we are a little more than a quarter of the way through this one. At the moment, we're second without Rodrigez having kicked a ball. Presumably we would be top logically if he was playing, as you feel that not having him next season would make us weaker.

 

But a precedent has been set that we had lost our manager and five top players and yet had replaced them with their equals or improvements. Assuming that if those players you listed did actually leave, there is no reason to presume that we could not extract massively over-inflated fees for them and that we could not find suitable replacements at a profit. As we are talking hypothetical situations, what makes you believe that we couldn't do it all again, apart from your natural pessimism?

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What would be amateurish? Haven't you learned anything about this board and the meticulous way that they plan for every enventuality? You seem to have come up with quite a random list of names of personnel that you believe will leave us next Summer and are prepared to make projections of where we will end that ensuing season, before we are a little more than a quarter of the way through this one. At the moment, we're second without Rodrigez having kicked a ball. Presumably we would be top logically if he was playing, as you feel that not having him next season would make us weaker.

 

But a precedent has been set that we had lost our manager and five top players and yet had replaced them with their equals or improvements. Assuming that if those players you listed did actually leave, there is no reason to presume that we could not extract massively over-inflated fees for them and that we could not find suitable replacements at a profit. As we are talking hypothetical situations, what makes you believe that we couldn't do it all again, apart from your natural pessimism?

 

There is nothing to say that we couldn't do it again, but then look at Liverpool after losing two players (one permanently, one temporarily). Do you REALLY think that losing a manager and five top players every season would see us finish in the top half of the league season after season.

My overall point is that I dont think the board handled the summer exodus very well, but (luckily?) its worked out well. Is that what our plan is for the future? Unsustainable perhaps, bit like the Rupert Lowe days except we can afford to replace our good players this time.

as for the OP, the club as a whole, its past and present is definitely more united than ever and its a nice feeling. But I felt under NC we were going places and there was a clear vision for success, but its Kat's money now and ultimately her call and regardless of currently being second, I was actually more optimistic about the future this time last season.

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There is nothing to say that we couldn't do it again, but then look at Liverpool after losing two players (one permanently, one temporarily). Do you REALLY think that losing a manager and five top players every season would see us finish in the top half of the league season after season.

My overall point is that I dont think the board handled the summer exodus very well, but (luckily?) its worked out well. Is that what our plan is for the future? Unsustainable perhaps, bit like the Rupert Lowe days except we can afford to replace our good players this time.

as for the OP, the club as a whole, its past and present is definitely more united than ever and its a nice feeling. But I felt under NC we were going places and there was a clear vision for success, but its Kat's money now and ultimately her call and regardless of currently being second, I was actually more optimistic about the future this time last season.

 

This all feels a bit desperate now Noodles. Just admit you over-reacted and were wrong. If you do that, Turks has nothing to go on. If you don't this will continue ad infinitum. That's my rule - if people are big enough to admit they were wrong, I no longer give them ****. If they're too proud to admit they wrong, on a messageboard, then they deserve all the **** they get.

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There is nothing to say that we couldn't do it again, but then look at Liverpool after losing two players (one permanently, one temporarily). Do you REALLY think that losing a manager and five top players every season would see us finish in the top half of the league season after season.

My overall point is that I dont think the board handled the summer exodus very well, but (luckily?) its worked out well. Is that what our plan is for the future? Unsustainable perhaps, bit like the Rupert Lowe days except we can afford to replace our good players this time.

as for the OP, the club as a whole, its past and present is definitely more united than ever and its a nice feeling. But I felt under NC we were going places and there was a clear vision for success, but its Kat's money now and ultimately her call and regardless of currently being second, I was actually more optimistic about the future this time last season.

 

See, making up hypothetical future scenarios. If we keep all our players and manager and sign 3/4 quality players we could win the league :)

 

It was a challenging summer, do you think maybe the scenario came around as the foundation built by NC (I'm not a basher of NC, I think he did a very good job. Even if he did do some crappy things) was not sustainable? I highly doubt anyone at the club will look at this summer and see it as a model to repeat moving forward. But, it sure as hell suggests that when players do move on - which is inevitable - we are able to handle it. RK has already shown more commitment to his future than MP ever did (I'm not one for knocking MP either, I've frequently defended him from the revisionism of his time here), so that is at least somewhat reassuring.

 

The stated aim is to attempt to hold onto players longer, but that is easier said than done. FFS Man Utd, Arsenal & Liverpool struggle to hold onto their players - it's obviously going to be harder for Saints to do that. There will be more players to go, I strongly suspect Morgan will be off next summer (I'll be gutted, he's long been my favourite player and imo is our best player by some distance) but the club will carry on and they probably already have a list of potential replacements for him.

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There is nothing to say that we couldn't do it again, but then look at Liverpool after losing two players (one permanently, one temporarily). Do you REALLY think that losing a manager and five top players every season would see us finish in the top half of the league season after season.

My overall point is that I dont think the board handled the summer exodus very well, but (luckily?) its worked out well. Is that what our plan is for the future? Unsustainable perhaps, bit like the Rupert Lowe days except we can afford to replace our good players this time.

as for the OP, the club as a whole, its past and present is definitely more united than ever and its a nice feeling. But I felt under NC we were going places and there was a clear vision for success, but its Kat's money now and ultimately her call and regardless of currently being second, I was actually more optimistic about the future this time last season.

 

Is it really that hard to man up and admit you were simply wrong?

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There is nothing to say that we couldn't do it again, but then look at Liverpool after losing two players (one permanently, one temporarily). Do you REALLY think that losing a manager and five top players every season would see us finish in the top half of the league season after season.

My overall point is that I dont think the board handled the summer exodus very well, but (luckily?) its worked out well. Is that what our plan is for the future? Unsustainable perhaps, bit like the Rupert Lowe days except we can afford to replace our good players this time.

as for the OP, the club as a whole, its past and present is definitely more united than ever and its a nice feeling. But I felt under NC we were going places and there was a clear vision for success, but its Kat's money now and ultimately her call and regardless of currently being second, I was actually more optimistic about the future this time last season.

 

Listen mate, NC has long gone. We are currently 2nd with an excellent manager and playing good football. If you really cant enjoy this and can only harp back to the good old days under NC or look forward to a bleak vision of losing key players again next summer what is going on inside your head? I have heard of pessimism but this takes the biscuit. Where exactly were we going under NC that we cant go with the new management? Lighten up and enjoy the ride for goodness sakes.

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Always a bit risky to set current circumstances against the whole of history - which 'the most united we have ever been' tends to do. Who knows how united the club and its fans were between 1897 and 1899 when Southampton FC won the Southern League championship for three years running. Personally, I do remember 1966 when Ted Bates got us promoted to the First Division for the first time with Martin Chivers scoring 30 goals. I'd say we were very united in those days, doing well in the First Division and getting into Europe, although I do recall it was a wet night at The Dell when we were knocked out of the Inter-City Fairs Cup in 1970 by Newcastle, of all the European teams you could choose from!

Maybe the OP was thinking of the strife during the latter part of the Rupert Lowe chairmanship and we are certainly more united than were then, so maybe more united than we have been since we came to St Mary's would be a very fair statement.

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There is nothing to say that we couldn't do it again, but then look at Liverpool after losing two players (one permanently, one temporarily). Do you REALLY think that losing a manager and five top players every season would see us finish in the top half of the league season after season.

My overall point is that I dont think the board handled the summer exodus very well, but (luckily?) its worked out well. Is that what our plan is for the future? Unsustainable perhaps, bit like the Rupert Lowe days except we can afford to replace our good players this time.

as for the OP, the club as a whole, its past and present is definitely more united than ever and its a nice feeling. But I felt under NC we were going places and there was a clear vision for success, but its Kat's money now and ultimately her call and regardless of currently being second, I was actually more optimistic about the future this time last season.

 

There were obviously extenuating circumstances last season, but the way that it acted through proves that we were capable of bringing around the situation not only back to what it was, but to an improved level.

 

Of course it's not our plan to do this routine every year. But I hope that having been proven wrong regarding the outcome and the club having demonstrated a canny knack of rising to the challenge with the utmost panache, that you will think twice about going off the deep end the next time that one or two key players wants to move on.

 

Please don't make any comparisons with the Lowe era, as there are none. And also please accept that even when Cortese was here after Markus' death, it was always Katharina's money.

 

Strange for you to have felt more optimistic about our future this time last year than you do now, but then it takes all types. We have cleansed the club of a few players and a manager who thought that they were too good for us and replaced them with people who appreciate us for what we are and moreover what we can become if they all pull together in the same direction.

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There were obviously extenuating circumstances last season, but the way that it acted through proves that we were capable of bringing around the situation not only back to what it was, but to an improved level.

 

Of course it's not our plan to do this routine every year. But I hope that having been proven wrong regarding the outcome and the club having demonstrated a canny knack of rising to the challenge with the utmost panache, that you will think twice about going off the deep end the next time that one or two key players wants to move on.

 

Please don't make any comparisons with the Lowe era, as there are none. And also please accept that even when Cortese was here after Markus' death, it was always Katharina's money.

 

Strange for you to have felt more optimistic about our future this time last year than you do now, but then it takes all types. We have cleansed the club of a few players and a manager who thought that they were too good for us and replaced them with people who appreciate us for what we are and moreover what we can become if they all pull together in the same direction.

 

I find it strange too.

 

I will confess to having some concerns over the summer. I didn't get as hysterical as many. I never bought into the asset-strip ideas (it was nonsense, you don't get in someone of RK's stature and spend nearly £20m replacing £30m of players - ie Tadic & Pelle for Lallana & Lambert) and I said several times I thought we would finish somewhere between 9th-15th). What the summer has shown to me, is that the systems this club has in place show we are stronger than any individual players. All the talk of the Southampton Way has proven justified, all that effort put in to ensuring the club is more than just the XI players on the pitch came true.

 

I feel that last season wasn't a fluke, we have a demonstrable model that we can follow. It may not work everytime, but we give ourself the best possible chance for success with a long term vision. Not flitting between ideas dependent on whatever is the flavour of the month (I'm looking at you Tottenham) and hoping it may just come good once.

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It does seem to be a very tough ask for people to admit they're wrong. We all are from time to time, even me ;)

 

I freely admit I was wrong about Les Reed, 2 years ago I thought he was on a cushy number and little more than corteses puppet. The last 9 months have shown he's a real asset to the club.

 

Never mind hey, I look forward to the next made up scenario as a get out clause :lol:

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It does seem to be a very tough ask for people to admit they're wrong. We all are from time to time, even me ;)

 

I freely admit I was wrong about Les Reed, 2 years ago I thought he was on a cushy number and little more than corteses puppet. The last 9 months have shown he's a real asset to the club.

 

Never mind hey, I look forward to the next made up scenario as a get out clause :lol:

 

I find the occasional bit of humility keeps the lynch mobs away. That, and greasing the approaches to my house.

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