Where the club is now - and where we can push onto -don't hang me looking for debate

[Saint86]

Was going to post this as a response in the matt target room, which is totally off topic and will deride that thread more than it is currently.

 

At present, I am delighted with how the club has performed this last year (lets be honest, summer 2014 was a bit hairy) but somewhat concerned with the direction of this summer....

 

"People are saying they are literally delighted with the performance of the board and les reed in recent weeks... I am not, I think he is all too ready to talk the talk, but actually, his actions do not measure up. I think the board have done a good job all in all, but can do much better still. My points below are in response to posts that say they are "delighted with Les Reed and the boards performances and hope they continue for years to come etc etc etc"...

 

Don't hang me, I'm not a bed wetter by any stretch, i think every season i have been one of the most optimistic people on here, maybe my issue is that at long last (after 5-6 consecutive seasons) my expectations for the club finally exceed what we can achieve... (for me this is establishing ourselves as a regular europa league qualifier with cup runs every now and then).

 

***************************

 

So in response... How delighted were people last summer? Because it wasn't LR that signed Tadic, Pelle, Toby... We got those players because of Koeman. I think the board got very lucky with that appointment in that it saved their backsides with regards to shredding the squad (although credit to the recruitment process for scouting him out - something i think we excel at now and a nod to Les Reed for that)... Overall though, I worry that this season just gone has made them complacent in the transfer market and in contract negotiations. In fact I think the way they handled clyne and how it compares to Poch, chambers, lambert, lallana, shaw etc and the communication to fans/players is very similar, which is complacent and dangerous, and shows little signs of lessons learned). Although some say there are none to learn because we improved, had a cracking season and can expect to do it every year )

 

In my view, we erupted from the lower leagues like a rocket and the momentum carried us upwards building and developing the team as we went. But we built that team with a large financial clout and competing against teams with no where near the set up that we had, nor with the set up of the teams we are now up against. If the club want to progress they need to do better than the Toby saga. Which frankly was a terrible waste of an opportunity.

 

The structure and momentum was created under cortese's watch and the financial muscle the club now have come from his management of ML’s / KL's funds. They say he had left debts, but people forget that he may well have sold off players as well, such as the £10m deal for lambert that was scrapped only for him to then leave for £4m less than 6months later under LR’s watch. That was a deal that caused upset amongst the fans and was rumoured to cause boardroom trouble for cortese! So frankly, Les Reed / the board don't get any additional credit for the clubs performance... he has performed well, I agree! But people literally act like he is flawless. He is not. And needs to do better for where I (and some of the fans?) want the club to push onto. Lest our entry into europe fails to become a regular event which is what we should be aiming for and is within reach.

 

For example, after last summer you would hope that they tied players contracts down, yet Clyne (despite being told it was imminent) was allowed to expire and leave, Toby was not closed out (despite making all the right noises for months on end - to the point that spuds snuck in and did the deal) and there is no sign of new deals for other key players like Wanyama. In addition they ignored and failed to tie down Cork at that time such that he was then left feeling unwanted/disillusioned and tempted by Swansea… It is sloppy and we cannot afford it! We are competing against the top clubs in the land now, cock it up and we'll have thrown away our one chance in recent history to break into the top echelons for a prolonged period.

 

The club have done fantastic and reached a new height last year with the league finish and European football, it has been a pleasure to watch them these last 5 years... But all that pleasure will be soured if they don't see this through and really push onwards because the potential is there.

 

Sadly, I don't see them really building enough on the opportunity we now have which is a terrible shame. Losing Morgan and Toby with no like for like replacements in sight is a real shame and disappointment. One I hope will be remedied. Clasie is an exciting player for sure, but he is in no way a like for like replacement for morgan. Our midfield is now weaker defensively and if we lose wanyama it will be populated by small technical midgets who are sadly not called Iniesta or xavi and are not those players in their prime!!!

 

We must have the cash to strenghten... There have been 2 years of record tv incomes, we had the 6th smallest wage budget in the league and have banked over £110m on transfers in 12 months... with profit left over from last summer and from Morgan and clyne this summer.... I don't ask them to go crazy by no means, we are not portsmouth or west ham etc etc.. But for crying out loud I wish they'd put the money in to buy the 1 or 2 quality players (DM and CB) that would make us rock solid and give us a great chance of competing.

 

Signing James Chester or Caulker is just settling for where we are (granted a massive improvement from where we have ever been in the prem). But to me that is a disappointment, there is scope to go for more without stretching ourselves. We have the manager, we have a great core to the team and we have the money and the kids.... pad them out with that sprinkle of quality and really go for it!! If we're not going to do that, then the club should stop giving it all this about how marvellous we are... because whilst it is great publicity, all they are actually doing is selling (both physically and commercially) NC's and ML's legacy..." Eventually it will just wear thin and mean very little and trading on past glories (no matter how modest) is a false economy.

 

***********************

 

Fully expect to get slammed on here ( ) but interested to know other fans thoughts and whether I am the only one who is a tiny bit disappointed with the summer so far and what it may mean for the clubs progression.

[Deano6]

[Mr Biscuits]

HOW DARE YOU ATTEMPT TO HAVE A REASONED DEBATE ON HERE I HATE YOU

[Tony F]

I think you make some good points but we have lost two first team players and supposedly signed at least 2 to replace them - probably more when we see our new signings settle in. Which is the key. If our new players settle in well, we will be fine. If they turn out to be misfits then not.

 

But I think this particular aspect is indeed somehting that the club has learned about since Osvaldo etc.

 

Oh - and we have the "new signing" that is JayRod back.....

 

Rekax and see where it goes. Its only a game mate (dives for cover!)

[mattsbignose]

I will at least try to put forward another side to the debate; as it is, in my opinion, about growing organically. No matter what we think, financially we cannot compete with the top clubs on the wage front and it is the wages that load the middle of the P&L with effectively what become fixed costs; hence why we are trying to grow our commercial income. Our model has to be to continue to try and find value in the market place through smart buying overseas and our academy development. This model does mean however that we will continue to have our top talent picked off.

 

I believe the club did what it could do to entice the likes of Clyne and Toby to stay but the contractual situations meant that was always a tough ask. With Clyne, I think the club had to balance one more season with him and leaving on a free or take the money and negotiate as much as we could. Athletico and Toby was a different situation and one that has been covered to death on here so won't bore everyone with that again. When you look at Morgan, he was always going to leave, I was surprised it was to Man Utd but there you go. In addition to the c£25m transfer fee, he must be on a minimum £90k a week in wages. Even if we were to match the wages, I would say that that is pretty much unsustainable if we were to attempt to pay the transfer, those sort of wages for two or three players as you suggest; as that would be the best part of £45m for a four year contract each!

 

There is also the question as to whether or not we could sign that type of player at all. I remember us signing Kevin Keegan so it has been done before but not sure even Koeman could raid Barcelona for Messi! I know someone accused me of a Dell-type mentality previously, but I think it is more a pragmatic approach based on some basic business acumen. Personally I am enjoying the last few years as not all of my 40 years as a Saints fan has been quite so positive.

[Wes Tender]

Saint 86:

But for crying out loud I wish they'd put the money in to buy the 1 or 2 quality players (DM and CB) that would make us rock solid and give us a great chance of competing.

 

It remains to be seen whether we already have signed the DM who will make us rock solid, and whether we will sign the CB. But as Clasie has not yet been tested against other PL teams for us, it is as hasty to reach any conclusions on his abilities in our team as it is to criticise the board for not yet having bought the CB to replace Toby. As you don't know for sure that the paper talk of us wanting to sign Chester or Caulker is accurate, it is premature to make assessments based on whether the board are as ambitious as you would like.

 

Also, all this talk about whether we could have kept Toby who wanted to go to Spurs, whether Cork was deemed to be part of our plans, whether Wanyama wishes to sign a longer contract, or has ambitions to go upwards in his career, it is all speculation.

 

I suggest that you wait until the transfer window closes before going off at half-cock with your criticism of the board and Les Reed. It didn't go too badly last year under arguably a much more uncertain situation.

[CB Fry]

Was going to post this as a response in the matt target room, which is totally off topic and will deride that thread more than it is currently.

 

At present, I am delighted with how the club has performed this last year (lets be honest, summer 2014 was a bit hairy) but somewhat concerned with the direction of this summer....

 

"People are saying they are literally delighted with the performance of the board and les reed in recent weeks... I am not, I think he is all too ready to talk the talk, but actually, his actions do not measure up. I think the board have done a good job all in all, but can do much better still. My points below are in response to posts that say they are "delighted with Les Reed and the boards performances and hope they continue for years to come etc etc etc"...

 

Don't hang me, I'm not a bed wetter by any stretch, i think every season i have been one of the most optimistic people on here, maybe my issue is that at long last (after 5-6 consecutive seasons) my expectations for the club finally exceed what we can achieve... (for me this is establishing ourselves as a regular europa league qualifier with cup runs every now and then).

 

***************************

 

So in response... How delighted were people last summer? Because it wasn't LR that signed Tadic, Pelle, Toby... We got those players because of Koeman. I think the board got very lucky with that appointment in that it saved their backsides with regards to shredding the squad (although credit to the recruitment process for scouting him out - something i think we excel at now and a nod to Les Reed for that)... Overall though, I worry that this season just gone has made them complacent in the transfer market and in contract negotiations. In fact I think the way they handled clyne and how it compares to Poch, chambers, lambert, lallana, shaw etc and the communication to fans/players is very similar, which is complacent and dangerous, and shows little signs of lessons learned). Although some say there are none to learn because we improved, had a cracking season and can expect to do it every year )

 

In my view, we erupted from the lower leagues like a rocket and the momentum carried us upwards building and developing the team as we went. But we built that team with a large financial clout and competing against teams with no where near the set up that we had, nor with the set up of the teams we are now up against. If the club want to progress they need to do better than the Toby saga. Which frankly was a terrible waste of an opportunity.

 

The structure and momentum was created under cortese's watch and the financial muscle the club now have come from his management of ML’s / KL's funds. They say he had left debts, but people forget that he may well have sold off players as well, such as the £10m deal for lambert that was scrapped only for him to then leave for £4m less than 6months later under LR’s watch. That was a deal that caused upset amongst the fans and was rumoured to cause boardroom trouble for cortese! So frankly, Les Reed / the board don't get any additional credit for the clubs performance... he has performed well, I agree! But people literally act like he is flawless. He is not. And needs to do better for where I (and some of the fans?) want the club to push onto. Lest our entry into europe fails to become a regular event which is what we should be aiming for and is within reach.

 

For example, after last summer you would hope that they tied players contracts down, yet Clyne (despite being told it was imminent) was allowed to expire and leave, Toby was not closed out (despite making all the right noises for months on end - to the point that spuds snuck in and did the deal) and there is no sign of new deals for other key players like Wanyama. In addition they ignored and failed to tie down Cork at that time such that he was then left feeling unwanted/disillusioned and tempted by Swansea… It is sloppy and we cannot afford it! We are competing against the top clubs in the land now, cock it up and we'll have thrown away our one chance in recent history to break into the top echelons for a prolonged period.

 

The club have done fantastic and reached a new height last year with the league finish and European football, it has been a pleasure to watch them these last 5 years... But all that pleasure will be soured if they don't see this through and really push onwards because the potential is there.

 

Sadly, I don't see them really building enough on the opportunity we now have which is a terrible shame. Losing Morgan and Toby with no like for like replacements in sight is a real shame and disappointment. One I hope will be remedied. Clasie is an exciting player for sure, but he is in no way a like for like replacement for morgan. Our midfield is now weaker defensively and if we lose wanyama it will be populated by small technical midgets who are sadly not called Iniesta or xavi and are not those players in their prime!!! [emoji38]

 

We must have the cash to strenghten... There have been 2 years of record tv incomes, we had the 6th smallest wage budget in the league and have banked over £110m on transfers in 12 months... with profit left over from last summer and from Morgan and clyne this summer.... I don't ask them to go crazy by no means, we are not portsmouth or west ham etc etc.. But for crying out loud I wish they'd put the money in to buy the 1 or 2 quality players (DM and CB) that would make us rock solid and give us a great chance of competing.

 

Signing James Chester or Caulker is just settling for where we are (granted a massive improvement from where we have ever been in the prem). But to me that is a disappointment, there is scope to go for more without stretching ourselves. We have the manager, we have a great core to the team and we have the money and the kids.... pad them out with that sprinkle of quality and really go for it!! If we're not going to do that, then the club should stop giving it all this about how marvellous we are... because whilst it is great publicity, all they are actually doing is selling (both physically and commercially) NC's and ML's legacy..." Eventually it will just wear thin and mean very little and trading on past glories (no matter how modest) is a false economy.

 

***********************

 

Fully expect to get slammed on here ([emoji38] ) but interested to know other fans thoughts and whether I am the only one who is a tiny bit disappointed with the summer so far and what it may mean for the clubs progression.

Too much nonsense there to bother with I'm afraid.

 

Someone else with energy could take it apart line by line but I can't be bothered.

 

Disappointed you didn't manage to weave in Les Reed's record at Charlton, though. Do try harder.

[Graffito]

Hang him.

[Give it to Ron]

Can you expand a bit more on NC legacy please. Double the cost of training ground many unnecessary costs due to his tinkering. Forren, Mayuka, Osvaldo and Gaston . How do you know we didn't try to get Cork to sign? What if there was something in his previous contract that stopped us from doing so earlier?

You say you don't want us to do a Portsmouth but then advocate doing exactly that. What if we spent millions and got injured, upset squad, didn't settle?

 

 

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[Give it to Ron]

No Reed isn't perfect can you show me a club in admin so recently that has come out as strong as we have and still blood 9 academy kids? Already have the next millionaire kid signed up and the infrastructure to breed more? sh1t job our bosses are doing . Perhaps you have missed what we are aiming for ....sustainability.

 

 

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[SaintZamboni]

Pretty certain a scroll back through the forum would bring up the same debate, already hashed over, to which you could have contributed

[S-Clarke]

To be honest, there isn't a debate to be had. All that needs to be said to anyone questioning the position of the club this summer is the following line:

 

5 Years ago I was walking to St Mary's for an evening game to watch a L1 promotion clash with Brighton, which ended 0-0. 5 Years on and I'm going to be walking to St Mary's for an evening game against Vitesse in the Uefa Europa League.

 

For a club to travel that far, in such a short space of time kind of suggests that we've been doing the right thing every year. Les Reed has been part of that from the start, I have no idea why people have any doubts in him. He's been terrific for us, top to bottom.

[Give it to Ron]

Yep but I have read several posts this week predicting doom and gloom and no doubt some revel in that. Personally just enjoying the ride as long as it lasts.

 

 

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[trousers]

I reckon its asset stripping all over again... http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?t=50476

[colehillsaint]

Until Les Reed can expand the population of Southampton to 11 million and convince top players that they should sign a new contract every 10 minutes precluding the interest of world football minnows Liverpool and Manchester United, I to will remain deeply sceptical. Not really.

 

Thank you because at least reading stuff like the OP makes me yurn for the simple pleasure of watching a game of football.

[Nolan]

So in response... How delighted were people last summer? Because it wasn't LR that signed Tadic, Pelle, Toby...

 

Oh THAT explains it... Paul Mitchell was so disillusioned with rescinding controls of signings he went to Spurs.

[Diabolus Ex Machina]

Good to see some actual discussion taking place. Not going to go through all the points from the original post but I do think you do Les Reed a bit of a disservice trying to discredit any input he may have had into the signings last season. We're happy to talk up '5 year plans' and 'black boxes' etc...when it suits the idea of long term planning but then disregard it and treat it as a single persons actions when we actually do something. The club has not steered us wrong recently and think they have earned the benefit of the doubt until a noticeable shift from our current direction.

 

In terms of outgoing and ingoing players all I would say is that the players that have left have quite obviously not wanted to stay either for the extra money/Europe/'prestige' of playing for a bigger club (Clyne, Toby, Lallana etc...) or because we would not guarantee them first team football as our starters were better (Cork and Puncheon) the only one who I think doesn't fit into these two camps was Lambert. As for the incomings, we look to have covered all the outgoings and injuries position wise (including loan endings like Elia & Djuricic) with the exception of CB which has been compounded with the injury to Gardos, but with interest in Caulker and VVD (which seems to be held up on Celtics end more than anything) would lead me to believe replacements will come soon enough. Whether they are equal to the players they are replacing I can't say but if last Summers situation proved anything it's that you never can tell until the games are actually played.

 

Anyway outside of that the point of discussion that interests me most is the one about where we can push onto and is where I think people are losing sight of things.

 

A lot of talk recently seems to be about 'pushing on' and building or improving upon last season. I'll start by saying I think we over performed last season but the fact is we did what we did and ended with our highest ever prem points total. Having said that even with the squad we had, not having to play in Europe unlike Spurs, Pool etc...and with the other top teams struggling we still only finished 7th and needed teams higher than us to win the cups in order for us to get into Europe. When framed like that do people really expect us to overtake some of these teams this season? The extra european games for a start would have caused some issues even if we had kept the entire squad.

 

'Well we can strengthen the squad/add depth' people say. Well yes of course but this ignores the fact that every team above us will be doing the exact same thing making themselves stronger and you know what, they can pay a hell of a lot more money and in the case of the top 4 offer champions league as well attracting the better players. Basically if the teams above us take all the top players we will be reinforcing with inferior players to begin with. The fact that these bigger teams are happy to come poach our players is merely an extension of this (I consider this a case of being victims of our own success - the problem with having top class players is that the top teams will want them. I'm just happy that in a lot of cases we have got a good price for them).

 

This also covers the point about how much money we have and the new T.V deal - all the prem clubs are getting the new T.V money and the teams above us all have much more money available to them so again how are we meant to not only match these teams but overtake them? The only real way is to improve our revenue streams which the club is actively trying to do. In the mean time trying to live within our means and be a stable club seems perfectly reasonable to me. The only way this changes any quicker is if we got a Man City/Chelsea type owner that is willing to pour 100's of millions into the club expecting no (immediate) return which I think we all agree is highly unlikely.

 

Is top 6 impossible? Of course not I think we proved last season that we can at least challenge but it will take a lot more than just buying up more players to do it and I would expect it would come down to a bit of luck and (at least) one of the teams above us imploding somehow (I wouldn't put it past either Spurs or Pool to do this to be fair). I do think we are primed for a good run in at least one of the cups though and hey there's less games in the Europa league than in the Prem, might be our best shot at Champs League next season

[hypochondriac]

Think it's extremely harsh to dismiss the signing of koemam as lucky.

[Wilf]

 

Thank you because at least reading stuff like the OP makes me yurn for the simple pleasure of watching a game of football.

 

I'm with you on this!

[Fan The Flames]

I do love the Koeman saved the board ********, when it was the board that employed him.

 

Do people really believe that we don't try to extend the contracts of the players we want to stay.

[Bucks Saint]

So off the mark its not worth a detailed reponse. Wake up and realise that its the best period to be a saints fan in a very long time, and its not due to luck

[baggytrousers]

If we sign a quality centre back like Van Dijk then I believe that we will have a stronger squad than last year. Just as we have done each season for the past 5 years. Koeman is on record as saying that all his targets last year were already being pursued by Saints when he came into the club so to make out that he somehow single-handedly saved us is complete tosh. He's a really good manager but if he were to leave tomorrow I honestly believe that the gradual organic strengthening of the club would continue under another talented manager and Les Reed and Ralph Krueger's watchful eyes.

[mcbendy]

So off the mark its not worth a detailed reponse. Wake up and realise that its the best period to be a saints fan in a very long time, and its not due to luck

 

This

[mcbendy]

If we sign a quality centre back like Van Dijk then I believe that we will have a stronger squad than last year. Just as we have done each season for the past 5 years. Koeman is on record as saying that all his targets last year were already being pursued by Saints when he came into the club so to make out that he somehow single-handedly saved us is complete tosh. He's a really good manager but if he were to leave tomorrow I honestly believe that the gradual organic strengthening of the club would continue under another talented manager and Les Reed and Ralph Krueger's watchful eyes.

 

This too

[ally_uk]

End of the day if players want to leave and triple their wages let them, way I see it they do not want to play for us and will disrupt the rest of team clear out the deadwood and get in players with a bit of passion and heart. Hence what we have done / currently are doing let the money grabbers leave!

 

Yes we wont be a top 4 club, without massive investment we may get lucky one season who knows.

 

As for Toby, Morgan, Clyne it's done history we move forwards couldn't give two hoots we march on!

[Wes Tender]

 

'Well we can strengthen the squad/add depth' people say. Well yes of course but this ignores the fact that every team above us will be doing the exact same thing making themselves stronger and you know what, they can pay a hell of a lot more money and in the case of the top 4 offer champions league as well attracting the better players. Basically if the teams above us take all the top players we will be reinforcing with inferior players to begin with. The fact that these bigger teams are happy to come poach our players is merely an extension of this (I consider this a case of being victims of our own success - the problem with having top class players is that the top teams will want them. I'm just happy that in a lot of cases we have got a good price for them).

 

You make the statement in bold and then pretty well contradict it in the next line. Why would those top teams want to poach our best players if they are inferior? Even having the top teams taking the best players doesn't mean that they will play well for those teams, as Di Maria and Falcao proved at United. Those players that the top teams take from us because they have been successful with us, are the inferior players we brought in, like Lovren, Toby, Clyne, and no doubt Wanyama, Mane and Rodriguez and others in the future. Additionally of course, there are those players from our academy conveyor belt too.

 

Our forte is finding players that are missed by the top teams, or those that we think are worth a gamble on, whereas the top teams can afford to buy what they think is a proven player at their level, but as I already pointed out, that doesn't mean that just because they succeeded at their previous club that they will succeed elsewhere, as proven with Lovren. There are only so many players that a top team can sign and there are plenty of players who either go under their radar, or who are their second choices, good enough to be in the frame, but another player is preferred. These are the players who we can sign, along with the undiscovered gems.

[Diabolus Ex Machina]

You make the statement in bold and then pretty well contradict it in the next line. Why would those top teams want to poach our best players if they are inferior? Even having the top teams taking the best players doesn't mean that they will play well for those teams, as Di Maria and Falcao proved at United. Those players that the top teams take from us because they have been successful with us, are the inferior players we brought in, like Lovren, Toby, Clyne, and no doubt Wanyama, Mane and Rodriguez and others in the future. Additionally of course, there are those players from our academy conveyor belt too.

 

Our forte is finding players that are missed by the top teams, or those that we think are worth a gamble on, whereas the top teams can afford to buy what they think is a proven player at their level, but as I already pointed out, that doesn't mean that just because they succeeded at their previous club that they will succeed elsewhere, as proven with Lovren. There are only so many players that a top team can sign and there are plenty of players who either go under their radar, or who are their second choices, good enough to be in the frame, but another player is preferred. These are the players who we can sign, along with the undiscovered gems.

 

I agree with what you are saying and think I just used the wrong wording trying to make my point.

 

Saying the players we get would be 'inferior' is wrong but like you say we have to gamble on more unproven or 'under the radar' type players than the bigger teams would. We have had more successes than failures so far but even that has only taken us so far which is more where my point is heading towards - can we get a squad that will perform better over a season than the teams above us when they have more options available to them due to higher budgets, standing etc...which includes taking players directly from us (including any successful academy products as has been seen recently with Shaw & Chambers and the likes of Walcott previously).

 

It's not that it can't be done necessarily but seems unlikely which is why I think people need to temper their expectations. We have done exceptionally well over the last 5 years but there is a bit of a glass ceiling and to crack it will take more than a season or two.

 

Still, if anyone can give me an explanation of how they think we can overtake any of the teams above us while also taking into account how the teams above us are still improving and evolving i'd be interested to hear.

[angelman]

So off the mark its not worth a detailed reponse. Wake up and realise that its the best period to be a saints fan in a very long time, and its not due to luck

 

True, but....

 

Where are we? The pecking order is the same. We are where we are, along with several other clubs, and are just making up numbers. Look at the red tops (can't include the Sun as it is behind a paywall). Today they lead with stories about....

 

The Mail...Chelsea, Man U, Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea, Spurs

The Express...Chelsea, Arsenal, Villa, Chelsea, Man U, Man U, Man U, Man U/PSG, Chelsea, Barca

The Mirror..Chelsea, Chelsea/Arsenal, Mexico, Man U, Man U, Man C, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal, Man U, Liverpool

The Star...Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea, Arsenal, Arsenal, Man U, Man U, Villa, Liverpool

 

And

 

Sky Sports...Chelsea, Chelsea, Spurs, Villa, Chelsea, Man U. Chelsea, Arsenal, Chelsea

etc etc etc

 

These articles are interspersed with transfer "news" and paper round ups.

 

It's been like this for weeks. No doubt it is like this every close season, and even during the season, but at least during the season the media does actually report on some of the games of other teams. Changes from day to day as to who gets the majprity share of reporting, recently depending on who has played a friendly. Man City generally don't get that much coverage compared to the other big teams and the majority is reserved for Man U and Liverpool.

 

And that is where we are. We are little old Southampton. An irrelevance except when one of the big teams want one of our players. We were a bit of a side show last season in that we might have at one stage got a CL spot - but that was of interest more as to who would have missed out, not us being there.

 

As an aside, I find this blanket coverage of the big sides really really boring - not a surprise I guess, as I have no interest in other teams. I know that the media outlets are responding to market demands, but I've long since passed the stage of either listening to radio stations or reading newspapers football sections. While I am not a Guardianista, at least their sports pages looks elsewhere. Maybe that is because their main source of income is not reliant on their sports section.

[Wilf]

 

Still, if anyone can give me an explanation of how they think we can overtake any of the teams above us while also taking into account how the teams above us are still improving and evolving i'd be interested to hear.

 

How about some combination of...

 

* Canny and flexible tactics

* Motivation

* Team work / team spirit

* Getting new players to quickly gel with team mates

* Guts, keeping heads up when we go behind

* Excellent coaching

* Having great leaders on the pitch

* Bravery

* Ability to spot and exploit weaknesses in opposition teams / players / tactics

* Great supportive atmosphere at St Marys

* Vocal away support

* Superb player development bringing young players through

* Getting the right squad rotation

* Good psychology

* Good sports science

* Luck at key points in key games

* Failings in any of the above by our key competitors

[Diabolus Ex Machina]

How about some combination of...

 

* Canny and flexible tactics

* Motivation

* Team work / team spirit

* Getting new players to quickly gel with team mates

* Guts, keeping heads up when we go behind

* Excellent coaching

* Having great leaders on the pitch

* Bravery

* Ability to spot and exploit weaknesses in opposition teams / players / tactics

* Great supportive atmosphere at St Marys

* Vocal away support

* Superb player development bringing young players through

* Getting the right squad rotation

* Good psychology

* Good sports science

* Luck at key points in key games

* Failings in any of the above by our key competitors

 

Good post and all things that would help make it possible, however how many of those could apply equally to all the other teams above us as well and how many of them would need to be in place for us to improve enough to displace (at least) one of those higher teams who also have much greater resources (i.e. money) at their disposal? It didn't happen last year where you could argue many of these things were in place for us.

 

My point is not that we can't do it but that after coming so close to breaking into the top 6 last season it appears that some of the fans expectations are that we should be doing as good or better again this season without grasping just how difficult that would actually be - especially with the added European games. I have faith in the team but just tend to think some people are expecting way too much from the team based on an expectional peformance last season (i'm aware that it's the vocal minority that are saying this in the main and don't presume this to apply to all fans).

[alpine_saint]

Was going to post this as a response in the matt target room, which is totally off topic and will deride that thread more than it is currently.

 

At present, I am delighted with how the club has performed this last year (lets be honest, summer 2014 was a bit hairy) but somewhat concerned with the direction of this summer....

 

"People are saying they are literally delighted with the performance of the board and les reed in recent weeks... I am not, I think he is all too ready to talk the talk, but actually, his actions do not measure up. I think the board have done a good job all in all, but can do much better still. My points below are in response to posts that say they are "delighted with Les Reed and the boards performances and hope they continue for years to come etc etc etc"...

 

Don't hang me, I'm not a bed wetter by any stretch, i think every season i have been one of the most optimistic people on here, maybe my issue is that at long last (after 5-6 consecutive seasons) my expectations for the club finally exceed what we can achieve... (for me this is establishing ourselves as a regular europa league qualifier with cup runs every now and then).

 

***************************

 

So in response... How delighted were people last summer? Because it wasn't LR that signed Tadic, Pelle, Toby... We got those players because of Koeman. I think the board got very lucky with that appointment in that it saved their backsides with regards to shredding the squad (although credit to the recruitment process for scouting him out - something i think we excel at now and a nod to Les Reed for that)... Overall though, I worry that this season just gone has made them complacent in the transfer market and in contract negotiations. In fact I think the way they handled clyne and how it compares to Poch, chambers, lambert, lallana, shaw etc and the communication to fans/players is very similar, which is complacent and dangerous, and shows little signs of lessons learned). Although some say there are none to learn because we improved, had a cracking season and can expect to do it every year )

 

In my view, we erupted from the lower leagues like a rocket and the momentum carried us upwards building and developing the team as we went. But we built that team with a large financial clout and competing against teams with no where near the set up that we had, nor with the set up of the teams we are now up against. If the club want to progress they need to do better than the Toby saga. Which frankly was a terrible waste of an opportunity.

 

The structure and momentum was created under cortese's watch and the financial muscle the club now have come from his management of ML’s / KL's funds. They say he had left debts, but people forget that he may well have sold off players as well, such as the £10m deal for lambert that was scrapped only for him to then leave for £4m less than 6months later under LR’s watch. That was a deal that caused upset amongst the fans and was rumoured to cause boardroom trouble for cortese! So frankly, Les Reed / the board don't get any additional credit for the clubs performance... he has performed well, I agree! But people literally act like he is flawless. He is not. And needs to do better for where I (and some of the fans?) want the club to push onto. Lest our entry into europe fails to become a regular event which is what we should be aiming for and is within reach.

 

For example, after last summer you would hope that they tied players contracts down, yet Clyne (despite being told it was imminent) was allowed to expire and leave, Toby was not closed out (despite making all the right noises for months on end - to the point that spuds snuck in and did the deal) and there is no sign of new deals for other key players like Wanyama. In addition they ignored and failed to tie down Cork at that time such that he was then left feeling unwanted/disillusioned and tempted by Swansea… It is sloppy and we cannot afford it! We are competing against the top clubs in the land now, cock it up and we'll have thrown away our one chance in recent history to break into the top echelons for a prolonged period.

 

The club have done fantastic and reached a new height last year with the league finish and European football, it has been a pleasure to watch them these last 5 years... But all that pleasure will be soured if they don't see this through and really push onwards because the potential is there.

 

Sadly, I don't see them really building enough on the opportunity we now have which is a terrible shame. Losing Morgan and Toby with no like for like replacements in sight is a real shame and disappointment. One I hope will be remedied. Clasie is an exciting player for sure, but he is in no way a like for like replacement for morgan. Our midfield is now weaker defensively and if we lose wanyama it will be populated by small technical midgets who are sadly not called Iniesta or xavi and are not those players in their prime!!!

 

We must have the cash to strenghten... There have been 2 years of record tv incomes, we had the 6th smallest wage budget in the league and have banked over £110m on transfers in 12 months... with profit left over from last summer and from Morgan and clyne this summer.... I don't ask them to go crazy by no means, we are not portsmouth or west ham etc etc.. But for crying out loud I wish they'd put the money in to buy the 1 or 2 quality players (DM and CB) that would make us rock solid and give us a great chance of competing.

 

Signing James Chester or Caulker is just settling for where we are (granted a massive improvement from where we have ever been in the prem). But to me that is a disappointment, there is scope to go for more without stretching ourselves. We have the manager, we have a great core to the team and we have the money and the kids.... pad them out with that sprinkle of quality and really go for it!! If we're not going to do that, then the club should stop giving it all this about how marvellous we are... because whilst it is great publicity, all they are actually doing is selling (both physically and commercially) NC's and ML's legacy..." Eventually it will just wear thin and mean very little and trading on past glories (no matter how modest) is a false economy.

 

***********************

 

Fully expect to get slammed on here ( ) but interested to know other fans thoughts and whether I am the only one who is a tiny bit disappointed with the summer so far and what it may mean for the clubs progression.

 

Thankyou for having the balls to start this. Maybe without my name hung on the OP it wont get so short shrift.

 

I also think there is an air of complacency around SFC these days, based on events from last summer. The fact we dropped off 2nd/3rd to 7th due to not enough squad depth seems to have been airbrushed out of history, let alone the fact we havent even fully replaced what we've lost this summer.

 

Soares and Juanmi are good, exciting signings, and I am optimistic about Claise. But Martina does not fill me with enthusiasm.

 

We look strong attacking, but weak defending. Our success last season was based on having the best defence in the PL. The loss of Toby is a MASSIVE blow. And we only have the optimists word that we are well on the way to replacing him. Who knows if Stekelenberg is an adequate stand-in for Forster ?

[alpine_saint]

To be honest, there isn't a debate to be had. All that needs to be said to anyone questioning the position of the club this summer is the following line:

 

5 Years ago I was walking to St Mary's for an evening game to watch a L1 promotion clash with Brighton, which ended 0-0. 5 Years on and I'm going to be walking to St Mary's for an evening game against Vitesse in the Uefa Europa League.

 

For a club to travel that far, in such a short space of time kind of suggests that we've been doing the right thing every year. Les Reed has been part of that from the start, I have no idea why people have any doubts in him. He's been terrific for us, top to bottom.

 

Tired cliche. People reach (and sometimes exceed) their limit of advancement all the time in business

[Saint_Ash]

I reckon its asset stripping all over again... http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?t=50476

Brilliant, some people just can't cope with no games and preseason.

Edited 29 July, 2015 by Saint_Ash

[Bucks Saint]

Some people learned nothing from this time last season it seems. The first Prem game has not happened, the transfer window is still open for another month, we have already signed an experienced keeper, a decent looking right back and a quality midfielder. Yet we need to panic about the defence. Wow

[CB Fry]

Thankyou for having the balls to start this. Maybe without my name hung on the OP it wont get so short shrift.

 

I also think there is an air of complacency around SFC these days, based on events from last summer. The fact we dropped off 2nd/3rd to 7th due to not enough squad depth seems to have been airbrushed out of history, let alone the fact we havent even fully replaced what we've lost this summer.

 

Soares and Juanmi are good, exciting signings, and I am optimistic about Claise. But Martina does not fill me with enthusiasm.

 

We look strong attacking, but weak defending. Our success last season was based on having the best defence in the PL. The loss of Toby is a MASSIVE blow. And we only have the optimists word that we are well on the way to replacing him. Who knows if Stekelenberg is an adequate stand-in for Forster ?

Drivel.

[Give it to Ron]

 

The loss of Toby is a MASSIVE blow. And we only have the optimists word that we are well on the way to replacing him.

Simon Peach ‏@SimonPeach

I am told #QPR defender Steven Caulker could join #SaintsFC on loan. Will ask Koeman for details at the press conference. Oh dear Alps shot in the foot again....Caulker is a decent loan bet with an option to buy was good at Swansea , Spurs and GB squad. Gardos cover as well IMO and VVD is Toby . Keep smiling

[sadoldgit]

Don't you think the club is "going for it" then? Given that we cant compete with the likes of Manure. Chelsea and City, what sort of players should we be looking to bring in? The likes of Rojo and Clasie have either been signed or linked with top four clubs so it doesn't look to me like we are scrabbling about for crumbs. We are never going to sign Ronaldo but that doesn't mean we cant be competitive. We were last year and I am sure we will be this year. If it is big time stuff you want perhaps you are supporting the wrong club?

[sadoldgit]

Thankyou for having the balls to start this. Maybe without my name hung on the OP it wont get so short shrift.

 

I also think there is an air of complacency around SFC these days, based on events from last summer. The fact we dropped off 2nd/3rd to 7th due to not enough squad depth seems to have been airbrushed out of history, let alone the fact we havent even fully replaced what we've lost this summer.

 

Soares and Juanmi are good, exciting signings, and I am optimistic about Claise. But Martina does not fill me with enthusiasm.

 

We look strong attacking, but weak defending. Our success last season was based on having the best defence in the PL. The loss of Toby is a MASSIVE blow. And we only have the optimists word that we are well on the way to replacing him. Who knows if Stekelenberg is an adequate stand-in for Forster ?

 

An air of complacency yet you are happy with three out of four signings (the other you already decided was carp even before you saw him kick a football) and you have been told that the club are looking to bring in one or two more CBs? Jesus Alpine, you really do take the biscuit. Unless the club sign six players on the opening day of every transfer window its hard to see how they can keep you happy. As for Stekelenberg, I suspect that Ronald Koeman thinks he is an adequate stand in but whether he reaches your standards remains to be seen.

[Wes Tender]

How about some combination of...

 

* Canny and flexible tactics

* Motivation

* Team work / team spirit

* Getting new players to quickly gel with team mates

* Guts, keeping heads up when we go behind

* Excellent coaching

* Having great leaders on the pitch

* Bravery

* Ability to spot and exploit weaknesses in opposition teams / players / tactics

* Great supportive atmosphere at St Marys

* Vocal away support

* Superb player development bringing young players through

* Getting the right squad rotation

* Good psychology

* Good sports science

* Luck at key points in key games

* Failings in any of the above by our key competitors

 

Good post. I think that one of major advantages over some of the top teams appears to be our knack of buying players of a certain character who possess the ability to meld in well with their team mates, and the team spirit during the past two or three years is the best that I have ever known at the club. These players supplement the cameraderie that has developed with those brought through the academy, who have mostly known each other for many years and have grown up together. Often the players at the top clubs are a collection of individuals rather than a team like ours which is better than the sum of its parts.

 

The other factor that might mean that we supplant one of those top teams, is the luck factor, but across the season rather than necessarily in key games, although that is a help too. Two teams in that top bracket relied heavily on the goals of one main individual without whose contribution they would both be several league places further down; I speak of Suarez at Liverpool and Kane at Spurs. It is not inconceivable that we might have a player who sets the league on fire this season and that the goals that he scores, (or those scored between two players who form a very productive partnership), are enough to raise us higher up the table. Lady luck favours some teams that way and deserts others when star strikers are injured and the goals dry up.

[SaintBobby]

It's all good.

 

 

It's damned hard for us to finish higher than 7th tbh....the six teams who finished above us last season will all expect to do so again. And we have a few teams maybe snapping at our heels. Everton? Stoke? Swansea?

 

I think we will probably finish somewhere around 7th - 10th.

 

To answer the OP's protracted question - That is where the club is now.

[whelk]

Thankyou for having the balls to start this. Maybe without my name hung on the OP it wont get so short shrift.

 

I also think there is an air of complacency around SFC these days, based on events from last summer. The fact we dropped off 2nd/3rd to 7th due to not enough squad depth seems to have been airbrushed out of history, let alone the fact we havent even fully replaced what we've lost this summer.

 

Soares and Juanmi are good, exciting signings, and I am optimistic about Claise. But Martina does not fill me with enthusiasm.

 

We look strong attacking, but weak defending. Our success last season was based on having the best defence in the PL. The loss of Toby is a MASSIVE blow. And we only have the optimists word that we are well on the way to replacing him. Who knows if Stekelenberg is an adequate stand-in for Forster ?

 

Dint think I have ever seen the term 'airbrushed out of history' so inappropriately used. Fcking airbrushes.

[CB Fry]

Dint think I have ever seen the term 'airbrushed out of history' so inappropriately used. Fcking airbrushes.

Personally I enjoyed it. Only Alpine could describe our most successful and satisfying season in thirty-odd years in terms better suited a war crime in Chechnya.

[baggytrousers]

Here's an article that lays out quite nicely where we are now and how we are moving forward in a much more objective and balanced way than the knee-jerk tripe spouted at the top of this thread :

 

eplindex.com/69759/southampton-fc-blueprint-clubs-following.html

[Chanty]

This is possibly my 1st post, so don't shot me down straight away. Southampton as a club have moved forward on & off the pitch seamlessly over the last 5 years. I smile when i think this conversation is happening now, as I'm sure it wasn't mentioned when we were down in League 1. Whilst watching the game on Thursday, i asked my 68 year old father, is this the best Southampton team he has seen in his lifetime, and he said yes.........

 

We can only get a maximum of 32,000 crowds, and revenue, when others above us get 45 to 50, this will in the long term create a further disparity between us and the top teams, we don't have neither do i want a rich Arab to come and by us, we are sustainable and lives within our means. If the football bubble of Sky and rich owners ever pull out, some of these top 4 are in a mess, that would be completely un-repairable.

 

I am comfortable with selling our players at the end of every season, for good money, slowly moving the club forward, that's business and im afraid, that is what the game is today. We seem to be seen as a team that are doing business in the right way, that's enough for me. Develop slowly and bring everyone with us, makes perfect sense, the players, the board, the cleaners, the fans......

 

Unfortunately players today, do not have loyalty to a club, this is there work of which they get paid, and they all want to maximise their earning potential for doing the same job anywhere they can, again makes sense to me, so for everyone on here, lets just accept we will lose players, as we wont and should not pay these over the odds wages, which would once again place us into a negative financial position again.... Be careful what you wish for.

 

In Koeman we appear to have found an exceptional coach, good with the Press, good with the supporters, good with the players, but he will move on, lets not be in any doubt he wants to be successful, and be looked at as one of the best coaches in the world, Barcelona is his dream, and he is working his way there. You can't blame him.....

 

Much could happen in foottball in the next 10 years, the game could implode with the money in it, at the moment, these transfer fees are not sustainable, many clubs will go out of business, we will not have 92 clubs, so please all i ask, is lets not make ourselves 1 of these.

 

My feet are firmly grounded, i am a season ticket holder, who pays money for the entertainment i choose to go and see. I enjoy it, and believe i get value for money. Long may this continue..

[david in sweden]

I do love the Koeman saved the board ********, when it was the board that employed him.

 

Do people really believe that we don't try to extend the contracts of the players we want to stay.

 

previous quotes; (if not totally word for word - more or less recalled from interviews)

 

Les Reed - Ronald Koeman was number 1 on our list, after we interviewed him ..we knew we had our man.

 

Ronald Koeman - It wasn't about money, but the whole footballing set-up at the club impressed me.

 

I'm sure that Katarina Liebherr could " drown the club " with money - if she wanted to, but expenditure has to be sustainable and the UEFA rules on spending v. income means we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Extending SMS - though desireable in theory, would make no sense if we couldn't increase income and " sell-out " every match.

Edited 2 August, 2015 by david in sweden

[Viking Saint]

This is possibly my 1st post, so don't shot me down straight away. Southampton as a club have moved forward on & off the pitch seamlessly over the last 5 years. I smile when i think this conversation is happening now, as I'm sure it wasn't mentioned when we were down in League 1. Whilst watching the game on Thursday, i asked my 68 year old father, is this the best Southampton team he has seen in his lifetime, and he said yes.........

 

We can only get a maximum of 32,000 crowds, and revenue, when others above us get 45 to 50, this will in the long term create a further disparity between us and the top teams, we don't have neither do i want a rich Arab to come and by us, we are sustainable and lives within our means. If the football bubble of Sky and rich owners ever pull out, some of these top 4 are in a mess, that would be completely un-repairable.

 

I am comfortable with selling our players at the end of every season, for good money, slowly moving the club forward, that's business and im afraid, that is what the game is today. We seem to be seen as a team that are doing business in the right way, that's enough for me. Develop slowly and bring everyone with us, makes perfect sense, the players, the board, the cleaners, the fans......

 

Unfortunately players today, do not have loyalty to a club, this is there work of which they get paid, and they all want to maximise their earning potential for doing the same job anywhere they can, again makes sense to me, so for everyone on here, lets just accept we will lose players, as we wont and should not pay these over the odds wages, which would once again place us into a negative financial position again.... Be careful what you wish for.

 

In Koeman we appear to have found an exceptional coach, good with the Press, good with the supporters, good with the players, but he will move on, lets not be in any doubt he wants to be successful, and be looked at as one of the best coaches in the world, Barcelona is his dream, and he is working his way there. You can't blame him.....

 

Much could happen in foottball in the next 10 years, the game could implode with the money in it, at the moment, these transfer fees are not sustainable, many clubs will go out of business, we will not have 92 clubs, so please all i ask, is lets not make ourselves 1 of these.

 

My feet are firmly grounded, i am a season ticket holder, who pays money for the entertainment i choose to go and see. I enjoy it, and believe i get value for money. Long may this continue..

 

Sensible and reasoned mate...good first post!

Nobody on here really knows what goes on behind the closed doors at the club, and all we can do is wait and see how it pans out - the last five years have been a fantastic ride and we've got Europe to look forward to, a long way in a short space of time and maybe we need to be a little more realistic in our expectations sometimes....last year was probably an overachievement but so what - it was great to be a part of.....there is a very clear division in the league between those with stoopid money investors and the rest of us, and I'm happy being where we are. This is my home town and my home club and just like I was there for the 6-0 midweek away win at Oldham a few years ago, I'll be there for the European matches this season.....We March On

[Saint86]

Was going to post this as a response in the matt target room, which is totally off topic and will deride that thread more than it is currently.

 

At present, I am delighted with how the club has performed this last year (lets be honest, summer 2014 was a bit hairy) but somewhat concerned with the direction of this summer....

 

"People are saying they are literally delighted with the performance of the board and les reed in recent weeks... I am not, I think he is all too ready to talk the talk, but actually, his actions do not measure up. I think the board have done a good job all in all, but can do much better still. My points below are in response to posts that say they are "delighted with Les Reed and the boards performances and hope they continue for years to come etc etc etc"...

 

Don't hang me, I'm not a bed wetter by any stretch, i think every season i have been one of the most optimistic people on here, maybe my issue is that at long last (after 5-6 consecutive seasons) my expectations for the club finally exceed what we can achieve... (for me this is establishing ourselves as a regular europa league qualifier with cup runs every now and then).

 

***************************

 

So in response... How delighted were people last summer? Because it wasn't LR that signed Tadic, Pelle, Toby... We got those players because of Koeman. I think the board got very lucky with that appointment in that it saved their backsides with regards to shredding the squad (although credit to the recruitment process for scouting him out - something i think we excel at now and a nod to Les Reed for that)... Overall though, I worry that this season just gone has made them complacent in the transfer market and in contract negotiations. In fact I think the way they handled clyne and how it compares to Poch, chambers, lambert, lallana, shaw etc and the communication to fans/players is very similar, which is complacent and dangerous, and shows little signs of lessons learned). Although some say there are none to learn because we improved, had a cracking season and can expect to do it every year )

 

The structure and momentum was created under cortese's watch and the financial muscle the club now have come from his management of ML’s / KL's funds. They say he had left debts, but people forget that he may well have sold off players as well, such as the £10m deal for lambert that was scrapped only for him to then leave for £4m less than 6months later under LR’s watch. That was a deal that caused upset amongst the fans and was rumoured to cause boardroom trouble for cortese! So frankly, Les Reed / the board don't get any additional credit for the clubs performance... he has performed well, I agree! But people literally act like he is flawless. He is not. And needs to do better for where I (and some of the fans?) want the club to push onto. Lest our entry into europe fails to become a regular event which is what we should be aiming for and is within reach.

 

For example, after last summer you would hope that they tied players contracts down, yet Clyne (despite being told it was imminent) was allowed to expire and leave, Toby was not closed out (despite making all the right noises for months on end - to the point that spuds snuck in and did the deal) and there is no sign of new deals for other key players like Wanyama. In addition they ignored and failed to tie down Cork at that time such that he was then left feeling unwanted/disillusioned and tempted by Swansea… It is sloppy and we cannot afford it! We are competing against the top clubs in the land now, cock it up and we'll have thrown away our one chance in recent history to break into the top echelons for a prolonged period.

 

The club have done fantastic and reached a new height last year with the league finish and European football, it has been a pleasure to watch them these last 5 years... But all that pleasure will be soured if they don't see this through and really push onwards because the potential is there.

 

Sadly, I don't see them really building enough on the opportunity we now have which is a terrible shame. Losing Morgan and Toby with no like for like replacements in sight is a real shame and disappointment. One I hope will be remedied. Clasie is an exciting player for sure, but he is in no way a like for like replacement for morgan. Our midfield is now weaker defensively and if we lose wanyama it will be populated by small technical midgets who are sadly not called Iniesta or xavi and are not those players in their prime!!!

 

We must have the cash to strenghten... There have been 2 years of record tv incomes, we had the 6th smallest wage budget in the league and have banked over £110m on transfers in 12 months... with profit left over from last summer and from Morgan and clyne this summer.... I don't ask them to go crazy by no means, we are not portsmouth or west ham etc etc.. But for crying out loud I wish they'd put the money in to buy the 1 or 2 quality players (DM and CB) that would make us rock solid and give us a great chance of competing.

 

Signing James Chester or Caulker is just settling for where we are (granted a massive improvement from where we have ever been in the prem). But to me that is a disappointment, there is scope to go for more without stretching ourselves. We have the manager, we have a great core to the team and we have the money and the kids.... pad them out with that sprinkle of quality and really go for it!! If we're not going to do that, then the club should stop giving it all this about how marvellous we are... because whilst it is great publicity, all they are actually doing is selling (both physically and commercially) NC's and ML's legacy..." Eventually it will just wear thin and mean very little and trading on past glories (no matter how modest) is a false economy.

 

***********************

 

Fully expect to get slammed on here ( ) but interested to know other fans thoughts and whether I am the only one who is a tiny bit disappointed with the summer so far and what it may mean for the clubs progression.

 

The same obvious holes in the club remain after the summer, especially given Koeman's recent comments. The Toby fiasco really is a shame as him and VVD would have seen us done and dusted at CDM and CB. A real shame and all forward momentum that we had last summer has been given a proper stalling so far this season!

 

No back up keeper (looking forward to Gazza proving me wrong), weak defensively in central midfield, and not enough cover in central defence - All problems that many highlighted in the summer and that the club didn't address.

 

Ah well, looking forward to a positive result against the spuds; funny old league this season.

[Goatboy]

This is possibly my 1st post, so don't shot me down straight away. Southampton as a club have moved forward on & off the pitch seamlessly over the last 5 years. I smile when i think this conversation is happening now, as I'm sure it wasn't mentioned when we were down in League 1. Whilst watching the game on Thursday, i asked my 68 year old father, is this the best Southampton team he has seen in his lifetime, and he said yes.........

 

We can only get a maximum of 32,000 crowds, and revenue, when others above us get 45 to 50, this will in the long term create a further disparity between us and the top teams, we don't have neither do i want a rich Arab to come and by us, we are sustainable and lives within our means. If the football bubble of Sky and rich owners ever pull out, some of these top 4 are in a mess, that would be completely un-repairable.

 

I am comfortable with selling our players at the end of every season, for good money, slowly moving the club forward, that's business and im afraid, that is what the game is today. We seem to be seen as a team that are doing business in the right way, that's enough for me. Develop slowly and bring everyone with us, makes perfect sense, the players, the board, the cleaners, the fans......

 

Unfortunately players today, do not have loyalty to a club, this is there work of which they get paid, and they all want to maximise their earning potential for doing the same job anywhere they can, again makes sense to me, so for everyone on here, lets just accept we will lose players, as we wont and should not pay these over the odds wages, which would once again place us into a negative financial position again.... Be careful what you wish for.

 

In Koeman we appear to have found an exceptional coach, good with the Press, good with the supporters, good with the players, but he will move on, lets not be in any doubt he wants to be successful, and be looked at as one of the best coaches in the world, Barcelona is his dream, and he is working his way there. You can't blame him.....

 

Much could happen in foottball in the next 10 years, the game could implode with the money in it, at the moment, these transfer fees are not sustainable, many clubs will go out of business, we will not have 92 clubs, so please all i ask, is lets not make ourselves 1 of these.

 

My feet are firmly grounded, i am a season ticket holder, who pays money for the entertainment i choose to go and see. I enjoy it, and believe i get value for money. Long may this continue..

 

Good post.

[sadoldgit]

Sensible and reasoned mate...good first post!

Nobody on here really knows what goes on behind the closed doors at the club, and all we can do is wait and see how it pans out - the last five years have been a fantastic ride and we've got Europe to look forward to, a long way in a short space of time and maybe we need to be a little more realistic in our expectations sometimes....last year was probably an overachievement but so what - it was great to be a part of.....there is a very clear division in the league between those with stoopid money investors and the rest of us, and I'm happy being where we are. This is my home town and my home club and just like I was there for the 6-0 midweek away win at Oldham a few years ago, I'll be there for the European matches this season.....We March On

 

Agreed, excellent well reasoned post, but we will soon knock that out of him! We have had a great few years of but the chances of us continuing to go forward were always going to lessen the longer it went on. Without the resources and pull of the top clubs mid table is where we were bound to settle. Being the best of the rest and Europa football is no mean second best given what clubs like us are up against. Disappointed with the recent results and who isn't? But overall I am very happy with the way the club is run, very happy with the manager and the team. Just start scoring a few goals please!

[Lets B Avenue]

Good post.

 

The writer seems to have quit whilst he was ahead.