Saints moving forward: How to re-establish as a competitive Premier League club

[Maggie May]

Four games left - relegation is ominously looming.

 

Most fans can see Saints in its current guise has lost its way. The 5-year plan from the Cortese/Liebherr days has dissolved and what we’re left with is a toxic atmosphere, sub-par players and a manager that doesn’t fit the bill.

 

Assuming relegation WILL happen, let’s consider the following questions.

 

What can be done to ensure we bounce back up next season?

 

How can the rut be stemmed and we don’t free fall into League One?

 

Do we have an ownership fit and proper? Are they in the best interests of the football club?

 

Could the club face another administration as a result of relegation and not an immediate return to the top league?

 

Is there a figurehead who can trust that can conjure an upward trajectory in the years ahead?

 

Personally, although the passion is zero, I don’t 100% blame the players for this. Many, from what it seems, don’t want to be here and that’s fine.

 

It’s up to the management and board to ensure they’re playing for a club with ambition, desire, and a plan. We have none of this, currently.

[ally_uk]

Start at the top level the Board need to acknowledge they have not performed jobs: Sack Les Reed, Whoever does our scouting / black box, And Ralph all can go.

 

Squad mass clear-out it's time to ditch the players with the egos and try and retain some of our players who could help us get of the championship maybe try and keep Austin and Long although wages for both might be a issue and lower league Prem clubs will probably come in for both.

 

Depart with Mark Hughes we need a youngish manager who actually plays attacking football and has a reputation for bringing on and developing youth players. Possible candidates? who knows what about that bloke managing the Swedish club?

 

Go back to basics the " Southampton Way" and start bedding in youth players, Reed, Hesketh, Sims, Mcqueen, Sam G, and whoever is young and has the potential

 

Sign up some players with fire and passion a no nonsense center back and def midfielder.

[skintsaint]

Start with new management from the top.

 

The following players would leave I would imagine as keen to play top level and be involved in national teams :

 

Forster

Bertrand

Cedric

Lemina

Tadic

Boufal

Hoedt

 

Bring players like Gallagher, Reed and Targett into the first team.

[Window Cleaner]

Sell Van Dijk last summer, spend the money on good players, don't sack Puel and replace him with someone who had no credentials for the job.

 

See how easy it was....

[alpine_saint]

All the key players, on-field and off-field, that have contributed to this mess need to go.

 

All of them. Every single one. There are very few of our match-day squad that should be here next season. Only PEH, McCarthy and Sims spring to mind.

[Fatboy40]

It all comes down to Ji Sheng Gao as the owner of 80% of the club/its parent company. His decisions are crucial to the clubs future, and publicly we know pretty much nothing about his thought processes and future direction for it.

 

Until we know these everything we consider sensible as fans is purely speculation and a fun game on our part on an Internet forum. At the moment all I personally want to know is will he become a hands on owner or continue to keep his distance and let others run this asset that he now owns?

[RedArmy]

Until agents hold less power in football and we have a chairman with a spine, why would we want to be in the premier league?

 

If we ever threatened to break the top 4/6 again the same would happen all over again.

 

What's the alternative? Buy slightly above average players with limited potential so that they don't get snapped up and sit mid table for the next x years? No thanks, I'd rather flirt with the top 6 of the championship every season than have to endure that.

[Dellman]

All the key players, on-field and off-field, that have contributed to this mess need to go.

 

All of them. Every single one. There are very few of our match-day squad that should be here next season. Only PEH, McCarthy and Sims spring to mind.

 

And JWP and Yoshida please

[Wurzel]

Four games left - relegation is ominously looming.

 

Most fans can see Saints in its current guise has lost its way. The 5-year plan from the Cortese/Liebherr days has dissolved and what we’re left with is a toxic atmosphere, sub-par players and a manager that doesn’t fit the bill.

 

Assuming relegation WILL happen, let’s consider the following questions.

 

What can be done to ensure we bounce back up next season?

 

How can the rut be stemmed and we don’t free fall into League One?

 

Do we have an ownership fit and proper? Are they in the best interests of the football club?

 

Could the club face another administration as a result of relegation and not an immediate return to the top league?

 

Is there a figurehead who can trust that can conjure an upward trajectory in the years ahead?

 

Personally, although the passion is zero, I don’t 100% blame the players for this. Many, from what it seems, don’t want to be here and that’s fine.

 

It’s up to the management and board to ensure they’re playing for a club with ambition, desire, and a plan. We have none of this, currently.

 

Relegation is irrelevant. Pretty much all of those points (probably with the exception of administration) need addressing if we manage to stay up as well.

 

Up or down, next year isn't going to be pleasant without a few changes from bottom to top.