What is the point of Southampton FC

[Soulful Odin]

Fair assessment of our current state I think, though we are starting to shake off the Pellegrino malaise and attack more.

 

https://www.football365.com/news/what-is-the-point-in-southampton-football-club-anymore

[hypochondriac]

Fair assessment of our current state I think, though we are starting to shake off the Pellegrino malaise and attack more.

 

https://www.football365.com/news/what-is-the-point-in-southampton-football-club-anymore

Good article. There's no doubt that we have lost our way and it will result in relegation over the next few years unless we change tack and do something differently.

[Heisenberg]

a bag of unflavoured crisps is a decent description of saints these days.

 

Over 800 days since we beat a top 6 side in the league and a squad full of Mr Average.

 

Was asked this week's whose Southamptons best player now... Just said Ings (guy looked a bit confused)

 

Also cost me €35, Saints GK top, England shirt, England GK shirt, box of fortnite figures and a football to trade one older Liverpool shirt with nephew.... He couldn't name 2 Saints players but knew loads from other clubs

 

Club is just very meh these days.... Lost its spark and appeal.

[tajjuk]

Hard to argue with much of that.

 

3 uninspiring manager appointments, the last one going for a 'safe' choice more than one you'd expect to take us anywhere, struggling to recruit properly with a series of poor signings, lack of any academy productivity for quite a few years and an owner who no one has a clue what he intends to do with the club or wants.

 

Added to that a leadership team (and I include Hughes in this) that seems to go to excuses first, rather than just owning the mistakes, which just screams complacency.

 

To be honest there is an amazing football club here, with amazing potential to build on, a lot of that is down to the people we still currently have but over the last 2-3 years they seem to have spent most of the time patting themselves on the back for past glories whilst using it as shield to protect themselves from criticism of their ongoing failures.

 

And we do have a whiff of Villa, Sunderland, Stoke about us, with the only direction currently looking like down or just about bobbing our heads above water.

 

I feel like we need fresh energy and ambition in the leadership, and I don't see this coming from the current owner, which means we have to get lucky and another investor comes along who sees the clubs potential and all the infrastructure in place.

[saints-cris]

This article isn't wrong. We have completely lost any sparkle we had, we sold it all down the river. This is certainly what irks me the most, when we came 6th that was our chance to go for it, instead we sold up again and have gone downhill ever since. Carry on as we are and we will go down within 3 seasons I'm sure of that.

 

The reality is, you can apply this article to anyone from 7th down. We all live a fairly pointless existence whilst we watch the media love ins for the big clubs who sell off any players after the first half decent game they have.

[shurlock]

I miss the swagger and fighting talk of Les if only for the shîts and giggles.

[OfnPanad]

It's written to be inflammatory for sure. I would argue that Puel was a failed experiment. Pellegrino was a big mistake, which was not realised/reacted to in time. Hughes is meant to be a safe pair of hands. We can tread water hopefully around 9-12th for 2 seasons and then we'll roll the dice on another manager.

 

As the article says there is a massive void of leadership on and off the pitch. Bertrand is not a leader, why is he captain? At the moment it's gotta be Ings. You can ask Hojbjerg, Vestergaard or maybe Mccarthy or even Ward-Prowse to step up...perhaps. Of course whomever is captain, they have to be guaranteed starters every week.

 

Of the pitch some things were said at the fans forum that are encouraging, however we really need a bold "Southampton Way" again. Remember our teams in the relegation years? This lot feel dangerously close. We have a dangerously high number of the squad who either clearly don't give a toss or just aren't good enough. At present we have 5-6 bang average players, even 'journeymen', in the starting XI most weeks, yet exciting talents like Sims get sent out to Reading. Ask yourself if you'd be more excited to hear that Long or Obafemi was coming on with 10 mins to go?

 

If the Southampton Way is to bring youth through, then do it. If it's to throw money at established players to solve our immediate problems, then do it.

 

Only a fool does the same things over and over and expects different results.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

100% correct.

 

Uninspiring and insipid. The Southampton Way.

[Saint86]

We have no serious ambition. Which means the bar with which we judge ourselves is a fraction of what it was before. The result, when we underachieve it is to a dangerously low standard.

 

We have a board that repeatedly lies and misleads the fanbase, and makes uninspiring decisions like its as easy as sipping a glass of water. The result, a terminally damaged fan bond with the club and team, and widespread supporter apathy.

 

Hard to see how you arrest the decline without resolving these issues, and its hard to see us resolving these issues without dramatic and sudden change...

[doddisalegend]

That article could pretty much be written about any established PL club outside the big six.

 

Its not a Southampton thing its a PL thing.

[ALWAYS_SFC]

That article could pretty much be written about any established PL club outside the big six.

 

Its not a Southampton thing its a PL thing.

 

Absolutely spot on the rest are all the same but don`t spoil it for the club bashers, they love a thread like this

[Dalek2003]

Good article. There's no doubt that we have lost our way and it will result in relegation over the next few years unless we change tack and do something differently.

 

I wouldn't say we have 'lost our way'. I think we had a good spell but ultimately our objective has been to remain in the Premier League. Nothing wrong with that.

 

I have understood this to be the case for a number of years and consider any position above the relegation zone as success and that includes 17th.

[Saint Albert]

That article could pretty much be written about any established PL club outside the big six.

 

Its not a Southampton thing its a PL thing.

 

Spot on.

 

I can’t believe I just wasted 60 seconds of my morning reading such a pointless editorial. Perhaps someone could write a letter to the club and politely ask them if they could cultivate a playing style like Huddersfield, the paragon of interesting, meaningful football.

[shurlock]

Spot on.

 

I can’t believe I just wasted 60 seconds of my morning reading such a pointless editorial. Perhaps someone could write a letter to the club and politely ask them if they could cultivate a playing style like Huddersfield, the paragon of interesting, meaningful football.

 

Yeh but we supposedly smashed the glass ceiling and showed other clubs how to do it.

[aintforever]

Just a pointless bull**** article. We’ve made a few bad recruitment descisions, that’s it. Was bound to happen with the rate the big clubs were poaching our talent same would happen to most outside the top 6. If Hughes finds the right formula and we’re a little bit lucky we could easily finish 8th again rendering every word of the article meaningless.

[edprice1984]

Stupid article. As others have said it applies to all but the top 6 teams (and you could even argue everyone but Citeh, Utd, Liverpool and Chelski).

 

The cost to the club if we had 'gone for it' and failed would have been catastrophic! Financial fair play rules mean that unless you have a incredibly rich multi-billionaire/state aid (see Man City) then you cannot compete with the established top six teams on a long term basis. Even Arsenal and Spurs have struggled.

 

Even if we had managed to get into the Champions League in the Leicester Championship winning season, we wouldn't have been able to sustain it unless we totally went bonkers with spending. Our model changed when the supporters got p*ssed off by selling our best players. We then started to give long term deal to average players (who were never attracting the attention of the big 4/5 clubs) and not adequately replacing people like Pelle.

 

I know we all want Saints to win every match and trophy going, but we have to be realistic. The Premier League and the disparity in the clubs is huge in terms of spending power. I prefer to have a football team I can support, preferably in the Premier League rather than watch them all into admin and spend decades in League One (at best).

[Lallana's Left Peg]

Just a pointless bull**** article. We’ve made a few bad recruitment descisions, that’s it. Was bound to happen with the rate the big clubs were poaching our talent same would happen to most outside the top 6. If Hughes finds the right formula and we’re a little bit lucky we could easily finish 8th again rendering every word of the article meaningless.

 

I completely agree with this. If buying good players and selling them on for a profit was easy everyone would do it. The truth is we hit a purple spell of recruitment (not luck by any means) and are paying the price for not being able to sustain it.

 

Don't get me wrong, avoidable mistakes have been made along the way, but to throw crap at us for not being able to do something no-one has ever done in history is pathetic. Most of all it just shows a lack of insight into the club and at worst football in general.

[tajjuk]

That article could pretty much be written about any established PL club outside the big six.

 

Its not a Southampton thing its a PL thing.

 

It couldn't be written about Wolves, or Everton or Fulham as current examples, it wouldn't have been written about Spurs 10 years ago when they were basically a top 10 team who have now turned themselves into a regular top 4 club. Those clubs have a clear direction and a clear ambition.

 

You seem to be confusing having a plan and not quite reaching it, with not having a plan or direction at all, which is us currently compared to us 3-4 years ago.

 

Financial fair play rules .

 

 

LOL.

 

None of the football authorities have the balls to enforce those laws to any effective value.

 

QPR breached the FFP rules in their promotion to PL in 2014, they broke them massively and they were supposed to be fined something near £70 million IIRC and banned from transfers for around 2 years.

 

4 years later, with QPR basically stalling and objecting at every turn, that fine has been turned into around £17 million, which they are laughably going to pay over 10 years and a one window transfer ban, which is not even really a ban, instead they have to do a 1 in, 1 out policy.

 

QPR pretty much outspent every other championship club that year to achieve promotion, they had a PL wage bill which was double or even three times most other clubs they were competing with and got into heavy debt because of that. Whilst other clubs spent less to stay more financially prudent, and those clubs, like Derby who QPR beat in the play offs that year, lost out because of that.

[Cabrone]

As long as the club tries to entertain - and we all know that they have failed miserably in the last 2 seasons - then that's all I want.

 

The money on offer means that fear rules the roost for most and football becomes sterile. Better be careful though because fans won't continue to pay exorbitant prices for dross.

 

That all said we are at least looking a lot better this season than the last 2. Hughes will be fine IMO.

[doddisalegend]

It couldn't be written about Wolves, or Everton or Fulham as current examples, it wouldn't have been written about Spurs 10 years ago when they were basically a top 10 team who have now turned themselves into a regular top 4 club. Those clubs have a clear direction and a clear ambition.

 

You seem to be confusing having a plan and not quite reaching it, with not having a plan or direction at all, which is us currently compared to us 3-4 years ago.

 

 

 

 

LOL.

 

None of the football authorities have the balls to enforce those laws to any effective value.

 

QPR breached the FFP rules in their promotion to PL in 2014, they broke them massively and they were supposed to be fined something near £70 million IIRC and banned from transfers for around 2 years.

 

4 years later, with QPR basically stalling and objecting at every turn, that fine has been turned into around £17 million, which they are laughably going to pay over 10 years and a one window transfer ban, which is not even really a ban, instead they have to do a 1 in, 1 out policy.

 

QPR pretty much outspent every other championship club that year to achieve promotion, they had a PL wage bill which was double or even three times most other clubs they were competing with and got into heavy debt because of that. Whilst other clubs spent less to stay more financially prudent, and those clubs, like Derby who QPR beat in the play offs that year, lost out because of that.

 

 

Hence my caveat of established PL sides. Wolves and Fulham have just come up and Everton are as bland as everyone else ( loads of money spent no major return in league position or trophies).

 

Any side, outside the big 6, that spends a few season in the PL is in the same position not financially able to compete for the top places on a regular basis, finding their wage bill spiralling, with squad full of average players.

 

If you happen to find a decent manager or player he will invariably be poached by a richer club.

In the end the inevitably of never being able to really compete with the big boys makes all the teams outside the top six pretty pointless none of us are in it to win

[ALWAYS_SFC]

It couldn't be written about Wolves, or Everton or Fulham as current examples, it wouldn't have been written about Spurs 10 years ago when they were basically a top 10 team who have now turned themselves into a regular top 4 club. Those clubs have a clear direction and a clear ambition.

 

You seem to be confusing having a plan and not quite reaching it, with not having a plan or direction at all, which is us currently compared to us 3-4 years ago.

 

 

 

 

LOL.

 

None of the football authorities have the balls to enforce those laws to any effective value.

 

QPR breached the FFP rules in their promotion to PL in 2014, they broke them massively and they were supposed to be fined something near £70 million IIRC and banned from transfers for around 2 years.

 

4 years later, with QPR basically stalling and objecting at every turn, that fine has been turned into around £17 million, which they are laughably going to pay over 10 years and a one window transfer ban, which is not even really a ban, instead they have to do a 1 in, 1 out policy.

 

QPR pretty much outspent every other championship club that year to achieve promotion, they had a PL wage bill which was double or even three times most other clubs they were competing with and got into heavy debt because of that. Whilst other clubs spent less to stay more financially prudent, and those clubs, like Derby who QPR beat in the play offs that year, lost out because of that.

 

Do you mean ambition is spending money re Everton, Wolves and Fulham?

 

Wolves and Fulham have fulfilled a large part of their ambition by getting back to the PL but if their ambition stretches to more than being just like the rest of the 14

then bar an odd flirt with the minor European places then i suggest they will be disappointed.

 

Everton are like west ham just throwing money about with little success

[Dalek2003]

Hence my caveat of established PL sides. Wolves and Fulham have just come up and Everton are as bland as everyone else ( loads of money spent no major return in league position or trophies).

 

Any side, outside the big 6, that spends a few season in the PL is in the same position not financially able to compete for the top places on a regular basis, finding their wage bill spiralling, with squad full of average players.

 

If you happen to find a decent manager or player he will invariably be poached by a richer club.

In the end the inevitably of never being able to really compete with the big boys makes all the teams outside the top six pretty pointless none of us are in it to win

 

Being in the premier league is NOT pointless. Ask all the teams in the leagues below desperate and dreaming of the day they get in.

 

We cannot win the premier league, true, but how many times did we win the old Division 1?

[hackedoff]

Has anyone else noticed the sign on the top of Itchen bridge portraying this ?

[Baird of the land]

Article didn’t even mention the movement away from youth progression which I expected to be a point when I read the headline.

Thought on the whole it was rather poorly written.

Who are the identical strikers it mentions?

[Micky]

Jesus Christ, what a load of drivel. Can't believe 3 or 4 paragraphs of rubbish can be taken so seriously. As others have said, take us out, insert very many other clubs, its football.

 

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[waylander]

Complete load of toss. That chicken needs deep-frying!

[stknowle]

As others have intimated - what a complete load of old ******.

[Batman]

the point of Southampton FC is to extract as much money as possible from you

[Micky]

the point of Southampton FC is to extract as much money as possible from you

You mean like every other club and every other commercial business?

 

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[Batman]

You mean like every other club and every other commercial business?

 

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yes, but the point was about Southampton FC, not all other sides

[Micky]

yes, but the point was about Southampton FC, not all other sides

Yes, but it's a moot point, as I've stated and as you've agreed, every other club does exactly the same. As does every other commercial company. It's the way of the world and not remotely unique to Saints.

 

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[Heisenberg]

Does every other premier league club sell its best players asap?

 

Does every other premier club drop from 6th to 17th in 2 seasons?

 

Does every other premier league club sell players to one club constantly?

 

Does every other club have a squad costing c£300m?

 

Does every other club have one.of it's highest paid players being the 3rd choice GK.

 

Does every other club have its transfer record out on loan?

[Batman]

Yes, but it's a moot point, as I've stated and as you've agreed, every other club does exactly the same. As does every other commercial company. It's the way of the world and not remotely unique to Saints.

 

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but it is the only point of SFC, these days anyway

[CB Fry]

It couldn't be written about Wolves, or Everton or Fulham as current examples, it wouldn't have been written about Spurs 10 years ago when they were basically a top 10 team who have now turned themselves into a regular top 4 club. Those clubs have a clear direction and a clear ambition.

 

Let's give it three, and then five years and we'll see where Wolves and Fulham are.

 

No doubt, what with them having a clear plan and ambitions and everything they will both finish top ten this year and then just build and invest and grow and finish higher then build and invest and grow and finish higher again then build and invest and grow and finish higher then build and invest and grow and finish higher again. Then build, invest and grow and finish higher. And then after that, build and invest and grow and finish higher then build and invest and grow and finish higher again.

 

Must be brilliant to be a Wolves and Fulham fan right now, safe in the knowledge that their club will never have a bad season ever again. I mean, if you're a 15 year old Fulham fan that's about fifty non stop seasons of success to look forward to. Brilliant.

[Micky]

but it is the only point of SFC, these days anyway

Ahhh right with you. You never put 'only' point before. Do any of the 80 of clubs below us in the league have point or purpose, or is it just Saints that are solely interested only in milking as much cash from the fans as possible?

 

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[Batman]

Ahhh right with you. You never put 'only' point before. Do any of the 80 of clubs below us in the league have point or purpose, or is it just Saints that are solely interested only in milking as much cash from the fans as possible?

 

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This thread is about Saints. Please remain on topic

[brmbrm]

Welcome to the PL, that's all.

[Stud mark of doom]

What a load of old rubbish - I can only assumed he was paid per strained analogy.

 

My life is 53 seconds shorter than it could have been.

[Micky]

This thread is about Saints. Please remain on topic

I'll take that as game, set and match to me. Have a nice evening.

 

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[RedArmy]

Does every other premier league club sell its best players asap?

 

Does every other premier club drop from 6th to 17th in 2 seasons?

 

Does every other premier league club sell players to one club constantly?

 

Does every other club have a squad costing c£300m?

 

Does every other club have one.of it's highest paid players being the 3rd choice GK.

 

Does every other club have its transfer record out on loan?

 

Nutshell

[LaptopSaint]

Is this a Saints forum or a manic depressives forum? Get a grip.

[ally_uk]

Because football is fixed, You have the top elite clubs for a reason.. To many big earners behind the scenes.. If you want to upset the balance you also require money and alot of it..... The whole Leicester thing was fixed I would put money on it... The underdog tipping the balance to make it seem like any team could potentially stand a chance.... Just think about it logically the sheer amount of money in football.... Are you telling me it isn't corrupt? Wakey wakey people....

[LaptopSaint]

Because football is fixed, You have the top elite clubs for a reason.. To many big earners behind the scenes.. If you want to upset the balance you also require money and alot of it..... The whole Leicester thing was fixed I would put money on it... The underdog tipping the balance to make it seem like any team could potentially stand a chance.... Just think about it logically the sheer amount of money in football.... Are you telling me it isn't corrupt? Wakey wakey people....

 

So the other 19 clubs agreed at the start of the season that they’d let Leicester win? And they persuaded all 25 players in every squad to play along? And all the refs? And all the linesmen? Riiiiiight... #xfiles

[CB Fry]

Because football is fixed, You have the top elite clubs for a reason.. To many big earners behind the scenes.. If you want to upset the balance you also require money and alot of it..... The whole Leicester thing was fixed I would put money on it... The underdog tipping the balance to make it seem like any team could potentially stand a chance.... Just think about it logically the sheer amount of money in football.... Are you telling me it isn't corrupt? Wakey wakey people....

Why did they fix it for us to finish sixth but also fix it for us to finish seventeenth two years later?

[Lighthouse]

Why did they fix it for us to finish sixth but also fix it for us to finish seventeenth two years later?

 

Betting companies pay the PL to mix things up every season. The house always wins big if there's an upset.

[colehillsaint]

Betting companies pay the PL to mix things up every season. The house always wins big if there's an upset.

 

To quote a great general; Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.

[Stud mark of doom]

Betting companies pay the PL to mix things up every season. The house always wins big if there's an upset.

 

Also, the moon landing is a hoax.

[austsaint]

The article is a bit over-the-top, but it has some truth about it. Surely after the near relegation it was the perfect time to move Reed, Kreuger and Ross W. on - rejuvenate the Chairman, Director of Football and Head of Recruitment positions and give Hughes an opportunity to lift the squad from the last two years of mediocrity. As it is, we have improved the squad marginally but have the same Board, Executive and Recruitment people all overseen by an unknown and passive ownership. Until that changes the main message of the 365 article remains likely.

[Saint IQ]

Because football is fixed, You have the top elite clubs for a reason.. To many big earners behind the scenes.. If you want to upset the balance you also require money and alot of it..... The whole Leicester thing was fixed I would put money on it... The underdog tipping the balance to make it seem like any team could potentially stand a chance.... Just think about it logically the sheer amount of money in football.... Are you telling me it isn't corrupt? Wakey wakey people....

 

 

[Maggie May]

Crazy article though I’m not surprised with this fan base.

 

Is it really needed just 4 games in? Who knows how well Hughes will do?

 

So far he’s been infinitely better than Puel and Pellegrino since arriving. Dare I say on par with Koeman, who had a better team at his disposal.