Saints Fans Forum - Thursday, 6th May - 6-7pm

[SuperSAINT]

Featuring:

- Ralph Hasenhüttl 

- Martin Semmens

- Matt Crocker.

- Kyle Walker-Peters & Stuart Armstrong

Source: https://www.southamptonfc.com/news/2021-04-28/southampton-fc-take-part-in-our-online-fans-forum

[qwertyell]

39 minutes ago, SuperSAINT said:

Featuring:

- Ralph Hasenhüttl 

- Martin Semmens

- Matt Crocker.

- Kyle Walker-Peters & Stuart Armstrong

Source: https://www.southamptonfc.com/news/2021-04-28/southampton-fc-take-part-in-our-online-fans-forum

It'd be interesting to hear Semmens and Crocker's defence of the frankly pitiful state our youth setup has fallen into on their watch - and what they're going to do about it. And whether they still believe imprinting Hasenhuttl's one, basic tactic right across the age groups has been a resounding success.

Developing young players is the only thing we've historically been good at, and now it's a joke.

[Turkish]

As season ticket holder of 39 years not missed a game honestly i haven't, I'd like to ask the panel what are the plans for beer and food when fans are allowed back into stadiums? Will we get a better choice and what are you going to do about the queues? 

Edited 4 May, 2021 by Turkish

[spyinthesky]

Wonder if anyone will ask when the stadium capacity will be increased😏

[beatlesaint]

Would it be too cynical of me to note that the two players selected are among the very few, probably just them actually, who are above criticism this season? 🤣

[spyinthesky]

Dont think anyone could criticise JWP this season.

He may not be the best player in the world but his commitment in every game is beyond reproach and he has weighed in with some decent goals

Edited 4 May, 2021 by spyinthesky

[ErwinK1961]

1 hour ago, qwertyell said:

It'd be interesting to hear Semmens and Crocker's defence of the frankly pitiful state our youth setup has fallen into on their watch - and what they're going to do about it. And whether they still believe imprinting Hasenhuttl's one, basic tactic right across the age groups has been a resounding success.

Developing young players is the only thing we've historically been good at, and now it's a joke.

Not sure you can blame Crocker for the current state of the youth setup. The well has been dry on these for a while now and it's going to take him time to build it back up again and we probably won't see the benefits for years. The immediate answer would be to recruit a load of 16/17 year old's to boost the ranks, but that costs money and we have more pressing concerns elsewhere.

The current crop of 18's / 23's will have been on the books for a long time and are clearly not up to it. Also, pretty sure The Cat has mentioned that U 15/16's downwards is looking better. 

[Appy]

Hopefully fans will ask relevant questions rather than asking about food, kits, half time entertainment and who Ralph’s favourite member of Little Mix is. 

[JustinSFC]

I've been to all of them including the private ST holder invite only one and at all of them the Mic runner isn't allowed to let go of the microphone, so if you ask anything remotely to close to the bone they'll pull the microphone away.

Although, the one with Toby Steele, Toby to his credit did accept some difficult questions and answered them.

The one with Krueger & Reed some old bloke started laying into certain club policies the microphone got pulled but he continued yelling.

These forums are basically useless as you aren't going to get answers to proper questions.

Like the club suspect club sponsor farce got heckled and our sell to buy policies etc..

[JustinSFC]

2 hours ago, beatlesaint said:

Would it be too cynical of me to note that the two players selected are among the very few, probably just them actually, who are above criticism this season? 🤣

Don't know why they're there.

Probably the celebrity factor.

They don't say anything, just laugh and smile.

Hojbjerg was the worst, just sat there staring at his phone the whole time, when asked questions he just looked at Adam and started laughing.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

7 hours ago, qwertyell said:

It'd be interesting to hear Semmens and Crocker's defence of the frankly pitiful state our youth setup has fallen into on their watch - and what they're going to do about it. And whether they still believe imprinting Hasenhuttl's one, basic tactic right across the age groups has been a resounding success.

Developing young players is the only thing we've historically been good at, and now it's a joke.

This question should be aimed quickly and directly at RH. His much vaunted lockdown manual has bombed judging by results. 

[wild-saint]

14 hours ago, ErwinK1961 said:

Not sure you can blame Crocker for the current state of the youth setup. The well has been dry on these for a while now and it's going to take him time to build it back up again and we probably won't see the benefits for years. The immediate answer would be to recruit a load of 16/17 year old's to boost the ranks, but that costs money and we have more pressing concerns elsewhere.

The current crop of 18's / 23's will have been on the books for a long time and are clearly not up to it. Also, pretty sure The Cat has mentioned that U 15/16's downwards is looking better. 

The current crop would have been taken on as youngsters around the time we were in championship / league 1 and as such we probably didn’t have first pick of the top talent. Stands to reason we are going to have a bunch of duffers in the current wave. 
 

We returned to the prem 8/9 years ago so I would expect the 13-16 year olds will start to see better talent going through as opposed to 16-20 age group are likely to be mainly shit.

just my logic being applies but sounds plausible 🤪

[CB Fry]

League 1/Championship was ten years ago. We've had sustained investment in our youth for all that time. I think you're putting too much value on innate, natural ability of 8 year olds.

I'd say the main issue is more to do with it being much harder to establish a young player in a Premier League squad.

A young Adam Lallana would never make our first team as he did in L1. 

[TWar]

I suspect a reasonable explanation as to why our bad form is dropping through the teams is because it is injury motivated. When the first team gets a bunch of injuries as we have in the second half of this season we call up the best 5-10 youth team players to fill the void. They then can't play for the U21s so they have to call up the best 5-10 U18s to fill the void and so on. The youth teams have had significant periods this season with most of their quality players up with the big boys, coming back for a week maybe and then going back again when we have our next injury. No wonder they have struggled.

 

At the end of the day Tella has stepped up and looked good, Obafemi similarly last season and Smallbone before injury. If the youth team is providing players who can compete at a premier league level it is doing it's job.

Edited 5 May, 2021 by TWar

[Daft Kerplunk]

1 hour ago, wild-saint said:

The current crop would have been taken on as youngsters around the time we were in championship / league 1 and as such we probably didn’t have first pick of the top talent. Stands to reason we are going to have a bunch of duffers in the current wave. 
 

We returned to the prem 8/9 years ago so I would expect the 13-16 year olds will start to see better talent going through as opposed to 16-20 age group are likely to be mainly shit.

just my logic being applies but sounds plausible 🤪

When you look at the u18s and u23s you’ll see that most players have been purchased from other clubs or are rejects from ‘better’ teams. Recruitment hasn’t been great but neither has the coaching, which has dropped hugely from the pre-Les era level. 
 

Both of these things are of huge importance to our model so need a massive overhaul starting from the top. 

[wild-saint]

2 hours ago, CB Fry said:

League 1/Championship was ten years ago. We've had sustained investment in our youth for all that time. I think you're putting too much value on innate, natural ability of 8 year olds.

I'd say the main issue is more to do with it being much harder to establish a young player in a Premier League squad.

A young Adam Lallana would never make our first team as he did in L1. 

If that was true then why do the top clubs fight over the most talented youngsters?  There is a 2year period prior to administration and whilst in league 1 where parents would have definitely chosen other clubs over saints meaning for at least 4 years we would lose out on talented young players. That seems to tie in with the current 16-20 year old group that is terrible.  

You telling me that a 21 / 22 year old Adam Lallana wouldnt have played any games this season at Saints? 

[woodsaint1]

While I accept that injuries have been a big factor, the u23 team had probably their best team available last time out (Tella, Obafemi, Jankewitz, N'Lundulu, Ferry to name a few) and still lost 5-0. We arent the only club who've had to deal with injuries this season and yet other u18/u23 sides continue to perform at a decent level.  In the u18 league we're way behind some of the London clubs like Palace, Fulham and Reading who face serious competition from bigger clubs in the capital in terms of attracting/keeping their talent. To me, you can have the best scouting/recruitment in the world, but if the coaching isnt good enough it wont matter. We need a serious overhaul of the coaching setup in the academy because a total of 6 wins across 46 u18/u23 games is absolutely dreadful

Edited 5 May, 2021 by woodsaint1

[CB Fry]

42 minutes ago, wild-saint said:

You telling me that a 21 / 22 year old Adam Lallana wouldnt have played any games this season at Saints? 

There's a big difference between playing "any games" and being the first team regular that he was in a League One team playing Swindon, Colchester and MK Dons.

Adam Lallana would not be a Premier League regular at age 21. Because when he was 21, he wasn't a Premier League regular.

[daldridge7]

Has anyone been told their request for a ticket is succesful yet?

[VectisSaint]

17 hours ago, JustinSFC said:

I've been to all of them including the private ST holder invite only one and at all of them the Mic runner isn't allowed to let go of the microphone, so if you ask anything remotely to close to the bone they'll pull the microphone away.

 

Given this is a purely online event, and questions have to be submitted in advance that is hardly relevant.

[Saint_lambden]

Just received an invite.

Question was on what the club are doing regarding the alarming B Team & Under 18 results. 

[The Curse of St Mary's]

2 hours ago, daldridge7 said:

Has anyone been told their request for a ticket is succesful yet?

Just got email from club inviting me to join forum. 6-7 is Ralph, Armstrong, jwp and semmens. 3 breakout groups afterwards. 1. Ask the fans for ideas. 2. Fans returning to st Mary's. 3. Player development with crocker.

I will go to group 3 as I'm intrigued what he has to say about the performance of b team and youth sides this season. 

[Saint_lambden]

Agenda

17:00 – Room opens

- Attendees are invited to chat and meet one another.

18:00 – Welcome

– Introduction from host Bradley Hatchett, Managing Director of Network My Club.

18:05 – Forum Q&A

– Hosted by Bradley Hatchett – Q&A with Saints First Team Manager Ralph Hasenhüttl, first team players Kyle Walker-Peters and Stuart Armstrong, Chief Executive Officer Martin Semmens and Director of Football Operations Matt Crocker.

19:00 – Forum Q&A closes

19:05 – Breakout tables open

– Table 1 - Ask the fans
Hosted by David Thomas (Chief Commercial Officer) and Sarah Batters (Director of Marketing and Partnerships)
A chance for the club to hear insights and ideas from fans on what they would like to see from the club over the coming months and years, away from the pitch.
– Table 2 - Celebrating fans’ return to St Mary’s
Hosted by Anthony Cole-Johnson (Director of Sales and Venue Experience) and Khali Parsons (Head of Customer Relations and Fan Experience)
Discuss the work that has taken place behind the scenes to ensure a safe, positive and enjoyable experience when fans are allowed back to St Mary’s.
– Table 3 - The future of football and player development
Hosted by Matt Crocker (Director of Football Operations)
Opportunity to put questions to our Director of Football Operations and discuss the current and future Academy plans, player development, B Team, and the Staplewood campus.

19:45 – Breakout rooms close

20:00 – Online platform closes

[Turkish]

22 hours ago, Appy said:

Hopefully fans will ask relevant questions rather than asking about food, kits, half time entertainment and who Ralph’s favourite member of Little Mix is. 

True, i want to know updates on LGBT issues, when we will have BAME and female representation on the board, what are the club doing to help gay players come out, are they going to continue the free tampons promotion when fans return. Lots of important topics to discuss. 

[SuperSAINT]

1 hour ago, The Curse of St Mary's said:

Just got email from club inviting me to join forum. 6-7 is Ralph, Armstrong, jwp and semmens. 3 breakout groups afterwards. 1. Ask the fans for ideas. 2. Fans returning to st Mary's. 3. Player development with crocker.

I will go to group 3 as I'm intrigued what he has to say about the performance of b team and youth sides this season. 

Any chance of a report? (assuming it’s not available online afterwards)

Edited 5 May, 2021 by SuperSAINT

[JustinSFC]

3 hours ago, VectisSaint said:

Given this is a purely online event, and questions have to be submitted in advance that is hardly relevant.

I don't give a fuck what you think is relevant or not tbh

[Charlie Wayman]

On 04/05/2021 at 14:16, qwertyell said:

It'd be interesting to hear Semmens and Crocker's defence of the frankly pitiful state our youth setup has fallen into on their watch - and what they're going to do about it. And whether they still believe imprinting Hasenhuttl's one, basic tactic right across the age groups has been a resounding success.

Developing young players is the only thing we've historically been good at, and now it's a joke.

100% agree with you. 

[davefizzy14]

Yes I received a request for an invite so looking forward to it tomorrow eve

[Micky]

Massive numbers watching this.... 270...

[Chapel End]

I hope they all checked on here to make sure they ask the right questions.

 

[Master Bates]

That wasn't so bad 

[The Curse of St Mary's]

Good forum I thought. Semmens doesn't shy from questions. Answered them well. Nothing groundbreaking but the takeover / investment structure snippet was interesting. Basically saying investment structure will be different in the future and that he's surprised it hasn't happened already. He also said transfer plans already under way and they will be making moves very soon (or something to that point).

[supersonic]

When he said we had just agreed a new 2 year deal with a first team striker, Shane Long wasn't the name I was hoping to hear after that! 

 

Overall thought it was pretty good though 

[It's There]

So what was said? Any nuggets of hope?

[SuperSAINT]

1 minute ago, The Curse of St Mary's said:

Good forum I thought. Semmens doesn't shy from questions. Answered them well. Nothing groundbreaking but the takeover / investment structure snippet was interesting. Basically saying investment structure will be different in the future and that he's surprised it hasn't happened already. He also said transfer plans already under way and they will be making moves very soon (or something to that point).

Cheers. Anything on the youth teams? 

[saint1977]

Enjoyed that. Club has spent £1m during lockdown phases updating academy facilities to help give the edge on recruiting the best youngsters, although Crocker seemed frustrated at what he’d inherited on the academy recruitment side so clearly what people have posted in snippets on here is true about the flip in personnel. Sounds like things had become complacent eg we are Soton, JWP, Lallana, Theo, Bale, Shaw etc and assume they will be #1 choice for parents and youngsters. Quite open about some of the age teams eg u18s not being competitive enough. B Team has had to cover for lack of player depth and that’s manifest a few levels which MC is keen to address this summer. 

I thought the different investment model response was interesting as well and that Semmens was surprised it hadn’t happened already. The explanation was interesting on Gao, different signals from the Chinese government about football so seems there was some political push/pull/market exit very quickly. Gao described as being in a difficult position after the shift in political mood music so I wouldn’t be surprised club will be sold. 

Ralph wants to boost the squad. Theo sounds like he is signing on a 2 year deal based on what RH, MC and MS said. MS said debt and transfer budgets separate. LB identified by Ralph as priority area and over reliance on KWP at RB. No 6 with OR’s injury another area identified. So balls out for Brandon Williams on loan I reckon. Both seemed to think Ings more likely to stay than not but stressed player choices. South America seems to be a market the club will be more active in than previously post Brexit. 

[saint1977]

Also on budgets, Leeds, Villa and Everton named as having more spending power than Saints with Palace, Burnley et al similar. The club are trying to compete with Villa and co but recognising recruitment has to be better to do that. Semmens didn’t think Saints unduly hit across comparator group by COVID losses and thinks impact proportionally similar across league in the different comparator groups.

ESL - Semmens didn’t support sanctions for breakaway 6 as players didn’t want it nor managers. Sanctions against the individuals yes. He doesn’t think the ESL will resurface for a long time due to the sheer strength of the reaction nationally, locally and globally. 

[Turkish]

Any news on the important topics such as toilet queues, beer and getting a BAME and woman on the board?

[Turkish]

38 minutes ago, The Curse of St Mary's said:

Good forum I thought. Semmens doesn't shy from questions. Answered them well. Nothing groundbreaking but the takeover / investment structure snippet was interesting. Basically saying investment structure will be different in the future and that he's surprised it hasn't happened already. He also said transfer plans already under way and they will be making moves very soon (or something to that point).

What did he mean by that? There hasn’t been any investment, is he implying we wilL now get some from our owner?

[S-Clarke]

1 minute ago, Turkish said:

What did he mean by that? There hasn’t been any investment, is he implying we wilL now get some from our owner?

From what I could gauge, he was surprised the investment/takeover hadn't happened already and was sure a change is coming in the near future and stuff is on-going.

[Turkish]

1 minute ago, S-Clarke said:

From what I could gauge, he was surprised the investment/takeover hadn't happened already and was sure a change is coming in the near future and stuff is on-going.

Okay thanks 

[daldridge7]

I stayed for the forum but couldn’t get in to the Roy table about youth development with Crocker. Did anyone manage to hear anything on the B team, Academy from the round table? 

[Saint_lambden]

Will try and summarise what was covered tonight: 

Performance this season (missed most of this part after joining late)

• All: Injuries massively affected momentum but all who were asked were confident that we can turn it around and form can return to being more like it was in 2020
• Ralph: Hopeful last 5 games will see an uptick in performances and form that we can take in to new season
• Ralph: Concentrated on cups which probably led to some dropped points in league 
• Ralph: Lack of depth has been tough so had to call upon Academy players at times when not ready
• MS: Went from Leicester 9-0 to top of the league in a year so need to have a level of perspective
• MS: Need to 'stick to the plan'

Ownership/Investment

• Martin Semmens: (why Gao bought the club) - He was asked by Chinese gov. to grow football in the country but not long after he bought the club the gov. position on this changed so not an ideal situation
• MS: Gao doesn't speak English so comms comes direct from club, that's why we haven't heard from him
• MS: A different investment structure is coming [he didn't say takeover explicitly but it seemed to suggest that]. More to come on that "soon" and they were hoping it would be done by now. [I asked David Thomas (Director of Commercial) in the breakout session directly if this meant a takeover. He said "not necessarily" but he said he couldn't say much. His smile suggested a takeover I would say, just reading body language]
• MS: We spend every penny we get in
• MS: We have no less money than likes of Palace, Burnley etc. Said 'watch how Burnley will spend in next few years' (referencing their recent takeover I guess) 
• MS: Trying to compete with likes of Everton, Leeds and Villa with a smaller budget is tough but is the aim

Youth/Academy/Women's Team

• Matt Crocker: Academy recruitment staff was seen as poor when he arrived so new people have come in to that department
• MC: Recognises that the B Team/U18 results have been poor recently. Results aren't 'be all and end all' at that level but puts it down to much of the B team squad training with the first team and therefore players further down the pyramid having to step up to fill the voids which realistically means they aren't ready as they're too young
• MC: Club have invested £1m in youth facilities since pandemic 
• MC: Defended use of playing style throughout academy teams too. "Gets them ready for the first team as much as possible"
• MS: Referenced Liverpool win this season when we had so many academy grads in the squad/on the pitch which shows it can work
• MS: Noted that much of the academy lads were not allowed to even come in and train for much of 2020 due to COVID
• MC: Club have employed 'Game Coaches' to put across the overall pressing philosophy and getting them ready for matches 
• MC: Trying to do things differently ("The extra 1%) to other clubs rather than just relying on our reputation to attract the best young talent
• MC: Some youngsters have been part of the first team because of circumstances rather than being deserved opportunities ("they have come too easy for them")
• MS/MC: Want to get more Women's team matches played at St Mary's in the future, pleased with development of the side

Transfers/Summer plans:

• MS: We will spend in the summer
• Ralph: Need more cover for full-back which is obvious
• Ralph: Not happy with Valery's development which is why he went out on loan
• Ralph: Number 6 position not so concerning now that Armstrong has proven he can play there too if needed
• MC: Regulations changing (Brexit etc.) opens up more markets for us such as South America to scout/buy talent
• MC: Character of player we are signing is always key
• MC: Signing of Theo didn't fit in with the typical strategy but we knew he would add experience and give 110% having been at the club before

Ambitions

• MS: Club wants to be competing in 7th to 12th positions and pushing for Europe if possible
• MC: Pitch 2 at Staplewood being converted into a replica of St Mary's
• MC: New 'Player Insight' team has been brought it to help with recruitment
• MC: We have 5 full-time UK Scouts and 4 in Europe
• Ralph: (Next season) Wants us to be clear of the relegation pack so we can have another good cup run. Might be best chance of getting into Europe

VAR/Referees:

• Ralph: Was a fan of VAR in Germany but has not liked it this season. "The people using it have been very poor" 
• Ralph: 2 horrible decisions have shown this (JV and JB red cards) 
• Ralph: Offside is too subjective
• Ralph: Just too many mistakes from officials
• MS: "Jon Moss ruined some games for us" 🤣

European Super League:

• MS: Doesn't feel that 'big six' teams should be punished as it's not fair on the players who have "lost a year of their careers without fans and didn't deserve the sh*t that was put on them" 
• MS: Punishment should be for the owners only as they orchestrated it
• MS: Saints very much against it and hoping that upcoming PL discussions will mean the ESL will never be mentioned ever again

Ings:

• MS: Expecting him to sign the deal on the table
• MS: Thinks he will be with us for the rest of his career
• MS: Nobody works harder to keep fit and is more committed than him

Commercial (break out room):

• Club looking to reach out more to supporter groups abroad
• Club looking to put some form of loyalty scheme in place for season ticket holders to recognise those that put up with League One etc. 
• Club wants to do more events like tonight to allow supporters from all locations to join and ask questions of people in different positions at SFC
• David Thomas: Mentioned himself bizarrely that club are looking to offload those on loan such as Lemina, Hoedt etc. to free up funds

Edited 7 May, 2021 by Saint_lambden

[saint77]

4 minutes ago, Saint_lambden said:

Will try and summarise what was covered tonight: 

Performance this season (missed most of this part after joining late)

• All: Injuries massively affected momentum but all who were asked were confident that we can turn it around and form can return to being more like it was in 2020
• Ralph: Hopeful last 5 games will see an uptick in performances and form that we can take in to new season
• Ralph: Concentrated on cups which probably led to some dropped points in league 
• Ralph: Lack of depth has been tough so had to call upon Academy players at times when not ready
• MS: Went from Leicester 9-0 to top of the league in a year so need to have a level of perspective
• MS: Need to 'stick to the plan'

Ownership/Investment

• Martin Semmens: (why Gao bought the club) - He was asked by Chinese gov. to grow football in the country but not long after he bought the club the gov. position on this changed so not an ideal situation
• MS: Gao doesn't speak English so comms comes direct from club, that's why we haven't heard from him
• MS: A different investment structure is coming [he didn't say takeover explicitly but it seemed to suggest that]. More to come on that "soon" and they were hoping it would be done by now. [I asked David Thomas (Director of Commercial) in the breakout session directly if this meant a takeover. He said "not necessarily" but he said he couldn't say much. His smile suggested a takeover I would say, just reading body language]
• MS: We spend every penny we get in
• MS: We have no less money than likes of Palace, Burnley etc. Said 'watch how Burnley will spend in next few years' (referencing their recent takeover I guess) 
• MS: Trying to compete with likes of Everton, Leeds and Villa with a smaller budget is tough but is the aim

Youth/Academy/Women's Team

• Matt Crocker: Academy recruitment staff was seen as poor when he arrived so new people have come in to that department
• MC: Recognises that the B Team/U18 results have been poor recently. Results aren't 'be all and end all' at that level but puts it down to much of the B team squad training with the first team and therefore players further down the pyramid having to step up to fill the voids which realistically means they aren't ready as they're too young
• MC: Club have invested £1m in youth facilities since pandemic 
• MC: Defended use of playing style throughout academy teams too. "Gets them ready for the first team as much as possible"
• MS: Referenced Liverpool win this season when we had so many academy grads in the squad/on the pitch which shows it can work
• MS: Noted that much of the academy lads were not allowed to even come in and train for much of 2020 due to COVID
• MC: Club have employed 'Game Coaches' to put across the overall pressing philosophy and getting them ready for matches 
• MC: Trying to do things differently ("The extra 1%) to other clubs rather than just relying on our reputation to attract the best young talent
• MC: Some youngsters have been part of the first team because of circumstances rather than being deserved opportunities ("they have come too easy for them")
• MS/MC: Want to get more Women's team matches played at St Mary's in the future, pleased with development of the side

Transfers/Summer plans:

• MS: We will spend in the summer
• Ralph: Need more cover for full-back which is obvious
• Ralph: Not happy with Valery's development which is why he went out on loan
• Ralph: Number 6 position not so concerning now that Armstrong has proven he can step up
• MC: Regulations changing (Brexit etc.) opens up more markets for us such as South America to scout/buy talent
• MC: Character of player we are signing is always key
• MC: Signing of Theo didn't fit in with the typical strategy but we knew he would add experience and give 110% having been at the club before

Ambitions

• MS: Club wants to be competing in 7th to 12th positions and pushing for Europe if possible
• MC: Pitch 2 at Staplewood being converted into a replica of St Mary's
• MC: New 'Player Insight' team has been brought it to help with recruitment
• MC: We have 5 full-time UK Scouts and 4 in Europe
• Ralph: (Next season) Wants us to be clear of the relegation pack so we can have another good cup run. Might be best chance of getting into Europe

VAR/Referees:

• Ralph: Was a fan of VAR in Germany but has not liked it this season. "The people using it have been very poor" 
• Ralph: 2 horrible decisions have shown this (JV and JB red cards) 
• Ralph: Offside is too subjective
• Ralph: Just too many mistakes from officials
• MS: "Jon Moss ruined some games for us" 🤣

European Super League:

• MS: Doesn't feel that 'big six' teams should be punished as it's not fair on the players who have "lost a year of their careers without fans and didn't deserve the sh*t that was put on them" 
• MS: Punishment should be for the owners only as they orchestrated it
• MS: Saints very much against it and hoping that upcoming PL discussions will mean the ESL will never be mentioned ever again

Ings:

• MS: Expecting him to sign the deal on the table
• MS: Thinks he will be with us for the rest of his career
• MS: Nobody works harder to keep fit and is more committed than him

Commercial (break out room):

• Club looking to reach out more to supporter groups abroad
• Club looking to put some form of loyalty scheme in place for season ticket holders to recognise those that put up with League One etc. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you 

[SuperSAINT]

Cheers for all the posts about it.  Much appreciated.

[doggface]

Big thank you Saint_lambden

[Matthew Le God]

53 minutes ago, Saint_lambden said:

 

Commercial (break out room):

• David Thomas: Mentioned himself bizarrely that club are looking to offload Lemina, Hoedt etc. to free up funds

Who the 'etc' are is the interesting bit! So who are they?

[Saint Garrett]

In one of the other breakout rooms, it was mentioned to me a few things that haven’t been mentioned…

Next years kit is “fantastic” and Hummel don’t run off templates and then stick a club badge on it.  It’s been completely designed for Saints and there are plenty of little bits of it that go back to Southampton. Confirmed as stripes (no surprise there)

Learnt a lot from 2 home games in December, hoping and expecting about 8,200 there for the Leeds game, same criteria as before, with those that have been go back to the back of the queue for tickets. Trying to work on ways to improve the “experience” for that Leeds game, including having the Brass band outside. Will still be “lanes” on entry to the stadium similar to those home games against Sheff Utd and City. 

Preparing for a full house in August. 

Stadium is going to have a bit of a clean and revamp, has barely been touched for 20 years. New screens, loads more personal touches in the concourse. Few of the suites getting full upgrades.  The “pink” seats in the Itchen will likely get a revamp at the end of next season

Doesn’t really concern me, but food upgrades - hope to have new “Hampshire” pies available next season from local supplier.

Club is stupidly excited to have fans back. 

[Saint_lambden]

2 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

Who the 'etc' are is the interesting bit! So who are they?

He was talking about players out on loan. 

[oldsarum]

12 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

Who the 'etc' are is the interesting bit! So who are they?

Would imagine that would include likes of Gunn, Long, Elyounoussi, Valery