saint francis Posted Sunday at 23:25 Posted Sunday at 23:25 1 hour ago, Saint_clark said: He's not saying we ONLY sign £40million players. He suggested two average £20m signings has produced a worse product than the potential of a single £40m signing. I say it's not necessarily about the cost. The not too distant past shows that we have had the ability to recruit good value players successfully, "fairly" consistently and end up with a team in the top half of this league. The deals we were doing with Celtic, VVD, Wanyama, Davis and in Europe, Pele, Tadic etc. They weren't hugely expensive at the time, within our budget and got us results. Let's bring better recruitment back, not just bigger spending.
Saint_clark Posted Sunday at 23:37 Posted Sunday at 23:37 11 minutes ago, saint francis said: He suggested two average £20m signings has produced a worse product than the potential of a single £40m signing. I say it's not necessarily about the cost. The not too distant past shows that we have had the ability to recruit good value players successfully, "fairly" consistently and end up with a team in the top half of this league. The deals we were doing with Celtic, VVD, Wanyama, Davis and in Europe, Pele, Tadic etc. They weren't hugely expensive at the time, within our budget and got us results. Let's bring better recruitment back, not just bigger spending. But prices have moved on since then. Getting a VVD, Wanyama, Pelle or Tadic would take £30-40million now.
Lighthouse Posted Sunday at 23:49 Posted Sunday at 23:49 I’m not sure it’s even about the money, so much as it’s about the appalling lack of awareness surrounding our signings. I could have told you in June that Archer, BBD, Fraser, Wood, McCarthy and Edwards were Championship players and that Lallana’s legs were gone. Taylor and Cornet were just about credible as having done okay for Burnley in the past but clearly aren’t doing it here. That left us hoping that Les and Fernandes were going to provide the extra quality needed to keep the fourth best team in the Championship afloat. 3
trousers Posted Monday at 00:37 Posted Monday at 00:37 (edited) 48 minutes ago, Lighthouse said: I could have told you in June that Archer, BBD, Fraser, Wood, McCarthy and Edwards were Championship players and that Lallana’s legs were gone You should have done.... We'd all be hailing you as a football genius by now if you had.... Edited Monday at 00:38 by trousers
Saint86 Posted Monday at 00:56 Posted Monday at 00:56 3 hours ago, Lee On Solent Saint said: We are turning away the next generation of fans. My lad is 13, he turned to me yesterday and said he'd had enough of watching Saints lose and didn't want to come again. I know he's only young and kids say these kind of things, but this is how we as a club will start to lose young fans. Ditto my 6 year old. 1 1
Saint86 Posted Monday at 01:09 Posted Monday at 01:09 I've said it many times since SR have been here.... Maybe the quickest way out of this shit is via league 1. They simply are not fit to be owners of a football club, and honestly, the stories I've heard from behind the scenes imply they've completely ripped the academy, coaching, and scouting departments to shreds during their brief time with us - to me, that puts us basically back at league 1 minus 10 points re club structure... We're talking a complete rebuild undertaken by people who actually know what they're doing, and have a plan in place to get the club running like a competitive and well oiled machine again. Do I think SR are capable of that? Not a chance in hell. So what's going to happen? I see a few possible scenarios... 1.) we bounce around like a yoyo club for a few years - too good to stay down, too poor to stay up - before their dismal running of the club and horrific recruitment and academy setup means we miss promotion and become a permanent championship club with a total mess of a backroom setup and no real momentum or prospects, essentially just bleeding fans and falling further and further behind other clubs. And let's be honest here, the only clubs that will stay up are those that have things right on and off the pitch. 2.) things are as bad as they sound, we go down, we don't come back up, and we swiftly fall to league 1 over a couple of depressing years. In either case, I feel we are trapped though, because ultimately - What will it take for SR to sell up? As long as the "group" is making money, there isn't going to be a need for them to sell saints. Which would mean the damage they're continuing to do will become truly long lasting for the club - and end to the academy supply chain and legacy, poor recruitment, worsening facilities and stadium, and fan apathy/loss. Ita a grim future I see ahead in eithecase, one without much hope of us ever getting back to the poch / koeman levels. 1 2
trousers Posted Monday at 01:13 Posted Monday at 01:13 https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/24834560.elon-musk-appears-back-ex-southampton-boss-replace-nigel-farage/ Maybe Rupes could put in a good word for Saints if Musk is ever looking to buy a football club...
benjii Posted Monday at 05:08 Posted Monday at 05:08 (edited) It's partly about budget, but not primarily. Mbuema cost 6m. Wissa cost about 8m. The issue is top down and it's a failure of strategy, leadership and execution. Strategy: what are Sports Republic actually up to? No one knows. Leadership: who is really in charge at Saints? No one knows. Is it Rasmus? Is it Kraft? Is it someone else? Execution: - first season in the PL was ridiculous. Appointing Jones then Selles was just inept. - season in Champ: did just enough so "ok". - this season: what the fuck? Defence: We haven't strengthened the team at CB, CM or up front. Everyone knows Bednarek and Stephens are just about adequate if they have class partners. We gambled on THB playing like van Dijk. We also have ABK hanging around doing nothing. Useless. We signed Taylor, who barely plays. We may as well have kept Meghoma. Suga hasn't worked out although he could be very useful next year. Midfield: we were weak at defensive midfielder last year and we've done nothing to address that. Inept. Fernandes is good but we've lost Stuart Armstrong so I'd argue we're no better than we were. Lallana is pointless. Upfront: Che is better than any of our strikers. We're weaker than we were, we just have more depth. So, whoever was in charge of our transfer strategy this year has really excelled in complete shiteness. Even Ramsdale took a long time to complete and seemingly wasn't our first choice. Saints needs a competent CEO and a competent sporting director pretty quickly. I know we tried with Wilcox but he left, so have we just given up? I expect we'll do fine next year with a half decent manager. We should have a large squad full of comparatively good Championship players. But, if these muppets make a balls-up of the summer again or we end up with some apeshit managerial appointment then it could be the start of a deep slide. Edited Monday at 05:09 by benjii 7
Micky Posted Monday at 06:39 Posted Monday at 06:39 Not a clue, it's a mess, a complete and utter mess. 3
Give it to Ron Posted Monday at 06:46 Posted Monday at 06:46 Unless we recruit for midfield we will not be around the top next season. We simply can’t just have Downes as our defensive player it’s a shit show when he is injured. Plus we will have Baz in goal again! I’m not sure we will be anyway as Luton are finding out. 2
miserableoldgit Posted Monday at 10:01 Posted Monday at 10:01 12 hours ago, Lee On Solent Saint said: We are turning away the next generation of fans. My lad is 13, he turned to me yesterday and said he'd had enough of watching Saints lose and didn't want to come again. I know he's only young and kids say these kind of things, but this is how we as a club will start to lose young fans. Not just that, but for the first time in around 65 years (50 years with a ST) I am at the stage where it wouldn't worry me if I didn't go again this season. What is the point? Support the team? Is the team supporting us this season? There is supposed to be some degree of entertainment/excitement/pride/hope when attending a Saints game. None of that is there at the moment. This is the first time that I have felt like this in all that time........so,so sad..... 6
Whitey Grandad Posted Monday at 10:31 Posted Monday at 10:31 26 minutes ago, miserableoldgit said: Not just that, but for the first time in around 65 years (50 years with a ST) I am at the stage where it wouldn't worry me if I didn't go again this season. What is the point? Support the team? Is the team supporting us this season? There is supposed to be some degree of entertainment/excitement/pride/hope when attending a Saints game. None of that is there at the moment. This is the first time that I have felt like this in all that time........so,so sad..... I share your pain. I promised my wife that I would keep going to the football with my eldest grandson but he finishes university this summer and is most likely going to be away from home next year without a car. He is very unlikely to renew his season ticket and quite frankly so am I for different reasons. We might get memberships and go to the occasional game but the days of devoted attendance are past. 1
miserableoldgit Posted Monday at 10:48 Posted Monday at 10:48 5 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said: I share your pain. I promised my wife that I would keep going to the football with my eldest grandson but he finishes university this summer and is most likely going to be away from home next year without a car. He is very unlikely to renew his season ticket and quite frankly so am I for different reasons. We might get memberships and go to the occasional game but the days of devoted attendance are past. Our first daughter, who was born 4 days after we won the cup in '76 (she was due the day before the Final......I went to Wembley though, based on the theory that we could always have another child, but I might never see Saints play in a final again!), got to about 12 years old and decided that she wanted to come to footy with me. We bought a ST next to mine. We still have them and we have gone to games together ever since. She also feels the same. Lets not forget that we had just two wins at home in our last relegation the season before last......just three home wins so far in a season and a half in the Prem. No "Customer" of any other "Business" would put up with it. 4
Lee On Solent Saint Posted Monday at 12:34 Posted Monday at 12:34 2 hours ago, miserableoldgit said: Not just that, but for the first time in around 65 years (50 years with a ST) I am at the stage where it wouldn't worry me if I didn't go again this season. What is the point? Support the team? Is the team supporting us this season? There is supposed to be some degree of entertainment/excitement/pride/hope when attending a Saints game. None of that is there at the moment. This is the first time that I have felt like this in all that time........so,so sad..... Exactly. I really do find going to matches a massive chore. I never ever thought I would feel that way about the club I love and club that means so much to me. 3 1
Morse Posted Monday at 13:10 Posted Monday at 13:10 (edited) All our problems point in one direction, Sport Republic. Poor- abysmal managerial appointments = SR Woeful player purchases =SR Lack of Scouting system = SR Lack of specialist coaches = SR Lack of a DoF (which could have alleviated much of the problems above) = SR Apparently these brain dead morons are having a meeting tomorrow to discuss January transfer targets; Seven days into the transfer window !!! These guys are not fit to run a professional football club. Edited Monday at 13:11 by Morse 6
miserableoldgit Posted Monday at 13:16 Posted Monday at 13:16 28 minutes ago, Lee On Solent Saint said: Exactly. I really do find going to matches a massive chore. I never ever thought I would feel that way about the club I love and club that means so much to me. That is the REAL sad thing. In all the time that I have supported Saints, I have never expected them to set the World alight. I knew, and accepted our place in the football world and revelled in the times that we punched above our weight. I have always been proud to say that I have been a Saints fan and the club has been a majorly important element in my fairly long life as well as that of my family. To have lost that feeling so quickly is a shock.......something that I thought would never happen. I never thought that I would see this club give up on a season so easily after the elation of last season.....it is unfathomable.....and unforgivable. I qenuinely don't know what the way back is. All of this talk about regeneration around SMS and being a Premier League fixture seems so much pie-in-the-sky at the moment. 1
hypochondriac Posted Monday at 13:31 Posted Monday at 13:31 I think the positive from last year is that it shows how quickly things can turn around if you have the right people making good decisions. If we sign a half decent striker, a winger and a defender or two then even if we let a load go we should have more than enough about us to be up near the top of the division. It shouldn't take much to have us challenging again.
Turkish Posted Monday at 13:34 Posted Monday at 13:34 12 hours ago, trousers said: https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/24834560.elon-musk-appears-back-ex-southampton-boss-replace-nigel-farage/ Maybe Rupes could put in a good word for Saints if Musk is ever looking to buy a football club... that would be hilarious, just take a look at the lounge thread and imagine the reaction if he did 🤣
miserableoldgit Posted Monday at 13:39 Posted Monday at 13:39 Just now, hypochondriac said: I think the positive from last year is that it shows how quickly things can turn around if you have the right people making good decisions. If we sign a half decent striker, a winger and a defender or two then even if we let a load go we should have more than enough about us to be up near the top of the division. It shouldn't take much to have us challenging again. I don't disagree with what you say, but do you have confidence in the current owners to make the right decisions for this to happen? One of the biggest issues this season, for me. has been the length of time that they let the RM "era" carry on without any apparent concern. On the face of it, they didn't seem to actually care about results. I could understand them giving him, say, 10 games, after last season, but it almost seems that if the Spurs debacle hadn't have happened, he would still be here now! 1
spyinthesky Posted Monday at 13:41 Posted Monday at 13:41 15 minutes ago, miserableoldgit said: That is the REAL sad thing. In all the time that I have supported Saints, I have never expected them to set the World alight. I knew, and accepted our place in the football world and revelled in the times that we punched above our weight. I have always been proud to say that I have been a Saints fan and the club has been a majorly important element in my fairly long life as well as that of my family. To have lost that feeling so quickly is a shock.......something that I thought would never happen. I never thought that I would see this club give up on a season so easily after the elation of last season.....it is unfathomable.....and unforgivable. I qenuinely don't know what the way back is. All of this talk about regeneration around SMS and being a Premier League fixture seems so much pie-in-the-sky at the moment. I share your pain my friend. There were some pretty dire days at the old Dell when Branfoot was in charge and Guy Askham was the Chairman. I remember on 1-1 draw with Notts County when the offical attendance was 11,000 but there were probably no more than 8,000 in the ground. To be fair the standard of the Premiership has moved on a lot since then and the largely honest toilers who turned out for Saints at the time would struggle in the same way as the current team in today's game. That said the team at the time may have struggled but they were no where near off the pace of the game as the current mob. The gap between the players who turned out on Saturday to play a mid table team who had played 3 days earlier and had not won away so far this season was immense and that has sucked the life out of many supporters. 3
miserableoldgit Posted Monday at 14:13 Posted Monday at 14:13 (edited) 32 minutes ago, spyinthesky said: I share your pain my friend. There were some pretty dire days at the old Dell when Branfoot was in charge and Guy Askham was the Chairman. I remember on 1-1 draw with Notts County when the offical attendance was 11,000 but there were probably no more than 8,000 in the ground. To be fair the standard of the Premiership has moved on a lot since then and the largely honest toilers who turned out for Saints at the time would struggle in the same way as the current team in today's game. That said the team at the time may have struggled but they were no where near off the pace of the game as the current mob. The gap between the players who turned out on Saturday to play a mid table team who had played 3 days earlier and had not won away so far this season was immense and that has sucked the life out of many supporters. Yes....I thought the Branfoot days were bad, but my word, what is happening at the moment is like nothing that I have experienced before at this club. I really thought that the Spurs game was a major turning point, but it seems like we have reached another one a handful of games later. Unbelievable!! Edited Monday at 14:14 by miserableoldgit 1
saintstowin Posted Monday at 14:27 Posted Monday at 14:27 What a mess. The lack of confidence, effort and ability is toxic. It's amazing how people who have played the game for years can look so totally inept at aspects such as marking and tracking runs - which don't actually require any footballing skills - just common sense and effort. I could have followed Mbuemo after he passed to Wissa and jogged up the pitch to score their 2nd. I don't think many disagree that SR are terrible custodians on a variety of levels. Or that RM was out of his depth like most of the players. This has led us here. I hope Juric tells some home truths, I hope he is able to organise a semi-competitive squad and find a system that doesn't lead to humiliation every week, I hope players find pride. I think that is about the best we can hope for in the short-term. 3
Doctoroncall Posted 19 hours ago Posted 19 hours ago On 06/01/2025 at 01:13, trousers said: https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/24834560.elon-musk-appears-back-ex-southampton-boss-replace-nigel-farage/ Maybe Rupes could put in a good word for Saints if Musk is ever looking to buy a football club... Looks like the World’s richest man is interested in Liverpool FC (according to his dad).
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