28 Dec 2017 01:34:42
I think people thinking we'll go out now and spend 75 million on new players in the same way as I would on FM will be disappointed.

a - the way these deals are structured, it's not as simple as us waking up on January 1st with 75mil in the bank.

b - I think we'd have been looking to add a few players anyway, and I doubt this will change too much since we bought VVD's replacement in the Summer.

c - The board aren't going to just go out and smash our wage structure still. We can argue all day over whether that's overly conservative, stubborn or just prudent (I think the latter), but it won't change things.

I do think we need to add a GK and a CAM type player, though I think a CAM who can make a real impact this year will be tough to find. GK is a quick fix though, and if we'd had a competent one through the first half of the year then I think we'd be about 10 points better off right now.

1.) 28 Dec 2017
28 Dec 2017 05:46:49
I totally agree plus I think there are other issues as well, Yoshida commented recently that the players were unhappy that Puel was sacked and also Fonte tweeted a comment about Bertrand so perhaps other developments are about to come into the open. Let's also not forget we have a new owner who funded the club purchase himself so there is no guarantee that all the money will go to new players. Watching the players come off the pitch after the Spurs game Lemina looked very unhappy and presumably just having left Juventus and Champions League football, he presumably is not impressed with his career choice. Let's face it would you trust MP spending your money? I also think that this VVD deal is the last one where Saints buy cheap and sell dear, many of the other clubs have possibly overtaken us and our vaunted black box and I fear mid table and survival is going to our future as a club. I think we need to look long and hard at Sean Dyche and Burnley as that seems the way forward for a club like ours. We do not have the glamour of the London or Northern clubs or the fanatical support or numbers. It has always bothered me that since we moved into St Mary's we have rarely consistently sold out and there is no demand to increase the capacity which is a failure in itself. We live in an affluent area and the closest Premier League football is Bournemouth with 12,000 capacity who are a relative newcomer or Brighton. I feel that if we sack this manager the next choice is absolutely vital for our credibility as a club and where we are going in the future otherwise I am not confident the future looks bright at all. Your thoughts guys . Regards vs.

{Ed001's Note - would you take Dyche as the manager? I think he could easily make the step up, he does some brilliant things with Burnley, despite the constant moaning in the media about not getting the credit he deserves.

For instance he has turned discipline into fun by installing a wheel of fortune at the training ground. Each infraction a player makes gives them a spin on the wheel and they have to do the forfeit the spin gives them. No one wants to do the forfeit because they totally embarrass themselves and all their teammates are there to laugh and poke fun while recording it on their cameras for later, but they are all desperate to get their mate a forfeit so they are quick to 'snitch' if their mate has broken the rules and drop them in it so they can laugh at them. Dyche has made it so no one willingly breaks the rules and so the other players will make sure he knows when they do. That for me is brilliant management and you can see why his players absolutely love him and want to play for him.}

2.) 28 Dec 2017
28 Dec 2017 08:25:26
Good post Vintage with some very sensible observations. My main concern is that if we keep loyal to our tradition of being prudent it may turn round and bite us very nastily in the behind. The situation at St. Mary’s is probably the most wobbly it has been since our return to the PL. The board can not sit on their hands and let the games tick down until the crisis deepens to the point of no return. A couple of posts mentioned that on our current points tally of 19 at half way doubling that as a guide to where we would be after 38 games would probably still mean relegation. I personally can’t at the moment see where the next win is coming from, I really can’t. We have the sale of VVD to potentially get us out of this, other sides are not so fortunate as us to have these kind of funds available ( of course whether the board makes it available is another matter ) We obviously are not getting all the money straight away but it is coming but of course minus the sell on fee. We must act right now, many won’t admit it but we are currently the poorest side in the division. People say we can’t keep changing managers which I sort of agree with but MP is the exception. He is totally at sea and needs changing immediately, as you know changing a manager usually gives the team a short term lift and boy do we need that. Don’t wait it will be too late.

3.) 28 Dec 2017
28 Dec 2017 08:27:51
Hi ed, Thank you for your in depth response, I would take Sean Dyche at a heartbeat, he has produced a team that is hard to beat, never say die playing excellent football. I watched the game where they beat Everton 1-0 away and in the move producing the goal they strung 34 consecutive passes together before scoring. I am also impressed how he develops players e. g. Jack Cork who was a Saints player who we sold to Swansea, and who has really developed, a sad loss. It demonstrates that you can produce a team without spending a fortune, and without parking the bus and for the most part Uk players. It makes a nonsense of Mourinhos comments about not having enough money to spend.! Regards vs.

{Ed001's Note - the more I talk to players and coaches that have worked with Dyche the more impressed I get. I didn't understand why Everton never went all in for him rather than Silva.}

4.) 28 Dec 2017
28 Dec 2017 08:34:12
Why would Dyche come to us we appear to be in disarray . Lemina said his ankle wasn’t right recently so hopefully that’s the reason for his performance however Romeu want great either. See we are evens for Walcott now depends on the fee and wages whether that’s a good move or not. Other than that we need a pelle type player wood would of been ideal and Mitrovic says he wants to leave and his goal ratio for Serbia is inpressive.

5.) 28 Dec 2017
28 Dec 2017 09:36:32
Could be Sean Dyche is just having one of those one off seasons like Ranieri did at Leicester and we know what happened to him. I like Sean Dyche seems a mans man but to be honest can’t see any chance of him coming here, why would he.?

6.) 28 Dec 2017
28 Dec 2017 12:16:27
I think dyches great but would he take the job in its current turmoil? No doubt usually you’re a very stable and reliable club but the farce with players wanting out, lack of form, money needing to be spent, it’s not an easy job when he can st where he is with Burnley and either way and challenge for. Europe, even if he doesn’t achieve it the club is happy to be a part of the ride.