08 Jul 2015 23:54:37
Now before anybody accuses me of not being a loyal supporter I assure you I am and have been a season ticket holder for more seasons than I can remember . I have seen all of it the best and the worst throughout the years but I actually believe something is not quite right at the moment. We have over the last two seasons lost our best players mainly over money and it seems to be still happening so there must be a problem. No other club in the PL have lost their players like we have, there must be a reason for this. I believe that we have no chance of keeping these players because we won't pay them what they (and their agents) think they are worth. The latest saga regarding Toby really annoys me, when we saw his true class and potential why didn't we go to them and say forget about the 6.8 m how much do you want for him now. I am sure we could have got him for 10 million cash in January and AM would have bitten our hands off and said muchos gratias . I am worried that come January the likes of Mane, Wanyama, Bertrand etc. might be the next to be lured away and unfortunately Mr Koeman might follow also . We can't keep this club running without a settled squad and it is a great probability that our recent bubble is going to burst big time.

1.) 09 Jul 2015
09 Jul 2015 07:03:09
That's a valid but pessimistic view on the situation.
On the other hand you could see it as the fruits of our acadamey ripening more often than before. We've always been a selling club and will continue to do so for the long term sustainability of Southampton fc.
The philosophy is if a club offers a substantial fee and the player wants to leave then we will not stand in their way,we want players on the pitch that will fight for the badge. Yes there will be stepping stoners but if we can make some money on them and continue to run the club in less debt than the majority of PL clubs then that's only a good thing.
We have a wage cap based on ffp and annual income, we cannot and will not compete with the bigger clubs in terms of wages and bonus. Until our global brand has increased and we can possibly extend the stadium to gain more revenue then we will be held back by Ffp and clubs cherry picking the talent we produce.
But remember
we have one of if not the best acadamey facilities in Europe,
we play some of the prettiest football in the league,
we can attract managers of the quality of roko.
6 years ago we were bought from the clutches of extinction by the Markus and co and look at us now.
We should all back the board and thank god that Rupert Lowe isn't involved.

2.) 09 Jul 2015
09 Jul 2015 08:43:37
I trust the Club but my one concern is how Swansea are going about their business as a Club. They lost Bony but are doing their transfer business early, attracting players that we were rumoured to be interested in and extending players contracts. In my opinion, that's probably clouded as a fan, but we should be 'bigger & better' than the Swans and a pessimistic viewpoint right now, is that we're not.

3.) 09 Jul 2015
09 Jul 2015 08:52:18
Chris take your Saints tinted-glasses off for a second and you'll see EVERY club loses players to other teams in the league. The only difference is firstly we don't lose our players on the cheap and that last season it was in a larger bulk then any of us expected.

The more we succeed, the more our players will be wanted, that's what happens when your team exceed the expectations of a footballing world.

So you've got to ask yourself, would I rather see Saints have an average or under par season, or another memorable one where at the end we might see a few players be sold for a premium sum but we'll try to strengthen and replace them. The more consistent we are the more likely it becomes that players MAY choose to stay.

But just to put it into perspective, Swansea over the last few seasons have lost Bony, Vorm, Davies, Sinclair and Allen, as well as other important players of one time or another like Chico Flores and Pablo Hernandez.

Same goes for the big clubs too. Over the years Arsenal have lost Van Persie, Toure, Clichy, Nasri Sagna and technically Fabregas to their rivals for the title. United lost Tevez to City. Chelsea recently sold Cech to Arsenal.

It's all a common practice in this league. There is rarely any loyalty in football any more, most players go where they can make the biggest wage and win the most trophies.

4.) 09 Jul 2015
09 Jul 2015 09:13:29
I enjoy our debates chrisdownj, but I do struggle with your logic. What is the saga with Toby? Please tell me because I don't know the true ins and outs of it- and I am absolutely certain you don't either.
Buying players we can't afford or paying players money we can't afford is the Leeds/Pompey model for running a football club. I have supported Saints for over 50 years and view the current financial management of the club the best it has ever been, and the ONLY sound way to take our club to routinely challenging for a top six place. MANY clubs have tried the other route and it does not work. Yes, the downside is that we will develop players who want their careers to move faster than our finances will allow but Saints are prepared for that and if that preparation is efficient there is no reason any bubble should burst. If Saints are a stepping stone to high salaries elsewhere, for the short term, so what? It should dictate we are a magnate for many young, talented players from around the world. Would that be a bad thing?
When we are able to generate sufficient income to keep such players at the club-great. Until then, I don't see any alternative to our current policy-WHICH IS WORKING!

5.) 09 Jul 2015
09 Jul 2015 10:57:52
I do understand what you are saying and I totally agree with you on most of it and maybe I didn't put my point over properly . I am more than happy for the club to grow at a sustainable rate but to do so will not automatically mean we will finish in a high position in the league season after season . Let's say things don't go so well this season and we finish around 12th which I think is quite likely if we don't bring any real quality in , we will then be in a catch 22 situation . We might not then attract decent players to the club and will most likely not be selected for many TV games and thus losing substantial income , remember it is these TV games being shown globally that would initially increase our worldwide appeal . If this does happen our overall finance model will probably fall in value and our worldwide marketing chances will decrease . I know this all sounds very pessimistic but in truth could well be a reality . I know we can't go gung ho and throw money around but I feel we have to make a statement of intent to the football world and our tremendously loyal fans that we are moving forward positively and as things stand I feel the best we are doing at the moment is to be treading water . Sorry but that's the way I see it , however nobody would be more pleased to be wrong than myself over this , honest.

6.) 09 Jul 2015
09 Jul 2015 13:29:11
we've signed as many players as Swansea? And lost clyne, Toby chose Spurs over us it's not like we didn't try, but oh well onwards and upwards

7.) 09 Jul 2015
09 Jul 2015 13:57:46
Toby only decided to join Spurs a day or so ago so NOW the club will need to look at replacing him. Morgan hasn't agreed to go anywhere yet, and if and when he does I suspect a replacement will be brought in. Other than those two positions I would suspect Saints will be looking at another two or three possible signings but that will be tempered by the performance of some of the younger players in pre-season, and if the development players are to be kept motivated I would suggest that is the way it should be. We should see Jay back, and MAYBE RoKo can drag the quality out of Gaston.
I suspect a lot will get sorted over the next month, or so, but I do not see that Saints are exhibiting any signs of asset stripping or being slow off the mark.

Ideally I would really have enjoyed watching Toby and Morgan next season at Saints, but we should remember BOTH missed significant chunks of last season and we managed pretty well WITHOUT having any replacements for them. Additionally, a number of players who were new to the EPL last season should be much better this season. The club have targeted becoming established in the top 6. I am confident this is more likely than mid table.

8.) 09 Jul 2015
09 Jul 2015 16:21:51
If the players want to leave then there's no point them staying is there. All players sold wouldn't sign extensions of contracts or specially asked to speak to the clubs involved.
We will be selected for TV coverage based on how well we play not what position in the league we are. That's where roko comes into it. Get the team playing how we have been over the last 2-3 seasons( whilst loosing players) and we will be on TV spreading the global brand. Whilst attracting young players with potential to show there skills before heading up the ladder to bigger clubs.
That's my optimist veiw

9.) 09 Jul 2015
09 Jul 2015 17:45:37
I am not that confident Saint Martin but I do admire yours. We'll see what happens and have a further debate about how it's going about the start of November , deal?

10.) 09 Jul 2015
09 Jul 2015 19:32:53
Sure, deal.

Meanwhile I will be setting up my surgery to deal with the numerous whingers, glass half empty merchants, and other depressed souls that have migrated towards our club within the last 6 years (it must have been within that period otherwise the whisker we came within liquidation would have been enough to finish them off altogether, before we were rescued from OBLIVION.)
There is more depression on this site-most based on speculation- than around the Dead Sea. I really do fail to see the justification for it and continue to be amazed at the "end of the world" mentality (eg. MoPo gone, hold on, RoKo is so much better-what else can we complain about.)

Come on guys, the sun is shining, Saints are in Europe and football season is about to start. Be happy! (We could be Greece-or Pompey!)

11.) 10 Jul 2015
10 Jul 2015 00:10:49
Or both

12.) 10 Jul 2015
10 Jul 2015 06:35:10
Just to let you guys living in England know. Australia and a lot of other countries around the world have every premier league game shown live no matter whether they're picked for live coverage in England or not. So that's not really an argument for spreading the brand globally.

13.) 11 Jul 2015
11 Jul 2015 11:26:10
I do know that you get all the PL games over there, difference is that given a choice most of you will watch the most attractive game . So if Saints are doing well you would maybe watch us playing say Swansea but if we struggle you would prefer to watch one of the top 4 playing say Norwich. It is just marketability and I'm afraid we are light years away from that status as it stands.