29 Jun 2013 19:08:31
Ok, I am going to be honest the following is pure speculation. But you could probably guess that from the context of what I am going to say.
Basically looking at the deals we have gone for so far we have to assume that the budget handed to Cortese for this summer is very large. I mean overall we've heard about 2 potential £20million deals (Erik Lamela and now Leandro Damiao). We also have signed Dejan Lovren for £6.8million and have been linked with over £10million bids for Wanyama and Nainggolan.
My point being we can probably expect a few big money signings this summer. The budget must be very big in order for Cortese to be looking at some very high end players. But I also would add, don't get carried away. We are still not Manchester United and don't have that level of pulling power. Just wait and see who comes here before boasting we're going to get top 6. Currently top 10 will be a real struggle.
Ahh yes, however, all of the signings with the exception of the player we have signed, are only rumours. So we may not have that kind if budget in mind. That's what does worry me a bit. I think we can safely say, based in the fact we have offered 11-12 million for wagamama, that we have at least 15 million. But as yet nothing has Ben confirmed by the chairman that says we are willing to spend anymore. Isn't that right ed?
Might upset a few people, but although I think it's great we are trying to sign some very good players should we not look at signing some good players first or we could end up signing no one or ending up with what's left? Then we could aim for Europe through the league or cup run and go again the next season, let's not run before we can walk!
Good post above sort of says it all. The problem we have is that we lack charisma to the rest of the football world. When these foreign players were growing up watching their football heroes there would not be a lot from England but those that were would have played for Man. Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool and maybe one other, I really don't think anybody below the Isle of Wight really knows where Southampton is and may even think it is in the USA. Love our club but history makes football clubs attractive to the top players unless they are mercenaries and will go anywhere for money. Love him or hate him Lawrie Mac was the only person to attract top players here because he had Charisma. He was in some ways an olden day Mourinho who seems to be better than he actually is. We at Saints will never be thought of in the same way as our top clubs, history has seen to that. Blackburn thought they could do it but it was a one off financed by Jack Walkers dream. We are a fantastic football club but I believe our dream is to be the best of the rest. Probably get slaughtered for saying this but in my heart I think most of us are pretty much on my wavelength and looking for the impossible dream.
Even if we don't sign anyone else, as long as no one leaves I think we can get top ten, why not? were only a few points off last year after a poor start and finish. We got a Quality CB to shore up defence. Obviously they'll be more signings I just hope they aren't panic ones
"When foreign players were growing up watching their football heroes there would not be a lot from England, but those that were would have played for Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool"
Pretty sure Xavi idolised Le Tiss. So bit of a silly comment that isn't it? Xavi is only the best midfielder in the past decade and idolised our number 7 as a boy.
Yes it's true, Le Tissier was Xavi's idol - saw a clip of him saying how much he loved watching Le Tissier play. Oh, and not to mention that it was a Saints player that took football to Brazil.
I'm sure Cortese won't have much of a problem selling Saints to potential players - Hell, all he needs to do is ask them to watch a few clips of us playing City, ManU, Chelsea, Liverpool and a few others off the park.
A few quality signings and we will be knocking on that European door. One thing is for sure - it's going to be a hell of a ride.
I have seen a lot of people post we should not be so pompous to think we can't make top 6, "ed" included, but I feel we have an excellent chance to get there even with this squad we have! not because of deluded loyal support of SFC, but some very "PROMISING" things I have seen with the players and play of SFC! We have nurchured a style of possesion, passing and attacking football from AP-NA-MP for the past 4 years, we came out with a core of players who have improved with each challenge (PROMISING). We hit the prem and escaped the drop way to close, I agree, and this is what keeps the "you are not a top 6" nay sayers going. BUT those that watch every game of SFC last season saw a team that beat or draw enough top 6 teams (PROMISING)to prove to me we can compete and outplay anyone (ManU were lucky to win both). We came back from the worst start of any prem team to stay up (PROMISING), simply because we improved a few things and ended up at the end of the season with no one questioning whether we were capable of being a prem team. I saw enough to say we should have been easy top ten last year, we had better possession and chances created (PROMISING) than most of the teams we faced but not the resullt. A few more pieces to the puzzle and our improving young team will be capable of challenging the top 6. Our core of players are somethng to be proud of! I think we have the best fb in the prem (LS and NC), we have the two best dcm (spidies stats prove it, Cork provided grit and energy, very underated IMO. ) We have good to very good AM and ST, Davis, Ramirez, Lallana, Puncheon, JRod, and Lambert. With weaker areas being addressed and more depth added, a new manager who has shown he can bring new ideas and style that can get results, we have every right to believe we can make top 6.
Don't think anyone gets my point about our status in the Premier League and our pulling power. We can offer 20 million for Damaio but do you really think he would join us in front of the top 4. We were the first to go in for Coutinho (going to be a great player) and what happened. Liverpool. They will go to the clubs where they can hope for Champions League football, so our beloved Saints will not be on their list unless they are mercenaries and we don't want them do we!
The closest link to Southampton introducing football to brazil was only that he went to school in Southampton his name was Charles Miller who was actually a Scotsman and that was in 1894! Really think you're clutching at straws here, agreed Xavi loved Le Tiss but that is also pretty singular. I have been a season ticket holder for over 40 years and have always yearned for the really big time. Until we have a city of over 500,000 population (about the year 2068) we will never be able to call ourselves a big club. As in most things size does matter.
He actually played for st. Mary's (so technically he was a saints player),
People come from all over to support saints, many from Dorset. Southampton is the biggest city in Hampshire which has a population of 1.7 million over 300k in Southampton and local areas. Most Manchester United fans live no where near Manchester, so location is not really relevant.
I couldn't agree more about Manchester United and their "supporters" and also the pulling power we have for Southampton. In fact it was only being at The Dell that stopped us having massive crowds years ago. The need for a new stadium is very, very important, Nicola Cortese in an interview 2 seasons ago said his aim was to move to a new one. Let's face it St. Marys was never the place to build the existing one. Build a 50,000 plus multi functional stadium near motorway and rail/airport links and then we would be playing in the big time. Just a shame Hampshire CC got the Rose Bowl site first, would have been perfect. Also remember most players like living down here and most stay on even after their career finishes. If we want to achieve our ultimate ambition then we have to have all the pieces in place and then with the careful, cautious leadership of NC and board the sky actually would be the limit, I think NC knows this. The word relegation would then be deleted from the Southampton dictionary forever.