Southampton Banter Archive August 05 2014

05 Aug 2014 23:00:13
Anyone else seen the interview Krueger gave to the telegraph? He said that Koeman was involved in all outgoings and that they didn't want disgruntled players starting a season. He went on to say that they have been in control of the situation and the aim is to make the club a stable premier league club for years to come, not a yo yo team. He says that they are not going to sell the club and that there are still weeks left of the transfer window. They will not stop until we are in a stronger position player wise than last season. All very good and positive, what you think?

06 Aug 2014 01:48:06
I thought that it came across as making excuses for the lack of players in. He repeats the same things about making the company stable blah blah. He almost made it sound that before they came in the club was floundering.
It reeks of the time under Lowe to me.

He's either not telling the truth or he's crazy!

05 Aug 2014 21:30:38
Does any one Brighton under Dick Knight when he sold the ground from under their feet,. I'm beginning to know how the fans felt
**** of liebherr and take reed and kreuger with you

05 Aug 2014 20:02:03
yesterday ed 033
said in reply to a post
nothing positive as yet
the board have to get themselves straight first
now that has really got me worried
forestsaint

{Ed033's Note - I'm sure everyone knows the following but, Southampton's best senior players left because they weren't paid the bonuses they were promised and weren't sure they could trust the board.

Other senior players then left because at that time they talked with those other senior players and believed:

a) With the best senior players gone, Southampton would struggle in the Premier league

b) With a perceived untrustworthy board (for not paying out promised bonuses), those senior players didn't know where they stood with the club

c) the board didn't appear to have a solid immediate future plan, meaning those senior player's were unsure of their immediate future

Southampton fans, ask yourself the following 2 questions:

1. Do the board now have a solid immediate future plan?

2. With the best senior players gone, will Southampton struggle to stay in the Premier league until they're replaced with players of similar or greater ability?

05 Aug 2014 21:23:19
With the greatest respect Ed 033 I find your comments a little scaremongering and how do you know what you have posted to be true or is it just an opinion? The Southampton supporters are feeling a little fragile at the moment and although I would agree that your summation is probably correct do you not think a small amount of hope for the future might be a good idea. I say this because as we are writing this several deals may be about to happen. If they don't come to fruition say in the next seven days then it is time to get pretty seriously concerned. No offence meant at all, honestly.

{Ed033's Note - sorry, i thought i was spelling out the facts (not opinion) as they were at the time the best senior players left.

If over the next couple of weeks it all gets sorted, that's great. Let's wait and see.

BTW, anyone feel free to use the contact form, if you would like to be the volunteer Ed for this Southampton site.

Maybe it wasn't the players fault for wanting to leave then. I would be totally p****d off if didn't get money that was agreed. Answer to your questions ed 1. no and 2. yes

I tend to find when a sentence starts with the words "with the greatest respect" or "with all due respect" it's time to start gritting the teeth as the following message is likely to be the opposite.

Ed is just giving the facts (as far as are known). We've read all this stuff on here and in papers and other media outlets. Not sure why he should be getting any stick for re-iterating the facts.

We have got reason to be positive, with 5 gone and 3 replaced to a good level and new youth ready to step up our squad still looks very strong. We don't need a mass of signings, we lack in a few areas but not disastrously. A replacement for Dejan is the real issue for us after that should be all right.

The best piece of business the board has managed is to appoint Koeman. I am hoping he becomes the manager to match his playing days and he can turn our beloved Saints into an exciting attacking expansive hardworking focused unit. worthy of the Southampton name. Right now though, it feels like a slow burning tragedy where there are no winners.

Thanks Ed033. Good summary - reading between the lines this is what I roughly thought, but good to have it confirmed.

If the bonuses are part of a players contract then surely the board must pay what's due or they are in breach of contract?
Also I understand that the bonuses are paid in August for the previous season and Lambert, Shaw, Lallana etc all went before August.
And finally if my company failed to pay what was owed to me as part of my contract I'd have ACAS or whoever involved straight away.

05 Aug 2014 22:48:52
I apologise ed033 some blind faith saints fans are not ready for a dose of reality.
A few weeks into a relegation dogfight and they won't be able to ignore.
Again ed apologies we can do without losing another sane voice

06 Aug 2014 08:50:02
thanks ed for your answer. the more I hear about saints, it seems cortese was not as good for the club as a lot of people think.
if it was all about unpaid bonuses can see why some players did what they did but could have shown a bit of loyalty at the same time.
forestsaint

{Ed033's Note - How about this for some speculation. Cortese did his best to follow what M.L. wanted, which was to commit heavily financially to the club, which meant a lot of borrowing money.

The problems started when the family members that took over from M.L. at the time, didn't want to commit financially as much as M.L. did.

Southampton fans are now seeing the result of that lower financial commitment at that time.

Saint Dez, from what I've heard the bonuses promised were not in their contracts, they were promised these by Cortese, and it wasn't his money to give. The bonuses weren't approved by Liebherr who thought he was spending and promising away to much of her money, hence the falling out and him resigning.

06 Aug 2014 09:48:29
Saint Dez has shown that someone is looking at this "bonus issue" with a little intelligence.

If these "bonuses" were valid does no one understand that senior players have financial/legal representatives and "trade" organisations who would very quickly resolve matters for them?

It seems the "bonuses" were so valid that this could not be done. As I have said before, sounds to me like the manager at the office party offering the blond bimbo a "bonus" if she let him have his wicked way and then she is surprised afterwards that all she receives is her P45!

Anyone who has worked for any length of time knows that they need to examine very carefully any "bonus" offers as to whether they are contractually correct, and if they don't, and they are not, it is as much their responsibility as that of the person who made the offer.

I quite understand that some players may have been peed off for failing to clarify this situation and therefore losing out, but let's not be blinded to the fact that the players that have left have all moved for huge financial gain. Are they going to admit this-no. IMO this "bonus" issue is a smokescreen. None of us have the full facts but just ask why it is that Shaw was looking for a move way before there was any concern over "bonuses". Could it just be that £100k+/week had a little to do with it?

Thanks Ed033 useful and pragmatic post

{Ed033's Note - ok thanks

05 Aug 2014 20:17:13
Samara's rumors continue. I can see the logic. Two six foot four strikers with new fast wide players feeding the danger zone in front of the keeper. Push into gap between defence and midfield when we don't have the ball ready for transition.

05 Aug 2014 19:38:18
Are we only good at selling players we have brought through the academy or developed from the lower leagues?
Lambert, Lallana, Shaw, Chambers, Schiederlin, Rodriguez, Cork? And before that. Walcott, Chamberlin, Bale, Shearer etc, etc.
Our recent purchases (Loyal Lovren aside) not so good:
Ossvaldo (flipping joke record buy), Gaston (what has he actually done to deserve the price tag), Big Vic (how come no one's made a bid for him)?
I'm sorry to be degative but what is there to be positive about?
Hope to god this summer's buys (2+ 1 loan) prove better buys or lord help us

05 Aug 2014 16:47:26
Wondering why on earth if we are interested and put bids in for forster + van dijk y we would let them bully us as to when they can sign eg after their champions league exploits. if they want the money they sign now or we go elsewhere with the money.

Is this the board showing lack of backbone or Celtic shooting themselves and us in the foot as both players clearly aren't performing as well as they by the margin they lost in leg 1 as their heads have clearly been turned they should have been signed weeks ago to gel and integrate into the team

05 Aug 2014 17:40:22
11 people make a team. Not 2. To be fair, IF and I do mean IF we are interested in them, why not let them play 2 CL games. Its all good experience.

05 Aug 2014 12:42:24
what is happening? These 3 so called "immanent" signings to be done by the weekend and it's now Tuesday and nothing, it must be soon

05 Aug 2014 06:43:47
Predictions this year anyone?

I've got us finishing around 10th but with the possibility of some silverware in the cup comps.

Poch to get sacked before the end of the season

Sadly J-rod and Morgan to leave in the January window.

Liverpool to not make the top 4

I agree about cups as I feel Ron will take them seriously, esp f. a

Predictions:
1 Chelsea
2 Manchester City
3 Arsenal
4 Tottenham
5 Liverpool
6 Manchester United
7 Southampton
8 Swansea
9 Newcastle
10 West Ham

Burnely, Leicester & Aston Villa relegated.
Sturridge / Bony top scorers
Diego Costa to flop & Isgrove / Fábregas to shine.
No Southampton first team players to be sold in January.

05 Aug 2014 11:17:00
Without the new players I think 9 to 10ish at best. Really tough call this season. Manager has amazing potential as do our two new actual signings but its all untested in the EPL. My worry is that without anyone new our defence could be leakier than my old car

A top ten finish would b great taking into account everything that has happened so far this season consolidate and rebuild for another push next season

05 Aug 2014 18:04:39
I think we will struggle and and I feel best we'll finish is 15th

Sorry but I go for:
1. Man Utd
2. Chelsea (new manager by Xmas)
3. Man City
4. Spurs (great manager)
5. Arsenal
6. Everton (great manager)
7. Liverhampton (I don't like em)
Top goal scorer will be Van Persie or Rooney
Bottom four.
4th Us (TFFT)
3rd Villa
2nd West Brom
1st Burnley