Quote, Your comment: 'It appears you are basically suggesting to have sacked managers and that in your eyes would be us being proactive' is bizarre. I was clearly saying that since Nigel's sacking the club has been re-active rather than proactive in it's management appointments. Further to my comment it would appear you could add captaincy, (first line management ?). Managers have opted out. Why is that? Are we a 'stepping stone' for talented managers and players or are we so lacking in ambition that surviving in the premier league is the goal, or both? Either way it seems likely we will be sold on. Seems clear to me. I don't need to pull myself together, living in the real world is not problem. We have been fed a dream, but the reality is survival in the premier league is the peak of the club's ambition presently. I truly hope I am wrong but there is no evidence, as far as I can see to support a different view. So pull yourself together because I'm in the real world... you know the 'Southampton Way'..... Irony if you didn't notice.
Yep. For all our much vaunted recruitment of talent we do not seem to be able to match their ambition. Why else would well performing players and managers up and leave so regularly. Money? Definitely. Reality not matching the brochure pictures? Feels more and more likely to me.
Because the players who have left have joined CL clubs? The only exceptions have gone to the 2 biggest clubs in the country.
Sure. Just unsure how we can be proactive with managers who went to bigger clubs and players going to play Champions League. Yes we are currently a stepping stone for managers and players. Get used to it. Yes we are being sold. How you deal with it is your business, I take it all with pinches of salt. Appears you don't.
Money and to clubs already either in the Champions League or global big club status. We can't ignore that. Leaving us for Liverpool, Arsenal, Man United and to a lesser extend Spuds is moving up. The exception there is Koeman and that I put down to pure greed and money. I do think we need to realise as fans that this is going to be a possibility for a long time yet, purely to our status as a club. We are not one of the big boys. We can't keep up with them on salaries and to date on status. Take United. 75m a season, each season for their kit manufacturer. Not the sponsor, the kit manufacturer. Was ours 6m? I can't honestly remember. It is very tough at this end of the pool, but it is where we want to be, so we have to suck it in and keep building and battling.
I think Britannia Road should be renamed Southampton Way, then at least if people didn't know what it was, they'd know where it is.
It's not the losing - feck me if you support Southampton and don't like losing....errrr, in fact if you support any football club and don't like losing, well honestly you are going to be upset at some point. I get really peed off with naff defeats but I get over it fairly quickly and look forward to the next game. No it's the style of play. Last couple of season's we've been talked about in glowing terms about being a 'good' football team playing attractive and clever football. I'd say more less right across the board, other club's (sensible) supporters, most pundits, news papers, TV shows - it felt pretty good. Especially if you remember the last three decades. Anyone remember the First Divison season when we won just six games out of forty-two but just about stayed up? Now in the space of three months that appears to be gone - with the exception of a few games - we are slight shadow of ourselves and I find that very disappointing. I'm hoping something will quickly change but even when we win it is still fairly dull and abject and quite often really lucky. We seemed to be on the cusp of something, it got scary and we quickly withdrew. Then add in our two Europa League performances (under different managers) and you think what an opportunity lost - what was the point. It's just.....disappointing and seemingly a waste of a great opportunity. Then if you air these views or anything similar you get the 'remember where we were in 2008?' thrown back at you as if that is the ulitmate answer to any of the current problems.
You are absolutely right about most everything. I don't share your thoughts on Koeman tho. Something else wasn't working for him here or he wouldn't have been looking to move. Whatever it was I suspect we have a bad hangover from it. Also, we are one of the big boys in a certain sense. We are Liverpool if pool sold their best players each year and were constantly bedding in new talent. That's the main difference, not our kit deals or our fan base. IMO.
Just as it's not being a "happy clapper" "rose tinted" or "blind" to express an opposing view. It's just a different way of framing things.
When we start winning again, which we will, I shall keep a weather eye out for all the posts complaining about the style of play during thise victories. I don't expect to find many.
I don't disbelieve this, but I also don't what to make of it, if true. People do not like losing, and if the fans are angry the players likely are as well. I vastly prefer a passionate but divided locker room than players not caring. But who is right? Do we hold Puel accountable to unite the factions and get us winning? Do we get rid of those who don't seem to be on board with Puel/club? Or are the club/Puel to blame and the angry players are the intelligent ones who want and know what is best? I really don't know.
There were people complaining about the style of play in the 1-0/0-0 parade. There were also people complaining about people complaining about the style of play because we were picking up points. Some things are eternal.
Sir, I believe you are mistaken on this point. Many posters complained about the games despite the wins, saying things like '3 points are great and it is another clean sheet but goodness wasn't that boring' and more prosiac versions of that. I concede others are utterly pleased with the wins and clean sheets as wins are the only important thing in their support of Southampton Football Club. I feel that this is an entertainment at first so you should generally, within the rules of the sport, be entertained to some degreee.
I agree about the entertainment comment...however, at the moment we need points. But I miss the red arrows.
It usually only comes out of the boardroom when there actually is a problem though. They wouldn't need to deny something that isn't there. That would only add to the rumours.
Fair enough, maybe I missed those posts. I personally find winning very entertaining. I prefer winning 3-0 to winning 1-0 because I am as greedy as the next person. But do I prefer winning 4-3 to 1-0? Nope. But that's just me. I also used to like watching Football Italia on Ch4 when it was always 1-0 or 0-0. I found those dour taxtical battles very entertaining, & I also enjoy a display of faultless defending.
