For you perhaps. Ever considered that what happened ten years ago might be why people tend to be more cautious and concerned about situations like this? Sorry Beef but I'd rather our support question things like this that look incredibly dodgy than just stick our fingers in our ears and cry if/when it goes tits up. The fact we nearly went out of business years ago isn't more of a reason to just ignore things like this, but more of a reason to question them imo.
Watching Saints had become a chore for me post Koeman. Ralph changed all that. My fear is that Ralph H will not be backed in the window, not for want of trying by the club, but our targets being either gazumped by the likes of Leicester, Watford, Bournemouth etc. or the prices by the selling clubs being stupid and then RH walking. Also a bit concerned about RKr leaving and the effect that might have on RH. For example, any promises made by RKr to RH not being honoured. Still deciding about renewing ST as big chunk of money. Love Saints - hate what the PL has become.
If handing over our City’s cargo port to the Chinese means a better football team, then so be it, I’ll be even chuck in the Tudor house museum
The only 2 things i care about are if it is allowing us to buy better players and where it sits on my moral compass. Football ate itself many years ago so anyone worried about things being dodgy or corrupt probably shouldnt be anywhere near the sport. Its all about the Money money money and we all know what that does.
Kind of contradicted yourself there. Most people that have concerns regarding corruption are because they think it is morally wrong.
fans only have two choices...carry on supporting the club or not. If you decide to stay with club the only sane policy is wait and see. You only drive yourself mad double guessing what every club decision means and then deciding on the worse. Sometimes things are just simple and not a great conspiracy. And if they’re not...what are you going to do about it?
Where did I say ignore things? All I said is we don't know what will happen next no one does apart from a few people. No point worrying about something that: 1: you have no control over. 2: it might never happen in the first place. I just don't get making something that at the end of the day isn't a huge thing dictator a persons life so much. Football is entertainment if you aren't being entertained then there is no point. Life is too short to get down about football.
Yeah, I mean, if this was another team in the PL, I doubt anyone on here would be saying "well, let's see how this goes; maybe the corrupt businessman of unknown means and their sponsor that may or may not exist will lead them to glory".
Wolves seem to be doing well..... I also wouldn't really care about another team. If Saints end up ****ed I will be disappointed for a while, but end of the day I can't do anything about it. I am not going to let it dictate my life.
I agree with those two points, but I think most of the comments questioning this sponsorship deal are more out of concern for how we are being run, rather than to moan about the club, because it does look very odd from here.
Clubs are doing more and more sketchy stuff to get more money. Wolves did it, City do it etc etc. The only problem is if you morally can't side with it. For me this is how the Prem is sadly, you can either accept it or walk away.
Wolves are owned by the CEO of a huge, diversified multinational corporation with nearly limitless resources. They also seem to be fairly well-run, even if one has concerns about the Mendes connection. We're owned by a guy who just had to sell a controlling stake in the business he owns after losing somewhere between a lot and most of his fortune due to its decline, and who spent months trying to find the liquid assets to buy us (before leveraging his now-former company shares to take out a loan). Beyond the ownership being Chinese, I don't think there's much comparison there.
Well I got that from the 'As long as we're in the Prem' statement to be fair and that's what I find baffling, particularly as you mentioned us nearly going out of business in the same post. The rest is neither here nor there and you could post on any thread on the forum. I'd argue that the fans have 'no' control either, of there was the unity and willpower there's loads of things fans can do to put pressure on the clubs.
It's a company that verifiably exists and has existed for a few years, though. Its parent company even found its way into the Panama Papers; it's shady, in the manner that a lot of big businesses that operate in dubious quadrants (online casinos, in this instance) are shady, and it's unknown in the west because we aren't the target market. Our sponsor's a little different, however, because it's entirely unclear what they do, whether they've been doing it before, and what on earth they thought that website was meant to offer.
I don't see Saints as being able to compete with the top 8. Should Saints be doing better? Yep, that is why Hughes, Reed, Krueger got sacked . That is why I am willing to see how it goes before either calling Gao out or being pleased. But Saints will never be a big team.
When people question things that look dodgy and point out all the poor decisions and questionable motives behind the scenes at the club we all love, why does that always get labelled as moaning? Yes we can't control what happens, and we don't know what is going on behind the scenes, and maybe it will all be fine in the end, but this is what football forums are for, discussing whats going on with people that also care about the club. I can support the club, enjoy matchdays and have hope for the future and still question things that are unusual or bad. And questioning those things on a forum doesn't mean I'm a miserable person outside of the forum. I talk about these things on here with fellow Saints fans and when I'm not talking about these things on the forum I get on with life .
What's the first and last sentence got to do with anything? I've also seen and read enough about Gao already to have some more than reasonable doubts. See edit btw.
