Junior Hoilett

From the 10th game onwards Southampton did better than Norwich in League One 2009/10, more points, more goals, fewer conceded. We were in far more of a mess than Norwich in the summer of 2009 and it took a long time to put a team together, once we did Saints did better than Norwich.

The comfortable 2-0 win at Carrow Road in the second half of the season highlighted this. That result came after Saints had spent in January to buy Jose Fonte, Jason Puncheon, Lee Barnard etc. By the end of that season I really believe we were better than Norwich.

 

Dont twist my words, I quite clearly meant that your fans are being like QPR's. That's bloody obvious from how you've been posting, can't you listen to yourself? Imagine if some jumped up newly promoted team fan said all this crap to you.

Trust me, transfermarkt is not a joke site. I've been involved in a few negligence claims regarding player transfers and it is precisely how they assess it. It's very accurate to within a month or so. You have to understand thT the underlying asset value of a player is only partly related to the sale price.

All you've done here is reiterate my point that all your plans are for the future. Great . Im concerned with right here, right now though. As I said, I'm not questioning your board's ambition, you seem to be intent on proving something I'm not denying.

And it's not rubbish, when you were in League one with us, we had bigger crowds.

I know So'ton have had a great academy for 12 years, that's exactly my point- we've not produced much beyond goalkeepers in that time. I mean the whole developing players through youth- we've suffered since the changes. Are you under 25? I'm sorry, but if you don't understand the 90 mile rule and why clubs on the fringes complained so much about it, I give up. Also, it doesn't take 3 hours to drive 90 miles, and clubs are perfectly capable, and did in the past, of making life easier for these people.

By all accounts, I must admit I prefer the idea of Butterfield, but each to his own. I'm not denying you've made good signings- try to actually read my posts. I though Rodriguez was over priced, but is a good buy and was always going to cost that much to prise away. Cline is an excellent signing. I'm not denying any of that. you're arguing on your own here.

 

It isn't me that doesn't understand it, it is you!

It is NOT a 90 mile rule. It is a 90 minute rule!

Wow, this is hard work!

90 minutes there, 90 minutes back = 3 hours driving. How many parents want to do more than that to get their children to training a few ties a week?

Rather than complaining, maybe Norwich should do as Southampton do and open satellite academies in other areas. That is how we got Gareth Bale, by getting him to our Bath academy.

 

That's quite simply untrue. From the tenth game onwards Norwich got 82 points and Southampton got 74 points

 

Which team will have the bigger average next season? Every season in the Premier League at St Mary's, Southampton averaged over 30,600. Norwich won't average much over 26,000.

 

As I said above, plenty of parents are quite happy to drive that far, but more to the point, clubs have ways of encouraging this. you'd be surprised... We managed to do it before the rule came in.

You're obviously not up to speed though, Norwich aren't complaining anymore- there's no rule anymore if your academy is given the too status, which ours has been. So now we're ok.

 

We can't that's our stadium size. We've maxed out the capacity for years.

this is what I don't understand- why build a massive stadium if you can't already fill your own every game? Running before you an walk if you ask me.

 

It was two years ago, I forgot exactly which game it was from it is around that point though. Plus remember at the end of the season Southampton had nothing to play for and were experimenting. Norwich were gunning for promotion.

Did you go to the game at Carrow Road between the two sides? It was a very comfortable 2-0 win. That was after we had brought in a number of good players in January ( Jose Fonte, Jason Puncheon, Lee Barnard etc). By the end of the season we were better and had the League One season started again with the squad as they were in February 2010 I think we'd have won it. Of course it is over the entire season that counts and Norwich were better, but that isn't the point we were originally debating.

 

I was hoping/expecting you to say this. You are now applying different logic to you "Southampton haven't built it yet" argument. Well Norwich haven't yet build a stadium as big as St Mary's. Follow through your own logic rather than cherry picking.

Yes we can fill it, as I've already told you. Every season at St Mary's in the Premier League Southampton averaged over 30,600. Most games sold out, and that was to watch a mid table side in 3 of those years and a relegated side for a season.

Next season will see a return to a 30k+ average with most games completely sold out.

 

Dont really think you can claim that Soton were better than Norwich that season. We were far and away the best side in the division and dont forget we had a dreadful start that year too. Also I do think you can tell a lot about a clubs fan base by how many you get when struggling. Our attendances in leage 1 were far better than yours in league 1. If you do get 30,000 in the prem that just shows we have more loyal fans than you and a lot of yours are fair weather fans. If we had a stadium as big as yours in all probability we'd get better attendances

 

I think he was saying you are unlikely to fill a 50000 capacity stadium

 

Doesn't sound like you do remember at all, as you've now completely changed your stance.... We had promotion secured with about six games to go. Also weren't playing for anying by the last few matches as had the league confirmed. You're clutching at straws there- at no point from until the end of the league did Southampton win more points other than in the last ten games or so when we had slacked off.

I wasn't at it, but I remember we had a player sent off when pressing for an equaliser so that's no surprise.

 

You still haven't admitted it is you that is wrong when you said it was a 90 mile rule...! It was a 90 minute rule.

Who did Norwich City produce in the 80's and 90's that matches...

Alan Shearer
Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew Oakley
Theo Walcott
Wayne Bridge
Gareth Bale
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Chris Baird
Leon Best
Nile Ranger
Andrew Surman
Nathan Dyer
Scott McDonald
Matthew Mills
David McGoldrick
Simon Gillett
Martin Cranie
Matthew Oakley
Brian Howard
Joseph Mills
Dexter Blackstock
Adam Lallana
etc etc

 

Most games or all games? We sell out all our games. We sold out all our games in the Championship too. I struggle to see how you will possibly fill out a 50k stadium, but it's good to see that you're now desperate to predict the future having realise that, in the present, we're more attractive to a player

 

We averaged 30,600 in 2004/05 when we were relegated in 20th place. Imagine if we actually had a decent team to watch in the top half of the Premier League...?

 

Well it is dependant on away allocations being filled.

We averaged 30,600 in 2004/05 when we were relegated in 20th place. Saints were hardly an attractive proposition to watch that season. Imagine if we actually had a decent team to watch in the top half of the Premier League...?

 

You ignored my point that our attendances in leage 1 were way better than yours and this comment just backs it up further that you ahve a load of unloyal fair weather fans who only support you when you are winning. We filled our stadium in league one which implies we have a better/bigger fan base and if we could afford a bigger stadium we would get better attendances than you in the prem.

 

Oh good God, are you a WUM, really young or just not that bright? I have at no point said you don't have a fantastic academy. stop arguing with yourself on this one.

my point has only ever been that Norwich might have been able to produce players of the calibre of Chris Sutton, Jeremy Goss, and Darren Eadie and the like if we hadn't been scuppered by the rules.

Yes, you have a good academy. Bravo. We've had one season in the Prem though so nernernernernern

 

Next season you'll have a different manager from last season, a smaller wage budget, smaller transfer budget, smaller stadium, smaller average crowd, poorer training facilities and poorer academy. I don't see what is making Norwich more attractive?

If Norwich bid for Clyne, Rodriguez and Davis do you think they would have got them? Really?

Rickie Lambert outdid Grant Holt in the Championship and League One, why can't he do the same next year? Same applies to a number of other players like Lallana vs Hoolahan or Pilkington. It just happens that you were promoted a year earlier (mainly because of points deduction/administration), in terms of finances and infrastructure you are behind us.

Saints in their promotion season from the Championship outdid Norwich in their promotion season from the Championship in terms of points and goals scored.

 

Give up Rob, the lad obviously can't read!

This thread, started by our wum, ended by theirs!