On the other hand Man City tickets are among the cheapest in the premier league. Largely due to having a massive stadium they can't fill, but still!
I'm quite grumpy. Only happy when there's something to snarl at. Haven't voted, as SFC is clearly not a democracy.
No problem with dreaming. Just so long as we don't strangle ourselves with debt... but I think the way we're going to do it is through the academy.
I do understand what NC is saying, i just feel that if we are willing to spend 13 million on a playmaker in August then attempt to spend 10 million on a playmaker in Jan it suggests to me this is the action of a chairman who thinks he is in charge of a top 6 team and looking to build on that. The fact is we are 15th, we have a very good starting 11 when all fit however our back up players imo are no where near good enough so surely this is the area that needs to be strengthend before looking at spending large sums of money on an area of the team that is probably our strongest. (i know what your going to say the coutinhio link was merely a rumour and we were prob never interested but it appears to me that the majority of rumours associated with Saints have more than an element of truth)
When the Arab money came in for Man City it really knocked thier youth acadamy for 6. They had a really good crop of youngsters with two FA cup finals and winning the Nike Cup which is like the world club cup for youth teams but involves 9000 youth teams. Only Richards and Harte have managed to play for City on a regular basis, players like Sturridge had to leave the club and lost afew years of playing by being a dick and joining a big club like Chelsea. Man City youth team this year finished thier group near last. Sturridge could never force his way into the City team not because of lack of talent, but if a big name who is on 200,000 a week, is fit then he will play as the fans expect it and the owner expects it. We want high profile signings, but the fans and NC are on the same wavelength, we have to encourage and produce homegrown as well. Look at Barca, the core of thier team is acadamy with a few players like Villa added, they never bought thier success- they grew it
1976, AberdeenSaint, blakey9, Lff, Mr. Nice; I can see how you all voted, bunch of reactionaries. We don't need small time charlies like you amongst the fanbase. Match Cortese's ambitions or sod off.
Completley agree. That would be a massive achievement and that was what I was saying excites me. Call me a pesimits but it seems like another leap to go from there to winning the legue, getting champions league and I'm not sure that could be done on our budget who knows though. But first and formost I want us to be solvent which we are at the moment.
Would that be a) Don't know. b) Don't Care. c) Don't ask? Your answer is important to us and will be recorded for future reference.
I am abstaining from this vote due to the fact that i dont particularly agree with either statement. NC's ambitions may be achievable with Saints but i have my doubts. To be a 'top' club probably requires a bit more than just the fans believing in it. In the meantime i shall continue to enjoy supporting Saints, and be neither a small time nor a big time charlie !
I won`t be sodding off anywhere - I`ll still be a Saints fan long after NC has left the building. I`m all for ambition, but it has to be sustainable. The fact is that persistently successful clubs come from big cities - its the same in any league in the world. Clubs occasionally provide an exception - Ipswich of 30 years ago for example - but not on a consistent basis. Saints will never have the fanbase, or be as fashionable as ManU etc for merchandising - and I`m not bothered one iota. I`ll be delighted if NCs vision was to prevail - we must be prudent however. We don`t want to end up in a Leeds Utd situation, should our backing cease. By the way, what do you mean by reactionary ?
I agree with what you have said here. (I'll pause now, while you pick yourself up of the floor). I would add though that if he signs a £10m quality player, then that means potentially that the player who ends up being replaced in the 11 goes to the bench, and therefore should make the bench/back up stronger than it is. So yes, are back up players aren't strong enough, but imagine if one of our best 11 became a back up player?
I think that part is key and what we are all hoping will happen. We may be wrong, but it feels like we have the right man to be prudent in charge.
