"loose lip sink ships" as Jason Puncheon once tweeted. But yeah, the guy is respected amongst Saints fans and seems to speak and people listen. Could be another transfer saga if so...
Lambert, Cork, Schneiderlin and Clyne together only cost £4.75m, we don't need to splash the cash for reinforcements. In all seriousness, if we want to become a top 4 club then we'll need to be buying players of Gaston's price and quality, but we need to be careful on who we buy and hope that they gel fairly quickly.
I think Dortmund last night and the last couple of seasons proved thats not entirely true. That team last night only cost 40 mill to put together. We are going for a similar approach to Dortmund by focusing on the acadamy set up....who knows where we could be in 5 seasons. I all honesty if Marcus had been around 3-4 seasons earlier we could very well already be a champions league side.
Ambition is great and it won't harm the club so long as we don't overstretch to try and achieve it. Having said that I getting top four next year would probably be one of the all time great football stories. Which of our players would currently get in a top four side? Gaston in a top side might have a look in, Clyne, Cork, Rickie Jrod and the like perhpaps on the very edge of the squad. The only player I could see playing a reasonable amount of games would perhaps be morgan. This is in no way a criticism of our squad, its great. I think people underestimate the quality of the top four though. I just hope if we don't progress as rapidly as some expect fans don't get on the teams back. Were on an upward curve thats for sure it doesn't matter how long it takes to get there and if it takes some time it may be more sustainable in the long term.
Incredibly late I know [but not for me], but then again, I didn't finish until an hour ago, so.... ...anyway, watched the pre-match interviews. Loved the positive attitude from Maya Yoshida, but the giggle of the day came when some reporter asked if next season's interviews might be covered in English..! To which Mauricio gripped the shoulder of our favourite interpreter and spoke, in Spanish of course, to which our interpreter translated... Not really because I really like my colleague here... Myself..! They are like a team. Poch leans on the interpreter and he plays a really good role. For example, I liked it when Poch reacted to the observation that he was supposed to be chucking out 15 players before next season, and the interpreter said... I can't translate that..! Anybody know the interpreter's name..? We can't keep on referring to him as the interpreter, unless we're going to make a TV series.
Yes, a good interview but the headline that MP is targeting Champions League football is a little over the top. It's a jokey response to Boruc's "lack of ambition"!
It is quite an interesting exprienence with the translator. However although the translator does a good job I feel it's very hard for Poch to get over exactly what he wants to express, I reckon this is less of a problem with the players though who wont make a story out of his every word.
Spider mentioned that the interpreter (someone must know his name!!) was there for Ramirez, so was already here when MP arrived.
Interpreter's name is David Salas, he's a photographer by trade. Maybe he's the one who got Gaston interested in photography, or maybe that was the reason he was hired in the first place.
Mr Pochettino really needs to get rid of his playstation or X-Box. Every team needs to "know it's optimum place" and, for Saints, that's "treading water" in the Premier League, with a top half finish considered to be a very good season. I'm not going to beat about the bush with Pompey's comparison. Like Ronnie Corbett in that old sketch with John Cleese and Ronnie Barker "I know my place!". I'll be happy to see us as an upper-mid table Championship side, with a great season being considered as one in which we're flirting with the play-offs.
The very lovely Mrs Godders calls the translator Cisco and when they are on she calls me and says Cisco and Poncho (Pancho) are on.
I like that Dan. Chelsea pre 1998? Anything can happen, except if you're a small town club. We could survive in goal difference this season and be pushing for Europe next. We could also go down and be fighting off league one. Anything can happen.
Of course, if we start targeting mid-table, we'll be stripped bare of good players. The stated ambitions have, to date, kept our players believing enough that all but one have signed new deals, and several key components have indicated that they believe in the plan. Stop aiming above mid-table, and the players who are aiming higher will quickly begin pushing to be sold on.
Should we tug our forelock and bow anxiously when the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea come to St Mary's then..? Actually, your kind of comment does make me rather angry, Devon. To know one's place... hmm. No thank you, Sir. Do you think that ManU knew their place when they started out..? Do you think Liverpool knew their place..? Or Nottm Forest or Grimsby Town..? Would you like to limit competition so that we can all be comfy about where our position is..? No sorry Devon, you have it totally and utterly wrong. The object is NOT to know one's place, because that's when great things can happen, providing it isn't hastily done or ill conceived. With the sound finances and the great ambition this club has been showing, anything is possible. And yes, I too am using the experience of looking at the fortunes of a certain club and where they are now. Having got my annoyance out of my system, if you want things the way they should be, then perhaps you should watch the MOTD3 predictions for 2013-14. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22423706 BTW, the Corbett, Barker and Cleese sketch was a comedic attack on the then still established view of knowing one's place in society, so it wasn't the ideal example to use.
Blimey TSS I didn't think I'd open up such a can of worms with that post! The point I was trying to get across was that targets should be realistic. Of course I'm sure you'd love to see Saints in the Champions League, but I'm equally sure you'd be more delighted than disappointed if you were to finish, say 8th next season! As for forelock tugging, maybe you could suggest that on our board if we draw you in the cup next season
Next season, obviously we're not expecting Champions League football. But you weren't talking about next season, otherwise you'd not have drawn the upper-mid table for Portsmouth comparison, seeing as that definitely isn't going to happen next year.
