What's happening is this: We really can't offer to the players what Liverpool can. They can pay more in wages. They're already in Champions League. You could win the Premier League next year. When you're back in League One, or Championship, or a struggling Premier League side then you can buy into Cortese's vision because what the heck? it sounds crazy but you don't have a lot to lose. And maybe you don't win the Premier League, but you come in fifth or sixth and that's pretty good. When you are up in eighth place suddenly you start to think hey, maybe this could happen for me. But now your choice is between Cortese's "vision" at Southampton vs the clubs whose vision has already been achieved. Would you play at a team with a shot at becoming Liverpool, or would you play for Liverpool? We're selling a vision, they're selling the real deal. We lose. The stakes get higher, the big clubs turn up the pressure. Once there's a crack in the dam, things fall apart rapidly.
Players come and go, I don't think who is or isn't at the club is the deciding factor in whether to shell out £200m. Perhaps she thinks she can sell a couple of players take the profit and still be left with a saleable PL club. The remainder of our players aren't exactly ****.
That's possible. But that's not "asset stripping." It limits the players she can/will sell because she needs to leave a core group so someone can run the club as an ongoing concern. Which is good.
Going on along the line of Cortese and his knowing smile that he might be back in the prem sometime soon. Also that he has been quoted, according to some here as 'never' coming back here. Just throwing it out there, but if I wanted to take over my ex-employers business and I was really after that business, but like a sneeky sneek I didn't want to let them know, I would probably say 'no I don't want any part of that again, no siree not for me'. (titter) 'By the way Southampton really don't want to sell any of their players, no reason, just saying like. Even though I really don't have to because I left ages ago and stuff.' Yeah I don't believe any of that either, but the amount of ****e flying round at the moment about Saints, true or not I might just as well add that to it. Really hope we will be fine when it comes to August as my faith in football is being tested let alone Saints. To me it's one of two things, we are about to be ****ed for next season, or everything is in complete control; and I just can't tell which it is at the moment.
Does cortese have the capital to buy and fund saints then? Perhaps I'm being dim but I'm not sure what you're saying.
I'm in Spain this is first time I've turned my phone on. So Rickie and MP have gone. Are Lallana and Shaw still Saints players?
Hey good news, Saints have turned down Liverpool's £25million offer. That should make your holiday more enjoyable.
Sometimes it is worse than that...knowing facts is one thing, but we also know about rumour, supposition, gossip and outright fairy tales.
His fairy tale was supposed to be playing in the EPL with us and being picked for England...now we won't be the final chapter in his autobiography
More people will buy the book now Perhaps some on here should offer their services as a ghost writer Book titles? Doing the Lambert Walk by DTLW
My take on what has happened is: The transfer rumours began when the Southampton board released the financial results for the past year and made it sound like we were up in our eye balls in dept and were struggling to pay. This is like a red rag to a bull for other clubs to try to buy our best players on the cheap hence the 27 million offer for Shaw which is exactly how much was reported by the board that we owe in transfer fees. Liverpool and Man Utd are finding out that their first perceptions of our debt was wrong. Rickie Lambert's move came out of the blue and this his last chance to play for the club he supports and play in the Champions League. Who wouldn't do the same Lallana and Shaw have not stated they want to play for any club so are happy until after the World Cup to transfer or not to transfer. All transfer rumours are coming from Liverpool and Man Utd to pressure Saints into a quick sale. Contract Spurs offered to Pochettino was better than ours and they could offer European football. Will probably get sacked at end of the season though. Who really knows what is happening behind the scenes at Saints? Only one player has stated publicly a desire to leave and that was Lambert so he fulfill his dreams before he retires. Saints need a new manager ASAP. This is the only way to stem the transfer rumours. The papers don't care what Saints or Les Reed say. Only bigger clubs give them anything they want to write about, that is say Saints don't matter. We are only here to sell our best players to bigger clubs so they can get better. We shouldn't get offended from any moral viewpoint because Saints have and would do exactly the same as Liverpool and Man Utd to clubs smaller than ours.
Just three points on this: 1. Lambert to West ham rumour was before the financial statements were made. 2. We allegedly offered more than Spurs to MP 3. Spurs are offering him Europa league football - he kept saying he didn't like that competition.
Maybe it is a low estimate of the club's value based on that sort of calculation but that's my point. Fulham were also guaranteed £80m when they were sold last summer for £150m and the location of Craven Cottage means it's likely to be worth FAR more than St Mary's (estimated value was £30m is 2003 and will be significantly higher now). Then you have the players and their training ground. As far as a £260-320m estimate goes, I think that's high. Forbes magazine publishes its estimates of the 20 most valuable clubs and this year Napoli are 20th at just under £300m. Everton aren't on the list at all and they would be a more valuable club than Southampton.
