Yes I know it has already been posted in a thread but thought it deserved it's own thread. Hopefully this carms some of the crazy talk we have been having over the past week. Southampton Football Club can confirm that we have received multiple offers for some of our players in the past weeks. This is a confirmation of the depth of the development that is ongoing in our academy and of the present standing of our first team within the Premier League. We are staying true to our plan and vision and, as a result, we have no need to accept any offers. We are deep in the process of appointing a new manager who will continue to move our club forward. It remains our preference not to partake in any transfers until the new manager is in place. Our scouting & recruitment department continues to monitor targets we have identified to improve our squad, and the new manager will have final input into our recruitment process. However, Southampton Football Club can confirm that it has reached agreement with Liverpool for the transfer of Rickie Lambert. Read more at http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/arti...ckie-lambert-1592309.aspx#CdkcJKcB0UrKgp6O.99
"We have no need to accept any offers" means absolutely nothing to me, I'm afraid. It's just clever business speak which avoids saying "we won't" or "we will", and really all it does say is that we're not in a situation where we need to reel in some money or go bankrupt, which I think we all knew. I do trust them, however, that they will do no more on transfers until the manager is appointed. Hopefully I'm not being naive. Other than that, it's just the usual case of saying a lot without really saying anything.
Can I just say to posters that, when you think something deserves it's own thread, please don't automatically act on that thought. Sometimes it doesn't, even if you think so, especially if it has already been posted in a thread. You have been beaten to the punch, so to speak, so let it live there. I'll let this one pass, but please can we have a measure of caution..? Ta.
Preference rather than intention... yet again nice words that say little.. a get out clause statement.. nothing new
Look, it's another statement that leaves some wiggle room (really, does anyone expect them to paint themselves into a corner?), but the tone of the message is clear, and positive. If they go against it they're going to get a kicking, so I don't believe they will.
Give him time. I'm not saying he is perfect, but he has been ripped into badly this week as has the board. Being accused of asset stripping etc etc. For the amount of crap thrown at them I feel they have handled it pretty well.
It doesn't really say anything that hasn't been said before. At this point I'm not questioning the intentions of the board, I'm questioning their competence. Communication with the players seems to have deteriorated quite badly and I think that's played a big part in a lot of the board's current problems.
So another thread going off-topic is alright? Dont see harm in starting a dedicated thread for certain things.
it's only the players with short contracts or with chances to move up that are getting publicly upset though isn't it. as such it's an agent led rebellion so far. no doubt they don't know who to interface with.
Builds them up for a greater fall if they go back on their word, and sell first team players. I'm not saying they will, or that I am against the board, but they need to stick to this statement otherwise they will be in for some serious criticism.
Well done for managing to miss the point. Let's make THIS thread the one where everyone has their view then, OK..?
Edited* AL that it does, but at least it is a stance that shows they have strength(hopefully). Given the crazy week if it carms it down even a bit I am happy.
only if they sell them for what is perceived to be below value and fail to replace them with what is perceived to be quality. I would have liked a commitment not to sell more than two players this summer, admittedly.
But it doesn't really confirm or deny anything that's been said. It has a positive tone, but even if we were plummeting towards liquidation and selling our facilities, they'd still be releasing positive-sounding statements. It's part of the job. All we can take from this is that no transfers will happen until a manager is in, which is nice to hear for sure, because it might imply that the new manager will have some say as to who we keep and who we sell, and he may be able to convince some players to stay. That's all I'm taking from it though. We could still very well sell a number of key players and they could still very well go against the new manager's wishes in doing that, and they wouldn't be contradicting anything they've said. The only thing that can disprove claims of ineptitude is their actions over time. Statements like this are pretty redundant as far as that goes, and it doesn't help when they speak in obvious cliches. At least Cortese's silence was less insulting to the fans' intelligence.
The first line is generally true (although Clyne has made comments about people not knowing where they will be next year and he doesn't really fit either of those categories) but that's hardly surprising. Those are the players who would most expect to be interacting with the board and will have the most pressing concerns. The second line is just speculation.
