If you're looking to develop that as a philosophy, then certainly MP is the right man for the job for you guys. I think long-term, that bottom up sustainability has to be the way to go. Agreed on both Shaw and Lallana, but as we all know money talks. I think anyone can understand Lallana's position, but he's just signed a new 5 year contract last year and said if he could have his whole career at Saints, he'd bite your hand off. It's the way he seems to be going about it that's grating. Perhaps Clattenburg was absolutely right, and he has changed since he played for England!
Exactly. Modric was 1 year into a 6 year deal when he went on strike to try and force a move to Chelsea and it was only a couple of months before he started kicking up a fuss that he was saying it was important for us to stay together as a team whether we got CL football or not. Players are happy to take the payrise that comes with a new contract but they aren't prepared to take responsibility for the commitment they've made to the club. It's really sad these heros we cheer on every week are so false. And I agree with Clattenburg about Lallana, I think he's a great player but he has a lot of attitude now he feels more established.
Nail on head. Sorry though, I don't want to start boring your board with Saints talk, we can do that on our own. Like most Saints fans think though, as I say, if you want to build for a sustainable future with a talented young manager, you may just have hit the jackpot. He'll make mistakes (he's only 42 and only his third and biggest job), but you'll suddenly be playing the football you've been wanting to see at WHL for a while.
Keane done that with us, signed a long term deal said how much he loved us then joined Liverpool who were his "boyhood" club (along with Wolves, Celtic and others!), still a legend in my eyes but the move to Pool did leave a sour taste. As for the philosophy, I'd like to think all clubs would ideally be able to produce their own first team through their academy but naturally that'll never happen while money rules the game. Poch on paper really does seem an ideal fit for what our club's looking to do, I'm just hoping it's not too good to be true.
Just got to give him time. He was sensational at the start of his first (and sadly only) full season with us. We looked a transformed team and had the second best defensive record in Europe up to Christmas. People then have this odd idea we dropped off/other teams started finding us out. We didn't, we had an injury crisis that effected purely our defence, and for much of Christmas/New Year we were playing with 3 to 5 of our first choice defensive unit missing, including our keeper (Gazzaniga, the second choice, is a League 1 keeper at best) and we had zero squad depth, so of course we were shipping goals when relying on Fox, Yoshida and the like. As soon as we got Wanyama, Boruc, Lovren, Shaw back and fit again - guess what, we tightened up comprehensively again. Make no mistake, he knows what he's doing, and given the far deeper squad and better resources you have, I'm sure he'll prove it.
"If the likes of Lallana or Lovren want a move to a CL club, Southampton should loan them to Celtic for the season. Not only will they get their wish, but after a season of playing in the SPL they'd be glad to return to Southampton for a few more years without so much as a peep about moving." That should be how Spurs deal with such antics. You have signed a long term contract ?? Yes. And you want to play CL football which we cannot currently give you ?? Yes. And CL football is what matters to you, even if your current wages remained frozen ?? Yes. Straight on the phone to the Celtics of this world, seeing exactly how much of the wages they would be prepared to pay to have a player of that calibre on loan. Get a sufficient number of such clubs, and they are the season destinations offered.
It is a great idea. I'm sure there are some truly depressing places to live that have teams in the CL. Not just Glasgow
All you're doing is taking a overly positive view and telling people want they want to hear. When (IF) Pochettino fails, none of these positive views will be remembered and the discussion will be over another failed long term plan before another "flavour of the month" is hired, on another long term plan.
No, I'm offering a considered view having watched every single game Southampton have played under his management. These are my opinions on the man, not platitudes to placate Spurs fans? Why on earth would I bother doing that?
No Glasgow is a vibrant and exciting city. Ok it has a fairly high crime rate and a few areas which would make you want to commit suicide (if you lived there) but the main area of Glasgow is somewhere you could live without fear of depression!
"I'm sure there are some truly depressing places to live that have teams in the CL." Indeed. For next season you could for example immediately offer Donetsk and Galatasary. With at least another five "interesting" destinations possible before the group stage draw.
Admittedly i haven't been in like 17years, but back then it all seemed crime-ridden and suicide-inducing
I know they are your opinions and they are a balanced view based on managing your team, yet I don't see you offering much of a balanced view when taking into the consideration the step up Pochettino is making. This is why not all of us are viewing him as a "gem" or "proven" as for many he is just the "flavour of the month" and there is a greater chance he will be a failure then a success.
Some parts are horrendous. At one point it was voted Britain's safest city (and most dangerous) in the same weekend!
Yeah, Istanbul is too nice a place to offer on paper. But to a western European player, perhaps far too alien to them culturally for a minimum 4 months.
