With all the doom and gloom being posted here, I felt compelled to point a few things out. 1. We have not conceded a goal in any of our friendlies yet, and have been impressive (more so than I can ever remember in pre-season friendlies) 2. Harrison Reed is looking extremely impressive, and Koeman clearly agrees because he has played every game (and has just signed a new contract) 3. Matt Target is looking an excellent replacement for Shaw - something many of us predicted so why the gloom about Shaw leaving? 4. Graziano Pelle has settled in immediately and looks like the real deal 5. Dusan Tadic looks very promising, and I think could be a real star this season 6. We have stacks of money, have rid ourselves of our trouble-makers and have one of the best managers out there 7. Someone like Koeman would not have come here if it was as bad as people here are trying to make out 8. Yes we need players, but we we will undoubtedly sign at least three - if they are as good as Pelle and Tadic a lot of people will look very foolish here. Not for the first time. 9. Lallana has just picked up an injury and will be out for the first month of the season. Oh dear. How sad.
Agree Jenny I did a similar thread two weeks back but 5 leaving without any clear messages from the club is a tad unnerving.
At the end of the day, we are a premier league team and players will want to join us. Some will use us as a stepping stone to the big bucks and greater chance of a trophy. But not everyone is a money grabber, these people have families and don't always want to disturb that. It's the end of an era but also the start of one. The players who have been here through the last 5 years have lost their driving force, their reason for joining us or staying with us and are now leaving in droves. Apart from Lovren, the others who have left have been at the club through the 5 years and beyond. Is it a coincidence that the newer players like Clyne, Boruc, Steven Davis, Wanyama appear to be happy? It's a lot easier to buy into NC's vision when you're a lower league player who's been around the block a bit or a youngster like Lallana who was being looked at when in league 1. The newer players above and Tadic, Pelle and any other additions are moving to a premier league club, it's an easier sell for Read and Koeman than it was when we signed the likes of Lambert or gave Lallana a new contract. I feel that we are evolving and if you want to get on board, then I'm happy to have you but if not, then let's get top dollar for the players(£16million for Chambers is insane) reinvest wisely, bring more youngsters through and maybe, just maybe we can push on from here and this mass exodus won't be repeated. I for one am excited to see who we will sign and will support the club no matter where are journey takes us. Reasons to be cheerful? I'm a saints fan......nuff said!
Too busy taking ours for next to nothing! Good to read some Soton fans aren,t in melt down. Any predictions for the season? (Swans fan)
I'm awaiting the first weekend before I make predictions. There will another relegation battle involving a large amount of teams though. Your thoughts? How many years did Davies have left on his contract? I'm surprised how cheap spurs got him and vorm. Sigurdson isn't too shabby though.
Great post _ I was encouraged by the display last night I thought our passing is the 1st half was superb it appeared we still have the pressing game but with a more direct approach. OK it was only one nil but could have been more. If we have the addition on a couple more players then who knows. But also would not like to hinder the younger players like Reed, Isgrove etc getting a chance. As a saints fan I still get more satifaction on a home grown player making the grade. But there again we are Southampton.
Too early to tell. IF things stay as they are then we'll be prime candidates for relegation. All we can do is wait to see who (and how many) the board brings in as replacements.
People thinking MT will take over from where Shaw left off are somewhere between too optimistic & somewhat deluded. Our youth team are not going to be digging us out of this hole. We need to support them, not destroy them with expectations. And £16M for CC is a crap deal unless we have inserted a 50% sell on.
If Koeman can get 3 in before the Brighton game, and 2-3 before the Leverkusen, then the new players and starters can get some game time together at least (which is really the best we can hope for). I think the sale of Chambers shocked us because we didn't even think for a second that he'd go yet. Any other Summer, and I'm sure £16 million for a 19 year old RB who only has one season in the Premier League under his belt would have been met much, much better. I just pray that we can keep Morgan, price him so far out of what he is worth so that we can have him for at least one more season. Pleeeeeeease.
Excellent post, le. We're Saints fans and we'll keep cheering whatever. Would just like to see a little more action to replace players who have left/are leaving. And new contracts for others to (hopefully) keep them - although since when did a contract in football mean anything?
Forced optimism? No, just a reaction to the usual summer rantings on this board - every summer we are going to have a bad season for one reason or other. Last year it was because we hadn't signed enough defenders and would leak too many goals - the season before that we were going to go down because we wouldn't score enough goals in the premiership. The doom merchants are always wrong...but being consistently wrong doesn't stop them of course. Every summer is the same, and it is so predictable. We have even had the sexism on another thread. I don't post here much anymore because it is not exactly a welcoming place for the female of the species. I am starting to think I am wrong...it looks like this board is actually populated by a bunch of old women! Is the transfer window closing tomorrow? No. Have we replaced the first two players we sold? Yes. Have we replaced them with quality? Absolutely yes. Are we getting top dollar for the players that leave? Yes. Have we replaced Poch with a manager that lots of other clubs wanted? Yes. Have we got one of the best academies in Europe? Yes. Are there at least two players coming out of there who will surprise people this season? Yes. Do we have funds to replace the players we are selling? Absolutely yes. ....as you say though, forced optimism. And as beefy says, I must be on drugs because I really don't appear to get it.
Commendable effort for the voice of reason Saint Jenny. However, I believe we've all known this feeling before. It's a mixture of utter frustration and fading hope. Morale amongst supporters is pretty damn low, at this point. Sometimes, you just have to go through with the suffering. It gets better, even when it doesn't feel like it will.
Came on here to avoid the doom and gloom on twitter regarding our exodus of players.. Breath of fresh air to read this...belief not forced optimism....Koeman is no fool and wouldn't permit all this movement if he didn't have a bigger gameplan, there is no way he is going to want to look foolish and out of his depth in his first prem league assault...when you think of the assistants he has to his left and right and the financial backing I honestly believe hes well aware of whats coming....and im quite excited tbh. Hes bought two quality players who are already showing signs of magic...who knows who else he has lined up...remember there are players out there that want to play for him so he has that lever as well. I'm genuinely positive!
In what way is it not welcoming to post here as a female Jenny? Genuinely interested (now that Duckhunter has gone).
...out of respect to others I'm not going to open that can of worms again, sorry. More than enough arguments here as it is.
