Does anyone know who is advising the club on PR currently? They've clearly told them to go for a 'bunker down, get all the **** out the way before popping back up again when we start signing" - that really shows a little naivity in dealing with a football club's stakeholders. I'd seriously question both the board's business strategy and their PR strategy right now. FLT - shall we sharpen those quills?
Assuming you couldn't stop the sales, how would you have communicated the situation more effectively?
Assume nothing. First thing I'd do is sit in a room with them and ask Ralph, Les and Katherina individually, and without interrupting one another, what the sporting and business vision for the club was. I'd put decent money in then not having a coherent and communicable one that they all absolutely subscribe to and understand. There's comms issue number one.
Well quite - but f there's no clear and defined strategy agreed upon and understood at board level, then we have a big issue.
Just doing my best to cheer you all up (and mysellf!) Fair point on the best manager though. I should have added 'on paper'.
Why do football fans feel they have divine right to be told everything about the clubs plans? It's a competitive market and wasting time telling us who they're going to sign would be counter-productive; potentially alerting rival clubs to am opportunity to sign someone or indicating we might be prepared to let someone go... Sit back, trust the club, stop bitching about the board and enjoy the summer! We will have a team to watch in the premier league this season, something that seemed a distant hope when this latest journey began 5 years ago
Kreuger is the wrong man for the job...his lack of football experience was revealed every time he opened his mouth. I am grateful he is no longer talking to us. The worst decision KL has made...I would add 'apart from binning Nicola', but I am wary of being too certain as none of us know what financial position he left us in. We should have got a real football man in or at least an experienced business person. Les Reed is the football man and, as he served under NC, must have been heavily involved in our success. He appeared to be saying no one was for sale, but then changed this to 'all decisions will be in the interests of SFC.' He should have been saying no, but is probably not in the position to say that. Not sure what he can tell us that we would believe at the moment. Saying nothing must seem to be the sensible option to him if he isn't to look a fool. Katharina seems intent on allowing all lucrative sales to go through...she is acting like a business woman rather than a football person. She is willing to spend and doesn't see a problem with replacing a player with a high price with another decent player who comes in cheaper. Being a non-football person, she hasn't grasped the problem with starting from scratch with a bunch of strangers...and at the moment, we only have two strangers. The spirit that got us to the PL will slip away. However, it is her money and not ours...wouldn't we eventually want a return on an investment...or at least the possibility of a return in the near future. I still believe that Nicola wasn't the financial genius we all thought...he got carried away by the glamour of being Chairman of a football club. The most positive thing we have is Koeman as manager...a good decision by the club. I just wish he had more time with the completed squad before the season starts. I loved our exciting style last season, though strangely the team scored more goals under Adkins than under Pochettino. I think we are in transition rather than meltdown. Good luck, Ron.
We've reached the stage where Fran is throwing (politely phrased) bombs, people. The hills...head for the hills.
So we're all assuming the board don't know what they're doing? I'd love to believe that's true because the alternative looks a lot worse. But I doubt we're in this position because of incompetence. Look at this objectively and the obvious conclusion is that there is a definite strategy, but not one that anybody wishes to communicate. If you're going to burgle someone's house, you don't communicate the plan in advance.
The board's decisions are unfathomable to us as we are all willing to spend someone else's money on pushing Saints into the stratosphere, but we don't know our true financial position. My guess is not that we are bust, but more that our spending was unsustainable. Whether we needed to sell so many or whether player power has pushed this on to us is also unclear. Lallana precipitated this...a supposedly loyal player leaving made everyone restless. I think only a couple would have been sold to balance the books in normal times, but a lot of our players drew envious glances. Those players were also of an age to want to be at a top club (having realised that any further success for Saints would be in the longer term). I don't care if we got a good price, we should have told Chambers no on the basis that we need some stability. I was hopeful that Schneiderlin would stay, but why would he when even a kid gets a move. I don't subscribe to the idea that we are doomed, but we are certainly going to be different.
Absolutely, of all the departures this one was the hardest to stomach regardless of the fee. A fresh prospect from our academy with only one season of experience. A different case with Shaw who the big boys have been coveting since he was very young. With PL status we should be getting more games from the likes of Chambers and his ilk, does not set a good precedence for any future prospects we produce.
I expect Chambers will go backwards for a season now...he would have been better with us from his own point of view. His sale is ridiculous. I thought that was one area we were well served.
He would have started off 2nd choice for us as well. On paper it's a great deal, but it does send out the wrong message that every player has their price and the dream of Chambers/Shaw/JWP/Reed being the backbone of our side for the next 10 years barely got off the ground. However you only have to look at how players like Lovren and others around the world conduct themselves to see that players equally have no real commitment to a football club. This is the sad reality of football At the moment the only question is whether you believe the board are selling to take money for themselves or selling in order to re-invest in the squad and the infrastructure of the club.
I choose to believe that the board are honest when they say they are doing it for the best of the club...this may not just be to buy players, but may be to clear debts and provide future funds. Katharina may reclaim some money, but she's allowed to do that after all the investment made. The club is too valuable as a business (ignoring the love invested in it) to strip it.
