Toby signs for Spurs - official.

Only disappointment for me is that he went to Spurs, not that he had that much choice in the matter. Spurs are a team that could do with a few bad years, so that people stop thinking of them as a "big club" I'm kind of tired of this "We're a big club, so we've got a God-given right to steal your talent" attitude.

 

Hmmm. See, having publicly threatened legal action over this we may now be portrayed as a bit petty and people may think we look a little silly.

 

No he wasn't, but was still in our best team last year, so we do have to replace him. Agree about the other 2.

My point basically is that every year we will lose players who are wanted by the bigger teams. The closer we get to finishing in the top 4 the more players the bigger teams probably will want, therefore having a long term plan of how to get into the CL is pretty much impossible. The only way I can see us doing it is either spending stupid amounts of money (like Chelsea or City) or having a couple of truly exceptional summers where we bring in a load of players over 2 seasons who turn out to be good and we get into the top 4 before their contracts start running out and they become targets for the bigger clubs.

 

Or we thought what is the point as he didn't want to join us anyways.

 

Well quite, but a lot (perhaps most) people will only see that Koeman said the player wants to come here (when he didn't), that we publicly threatened legal action and then backed down because the player didn't want to come here anyway. They will conclude that we didn't know what was going on and threw our toys out of the pram for no good reason.

Is that fair? Probably not, but that's how a lot of people will see it.

 

Wow, just got in after a short break away ... wow, this got messy, and my head hurts!!!

Absolutely gutted that we missed out on Toby. Class player, and we'll be a poorer side without him imo.

 

No, but can definitely between them strip us of our best 3-4 players each season!

 

Saints have only got themselves to blame imo, they had plenty of time to get the player signed thru last season.
How the hell they thought they were going to get him for 6mill or whatever they agreed,with a clause of 1.8mill.
1.8mill probably was the amount they had to pay athletico to get him on loan in the first place I expect.
You would have thought with his performances last season Mr Reed would have got on the blower and offered a decent amount for a quality player and get the deal done and not risk a top European club laughing at us for 1.8 mill.
God I can't believe they thought that deal was bullet proof, but hey imo they have messed it up.
The player obviously felt it was better not to sign long term and he obviously knew he wasn't.
Sorry Mr Reed but you've made Saints look like a right laughing stock.
Just my opinion...please feel free to throw any insults back but Saints messed it up.
Stop trying to buy players on the cheap,get deals done in or out and stop messing around.
Once again doing things on the cheap.

 

Which is why it's just about impossible to break the monopoly of the richer clubs. We'll keep trying off course but it does appear the cups are the only chance of 'glory' for us, which makes it all the more galling that that f*cking **** Pinnochio put out a weakened side against Sunderland in the FA Cup season before last.

Excuse my French.

 

I get frustrated that they seem to be able to keep hold of their players no problem. Eriksen, Lloris, Verthongen, and the one decent player they've actually brought up themselves, Kane. Clubs bigger than them would all take those, yet all seem happy to stay put. I suppose once you can compete on wages with the clubs above you, all ambition goes out the window. Players forget how their dream was to play in the CL, and are happy to run down their talent at the Spurs manager-go-round.

 

It's not impossible that in a few years time, with an increased overseas presence and popularity (the underdog factor) and potentially an expanded stadium, we will be able to offer similar wages.

I suppose the other possibility is that TV deals could spiral to a level where the differences in matchday and commercial income are less significant.

 

But there will still be good players out there ? That is my whole point.

 

Alderweireld said himself he wanted to see what happened at the end of the season. You can't blame a club for a player to wait for a better option.

 

Or some Saints fans like to be able to blame the club for something.

 

Your view may be that Saints have messed up, mine is that we are no fools and have shown that since we were taken over.

Saints have said over many months that we have been trying to get a deal done but it has been difficult, while at the same time there have been reports that AM wanted to go to the market and sell to the highest bidder once the loan was over.

If AM refused to listen to our offers over the last few months, what should we have done? If Toby has also told AM he would prefer a bigger club but would accept Saints if none came in, what could we do with Spurs involved?

We were able to benefit from getting a player on loan last season that under normal circumstances we would have no chance of getting, be happy for that and be sure that Saints will be considering players in similar situations through the scouting system.

No insults being thrown, none of us know the real situation, but I just think that based on the reports and quotes that have been coming out over the last few months we have not been sitting back doing nothing or messing around.

 

What on Earth are you talking about? We have our players picked off all the time.
The only difference is that we've been steadily increasing the size of the teams that are doing it.
It used to be clubs like Monaco and Marseille, then Man Utd and now it's Real Madrid.

We can't compete with the clubs above us on wages, either. We can't even compete Liverpool and they finished below us.
Teams like Newcastle and QPR have a smaller gap to us than we do to the Scousers, nevermind any of last season's top 4.

As for a managerial merry-go-round, Nigel Adkins says hi.

 

I'm not saying people should think that, just that some will.

On Monday Koeman said the player wanted to come here and the club publicly threatened to take legal action, then on Wednesday the player signed for Spurs and the club decide not to take legal action because the player didn't want to come here after all. Can you really not see how that could look bad (or be made to look bad)?

 

Well that's that. I'm now only interested in who is next in for us.

Moving on.

 

You get that feeling sometime. Things don't always work out in life. Only a few months ago, people were lauding the club and team for a good season, but as soon as something doesn't work, the knives are out.

 

It's similar to what I was talking about with the England squad a little while ago. Some people look for an excuse to moan!