Yearly Exodus...

I now live in Weymouth and have visited St Marys on many, many occasions.

I just find it astounding that you've become a selling club, you've improved so much over the last few years and I really enjoy my trips to St Marys. And always wish you well in the PL.

I just can't believe now that 2 seasons on the trot you've sold most of your best players, I know last year you did amazing in the transfer window replacing the players that left - but can you do the same this year? It will be a very tough ask imo. You clearly have a great scouting network, but can they nail it again - I'm not so sure.

It seems like players that are your heartbeat to the team just get sold on - is there something behind the scenes that players don't like or are they moving purely for money?

This is not a wum thread as I'm interested in your views as I really like to see your club do well.

Just from an outsiders view it seems something isn't right.

It would nice to be enlightened from the fans that may know why players jump at the chance to move, when Southampton are obviously on the rise.

Best of luck in the Transfer window, I hope your scouts do a great job like last year. And I truly hope you do well, as your club is a fine one.

Regards,
Skylarker.

 

We're not 'big enough yet (in some players' eyes) - it's as simple as that.

 

Big = money = prestige = top class competitions

 

We are victims of our own success and cannot compete financially with the top six.
Most saints supporters are still optimistic for the coming season and realise we can pull off a few surprises.

 

It's all about players taking shortcuts to the big time, add to the fact more money.

 

Hi mate. Its partly money and partly wanting CL football which we cant (YET) offer. Morgan has been brilliant at the cluib for 7 seasons and deserves a shot at a big trophy whils he's at his peak.
Nothing whatsoever wrong at the club. A good owner board and manager with one of the best if not the best Academies in the country producing top talent season after season.
Onwards and upwards!

 

We are in that weird space between no longer being a small club to not yet being a big club. Unfortunately a football players career doesn't last long and it's understandable that they want to reach the highest level that they can. We just have to hope that another couple of seasons flirting with the top 4 will see us come to be regarded as a big club. Until then the merry-go-round will continue. But I doubt very much that there are internal problems, since our players continuously praise the way the club is run.

Anyway all we can do is watch this space, so to speak...

 

We have (had) top four quality players but can only pay middle-of-the-table wages. The club really doesn't have a choice. The only way we will keep players is by a) becoming worse so no-one wants them, or b) players being loyal and putting club over money (see: Fabian Delph)

 

It's fine. If you want your club to buy success but produce nothing, support a top four team (or, at a push, Liverpool or Tottenham). If you want to earn every scrap you get, and spin gold from straw, support saints.

I'd rather overcome the obstacles of an entrenched elite than sit in the bloated borgeois excess of the top few clubs and feel proud of the achievement of having done nothing more than maintaining the status quo.

 

I think a lot of this goes back to Cortese leaving. He was far more bullish in stating his and the club's ambitions and said he was aiming for the Champions League sooner rather than later. For me Cortese leaving was a sign there has been a conscious decision to rein in the spending (and to some extent the ambition).

Basically a lot of the players who have left were convinced by Cortese that Southampton would soon be qualifying for the Champions League on a regular basis. The new regime are either not as ambitious, not as reckless or more realistic (depending on how you put it) and so some players have decided they want to leave for clubs they think are more likely to play in the Champions League (and that pay bigger wages).

 

Thanks for the replies lads. I'm actually quite interested in the 'happenings' at Southampton, more than any other club in the PL (other than Liverpool). I appreciate your model, such as the excellent academy, and believe a lot of the 'bigger' clubs could learn a lot from what you do.

I just think it's a shame that money speaks so much in football these day, because the reality is if you'd kept some of the players that have left in the last couple of seasons I believe you'd be challenging for top 4 - or even higher. That's some achievement for a club like Sothampton (no offense meant).

I really do hope your scouts work their magic, like last time. Saying that the signings you've made so far look promising tbh.

The reality is you're a fairly new club with regards to mainstay in the PL, and you've done incredibly well to completely cement your standing in the PL.

I'm certainly looking forward to visiting next season to watch you play and see how your new guys settle in. I must say you're one of the most exciting teams to watch, and trust me I've traveled many miles to watch various games.

I do actually lurk on your board a fair bit and it's clear you're a passionate bunch - good job

 

Yep. Cortese wanted to get to the CL by spending loads of money quickly on players and not caring about the off the pitch stuff. KL prefers to do it the slower way by building up the club up both on and off the pitch. Yes it will mean we will lose players now and again (specially the ones that bought into Cortese's ideas). But then the club will be far more healthy.

 

Don't worry Skylarker, your lot will be becoming one soon

 

Good post

 

Becoming one? A selling club I guess you mean!

If we buy a kid (Sterling) for 500k and sell for 49mil. I'll happily be a selling club if that's the pattern

 

You actually buy your kids before selling them on? We just make them!!

I think it'll be 10m by the time you've paid QPR their share, being picky

 

exodus
2
[ ˈɛksədəs ]
NOUN
noun: exodus · plural noun: exoduses

1. 
   a mass departure of people:

I am getting fed up with people using this term when it clearly isn't appropriate, so here is the definition. Also, can we stop using the tautological phrase: Mass Exodus? It is an incredibly stupid thing to say - which could only possibly gain its popularity from the enlightened ones in our media.

 

QPR get 9.8mil from it. But it's still a 40mil prfit for a little money grabbing gobshite!!

He did well for us but the minute he said he didn't want to play we simply had to get rid - Man City must have known the situation so are absolutely nuts to meet the asking price (-1mil)

But yeah QPR have had a result from it....I guess it'll help towards their fines

 

Sorry I had Bob Marley in my mind while making the thread...............literally

 

To be fair all the players we have sold the last 2 summer windows have gone to huge clubs all with champions league potential and have all gone for over the top transfer fee's.

I always thought it was Cortese that wanted the first team squad made up of home grown talent. Everything you say comes across as fact and i'm pretty sure that you have no idea that Cortese wanted CL by spending loads of money on players. I also believe that it was Cortese who set the ball rolling with the new training facilies and not KL.

I may of course be completely wrong and if so i will hold my hands up, i just don't get why saints fans are now so quick to point the finger of blame at Cortese when he was really the one that started the whole Liebherr ball rolling.