Does anyone else feel the same?

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Have you seen the average attendance figures.? They keep creeping up, season upon season. Sadly, they only rise in tens and hundreds because of the stadium's limited capacity, but fans are really not put off. Our expectation levels are lower than the club puts upon itself, so don't feel that any small exodus of players is but a hiccough.
 
We make players look good and sell only to the top sides...I even get a bit offended if they want to go to a team like Spurs. :) The only answer is to employ less attractive players. We lost players the last time we were in the EPL, but generally lost them to a lower grade of team. I think we are all a bit wistful for those wonderful promotion years where players stayed with us for the ride.
 
Can't help feeling this might have been discussed before. Nostalgia ain't what it used to be. I remember thinking the same thing when we sold David Webb and Martin Chivers to Chelsea and Spurs respectively. Then we sold Shearer, Kenna and Flowers to Blackburn. Stevie Williams and the Wallace brothers followed. Then there was Mark Wright, Neil Ruddock, Wayne bridge, Andy Townsend. The list goes on and on......

The difference now is that loyalty lasts from 8 years of age to about 22 as opposed to 18-24. So when we see players like JWP, Reed, Targett and Isgrove breaking into the first team we should feel proud and when they go to better themselves we should wish them the best of luck ( Lallana excepted of course). We may need a few transient Europeans to fill the void whilst the next batch develops but if they stay too long they will hold up the development squad.

Enjoy the ride. Every now and again there will be a rare gem that truly loves the club and stays. Fonte being the classic example. Possibly JWP too.
 
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I haven't related to Saints players for a few years now. It's why I don't get annoyed etc if a player leaves. I support Saints and cheer on the players that play for us. But it is only Saints the club I really care about.
 
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Shepherd's Clearing said:
I'll try in answer you points in my own inelegant way.

Firstly, I wouldn't shoot you down for offering an opinion in an eloquent and polite manner. By questioning what the club is doing and whether it is the correct course how is that 'bed wetting' or not 'being loyal'? It is a legitimate question and after all you are looking for poster's opinions be they for or agin you. That is fair enough.

I think the club don't really understand the big physiological effect that selling our best players every year has on the fans at all, what's more, despite all the gum flapping from certain representatives of the club I don't think they are overly bothered - they have a plan and they are sticking to it regardless, even if it looked like it was starting to go wrong....

In this modern age I'm not surprised you find it hard to relate to the team. When you have a 17 year old who has come up through the system, breaks through into the first team and the first thing he wants to do is leave the club what are supposed to think? When he signed on Tadic said this was a good club to come to because you can move to a bigger club, or something like that for Christssake! Whatever anyone at the club says and whatever the more positive fans say no other club in the Premiership is looked upon as a selling club as much as we are. We have made that bed and now we have to lie in it.

I guess it looks like this doesn't happen to other clubs but it does, I think we just seemed to have more publicity. Villa and Swansea have lost their best players recently and Everton have been raided, you forgot fan-favourite Fellaini who couldn't wait to go to Man United and we ourselves have raided Feyenoord and Celtic,

Having ranted the above, I believe the club are surviving on good will at the moment, have a crap season this season then sell Mane and Wanyama next season and see how much the fans believe Les.

Do not idolise or love any player, that's my advice. Personally whenever I see a Saints player interview or Les spouting off I just don't believe anything I hear. I'm still waiting for Clyne and Toby to play this season - after all weren't we in a good place with regards to them?

I find massively frustrating that players and back room staff don't give a toss about the supporters but that is the way it is and will always will be. As long as there is a club most of us will be here taken for granted. They only way to really make an impact is for one weekend no one in the country to turn up at any game - and that is never going to happen.

After reading the above I think I've gone mad but I'm going to leave what I wrote as it was a stream of conciousness and I meant it when I wrote it.

I'm off to lie down...
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Hmmmm can relate to what you are saying.........I am not so sure the club do not care about the fans.........the following for any club dives dramatically if the management don't take into account how the fans feel about things. I think you are right come next summers transfer window if there is a similar exodus I am not sure the fans will be so understanding and will query more as to the clubs future intentions.
 
Beddytare said:
Hmmmm can relate to what you are saying.........I am not so sure the club do not care about the fans.........the following for any club dives dramatically if the management don't take into account how the fans feel about things. I think you are right come next summers transfer window if there is a similar exodus I am not sure the fans will be so understanding and will query more as to the clubs future intentions.
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Well Wanyama is 99% going next summer, unless his agent suddenly becomes less of a money grabber. Mane and Jay will if they have a good season. So you should start now.
 
Beefy said:
Well Wanyama is 99% going next summer, unless his agent suddenly becomes less of a money grabber. Mane and Jay will if they have a good season. So you should start now.
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Wanyama will know what happened to Morgan's wages when he went to United plus of course how much more all the others are getting. We need to pay more to keep our players and we will only be able to do that if we get a bigger stadium and we increase our commercial income. As for this thread I refer you to one I posted a few weeks back http://www.not606.com/threads/no-more-heroes-any-more.308703/
 
Velcro Roy said:
Blimey, not sure you'll need to worry in a couple of years as the current crop are less likely to attract attention IMO.

By the way you aren't a rubbish saints fan-they support Pompey.
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Less reference to Pompey. They are not our rivals at the moment. You might be able to apply that adjective to Chelsea's support should they ever have a few bad seasons.
 
Playing devil's advocate let's not forget that a club would have no qualms about getting did of players they no longer consider required too. Some players have a conscience and use their excessive salaries to good effect in their own communities (not many I know, but good example is Drogba). I know this is easier to do if you have a lot to start with, but maybe the agents should be the focus of complaint and concern. These are just the leeches you find whenever money is around.
 
Island Saint said:
Playing devil's advocate let's not forget that a club would have no qualms about getting did of players they no longer consider required too. Some players have a conscience and use their excessive salaries to good effect in their own communities (not many I know, but good example is Drogba). I know this is easier to do if you have a lot to start with, but maybe the agents should be the focus of complaint and concern. These are just the leeches you find whenever money is around.
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for 'did' read 'rid'
 
It's a no win situation for a club of our size and status.
Despite the amount of money we receive from Sky, the big clubs will always have more money than us, and as a result we will continue to lose our better players to them.
I take heart from the fact that none of the players, that left us last summer, have improved, and could easily find themselves playing at Stoke or West Brom if they continue in the same way, this season.
Our real problem will come if we start losing players to teams that are currently looking up at us.
As for making players honour their contracts, that's like trying to hold in a curry f@rt, when in company.
You know, that letting it go will cause a stink, but better to let it go than allow the pent up f@rt cause a belly ache and internal unrest.
 
St Badger said:
It's a no win situation for a club of our size and status.
Despite the amount of money we receive from Sky, the big clubs will always have more money than us, and as a result we will continue to lose our better players to them.
I take heart from the fact that none of the players, that left us last summer, have improved, and could easily find themselves playing at Stoke or West Brom if they continue in the same way, this season.
Our real problem will come if we start losing players to teams that are currently looking up at us.
As for making players honour their contracts, that's like trying to hold in a curry f@rt, when in company.
You know, that letting it go will cause a stink, but better to let it go than allow the pent up f@rt cause a belly ache and internal unrest.
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It's when you let the curry fart out, and more than just gas escapes, then you have a real problem.
 
The underlying problem for me is the way the EPL has been set up and run. The richer clubs get richer at the expense of the others in the EPL (never mind the poor sods in the lower leagues - 'we're all right Jack'!). Football seems to learn slower than other sports and does get around to adopting technology etc. long after other sports do, but probably the toughest one to crack will be wage caps for teams - which is happening more often before in sport (e.g. you have a maximum pot of money for the season and you distribute out how you seem fit but you all work to the same limit). That is a leveller that the big teams would always resist but it seems to me the only way to redress some balance. It could happen (not saying it will) and I think would be good for the fans and the clubs with aspirations other than survival. Provide as much an incentive to stay as an inducement to leave. I live in hope...
 
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