I can't let Stoke slip in there. They bought well, but then again didn't we buy very well last season? One swallow ... etc. Mark Hughes seems to do well building a solid team of usually unfancied players. His signing of Bojan was a masterstroke as he had gone off everyone's radar and he got lucky with Shaqiri. He turned them down and allegedly only went there in the end as it was the only option. I mentioned above that Everton seem to hang on to people well.
So why dont we offer higher wages then? We are in danger of Leicester, Stoke, Palace etc taking us over i also think we are in danger of losing Koeman if we dont start showing a bit more ambition. Dont get me wrong we have come a long long way in a short space of time but now is not the time to stop and consolidate we need to keep pushing on and improving. Now there is no reason why we cant compete with the teams outside the big 5-6 , why dont we pick off some of their fringe players. Players like Andros Townsend for example im not saying hes necessarily the right signing but someone like him who has perhaps shown quality in the past but his career has halted somewhat. I actually think Townsend would be pretty decent for us and wouldn't cost a bomb
The Board have a wage structure and it seems they want to stay within that. I'm fine with that and I just have to accept that will be the way. I didn't like the look over the edge last time we got very, very close. The teams you mention are similar size to us, so we have always been in danger of that and will continue to be so. We are in just as much danger that Newcastle or Villa sort themselves out as they are much bigger than us. It has been great that we have achieved what we have with our resources. I mentioned Townsend on the other thread - he's not for me, but to answer your question, some of the fringe players will be on big wages still. We did take one very successfully though - Ryan Bertrand. I'd have liked us to have taken Hernandez in the summer from United, but allegedly he didn't want to come.
And we must remember that because of the changes that happened in our recent history, few players have been here for any length of time. You might like the club, but you don't have any lasting attachment. Most of us would change jobs for a better offer. It's a career to a footballer...it's not family or charity work. I don't bear them a grudge unless they try to get a move by misbehaviour. Schneiderlin and later, Mane and Wanyama settled down, so I have no problem if they handle it right. Just had an interesting interview with an agent on Sky and he was talking about how a week is a long time in football**....a player has to get the best deal whilst he is hot....for himself, his family and career. He also pointed out that for every player who gets a great move, there are thousands who get released from their contracts and are out of work....the flipside (as he called it) of the Bosman rule. He was asked what he would advise Mourinho to do...he said stay where he is and show people that he can deal with adversity as well. ** This comment was relevant when you consider how it hasn't always worked out for players who left...they did well to get a good contract whilst they were hot property. I know we always talk about what is best for your career, but a career is short, so a large pay packet (if you are sensible) sets you up for a while. Again I can't blame them....unless they are badge kissers.
I'll also add, that if we go down the route of signing the other team's fringe players, then we may as well let Ron go and bring back 'Arry. That's right up his street
Leicester have a owner who seems to want to spend his own cash on them. The real test will be if they can keep their players at the end of the season. Stoke pay higher wages then us. While it is great that we are becoming a self run club. Until we get a big(ish) shirt and other sponsors it will effect us. We simply can't compete with other clubs due to our wage cap.
Koeman has said a couple of times that we know who we are at Southampton. We used to be bottom feeders, we are now a solid team that will probably be midtable and may in a good season be near the top. I'll take that.
Have a look at Evertons wage bill. This is still the most important factor to your average footballer imo. If a player is settled at a club/in the area and getting paid a similar amount that they could make elsewhere, why move?
I agree with this Beefy. The income away from TV money needs drastically improving. It may be tough, but under this model, we can't always have what we want.
The club's intention is to improve other sources of income...some of that will only happen if we become more well known. This will not happen fast.
We do drastically need to improve our commercial income to try and sustain ourselves as a top half side. Though the work in North America is most certainly a step in the right direction. It'll certainly be interesting to see how we approach the Summer, a lot of teams will be spending even more and increasing their wage bill we could end up left behind a lot of teams who many Saints fans thought we were miles ahead of. I will be worried if we let any more (1st teamers) than Vic & Mane go, as it's already going to be a hell of a job as it is replacing those 2. A big, big, Summer coming up for us next year, possibly the most important since getting promoted again. This season has been a good reminder of how there isn't much of a gap between the 'best of the rest' and lower midtable in the PL.
And we got Oriol Romeu from Chelsea or have we already decided he's rubbish and shouldn't be mentioned?
We need to stop recruiting mercenary gits with no concept of loyalty. And stop producing them too, although it looks like we might have achieved the latter.
