Do you remember them? Perennial strugglers, pokey little ground, always selling their good, young players. No ambition other than survival which they will do by the skin of their teeth. Regularly getting a good hiding from bigger and better clubs. Relying on one or two decent players with the rest of the team being just about average most of them young kids with a few old campaigners thrown in to steady a pretty shaky ship. Struggling constantly to balance the books and always having to be very careful with money. An old fashioned family club just about managing to tick over and never going to win anything. Any talented player they had was always moved on. Never keeping a manager for more than a few months before sacking him. A club with a chairman and directors constantly looking to find ways that money from the club can be transferred to their bank account through unearned bonuses and backward flotations. That is what many football fans of other clubs perceive us still to be as do most pundits and the media. As far as I am concerned that is just fine because the look on the faces of many other clubs fans, players and manager after they have played us is going to remind us all of Fergusonâs face when he couldn't believe they hadn't won the PL at the end of last season. We are none of the above. We have a new, ambitious and well funded club and a chairman with a steely determination and sound business acumen who is going to achieve his ambitions for our club. People will doubt him and some have already started to mock but mark my words; "We may be in that number but we are not there just to make up the numbers"
All hail Don Cortese. How on earth have we got someone like him in charge of our club it is just fantastic.
Well said, some people are going to be in for a big shock when they come to St Marys this season. The signing of Gaston Ramirez, should it be completed, will cause a shockwave as well.
All the people (including some on here) tipping us for relegation - the only thing I have been paying attention to is Nicola saying "this club will never be relegated whilst I am in charge." Having worked with 'Nicola types' in my career, I know full well he wouldn't have said that in an off-the-cuff way, he'll have meant it......and I believe him.
I say let them continue to think we are going to struggle, and take advantage before they catch on and give us some respect. I think we are nearly there with the squad, obviously still a couple to get in to strengthen important positions but we should be quite able to be competitive.
Well said St Godders, it won't be all plain sailing, but having a Chairman with an actual plan, and the financial backing to support it is a new one for most saints fans. Everyone predicted a struggle in the championship, but Nicola and Sir Nigel knew better. It will be harder in the premiership, but we will do ok, no matter what the result vs citeh .
That wasn't Southampton under Ted and Lawrie. We had some difficult years in between, but I never thought I was supporting a hopeless cause. We were always going to rise again.
