OK, calm down. Nicola hasn't suddenly re-written the schedule [mind you, who really knows..? ]. However, I want to see where you pepys are on this. Let's say YOU are Nicola Cortese and Saints are YOUR baby..? You have the absolute confidence of the Liebherr family to do what is right for Southampton FC, the owners, for your own personal ambition, the supporters, the City, in fact, everyone with an interest. You are in charge. You wrote the initial 5 year plan in 2009 to have Saints in the Premier League by 2014/15, then updated the plan in 2011. Currently, you are running at least 2 years ahead of schedule of the original plan. Saints are on the verge of promotion, requiring a maximum of 2 points from 6 available, to guarantee it. They might already be there, for all I know. For the purposes of being prepared for success, what are your new updates for the 5 year plan..? Or indeed, are you going to write a new 5 year plan, starting from the end of April 2012 or whenever..? How ambitious are you, Nicola [ <- with apologies to our esteemed Exec Chairman if he reads this].
I just want to show my appreciation for the Pepys comment! My five year plan, IF we go up... All encompassing: Build squad by signing a mixture of good players for now (not too many) and future talent to develop into first teamers. 1. Solidify Premier league position (around 15th) 2. Build to mid table (around 12th) 3. Develop some younger talent into the side, stay steady (again around 12th) 4. Start pushing up into the top half (around 9th) 5. Make a challenge for Europa League.
Look what Norwich and Swansea have done in their first seasons. The gap really isn't that great between the top of the Championship and a large number of Premier League sides.
I don't know how much lasting success they'll have - look at Reading who finished 8th, then went down next season. I like to think a slow trudge up the league would hold us more securely.
Cortese has far more ambition than that and the resources to match those ambitions it seems. As a League One club Southampton announced a £15 million training ground that wouldn't look out of place at a Champions League club. Cortese doesn't intend to mope about the bottom half/mid-table of the Premier League for the next 5 years.
The way it always works for me on Football Manager: Inspired by high morale, lack of pressure and continuity from the previous season, we "do a Hull" and exceed expectations, finishing high mid-table. The next couple of years we consolidate, finishing in the bottom half, but never really being heavily involved in a relegation scrap. We slowly introduce youngsters into the team, and make a couple of high-profile signings as well. Attendances slowly increase and so does the wage budget. By 2015 we are pushing on, hopefully with a larger stadium, and competing with the likes of Everton, Sunderland and Newcastle for Europa League qualification, and giving the FA Cup and Carling Cup a good go as well. You can't rush these things. You need time to build a good foundation rather than just go all out straight away like Pompey did. I'm sure Cortese is aware of this.
1. break the bank, 10-15 million this summer to lay down a marker to the league and build a squad who despite the worst injury crisis will survive the league 2. slight progress up the league, with a greater focus on a cup run. financially making long term improvements, greater youth facilities, possible stadium increase ect. 3. start pushing youngsters through, solidify top 10 position 4. get into europe 5. get into europe, with at least 5 starters to the saints youth team (barca currently have 9) also, a lot of talk on hear about long term ambition all of a sudden, can't see save a few of these for what is going to be a tedious summer ahead?
Dan I understand your thought process, but having met the man, there is no way "steady" comes into it. He won't over commit financially, but he is about over achieving and rapid progress.
I think it depends on style of play, norwich can not cope with the free flowing style of man city (lost 5-1 and 6-1) but did better with the more predictable teams like liverpool, chelsea and utd. the important thing is not to lose points to lower level teams and if you pick up any points against the big boys then excellent. all half chances need to be converted or at least make the keeper work
I'm just worried about going gung-ho and overdoing it. Portsmouth did it and look where they are now. QPR are doing it and they're struggling for survival, who knows what their future holds.
I thought it might be interesting to revisit the views of Saints' fans, at the start of the season, on the subject of which club we would most closely resemble at the end of the original 5 year plan....http://www.not606.com/showthread.php/56206-At-the-end-of-the-five-year-plan I see no reason why we can't be as successful as Newcastle by 2017 provided we still have the growth and upward mobility of the last 2 seasons.
That's an interesting thread. I voted for Wolves, but now I would say Everton. I'm sure it wouldn't have to take as long as five years to be like Newcastle though. How long ago were they in the Championship?
Pompey and QPR don't have anywhere near the infrastructure that Saints have in place (stadium, academy and training ground). Nor do they have a fanbase the size of Saints. Pompey also funded their Premier League stay with unsustainable loans, where as Saints are debt free.
Well, what we've seen so far is certainly not lacking in attitude and drive. Long may it continue. It's a difficult thing to judge - Leeds and Forest are both "big teams" but neither are in the Premier League again, so it's certainly not a guaranteed notion of success. Similarly Wigan and Stoke are small teams who have had lasting survival (until now, possibly). The debt free aspect is a good point, hoping we continue financial sensibility (which would mean a bigger ground is needed which would mean the big fan base has a big role to play!)
We will do things the right way,the Southampton way.Cortese will know what to do and I'm hoping that we can build slowly and surely by buying quality players in and introducing the young lads from our academy into the first team.
Before you make a plan you have to be clear about what the future may hold. If you dont believe me think about Peter's and Waterman's book "In Search of Excellence" in which they identified really successful businesses except that a couple of years later they had all lost markets and were struggling. The business world had changed and they had not kept up. What will football at the top look like in England in a few years time for I do not believe it will look anything like it does now. Too many clubs are in real finacial trouble and major changes are afoot. Small crowds will not support super leagure teams which is where we want to be. If I was Cortese I would want to establish a Super Club to mop up all of the football interest in the South Coast. I would ensure that Portsmouth get taken over by a nobody who ensures they are a Div 2 team and use them as a feeder club and grounding for oue academy players. I would want to build a more prestigous stadium in a better location with a 75,000 capacity and I would seriously consider rebranding to get rid of the Pompey Saints nonsense and unite both cities behind a mega club to fiulfil the fans ambitions. The area is rich and densley populated and if the SouthEast was a country it woiuld be about the twentieth richest country in the world. I would want to see all those clubs from the North of England become also rans and for the Solent Super Stars football team or whatever it might be called become the best supported English club with an international following second to none. After I had done all of that I would then start to think about world domination. .
