Just came across this on NewsNow http://thepremierleagueowl.com/southampton-should-be-embraced-rather-than-belittled/ A nice positive read for a change, perhaps the Daily Rags should accept what Saints do, instead of knocking us day in day out......
Now that is a very good read, full marks to the journalist. Not many look back and think that just maybe themselves and their colleagues might have got things wrong? Must admit that I was in disbelief / meltdown over the St Marys shenanigans this summer, but the board stayed quietly dignified and went about their business, appointing big Ronald, staying in the shadows as the rebuild begun whilst providing the funding needed. Great credit must be given to them.
Good article. I'm not entirely happy with either the "Greedy Saints sold their players and got 'lucky'" or "Saints cleverly sold their players to build a better team" narrative. It still keeps the spotlight on the small clubs as if they were in full control of their choice. Which then means that the next club that gets pillaged after a season of success but maybe doesn't do as well as we did will be labelled as "greedy" or "stupid." Recognition for beating the odds is nice, but what would be better for football is acknowledging how stacked the odds are in the first place. Will never happen though.
I realise that most posters would wish for Lovren, Shaw and Twatbeard etc all fail at their respective clubs, but maybe for they greater good of football we NEED them to fail? Failure of these players to step up to play for the 'illustrious top 4' might just make other players think that staying where they are, might just benefit their career, it might also stop the top 4 clubs raiding the like of Saints or any other club that dares to build a decent side?
Fully agree Dell Boy. Also we need MoPo to fail too! Showing JRod and Snidders that he isn't the Masire just another Spurs failure who isn't worth following
Lol. A romantic dream. Just like I told an Arsenal fan in January when he said Lallana would go in the Summer. I proclaimed he is Mr Southampton and has said he wants to retire at Saints. He replied.......Nah, money talks. We left it like that. All the players in the world could fail this season but once the mighty $$ gets waived next Summer those who were settled will again become unsettled. Just as has happened for the past decade or so. Players have good seasons, snapped up by big clubs. not given time or are big flops. Doesn't stop anybody. If they were that bothered you wouldn't be getting Vargas @ QPR etc. Money talks
Only in the last day or two, several of us posters were criticising Samuels and his vitriol. Not because he said anything that was grossly untrue, but that he put an agenda to it that considered Saints methods doomed to failure. There's no hope or joy in the guy. We're football supporters, possibly proper football supporters because we do the unfashoinable thing of not supporting a football club within the top 4-6. Most of us have supported our club for practically our whole lives upto now. We are not fair weather or fly-by-nighters. Let's be specific here - we are representatives of the overwhelming MAJORITY of football supporters. We are the same as the ones who support Charlton, Brentford, Hartlepool, etc.. because we support with hope but not expectation. Yet there is nothing for us to have in football. Not even positive and encouraging words coming from a sports writer who should be screaming from the rooftops - there is more to football than this closed shop of a Premier League. Others are trying to knock down the door. We should be welcomed, not pilloried for it. PS. Bloody good article, by the way.
''we do the unfashionable thing of not supporting a football club within the top 4-6''. Saints are top two, so we are way on trend.
