2015 Hangover

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Black said:
And the other two cup competitions? Anyway, I think you'll find the reason smaller clubs don't do better, is because most of them (including ourselves), seem to think the cups aren't important anymore. We went out of the league cup to a League One side for ****'s sake. And you just watch how many mid-table Prem teams go out to lower level opposition this season. It's a joke. The likes of us, Newcastle, West Ham, Swansea, Stoke, etc should be all about the cups. But we give up on them too easily, so no wonder the big clubs are sweeping them up every year now.
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I'd say the same about the League Cup, as that's been dominated by the Big 4 recently plus Tottenham. Usually because they end up taking it seriously when it's the only trophy they have a chance of winning. I'd say on a good day you're not far off Tottenham's level (at least going on last season) so I'd say you have a much better chance than in the FA Cup, but again it's a case of it being possible, rather than realistic at the moment, especially as the semi-final is over two legs.

I honestly don't know enough about who's in the Europa League this season to make any informed judgements
 
Nice thing about the League Cup is that it is a trophy you can win early. Makes it a pretty good season for a team of our stature and the bigger sides may lose out before they realise it. However, it will be low down our list if we get into the Europa league stage....even if Ron says he will try to win everything.
 
fran-MLs little camera said:
Nice thing about the League Cup is that it is a trophy you can win early. Makes it a pretty good season for a team of our stature and the bigger sides may lose out before they realise it. However, it will be low down our list if we get into the Europa league stage....even if Ron says he will try to win everything.
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Take this team, once Clasie, Bertrand, New CB are back for for the first team:


Kelvin/Gazza

Cuco Maya. Caulker. Targett

Reed Davis. JWP

Long Juanmi. Tadic


That'd could cope with a non-Premier league team in the 3rd round.
 
Beddytare said:
All teams go through a dry spell for not scoring goals. The one thing this club has to accept is that we cannot keep letting our best players go. If they are under contract then that is it they should stay. I hear the arguments about them taking the money while it is on offer etc. For me though sometimes you have to bite the bullet and say enough is enough as perhaps they have said about a couple of players lately. With our gates we should be able to compete with the likes of Spurs, Everton, Aston Villa et al, on the wages front. Just of late though we don't seem to be competing with the Swansea's, or the Watford's or even Bournemouth on that particular front. (No disrespect meant to any of the clubs mentioned) They are all meant to be smaller clubs than we are.
We just cannot go on selling the core of our team year in year out and expect we can bring in equally good (if not better) players to replace them. Most of us have been saying since our return to the top flight that the depth of the squad has been a bit thin. However by selling our best players every year, we are making ourselves less attractive to the better players anyway. Or getting a reputation as a stepping stone.
Something does have to change that is for sure, before we really start to struggle as we appear to be at the moment. Mind you bringing in the €30mill plus players will not necessarily work either if you don't have the right players to play with them.
Injuries aside Saints need to perhaps rethink their strategies on recruitment and contract lengths perhaps and find a way of stopping the better players leaving until they have at least fulfilled their contract. Easy to say perhaps but is it easy to do? Who knows...........
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Sorry Beddy, but I don't see where you're coming from when you suggest we're not competing with these clubs financially. As far as i'm aware we've not lost out to any potential targets to these sides.
 
Beddytare said:
All teams go through a dry spell for not scoring goals. The one thing this club has to accept is that we cannot keep letting our best players go. If they are under contract then that is it they should stay. I hear the arguments about them taking the money while it is on offer etc. For me though sometimes you have to bite the bullet and say enough is enough as perhaps they have said about a couple of players lately. With our gates we should be able to compete with the likes of Spurs, Everton, Aston Villa et al, on the wages front. Just of late though we don't seem to be competing with the Swansea's, or the Watford's or even Bournemouth on that particular front. (No disrespect meant to any of the clubs mentioned) They are all meant to be smaller clubs than we are.
We just cannot go on selling the core of our team year in year out and expect we can bring in equally good (if not better) players to replace them. Most of us have been saying since our return to the top flight that the depth of the squad has been a bit thin. However by selling our best players every year, we are making ourselves less attractive to the better players anyway. Or getting a reputation as a stepping stone.
Something does have to change that is for sure, before we really start to struggle as we appear to be at the moment. Mind you bringing in the €30mill plus players will not necessarily work either if you don't have the right players to play with them.
Injuries aside Saints need to perhaps rethink their strategies on recruitment and contract lengths perhaps and find a way of stopping the better players leaving until they have at least fulfilled their contract. Easy to say perhaps but is it easy to do? Who knows...........
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You finished with "Easy to say" Beddy but then got the next few words wrong. It should have been "almost impossible to do" :)

There is no way of stopping those better players leaving if they want to. I dread the day Saints take a stand and let a big name go free at the end of his contract. The vey fans bemoaning us selling our better players will be crucifying the club for letting a 15m asset go free.

Sad as it is, we have to accept that we are Southampton and today we are not as big as the first clubs you mentioned in terms of size based on attendances, fan base and possibly finance.

I'd say we are bigger than Watford, though don't forget they were above us in the off field income table.

Life isn't fair sometimes and we need to keep doing what we do and enjoying rocking the boat, hoping and believing we can break through the top 6. One day, we may find ourselves a bigger club. That would take either a bigger ground or a massive investment from an owner or a new owner who treats us like a toy and wants to plough even more money in than the Liebherrs kindly have.

Right now I'm really enjoying what we are doing and still find myself gobsmacked that any fan of this club could be unhappy.
 
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The club would probably not let a player go on a free if they could avoid it, but I would have no problem if they did because they felt we needed to keep a player to achieve a target. Certainly wouldn't moan about it...because it isn't our money. If the decision to hold a player to his contract and lose out on his sell on price was for a valid reason, I'd support them in it. However, as I said, can't see Saints doing that...unless a CL final was at stake. :)
 
Black said:
Seriously, one win guys, and we all forget this ever bloody happened.
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One win, and the response will be equally irrational the other way. But at least the feel good factor engendered by a win means the debate about how long it will take us to overtake Barcelona will be good natured.
 
saintlyhero said:
Sorry Beddy, but I don't see where you're coming from when you suggest we're not competing with these clubs financially. As far as i'm aware we've not lost out to any potential targets to these sides.
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I don't mean in a bidding war......I mean as far as paying the higher wages are concerned. Certainly Swansea and Watford are paying some players more than we are and my sources tell me at least one of Bournemouth's players. No we have not lost any potential targets to these teams I agree......but how can they afford to pay higher wages than us? With in some cases considerable less fan attendance?
 
Beddytare said:
I don't mean in a bidding war......I mean as far as paying the higher wages are concerned. Certainly Swansea and Watford are paying some players more than we are and my sources tell me at least one of Bournemouth's players. No we have not lost any potential targets to these teams I agree......but how can they afford to pay higher wages than us? With in some cases considerable less fan attendance?
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Less prudent management of the club?
 
fran-MLs little camera said:
There's quite a few Saints fans who would say that was an acceptable financial plan. I read one idiot who thought it was better to risk administration and relegation again rather than 'not go for it.' Wouldn't want his credit card bills.
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They wouldn't give a credit card to someone who doesn't understand finance .. oh wait..
 
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Archers Road said:
By taking unnecessary financial risks and jeopardising their long term future for short term gain maybe?
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In some cases. In some other cases, it's simply that they're set up to merely break even, while we appear to be set up to turn a considerable profit. There's a significant middle ground between where we are at and financial ruin.
 
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