Was reading through the usual questions of Rooney, Fabregas and Fellaini and noted finally a question about southampton was asked. "Southampton have the best academy in England, a manager that believes in youth and demands a pressing high tempo slick passing game. With the Quality adding to their ranks and undoubtedly more good quality to follow, can you see Saints competing for top 6 this season? Personally, going the way they are, I think it's a matter of when, not if." Roger Hughes from Sky Sports Response "Top 6???? Laudrup at Swansea was saying last season that there is the top six, then the other league in the premier league. West Brom won that by coming 8th. That would be the best I could see Saints, and that would be a big jump for them" Thought this was pretty true. Despite our aspirations of wanting to break into the top 6 it seems like a hard challenge with the likes of Tottenham, Chelsea, Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal and a fight for the last spot. Opinions http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11096/8800903/Transfer-Special-Chat
I think top 8 is our aim this year. I am a bit confused at the idea that if you place 8th you've done the best barring the top 6, I guess 7th isn't that important...
Right now I'd expect us to be somewhere from 9th-13th, with a shot at 8th and maybe even 7th (if Everton stumble under Martinez). If we got a couple of really big signings in that might change but top 6 looks very unlikely.
Stepping stone season. Top 8 is the goal and push on from there. Spurs not so long ago would have been laughed off if we said they would be in the hunt for the champions league each season. Times change, and I can see an era for us to have some sort of spurseqe weight behind us soon.
Top 9 would be a good season. Then another summers transfer window like this the current one and we'll continue to move up. Exciting times
I'd say only Man U, Man C and Chelsea are unstoppable, the rest in that "top 6" can slip. Especially Spurs without Bale.
My concern here is on the stability of any non-Top 4 team. If you dare even get close to Top 6, your over-performing team will in all likelihood get asset-stripped to within an inch of its life by the Top 4. That will require constant rebuilding, and means that any long-term planning or expectations by fans is pretty fruitless. And then there is backroom instability – if Liebherr’s decide to sell; or Cortese falls out with someone and leaves etc. So many barriers and potential outcomes. That’s why the top four are half made up of clubs who did it the fast way via oligarchs and Sheikhs, and two of the three historic monsters of the game. Find it hard to see how we can ever do it organically, but I am willing to watch us try, and hopefully succeed, with some type of model based on our short-term influx of stepping stone players who help bring on our academy players, who can hopefully replace the players directly ahead of them who leave for big £ inflows; while at the same time attracting perhaps incrementally bigger names due to our incremental achievements; and perhaps wait for a meltdown at one of the top clubs, and that we are by that point better than some of the clubs who are coming up behind us to compete with us to fill those places. Requires a hell of a lot of consistency (which is where Spurs often fail) on and off the pitch, plus the new stadium to be built under the current Chairmanship etc. etc.
Its not the best team that wins the league, but the most consistant. Man U last season were not playing that well yet kept on grinding out 1-0 wins whilst thier rivals were throwing points away. We showed that we can pickup points against the big boys,yet blow that away by losing to QPR and Wigan. Once we become a hard team to beat then we can compete with Spurs, Pool and Arse. However City, utd and Chelsea are in a different league. We should be on a par with Swansea and Everton and for me West Brom are a spent force.
So there's a top 6 and then of the teams below the team that came 8th won? did he run out of fingers?
Surely we're aiming for mid-table (8th - 11th)? League 1 to Europe in 4 years is crazy! It will take a lot longer than many think to out perform the likes of Everton, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham etc! (these four I am assuming come 4th-7th!) This season I imagine we will want to be competing around the level of West Ham and Swansea probably for 8th to 10th and a good cup run would be nice!
I would be disappointed with 11th. I think we should be aiming for top half! My gut feeling is 9th, which I would be very happy with
