And so do we. When you're making out that we're not so special, we are also not so underwhelming either. Every club is a selling club. And every club is a buying club. I think Fran has a point.
Well actually, I thought he pulled it back because we took the free kick from about 10-15m away from where the foul (offside) was. The offside was on the right hand side of the six yard box and I think we took the kick from way over on the left. I don't think there is an issue in taking a quick free kick as long as it is from roughly the right position (remember Portugal v England in 2004 after Sol Cambell or John Terry scored? Portugal took the kick and nearly scored themselves) *bleedin' refs making rules up now*
Vic's shinpads are pretty cool, well as cool as a pair of shinpads can be. His are just for show anyway
Regarding us being a selling club, I don't mind if we get top dollar and are only selling to top clubs. Top 3 can offer Champions League. The likes of Liverpool can offer many times the wages that we will. To stop the tide of top players wanting to move to non-CL prestige clubs would mean breaking our wage strategy and the loss of the odd player is worth accepting to maintain this. Our wage bill will creep up as we cement our top 6-8 status but we mustn't risk what has happened to other clubs who don't manage this properly.
A lot has been said about other clubs being able to pay bigger wages and we are slowly catching them but I'd rather sell a player who is only in it for the money as opposed to buying one in that mindset!
The problem for us British is that we can't grasp that we aren't on the playing fields of Eton with amateur gentlemen. Players start off because they love football and I think for most of them that is how it continues...making a good living is a bonus. For some, it is the way out of real poverty (not the British version of poverty). They all want to play for big sides and get trophies as it validates their career. For most, that desire exceeds greed. The problem is that many fans think that a move encouraged by money will somehow lessen your desire to play well for a team....not true. Yes, there are selfish toe rags out there...as in life in general, but most players will do their best for any team.
Trouble is a footballers career is very short. On average anything between 15-20 years. With a few exceptions they have to totally retrain for a new career and probably find it very hard to adjust to "civilian life". Some never do and rely on there investments and savings for the rest of their lives. Surely when taking on any job ,vocation or what ever you want to call it, You want to get as far up the ladder as you can? Isn't that human nature? As others have said it is true that some are just in it to make money. The vast majority just want to do the best they can and obtain the highest satisfaction they can achieve. Whether it be trophys, international recognition or playing for the largest club they can interest. Which of us would not follow a similar path?
We make great deal of certain players and their contribution to our win on Sunday but having read this article and seen the clips of our goals I have two observations. JWP played an important part with a brilliant chipped ball for Pelle's goal which required far greater skill than Sturridge's and yet that prat Murphy, who must be the worst pundit to ever appear on a TV show, made no mention of it. JWP was also the battler who made Mane's winning goal. http://anfieldindex.com/21927/tactical-autopsy-loss-southampton.html
I have no problem with players wanting a move, but they must do it quietly with no toys thrown out of the pram. And if told they must stick to their contract, they should accept with good grace because after all they were happy to sign the contract in the first place. That is just being respectful. If playing for a team like Saints is servitude, we'd all want a bit of that.
Watching JWP in this game, made me think he had been taking lessons in brutality from that monster Mane. He certainly put his foot in where it hurts and played an important role in the win. No doubting that JWP is a team player.
Thanks, Godders. I've been going on to my mates about how important Prowsey was in those 2 goals. Whilst Vic was, imo, undoubtedly MOTM, Prowsey came on and immediately threw himself into tackles, battled and pushed great balls through - it was brilliant to see, as I've always said he needs to toughen up his game. I hope he continues to do so and fulfils his undoubted potential.
I don't think it is anything like as genteel as that. I give you Leicester City as an example. I would imagine they will not lose a single player that they don't to want to next season, yet I suspect their wage structure to be on a par with ours, with no title winning bonus either, hence the end of season Las Vegas party. They have something extraordinary, but not impossible. For footballers there are short moments in time where they can part of something really special. Yes, if they see nothing in the immediate future they will often jump at the nearest big wage offer. And seeing as most are not destined for really special moments most will make the jump for money and hope for success besides. But there are also other motivations other than money, once a player has sufficient [and goodness know, all PL players have that nowadays]. Then they get a choice. One is quality of life, and it gets pretty good in the South. One is being part of setup that a player is really happy in and will play in consistently. One is the insight that they might become a part of something that becomes special. Charlie Austin moved to Saints for just that reason when he could have got more money elsewhere. Supporter bias aside, being a player part of SFC is still special because the club is still on an upward trajectory. Even Sadio Mane talks enthusiastically of playing for Saints next season in the Europa. Yet many people think he's already sold along with VW.
We will be under pressure from other teams for Mane next season. We all know he is not consistent, but he has great games in him and I suspect other clubs will feel they can get him to play at that level every match. Possibly wrongly, but managers are ever hopeful because game changers are so valuable. All depends on offers, but I think he is seen as important to Saints, so I think we will want to keep him next season...after all, Saints will want to keep Ron sweet as well.
I wonder about Sadio. Yes I'm sure there'll be offers, but he's not set the world alight as we suspected he might, and all bias aside, I think he'd be better served staying with us for the foreseeable at least. From everyone I've spoken to that has some connects at the club, by all accounts he's actually a very level-headed decent bloke, so I'm definitely not putting him on the "already sold and desperate to leave" list. Yet.
I have real hopes we will keep him next season...he has 2 seasons to go, so why the rush for him or us.
Spot on, couldn't agree more. Over the last few games he's taken part in he brings a hunger and aggression that serves the team well. This quote from the Liverpool autopsy sums it up "Martin Skrtel should have flicked the ball on if he committed to it like he did, he then should have cleared James Ward-Prowse out if he doesn’t retreat back to centre-back position, he doesn’t. Instead he lets the Southampton midfielder put him on his arse before Pelle is able to pass to Mane unopposed." Missing from the end of the quote, "to score the winner"
I think that's a general pundit and media disease, St.G. For example, if Wayne Rooney blows his nose in the penalty area, it's considered world class [ok, I exaggerate but only slightly]. If a lower league player does something technically exquisite, the lazy pundit questions whether the player meant it, if he refers to it at all. Time and again a Saints player [I only highlight a Saints player as I watch us, but it could be from any non-glamour team] will do something superb in a match, certainly worthy of pointing out, but does it get a mention? Hardly ever. Some of the stuff that Dusan [who had a relatively poor match, imo] did on Sunday, and Mane, and Pelle, and several Saints players, would have had the pundits purring if they had been playing for the opposite side.
Twas ever thus. Caught a bit of radio 5 punditry over the w/e and some of the begrudging, backhanded compliments to Leicester must've left their fans furious. Dusan just looks so slow some games. Can't figure out if it's him or if some teams give him more time. JWP has worked his socks off imo this season, he's a good lad.
I thought the ref was going to disallow the third goal for it looked like JWP pushed Skirtle over, if it was just against Skirtle then I'm pretty sure the ref would have blown, but as JWP was tackling 2players at the same time he probably got the benefit. Hope this is the beginning of JWP realising that in the premiership having lovely skill with the ball is not enough, you have to be able to roll your sleeves up and do the dirty work as well. Another thing that caught my eye was the amount of space that he finds for himself, he just drifts into space without being picked up
