Let's just hope that the Southampton Way remains the Souhampton Way and not anybody else's way, thank you.
We should change it to following Swansea's model...........after all they've pushed on as far as they can and now they've reached the heady heights of challenging for 8/9/10th they are bedding in for 2 decades of building up to getting into the top 6.
Cortese would have to be muzzled if anyone suggested two decades of midtable. He said before that it wasn't his idea of an achievement to just hang on for 26 years in the PL. Bit offended by that at the time, though excited by his plans. I wonder what his plans will be if we should achieve the world...hope it doesn't include moving on.
I was kidding. Been tired of hearing about Swansea for the last 2 years. playing pretty football, scoring not many goals and finishing mid table. Well done to them but we've been promised more than that and I fully expect that promise to be fulfilled If we reach 7/8 and then take that long then we have already wasted all the money we have spent IMO. It is small money if you look at ridiculous overspending by some 'flush' sides but then when you buy a player for 30m how much more are you getting than say a 15m player? double? or is it more of an ego, statement thing. That x player came to us or we buy players for x amount and you can't afford it? I would suggest our squad was worth more in terms of real value (not taking into account how much of contract left etc) than Swansea's before the season started but then there are many on here that always downplay the value of our players. Like Schneiderlin. He is worth 20m IMO. I think big clubs would have put that and more on the table in the summer if it weren't for the fact that it wouldn't have been as much of a statement as buying a player from a big team for the same (or money) Anyways fingers crossed for my 3 bets placed at the start of the season. £10 on champs @ 2000/1, £10 on top2 @ 750/1, £10 on top 4 @ 175/1. Yes I am realistic enough to believe the latter bet is the only one anywhere near likely but we can all dream can't we. We are a very very good team and I fully expect us to come back from Arsenal having done ourselves proud either by a narrow loss or (more likely) a draw or even a win
Michael Laudrup annoyed me in his Saints post match interview when he referred to clubs like Swansea and Saints as being able to aim for 8th place at best and that would be it. Realistic under his circumstances perhaps, but certainly not the sort of thing we want to hear, and let's have no glass ceilings, thank you, it's hard enough. Plus, I can just imagine Cortese listening and replying... oh yeah..?
Exactly. The difference between our 2 managers is massive. Laudrup publicly sets a ceiling, maybe to make himself appear a genius if he exceeds his stated target etc. He limits himself, his squad and his club by making that statement. What does Mauricio? We have no ceilings, we reach for the sky. He and Nicola will be disappointed if we only achieve an 'imaginary ceiling' that others talk about and they want us to be disappointed with them and not say 'top half this season would be acceptable' or '7th or 8th is achievable.' Nicola is aiming for the Top4. That is what he thinks is achievable. Top 6 would be where he would say 'OK but we have to improve'. Mauricio buys into this and accepts it. He will be under pressure if we (and I do hesititate to use the word>>>) 'only' reach 7th or 8th. Lower than that he will really be under pressure. You aren't likely to ever hear Mauricio say that reaching the Top 6 is almost impossible or hard to achieve. If it was suggested in a press conference they his response would most likely be a single word.....'Why'. That is why we are a different case to others. because our fans are the ones setting the ceilings while those that matter are putting their heads on the line saying what many of us don't dare say, even feel embarrassed to say for fear of mockery. They must be the very young ones though. I have been mocked throughout my football supporting life for supporting Saints. I am used to it so I am not worried about anything coming back to bite me. I got told every year by pundits and friends (and not so much friends) that that season Saints were going down. I had more last laughs than they did
Well said. Nicola wants continuous improvement. If he even so much as anticipates that that improvement starts to level off he will ask questions and make necessary changes. There is no "level" that is ours to reach.
Well said, ImpsSaint. I love the fact that this club doesn't know its place in the hierarchy anymore. That instantly makes it exciting. It dares to dream.
Thats what puzzles me TSS. This Club as in Cortese and his employees doesn't accept the hierarchy. This club as in the fans are too scared to believe....still.....Why? I doubted we'd do as well as we are this season but we are. I'm not expecting it to go tits up like the majority though. I believe a little more each time. We may lose on Saturday so what, it's one game and we'll get back up again. Most on here will be thinking of bubbles bursting though. lol. Best thing is when I was 8 my team was on the rise. That was 83-84 and they finished 2nd. My son is 8 now He is insanely mad on Saints and has followed them since L1 with me. It is beautiful to see as he gets to his school or football team with non stop talk of Southampton and all the others think he is mad. lol. Well TBH they don't think he is quite as mad these days. Best day last season was sitting in a Man U pub in Lincoln for the St Marys game and my (then 7 year old) boy jumping up and down shouting and cheering every throw in, every corner, everything and what was better than seeing a whole pub getting angrier and angrier but not being able to do a thing. I loved it. I know them all but they were really going red not pretend red. lol. I hope my son gets to see his team finish 2nd like I did or even better 1st It will need the England then to bring me down to earth a bit after that (I am still one of the very very passionate England fans)
