This is a HUGE key point for me and the reason I’m so pessimistic about this club at the moment. We’re so late to do anything and we also get rid of anything promising the second it can turn a profit. For example we all seem pretty much sure that Dibling and Sulemana are gone in the summer (assuming Sule’s form stays good). Isn’t that just so backwards that the two that stick out as being any good we already know as a fan base are gonna be the first to go? Now let’s say in the summer window this year we actually do everything every fan wishes, we get rid of 5/6 useless players and replace them 3/4 decent players who near enough carry us next season. It says so much about our state as a football club that I see SR thinking they can then sell them and replace again. I know that’s a lot of what if’s and depends on the situation but it really says a lot that that is what I expect them to do. It’s exactly why we’re in the situation we are as a club because going on a decade now we’ve kept the crap and sold the cream. There’s a big difference between signing for Southampton FC because you want to play for/build up Southampton FC. And then signing up for Southampton FC because historically a lot of decent players/back room staff have been signed from there. And it seems we hire way way way more people from the latter category than the former. Most people it seems, on the pitch and off it, just wanna do their 12/24 months then **** off. Until I see evidence of this football club being treated as a football club instead of a business then the negative posts will continue.
I guess that's now an extra incentive to not want WBA promoted. I've long had a soft spot for Mowbray, but putting my biased Saints hat on, having the promoted sides being Burnley, Leeds and Sheff Utd (and therefore removing them for next season) must be the best outcome for us. Not WBA. And now even more so, because if WBA were to get promoted, the risk would be that they go and do something by signing Armstrong permanently. Whereas I absolutely want him lining up for us on the opening day come August. And hopefully 9 months later, lifting the Championship title aloft.
It isn't SRs money though, it's Dragan that funds them. I want the organization that is SR and their poundshop multi club bollocks gone too. It's clear that Dragan has had enough with them at Saints, but they still have their tentacles attached. I will ask the question again, can Dragan stop funding SR, and have 100% ownership of the club?
This would, 100% be the ideal outcome I think; we keep the financial security of Dragan, get rid of the muppets completely & we can **** the multi-club bollocks, just full focus on our club. That's all I care about. The only issue I have with Dragan is him lumbering himself with SR & Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee in the 1st place!
As a Northern Saint, I'd rather have 3 Southern/ Midlands teams go up. I like having 6 or 7 teams up here to go to for Saints games.
OK. Sport Republic were formed when Rasmus Ankersen and Henrik Kraft approached Dragan Solak to fund the purchase of Jishen Gao’s 80% share of Southampton Football Club. He put all the money in. If he hadn’t, the sale wouldn’t have happened.
And we would have been in some difficulty to put it mildly. Ok we’re in a bad place on the results side and we’d all like to be 12th or better in the PL, but this is it as we are. I just recall some panic buys over the last few years which cost us millions. At least with IJ in charge I reckon we have a some better days ahead even if not enough to avoid the drop. Let’s see.
Yep I'm aware of all that. Look, this wasn't meant to be another Gao vs SR debate, but seeing as you bought it up. Under Gao we were treading water and not spending money. And yet we were competitive. We had good people on the ground running the club. We were doing okay. Who knows what would have happened if that carried on? SR rock up, to their credit, they invest a lot of money into the playing squad. Invested it badly. Twice. And we became one of the the worst teams in PL history. They made us worse from a pretty solid PL position. Simplistic view? Maybe. But I just want a team that competes and that i can be proud of. I want a team and a club that I can look at say, yeah I'm proud to support them. Right now, it's a ****ing embrassment. We're not competitive one bit. We're a laughing stock. It hurts. I'm sure everyone is in agreement on that part at least? The difference we all have is who is to blame here, and whether you're willing to keep putting faith in SR to turn it around. Personally, I'm not. They've turned my club into a laughing stock. An embarrassment. Genuine respect to those who keep faith with this rabble, and I genuinely do hope it turns around because I love this club. That's why it hurts to see the position we're in. Again, everyone is in agreement there on that part at least? I hope I'm wrong, and we can sit here in 2/3years time and say I got it wrong. I really do. But I just have no faith that'll be the case.
The question now is, do you have faith in Johannes Spors. None of us know much other than he has a good record, and was wanted by Newcastle and Spurs at various points, which you’d take as a good sign. But that’s the point. None of us know. So to be unduly negative, or positive, right now seems misplaced.
I honestly have no idea who he is. I want to be positive about it, but the track record of club decisions in previous years isn't great. We'll see. He'll have a hell of a job on his hands so best of luck to him. As I say, I desperately want to be proven wrong and i desperately want him/the club/SR to succeed, but based on the historic record & previous poor decisions of the ownership group I just have little to no faith left with them to trust them with another chance, sadly. Its a shame, it really is, but I do hope they prove me wrong.
Absolutely. None of us can be sure. But the bad decisions of the ownership group you are talking about are the decisions of people who are no longer involved. Because of those bad decisions. Anyhow, it's all getting quite circular. Let's hope for the best and crack on with it.
It will be interesting to see to what extent Ipswich do have to sell. I think they are pretty well off financially but £145m is a lot of money to spend to get relegated again.
I'll be honest LTL. He isnt here and we have been burned and failed so many times to secure the people we have openly said we want or have claimed to have got that I'm feeling nervous about this one. Its not like we can check the status of his permit application so this could just be a smokescreen for the fact that this isnt a done deal.
