How many do you think will be sold if any?

This sort of thing is a fact of life for smaller clubs in the modern game but I don't get the automatic defeatist attitude.

 

If Shaw and Schneiderlin go (and I'd bet on it being those two, with Lovren being the third pick) I'm sure we can use the hefty cash inflow to improve the squad above its current level. I don't think Lallana (the hardest to replace) will be going anywhere.

 

However, I'll be more concerned if Pochettino goes as well.

You can be sure MoPo wont be hanging around at the news we are planning to sell off up to 3 of our key players....why would he. Disastrous PR move IMO, I'm not sure we will have such a great opportunity to kick on a build a legacy off our current young squad. It was fun while it lasted.

I don't want to believe it

Teams who have a big turnover of playing staff generally under perform. I don't want to see a lot of players going out and in this summer. It may well have a catastrophic effect.

You can be sure MoPo wont be hanging around at the news we are planning to sell off up to 3 of our key players....why would he. Disastrous PR move IMO, I'm not sure we will have such a great opportunity to kick on a build a legacy off our current young squad. It was fun while it lasted.

It's not news though is it?

It's a rumour from a poster on here, his last (again) post at that.

Anyway, we have been reliably informed by GS that the vman has only ever been right about first team selection. Nothing else;)

Looks like my worries about a major rebuild being required were not without foundation...

Reckon MoPo is going so its not like the board are going against his wishes.

We're a selling club again. A selling club with a poor record in the transfer market; only Lovren of our big buys has been any good.

Girls, we've always been a selling club and we always will be. Alas many bought into NCs silly idea of top 4 and not selling players.

The best players will want to play for the best/biggest team. Has always been so, will always be so.

We are a average sized provincial club, nothing more less and those who believe otherwise are even more f**king idiotic than the majority, which is saying something.

Is this like the last 'meltdown'?

Looks like my worries about a major rebuild being required were not without foundation...

 

Reckon MoPo is going so its not like the board are going against his wishes.

 

We're a selling club again. A selling club with a poor record in the transfer market; only Lovren of our big buys has been any good.

Lambert was a big buy in league 1, J-Rod was briefly our most expensive player, Fonte was a big buy in League 1, Wanyama will have retained his value so you are in effect referring to only two buys of the new regime?

Girls, we've always been a selling club and we always will be. Alas many bought into NCs silly idea of top 4 and not selling players.

 

The best players will want to play for the best/biggest team. Has always been so, will always be so.

 

We are a average sized provincial club, nothing more less and those who believe otherwise are even more f**king idiotic than the majority, which is saying something.

Agree, and we always will be. The Ox was sold under Cortese's stewardship, so unsure how people can say we weren't a selling club anyway.

Managers and players come and go.

The club goes down and then comes up.

The only constant is us, the fans.

No change there then and really no need to worry.

Has Lallana ever hinted at wanting to leave? Would be surprised if he did - captain, star of the team, local lad playing for his first proper club and getting international recognition. Obviously champions league and a bigger pay packet elsewhere, but might not get in the team, already earns more than most do in a year in a week here, is settled here etc - why's everyone so sure he wants more than what we're providing?

Think Shaw will go, followed by Osvaldo and Schniederlin. Would be gutted to lose Morgan, but as others have said, we have 2 other very good options there in Cork and Wanyama. Would need a new left back, unless we can teach Clyne (who's always looked extremely one footed) learn how to kick with his left, and can promote someone from the under 21s. Sure we'd get a new striker whatever happens, and possibly keeper and centre back.

Girls, we've always been a selling club and we always will be. Alas many bought into NCs silly idea of top 4 and not selling players.

 

The best players will want to play for the best/biggest team. Has always been so, will always be so.

 

We are a average sized provincial club, nothing more less and those who believe otherwise are even more f**king idiotic than the majority, which is saying something.

101% agree, the people who bought into the "journey" and #itshappening are gullible Sky sports fans.

This is Southampton FC, there will never be a Chelseaesque or City revolution, as I have always said and still maintain, this is a good as it gets and the glass ceiling has been reached.

Doubt any of our players are good enough to play for a top side on a regular basis.

If we sell a couple of players for massive money, that's not the end of the world, all clubs do it at times. It's how the process is managed that is important.

Problem is when you are not top 4 though is that no matter how much we get for players and we could well end up with 50-60mil... If the we can not attract players who at LEAST as good as the ones who have left... End result if we can't is a weaker side... Funny how many seem ok with Shaw leaving, yet when we have a 'Fox' next season, how happy will they be then?

I get get the impression the new board don't get how the football finance works... The naivity of the comments made about the 27 mil in transfer fees owned shows that... So I suspect they will sell 2 or 3, use this to cover the remainder of the academy cost and the transfer debt and that's it... With a few million available for some average squad players.... How long before that approach causes chorus of anti board rhetoric from the stands next season...

The fact our young squad with a huge amount of potential will be pulled apart - is one of the saddest aspects of the modern game. The board DO have the power to resist should they chose to as players are under contract! but no one has the balls to stand up anymore! and the convenient excuse is the players want to go....

It was fun whilst it lasted, but also frustrating simply because when you get a real taste for what could have been, anything less is always disappointing. We all continue to support whatever, because they are our club, but it's cruel. Some of us are old enough to know that in the past such a crop of talented young players would have you thinking about success for the next 4-5 seasons... Now it just means you count yourself lucky if they don't all leave...

Doubt any of our players are good enough to play for a top side on a regular basis.

I disagree. Shaw, Lallana, Lovren and Schneiderlin easily good enough. Cork also v underrated.

Doubt any of our players are good enough to play for a top side on a regular basis.

Yeah, right.

Girls, we've always been a selling club and we always will be. Alas many bought into NCs silly idea of top 4 and not selling players.

 

The best players will want to play for the best/biggest team. Has always been so, will always be so.

 

We are a average sized provincial club, nothing more less and those who believe otherwise are even more f**king idiotic than the majority, which is saying something.

Spot on. Unless you support the following clubs your club is a selling club:

- Real Madrid

- Barcelona

- Man City

- Chelsea

- Bayern Munich

- Man Utd just about but still had to sell Ronaldo to Real

- PSG

- Juventus

Look at Dortmund - massive club regularly in the CL, huge 80k stadium that is one of the finest in Europe yet Gotze and Lewandowski have left them for Bayern. Arsenal had to sell RVP, Nasri etc. Spurs held on to Bale as long as they could but gave in for the right price and made it hard for Real which is what Ralph has to do with Shaw, Morgan etc. With the agents as well, stories are appearing every day stating that dozens of players wanting to play for clubs in the above list. Look at Man City, average of £103k a week in their squad. How many clubs can, and would want to compete with craziness like that? FAPP rules have come in now the above clubs have got their revenue streams, however much they bend UEFA rules, sorted and it's a closed shop.

If any other industry, that cartel would be broken up. Saints have just got to make sure that if 2-3 do go as VMan suggets that we get the best buys from just below the CL level and go again next season.

Spot on. Unless you support the following clubs your club is a selling club:

 

- Real Madrid

- Barcelona

- Man City

- Chelsea

- Bayern Munich

- Man Utd just about but still had to sell Ronaldo to Real

- PSG

- Juventus

 

Look at Dortmund - massive club regularly in the CL, huge 80k stadium that is one of the finest in Europe yet Gotze and Lewandowski have left them for Bayern. Arsenal had to sell RVP, Nasri etc. Spurs held on to Bale as long as they could but gave in for the right price and made it hard for Real which is what Ralph has to do with Shaw, Morgan etc. With the agents as well, stories are appearing every day stating that dozens of players wanting to play for clubs in the above list. Look at Man City, average of £103k a week in their squad. How many clubs can, and would want to compete with craziness like that? FAPP rules have come in now the above clubs have got their revenue streams, however much they bend UEFA rules, sorted and it's a closed shop.

 

If any other industry, that cartel would be broken up. Saints have just got to make sure that if 2-3 do go as VMan suggets that we get the best buys from just below the CL level and go again next season.

The realists always knew this, the clappers actually believed a change was going to happen, ha ha oh how we all laughed at the Sky fans.

Spot on. Unless you support the following clubs your club is a selling club:

 

- Real Madrid

- Barcelona

- Man City

- Chelsea

- Bayern Munich

- Man Utd just about but still had to sell Ronaldo to Real

- PSG

- Juventus

 

Look at Dortmund - massive club regularly in the CL, huge 80k stadium that is one of the finest in Europe yet Gotze and Lewandowski have left them for Bayern. Arsenal had to sell RVP, Nasri etc. Spurs held on to Bale as long as they could but gave in for the right price and made it hard for Real which is what Ralph has to do with Shaw, Morgan etc. With the agents as well, stories are appearing every day stating that dozens of players wanting to play for clubs in the above list. Look at Man City, average of £103k a week in their squad. How many clubs can, and would want to compete with craziness like that? FAPP rules have come in now the above clubs have got their revenue streams, however much they bend UEFA rules, sorted and it's a closed shop.

 

If any other industry, that cartel would be broken up. Saints have just got to make sure that if 2-3 do go as VMan suggets that we get the best buys from just below the CL level and go again next season.

Talk about stating the bleedingly obvious.

Our situation is arguably different in that some of those players rumoured to be leaving (it could be complete BS) are not itching to jump ship or currently making demands that are impossible to achieve with a club of our size or stature.

Morgan's interview is a case in point. His hope that we would keep the squad together and bring a few players in to challenge for the top 6 might have been ambitious but it certainly was not deluded. No mention was made to CL football or any other pie in the sky fantasies. Cue mongboard strawmen.

Which begs the question: if we take these players for their word, why shouldn't we keep them for another season or two.

Has Lallana ever hinted at wanting to leave? Would be surprised if he did - captain, star of the team, local lad playing for his first proper club and getting international recognition. Obviously champions league and a bigger pay packet elsewhere, but might not get in the team, already earns more than most do in a year in a week here, is settled here etc - why's everyone so sure he wants more than what we're providing?

 

Think Shaw will go, followed by Osvaldo and Schniederlin. Would be gutted to lose Morgan, but as others have said, we have 2 other very good options there in Cork and Wanyama. Would need a new left back, unless we can teach Clyne (who's always looked extremely one footed) learn how to kick with his left, and can promote someone from the under 21s. Sure we'd get a new striker whatever happens, and possibly keeper and centre back.

Pochettino has always said those two cannot play in the same team - they're too similar. If we sold Morgan, we have to buy another DM (for Poch's style, probably a box to box midfielder). I think we will sign a GK, CB and then replace any players that are sold.

I think Shaw is nailed on for Utd move. Too many things starting to add up which are facts not just rumours/**** stirring in media.

1. Shaw stayed up overnight in Manchester after City game when rest of team flew back same day.

2. Moyes claimed after Munich game last week he has players lined up who want to join Utd

3. Shaw favourited a tweet from Utd fan who tweeted saying they hope he signed Utd.

On their own they may not amount to much, just coincidence but collectively it starts piecing together. Add in Thevman's post as well.

To be fair he would be first choice there and obviously they are a huge club so cant blame him. £30m would be sound business if reinvested into team. He is not indispensable unlike Lallana imo.

Out of all the obvious ones we don't want to leave i think the only one that will is Schneiderlin.

101% agree, the people who bought into the "journey" and #itshappening are gullible Sky sports fans.

This is Southampton FC, there will never be a Chelseaesque or City revolution, as I have always said and still maintain, this is a good as it gets and the glass ceiling has been reached.

Really? So although we have a billionaire owner, it is entirely impossible that we would ever be owned by the likes of Abramovic or Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan who would spend the sort of money that they did in the top players, is it?

The trouble with some like you on here, is that they make generalised statements based on the precedents established in their experience of football and take them as a hard and fast rule. The experience of some doesn't go far enough back in time, whilst others are blinkered to anything different because they lack imagination or fail to recognise ambition.

Some will have you believe that there is a hierarchy of the top four clubs who will always be there, regardless of whether Liverpool sank well down the ranks recently and Man United have followed suit this season.

Yes, we are an average sized provincial club at the moment and yes, we cannot keep players who wish to leave for bigger clubs. This is exactly the same scenario for the bigger clubs, where United couldn't keep Ronaldo and Spurs couldn't keep Bale. But although we might be an average sized club at the moment, we are above average in a couple of respects. We have wealthier ownership than most others, including many clubs much bigger than us. Also there are few clubs in English football with the benefit of a production line of academy stars for the present and into the future. The fact that there are 4/5 players in our current team who are coveted by top clubs here and abroad is testament to that. At least if we have to sell them, we will get a shed load of dosh for them which if invested wisely in replacements could make us even stronger, with the benefit of other academy products still in the pipeline.

When it comes to selling players, the top clubs can outbid most others, but even then there are mittigating factors. A squad can only comprise so many players and there are now additional rules affecting how many can be overseas players. So once this handful of top clubs have filled their quotas, there are still far too many good players left for the next strata of clubs. Like our academy players are cheap to us because we produced them, there are also yet to be discovered gems, the next Henry and Drogba are out there somewhere. Nothing is as clear cut as some like to make out. And even when the wealthiest clubs buy the best players, there is no guarantee that they will play together well as a unit either.

Anybody who ignores factors like that is also an idiot.

I think Shaw is nailed on for Utd move. Too many things starting to add up which are facts not just rumours/**** stirring in media.

 

1. Shaw stayed up overnight in Manchester after City game when rest of team flew back same day.

2. Moyes claimed after Munich game last week he has players lined up who want to join Utd

3. Shaw favourited a tweet from Utd fan who tweeted saying they hope he signed Utd.

 

On their own they may not amount to much, just coincidence but collectively it starts piecing together. Add in Thevman's post as well.

 

To be fair he would be first choice there and obviously they are a huge club so cant blame him. £30m would be sound business if reinvested into team. He is not indispensable unlike Lallana imo.

If Liverpool come in for him he will go (rumoured up here for a while), why would he stay?

I think Shaw is almost certain to go. Not so convinced about Schbeiderlin, I think he still goes under the radar, and isn't often linked with a move to other clubs. If he leaves, who do people think he will go to?

Really? So although we have a billionaire owner, it is entirely impossible that we would ever be owned by the likes of Abramovic or Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan who would spend the sort of money that they did in the top players, is it?

 

The trouble with some like you on here, is that they make generalised statements based on the precedents established in their experience of football and take them as a hard and fast rule. The experience of some doesn't go far enough back in time, whilst others are blinkered to anything different because they lack imagination or fail to recognise ambition.

 

Some will have you believe that there is a hierarchy of the top four clubs who will always be there, regardless of whether Liverpool sank well down the ranks recently and Man United have followed suit this season.

 

Yes, we are an average sized provincial club at the moment and yes, we cannot keep players who wish to leave for bigger clubs. This is exactly the same scenario for the bigger clubs, where United couldn't keep Ronaldo and Spurs couldn't keep Bale. But although we might be an average sized club at the moment, we are above average in a couple of respects. We have wealthier ownership than most others, including many clubs much bigger than us. Also there are few clubs in English football with the benefit of a production line of academy stars for the present and into the future. The fact that there are 4/5 players in our current team who are coveted by top clubs here and abroad is testament to that. At least if we have to sell them, we will get a shed load of dosh for them which if invested wisely in replacements could make us even stronger, with the benefit of other academy products still in the pipeline.

 

When it comes to selling players, the top clubs can outbid most others, but even then there are mittigating factors. A squad can only comprise so many players and there are now additional rules affecting how many can be overseas players. So once this handful of top clubs have filled their quotas, there are still far too many good players left for the next strata of clubs. Like our academy players are cheap to us because we produced them, there are also yet to be discovered gems, the next Henry and Drogba are out there somewhere. Nothing is as clear cut as some like to make out. And even when the wealthiest clubs buy the best players, there is no guarantee that they will play together well as a unit either.

 

Anybody who ignores factors like that is also an idiot.

After all that you agree with me

We are a provincial club.

We are a selling club.

Yes its highly unlikely we will ever be taken over by a Billionaire prepared to spend huge to bring success, why would they come to Southampton?

Dont be silly Wes, denial shall get you no where.

I think Shaw is almost certain to go. Not so convinced about Schbeiderlin, I think he still goes under the radar, and isn't often linked with a move to other clubs. If he leaves, who do people think he will go to?

Arsenal

I think Shaw is almost certain to go. Not so convinced about Schbeiderlin, I think he still goes under the radar, and isn't often linked with a move to other clubs. If he leaves, who do people think he will go to?

Arsenal or Manu. He'd get in almost any team. Under the press radar maybe but I bet every top manager in the PL and beyond is aware of his talent, DD being a bizarre exception. There's more in him as well in my opinion.

DID YOU KNOW it's been nearly 3 yrs since we sold someone we'd rather have kept? Gr8 stats for selling club!

Well we shall see. Only just seen VMANS post. Looks like the dream is dead and the next level won't be reached, following in the footsteps of Villa. Very disappointing

Arsenal or Manu. He'd get in almost any team. Under the press radar maybe but I bet every top manager in the PL and beyond is aware of his talent, DD being a bizarre exception. There's more in him as well in my opinion.

He's not even under the press radar, that's why some of them keep touting him for England which I believe has been established to be impossible. He doesn't use a trappy agent that's all but I believe the club have turned down more offers for him than any other player, mainly because he expressed no interest in going to any of them....until about the 27 th of January this year.

Managers and players come and go.

 

The club goes down and then comes up.

 

The only constant is us, the fans.

 

No change there then and really no need to worry.

Is this a softening of the clappers? Seeing the light?

I don't quite understand why people are so desperate to hang on the words of somebody who suddenly disappeared for weeks when it became clear that the "meltdown" everyone had been predicting was a load of nonsense.

While information provided in the past may have been accurate, that's no guarantee that information provided now is equally as reliable. Sources come and go, football club employees who you are friends with lose their jobs, the world continues to rotate.

After all that you agree with me

We are a provincial club.

We are a selling club.

Yes its highly unlikely we will ever be taken over by a Billionaire prepared to spend huge to bring success, why would they come to Southampton?

Dont be silly Wes, denial shall get you no where.

Has Morgan says he wants to leave because we can't offer CL football? Rather he has said that he wants us to keep our players and sign a few to make a challenge for the top 6.

If that's a precondition to him staying, is that a completely unrealistic ambition for a club like ours to aspire to?

Has Morgan says he wants to leave because we can't offer CL football? Rather he has said that he wants us to keep our players and sign a few to make a challenge for the top 6.

 

If that's a precondition to him staying, is that a completely unrealistic ambition for a club like ours to aspire to?

That wasn't the only condition it would seem "there are many things they have to do and then we'll see" was the actual quote I believe. Not only that though Mallagroth told us that he'd actually spoken to the bloke who'd said he'd be considering other offers this summer. Of course we only have his word for that but the word around here is that his non-selection has hit him hard because he's been overlooked for what are evidently inferior quality players.

That wasn't the only condition it would seem "there are many things they have to do and then we'll see" was the actual quote I believe. Not only that though Mallagroth told us that he'd actually spoken to the bloke who'd said he'd be considering other offers this summer. Of course we only have his word for that but the word around here is that his non-selection has hit him hard because he's been overlooked for what are evidently inferior quality players.

Agree Morgan's situation is different insofar as the national team would probably shun him, even if we were a top six side.

But arguably the quote says a lot about what our better players want or need to stay committed in the short term. Ambitious though it is, it's not pie in the sky stuff.

we want, I want, to be part of a team that is playing for the top five or top six places, and if they can’t do this then many players are going to be disappointed...If they say to the main players and to the gaffer ‘Listen, we’re going to make you sign a long-term contract, we’re going to keep the main players in there, we’re going to bring in three, four, five more players to improve that squad to be in the top six’ then why not?

Morgan, Lallana or Shaw to depart? I really struggle to pick one player from those that I wouldn't feel really gutted about leaving. Perhaps Shaw as he's only been around a short time, but the hole left when Bridge and Bale went in both defensive and attack was huge and miserably filled. it won't be better filled this time - how can it be - the lad is top draw. I suspect if you look at the stats over the last few years you will find that we hardly ever win without Morgan, he really is some player and extremely underexposed thankfully. As for Adam, well the thought of not seeing his Cruyff turns bamboozling fullbacks is not a good one. He lights up games and is a rare talent that we have been fortunate to watch for the last five or size years. All things must come to an end I guess? Wouldn't it be great if this one didn't?

I don't quite understand why people are so desperate to hang on the words of somebody who suddenly disappeared for weeks when it became clear that the "meltdown" everyone had been predicting was a load of nonsense.

 

While information provided in the past may have been accurate, that's no guarantee that information provided now is equally as reliable. Sources come and go, football club employees who you are friends with lose their jobs, the world continues to rotate.

Thevman hasn't given us any reason to doubt him based on previous ITK posts so why doubt him now? It seemed clear to me he knows Lallana personally therefore his source remains solid.

We shall see but i suspect we are in for a rude awakening this summer.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Talk about stating the bleedingly obvious.

 

Our situation is arguably different in that some of those players rumoured to be leaving (it could be complete BS) are not itching to jump ship or currently making demands that are impossible to achieve with a club of our size or stature.

 

Morgan's interview is a case in point. His hope that we would keep the squad together and bring a few players in to challenge for the top 6 might have been ambitious but it certainly was not deluded. No mention was made to CL football or any other pie in the sky fantasies. Cue mongboard strawmen.

 

Which begs the question: if we take these players for their word, why shouldn't we keep them for another season or two.

Talk about taking a post out of context - my point is that whilst I hope players - other than Osvaldo and the fringe ones - don't leave - they might but it won't be the end of the world if we re-invest. Every day players are getting linked with that group of clubs and some posters - not suggesting you - seem to think it's only Saints players being linked. Curbing top flight loans across Europe would solve some of it and they would only buy what they needed rather than stopping each other recruiting. Look at what Chelsea are doing with Vitesse and stacking up players like Van Ginkel. Won't hold my breath on UEFA doing that though.

VMan may well have an agenda or he may not. Will be an interesting summer regardless starting with MP's future and the need to strengthen in the forward areas after J Rod's injury.

Thevman hasn't given us any reason to doubt him based on previous ITK posts so why doubt him now?

Why doubt him now? Because he arbitrarily decided he was leaving here for good two months ago, only returning with a "oh actually this is my last post" bombshell which only achieves a bit of rabble rousing among those who seem desperate for something to complain about.

My hunch is that his source left the club in February (around the time of his previous "final post", when a number of people left the club in the wake of Cortese's departure), so he had nothing to bring to the table anymore, and now he/his source has decided to throw the cat among the pigeons to try and stir things up, trading on the solid reputation he had built previously.

Why doubt him now? Because he arbitrarily decided he was leaving here for good two months ago, only returning with a "oh actually this is my last post" bombshell which only achieves a bit of rabble rousing among those who seem desperate for something to complain about.

 

My hunch is that his source left the club in February (around the time of his previous "final post", when a number of people left the club in the wake of Cortese's departure), so he had nothing to bring to the table anymore, and now he/his source has decided to throw the cat among the pigeons to try and stir things up, trading on the solid reputation he had built previously.

Sounds likely enough. Were there a lot of people who left the club soon after Cortese left? I've seen them advertising for a lot of new people recently, didn't realise there were a few departures though.

Well we shall see. Only just seen VMANS post. Looks like the dream is dead and the next level won't be reached, following in the footsteps of Villa. Very disappointing

More fool you for believing it in the 1st place.

After all that you agree with me

We are a provincial club.

We are a selling club.

Yes its highly unlikely we will ever be taken over by a Billionaire prepared to spend huge to bring success, why would they come to Southampton?

Dont be silly Wes, denial shall get you no where.

I'm not totally agreeing to everything you said, although if it arouses you for me to agree that we are a provincial club (well, we are in the provinces rather than the big metropolitan areas, duh!) and that I accept that any club is a selling club in this country at least, then go and cream yourself.

And now I note that despite your earlier position that "there will never be a Chelseaesque or City revolution", you have softened your position now to saying that it is highly unlikely.

Why would they come to Southampton? Maybe because of the infrastructure that is in place here? The investment opportunities? The lack of other major clubs in the vicinity? Why on earth did Markus Liebherr invest in this little provincial club? Before he came, you would no doubt have claimed that anybody suggesting that we would be bought by a multi-billionaire would be living in cloud cuckoo land, wouldn't you?

It's you that's in denial - as usual.

Talk about taking a post out of context - my point is that whilst I hope players - other than Osvaldo and the fringe ones - don't leave - they might but it won't be the end of the world if we re-invest. Every day players are getting linked with that group of clubs and some posters - not suggesting you - seem to think it's only Saints players being linked. Curbing top flight loans across Europe would solve some of it and they would only buy what they needed rather than stopping each other recruiting. Look at what Chelsea are doing with Vitesse and stacking up players like Van Ginkel. Won't hold my breath on UEFA doing that though.

 

VMan may well have an agenda or he may not. Will be an interesting summer regardless starting with MP's future and the need to strengthen in the forward areas after J Rod's injury.

Don't disagree with any of this - my only point is that we don't need to be challenging for the CL for our current crop of players to still feel they can progress with us, at least for another season. Age is on their side.

By extension, I can't see Lallana leaving unless the club decides to return to the days of vying for midtable while flirting with relegation, something we have been spared this season, even if we only finish 8th or 9th. If he were to leave, it would speak volumes about where we are headed -and it's safe to say those clubs don't wholly reinvest transfer fees in new players/wages.

Managers and players come and go.

 

The club goes down and then comes up.

 

The only constant is us, the fans.

 

No change there then and really no need to worry.

Agree.

I'm not totally agreeing to everything you said, although if it arouses you for me to agree that we are a provincial club (well, we are in the provinces rather than the big metropolitan areas, duh!) and that I accept that any club is a selling club in this country at least, then go and cream yourself.

 

And now I note that despite your earlier position that "there will never be a Chelseaesque or City revolution", you have softened your position now to saying that it is highly unlikely.

 

Why would they come to Southampton? Maybe because of the infrastructure that is in place here? The investment opportunities? The lack of other major clubs in the vicinity? Why on earth did Markus Liebherr invest in this little provincial club? Before he came, you would no doubt have claimed that anybody suggesting that we would be bought by a multi-billionaire would be living in cloud cuckoo land, wouldn't you?

 

It's you that's in denial - as usual.

Liebherr invested money in here to make money, if the company was sold that goal has been acheived, there are more glamourous Cities and clubs that have not had investment in them, we have a bowl stadium with no soul, dont be soft.

we have a bowl stadium with no soul

that is such a skate thing to say bro! i don't want to read bros on here saying stuff like that! Wash ur mouth out and reflect that buildings do not have souls, and even if they did foreign investors don't give a f*ck about it.

I like St Mary's

Even the bear smells fish. Wind your neck in bs. I don't believe you know what it means to be a fan of this or any other club.

Managers and players come and go.

 

The club goes down and then comes up.

 

The only constant is us, the fans.

 

No change there then and really no need to worry.

THIS