CB Fry

Bit of a non argument really. I don't think net spend is a particularly useful metric when assessing clubs transfer business, especially round about now each year when the transfer window comparison stats come out. Our friend Strawlock agrees with me, but for some reason is trying to engineer some kind of argument with me about it anyway. I can't really fathom why but he's always been slightly odd. He has the opportunity to concede I am right at any point.

Err, what youre saying now is precisely my point when I say net spend is not a particularly important metric. Understand?

Yes, yes, yes but our net spend is much worse than Sunderland and Norwich so they have far more desire to improve than we do or something. I wish we were them.

Not a sniff at Celtic but the minute he joins a big Premier League club he's called up the national squad. Sickening or something.

The England campaign looks like a right triumph compared to some of the other major nations.

It's one metric. It's not the only metric. It's not the most important metric. Happy to help.

That is an infinitely more important metric than fu cking net spend, but hey what do I know. Let's sit back and marvel over Sunderland and Norwich's intent to improve their position.

Just as many ifs and maybes for clubs with supposedly more "willingness to improve their position" by spunking millions on players fees and wages. I just don't care if we're seen to have won the transfer window, and when assessing our business, as decent recruitment with a small surplus feels like a brilliant result to me. And a season with no players wanted by the big four, if it happens as you say, would be a dream scenario right? And lastly, I've considered the possibility that it might all go terribly wrong and we fall off that "fine line" and end up, gosh, 15th. Or worse. Last season that fate did not befall many clubs that thoroughly beat us in last year's net spend competition. For example Hull, QPR and Newcastle put us to absolute shame with their intent and ambition. No falling off any fine lines for them. This season I expect to be looking on helpless as ambitious intent-ful Sunderland leave us for dust. It could have been so different.

It's a metric. It's not the only metric, and massively misinterpreted and misused.

We have had seasons like that quite recently. The one when we signed Osvaldo for a start. As long as we keep going as we are it's unlikely we will ever have a season where one or two won't go for £XXm. Mane and Wanyama next season and then the season after, maybe our boy Romeu will get a big bucks move. By then we may have all forgotten was derided as the cheap option/bargain basement replacement for Morgan and we can go full on grizzle about how we didn't tie him down to a longer contract. If it pans out like that, good. It means we're successful. Mane going to Man United next season means hes scored at least ten, maybe fifteen goals. Good. It feels like it is working great for us right now. But Sunderland can rest easy in their beds knowing that no big four club is going to poach Jermaine Defoe or Borini. So strong. And what a net spend too. Brilliant. Jolly good for them.

Er, I don't think you understand journalism or sources.

Just for you kid. Look at Norwich. They spent, like, ten million pounds more than we did. I wish we were them I do.

Still eighth in the list of spenders which is pretty impressive. Net spend is only one metric and not necessarily the most important one.

No, there was "more to it" than whatever the evil press/evil ref/evil footballing authorities said. They all had a collective anti-Saints agenda you know.

We've made a surplus. Good. Well done Saints. I think we've got the squad to finish mid table and go for it in the cups. Happy days all round. Well done Les, Ronald and the whole club.

But of course. If we'd lost or even drawn on Sunday you'd gave been all over this forum like a scabby rash. I know it, you know it, we all know it. Let's see how your mobile phone battery survives next time we don't win.

At the point of him leaving Liverpool he becomes precisely the kind of player we don't buy. Bloated, big club cast offs on huge wages and questionable desire. Perfect Sunderland/WBA/Stoke fodder.

Agree with your sentiments, nice read. Assuming you are using this blog as practice for a career in writing, my only suggestion would be to try and adopt a more natural, conversational style - it's a blog after all. At the minute it reads a little too much like a solicitor's letter with a few too many uses of "furthermore". And it's safe to assume the vast majority of people reading this will be Saints fans so there is plenty of stuff you won't need to bother explaining - you're not writing an introduction to Southampton FC for the BBC world service. Get to your opinion. Anyway, I liked it and nice to read sensible balanced analysis.

But of course. Presumably there was the mother of all U16 tournaments between September and December 2014 when our phenomenonal run of former coincided with barely a peep from you.

He came up from the Netherlands Then from Celtic too-oo Always thought that we were sh it Until we signed you-oo You're so fine And you're mine Better than Nathaniel Clyne Oh you make me feel Oh you ma-aaake me feel We'll win three-two [Clap clap clap clap clap] Like a Virgil... [etc]

Chim chimminy chim chimminy chim chim cher-ree Virgil Van Dijk he fuc king hates Pompey Chim chimminy chim chimminy chim chim cher-roo He plays for the Saints and he's coming for you

Do the Championship still have the emergency loan window thing that opens next week? I didn't think Reed would go and I am pleased he hasn't. I'm hoping he may have played himself into the first team by the end of the season, in advance of Victor being flogged to Tottenham next summer.

It kind of works for us, Romeu has had a decent apprenticeship and comes to us ready to play. For Chelsea, though, you do need to ask what the point of it is. They'll buy in front line players anyway, hardly any of these kids ever break through. Genuinely they needn't bother.

All being well, he'll probably be a thirty million quid player in two years time. We cash in, you cash in, we buy another Celtic player. Keep them coming!

Passion for what? He never ever comes across as someone who actually wants us to succeed. He just wants to spit bile at the club. His remarkable disappearing act from the match thread on Sunday - posting merrily about how sh it we were until we scored and then disappearing for the rest of the day - shows he is an attention seeking troll who wants to seeth and hate but never enjoy or celebrate.