Saint-Fred

Lived the club for 40 years season ticket as Long as I can remember did nearly all always last year. Can't turn my back BUT I am fed up with football in general and no longer am I going to fight to get my 2 kids to support Southampton. All their mates support top 6 sides and one in particular Has a soft spot for Chelsea because all his mates support them. I have always taught them the joy of being a fan outside those few clubs. The agony but family togetherness it brings. Selling the occasional star was fine and expected but this is something else.how dare they send me that **** with my season ticket about saints fans when they were plotting to just sail us down the river? I will write my thoughts about what they have done this summer and hopefully they will send that out with all the cancellations? I may feel different with a change in ownership but KL is spoiling every legacy that her father built whether deliberately or through naively trusting some ****ing muppets to run the club for her. There is nothing in modern football outside the top 6 so next time one ask's for a top 6 team shirt I will Buy him one and get tickets to a couple of their games. At least then I won't have to look them in the eye and tell them why their heroes have left because some fat bird with no interest in football is currently raping our club. I am so hoping that tomorrow we spend 100 million and I look a total ****. However I am not going to hold my breathe as the silence from the club speaks volumes at present.

Yes Les keep "struggling" to get incoming deals over the line whilst managing to wrap up two outward deals in a day. He and the board are just incompetent fools who would never get another job at any other football team of any standing. KL hasn't a hope she may mean well but is residing over dark times. Every outgoing they allow without completing incoming deals will probably make them harder and , as it appears is happening ,more expensive as teams know we are easy game and desperate. Never known a club run like this. His empty words mean absolutely nothing as we have listened to a load ofb****e from him before which has proved to be false. What a ****ing ****

The analogy wih the Russian billionaire teams who don't get relegated when buying new squads doesn't compare to us as they buy players who command £100,000 plus a week even with our wealth we are not in the market for those standard of players. Even then they never win the league year 1! For an more even comparison QPR Cardiff Sunderland Swansea?etc are more realistic. Liverpool may have bought but can still field 10 of the last years first team should they choose so again not the same scenario. It is possible that we my sign enough quality to keep us up but it will rely on us getting probably 8 new players in the squad and performing. I am also sure they won't challenge for the title this year. Recent history shows our big money signings have not all made the step over without issues. However this time we can't afford that to happen. My point is we are truly taking a very risky strategy and with 3 weeks till kick off we are leaving it awfully late. If it works then RK should be manager of the season I just can't see how it can work. Don't forget every other team is strengthening too and planning to be out of the bottom 3 the difference is most of them know give or take a signing what there first team squad will be.

For me the difference is we are going to have to throw a team together. Adkins team was essentially the same core that took us from league 1 and been together years? You could argue Liverpool have the same issue however they could if they chose field 10 starters from the first 11 last year, we will not have that option so the new guys need to gel instantly. There were issues with our team last year such as our inability to turn possession into goals and a lack of pace to hit teams on the break. For me it's not a disaster changing things but we seem to be selling before we have replacements and this could mean we are more and more desperate for players so those high calibre recruits may become anyone who will come. Don't think it's a fire sale but we are walking a very thin line at the moment I just hope someone knows what they are doing so my fears are proved wrong. By the way it's now 3 weeks until we play Liverpool not 5.

I fear we will finish bottom, I just can't see how any club would imagine it can survive in the premier league by throwing a team together in the final 3 weeks of pre season no matter how much money they have. I would say QPR, Norwich, Cardiff and to a lesser extent Sunderland (who really should have gone down last season IMO) are good examples? RK can appear confident but he has no experience in the league to fall back on. Really wish I could see where those thinking we are going to be top half are finding teams who are going to be worse? Last year we had a great first 12 or 13 but really struggled when we got a few injuries. This year we are losing a number of those 13 and so far have replaced them with only 2 (exciting prospects to be fair) but who have not played in this country before. History is littered with sides who had turmoil and went down I am sure every other team are looking at us thinking we can be buried by Xmas.

All the time we have let more players leave than have come in we are in trouble, last year the squad depth was poor and cost us. I am struggling to see how having taken all summer to get two in ,we are expecting at least 4 in for the Liverpool game in what 2/3 weeks? RK must be on a really good wage to be here or some sort of holloway deal where he is on a cut of the transfer profit?

My message to KL You don't know what your doing so please sell. I am grateful for your fathers work and money but the appointments of Kruger etc show you have no idea Please go before you destroy us

The board are never in a million years going to let the new manager have 90 million to spend. they will take off the outstanding transfers (27 million) and what the family have put in (30 million) and the cost of the training ground. The new manager is likely to have a pot of less than 20 million if all those players are sold.

I can see why. We possibly will be in the worse position of any team starting in the prem next year. At least the promoted teams have a team which has played together and have in the last season got used to winning. We will have a new manager, likely to have lost the whole spine of the team and even if we buy in players they are not going to be any real quailty. What quality player would currently look at Saints as an attractive place to come and play football with the all the signs saying the rumours of departures are true?

I would argue with a few of those if you say Liverpool? They have had a great run this year but it is unlikely they will do 13 games on the bounce again next year. They have 1 world class player who will also be offered the chance of advancing to a team that really has a chance of winning the CL not just making up the numbers as Liverpool will next year Their other quality player is not getting any younger and their manager has just been shown up by the master. No doubt Liverpool are a step (or two) up from us but IMO they will not be much stronger than Man U next year-who will obviously be better than this year and not have to worry about the CL. City and Chelsea will never be any weaker than this year and arsenal will be there or there abouts. Liverpool will compete but those Liverpool fans who think the tide has turned and they will dominate for the next 20 years IMO are deluded- My point is if he goes Liverpool are not the only or best option IMO it's not the 80's where everyone wants to play for them anymore. How are their big signings from last summer doing now anyway?

Getting a bit off topic for a second (sorry for interupting all the everyone is leaving threads) andI know there have been threads about this before but we seriously need to get a song going for Dejan? Whatever we decide lets give it an airing on Saturday as practice so on the final day of the season we can give as many of our players their own song as possible, as recognition for some fantastic entertainment this year-whatever happens in the summer! My suggestion is: You are my Lovren My Dejan Lovren You make me happy each time you play we don't want Agger we don't want Terry but please don't take my Lovren away repeat it's an old recycled one again but sounds good when sung by a crowd and lasts more than 10 seconds....

Surely we are in pole position at the moment as he is under contract to us? It makes me laugh that two days ago he "had signed for Manchester United-definately" and now it's Liverpool. It shows the journos are guessing as much as us... Oh and yesterday "MoPo is going to Tottenham definate" but today they have approached Ajax... It's all speculation which is great when it's us lookign at players but when it's ours it's unsettling, I have faith that the club and MoPo and Adam will do whats best for all...if that's to leave it means we couldn't match their ambition and so be it. However I will not worry about this speculation with is obvious is currently guess work and I will listen to what the club say as that is fact. Anyway why go to Liverpool? they will struggle to be in the top 4 again next season whatever happens this season

It's down to just one game now so if you have purchased any other ticket- the cup games etc you can get one on your number now.

And swap them for the delights of Tottenham High Street?

In the position we are in this season, only 13 points needed to avoid relegation and not much chance of finishing many places higher, is there ever going to be a better opportunity to have a real go at the cup?

lol- the quality of players City have and he says Punch is the best he has seen??

Getting in the europa league (especially just for one season) doesn't make anyone more desirable- #not that bright

He has to be worth far more to us surely as our objective is 80% of the first team to be academy grown. The hit to that objective prohibits his sale (unless we have better in the academy)

But winning that cup hasn't made Swansea more desirable to join as a player has it? Swansea seemingly don't have any ambition to break into the top 4 they are happy with the prem league and maybe a cup run. Future ambition(and whether the player believes that will be fulfilled) is surely more important than joining a team that has won a cup (like Wigan have) as they are not likely to win another for a good number of years now?

oops accidently wiped and can't be bothered to re type

Good post and I like your linked idea !

Hmmm you know I can't! But in the lower leagues there was a few more in that vicinity so the point sort of the stands? Anyway its 19 games at home v 6 away in the example and I never said they travel less to every game. Sorry if I made it sound like any fan is better or more deserving than anyone else it was not my intention!

I know many many do far more miles and deserve credit for that. I don't feel I do anything special and it's only 30 minutes anyway. I was just trying to point out that people travel for home games so just because someone can do more aways as they live up north do they deserve a ticket first? I can't see a fairer way than rewarding those committing to all the home games

That's sort of my point? Some people living in birmingham for example travel less to some away games than I do to home games(30 miles each way) so why should they have preference over me if they do 6 midlands away and I do all homes me going to home games requires as much outlay/time for me than them going to 6 games on their doorstep. That's why I think it has to be season ticket holders first.

Newcastle v leeds?