Matthew Le God

Let's not rule him out completely. If he avoids injury (that is a big if), he could be very useful next season. Stewart and Larios playing for the under 21s today...

Stewart and Larios playing for the under 21s today...

The books do not need to be balanced in isolation so that every season you break even. You can take losses. The football financhial rules work on a rolling cycle over 3 seasons. That doesn't force players sales after a relegation, quickly bouncing back solves a lot of issues. The issue comes if you do not get a quick return in one or two years, like we had last time.

I provided a link to the source where it can be seen by anyone on this forum with a subscription. What would lying about what the link shows achieve when it is open to be verified as saying so in the Athletic article? 🤔 Here is the Echo reporting on the Athletic story... https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/23521496.southampton-players-reportedly-40-per-cent-wage-reduction-clause/

I'm not going to buy you a subscription! 🙃

Yes it is. It is the name of the source. You did not ask for a link. Here is a link... https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4449788/2023/05/13/southampton-relegation-premier-league-sport-republic/ It is from 2023, but relegation wage reduction clauses are standard practice across the industry. They won't have stopped using them for subsequent contracts, especially given how we were always likely to be potentially facing another relegation.

Reasons explained here... https://www.ilgiorno.it/milano/cronaca/inter-southampton-tifosi-9dcb4101

The Athletic

Because what Chez said is nonsense. Of course auto relegation reduction clauses are a form of cutting cloth. The club will know some players will leave for big money because they want PL football and big wages.

1) He was not signed from Hoffenheim 2) Why put him on the bench rather than another player if there is no intention to play him?

Taylor was on the bench vs Bournemouth.

Cloth is automatically cut with 40% relegation wage reduction clauses and aided with parachute payments.

Those statements are not in conflict. I think Ramsdale will leave because he will want to leave.

Any decent keeper with that description will want/need regular gametime and not playing second fiddle in the Championship. It is for good reason 2nd and 3rd choice keepers are often old. I'd be very surprised (but happy) if Ramsdale is our keeper in the Championship. I think 1st choice is more likely to be Bazunu, with older keepers as backup. So probably McCarthy and Lumley again.

What profile of player do you suggest for a backup keeper in the Championship if not McCarthy?

Because they and other recently relegated clubs haven't needed to. It is evidence to show what I said about relegation wage reduction clauses and parachute payments mean there is no desperate need to sell. Relegated clubs sell players because those players want to leave, not financial pressures.

Players have large relegation wage reduction clauses circa 40% and the club have parachute payments to cover the then reduced PL contracts in the Championship. We don't need to sell those players for financial reasons, they will leave because they'll likely want to go to clubs that offer them a higher level of football and better wages than if they stayed. Last season after relegation Burnley, Sheff Utd and Luton didn't sell £100m of players last season to 'make up for losses'. Because they also have parachute payments and would have reduced player wages due to contract clauses.

Exactly!

I did not call Exeter a town. It is a city. Both Southampton and Exeter are accessible from the sea only if you pass through river estuaries. If you won't include Exeter City, then Exmouth Town is on the coast. Saints won't drop below them. Plymouth and Torquay are coastal. Saints aren't going to drop below Torquay in league standings.

For the Championship... the vast majority of them For the Premier League... a small handful

How many of their players would you want in our squad? A handful of good results doesn't make them better than us or paper over how far they are behind on player quality. Even in the unlikely scenario of us below Pompey next season how would we be the lowest ranked on the South Coast next season when Devon (Exeter, Plymouth, Torquay) is on the South Coast or other clubs on the coast?

Are you sure you are going to the correct stadium? Blocks are numbered, not lettered at St Mary’s. That might explain the lack of Saints fans!

Would need a lot of bridge building given the circumstances of his departure. Fell out with the owners and they were extremely unhappy with how he left.

Similar would happen at every stadium in those circumstances, yet many Pompey fans think it doesn't at Fratton Park. They are delusional and believe their own Ports-Myths of a mythical loyal and noisy fanbase! 😁