Matthew Le God

John Voysey ‏ @brummieagent After last night's display #Saints are preparing for a double-swoop of #BCFC's young talents Jordon Mutch and Nathan Redmond. https://twitter.com/#!/brummieagent

If that is true, wouldn't the creditors would be better off voting against the CVA and the club being liquidated?

Can't you just tell us?

They will be all on http://www.firstrowsports.eu pretty much, including all the 3pm Saturday kickoffs. Nothing beats being at the stadium though.

The Man City way is just one way of doing it. Newcastle haven't spent anywhere near £300m to achieve a Champions League push. Just look further down, Leicester City threw more money at the Championship than Saints did yet they ended up in mid table and Saints were promoted. Money doesn't guarantee success. - Newcastle got Cisse for £9m and Ba was on a free transfer. So £4.5m on average for two very good strikers. They are 5th. - Liverpool got Carroll for £35m and Suárez for £24m. So £59m for those two players. They are 13 points behind Newcastle in 8th. Yes, you will need some money to support a Champions League push or Championship promotion, but good scouting and good management at board and 1st team level goes a long way!!!

I didn't say that. They still make up the highest %, but it has significantly dropped in the last 20 years particularly since the Premier League started. The other groups I mentioned have risen in % significantly.

How many more times, I said ambition AND resources. The resources required to sign top players back then was not a huge amount more than for an average player, there isn't the gap there is today. Liebherr and Cortese have high ambition like in the early 80's at Saints but also resources on another level to that of the early 80's.

It is certainly less than in any other decade of the last 120 years. Family stands, corporates, middle classes, children, woman etc etc all take up far higher % of the crowd than ever before. He is right as well about the area, Hampshire is relatively affluent compared to many other areas in England.

What point are you trying to make? You are providing evidence of Southampton able to sign very high quality players and finish 2nd in the top flight. You are doing all of this whilst trying to support an argument that Saints can never compete at the highest level. Yes, Williams joined Arsenal, but one player leaving doesn't take away the high league finishes and high quality internationals joining Saints. You seem very confused...

Just ideas at the moment and if they do happen it will be many years away...

I said ambition and resources. Not just one but both. The resources needed to sign players in the early 1980's were relatively tiny even if Shilton and Keegan were on large wages for the era. I hope you weren't one of the people that used to criticise me for using old data to support my point. You are now going back over 30 years!

Lowe's Staplewood in 1998 is completely different to Cortese's Staplewood as it will be in 2013. Vastly different in scale, capital expenditure and ambition. St Mary's is merely a mid sized Premier League stadium, Lowe had little ambition beyond that. His initial ambitions were to build a 25,000 stadium at Stoneham, that clearly was far too small. Cortese on the other hand is building a training ground that wouldn't look out of place at a Champions League club. He has also stated his ambition to see St Mary's to be 45k+. Cortese has ambition far beyond Lowe settling for mid table in the Premier League. And so far Cortese has backed his ambition with success on the pitch and bricks/concrete etc off the pitch.

Whilst still at The Dell, which was significantly holding them back from progressing any more. Plus as you have just stated, a club like Saints have been capable of finishing 2nd, signing the current European footballer of the year and the World's best goalkeeper - albeit 30 years ago but you were the one that brought it up not me! You really aren't helping your argument here.

Who knows? I don't and you don't. However things like unveiling £15 million training ground improvements and category one academy plans whilst a League One club does suggest Cortese has both high ambition and high resources. So if he believes Saints can compete towards the top, why so much doubt in him, he has put down a lot of evidence in the last 3 years that show a lot of substance. Remember... I'm not the one ruling things out completely. But Cortese has done little to suggest so far he is merely full of hot air. Take a trip to Staplewood if you want to see ambition backed up with resources.

Ambition and ambition plus large wealth are two different things. Keegan wasn't on huge money (in comparison to today) and largely came because of Lawrie and a few other mates he had in a strong Saints side.

He left in 1984 whilst Saints were at The Dell and not owned by particularly wealthy and ambitious people. Again, not a like for like comparison.

If the Liebherr estate and Cortese really show some ambition then I wouldn't rule it out as quickly as you have. Announcing a £15 million training ground development on par with some of the best in world football and category one status academy whilst in League One is quite ambitious is it not?

- Shearer, the Wallaces and Davies were sold whilst Saints were at The Dell with little investment from the owner. - Bridge was sold whilst at St Mary's, by Rupert Lowe who didn't have much in the way of ambition and certainly not the resources available to meet those ambitions. Again, not like for like comparisons.

Were Saints a Premier League club when they sold Bale, Walcott or Chamberlain? Did any of them have Premier League experience? With Saints now back in the Premier League if they are forced into selling young players the price will be higher, that can then be reinvested into the squad.

I don't know if you noticed, but Saints have been in tier 2 and tier 3 of English football for the last 7 years which is 50% of the time the academy has existed. So not a like for like comparison.

So one player. Impressive.

Name some Sunderland academy products.

Great minds...

Wolves knocked down the Stan Cullis Stand in May 2011 and had people watching a game vs Spurs in the lower tier of the new stand in September 2011. http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/wolverhampton-wanderers-fc/2011/09/09/wolves-get-go-ahead-to-open-new-stan-cullis-stand/

I think Bolton will be less of a threat in the league and transfer market than QPR will be to Saints next season.