Turkish

Colin. I'll ask you again, do you think wearing one of your t-shirts to a match is damaging to the club?

But like all conversations it has developed into a wider issue about what we can offer top foreign players, If this was just about Osvaldo and news, then the thread would about 20 posts long.

Is any player at a big club guaranteed to start every week? Surely the whole point of having a good squad strong enough to play 38 league games and attempt to challenge for 3 cups you'd be looking at playing nearly 60 odd games, as well as internationals. I'd be concearned if I was joining a club and they were expecting me to play in every single game. At the big clubs they have good players in every position and more than one of them.

Would it be better for an Italian international to play for a top club in Italy during World Cup year, a top 5 club in England playing European football and likely challenging for the champions league or a midtable club in England?

Its not a huge leap to say that we've clearly made him a very attractive offer but his preference is a move to Inter or Spurs. inter isn't going to happen and its not really clear if Spurs are interested or not iit would appear that the Roma directors want him off the books. You wouldn't blame a foreign player for choosing Spurs over us would you, if they want him or not is another matter.

Its not an arguements just about Osvaldo though is it, its what would entice a player to us when we can't offer them European football or challenging for trophies. We are trying to compete with clubs that can offer this.

Who has that train of thought?

I don't know what you're whining about, nothing has changed in 33 pages so not sure why you think it would in 2.

Well I think they will. They've got a good squad and a very good manager, they've signed a striker they were misssing last season. They won't win the league but they'll finish 4th. IMO.

I think its another case of lost in translation, just like Ramirez money quotes, I've answered your point, you all bang on about the project, the dream the ambition etc, the reality is top players can get hat immediately from clubs we are competing with for the same players.

You think I dont know that? So naive.

Even the save our stripes protest shirt is plain.

What on earth are you going on about now?

Given that Spurs have made the champions league recently, have challenged for it for the last 3 years and finished in the top 5 for the last 4 seasons and are highly likely to be in the top 5 again this season, as an arrogant Italian striker, which most of them are, I'd think I'd be the man to fire them into the champions league. Can Saints offer that? Or just some vague promise that if this this and that happens, we might one day rival spurs for 4th spot, plus i can live in London rather than Southamp,err where? then its a no brainer.

But you all go on about 'the project' the chairmans ambition, the wonderful place Southampton is to live in. Here's news, top players can go to club that don't need 'a project' to make Europe, they are in it every season and if not, very close to it. These clubs are all great cities, not a small city with no redeeming features. Believe it or not, players aren't fighting each other to be lucky enough to join Sputhampton. Ad before anyone claims I'm having a go at the club I think its a fantastic place we are in and that we are outside of the top 5 or 6 clubs in England, thes best place for a player to be . But the reality is we are competing with the clubs just outside the top 4 In top European leagues for the same players so we have to offer them something to come here.weve come a long way in ashort time and have never been one of 'names' in football, so its no surprise foreign players are thinking twice before signing on the dotted line. This the reality folks, not what you want to hear but how it is.

If I was Italian I'd prefer Inter too. Its like an English player being given the choice of Liverpool or Sampdoria.

He should do, one thing we were missing last season (apart from two good centre halves) was a clinical striker.

So he's here for the money OR he's here because he wants to use us as a stepping stone to better things, Either way he ain't here because he always dreamt of playing for Sputhampton.

Like I said, the translators in EVERY newspaper must be wrong and you must be right. He said something else which all the translators in the entire western world mistook.

Well why not, people are claim Ramiez didn't really say what he did, that was down to translation. Players want ideally champions league football, trophies and money. If they can't have all three then its champions league and money. If they can't have both of them then its money. Now you tell me, how many of those 3 can we offer?

Nothing to be confused about. A player has said he's been made a great financial offer he can't refuse. Its finely simple. As is the FACT we can't offer players European football, challenging for trophies or a fantastic place to live, if looking a ponies and cream teas in Lyndhurst aren't your thing of course, so we have to make ourselves attractive. How do we do that? Well 'the project' is one way and also by putting our money where our mouth is and stumping up the cash. I don't have a problem with it, there Soccerball, it seems some of you lot do though.

So you're also claiming the translator got it wrong and Ramirez didnt say 'they give me so much money'

Why would a player chose Southampton over Liverpool and Spurs as it was claimed Ramirez did?

When a player is quoted as saying 'they give me so much money' then it gives a clue as to their motivation, no? Or maybe the translators are wrong and the journos made the quote up as has been claimed.

Err, it was a question numbnuts, not quoting you.