Gordon Mockles

Agreed. As long as a player or arrives before the window shuts, we should be ok. I've been considering all this Leeds interest and Bielsa talk. If Bielsa is so keen on Che Adams that Leeds have made him their number one target, it should give us enough reason enough to hang onto him. Bielsa is no fool. A genuine workaholic genius in my eyes. He has also shown recently that he's finding his feet as the winning goal at Leicester proved. If we cash in on Adams purely for the sake of money (with no upgrade) then we truly are an idiotic club. Losing Adams would be a big mistake. The more I reflect, the more I feel Leeds interest should alert us to the skills of Adams. He may not have scored but he’s been an important part of our turnaround, as has been Armstrong and Long Adams retains the ball really well & appears to have a good brain. We need to keep all of the above and concentrate on a proven CB and cover for full back positions in my opinion. Stephens & Bednarek have finally formed a convincing partnership, but I fear we still lack a really top CB to Marshall the defence properly. A commanding voice at the base of the midfield (address that in summer) should be our second priority. Full back positions are essential as we are always one injury away from a crisis. If key players in key positions in which we are thin in depth (i.e. Ings, Soares or Bertrand), we could easily slip back into the doldrums. Just a thought. That is all. I was also trying to be concise

I remember similar being said a few seasons back which deferred through multiple, virtually inactive, transfer windows until the last summer which was lauded as the big rebuild and we barely even bolstered the defence so I won’t get overly excited. I’d have liked to have seen some decisive action by mid January yet still no movements. Let’s hope things are quietly progressing in the background due to the sensitive nature of football (and some forum members, with ‘members’ being the operative word) I’m still keen on Maehle above others. Unsure why. Just seems more PL ready.

That post is extra long because of all the players in the transfer list, M’kay?

I once brought up a similar thing about the television money which is around circa 130 million for a club in the lower part of the table. I was systematically harangued for it by the club accountants, told that wages took up everything. It may well be as it’s the largest outlay of all PL clubs but I definitely think there is some form of disparity considering we made a profit on certain players (we have asset stripped & cleared out a lot of players and put all previous or overspending blame on an individual which im not totally comfortable with), we made profit in the league, the television money is a big wedge & I have no idea about sponsorship and marketting revenue. I appreciate marshalling & police on match days and the operating costs of a Premier League football club are very high and I’m just asking the question before you ritually start going apoplectic. I’m talking layman’s accounting from a distant overview but there does seem to be a disparity in some of the large figures quoted and transfer budgets cited (or not applied) We brought in Adams, Danso, Djenepo and Ings (earlier agreed loan in 18/19). A worrying lack of defenders which was the glaring problem. Danso does not even start. We cleared out so many players then still purported to the echo we need to sell to be able to buy. Granted, we put out a lot of loans but I’m sure some of those loans involved fees if we are happy to pay out 3.5 million loan fee for a defender that doesn’t even play. We shed: Matt Targett Aston Villa Aston Villa £13.95m Sam Gallagher Blackburn Rovers Blackburn £5.04m Charlie Austin West Bromwich Albion West Brom £3.87m Mario Lemina Galatasaray SK Galatasaray Loan fee: £900k Steven Davis Rangers FC Rangers Free transfer Jordy Clasie AZ Alkmaar AZ Alkmaar Free transfer Jack Rose Walsall FC Walsall. Loan Josh Sims New York Red Bulls NY Red Bulls Loan Fraser Forster Celtic FC Celtic Loan Mohamed Elyounoussi Celtic FC Celtic Loan Guido Carrillo CD Leganés CD Leganés Loan Wesley Hoedt Royal Antwerp FC Royal Antwerp Loan Jake Hesketh Lincoln City Lincoln City Loan Harrison Reed Fulham Loan Season before that: Manolo Gabbiadini Sampdoria £10.71m Dusan Tadic Ajax £10.26m Cédric Soares Inter Loan fee: £450k Florin Gardos CS U Craiova Free transfer Jérémy Pied LOSC Lille Free transfer Ryan Seager Yeovil Town Free transfer Jake Hesketh MK Dons Loan Josh Sims Reading Loan Harrison Reed Blackburn Loan Steven Davis Rangers Loan Sam McQueen Middlesbrough Loan Jordy Clasie Feyenoord Loan Sofiane Boufal Celta de Vigo Loan Ryan Seager Telstar Loan Guido Carrillo CD Leganés Loan Wesley Hoedt Celta de Vigo Loan Jake Hesketh Burton Albion Loan Stuart Taylor Retired - We need to start seeing some transfers coming in or serious questions need to be asked of our board and the board apologists can whistle if they think any media propaganda will wash. I appreciate some of the outgoings are loans but they aren’t available to Ralph (unless recalled, like Sims) In case the bedwetters moan, the incoming players for the 18/19 season were: Jannik Vestergaard Bor. M'gladbach £22.50m Mohamed Elyounoussi FC Basel £16.20m Angus Gunn Man City £10.17m Stuart Armstrong Celtic £7.16m Reading the fee paid for Vestergaard is depressing. Ings was a loan at this time so you decide which season you attribute the spend to but we have stripped our squad down massively so it is fair to say, we should expect additions but I’m sure the apologists will bang on about our glut of central defenders & senior pros despite a handful being out of contract in the summer including Yoshida, Hoedt, Long and Soares and we will then we really will be absolutely threadbare. In Ralph we trust. In everyone else, I have distrust and suspicion. I want to know who our record transfer is that cost £28.98 million? Ings?!

I think that’s about right. The only club in the league to make a profit and the only club in the league to go into three successive relegation battles with pretty much the same defence. Some may call it abject neglect while others may call it making a profit and operating a successful, fluid, well run business. Others may call us idiots for expressing any form of dissatisfaction because we know nothing and we have to assume everything in the background going on is brilliant and progressive and ambitious. Don’t ever display signs of inherent negativity.

I’m going by Ralph favouring Soares who openly said he’s leaving so it illustrates Ralph lack of faith in Valery & I personally think he tackling and tracking is cr*p, which is fairly important for a defender. He can be good going forward & play some decent passes but that’s not enough to be classed a good FB. I think replacing Soares with a better, ball winning, high energy RB is high on the club’s agenda.

Yes. Almost every post but I’m not very good at it

Are you serious? After Leicester Ralph seems to have totally lost faith in him and I can understand why. Most of the pundits indirectly pointed out Valery’s frailties and while it may be unfair to make him the scapegoat for the worst performance in my Saints history, he was largely responsible for a hatful of the goals and he cannot mark or track people whatsoever. He needs some crash courses from Martin Keown in marking. He’s alright going forwards but I don’t think anywhere near the quality we need in defence and the flanks. Maybe he’ll be intensively coached and make a miraculous come back as he isn’t without ability but for the replacement of Soares, we should be aiming much higher. An old-fashioned full back that can go forward but actually track players & make decisive interceptions & last ditch tackles.

If he was crap or got injured then I would not want to buy the player. Luckily Ings hit form at the most important time but I’m over the comment now so I wouldn’t dwell on it too much

Of all the rumours going around, Che to a Leeds and the Arsenal kid to us could have some weight. Adams talk seems more than just a rumour due to the extent of coverage. It has been banded around the press a lot. Heard that Nketiah is being recalled by Arsenal as Leeds weren’t giving him enough game time. Not new news. But, could we off load Che to Leeds & bring in this Arsenal guy instead who could be better? He scored on the final day of the season for Arsenal and looks ready for a full season of first-team football, apparently. Southampton could offer him regular minutes at the top level so they are saying. It could possibly be good business as the transfer chain is a triangle between Leeds, Saints & Arsenal. Nketiah is being recalled from Leeds & we would be reliant on Leeds taking Che and reliant on Arsenal loaning or selling us Nketiah. I would hope our club would have enough sense to not allow Che to go until the Arsenal player was guaranteed. This Arsenal guy sounds capable and just our kind of profile. We don’t often sign from PL clubs (Ings, Romeu, Bertrand, etc were which seems contradictory but the majority in recent years have been Scotland and Europe). Was Long signed when Hull were in the PL? Have a feeling they were championship but it was a long time ago.

It’s all very strange. Perhaps Ralph lost his Austrian calm & went all Osvaldo on Che for not scoring & Adams arrived to training with studs in his face?! Something doesn’t add up but I’ll be happy if he was sold for an upgrade but there’s absolutely no guarantee of anything with our current board. We have yet to see this lauded effort behind-the-scenes but I’m sure some will froth at the mouth at the mere suggestion of cynicism based on behaviour. Try not to speculate or offer any conjecture as the forum ultras might set you on fire!!

I'm torn about Adams. Thought he had turned the corner and Ralph has stated he doesn't want the move but if the player's head has been turned....we know how that can end. If we had an upgrade in mind, then I have no issue whatsoever (if we landed them or didn't allow a move without confirmation of an incoming striker as allegedly happened with the defender chain of events last season if Danso "was" the original target). Knowing our luck, the team have finally turned the corner and the manager will walk for being undermined. Like having the best type of owner (Markus) and then having our poor benefactor pass away unexpectedly. However, whether we are after Bowen, Gayle or any unknown quantity we haven't seen linked, to lose Adams with the risk of injury to Ings and having merely Obafemi and Long as back up could be suicidal but I don't think even Saints would be that stupid. If Adams does go and the club are merely cashing in for the sake of revenue, then we truly are idiotic but seeing as none of us know or will be privy to this, I guess we wait to hear what comes out in the wash. Doesn't hurt speculating so try not to get a nose bleed. That's part of the transfer window fun. Best part of the football manager games!!

Stinking to a formation and centre back pairing and learning, finally, his best 11. I think whoever coached the b**llocks out of the defence deserves special merit as the turnaround is unprecedented.

That’s lame. We paid 3.5 million loan fee for Danso. I don’t like us being stung but if we are, we at least do the same to others as they have the need. Not us. Not sure this move is wise. If we sign Bowen, I retract that caution

None. Next question. I am not a psychologist but how many times are you smug or patronising in a week?

:lol: I hope the comment you quoted is Matt Crocker, Semmens or Sibley or someone at the club as a genuine, balanced fan from the terraces should understand opinion and fan discord at the very least. If you don’t understand that, then your opinion is of no interest Archangel. Is your name code for being a welder? Not you Turkish! We have only recently made a miraculous recovery and a brilliant change of form which, if you had read beyond the blinkers, I had commended the club for. We are still not clear of the woods and we still desperately need full backs. I am not alone in pining for that. It could make or break us. Look at what happened to Bournemouth with a series of injuries. That’s having foresight and a sense of realism as opposed to negativity and being pessimistic to suit a short sighted and alternative view. Every club in the Premier League have the same sort of reaction on the forums during transfer windows only not many clubs in the league make a profit year on year yet withhold transfer funds from the manager, stating he has to sell to be able to buy. Not many clubs put so much time and effort into sculpting social media but I guess you don’t need to when you actually give the club an adequate transfer budget and run the club competently and transparently. I do believe that we have a small transfer budget - or a war chest if you work for ‘Sensation Relations - Premier South Coast’ office. I do believe that we are doing something, just for the record. Contrary to our angel of dearth, I just believe it’s less than the dolts fantasise. Certain walks of the coaching staff at Saints have made remarkable progress over the last month but that doesn’t change my disatisfaction with the ownership and apparent underfunding. I don’t know much about the owners - who does - so I can only judge them by their actions and since they appear mute, disinterested and have neglected the club to the point of relegation, nor have the time or capacity to speak to the fans, they leave themselves open to criticism. They have panicked and sparked into action now but before then, our entire board were jollying in China while we were sleepwalking towards relegation. If the owners don’t like that, don’t buy an English Premier League club. I imagine the criticism is much worse in London. I will always criticise when criticism is due, especially where I perceive a divisive, dishonesty agenda misleading decent, honest people. If you believe I’m wrong or you don’t believe it, that’s your opinion. Simply ignore. Or attack that opinion if you’re more autocratic and controlling. Reading the subtext of our club sycophant, you are assuming I know nothing about the club, I know no-one within the club and I don’t have any contact within football. I know nothing about you, don’t need nor want to but I won’t make any assumptions. I will speak openly and freely. I like talking about Saints related matters, especially in transfer windows. Harsh club criticisms are no big deal to any fan so I question those who get so upset by scary adjectives. Skip past them as I do to boring people in a pub or on here. Go chat to a different group who are inherently more interesting and amusing. Some items I mention have a negative slur but I’m just reacting to the media spin which emanates from somewhere. It seems certain ‘groups’ don’t like that and a small array of posters try to attack that view but, it’s a football fan message forum. You really shouldn’t be that bothered as you have surely suffered in the stands and would understand frustration. If you sat in the stands two months back and listened to those fickle views, you’d realise any forum views are Child’s play in comparison. If you don’t like club criticism, perhaps you have a different agenda and you’re trying to influence opinion rather than engage it. I’m not concerned but, I don’t like to make assumptions about fans/people I don’t know but the club is a different matter. I’m hopeful we are doing at least something to bring in one or two defenders and I’m content with that. I have a cynical side based on the last three or more transfer windows and that’s totally fair enough. Seems the club or a small selection of fans do not like alternative or dissenting voices and that is their prerogative. We still just about live in a democracy so we have free speech (apparently) and fans can, thankfully, freely rant and criticise. Accept it or don’t read it and go elsewhere. No one is forcing you to read all the comments nor respond. People can always go to reading the tabloids, scripts or doing sudoku. In this country we still have the wonderful freedom of choice...just. If you don’t remember (with your short and biased memory) we were heading - under Pellegrino - to the championship and our entire board (Ralph K, Les, Kat, the Gao’s, etc.) went on a jolly to China while we were careering towards the Championship. That abject neglect to the club sticks in my mind and if that doesn’t deserve criticism in your world, I don’t know what does. Everyone has different standards of what they will accept from a football club. I didn’t want to bring up past failings of our board and give the minions more fuel to post critiques of a negative mindset on my part but until our board do something worthy of praise, then they will only be judged as good as their last game. No pun intended. I’ve no idea who is responsible for our change in fortune defensively (which I have posted on more than one occasion) so I can’t compliment the board and I am reticent to do so until I have evidence that they have done something positive that correlates directly to them. I believe the owners and the football club operate on a totally different platform. Respect is a 2 way road. I will never mind fans criticising a football club, nor should you. I don’t think it’s angelic being condescending or dismayed by fan opinion or disparaging criticisms of a football club. Especially a club with a chairman who has not fulfilled his initial misrepresentation & one whom has never engaged fans nor invested a penny. Actions like that deserve every ounce of criticism and those criticising those criticisms are even more questionable with their defensive manner and their agenda focusing so vehemently on people rather than the club as an entity. We were (and essentially still are) in a third successive relegation battle and do desperately need to sign a defender or 2. Anyone who believes that no content whatsoever or no rumour has been made by the club to the press to engineer expectations is an utter idiot. Perhaps you should read the following article and educate yourself rather than wind yourself up on football forums https://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/334/language-of-mass-deception For the record, I don’t mean to type as much and digress. I much prefer the interesting stuff, transfer talk but, at Saints, not much has happened but as long as there are misguided criticisms & barbed comments aimed at me, I’ll defend my view. Apologies for the overly long response...again. (for the record, I get criticised for off topic comments by the board bigots which aren’t off topic while a debate trundles along about how far a player lives from the ground). I actually find it quite funny but I’m just making a point. This is what a forum should be like, random and varied and sometimes irrelevant but with people getting involved.

As will be the super Casino by the pier!

I agree, it’s much harder to displace a performing player and I do agree that Adams looked decent in preseason but I’m just making a point which is entirely valid. I think the break, personally, has done Adams good. I also think now we are on a more positive front, coaching and initiatives will have more benefit and probably the confidence in the management more effectively as it is very difficult to get people to believe in your vision when things are not going right as any cult leader will tell you. Ask around, I think a few post on here!!

Incorrect. Danny Ings was a loan with an obligation to buy. If I’m wrong on that, I have no issue with that being shot down. Seems a pretty ridiculous contract to agree to have a loan with an obligation rather than an option to buy. The appearances obligation is a common clause. I hope that wasn’t another Les Reed action, if true. Fortunately, I’m not arrogant enough to not admit fault and I don’t know that I’m wrong but I had a number of people saying similar things & I thought there might have been something in it. Still, at least the club expert minions may get a chubby over that if it’s wrong. Who cares anyway, Ings is on fire this season so I’m bloody glad we have him. I’ve liked him since day one. positive comment shocker. There must be something wrong with my inherent negativity switch!! Lol All of you long winded and critical posts are based on you having absolutely no information on what is happening within the club. You do not know what Mr Gao thinks, or what his intentions are with Southampton FC. You know nothing about what transfers are or are not going to take place and you do not know how much money has been allocated for transfers. You know absolutely nothing about what my posts are based on. Assuming anything is wildly presumptuous and as short sighted as you claim me to be. Fortunately, we are not in the House of Commons so we may be ok. I never professed to know. I just chatted & discussed football matters which is the general ethos of the forum I think Heir Angel. Conversely, Do you know Mr Gao? Do you know what’s happening within the club and do you know what the intentions are with Southampton FC? I’d be worried about any fan who knew too much about the transfer intentions of a premier league club during a transfer window. I think you’re missing the entire point of this thread and the website. In fact everything you write is based on what you think, what you feel and your in built negativity towards people within our club that you personally know nothing about. I think most people’s scrawlings & writings are based on thoughts they actually thought and emotions they actually felt. Whilst some of the posts on this forum are highly questionable, I don’t think our club PR dept. have yet developed robots, autobots or artificial intelligence. I think some of the intelligence is artificial but not in the way you may think. Notwithstanding your post. ;o) It’s very difficult to write without those mechanisms, unless you’re a robot. It’s also very presumptuous to assume I have an inbuilt negativity towards the club. It’s more of an inbuilt intolerance of deceit, bigots and idiots but I’m responding to you so I’m at least making progress. The fact that the whole club are now making an immense effort to correct previous mistakes and create something that may well turn out to be quite special is being done on a sustainable basis. You are wrong to accuse the club of breaking promises when the club have made no promises, other than to do the very best it can in an incredibly competitive league. Since we know nothing about this speculative comment and whether it’s as outlandish as the club’s PR departments grip on reality, it will be tricky for even the best spokesman to sell zero investment in the club as “immense effort to create previous mistakes”. I don’t think I’m going to be pole vaulting around on a chubby just yet but I’ll definitely give the club credit when we see the fruits of their labour. Incidentally, can you give me a link to the article where the club said about their intentions to do the very best they can in the league? I guess that’s a given but words mean nothing (other than on this forum) and actions divulge more. I don’t remember seeing many direct quotes from the club yet I clearly may have missed some. If I have, I’m not too big to admit my mistakes and I’ll adjust my view accordingly to all these people who managed to scout the media and unearth these counter quotes. The people involved with Southampton FC are working flat out to make it a success and rather than keep sniping at them perhaps you should get behind the club 100%. No one is perfect and no human being can be right all the time. Things go wrong and mistakes are made but throwing criticism at what the club is or isn't doing, based on nothing but your opinion, is pathetic and very tiresome. Not nearly as tiresome as you post criticising people criticising. I put people like that in the same band as reformed smokers and zealous vegans. I support the team and manager and those that need to be supported. Words on a football forum have very little impact so it is odd to provoke your abuse but it’s your view. Fortunately, opinions vary. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone deserves forgiveness (within reason) but don’t give me this angelic cr*p that clubs are some sort of mother Theresa. I love football but there is also an ugly inside to the game and everyone knows that & that’s not dwelling on negativity that’s looking at the light and the dark. Just save the sanctimony. There are very positive things happening within the club that can not be made public. No company holds its management meetings in public when it discusses future development or other sensitive matters. Southampton FC are no different. I have no doubt there is and I was never under any illusion otherwise. When I see this elusive ambition and success, I will join in with the fanfare. Heart on your sleeve debate and fickle comments are what preside over a football club and if you take it too seriously and deliberate too much, you really probably shouldn’t follow football. Never sit in the stand on a match day if club owner critique & boardroom animosity pulls on your heart strings, your head will explode!!

Ralph did it with Adams over an experienced and much more reliable player in Ings so it is not beyond the realms of possibility.

Don’t think I can be put in your league.

Don’t quote me on that. I was told by a couple of sources &, really, I should do my due diligence and ask around and check but it seemed plausible as we spent out while under the ownership of an owner determined to not part with a single penny. Was a lot of money and had all the hallmarks or a Les ‘agreement’. Had anyone heard about this? I thought it was common knowledge.

:lol:

What isn’t relevant, someone correcting one of the many misapprehensions on this board? How do you know we will even sign this guy and even more so, how do you know future team selections? That’s even more mystical. TWarstradamus! What with Egg having the inside info on the club budget and wage bill and others a direct line to the transfer targets and wage capacity, some members of this board really do have their finger on the pulse which is even stranger when you consider so many of the assertions never come to fruition yet so many criticise opinions outside of their own, many of whom aren’t even making predictions based on logic. Oh well. Time will tell. Just because someone is on the books of PSG, doesn’t mean they’re necessarily good or suited to the rigours of the Premier League.

Ideally it sounds sensible but this option hasn’t been well used by our current board whom are naive at best. Not helped none of them know football. Under that proviso, Danso should be returned since they won’t play him or play him in position?! He doesn’t figure but didn’t we pay an extortionate loan fee of 3.5 million for him? We never intended to sign Ings as we had. We made a mistake and played him as a sub which knocked us over the limit and activated the obligation to buy. So our biggest success from this season, Ings, stems from an alleged mistake by the club in how we manage & operate our loans.