CanadaSaint

Redslo, a quick question for you - some clarification based on how I read (or perhaps misread!) your blog. Is it fair to say that if we can hang-in-there this year, without a major spend on transfer fees, we'll be very well set in the following year and enjoying a salary cap benefit for some years to come? In other words, is there a significant "short term pain (loans rather than buys) for long term gain (salary cap enititlement)" equation at work here?

Maybe they just did. Redsio - a new arrival on the forum today - might just be a conduit for this kind of vital information, in a similar way to Guan. We're seeing far more of this informed stuff coming "out of the blue" than we ever saw under Lowe or Cortese, which to me might be more than a coincidence. I certainly don't mean that suggestion as an insult to Redsio - I'm just delighted to see someone who knows what they're talking about when it comes to FFP and football finances; it's far more helpful and interesting than the mindless, repetitive, knee-jerk piffle that infests so many topics. Anyway, Redsio, welcome. Excellent blog BTW.

A few questions for those who are most critical of the Board - and especially those who are annoyed that we're signing players on loan rather than buying them, and those who seem to want us to spend the 70-90 million this summer: If we're unable to sign our first (or second) choice players, for whatever reason, doesn't it make more sense to go with loanees where we reasonably can rather than blow the money on second or third choice players players who may not fit long-term with where we're going or Koeman's tactical style? Wouldn't we be better to go with more of a holding pattern for now and keep a decent chunk of the 70-90 million up our sleeves to spend wisely when we're under less pressure? Wouldn't such a policy reflect a better long term plan for the club than the notion of spending the bulk of the money now, just for the sake of it? (It seems rather ironic that Katharina and the Board may be showing more concern for the long term best interests of the Club than most of those who are denouncing them and accusing them of asset stripping, wanting to sell and so on.) Sure, I'm nervous about the season ahead - but also fairly optimistic; our midfield engine room is reasonably intact and we've added some good players who might well be improvements on some that we've lost. A high quality CB (ideally two) would make the picture much rosier. And Yes, I completely agree that the Board made some serious errors during the early summer, but that's no reason to keep blindly haranguing them when they may actually be doing the right thing now.

I'd agree with St Chalet's list as well (although I'd regard a quality second keeper as a major gain on last year - in quality, depth and probably points terms), and I agree with egg that we could do with some attacking width. I'd be very surprised if we don't have all of them when the window closes, so - after weeks of "wtf is going on?" - I'm actually starting to look forward to the season.

True enough (and I'd add the 'keeper to that list), but the way we played - with most of the team's bite coming from the centre of the pitch and with the "full backs" bombing forward - made that a less relevant concept. The "spine" for me has become more the tactical base than a positional one. The early signs are that we'll play in a similar way this year, but with more positional discipline (and a little less magic) than Lallana offered.

I didn't know that was a prerequisite.

I don't think we have lost the spine of our team. Although Lovren is a big loss and will take some replacing, the spine of our team was really its engine room - the midfield, which remains almost intact. And I think JWP will be more of a factor under Koeman than MP allowed him to be. Lallana, for all his talent, was often a bit of a fart in a thunderstorm - tactically speaking. I think we can replace him (and perhaps already have) with someone who may be less talented but is more reliable in chance-creation, and I'd be amazed if we don't see more open-play goals from Rickie's replacement(s). And that, for me, was last year's story - failing to convert possession into points. That and not having the squad depth when the injuries hit. Depending on the last pieces in the recruitment jigsaw, and Koeman's skill at creating good chemistry fairly quickly, I can see us building from a slower start than last year but ending with more points.

Jeez, the guy paid us a respectful compliment.

Good signing with a big "upside" - still only 24 and the chance to get back to the level he was at not so very long ago. Defends pretty well and pacy pushing forward (and getting back). This takes a little pressure off the Board and buys them some time to pursue the quality we're supposedly seeking in some other positions. But, of course, there's no pleasing some of the folks who overreacted like spoilt kids yesterday.

For those who sympathize with Schneiderlin and point the finger of blame at the Board, let's not forget that Schneiderlin was actually the first of our core players to start talking about leaving for a bigger club. That was after he was questioned about Arsenal's alleged inquiry last summer. Apparently they talked a fee very similar to the one that Spurs have allegedly pitched at us - that's the Spurs managed by Pochettino, who was very close to Schneiderlin. “Arsenal? I have a three year contract, then it will not be easy," he told RTL. "It is also my dream to one day play in a great club, so why not?” It's not beyond the realms of possibility that Schneiderlin is not so much the victim of the current situation but one of the causes of it. Sure, the Board have mishandled things (especially Reed IMO) but let's not lose sight of some key facts.

That sounds like they'll let him go in the January window but he stays for now.

This could get VERY interesting. Small club with tons of money in the bank that can afford to sit tight and strike a blow for football fans everywhere - a blow against greedy players and plundering big clubs. It's just what the sport needs. After what we've been though this summer, the support will come from all sides (other than some fans of the big clubs). I think it will be Morgan's nuts in a vice rather than ours, and I hope to god we hold the line.

The "line in the sand" drawn by Krueger today is far more important than Morgan's feelings - a crucial turning of the page. Let him vent if he has to, but then give Koeman some time to get his head right. All will work out.

Thanks, Enskied, for an excellent post and the thoughtfulness behind it. As fans we tend to personalize everything as "them against us, so screw them", so it's great to read your reminder that you lot are really just like us lot. And we're all rapidly becoming the victims of the game rather than the fans of it. I remember watching you at The Dell on a chilly evening in Division 2, not long before we signed Jimmy Melia and you went on to win everything in sight. Although we've both come a long way since then, I can't help but feel that a lot of the "soul" of the game from those days is now missing.

... the events of the past few weeks are not indicative of a Board that has lost control, but a Board that knows exactly what it's doing. I know that's a stretch (I'm not even sure I believe it) but hear me out. We have often said of the "Big Six" that they have more money than sense, but perhaps our plan is to succeed with more sense than money. There's no point in keeping disgruntled players, so the issue of whether we're a "selling club" is not really relevant and perhaps not even that important to a club like ours. What IS important in that situation is that A) we get "top dollar" for disgruntled players, B) we scout well and find quality replacements at value prices, and C) we have the incoming transfers lined-up before we let the outgoing players leave, so that we lessen the chances of being asked to pay inflated prices because we're perceived to be desperate and rolling in cash. IMO that's a realistic and credible business model for a club like Saints. Scout well, buy low, sell high (if you have to sell). And always keep the academy conveyor belt rolling and a top-notch scouting team. In fact, I'd say that's the only way we can function in today's world. The problem is that it's hard to sell that kind of rational concept to fans whose connection is not rational but emotional. Hence the recent silence from the Board. Although Pelle and Tadic look like excellent acquisitions, the only part we blew was a big one - failing to secure replacements before selling the core players, so we'll end up struggling to attract quality and we'll have to pay "over the odds" for it.

I've watched Krueger up-close for a number of years. He's a highly-principled man and a very decent guy. He didn't lie - his thoughts were expressed in the genuine belief that they were correct. It was the circumstances that changed, and his "football naivety" (plus Les Reed, I suspect) didn't help him much.

I suspect that they're taking the risk that we'll be able to keep him, because stemming the outflow is now more important than low-risk prudence. And that would be a good, tide-turning decision - for fans and for potential signings, don't you think?

Good post.

My "bottom line" for maintaining at least some optimism for the year ahead was keeping the core of our success - the midfield "engine room". So, for me, this is huge news. That engine room was at the root of things, supplemented by a decent back line and a front that (J-Rod apart) didn't create and convert chances very well. I can see Pelle and Tadic helping a lot with that problem. Still much to do but this is massive.

That from the guy who posted this yesterday:

I don't think it's laughable at all. If Pochettino had already decided he was going (probably after "unofficial" contact with Levy & Co, which may have pre-dated Cortese's exit), the sacking/resignation of Cortese provided him with the perfect excuse for walking out on his contract - and also an excuse for delivering unsettling messages to certain players. There's a hell of a lot we'll never know - not his week, not next year, never. And one of the things, I suspect, is the part Pochettino played in the events that have unwound this summer.

So far it's only been bent over with arse upraised.

What I find nauseating is that the very media that fuels the greed and disloyalty with their sycophantic pandering to the big clubs will now throw a ton of ink at sympathizing with Saints and lamenting the state of football. Hypocritical scumbags.

True, but A) Cortese was a veritable chatterbox compared to the current 'leadership' recently, B) if Cortese said something you knew he meant it, and C) there was always a sense of direction about the club. I haven't given up on this, but the longer Katharina stays silent the more doubtful I become that she's still committed and that we can get the ship righted for a decent season.

Yes, seriously, sonny. Just about the last thing you could ever call me is a bedwetter. If anything, I go too far in the other direction. But Markus's silence resulted from the fact that Cortese did all the talking (a fair bit of which was "he's not for sale"), and Katharina has spoken before to set to rest any unease about the club or her intentions. The longer she stays quiet now (because Reed's and Krueger's credibility are decidedly lacking), the more devoid of leadership and direction we appear to be. And the longer that continues, the more likely it is that she doesn't plan on being here long. The messaging isn't just important for the fans but for players we're targeting - with less than three weeks until season start. Right now we look like a basket case, and I can't see too many quality targets joining us unless someone (other than Reed or Krueger) injects some positivity and direction. If that viewpoint makes me a bedwetter, I guess I've crossed over into the dark side.