AussieDog

Yep. Let's also see how many new players some of the other premiership teams start with as well. I have a feeling Man Utd, Liverpool will have a similar number.I bet there are quite a few others too. Admittedly they will have some on board already but there is still a month to go of the transfer window and there is a hell of a lot of business still to be carried out. Of course it will be difficult, but I don't believe we will put out a bunch of kids and get hammered 8-0 in our first game either Last post of the day so will have to sit back and cop the flak now until tomorrow

My first new thread, but I'm sick of so much negativity (although to be fair I can understand it, but I just don't see the point in always assuming the worst). Here's my slant on the close season shenanigans SALES DEFINITES Pochetino - Over-rated, under-achieved (FFS we only finished 8th, yet most of our team will be playing in top 4 teams next year?). Lambert - Best days behind him. Leaves as a legend. Lallana - At his peak, but not a 90 minute player. Could have been a legend but soured his relationship with some stupid comments. Extracted maximum return for him. Shaw - Obviously a class player, yet still raw. For the fee received, we can get in an experienced, quality left back and still keep the path open for Targett when he is ready. Lovren - Mercenary. Good player but for the fee received we can get better. PROBABLE Chambers - The only one I'm really disappointed over BUT If the fee is to believed, then good business especially as we have Clyne and maybe, just maybe, there is talent waiting to come through (Stephens?) as backup Osvaldo - Good riddance, but would be quite happy to see him rot in the reserves unless we can con someone into stumping up 10 million. We don't exactly need the money, so happy with either outcome POSSIBLE Schneiderlin - a bit unknown but MAYBE he was promised last year that if he gave us one more season we wouldn't stand in his way if the right offer came along. Will be disappointed if he chooses Spurs, would understand if he joined Arsenal Ramirez - Could be the making of him if he stays, but equally, if we can get our money back, he could move on. Not exactly upsetting the team by selling him as he has only been a "bit" player so far anyway. POTENTIAL Jay Rod - Anything over 15 million for a player with his current injury would represent outstanding value, and doesn't effectively need replacing until January as he would have been out until then anyway NOT YET MENTIONED Wanyama - Has everybody forgotten him? To be honest he was one of the ones I expected to leave as he didn't seem all that keen coming here anyway. HAPPY TO SEE GO Mayuka - based on what he has shown so far not got enough for a Premier League team (even our current one). Sharp - Deserves better treatment, but if he was to spend the season on the bench I wouldn't be disappointed considering the current upheavals. Gazzanigga - blocking the way of the other younger goalkeepers for the 3rd spot and hasn't shown anything worth keeping to date. CONTRACTS OFFERED Fonte - Would like to see him sign it, but if we got 4 million would probably consider it a good deal. Cork - The "Nick Holmes" of the current generation. Vastly under-rated. Would be sad to see him move on, but maybe they consider Reed as a ready replacement. Of course, this is all assuming we get in another 4 or 5 (or 6...) top players (ie 10 million or more) to replace. I never thought I would see the day when Saints spend 80 million in a transfer window, but why not? We'd still be 50 million to the good based on the talk at the end of the season regarding the transfer budget for this season. TEAM FOR LIVERPOOL (not sure what formation but I guess that depends on who we buy) Boruc/Forster Clyne new new new JWP Cork new new Pelle Tadic SUBS Reed Stephens Boruc/Forster Isgrove Yoshida/Fonte Targett McQueen or Gallagher Of course we are in deep stuff if/when we get injuries or suspensions, but every year one or 2 step up and don't look out of place. why should this year be any different? Fire away all you haters....

Although I am disappointed with all the outgoings, I refuse to take off my rose tinted specs just yet. Why on earth get in an expensive management team (I am sure the Koeman brothers don't come cheaply!), and spend close to 20 million already, if all that is happening is that the club is being asset stripped ready for sale? It doesn't make sense to me. I'm happy to keep on topping up my half full glass at least for another couple of weeks, and still looking forward to my trip back in September for the Newcastle, Swansea & QPR games. Keeping the optimistic theme going...at least I shouldn't struggle to get tickets

We ha e some bitter c*cks on our forum don't we? Lol

I enjoyed every minute of watching him play for us and wish him well at Liverpool - but he's gone and he is of no interest to me whatsoever now after the way in which he has conducted himself over the whole affair

Although I'm disappointed to lose the talent, I can understand why he took the opportunity and realise that EVERY club is a selling club - it's just a matter of the price and I feel we got a fair price. However, based on what I have read,I do think he has acted like a primadonna over the whole affair. So what if the board were ignoring his calls? It was the close season and it was made clear they didn't want to do any business until after the world cup. The board are just as entitled to some "down" time as the players are. It's not as if it was going to make the slightest bit of difference in the long run. I can understand why he wants to ingratiate himself with the Liverpool supporters, but - as you have already said - he has done it in a disrespectful manner. The ridiculous full page advert in the Echo just made the matter worse. A 2 or 3 line statement plus a big picture of himself. We already knew what he looked like! What we would have liked would have been a denial of some of the more extreme accusations that were made against him, and a genuine (or at least genuine-sounding) statement in the same manner that Rickie Lambert did.

I wouldn't be surprised to see another 3 or 4 go, out of Ramires, Osvaldo, Wanyama, Lovren & Lallana now that Shaw appears to have gotten away. I think his move has opened the floodgates. The only one I would be really disappointed to go would be Lovren. There may even be more outgoing once Koeman has had a good look around, with the likes of fringe players such as Sharp, Hooiveld, Davis, Gazza, Mayuka, Isgrove (although that list is probably just wishful thinking on my part). Koeman is certainly going to be busy in the next couple of weeks and during pre-season. Assuming we only lose 3 or 4 of that first lot, then I think we'll see 4 or 5 in at a cost of close to 100 million, plus another couple from the development/academy stepping up into the first team squad. I think Reed, Gallagher, Targett +1 other will be in along with JWP & Chambers and there will be cameo appearances in the cups from the next crop as well (Rowe, Seager, Stephens, Turnbull, maybe even Sims). Seager had a poor season last year but I'm hoping that was just because of his injury problems. I always had a feeling he would be our "fox in the box" in a couple of years. I just hope one of the incoming is an established 20+ goal a season forward that really is keen on coming here. I always felt Osvaldo was always a disaster waiting to happen. It's certainly going to be an interesting season!

I'm undecided on whether it's in Saints best interest to let Lallana go. Everyone has a price. 25 million (minus the Bournemouth kick-back) is still extremely good business. I have always thought he would grow into a key premiership player, even when he was a skinny 16 year old in the ressies. His natural skill was always there to see, but it was whether he could cope with the physicality and pace of the game at the highest level. I think he is deceptively quick, especially over short bursts, plus he has that quickness of feet that allows him to bamboozle the opposition at times. He also work bloody hard most of the time. Replacing him is do-able, but I have no idea who with. I know he hasn't had the best of World cups, but maybe that isn't all his fault - maybe he has been playing to his coaches instructions. He excels in our pressing type of game and when he has the option of interchanging with other players. Didn't see too much evidence of that from the England team.

Do you think Lambert would have played the majority of games next season, or, would he have been on your list of players to replace/upgrade? Much as I appreciate everything he did for us and will miss watching him in some games next season, I was expecting us to upgrade that position in the Summer anyway. He was bought to do a job (basically get us to the Premiership) and he surpassed those expectations for 2 seasons. He leaves as a legend in my eyes.

If they do reduce the prices later, they could offer a sweetener by sending out "free" tickets to cup games for those who had already purchased at the original price. Of course, we may not get any home games and we may not take them seriously and get knocked out at the first attempt, but it would at least be a gesture and could potentially boost the crowd for the early cup games when we are traditionally poorly supported. Alternatively they could send out vouchers for the club shop for merchandise. Of course, they could have some balls and keep the prices, sign some top quality players and watch the fans come flooding back as we take the Premiership by storm!

IF IF IF IF IF !!!! It hasn't happened yet and it is pure supposition based on notoriously unreliable sources. Why are people getting their knickers in a knot over something that hasn't happened and isn't anything they have any control over? Save yourself some stress and get on and do something positive with your lives!

Not that I believe a word of any of the transfer rumours until they are done deals, but just speculating on this particular one - I reckon that is FANTASTIC news if it happened to be true. Rickie goes out of Saints as a true legend (as opposed to half way through next season when everybody is saying he's past it...again...) and gets a pay-off plus a move to the club he has supported all his life. Plus Saints get a decent wedge towards his replacement. Of all the potential transfers out this summer, then this is the one that I would at least get a sense of satisfaction out of.

Paves the way for Jason and Paul, obviously. That's why there was no mention of them being sacked on the official site! Now on a realistic note, I would be happy to see someone young and ambitious like Gary Neville, although it's probably a higher risk. To a degree I am not bothered about who, provided they play the "Saints way" that we have tried to brand for the last 18 months. Strengthen the team with 2 or 3 established players each year (max), and promote the youth when the opportunity is there.

As long as there is a Saints, it's never a sad day!

But that's always been the way! - we do the same to other clubs when it suits us. What we need to do is move further up the chain, into that top 6, and then that top 4. Times will change. Man City were languishing until a few years ago. This year is the first year that Liverpool have been a major force for a few years. In my lifetime we have had Ipswich, Leeds, Blackburn and Villa (Yes, I am old and there are also probably a few others I have forgotten) up in that top 6. I've seen Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City all outside the top league. In fact, I think it's only Arsenal and Everton who can really claim to have been the true "power clubs", and even Everton flirted with relegation a few years ago. Show me ANY club in England who hasn't lost a player? Utd lost Ronaldo! It's down to our Manager, Academy, U21 staff and scouting network to find us replacements. Hopefully football regulations and legislation will change and restrict the inequality that exists at the moment - but.....what IS the answer? If we didn't have a billionaire benefactor where would we be now?

I can't believe all the drama being created by a bunch of whinging so-called supporters. Who do you support? Lallana or Saints? EVERYONE has a price! Sure, last season was the best of his career and he is now getting the accolades for that, and of course I would like nothing more than to see him play his best years for us, but if he chooses to gamble on going to champions league club, well fair play to him. He will certainly finding it a different proposition to playing at Saints and there will be even more expectation and pressure on him to perform - but if he can a) double (or more than) his salary and b) actually WIN something, why shouldn't he go for it? If he goes we will replace him. Who knows what gem we may unearth! It's a shame there is a such a big sell-on clause with Bournemouth as we are the ones who have provided the majority of his development, but c'est la vie - I just hope we make sure we have a solid sell-on clause if he does go. I can remember many occasions over the past 5 or 6 years where people were saying he wasn't good enough for us. Well I believe we have more than got our moneys worth out of him and will still enjoy following his progress (just as I do with virtually all ex-saints that have come through our academy system whatever team or league they end up in).

Some might argue that we should/could have beaten spurs home and away, and if that had happened there would have been 1 point between us...so not that big a gap. At the end of the day, our lack of depth cost us between 2 or 3 league positions. Maybe next season we might utilize the loan system to our advantage although if we do, I hope it's minimal and only to allow an academy player more time to progress in to the first team (maybe as a replacement for either shaw or lallana to allow targett or jwp If we lose them) Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

I really don't think stadium capacity of an extra 10,000 makes that much of a difference. For the sake of an argument, let's assume tickets are £50 each. Ignoring cup games, that means an extra 10,000 per game is an extra £500,000 revenue. Over 19 games that is £9,500,000 per season. Each position up the league is worth around £1,200,000 and each additional televised games is worth £750,000 (this season). So in rough terms, an extra 5 places and 5 televised games cancels that advantage out. Everton were shown half a dozen more times than we were. Spurs were shown over a dozen times more. Both Sunderland and Newcastle averaged over 40,000 but it hasn't really given them the edge over us (so far) If we "fluked" 4th place one season, then even the qualifying rounds of the Champions League is worth in excess of £10,000,000 Our profile has raised significantly this year, so I would hope that would equate to more TV appearances next season. If we can raise Saints profile even further and attract decent amounts of sponsorship (no idea what the new sponsorship is worth, but it probably doesn't meet my expectations) PLUS get into the top 5/6 next season, then there's a chance we can kick on from there into that elusive Champions League spot. Of course, we either need to keep our best players OR search out adequate/better replacements - but isn't that the goal of most clubs, and isn't that why we have a scouting network? It's sad to see "home grown" players leave, but it's always exciting when new players come in or through the ranks. We seem to have generated positive publicity throughout the season with our style of play. Hopefully we've moved up the pecking order for some of the European talent when they look at teams they would like to play for in the Premier League. Of course money is a key factor, but the majority of players would much rather play in a winning team over a losing team. Assuming they don't get an offer from Arsenal, Chelsea, Utd, City or Liverpool (and they can't sign EVERYBODY although Chelsea would probably like to!), I think we would be seen favourably in comparison to all the others at this moment in time. Of course, if we're seen to be selling all our current stars then players may think twice about coming in to replace them... Oh I love the close season...it re-tints my rose coloured spectacles and re-fills my half-full glass to the brim ready for the next season!

Terry: Paine Curran Hurlock Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

If we can't get a decent fee (and depending on who else moves on in the summer..), then I think he may get one last chance if he genuinely wants to give it a go. I know it wasn't for the same sort of reason, but Puncheon got the opportunity when virtually everyone had written him off, so the precedent is there.

I hope he will stay...but c'est la vie... Players come. Players go. I'm sad to see some go (historically, Bale, Channon, Williams, even Keegan for example - even though he was only with us for a short while), but it's never changed the support I give to the club and the team. I even check out how they are doing at their new clubs and get a buzz when they make good headlines (loving watching Bale At Real Madrid at the moment). Others (Kenwyne Jones being a prime example) I am happy to see the back of. They are professionals with a finite career so I'm not going to begrudge them the chance to enhance their career or to set themselves up financially for life - as long as they do so in a respectful manner. Of course, if our better players go, then it's going to make it harder for us to progress or push further up the league, but hopefully, it gives a chance for someone else from the academy to make the step up. I'm still grateful we've got a club to support after we went in to administration. It still feels like it's OUR club and not one that's been bought as a play toy by the ultra rich and been left with no real identity.

He wasn't a triallist, he signed YTS in 1985 when he was 16. He had a trial at Oxford when he was 15 but never signed for them. I think he only really played the one season (and scored over 50 goals), as he was with the first team fairly early in his career. You can also add Shearer and Maddison to the list of players with over 100 appearances from that same youth period.

england v honduras 7th june

Even if we valued Shaw at 40 million? Value is what someone is prepared to pay, not what they might be worth...

Once you take penalties out of the equation, a goal every other game until the end of this season would see him equal his total for the whole of last season. Premier League defenders are also targeting him more closely this year and I'm sure that's one of the reasons as to why Rodriguez has had the opportunity to overtake Lambert in the goal scoring stakes too. He's such an intelligent and unselfish player. He really does deserve to be in the squad for Brazil. He has always stepped up to every challenge set to him since he has been at Saints.