Saint Fan CaM

Without the insults, anyone who understands the Strategy of the club will recognise that the Academy is the heart and soul (lol) of it. And something tells me the OP knows this fully.

It's clear what the strategy is. We bring in English youngsters and develop them through the Academy with the promise of 1st team football if they're good enough. Regardless of anything, if a decent offer comes in from a top 4 club they will be released and sold. We will reinvest in cheaper foreign replacements to backfill essential positions in the 1st team. Our squad will be made up of upcoming youngsters and so will appear thin. This is the Southampton way. The evidence is there for all to see...how many of the players sold so far have been English or at least British? The teams above us seem to be mostly interested in our domestic product I would suggest. Of course the big problem this summer is that the squad has been bulging with decent English talent since L1 and there's a log jam of younger players coming through the system. You could argue that now was the right time to cash in and change things with a new manager coming in, however the risks are huge if you don't replace outgoing players with equal or better talent. So the big questions are these. Will the Board spend an appropriate amount of money to keep the talent level up? Will Koeman and his team be able to recreate the team spirit seen in previous years with a team of strangers? To assist in maintaining squad unity, will important players such as Fonte, Cork and JRod be retained? I don't expect JRod to be retained BTW....he fits the above mould and will be sold at the first opportunity.

Undoubtedly would be a great signing, but I am not confident that this Board can get this level of signing across the line. We shall see.

Exactly. The Board of SFC have ultimately lied. What the fook is the point in them saying anything now? Their words will ring hollow to all but the most gullible.

Saints have been one of the most financially secure clubs in the UK. Have just achieved an excellent PL finish - 8th and a few points behind Utd. This has been done with a backbone of a team assembled in L1. Reed has been there throughout. Ask yourself what has changed since KL took power away from Cortese. A finance man at the top...a motivational consultant figure brought in to manage change...and top it off with some 'yes' men. In industry this is the precursor to the introduction of 'lean' business management in readiness to make the company look financially more attractive. Put simply, like him or loath him, Reed is probably the only man on the Board that has any semblance of pure footballing interest at heart. He's clearly fighting a losing battle right now.

Except there is precious little evidence of either a big warchest or indeed players of substance wanting to come to us to spend it on.

Funny how mental issues can affect ones knees isn't it? Suspect we'll see a remarkable recovery soon after the first game.

#Itshappeningbutnothowweexpected I'm afraid this has been on the cards...but of course thinking that way was just bedwetting. Well guess what...it could get worse. Anyone else wondering why no contracts for Cork and Fonte yet? Or why no senior player has signed a new deal yet? Something has gone VERY wrong at the heart of the club...no other explanation makes sense. Well done to the Board - a marvellous job of deception and lies. Dominoes indeed.

Depends on your definition of success. If for example you mean produce great young footballers to sell to top 7 teams in the Prem for a big profit before they see out their 1st contract, then the answers going to be a resounding "yes".

This is lovely. It'll all come tumbling down if we're relegated, so let's hope someone in the club is working overtime on the little dilemna called the 1st team/squad.

Clasie?? Rojo???? Walcott??????? PMSL

I'm imagining a scene from the driest, dustiest part of the Gobi desert, with some tumbleweed blowing past. That's this thread.

I have once again wasted several minutes of my life reading trivia to find out we've signed nobody and the supposed targets include Rojo who IMO is unlikely to come to us. Superb. At least Bear occasionally gives me a laugh or two.

So on one hand we're struggling to stump up the cash for a 2nd choice keeper from Celtic, but it's perfectly feasible for us to sign one of the best young LB's in the World? Riiiight.

I guarantee that whoever we bring in (if anyone) will be met with a feeling of being somewhat underwhelmed by most of the posters here. What the club party line is and what will transpire will be...lets say different.

Pointless worrying about or debating JRods contract. He's not fit, can't play for us until probably November and anyway even if he signed it wouldn't be worth diddly squat if Pool or Spurs came in for him. He'd be off.

Too many Managers tried to play him with Lumpard. It never worked and hence largely they were both rubbish for England.

#itsnothappeningatallnow

May as well give every player a 1 year contract for all the ******* use they are now.

Less heard of the better frankly.

Guy I sit with has a son who coaches in the Academy and he has said that the club rate Targett higher than Shaw all round technically for their stage of development. It was Shaws physique that allowed him to shine early. I think we could be seeing the next big thing with this player once he beefs up and gets his chance.

Wow...6-0...we're all off to Europe!

Can't see it happening, but stranger things...

Agreed...if they were sat on his table perhaps?

Wouldn't surprise me if Clyne was off. He was making it clear at the awards event that he wanted away to a London club. Alledgedly.