MarkSFC

Looks good, CL and international experience. Still need another, would make sense if a Leftfooted CB (Rojo) was signed. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Liverpool, Utd and Arsenal had to reach our premium for players. It works two way you clueless mong

What positions are the two, possibly four?

Forster, Van Dijk, Rojo, Ings, Pelle, Tadic, Bertrand, and Taider would equate to an excellent window. Four in so far just four to go! The squad would then look like this; GK. Forster Boruc LB. Bertrand Targett RB. Clyne Yoshida/McCarthy CB. Van Dijk Rojo Fonte Yoshida DCM. Wanyama Schniederlin Cork Reed AM Ramirez Tadic JWP Davis Taider ST. Pelle Ings JRod Gallagher Pretty damn competitive.

He's the freak??!!! You got to be the weirdest poster on here....deliberate or not. I await the reply from he who can give it out but cannot take it.

Magic. Not. He may turn out to be a very useful player but he seems to only be signing because Inter want Osvaldo, would we have gone for him if not? And yes I have considered that perhaps we forced the issue on wanting him once it was clear Inter wanted Osvaldo, so we will see. Priority signings remain at least one CB, two really. I do not think Fonte plus one with Yoshida and Jos as back up is good enough. Unless JRod is less than a couple of months from returning we need another decent striker, I would still be very happy with ings or Guidetti. A goalkeeper is vital regardless of some peoples reasoning that Boruc might go, every team needs two keepers capable of being first choice. A bonus would be another winger.

Imagine a world without the internet, and without 24 hour sport coverage. No, really think about it. The only "news" would be at 6pm, or in the evening or daily papers and rumours would only spread by word of mouth. I'm old enough to remember this world so maybe that helps me to put cope with the lack of signings. If all you have known is this world of instant communication and communication that literally billions of people could access at the very same moment and I can understand why patience is not a trait that many people under say 30 have in abundance. Of course we do live in the age of the internet and 24 hours coverage and so more information than ever before is transmitted instantly and so expectations and the thirst for news/information is almost constant and it is literally in peoples' hands. Despite this technology the process of signing a player is still and always will be a human process (aided by technology of course) but its people that talk, discuss, negotiate, test, and decide. This takes as long as it takes and when players are moving country it will likely take longer. The longer we go this week without some decent signings the more concerned I will be but if you take the access to forums and social media the waiting becomes easier and removes all the pathetic expressions of concern and fear that emanate on here because the forum acts as a release for too many. Imagine if you couldnt let loose on here......think how the chinese whispers would die down.

A striker, a winger, a goalkeeper, and two centre-backs and j would say we're done and in decent shape. Five leavers covered plus three additions to strengthen the attack and defensive areas. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ryan Bertand has a Champions League winners medal an FA Cup winners medal and England caps. He has represented England at every level and played for GB at the Olympics. Clearly all through his development he has been the best left back amongst his peers, but then he got into the Chelsea first team squad. Ahead of him was (it turned out) the most capped left-back in England history. Chelsea do not 'finish' players off, they send players to other clubs to do so. This lad has suffered by being at Chelsea, but when players go on loan they do not always fit in with a style and ethos, but hopefully, and it seems likely that here he will. This season is probably his last real chance to become a top player and to create a career where he plays in top performing teams. Otherwise he is likely to become a bit of a journey man. That's a good motivation to have in a player and because of this minor doubt a loan is perfect for Saints. If we spent say 6million on him and he just doesn't perform the moans would come later. Realistically though the lad has a very good pedigree and with different circumstances would be better at this stage. If he was we wouldn't have him. If we didn't get him in, who do we get? Rojo has been bandied about, and maybe we will still get him but he is actually a CB by trade. I hope we do get him as obviously he can play LB if necessary. Any left back who most would regard as better than Bertrand will likely cost 10m+ but we get one much cheaper who can easily be that good consistently. Two years ago when we came up I was keen that we got him. He has stalled but class and ability remain, the skill of the coach is getting people to perform. We have a top man in charge to do that, so this is an exciting signing and (hopefully) means funds saved here can get tougher targets. As always, time will tell.

You really are a tedious thick cvnt.

I sense a change of mood in your posts. You are coming across as a little disparaging. Is this because you KNOW we are not going to sign real quality or are you simply drained by all the goings on of the last week, like most people?!! And you are getting more cryptic/ambiguous which suggests a slowing down of your information stream. Oh well

True but in a plan are headlines bullet points and details. We heard the headlines. You can't expect anymore on a radio interview, maybe not even publically. Do you know where Utds plan is, Arsenals plan??? It's very simple really, be commercially viable, maximise the efficiency of the academy and get as many wins on the club as possible within our revenue and budget. If you need the 'how' beyond the blatantly obvious, you will be waiting a long time. When results are going our way no one gives two hoots about a 'plan' or a 'strategy' or a 'project' but as soon as that plan is disrupted by largely unforeseen circumstances (or at least expected in terms of timing) and the club reacts how they have everyone is concerned about a 'plan'!!!! Like Kruger says, new board new management new coaching new training facilities and subsequently new plan. As I've said before they need time to see this through and judgement day is September 1. Just as Kruger has said. I'm not sure that the bloke could win whatever he said or whatever he did. I think he deserves credit for today. Actions though are still to be seen in terms of signing quality and quantity, but it's still July. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've listened to all three interviews. Very clearly they have strategy and plan. Why do people like you just make things up?!! As for 'possible contradictions'...they either are or aren't. There were none. I suspect you are merely trying hard to discount this positive approach to help your negativity and personal attitude. I feel sad for people like you. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's certainly 10 steps backwards....I just hope we can take 11-12 forward!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm not convinced that Chambers is going to turn into a 25m player but happy to be proved wrong. Him going is a surprise and I wonder whether McCarthy has shown huge promise in pre-season and so when Arsenal enquirer it was a difficult decision but one that could be made in the knowledge that at RB we are strong - Clyne first choice, plus Maya can cover as could cork if desperate, plus McCarthy. With such a good academy system there will be times or positions that end up with a bit of a blockage. I think this maybe what has happened here.

http://twitter.com/Koeman1963/status/493689458458644480/photo/1 I think he has a sense of humour!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

As you work in the corporate world it's safe to assume that you have objectives, targets, and possibly financial budgets to work to, be accountable for and as such will have timeframes and therefore deadlines to work in and against. If your boss or shareholders (depending on your actual level, judged you against these measurement 5 weeks before the deadline you were working to and planned against would you think that is fair? That is what you are doing to the club and the board. Be fair in your judgement. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Absolutely. See my other recent posts.

So far......it's not shut yet. As much as I can understand all the pessimism and doom and gloom I just have a sneaky feeling that this painful process is a revolution of the squad. We can debate the why's and the wherefore's of each sale and the overall effect but it's a waste of time now. The club has a strategy and whatever that looks like now we have to give them time to work it through. In a months time (if not a lot sooner) it will be clear what the strategy and ambition is. Ronald Koeman is not a cheap option ( I suspect, we won't actually know) and he is certainly high profile. A club (business) intent on scaling down does not hire high calibre ambitious people. If the ambition of the club is to just survive then we all know that's a dangerous game to play. And if this is the case then RK will be off. When you watch his interviews he looks genuinely happy to be here and very calm about player matters. Whatever the reason(s) Cortese has gone. Some loved him, others mistrusted him, others merely tolerated his leadership because of the success. What we are not aware if is exactly how much impact influence and input Les Reed actually had on Football policy as opposed to business policy. The fact remains he has been here throughout, remains here and from my standpoint strikes me as a man who knows exactly what needs to happen how to do it and then does it. He deserves a bit of trust. Time will determine the reality. Transforming a squad by selling popular and some of the best seems folly. Sometimes a business needs to sell at the peak of the market and then re-invest in order to expand. Football of course is not a simple business for fans because of the emotion involved. As long as the club and business is stronger or at least as strong this season does it REALLY matter who plays on the park??!! If as many think in here the club is in fire sale mode or more accurately asset stripping mode then people like Reed would be risking professional reputation by staying. Our club has evolved over 5 years and it happened quicker than the plan and this has created the situation we have found ourselves in ( and by quirk of fate has coincided with a World Cup year). If we had been slower by a year as expected things might be different, but they are not. This club certainly has ambition but I am sure that reality and pragmatism runs deep. The balance of creating players(product), getting results (market share) and generating revenue ( income ) is tough in any industry. Chuck in emotional fans (customers), in an age of instant communication and where rumour is easily spread (and equally believed) and leadership is a tricky skill. When this window does shut it could be the best ever. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You don't play them all. Fool. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Or maybe Cork. Morgan, Clasie, JWP, Victor, Reed, Davis. Pretty awesome. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I 'hope' and think that he has a number one CB target. If/when Lovren goes we look at another and Vlaar high in that list. We will see!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I doubt this is true. I saw his interview on SSN and either the way the question was asked or just how he answered it sounded like that but I think RK was merely focussing on Lovren. You'd like to think that given his playing position he would realise that Hooiveld is certainly not good enough now and that Fonte and Maya are just good 3rd/4th choices. Mind you, Pochettino played the same position!!! A first choice Dutch CB pairing seems likely. Any two of DeVrij, Vlaar, Van Dirk, Kongolo?? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The purpose of a sport and a structures competition SHOULD be about performance levels, improvement and determining a pecking order based on who won more. Science, training, coaching, psychology, nutrition etc etc are the factors that should be most important. This list of determining factors in many sports but specifically football and at the top, The Premier League and the Champions League is money. This determines everything, and the irony is that the control of this money in terms of quantity and distribution comes from an industry which is not even a sporting one; they merely use sport ( as so many organisations do) to make their own money and to promote their own brand. What makes the PL so strong is not the sport, the competitiveness, it's the sycophantic gullibility of the masses, that without the huge tv deals and coverage, the sport isn't as good. I don't have the research available but I don't that the correlation between skill level and salary places football very high across all sports ( although this maybe hard to accurately determine, due to the widely high income) but the point is that are footballers paid too little, about right, or too much for the amount of work rate they put in and the skill level they achieve in comparison to other sports. And this is where it's all gone wrong for football and sport. Yes footballers work hard, for a couple of hours a day, but how many at the top are still passionate about the sport, about improving, about winning something. Seeing a Southampton or a Swansea or a Newcastle or even a Portsmouth win the PL would be far far more pleasing than any of obvious group. Whilst finance dictates this outcome exponentially then football is a dying sport and a growth tv show. Saints, and Saints fans, to answer more directly the OPs question, and as others have stated, need to accept that we are a club that is currently at least, on the right side of the line and the true essence of sport is string in our club. This means that within the money-ridden tv show that they play their sport they will almost certainly always struggle to get top four let alone win the PL. I'm old enough to remember the late seventies and early eighties when the playing field was more even and when the dream was possible. Look at us, albeit no silverware, we were a top team for a few years, Derby, Forest, Villa, Norwich, and finally Blackburn. Clubs of a very similar size who with good management and decent coaches realised the dream. Ok Blackburn had a financial advantage more so than any other but even if they had an owner (or us) who had billions, would we get the players. Sadly not, as the PR of the PL has convinced the masses that if a player is any good he must go to a certain group of clubs. Not because they will get better coaching, better facilities. No, if the best players all migrate to a small select group that happen to be in the largest conurbations of the country (and Europe) then the TV show will get more viewers more often and get more website hits and therefore sell more advertising and subscriptions which will then determine the size of the next tv deal and the perpetual cycle continues.as a breed, our thirst for information, technological contact with the world has exploded beyond belief and out of control. This forum of course is one tiny example. But this need for info, to know every little detail of everything going on with those who we care most about is fuelling this money-driven tv product called football. Yes it's worth being mildly successful for Saints because the reality is the business needs money to function. How it functions and what it's philosophy regarding sport in its truest sense is what will ultimately determine my level of involvement on a practical level , although obviously the emotional attachment is their for life, and currently we should be proud of our club and pray it does carry on doing what it is, even if the environment forces and dupes individuals to move elsewhere. Currently we are very successful at what sport for me is about - making people better. When the money disappears, who will win out? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's brilliant how people say we've sold half the team or 6-7, when we have only sold three and state that we have only bought 2 when we have. FFS give the club time they need, this is not their doing. Maybe they could of handled the PR a little better but what matters is the end result. For those of us who remember pre internet times, the lack of rumour and counter rumour was far more relaxing. Mind you the window was longer of course! Believe what actually happens not what people who have no allegiance to SFC whatsoever and only have their income as their motive.