sadoldgit

The club are clearly trying to bring players in but if clubs wont sell, players dont want to come here, prices are too high etc it isnt that straighforward. For example it seems as if we cant agree a price for Pelle so we are looking elsewhere. From what Reed said we have a team identifying targets so I guess it is a question of looking to see who is (or maybe becoming) available and whether we can get them or not. There was a post here the other day saying that many players hedge their bets to see if a bigger club is after them - all a part of the agents game. I am sure Koeman is no mug and will have a squad that suits him soon enough.

Odd? They seem to want to believe that he wasnt going to sign for us even though there was no evidence that he was signing for Everton. Gave them a change to whinge some more and make allegations that the Board dont know what they are doing. Ring any bells now?

When you consider that the quality of finishing is far better in the Premiership than in some other leagues I would dispute that. We have the likes of Suarez and Van Persie etc.

Really? So why didnt they go before when there were no big offers and no offers of CL football?

So you suggest panick buying? Do you really think we wont get strikers in by the deadline? I am sure the club know what they are doing and dont need any help from people with no knowledge of running a football club and far too much time on their hands telling them how to negotiate or who to buy.

So then Duncan, you drag the old chestnut up again about Burley's "excessive drinking." I notice you say "tales" - did you ever get any hard proof? Did it also happen at his previous and latter clubs too? I ask because his mate Alan Brazil was asked about it and he said that George liked a bevvy but wasnt a hard drinker. What is your idea of excessive drinking anyway? You will know better than I that we have had plenty of really hard drinkers at this club. There are also drinkers elsewhere - Brian Clough springs to mind. As club historian it would be good to know that you have firm evidence of the "excessive drinking" and are not just recycling rumours.

I know most will disagree with me but I do believe that players are still proud to play for England. I also think that they probably see the pinnicle of their career as getting a gig at a club playing in the CL. It cannot do the national side any good having more English players either bench warming, loaned out or plying their trade in the Championship than we used to. Take JRod. When we first signed him I would have said he was a Championship level striker with potential. By playing in the Prem with better quality players he has grown into a Prem quality striker (I still think he isnt International level yet though - still some work to be done). Stuart Pearce bangs on about the need to groom players properly through the ranks. Shaw at 18 was rushed into the senior squad when we had two decent left backs - he should be getting experience and learning his International trade through the Under 21s. We do it all the time because we dont have enough qulaity at senior level so its bring on the kids. Bring them on yes, but when they are ready and they have worked their way up. I remember a Englisg Under 21 side play the full England team with the likes of Allan Clarke and Mick Channon playing for the U21s. Now they would be playing for the full squad at that age. There is also the fear factor. We build our team up ( even though the odds were not great of either getting out of the group or going further than the last 16 this time round) and the expectations are bigger than the team's chances of delivering. They know that so much is expected of them and it is as if the expectations put a lead weight around ther shoulders when they pull on an England shirt. We dont play with freedom and expression (well not often). We play constricted football because we are so scared of losing. You see it with the other teams as the WC goes on. Apart from last night when Brazil fell apart, the goals have dried up. As teams go further they have more to lose. We seem to be like that from the off.

There is showing (or feeling) concern and then there is dissecting every last rumour and putting a negative spin on it - which is what has been happening big time of late. Media rumours have been picked up and used as "evidence" of asset stripping, fire sales, no ambition etc. Some posters seem to want to believe this is true - even after we appointed Koeman (which if that isnt a statement of ambition I dont know what is). Bedwetter, wrist slitters, call them what you will, but they exist and they make this place stink. I'll give an example. One of the more negative posters on here constantly refers to something that came from the press saying would not accept less than £40m for Shaw and uses that as a stick to beat the Board with despite the fact that there is not a single bit of evidence to show that this was ever the case. Nevertheless, in this prsons mind it is a fact and the Board are weak for selling Shaw for less. As it happens we got a record fee for a teenager so why this is bad business by the Board I dont know. The manager and some players have left. Some more might go. Guess what? The world is still spinning and the sun still rises. Come the start of the season SFC will still be in the Premiership and will field a squad put togther by one of the most high profile managers this club has ever emplolyed. If there is anything that need concern us we wont really know until the season is underway but to be fair, if Pochettino had stayed there is no guarantee that we would have the same type of season as last year. Let us just wait and see what happens before we slit our wrists eh?

"Perceived decline in the clubs direction?" Perceived by whom? The bedwetters here and some of the media maybe but there are plenty of people on here who can see that the Board are planning to bring in quality and the "decline" is just there for people who want to believe in negativity.

So Tadic has signed for us and not Everton? That is going to upset a lot of people on this thread!

It was a very strong rumour. It was also said that RL was upset and didnt want to go. KL was said to have squashed the rumoured deal. Not seen anything which says otherwise.

Every player has his price. I would like us to play hardball with Lovren but at the end of the day is someone is prepared to pay over the odds we can get shot of someone who doesnt want to be here for someone who does. Lovren is good but he is not that good.

The kit returns to our heritage. At least we will look like the Saints again and not Liverpool.

Sorry Nicola but it was always going to happen once you left. Yay, we got our stripes back!!!

Is it really "bizarre" though? We have no idea what is going on behind the scenes so why assume that it is "bizarre?" Why dont you wait and see what transpires and then make a comment on what you know, not what you dont know.?You are just having a dig at the Board again.

There are a number of possibilities, none of which we are privvy to. Why does that make it "bizarre?"

This. And I seem to remember Pochettino saying he wasnt interested in the Europa competition (shame he wasnt so honest about his view of the FA Cup) so it was good to hear that Reed is saying we are still looking to qualify for European football.

Although it would be great if it happened, I dont think we are going to hit the ground running. He will need time to get things going the way he wants and I hope that people dont get on his back if we struggle to start off. He usnt Pochetino and he will not have the same squad. Its all change so give him a break and time to bed in.

This is the thing though isnt it? The expectation that anything said on here makes any remote difference in the (real) outside world? Do you honestly believe that the Board convene every day and log on to SaintsWeb in order to work out what they should be doing? They know what they need to do and carry on with their agenda untrouble by a bunch of cyberjockeys. "The board have to buy players" because we say so? I dont think that has ever happened, nor will it. Just as well too if you ask me judging by many comments here.

Which would work if we actually wanted to sell our young players. We put them in the 1st team because that is our modeel. To produce players through the academy rather than have to buy from other clubs as much as possible. Do you really think that we wanted to sell Lallana and Shaw? If what you are thinking (another negative view by the way) was true then Koeman would not get a sniff of the cash and would be told to play all of the youngsters.

Couldnt agree more. Livepool did well to stand up to Suarez and I hope we do the same to Lovren if this is true. Fine him and let him train with the kids until he man's up and behaves like a professional.

Sorry! It is clearly getting to me........and breath

I dont have a problem with different views but it is the constant, relentless negativity that drains the life out of this place that I dont like. You will always get some glass half full or half empty views but there are a number of people who for whom there is nothing at all in the glass and they seem to be borderline manic depressives. To say that they labour the point to death is not an exageration. I can understand when facts are thin on the ground you will get opinions and conjecture, but when people start making up their own facts to suit their agenda it does get tiresome. There clearly has not been a firesale and no asset stripping. A manager has been left and replaced by someone of standing in the game. Three players have been sold and new ones are coming in yet if you were to believe the negative posters we are a club in turmoil and are in meltdown. No we are not but through their constant whinning and negativity even the most rational people start to feel that maybe there is something in that. There clearly isnt and the people running the club are given a harder job because they need to fight that in order to keep the club progressing. I know where MLG is coming from as yesterday I said the same thing on a thred strated by one of the Usual Suspects. That perosn had written countless negative posts and then topped it all by starting a negative thread regurgitating all of the negative stuff he had spouted before. It just becomes soul destroying. I used to post a lot on here but thankfully moved to a place where there was poor internet connection so stopped posting but did read occasionally. Sanity returned! Having now moved and with a better connection I started to read and post more to the point that I thought I would register again. Now I am wondering why I bothered. Whereas before there was the occasional negative poster that seems to have grown into a small group (unless it is the same person posting under different names) who infect the Board and just constantly drag everything down. Yes, of course there is concern about change. Koeman could turn out to be better, the same or worse than Pochettino. The players replacing Lallana, Shaw and Lambert could be better, the same or worse, but for goodness sakes, to summise that they will be worse straight away without any evidence to back up that assertion is delusional and makes no sense whatsoever. To say there is a firesale or that asset are being stripped or that the Board do not know what they are doing when all that is happening is people leaving and being replaced is just nonsense. There are views and there are agendas. People with agendas will take everything that is happening and twist it to suit their position. No grey areas, just black and white. Do you know what? Cortese is not the only person who can have a plan or a vision. Everyone running a business (for that is what this is) has a business plan. Some work, some dont. After a period of instabilty and poor performance we then went through a period of (relative) stability (this doesnt include managers) and relative success (although we only won one competition in that time). It is a rollercoaster ride and there will always be ups and downs yet to read this forum you would think that SFC (or Engalnd for that matter) are immune to the natural order of things and that downs are not allowed. People make decisions evey day, some good some bad. It doesnt make them "idiots" it makes them human (fallible). To spend hours of your day expecting and reflecting on a failure that hasnt even (and may never) materialise is not at all healthy.

Absolutely. Early days yet and clearly new players will come in, so why bleat and moan about how bad things are when we have yet to start the rebuilding process? We also have a new decent manager and I for one am excited to see what he can do for us.