Weston Saint

Posters are correct, it is not just about transfer fees but also wages and the desire for players to join the club. Let us take Ramirez for example. Cost us £12m plus 4 years wages of at least £8m. That is a £20m Pick up a couple of premier defenders like West Ham did and say the transfer bill was £3m. that leaves £17m for wages or over 4 years £81,000 per week. I am not knocking the purchase of Ramirez, far from it, as he looks a very good player and at his age will have a very good sell on value but it illustrates our problem on wages could have been resolved short term whilst we established our position. On that basis the article is a fair reflection of the difference between us and West Ham

I am with you on this. As for Rogers quote to shut up. I wish he would. He adds nothing.

Pre season is about getting match fit and trying different combinations. You want to be tested in matches but not overwhelmed by teams destroying confidence. When it comes to the nitty gritty of Premier football, for many it will have been a new experience. Like any steep leaning curve it takes a little time. Mistakes will be made but providing the player/s and Manager learn from that and become better players/Manager the ultimate aim will be achieved. For me this season it is about establishing a hold on Premier Football for next season. We have made some good purchases in goal, defence, midfield and attack. It is all about balance and finding players out in this league. We have found a few weaknesses that will need January purchases. At present we are not even in the relegation places. WHAT Do FANS EXPECT!!!!

Funny how supporters think they know more than the club chairman and Manager despite them collectively getting us back to back promotions and returning us to the Premier League ahead of all our expectations. We do not know what players we targeted or what their response was. We know we went for a left back who tried to play us so we walked away, and quite rightly so in my opinion. We have picked up some very good players and the team/manager are on a steep learning curve. Give it a bit more time please. Negativity breeds negativity. There are a lot more positives about Southampton Football Club at present. Feed on that. You will all enjoy the ride a lot more!

So who do you bring into that position who is better and as his skill?

There is no doubt Harry Redknap was a good manager with certain clubs but there are a number of issues you need to take on board. First, he is on “old school” manager and unable to embrace the new culture in football Secondly he does not develop players sufficiently; he buys in experience and relies on that experience rather than his own tactical awareness. He is not into sports science. He would not be able to work with Les Reid who, like it or not, has a big influence at our club He would not support the “Southampton way” which is the bedrock of Cortese’s philosophy. He is and will always be a non starter at SFC A great man manager but a **** poor modern philosophy manager

I thought Gazzaniga had a decent game. Looks up before the ball comes to him and has already decided who it is going to by the time it reaches him. Something Davis was weak at doing. Decent command of his area as well. Yoshida struggled at right back when he took over and it is clearly not a position he is used to or has the skill to undertake Watched Fox from close quarters in the second half and I am afraid Lallana did not support him enough in defence. Fonte looked assured but Hooiveld looked like a player coming back from injury In midfield Schneiderlin was fine but I was disappointed yet again with Davies. Little inventiveness, vision or forward driving for my liking. You cannot have him and Schneiderlin doing the same thing. It negates any forward momentum. Puncheon worked very hard to win the ball and use it. He lacks the football brain at this level but makes up for it with determination. I was very surprised to see him replaced so early on in the second half. Lallana worked hard but his end product let him down today. Up front in a 4-4-2 I thought Lambert and Rodriguez looked a good pairing. Again I could not see why Lambert was replaced! Chaplow does not come near a replacement for Puncheon. I have been a big supporter of Guly in the past but like Chaplow I do not think he is Premier material. Thought Adkins has the team set up well and we dominated the first half. Fulham came at us in the second half but we could have held them if he had not panicked and changed things around. We were poorer for the loss of the two players who were subbed and he has to take some blame for that decision. A draw came as a bit of a relief in the end but it should not have been that way. However, anyone calling for Adkins head or that Fonte’s late equalizer saved his job are wide of the mark. This team and it’s Manager are still learning about Premier football. They need time. I think they will just about survive as a Premier side but it will be a close call

POMPEY CHIEF AGEES TO HOLD CRISIS PROBE Portsmouth Chairman John Deacon has agreed to an independent enquiry into the financial affairs of the club who are in danger of having to fold up if they cannot raise £25,000 by November 1st Daily Mirror Thursday 16th September 1976 Nothing changes!

A big part of Southampton Player wages are based on bonuses and if the past is anything to go by they will not be straight forward. I believe last season almost half the wages were bonus related. Win bonuses were only 100% when the team was in the top two (which was a great incentive by Cortese as they never dropped out of that paramenter) If they had the bonuses were reduced to about 60% I suspect similar restrictions over league position, although tailored to meet our present requirements of maintaining our league status at the end of the season. I would imagine Gastón Ramírez would be on a similar contract condition. The talk was about £45,000 per week but I reckon that will include bonuses. That is about £10M over his 4 year contract and sounds more likely.

Seems the PFT have been told it is SAF and others!

assume that has something to do with your brother rather than in your working life!

Not only Adams most runs in Div 2 and Balcombe most wickets but Dawson most catches and Bates most dismissals! We are doing something right. County Cricket Championship has to be the most important but we were not ready for Div 1 yet. CB40 and T20 have taken a lot of the pain away this season but winning this league next season has to be the priority and some of our players have to step up to the mark or find themselves without regular 4 day cricket.

Ivo Tennant Times Cricket Correspondant at Hampshire v Essex Hampshire have been given the go-ahead from Eastleigh Borough Council to build their planned hotel at the Northern End. It will be a four star Hilton, incorporating conference, hospitality and media facilities as well as 175 bedrooms. Work will start next week on clearing away the old press box and TV balcony which has housed sweating Sky commentators more accustomed to air conditioned rooms. The aim is to complete the entire project in time for the Test match against India in 2014. Hampshire feel they will by then have come up with the only model Test match venue in the country, as specified by the ECB. The hope is that an Ashes Test will duly follow. Also http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/9917134.Ageas_Bowl_development_gets_go_ahead_for_final_stage/

That is because they are club seats. They will show up as sold all season. Customers need to contact someone senior at the ticket office to release seats if they want some. We did it a few years ago for individual games and then at the start of a new season (two years ago) we asked that they be released for season tickets and that was granted.

I spoke to a Past President of Saints, a Past Secretary of Saints and a Past Director of Saints today. They all felt that the substitutes were a big mistake and cost us the game. All three are great supporters of Adkins so not sour grapes.

What a sad state of affairs. Only in football do you get such behavour. Any other sport there is the same rivalry but without the moronic behavour. Shame on all those who support violence of any sort. What a pathetic thread!!

Inevitably the press are going to speculate. Adkins is fresh to the Premiership and we have a very ambitious Chairman (and we assume, the owners) Adkins is under unbelievable pressure and will have to grow with the job and the division or he will be history. You do not spend upwards of £30m in the transfer window with the sort of salaries that will go with them. I have no problem with Harry Redknapp as a football Manager. He did wonders at Spurs and was quite rightly considered for the England job. However there is no chance of him coming to Southampton. I am sure he would jump at it in a heartbeat but Harry is old school and that does not fit in with the “Southampton way”. Look at Pardew! He was old school and kicked out of the club. Fear for Nigel if he does not start getting it together after Arsenal game by all means but do not fret over Harry. This will be about long term Nigel or an experienced man with the same philosophy and culture, not an old dinosaur like Harry and his ilk. If the football press do not understand that then they do not understand Southampton Football Club

KP complained he was not being looked after properly in the England set up so retired from IOD's so he could play more IPL cricket! However his contract with ECB stated that if someone made themselves unavailable for IOD that would exclude them from selection of T20. KP then realised what he had done and announcd on YouTube he was available for all and reaffirmed his allegance to England. However he does not seem to have gone to ECB first. Then during the first test against SA it is alleged he sent texts to SA players indicating what he thought of some England players particularly the captain Strauss. Even told them how they could get him out. SA refused to release texts saying private betewwn players but banter only. KP dropped from next test boo'ed wherever he plays and in my opinion his England career is over.

There have been a number of conflicting tweets over this whole period lifting and then deflating some of our more prolific posters. The fact is that until Bologna and or Saints announce it, it is not a done deal and anything can go wrong. It has been reported by tweets today from so called informed sources in Italy that the Bologna President has said the deal is not done. It could be that both clubs have a pact that until every last thing is agreed and signed there will be no announcement of the transfer. It could likewise be that an agreement has not been reached. Before posters start putting him in the team line ups just wait and see.

I have responded to um pahars but for anyone else http://www.ageasbowl.com/news/everyt...the-ageas-bowl Fifth news items nown

Geoff, I have plenty of what I perceive "idiots" on ignore. Occasionally they are quoted and I can see they are still idiots. It works for me!

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I have tried to put this all together from the many RUMOURS on this thread. It appears that the fee with all parties has been agreed and the contract with the player agreed. The stumbling block appears to be the method of payment and guarantees. It has been suggested to me privately that Mr Cortese considers himself honest and a man of honour and expects everyone to treat him the same. He may have been affronted at the suggestion that he needs to get a bank guarantee for any future payment. If Bologna, as has been hinted, want the guarantee to go to the bank to loan more money that is understandable. If it is still also down to the initial payment and period of instalments I doubt we will move too far away from market practice. That might create a dangerous precedent. I cannot see this going down to the wire. We need a quality player for that position. If it is not done by Friday we will likely end our interest and move on. Shame but not the end of the earth.

Spoke to Neil MacKenzie during the game and Umpires at the break and they agreed the wicket was 180 par. Neil said it was taking more and more spin. As soon as Katich was called on to bowl I knew it was going to be a difficult wicket.