When do we start signing arseholes?

As we go further up the leagues there is going to be a point where players arent going to feel honoured to play for a massive club like Southampton like the likes of Hammond and Lambert said when they joined us in League one. Players wont be nice blokes who are pleased to be "on the bus" as some of you put it.

A lot of you seem to slate players for having the wrong attitude and being a bit of a big time charlie who might upset the team spirit but the higher up the leagues we go the more arrogant the players are going to be and the less of an honour it is to play for a massive club like Southampton when they can chose other massive clubs as well. There will be more Carlos Tevez types, who are just after a big pay day. We've seen a few of you turn your nose up at decent players because they want too much money, bit of an attitude etc etc. Kris Boyd the most recent one.

So when do we bite the bullet and decide that we have to pay a bit more, the players wont be nice blokes overjoyed to be here and that the might actually be a bit of a c*nt but they are great players who will push us on a level??

Until we hit the prem we wont have the option of signing them. So thats when it'll happen.

This is something I dread about the Prem, if and when we get there of course. I rarely watch MoTD these days, but on the odd occasion it seems many teams have sprinkling of "here for a season" often imported mercenaries who p!ss off for another payday on an annual basis.

Defoe , in 3 weeks.

;-)

Puncheon ( cough)

This is something I dread about the Prem, if and when we get there of course. I rarely watch MoTD these days, but on the odd occasion it seems many teams have sprinkling of "here for a season" often imported mercenaries who p!ss off for another payday on an annual basis.

Depends where you look. There are a few of those, but there a quite a few players like Scharner, Tiote, Dempsey etc...all players who have a great attitude and a willingness to do well for the shirt. These are the sorts of players we will be looking to sign, rather than the Midos and the Zakis of the world.

one big reason its better to be in the championship.overpaid,s**te,foriegn players.the team spirit at saints will be gone if we go up.the premiership is a joke,now weve been out of it for a few years.rip off tickets,prawn sandwich fans,spending money to chase the top 6,what a joke,id take the championship,league 1 anyday.

Stoke seem to have done a pretty good job of signing some grade A utter c** ts - why hello there Jermaine Pennant - and melding them into a team. So probably as much about the manager as the players. Adkins has a different style to Pulis but hopefully the result will be similar.

Stop being realistic. Start believing in what is only a dream but one which we are still allowed to have and cherish. Not many teams in the world have the chance that we have. Lets hold onto it for a while longer until we join the Blackburns, Boltons, Fulhams etc of this world as might seem inevitable if we agree that mercenaries are inevitable.....

The dream is that we will win the EPL with a squad of homegrown talent coming through our Academy system and through our wide-ranging scouting network. Southampton will be to English football what Barca are to Spain and World football. Our style of play, our system of talent development and our committment towards it safe in the knowledge that the ££ pressures of most other clubs are not so much an issue.

We will win the Champions League playing with a team that has got local boys in it, beating Barca 4-0 with style. We will go to Tokyo or Abu Dhabi and beat Santos or someone like that and Adam Lallana will score the winning goal that makes us crowned World Club Champions.

England will field a World Cup squad with ten Saints players in and we will win the Bloody World Cup with mostly Saints playing and scoring in the Final against Brazil, that we also beat 4-0, having beaten Germany 4-0 in the semi and Argentina 4-0 in the quarterfinal, and that was after we beat Spain 4-0 in our group match.

THAT is a good dream to have for us Saints fans and we afre yet to be disabused of it. The power of the Liebherr $$ is vital obviously, but fo me I still see it as a mission and we are still chasing that dream. Even if we have to buy a Mercenary or two along the way the team will be and play the Southampton way....

Norwich seem to be carrying on with signing players that see Norwich as a step up - and it seems to be working.

England will field a World Cup squad with ten Saints players in ..

FFS are you a Skate? Eleven at least, then we can field the entire team in the Final.

We don't have to sign mercenaries, for every mercenary player out there, there are at least 10 who are not. Doubt NC would ever sanction signing a player like Tevez, Cashley Cole, Bridge or the like.

It will be inevitable if or when we get back there, but some still exist outside of the PL, Beckford being an example.

What i do believe however is that the manager can influence the kind of person he brings in. I have faith that Adkins will sort the right type of people at the expense of a reputation. It will be us the fans who want a name.

What worries me about this is something some Wolves fans I play football with have said about them. They have the best squad they have had for years. Two players for every position, but no REAL talent. Nothing that stands out above the rest. What they would have preferred was 3 or 4 top top quality signings rather than 12 similar to what they already have.

If we maintain the salary limit we may well do the same?????

Somebody else beat me in mentioning Norwich.

The other time clubs will stop signing arsehole players is when fans stop demanding instant, and improbable success that forces clubs/managers to sign these mercenaries, and give clubs time and breathing space to develop players who will be more committed to the cause.

It will be inevitable if or when we get back there, but some still exist outside of the PL, Beckford being an example.

What i do believe however is that the manager can influence the kind of person he brings in. I have faith that Adkins will sort the right type of people at the expense of a reputation. It will be us the fans who want a name.

What worries me about this is something some Wolves fans I play football with have said about them. They have the best squad they have had for years. Two players for every position, but no REAL talent. Nothing that stands out above the rest. What they would have preferred was 3 or 4 top top quality signings rather than 12 similar to what they already have.

If we maintain the salary limit we may well do the same?????

That's what happened when we got relegated. THe salary cap meant we had loads of average players and not many good ones. It's all very well having a salary cap and not wanting to upset the other players but sometimes you need to push the boat out if a class player comes available at a good price. Take Van Der Vart for example, not for one minute saying he would have joined us over Spurs but £8m fee for a player of that class is a steal , is it worth breaking the salary ca for a player like that available for that price? Damn right it is. And if your current average midtable player on your books doesn't like it, then ask him to show you his league titles medals & international caps.

I think many of you are being naive thinking our current players are just here for the bus ride - I expect they are all very well paid.

Footballers earning Prem money are no different, just better. Cortese will know that if you want talent you will have to pay for it.

We don't need to sign anybody so this is a moot point, we are going to build a squad capable of winning the world cup through our academy. Just like Barcelona.

We don't need to sign anybody so this is a moot point, we are going to build a squad capable of winning the world cup through our academy. Just like Barcelona.

All Part of NCs plan....tell me when does Southapmton secede from the union and form it's own country to allow it entry into the world cup?

I think many of you are being naive thinking our current players are just here for the bus ride - I expect they are all very well paid.

 

Footballers earning Prem money are no different, just better. Cortese will know that if you want talent you will have to pay for it.

Not at all, but a lot of them spoken about how glad they were to be joining a club like us and it was a step up for them club and career wise. In this league and the league above there will be bigger clubs. Players wont join us because they are joining a bigger club.

Norwich are flying high with a great team spirit and few arseholes. It seems that Lambert's secret is to get into the transfer market early, sign players that are good but low profile and build the team sprirt around this without prima donna. We could do the same !

Norwich are flying high with a great team spirit and few arseholes. It seems that Lambert's secret is to get into the transfer market early, sign players that are good but low profile and build the team sprirt around this without prima donna. We could do the same !

Isnt that exactly what we have done? We are top by the way, seems Adkins might be a little better at it than Lambert. But of course you could always compare Adkins stats to hoddles..............Oh

Isnt that exactly what we have done? We are top by the way, seems Adkins might be a little better at it than Lambert. But of course you could always compare Adkins stats to hoddles..............Oh

We are top, yes and Norwich are in the Premiership. I would say Lambert has been proven to be successful whereas NA has still to be proven !

BTW ther s a difference. Norwich finished the job of filling all the holes in the squad by July whilst we only half finished the job !

We are top, yes and Norwich are in the Premiership. I would say Lambert has been proven to be successful whereas NA has still to be proven !

BTW ther s a difference. Norwich finished the job of filling all the holes in the squad by July whilst we only half finished the job !

NA still to be proven...?

at what...?

lol

We are top, yes and Norwich are in the Premiership. I would say Lambert has been proven to be successful whereas NA has still to be proven !

BTW ther s a difference. Norwich finished the job of filling all the holes in the squad by July whilst we only half finished the job !

If you really want to use Norwich as a model. Look at how many new players they bought in over the summer after they were promoted into the Championship and where they were at the same point this year.

http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/league-championship/2010-2011/table/2010-12-26

As you can see we bought in more players and are doing significantly better than they were.

No one would question that Lambert hasn't done a good job, he has and so has Adkins.

If you really want to use Norwich as a model. Look at how many new players they bought in over the summer after they were promoted into the Championship and where they were at the same point this year.

 

http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/league-championship/2010-2011/table/2010-12-26

 

As you can see we bought in more players and are doing significantly better than they were.

No one would question that Lambert hasn't done a good job, he has and so has Adkins.

Yes we are in a higher position than Norwich, but may i point out to you that we are in a lower division.

As for Delldays, are we up yet ? I did't realise that we had been promoted to the Premiership, was under the impression that we had a few games to play yet ! LOL !

Yes we are in a higher position than Norwich, but may i point out to you that we are in a lower division.

 

As for Delldays, are we up yet ? I did't realise that we had been promoted to the Premiership, was under the impression that we had a few games to play yet ! LOL !

Are you seriously a teacher???????????????????????

What has Norwich being in a higher division got to do with anything I posted?

Are you seriously a teacher???????????????????????

 

What has Norwich being in a higher division got to do with anything I posted?

If I was, I would suggest you go back to school and learn how to interpret things correctly.

Puncheon ( cough)

Not surprised someone got there before me but, depending on how you define 'arsehole', I'd say Punch has a pretty good chance of fitting the bill. The whole Punch saga shows you how the club would deal with arseholes at the moment, but maybe things would have been a little different if Punch didn't play so awfully at the beginning of last season.

I hope we never sign arseholes. There are plenty of good players that aren't. IMO, you're in long term trouble when you start signing players who are just after the money.

 

Being like QPR is my nightmare. We never would under Cortese and Adkins, but lots of clubs try it. No real team, no spirit, little affiliation with the fans or club, just massive wages for average players. SWP can be good, but he's lost form for a few years and gone there for big money. Barton, an 'intellectual' apparently for a footballer, yet in reality, the mind of a rebellious teenager who just discovered how to read. An average player who acts hard but dives around every 5 seconds trying to get people booked. I'd struggle to support such players. Bothroyd, Taarabt, Dyer, even Puncheon! Mercenary nobbers everywhere. I believe pompey did something similar....without actually paying of course.

 

Least somewhere like Man City, players clearly sign both for money AND trophy potential.

Which is my point. We should follow the Norwich model. this requires quite a lot of skill in the transfer market but they do seem to have unearthed some gems. Norwich are a hardworking team with a great team spirit and a happy club that is doing very well.

You'll find countless examples of teams successful and unsuccessful who signed all their players by July, and signed countless players in January.

 

Citing one example just makes you look daft.

 

But to reiterate because you're still droning on, not one fan on here that i've seen has ever suggested it wouldn't be nice to have all signings sorted in the summer. Unfortunately in the real world, it's not always possible, what with other clubs wanting to keep their players and all. In fact, if people want to bang on about it, surely it would be better to just not need any new signings? To have a perfect squad already? Because that's how ridiculous your comments have become. If we're going to have 'we should have signed everyone in July' every damn year, then why not just moan 'we shouldn't need new players'. It's just one extra level of pathetic, irrational whining afterall.

 

I'd hoped we'd shut a few up by starting well without many signings, but in truth, we did make some significant signings and they clearly helped. Adkins has consistently identified areas needing attention and tried to fix them. But there seems to be some kind of short-circuiting with people like you, who can't grasp the concept of not wanting to pay over the odds, not signing people for the sake of it, and getting the best long-term deals for the club. If players typically sign for 3 or 4 years, why would a manager want to rush things and gamble vital funds for the sake of 5 months? I'm stunned anyone watching our years of bloated squads and countless average to poor players signed as back-up would keep talking like this.

 

I hope it's just a wind-up, more for the sake of your intelligence than anything else.

 

Still, I remain curious on how you intend to justify saying 'I was right', given that so far -

 

no-one has disagreed it would be just lovely to have all signings made in the summer

no-one has suggested it wouldn't be nice to have another striker

no-one really knows how signings will work out, or indeed which players we are after

and no-one really knows how much money we have to spend

 

Whatever happens, you will claim to be right. You're like this year's Alpine (he seems to have gained some perspective, if not positivity). If we go up, we probably signed someone, so you were right, but we'd have gone up easier if we're signed them all in july, right? If we fail, we a) didn't sign players early enough, b) didn't sign the right players, c) didn't sign enough players. So congratulations, you are pre-emptively correct.

I can't argue with this post. You have made a very strong point and you are convincing. Unfortunately, there wer quite a few posters throughout the summer who claimed that first of all we were going to make our signinngs in May, then June, definitely in August and now in January. Because they got their predictions wrong they then changed tac and said we didn't need the signings that they had previously proposed and then with our good start they pedalled their ideas more strongly.

At least I am consistent and do not hide or change my opinions like some on this board who bend in the direction of the wind to make them look good.

Anyway, appreciate your post very much.

Which is my point. We should follow the Norwich model.

You thick, trolling, freak.

As you pointed out Norwich are in a different league than us, so the only relevant comparison is when they successfully acheived promotion (Direct from League one, just like oursleves) from the Championship last year.

This is the table from last year;

http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/league-championship/2010-2011/table/2010-12-26

So against the Norwich model, we bought in more players over the summer than they did this time last year (Which seems to be your latest gripe) and we are doing significantly better than they were this time last year. Which bodes well..........wouldn't you say.

The Norwich model, that you advocate, shows us to being in a better position than they were, so am glad that recognise, just how well we have done and are doing.

I hope you teach pre school kids, so there is enough time in later life for intelligent teachers to undo the damage you undoubtedly cause.

I hope we never sign arseholes. There are plenty of good players that aren't. IMO, you're in long term trouble when you start signing players who are just after the money.

 

Being like QPR is my nightmare. We never would under Cortese and Adkins, but lots of clubs try it. No real team, no spirit, little affiliation with the fans or club, just massive wages for average players. SWP can be good, but he's lost form for a few years and gone there for big money. Barton, an 'intellectual' apparently for a footballer, yet in reality, the mind of a rebellious teenager who just discovered how to read. An average player who acts hard but dives around every 5 seconds trying to get people booked. I'd struggle to support such players. Bothroyd, Taarabt, Dyer, even Puncheon! Mercenary nobbers everywhere. I believe pompey did something similar....without actually paying of course.

 

Least somewhere like Man City, players clearly sign both for money AND trophy potential.

We have a policy of screening new players for character and attitude from the first team, right down to the nippers joining the academy. It's a very good policy to have for the sake of team bonding and making it easier for the management to get down to the intricacies of tactics and training. The academy has always done it, like when we kicked Nile Ranger out for being a misbehaving **** even though he was (still is) a talented footballer. Judging by his exploits at Newcastle, we made the right choice.

You thick, trolling, freak.

 

As you pointed out Norwich are in a different league than us, so the only relevant comparison is when they successfully acheived promotion (Direct from League one, just like oursleves) from the Championship last year.

 

This is the table from last year;

 

http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/league-championship/2010-2011/table/2010-12-26

 

So against the Norwich model, we bought in more players over the summer than they did this time last year (Which seems to be your latest gripe) and we are doing significantly better than they were this time last year. Which bodes well..........wouldn't you say.

 

The Norwich model, that you advocate, shows us to being in a better position than they were, so am glad that recognise, just how well we have done and are doing.

 

I hope you teach pre school kids, so there is enough time in later life for intelligent teachers to undo the damage you undoubtedly cause.

There is no need for such a personal attack.

All Part of NCs plan....tell me when does Southapmton secede from the union and form it's own country to allow it entry into the world cup?

There is much to be said for an Independent Republic of Southampton

Not at all, but a lot of them spoken about how glad they were to be joining a club like us and it was a step up for them club and career wise. In this league and the league above there will be bigger clubs. Players wont join us because they are joining a bigger club.

We signed Cork from Chelsea, Hooiveld from Celtic, Fonte from Palace wen they were a league above, Chaplow from West Brom, Jaidi from Birmingham. When we get to the prem we will sign some players from bigger clubs, some from smaller - no difference from now.

No difference at all, you just pay more money for better quality players.

\

 

We signed Cork from Chelsea, Hooiveld from Celtic, Fonte from Palace wen they were a league above, Chaplow from West Brom, Jaidi from Birmingham. When we get to the prem we will sign some players from bigger clubs, some from smaller - no difference from now.

 

No difference at all, you just pay more money for better quality players.

Difference being Cork was on loan for the last 4 seasons anf no chance of getting near the Chelsea side, Hooiveld & Chaplow out of favour at their clubs (Chaplow joined s from Preston BTW) and Jaidi was a free agent after being released by Birmingham, Should we be in top flight next season what compelling reason would there be for a player to chose us over say a Sunderland or WBA player or to leave them for us? Are we a bigger club? Not really, Have they alwasy dreamt of playing for Southampton? Unlikely. Is it a step up career and club wise? Probably not. It's going to come down to money and our ambition at the end of the day. How much do we want players that are going to make the team better, even if it means upsetting a few people.

We've been in the prem before, Beattie was up his own jaksie, I don't remember many whingers in 2003, it goes with the territory. Only on saintsweb would you find a thread like this. Merry Christmas you miserable b@stards

There is much to be said for an Independent Republic of Southampton

Bring back Wessex I dont even mind if Winchester is Capital

A team over reliant on easy-to-manage, but middling ability players (such as Dean Hammond or Dan Harding for instance) seems to me a recipe for disaster in the crucible of the Premier League. You can of course unearth diamonds like MLT that deliver outstanding performances while simultaneously being inexpensive to employ and hassle-free on their manager, but just like diamonds they're rather thin on the ground.

If we get promoted I don't think we should be looking to spend a vast fortune and sign 15 new players, but we should be adding some real quality to the squad that can make a difference and keep us up - and if some of those players are what you might call 'high maintenance' then we'll have to take it on the chin because exceptional talent very often comes with an exceptional ego attached.

I think NA's emphasis on signing 'intelligent' players is a polite way of saying we won't sign @rseholes. I actually think that football has started to change again - because all teams have become so well organised and the emphasis is on keeping shape and closing down space rather than tackling, the game has become more and more about the right pass, finding space and getting the opposition out of position and less about physicality and raw skill/pace - and 'intelligence' and the ability to work as part of a unit is becoming more essential. Certainly Norwich & Swansea play tidy football without big stars or blistering pace and are holding their own in the Prem, and more teams are playing our way than the 'Big Sam' way in the NPC. So signing bright, committed 'team' players is the way forward rather than gifted mavericks with an attitude problem, and we are not the only club to have worked this out.

Stop being realistic. Start believing in what is only a dream but one which we are still allowed to have and cherish. Not many teams in the world have the chance that we have. Lets hold onto it for a while longer until we join the Blackburns, Boltons, Fulhams etc of this world as might seem inevitable if we agree that mercenaries are inevitable.....

 

The dream is that we will win the EPL with a squad of homegrown talent coming through our Academy system and through our wide-ranging scouting network. Southampton will be to English football what Barca are to Spain and World football. Our style of play, our system of talent development and our committment towards it safe in the knowledge that the ££ pressures of most other clubs are not so much an issue.

 

We will win the Champions League playing with a team that has got local boys in it, beating Barca 4-0 with style. We will go to Tokyo or Abu Dhabi and beat Santos or someone like that and Adam Lallana will score the winning goal that makes us crowned World Club Champions.

 

England will field a World Cup squad with ten Saints players in and we will win the Bloody World Cup with mostly Saints playing and scoring in the Final against Brazil, that we also beat 4-0, having beaten Germany 4-0 in the semi and Argentina 4-0 in the quarterfinal, and that was after we beat Spain 4-0 in our group match.

 

THAT is a good dream to have for us Saints fans and we afre yet to be disabused of it. The power of the Liebherr $$ is vital obviously, but fo me I still see it as a mission and we are still chasing that dream. Even if we have to buy a Mercenary or two along the way the team will be and play the Southampton way....

Oh that made me feel all warm inside. It is a great dream. Maybe, just maybe, its NC's and NA's dream too.

I think NA's emphasis on signing 'intelligent' players is a polite way of saying we won't sign @rseholes. I actually think that football has started to change again - because all teams have become so well organised and the emphasis is on keeping shape and closing down space rather than tackling, the game has become more and more about the right pass, finding space and getting the opposition out of position and less about physicality and raw skill/pace - and 'intelligence' and the ability to work as part of a unit is becoming more essential. Certainly Norwich & Swansea play tidy football without big stars or blistering pace and are holding their own in the Prem, and more teams are playing our way than the 'Big Sam' way in the NPC. So signing bright, committed 'team' players is the way forward rather than gifted mavericks with an attitude problem, and we are not the only club to have worked this out.

Paul Lambert has done a very good job with Norwich. The team spirit is fantastic. One thing is that they have acted decisively and early in the summer transfer window allowng the team to blend together. Saints should take note and learn from our mistake.

Oh that made me feel all warm inside. It is a great dream. Maybe, just maybe, its NC's and NA's dream too.

It is every other managers and chairmans dream as well, it's one thing to dream it, another thing to do it.

Norwich certainly seems to have bought well, but I think the same can be said about us. We have both placed 'team' over 'talent', and are both buying quality intelligent players, but being careful that our signings don't have a negative impact on the team. I'm glad we seemed to act so wisely in the summer, buying, but refusing to over spend or unsettle the team.

I'd rather we never bring in a mercenary again. I also wish some of our fans would stop bleating on about how we should have bought more players in the summer.

Nichola and Nigel are doing really well at overseeing our steady transition; ensuring we bring in 2 or 3 new faces in each window, enough to improve the squad, without wrecking moral. I'd be as annoyed if we purchased 6+ players in January, as if we brought in nobody. Oh, and no primadonnas or thugs please.

Norwich certainly seems to have bought well, but I think the same can be said about us. We have both placed 'team' over 'talent', and are both buying quality intelligent players, but being careful that our signings don't have a negative impact on the team. I'm glad we seemed to act so wisely in the summer, buying, but refusing to over spend or unsettle the team.

 

I'd rather we never bring in a mercenary again. I also wish some of our fans would stop bleating on about how we should have bought more players in the summer.

 

Nichola and Nigel are doing really well at overseeing our steady transition; ensuring we bring in 2 or 3 new faces in each window, enough to improve the squad, without wrecking moral. I'd be as annoyed if we purchased 6+ players in January, as if we brought in nobody. Oh, and no primadonnas or thugs please.

Did Rickie Lambert (and the majority of the squad for that matter) not come here because we offered them more money than they were on at their previous clubs ? If so, then they are all 'mercenaries' then.

As for the 'no primadonnas' rule, you could argue that special players (like Mario Balotelli or Christiano Ronaldo for instance) often fall into that category. Now I Don't know about you, but I'd happily pay good money to watch them play.

Did Rickie Lambert (and the majority of the squad for that matter) not come here because we offered them more money than they were on at their previous clubs ? If so, then they are all 'mercenaries' then.

 

As for the 'no primadonnas' rule, you could argue that special players (like Mario Balotelli or Christiano Ronaldo for instance) often fall into that category. Now I Don't know about you, but I'd happily pay good money to watch them play.

Their respective clubs are welcoime to them. It's possible for very gifted players like Adam Lallana to be decent lads. Lionel Messi is supposedly pretty honest and well-balanced too. Not signing dicks will mak us a better team.

Did Rickie Lambert (and the majority of the squad for that matter) not come here because we offered them more money than they were on at their previous clubs ? If so, then they are all 'mercenaries' then.

 

As for the 'no primadonnas' rule, you could argue that special players (like Mario Balotelli or Christiano Ronaldo for instance) often fall into that category. Now I Don't know about you, but I'd happily pay good money to watch them play.

Perhaps, but in my book, Lambert would become a mercenary if he put money over football. Let's say he signed for Leicester or Blackburn for a massive pay hike. As I see it Lambert was offered a chance to play for a club with facilities and ambition, of course the wage was attractive aswell. Based on your definition, are all footballers who move clubs for more money are automatically mercenaries?

As for Christiano and his ilk, they can sod off. I don't care how well they can play football, if they insist of spitting dummies and chucking rattles then I'm only interested in them when the crash their ferrari or get banged up for tax evasion in later life. Just look at Tevez right now, that's all you need to know about primadonnas (or do you like funding players with his attitude?)

Perhaps, but in my book, Lambert would become a mercenary if he put money over football. Let's say he signed for Leicester or Blackburn for a massive pay hike. As I see it Lambert was offered a chance to play for a club with facilities and ambition, of course the wage was attractive aswell. Based on your definition, are all footballers who move clubs for more money are automatically mercenaries?

 

As for Christiano and his ilk, they can sod off. I don't care how well they can play football, if they insist of spitting dummies and chucking rattles then I'm only interested in them when the crash their ferrari or get banged up for tax evasion in later life. Just look at Tevez right now, that's all you need to know about primadonnas (or do you like funding players with his attitude?)

SO am i right in saying you'd prefer that we struggle season after season with a team of nice blokes that skip to training everyday just grateful for the chance to play for Southampton. Ones that try hard but ultimately get shown up week in week by superior players than sign players with a bit of an attitude but are skillful, entertaining. The type that if they played for us just might actually fullfil this vision COrtese has that you lot keep banging on about of playing in the champions league?

Their respective clubs are welcoime to them. It's possible for very gifted players like Adam Lallana to be decent lads. Lionel Messi is supposedly pretty honest and well-balanced too. Not signing dicks will mak us a better team.

Are you seriously putting Adam Lallana in the same bracket at Carlos Tevez, Balotelli and Ronaldo?!!!

Did Rickie Lambert (and the majority of the squad for that matter) not come here because we offered them more money than they were on at their previous clubs ? If so, then they are all 'mercenaries' then.

 

As for the 'no primadonnas' rule, you could argue that special players (like Mario Balotelli or Christiano Ronaldo for instance) often fall into that category. Now I Don't know about you, but I'd happily pay good money to watch them play.

There is a huge difference between a professional in any job pursuing his career and ambitions and a mercenary looking for nothing more than a payday. If Rickie had gone to a decent Prem team that would be the former, if he'd gone to Leicester in the summer for the money, I think that would be mercenary. As for primadonnas, Cristiano Ronaldo was not a disruptive influence as far as I was aware, nor Balotelli (just a nutcase). Puncheon clearly is/was. It's about personality, not ability. The ideal player has both.

There is a huge difference between a professional in any job pursuing his career and ambitions and a mercenary looking for nothing more than a payday. If Rickie had gone to a decent Prem team that would be the former, if he'd gone to Leicester in the summer for the money, I think that would be mercenary. As for primadonnas, Cristiano Ronaldo was not a disruptive influence as far as I was aware, nor Balotelli (just a nutcase). Puncheon clearly is/was. It's about personality, not ability. The ideal player has both.

So is Fonte a mercenary for going to a team a league below for more money?