Can we now dream ?

Here below the radar of the lazy media who cannot be bothered to research beyond the top 4 and rarely talk / write about other clubs, we are slowly building a quality dynasty.

If a club , say Southampton FC, get in a quality manager and coaching staff; have a strong academy set up; and then utilising the Sky money and their own resources, pick up quality players that have been considered by 'Top 4 ' clubs, then what is to stop them challenging for the league ?

Or am I going mad, as I wouldn't dare suggest this on a national phone-in !!

F*ck sake. Can we please stop all this b*llocks?

You can dream all you want. Still extremely unlikely.

We have lots to be excited about but I don't feel Top 4 is anywhere near attainable over the course of a 9 month season.

Shhhhhhhhhhhh I'm enjoying it but don't get your hopes up, this is Southampton after all they've been doing that to us for years.

Don't be a bellend :-)

[video=youtube_share;DFFQbO0Ko8E]http://youtu.be/DFFQbO0Ko8E

Enjoy looking at the league table for the next 2 weeks but don't expect to be seeing it like that come May!

I don't take the table seriously until ten games anyway.

Important to remember that Liverpool is the only team we've played from top ten so far.

Not necessarily this season chums, but in due course as clubs like Swansea, Everton, Saints and say Villa gradually build as I describe.

The point being only four clubs are ever discussed at length by the media and any comment to the contrary is madness, like the 'Thought Police' run football.

bit early i spose.

2006/07 after 7 games Portsmouth was 3rd. They finished 9th.

Important to remember that Liverpool is the only team we've played from top ten so far.

The Times had an article about our true position. They reported a study which took account of the opposition played. We came mid-table.

Ironically, the game that has put us in these heights, highlights the reason why we wont even be close.

They played us of the park footballing wise...... we got lucky. Fully deserved when you think about west ham and sunderland, but today should act as a reminder of how far away we are, not how close we are.

Important to remember that Liverpool is the only team we've played from top ten so far.

But we beat WBA who have taken 4 points from arsenal and united?

In reality. This is a f-ing tough league. Where a team near the bottom can go away from home and play like Swansea did today.

Anyone can beat anyone this year.

Ironically, the game that has put us in these heights, highlights the reason why we wont even be close.

 

They played us of the park footballing wise...... we got lucky. Fully deserved when you think about west ham and sunderland, but today should act as a reminder of how far away we are, not how close we are.

You mean, by winning?

We also had our chances too

Anyone can beat anyone this year.

word. West Ham was a fucking turn up. I was looking forward to Allardyce misery face on MOTD cos they would be relegation zone, but now it's all ruined!

We were gifted with an easy start. Next 6-8 games will tell us more about the side and mopo

Important to remember that Liverpool is the only team we've played from top ten so far.

We beat West Brom who beat Man Utd and drew with Arsenal,drew with West Ham who spanked Spurs.

Unfortunately i dont think we have a strong enough squad to maintain a serious challenge.i so hope i'm wrong.Could see us challenging for 6th if we're lucky with injuries.

We were gifted with an easy start. Next 6-8 games will tell us more about the side and mopo

No easy games in the prem. you trolling ****

In a word, no. Dream of Europe for now.

Play what´s in front of you. Cant beat the teams you´re not playing.

man i hope Man U rape us in 2 weeks time to put end to this embarrassing talk. I will be so angar if we beat them

If we pick up 14 points from our next 7 games...... I will get excited! But we wont

Happy to wager £10/20 with anyone on that

if we pick up 14 points from our next 7 games...... I will get excited! But we wont

 

happy to wager £10/20 with anyone on that

man u (a)

fulham (h)

stoke (a)

hull (h)

arsenal (a)

chelsea (a)

villa (h)

yeah i prob wouldn't make us favourites in some of them away games!

The Times had an article about our true position. They reported a study which took account of the opposition played. We came mid-table.

That settles that then. See you all next season y'all!

I didn't start this thread as another 'prediction' one , but more about the issue of clubs outside the top 4 beating the negativity surrounding any team outside the top four from the media who firstly never talk about any team except Arsenal, Man City, Manure and Chelsea and secondly, assume the existing status quo is unpenetrable.

It seems to me the media , in a 'stasi 'sort of 'thought police' way have brain washed many, like those who have posted on here, into a total acceptance of the existing status quo going forward for the foreseeable future, with no alternatives accepted, even (say) Tottenham not being given a reasonable platform.

With all the money sloshing about, if spent wisely with a decent manager, academy and team I see no reason why this cannot change, but I do understand that someone may knock at the door in the middle of the night and take me away for such thoughts.

Who knows where we will finish but the prem this season is more open than it has ever been. Combination of the big clubs getting weaker (united in particular) and the smaller clubs getting stronger. Plus chuck in a liberal sprinkling of new managers just to shake things up a bit.

Add to that there seem to be half a dozen sides who could all win the league (plus us!) and they will take points off each other all season long. Any one of Liverpool, arsenal, city, utd, Chelsea or spurs could come out on top.

For now just enjoying us being in amongst that lot!

Looking back as a comparison, think this team would have held on to win at citeh, would have at least held on against Wigan & Utd at home.

#titledreamstillalive:cool:

man u (a)

fulham (h)

stoke (a)

hull (h)

arsenal (a)

chelsea (a)

villa (h)

 

yeah i prob wouldn't make us favourites in some of them away games!

10 points would be a great return from that lot. 7 points is the minimum we should be getting, anything above 10 would be a cracking result.

Enjoy it, take some screenshots of the table, as it sure as hell won't end anything like that!

Top 10 is on, but not much more than that. Over the course of the season the clubs with the big squads will come to the fore. We're just not quite there as yet.

F*ck sake. Can we please stop all this b*llocks?

I'm not saying anything about my hopes/expectations, but when exactly are people allowed to start talking about europe? 10 games in? 20? 5 games from the end?

From the BBC Sport match report page....

"Southampton have conceded two goals in their opening seven top-flight games. The last time they did that was in 1983-84, when they ended the campaign in second place, behind Liverpool."

Make of that what you will

Of course we can, I think 5th or 6th is doable this season and no one thought that would be doable four years ago

I didn't start this thread as another 'prediction' one , but more about the issue of clubs outside the top 4 beating the negativity surrounding any team outside the top four from the media who firstly never talk about any team except Arsenal, Man City, Manure and Chelsea and secondly, assume the existing status quo is unpenetrable.

 

It seems to me the media , in a 'stasi 'sort of 'thought police' way have brain washed many, like those who have posted on here, into a total acceptance of the existing status quo going forward for the foreseeable future, with no alternatives accepted, even (say) Tottenham not being given a reasonable platform.

 

With all the money sloshing about, if spent wisely with a decent manager, academy and team I see no reason why this cannot change, but I do understand that someone may knock at the door in the middle of the night and take me away for such thoughts.

"Stasi", "Thought Police", "brain washed".

Jesus, what a load of sh it.

Saying "yay, I reckon my team can finish, like, fourth" does not make you Nelson Mandela.

"Stasi", "Thought Police", "brain washed".

 

Jesus, what a load of sh it.

 

Saying "yay, I reckon my team can finish, like, fourth" does not make you Nelson Mandela.

You do realise that 73,6% of your posts criticise what others have written? (Make that 73.7% after your response to this one...)

"Stasi", "Thought Police", "brain washed".

 

Jesus, what a load of sh it.

 

Saying "yay, I reckon my team can finish, like, fourth" does not make you Nelson Mandela.

Good news, thanks CB Fry for your reassurance - I was beginning to wonder, listening to national radio phone ins over the last couple of months.

You do realise that 73,6% of your posts criticise what others have written? (Make that 73.7% after your response to this one...)

Yay, we can finish fourth. Take that, police state.

The press & media are obsessed with Man U, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool and to a certain extent, Tottenham. Rarely does anybody else have a mention but gradually some of the so called experts are beginning to notice the Mighty Saints. After all we have done for years!

Does anyone know the last time we played Man U at OT and was above them in the league.

Nothing wrong with dreaming, but dreams rarely come true! Think we need to calm down the threads on 4th place/champions league, provides too much ammo when we finish 11th for Turkish et. al to proclaim that the entire forum said we'd finish 4th. It's a natural reaction to get excited, we're football fans so why shouldn't we! Next few games look a lot tougher, there's no such thing as an easy start, and we certainly didn't pick up as many points from the same fixtures last year ( lost at West Brom, Liverpool and home to Sunderland). I can see maybe 6 or 7 points from the next 6 games, but to go into Christmas with 20 + points will be good progress. I'd imagine the aim of the club now might be 60 points. Is it achievable? Still too early to say

man u (a)

fulham (h)

stoke (a)

hull (h)

arsenal (a)

chelsea (a)

villa (h)

 

yeah i prob wouldn't make us favourites in some of them away games!

I would be looking for 20 out of those 21 points available.

There now exists a "big 6" of United, City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs.

Realistically, we are competing with Everton, West Brom, Swansea etc to come top on the rest.

14 points after 7 games is fantastic and gives us a nice cushion for when a bad run happens, and it will happen, does to everybody. Personally, I would like to see us take a strong team to sunderland and try and win the league cup like Swansea last season. That is still our most realistic route into Europe.

Truth is, we've only lost 6 premier league games in the whole of 2013. That's 6 out of 26 games. We've only lost 3 in the last 17.

And we've got a very good chance at old Trafford in 2 weeks.

Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express

The Times had an article about our true position. They reported a study which took account of the opposition played. We came mid-table.

Sounds about right imo. Was it online?

Sounds about right imo. Was it online?

I have it delivered. It's online but you have to subscribe and might have to pay.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/football/finktank/article3887187.ece?CMP=OTH-gnws-standard-2013_10_04

I've found the article from Saturday. It has us at 11th and Man Utd at 16th. PM me and I'll post it to you.

Seeing the current predictions... time to dig this site out again!

http://www.sportsclubstats.com/England/Premier.html

We really have had a great start

Good article!

http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/southampton/id/911?cc=5739

There now exists a "big 6" of United, City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs.

 

Realistically, we are competing with Everton, West Brom, Swansea etc to come top on the rest.

 

14 points after 7 games is fantastic and gives us a nice cushion for when a bad run happens, and it will happen, does to everybody. Personally, I would like to see us take a strong team to sunderland and try and win the league cup like Swansea last season. That is still our most realistic route into Europe.

Great post. Totally agree.

Important to remember that Liverpool is the only team we've played from top ten so far.

100% record against the top ten so far then