How do we keep this team together?

A lot was said about the motives for players leaving last summer. Some said it was "ambition" but many said it was more likely for financial reasons.

With the team doing so well, is it realistic to think that we could keep this team together? What would it take? Europe? Champions League? Are we just going to get raided anyway - even by the big clubs we are now mocking for looking like they will miss out on Europe? Should we even try that hard to hold onto players or do what we did last summer and trust that history repeats? Can we realistically afford to hold onto some of these guys? If so, who?

We keep winning. If not, we rebuild and go again - and keep winning.

Hopefully players and clubs will start to learn, it's not as simple as snapping up individuals and capturing what they've done for other teams. Saints were a team last season and a team this season perhaps even more.

 

You can sign Lallana but not the comfort he had in a saints shirt, the relationship and familiarity with teammates. You can sign Lovren but you're starting from scratch with the defence and making him work with a new defensive midfield, or lack of.

 

But i doubt they'll learn. I heard a lot of 'Southampton lost their best players', yet it was Schneiderlin and Wanyama I most wanted to keep, the heartbeat of the side, followed by Clyne. It shouldn't be rocket science, Chelsea have a great squad and players on loan everywhere but look best with a settled team. That's football, familiarity and partnerships all over the pitch are vital, ten times more than endless signings. Yet every week fans will call for new strikers or defenders if they're not scoring or conceding too many.

 

If we lose a couple more, we replace them. Reinvest. In each area of the club one person leaving shouldn't change things now, it's a long term set up and we'll move on. Personally I expect Schneiderlin to leave if we don't get top 4, he could play for any team in the world IMO. Brilliant player but we could potentially play JWP and Reed more, that's what the academy is for.

I agree - and posted something similar on another site. There is something very strong at the very foundations of this club and players who leave seem to shrink on walking out the door. I'd be curious to see who people think would leave, who would stay, who might step up, and what we might have to offer to get our own way.

I don't think top 4 is a possibility,but anything from 5th is possible,I would like to think that Koeman will have the pulling power to keep players,not one player can question our ambition this season and I hope that the club will tell other clubs to eff off when they come knocking and they will, Tadic,Morgan,Clyne & Wanyama will be hot property come next summer

Hopefully players and clubs will start to learn, it's not as simple as snapping up individuals and capturing what they've done for other teams. Saints were a team last season and a team this season perhaps even more.

 

You can sign Lallana but not the comfort he had in a saints shirt, the relationship and familiarity with teammates. You can sign Lovren but you're starting from scratch with the defence and making him work with a new defensive midfield, or lack of.

 

But i doubt they'll learn. I heard a lot of 'Southampton lost their best players', yet it was Schneiderlin and Wanyama I most wanted to keep, the heartbeat of the side, followed by Clyne. It shouldn't be rocket science, Chelsea have a great squad and players on loan everywhere but look best with a settled team. That's football, familiarity and partnerships all over the pitch are vital, ten times more than endless signings. Yet every week fans will call for new strikers or defenders if they're not scoring or conceding too many.

 

If we lose a couple more, we replace them. Reinvest. In each area of the club one person leaving shouldn't change things now, it's a long term set up and we'll move on. Personally I expect Schneiderlin to leave if we don't get top 4, he could play for any team in the world IMO. Brilliant player but we could potentially play JWP and Reed more, that's what the academy is for.

Very true, we no doubt have all the player positions identified and covered regarding their replacement

There is no doubt that many of our players will attract great interest from the 'big boys'. However if we finish top 4 or more likely top 6 then the footballing lure to leave will be less and in Koeman I believe we have a manager who is more grounded than the previous incumbent and will stay and that is key.We cannot compete on the salary front and agents will not do us any favours. We have seen that we have an executive and back room staff that are determined and made of steel so if some are determined to leave we will get very good deals.

Put Big Vic on guard duty and let him kick the arses of any agents, scouts and England (LFC collaborators) Managers he sees anywhere near SMS.

No doubt we will lose 1 or two by the end of next summer

Cork still has no new contract.

Morgan will probably still want out and jrod has still not signed the new contract offered many months ago.

Clyne and tadic will no doubt get shed loads of attention and you have Bertrand and toby

After this weekend, can't agree that top 4 is not possible. Not just because we got the win at home to Leicester, which tough as it was to get the goals, was predictable but because of the performance of the competing clubs. There's no reason why we shouldn't get results against those teams on a par to the results that less capable teams than ours have been getting. The problem of keeping the team together still doesn't go away though. Players will naturally be tempted by bigger pay packets. Football is a short career and if a player is offered double his wages by another club,.....well, I know what I would do regardless of how much I like my present employer. Perhaps the best hope is that Champions League might encourage a player to stay because it might increase his future earning power and then extra income may allow SFC to increase wages under the FFP rules.

But if we have learnt any lesson this year, it is that we shouldn't regard the present staring XI as all being irreplaceable. Changing all XI wholesale would likely have a negative impact but individually, each player can be replaced as long as you retain the bulk of the squad to ensure continuity. In the first game under Koeman this season (at Liverpool) despite the departures he still played 7 outfield players who had played regularly last season.

One thing I think we can be sure of is that Les Reed and the decision-makers know better than we fans what went on last summer and will be better prepared to act so as to minimise any similar situation and to strengthen again with more quality players as needed, whether from the Academy or elsewhere.

If we get top 4 we'll get have loads banging on our door to join up.

Getting into the top 4 is moving into a new world where we become the ones who pick and choose. However if we don't get there then I can see a rerun of last summer, finishing just outside top 4 is a dangerous place to finish, you are noticed but have no european football to offer.

However as long as we avoid too many injuries I think we can get top 4, especially being as the usual suspects are stumbling. If we can get a solid return from our Dec\Jan games and they keep on bumbling along then we'll be in a brilliant position. It's doable.

I think they'll look twice at what happened with the players bought this season, but essentially, if the players want to go, they'll end up going. Player power, innit.

Think its innevitable that we will lose players, there isnt, regardless of what people say, a team in the world thats immune to it. That said, I dont think we will see the exodus that we did in the summer (though it worked out well) one way or another players were unhappy, we seem so far from that now.

Realistically though, they'll always be a financial element, but if we keep looking progressive then we will stand a better chance of holding on to our talents

The big clubs are sure to come knocking if they see we have something they want. The only thing to do is make sure they well and truly pay through the nose for any of our coveted assets.

If we get top 4 we'll get have loads banging on our door to join up.

 

Getting into the top 4 is moving into a new world where we become the ones who pick and choose. However if we don't get there then I can see a rerun of last summer, finishing just outside top 4 is a dangerous place to finish, you are noticed but have no european football to offer.

Don't you? I thought that the next two or three places below fourth went into the other European Competition.

The key to keeping this team togeather will be to keep Koeman - The players enjoy him and his training - If we lose him then I think we will see a rerun of last summer

We seem to do OK in the transfer merry-go-round. Maybe we end up with a better, deeper squad and money in the bank

The key to keeping this team togeather will be to keep Koeman - The players enjoy him and his training - If we lose him then I think we will see a rerun of last summer

He's got a hell of a lot more integrity than our slimy Argie ever had.

He's got a hell of a lot more integrity than our slimy Argie ever had.

Poch did say he would leave if cortese left. (about a year ago)

it was hardly a surprise, when you think about it

I think they'll look twice at what happened with the players bought this season, but essentially, if the players want to go, they'll end up going. Player power, innit.

If we finish strongly this season, it boils down to if they are motivated mostly by salary, in which case its hard to keep them, or more by chance of success / team spirit / happiness / great manager / etc etc , in which case this season may well be a turning point in terms of the relative performance of all sorts of teams

We keep winning. If not, we rebuild and go again - and keep winning.

you really think that will work season after season?

Poch did say he would leave if cortese left. (about a year ago)

it was hardly a surprise, when you think about it

It wasn't a surprise unless you believed the lying cheating Argie giving the impression that he would renew his contract at the end of the Summer, some time after Cortese had gone. And the reason he left, was exactly the same as that which caused those players to leave. The supposed personal glory from playing for a bigger club and the increased loadsamoney pay packets involved.

I don't think we need to keep the team on the pitch, the individuals, together, as better offers will come for them.

What we seem to be able to do is maintain the spirit of the team and Markus's desire to play quality football with a top manager in charge. As I have posted before , I believe our Black Box operatives get in intelligent, well balanced individuals with a desire to take on instructions to benefit the team, rather than buy marque individuals like Ballotelli or di Maria who appear to be signed to do their own thing.

Although seemingly doing a good job, Puncheon or Ramirez seemed incapable of doing this and rather than persist with them, they are moved on.

Not sure it matters wether we keep them or not as this summer has proved.

Not sure it matters wether we keep them or not as this summer has proved.

Exactly. The organisation of the club, from top to bottom, is set to expect and adapt to change - so far it has done so successfully.

Not sure it matters wether we keep them or not as this summer has proved.

Perhaps it is the "team" off the pitch that we need to ensure we retain, rather than the one on it at any given point in time, in that respect.

Expecting to lose Rodriguez, Clyne & Schneiderlin this summer, irrespective of where we finish in the league.

I really hope we can manage to keep hold of Alderweireld.

We've only conceded twice while he's been on the pitch for us.

I'm not sure a club - especially one of our size and stature - can "keep a team together" in these days of player power, but I think the players themselves can.

If they are enjoying their football, like their manager, like eachother and see the chance of "winning something", they are more likely to be reluctant to leave. We have all those things going for us right now.

Also going for us is the fact that not one of the players who left last summer - not one - seems better off (in anything other than purely financial terms) than they were this time last year. Their grass so far is certainly not greener, and the joy we saw in their faces last year is nowhere to be seen now.

But even if we do lose one or two, I have every confidence that we'll identify and sign more than adequate replacements.

Perhaps it is the "team" off the pitch that we need to ensure we retain, rather than the one on it at any given point in time, in that respect.

Change Management should be being applied off the pitch as well as on. I'm reasonably confident that it is.

January will be important, need to keep all our players, inc Jay-Rod and look at a decent back up striker who can play in the centre of a front 3

Perhaps it is the "team" off the pitch that we need to ensure we retain, rather than the one on it at any given point in time, in that respect.

I dunno, we got shot of Cortese and got a better chairman, same with the manager.

January will be important, need to keep all our players, inc Jay-Rod and look at a decent back up striker who can play in the centre of a front 3

Isn't that long or Rodriguez?

With Rodriguez, long, tadic, mane, Pelle and Gallagher. Do you really think we will buy another forward?

Just can't see it

Isn't that long or Rodriguez?

 

With Rodriguez, long, tadic, mane, Pelle and Gallagher. Do you really think we will buy another forward?

 

Just can't see it

But Rodriguez, Long, Tadic and Mane are used as wide players, I think we could do with quality back-up for Pelle.

But Rodriguez, Long, Tadic and Mane are used as wide players, I think we could do with quality back-up for Pelle.

They are used as wide players. But long and Rodriguez are more than capable of doing a good job in the middle

What sort of quality of going to come here to maybe get 4-5 games this season?

Don't forget, the club will still want to keep the pathway open for academy players

They are used as wide players. But long and Rodriguez are more than capable of doing a good job in the middle

 

What sort of quality of going to come here to maybe get 4-5 games this season?

 

Don't forget, the club will still want to keep the pathway open for academy players

Re-shuffling the pack with players who can do a job is not strength in depth. We need to be able to replace Pelle with similar and keep the same options out wide.

Re-shuffling the pack with players who can do a job is not strength in depth. We need to be able to replace Pelle with similar and keep the same options out wide.

We bought long who was a central striker and as Koeman said, he has had to adjust

I really do not think the club is going to buy a "quality" 7th forward. More so when we are famed for the academy and plan to use it to its fullest

We bought long who was a central striker and as Koeman said, he has had to adjust

 

I really do not think the club is going to buy a "quality" 7th forward. More so when we are famed for the academy and plan to use it to its fullest

Only one of the squad on Saturday was an academy player and he was on the bench.

We bought long who was a central striker and as Koeman said, he has had to adjust

 

I really do not think the club is going to buy a "quality" 7th forward. More so when we are famed for the academy and plan to use it to its fullest

Referring to all those players in one group is akin to saying we have X amount of defenders in the squad and paying no heed to the depth of individual positions.

In our team, the role of the centre forward and the role of those playing just behind and out wide are VERY different. There is no-one - with the exception of Gallagher who only has the potential - in our squad other than Pelle who can play that role right now. Not even Rodriguez was effective enough as a lone striker holding up the ball on the occasions he played there the last two seasons.

Referring to all those players in one group is akin to saying we have X amount of defenders in the squad and paying no heed to the depth of individual positions.

In our team, the role of the centre forward and the role of those playing just behind and out wide are VERY different. There is no-one - with the exception of Gallagher who only has the potential - in our squad other than Pelle who can play that role right now. Not even Rodriguez was effective enough as a lone striker holding up the ball on the occasions he played there the last two seasons.

This

And Gallagher really isnt goid enough right now

I don't think we can in all honesty. We will lose players, we always lose players.

Referring to all those players in one group is akin to saying we have X amount of defenders in the squad and paying no heed to the depth of individual positions.

In our team, the role of the centre forward and the role of those playing just behind and out wide are VERY different. There is no-one - with the exception of Gallagher who only has the potential - in our squad other than Pelle who can play that role right now. Not even Rodriguez was effective enough as a lone striker holding up the ball on the occasions he played there the last two seasons.

Exactly. The prize of CL football is so great there is no way they will want to risk losing out for the sake of giving some academy kid a run out or trying to make Mane or Rodriguez play like Pelle.

Why should any players want to stay at Southampton with all the effort needed here to compete at the top of the Premier League and in Europe when you can have a quieter life in mid-table with teams like Tottenham, Liverpool or Man Utd?

Only way would be CL qualification. Otherwise another 3 or 4 of the best players will go in the summer again.

We just pay the price for having better players than the game dictates a club of our size should.

Which, of course is great.

Schneiderlin new L'Equipe quotes:

"We'll see at the end of the season if [a transfer] will happen. If we have qualified for the Champions League, I will make the choice."

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2892/transfer-zone/2014/11/11/6052041/-

Enjoy this team whilst they are together. Then enjoy the team we assemble for next season.

only way to keep players and staff and to be 'sustainable' is to become a big club ourselves - on and off the pitch

Les Reed seems to be the main one to keep - chairman , managers, players have come and gone since he was here and none missed despite all our concerns.

Higher we finish the less clubs are able to tempt our players. Last season you could only see players leaving for the 7 clubs above us (English clubs).

Now? Think spurs, everton and even Liverpool would find it harder.

If Clyne starts for England, but without Lallana, Shaw, chambers or Lambert surely that sends a bit of a message out?

Also if Tadic, Toby or whoever leave, we must be more attractive for new players now?

Anyway JWP, Reid, Target etc or the future

Araldite.

Araldite.

Who does he play for?

Araldite.[/quote

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