VVD already on his way ???

Seems so from Puel's comments.

Really wondering what the point is anymore, apart from keeping Über-Fans in their weekly p*ss-up with their mates. This season clearly shows we cannot sustain any level of achievement with the yearly circus in the summer break.

If VVD does go it will show the club has absolutely no ambition apart from making money.

If VVD does go it will show the club has absolutely no ambition apart from making money.

Really? Do some Saints fans still not understand the model we work to?

I'd like to think it would take an offer massively above his value to get him next summer, he has a very long contract here.

What comments? Can you pst the link Alps - I can then comment. Without seeing them my view is that he is going nowhere for at leat another couple of seasons - being lined up as capt etc + still has circa 5 years to run on his contract so if he does go it will be for more than Stones which a club of our size would be more than tempting.

it is about making money whilst trying to be competitive. It will not be a case of if, but when and that will come down to when VVD says he wants to go.

I really don't know what people expect? All of these players want to play for bigger clubs, what are we supposed to do about that? Become a bigger club, then we have to keep hold of the players who want to leave to a bigger club, its a self propitiating circle of doom.

The club are quite clear on their strategy, compete in the top half of the table but make money. until we get new owners etc. this will not change, it is i guess better than watching Dagenham & Redbridge in L1 on a Tuesday night.

I think under Cortese it would have been a completely different strategy but clearly it was not his money and Kat called it in.

If VVD does go it will show the club has absolutely no ambition apart from making money.

He will go at some point , always was going to - same as he was always going to leave Celtic, nothing to do with our ambition , its the way the world works .....all we can do is sell for top dollar/ at a planned time when we have a top class replacement lined up / and enjoy him whilst he is here ...

What comments? Can you pst the link Alps - I can then comment. Without seeing them my view is that he is going nowhere for at leat another couple of seasons - being lined up as capt etc + still has circa 5 years to run on his contract so if he does go it will be for more than Stones which a club of our size would be more than tempting.

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/14916283.Puel__Enjoy_Van_Dijk_while_he_s_here/

Its clear the Echo's headline is deliberately provocative, but the message is the same...

He will go at some point , always was going to - same as he was always going to leave Celtic, nothing to do with our ambition , its the way the world works .....all we can do is sell for top dollar/ at a planned time when we have a top class replacement lined up / and enjoy him whilst he is here ...

Like we did for Pelle and Mane, of course....

Would you rather he lied and said he'll stay until he retires?

What comments? Can you pst the link Alps - I can then comment. Without seeing them my view is that he is going nowhere for at leat another couple of seasons - being lined up as capt etc + still has circa 5 years to run on his contract so if he does go it will be for more than Stones which a club of our size would be more than tempting.

Wishful thinking, fella. Wont happen...

Wishful thinking, fella. Wont happen...

How much do you think we would accept for him with 5 years to go on his contract?

Does it really matter how much we sell him for? It won't all go back into the playing squad anyway.

Personally I think he'll stay until the end of next season and then move. I just hope we get someone this summer who can replace him.

Really? Do some Saints fans still not understand the model we work to?

Its false economy to keep selling your best players, its going to hit you eventually,we've been lucky up till now.

What message does this send to the fans?

What message does this send to the players?

I understand players ambition, what I don't understand is why we don't make more of an effort to keep them.

How much do you think we would accept for him with 5 years to go on his contract?

Have we replaced Mane ? Yes or no ?

Have we replaced Mane ? Yes or no ?

Basically, yes. Boufal is the Mane replacement.

We haven't replaced Pelle though (other than treating J-Rod as a "new signing")

Basically, yes. Boufal is the Mane replacement.

 

That remains to be seen, IMO. I mean someone who fulfills the role and has the same impact, not a body with a pulse.

Seems so from Puel's comments.

Why do you start threads like this and make no attempt to link to the quotes in question?

 

Why do you think selling players to far richer clubs than us means there is "no point anymore"? van Dijk is good enough to play in the Champions League, why take issue with the club or van Dijk if we sell him to a far richer club?

 

If VVD does go it will show the club has absolutely no ambition apart from making money.

 

The club (unlike you & alpine_saint) is aware of its position in the transfer pecking order and knows it can do well bringing through academy players and buying promising players in their early 20's, developing them and benefitting from them and if they do attract rich club interest the reinvest wisely in replacements.

 

Like we did for Pelle and Mane, of course....

 

Why are you already so dismissive of Austin being Pelle's replacement or Redmond/Boufal replacing Mane? Are you not one to give people time (I think we all know the answer to that)?

 

...............

 

Alpine for the last 10 years every thread you start, every post you make is painful to read. It is hard to recall you ever posting anything positive about the club you support and for the last 7 of those 10 years we have seen nothing but success! How about you give the club some credit and consider perhaps they know a lot better what to do than your negative ramblings on this forum for the last 10 years!

That remains to be seen, IMO. I mean someone who fulfills the role and has the same impact, not a body with a pulse.

Yep cos Mane hit the ground running. According to some on here (probably you), he was barely good enough to play for Eastleigh for his first couple of months.

 

We haven't replaced Pelle though (other than treating J-Rod as a "new signing")

Austin???

Really? Do some Saints fans still not understand the model we work to?

The model would appear to be, act as a nursery club for the likes of Liverpool, ManU, spurs etc......

The model would appear to be, act as a nursery club for the likes of Liverpool, ManU, spurs etc......

Celtic probably think that about us

The model would appear to be, act as a nursery club for the likes of Liverpool, ManU, spurs etc......

It is a positive sign we have players clubs like want our players, not a negative thing. The time to worry is when we don't have players those clubs would want, which doesn't look like happening.

If we want Saints to have players of the quality of van Dijk then it is inevitable rich clubs would want them, as players like van Dijk are good enough for the very top level.

Football has a transfer pecking order and I find it bizarre some Saints fans continue to think we can keep players of van Dijk's quality long term if clubs with significantly more resources than us make an offer. Saints have been doing similar to other clubs... Celtic for example with Forster, Wanyama & van Dijk. The transfer market has a pecking order and we are not (and probably never will be) above Liverpool & Man Utd in the transfer pecking order even if we finish above them occasionally.

Really? Do some Saints fans still not understand the model we work to?

They're probably too busy studying rocket science to be understanding the mega complex world of how the club operates...

Thought all along that the long contract was just to get a higher fee for him . Saints never meant to keep him for long

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I hope the club and many of the 20/20 vision "experts" on here will be as sanguine about the club seeng players only as tradable assets when many of their spectators decide to move on as well.

Pathetic from puel saying that. We really are a club with minimal ambition now.

That remains to be seen, IMO. I mean someone who fulfills the role and has the same impact, not a body with a pulse.

Based on your vitriolic posts when Mane first played for us in his 1st season I would say Boufal is miles ahead of him in the few games he has played and Saturday was his first PL start against the top of the table side.

Lets maybe judge replacements at the end of the year, Mane got 10 goals and 3 assists in 24 games in 2014 season and most of those were in the 2nd half of the seaon.

Boufal will play less due to Afcon but if he can get a minimum of 8 goals this season I will be happy, his stats for Lille last season were 11 goals and 4 assists in 27 games so he looks like he can do it.

No surprises here. The press have been creaming themselves for weeks, putting him in the spotlight, highlighting him on motd, regular in team of the week, Merrimgton on Solent wants to marry him. He's class, we're not ambitious enough and he will leave in the future for a fee massively higher than what we paid for him. It will get dark tonight, the sun will rise in the morning and life will go on. This is saints and has been for years. COYR.

Is it the summer already?

Basically all Puel is quoted saying is: "I am enjoying how well Van Dijk is playing, and I hope he'll keep playing this well for us."

Pathetic from puel saying that. We really are a club with minimal ambition now.

It's not pathetic though is it?

It's realistic.

Is it the summer already?

Not sure..

I look out the window and see it piissing down, but the Alpine is here with his drivel, so like you, have to question it.

Really? Do some Saints fans still not understand the model we work to?

does that mean we have to sell him in the summer?

Both Chelsea and City will want a top quality CB in the summer. VvD has the lot.

Reckon £40m+ will do it

And if we do start holding players to their contracts it would be highly likely that many of these names would simply sign elsewhere in the 1st place or not sign longer extensions. We want to be seen as a successful club where you can play at a good level, sometimes in Europe and achieve National team recognition rather than go to a "big" club and sit on the bench.

It really is a good model, bring in good young players, bring some thought the academy and sign those good "bench warmers" to become the 250 game stability players.

whilst it would be amazing for a club like ours to become a "big" club it isn't really realistic. We are seeing some of the best football we have played for years and are being viewed in the right way for this to hopefully continue. When Puel says enjoy VVD that is exactly what we should do

This thread virtually writes itself. Well done everybody.

one thing you can be sure of is when any player sings a long term contract like VVD there will be a clause in contract that if anyone comes in with a bid from certain clubs and over a certain agreed value that they will be allowed to leave if they want

this happens at most clubs now

Even Suarez at Liverpool had this clause, and would have gone to Arsenal if they'd have put in a reasonable bid

This thread virtually writes itself. Well done everybody.

its like a thread by numbers.. only thing missing is a chocolate bar quip but that normally your department

I hope the club and many of the 20/20 vision "experts" on here will be as sanguine about the club seeng players only as tradable assets when many of their spectators decide to move on as well.

We won't miss you and the others that would obviously prefer to follow those players to their new clubs. I support the team through thick and thin and am very content that so far having sold many talented players, we have managed to replace them very well with players who then subsequently turn out to be in high demand too. But even if that policy falters at some stage, most true Saints fans will be still be there for the club and team.

one thing you can be sure of is when any player sings a long term contract like VVD there will be a clause in contract that if anyone comes in with a bid from certain clubs and over a certain agreed value that they will be allowed to leave if they want

 

this happens at most clubs now

 

Even Suarez at Liverpool had this clause, and would have gone to Arsenal if they'd have put in a reasonable bid

There's no evidence that SFC do this with any player.

You know about Suarez a) because he had the clause and b) therefore it was communicated out by whichever party (player/agent/selling club/buying club/brokers/hangers on/etc).

With every single tranfer out we've done it never, ever gets mentioned. So let's say we don't do it.

Our players know we will sell when the conditions are right for us and the player. I have absolutely no doubt our stance helps us attract good players to the club.

its like a thread by numbers.. only thing missing is a chocolate bar quip but that normally your department

Seems so from Puel's comments.

 

Really wondering what the point is anymore, apart from keeping Über-Fans in their weekly p*ss-up with their mates. This season clearly shows we cannot sustain any level of achievement with the yearly circus in the summer break.

Can you fit an entire Terry's Chocolate Orange in your mouth?

If Carlsberg did over reactions this would be the best in the world...

Echo must have sold a few extra copies...

If he spends all season getting mentions on MOTD and articles in the press, no one will blink about paying a Stones-esque amount for him, as he'll have been anointed as officially worth-the-money.

Can you fit an entire Terry's Chocolate Orange in your mouth?

and this thread is done a whole summer melt down thread in 3 hours... good work people

This thread can't be considered complete until we have a comment from Glasgow. Where is he?

This thread can't be considered complete until we have a comment from Glasgow. Where is he?

Making up another log in i suspect

This thread can't be considered complete until we have a comment from Glasgow. Where is he?

you're right we haven't been given a league number I assume selling VVD will drop us from a level 4 club down to a lvl 10 club or something...

We haven't sold him yet. When he goes it will be for good money and we'll probably buy two great new players with it.

If you're the sort of fan who panics that we're going to lose our best players, being a fan of Southampton FC is going to be a really **** experience.

He is a top player. Let's hope he stays for a couple more seasons, and in the meantime enjoy watching him play for us.

Different day but same **** from our "ambitious" club

Just hope Reed kept the receipt for that trophy cabinet he purchased