Realistic Expectations?

[musesaint]

The biggest problem for us as fans is that we constantly dream of a return to the promised land of the Premiership and measure our success in the CCC against what is (given the state of the club’s finances and the players we have available) a totally unrealistic expectation.

 

A more realistic expectation is that there is every chance that a bunch of enthusiastic and talented kids will actually perform a total miracle this season and keep us in the Championship and out of administration.

 

Like many others I have sat through most games this season thinking that the kids are on the cusp of something really special ….but just not quite there yet. How many games have we come away from thinking we deserved far more? Last Saturday’s game was a perfect example when, were it not for some truly shocking refereeing, we might well have won and should have got at least a point. The crowd’s positive reaction to the players at the end of the game showed that.

 

Yesterday’s result confirms that with the talent we have both on and off the pitch we should NOT go down this season. True home results are still letting us down ….but largely because we have been unlucky and not because we are shi*te or have constantly played badly! My only fear is that the Board will make poor decisions in January and sell key players to cash in rather than see the bigger picture.

 

If we adjust our expectations and concentrate on supporting the kids and Poortvliet in what has always been a fight for survival against the odds we might just enjoy ourselves for the rest of this season and have a few more surprises to celebrate on the way. If we can do that, stay up and keep most of the squad together…. a return to the promised land may yet be a realistic expectation in the 09/10 season.

[southamptonfclegend]

The biggest problem for us as fans is that we constantly dream of a return to the promised land of the Premiership and measure our success in the CCC against what is (given the state of the club’s finances and the players we have available) a totally unrealistic expectation.

.

if your saying our expectations are too high, i think this is not really the case as 5 years ago us beating Reading would have not really been a amazing result where as it was for us clearly the delight at the end was obvious chorus' of "we love southampton we do"

[Thedelldays]

agreed..

 

how can expectations be too high with the euphoria shown at reading after the final whistle

Edited 23 November, 2008 by Thedelldays

[Glasgow_Saint]

if your saying our expectations are too high, i think this is not really the case as 5 years ago us beating Reading would have not really been a amazing result where as it was for us clearly the delight at the end was obvious chorus' of "we love southampton we do"

 

we beat Reading.............................? when? WTF?

[solentstars]

mid table and then aim for play offs next season

[70's Mike]

Problem is you cannot say we have to be realistic about expectations because of our finance and then say you hope the board do not sell players in January to maintain financial stability.

Unless we win home games , the crowd stays away , income is down and selling players becomes our only option unless the finances are not as bad as we are being led to believe

[saint_ed]

I'll be delighted to avoid relegation to be honest.

[FloridaMarlin]

mid table and then aim for play offs next season

 

With every passing season, this division gets harder to get out of, and while we remain in our present situation off the field, it will not happen.

 

Just for the sake of argument, assume Birmingham, Wolves and Reading go up at the end of this season.

 

That still leaves the likes of Bristol City, Sheffield Utd, Ipswich, QPR and Cardiff to compete with, all of whom appear (and I stress, appear) to be be better set up financially to compete in the top half of the table than we are.

 

Then you are also looking at clubs like Swansea, Derby, Coventry, and even Burnley and Plymouth who appear to have overtaken us.

 

Next year, Leeds are likely to be back in the Championship, and no doubt they will have a certain amount of financial clout.

 

All this, without even mentioning whichever three teams come down, boosted by the parachute payments (yes, I know, it hasn't done Charlton much good).

 

The picture it paints to me is one of struggle and continued struggle, unless we get some investment in.

 

The current team is a potentially good one in the making, but it's three years away from being a side capable of competing in the top half. Physically, they youngsters are just not up to the constant battle presented by most teams in the Championship.

 

And how many of this team are likely to be around in three years time?

 

There has never been a worse time to be out of the Premiership if you are a club without a wealthy benefactor, or considerable investment.

 

That's not a criticism of Poortvleit. No matter who came in, unless they had considerable funds to invest in new players - and to keep the ones we have got - we would not be able to mount a serious challenge.

 

I fear our exile will be a long, and painful one. Unless things change, I don't see us getting back into the Premiership for at least 10 years, by which time they will probably have pulled up the ladder and stopped promotion and relegation (you can check through all my previous posts if you want to know what I mean by that).