BBC Radio Solent Saints fans forum 7th August 6pm

[maysie]

I picked up on the comment they were trying to extend other contracts… wonder who?

[for_heaven's_Saint]

10 minutes ago, Turkish said:

FFS why? What’s wrong with people 

Not only did he ask it but Blackmore had just said there was only 10 minutes left.

Absolute moron. 

[S-Clarke]

One thing I did take away, was the quite direct compression Phil Parsons made between Garnacho and Dibling in terms of their relative impacts last season. Man Utd have put a price of £50m on Garnacho, so I think it's pretty clear that's where we sit with Dibling.

[S-Clarke]

Just now, maysie said:

I picked up on the comment they were trying to extend other contracts… wonder who?

Bazunu, Smallbone, Fraser and McCarthy   - just to wind everyone up.

[UpweySaint]

50 minutes ago, saintant said:

Paul Trollope was very down to earth and spoke a lot of sense. Spors and Parsons gave the usual glib responses. Parsons was adamant that any club interested in Dibling should pay the going rate yet we are quite prepared to lowball other clubs for their players - you can't have it both ways mate.

We want the best possible price for our assets and want value for our expenditures. I dont see an issue with that. It’s up to other clubs to bid as they see fit and accept/decline offers as they see fit.

[hypochondriac]

3 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

One thing I did take away, was the quite direct compression Phil Parsons made between Garnacho and Dibling in terms of their relative impacts last season. Man Utd have put a price of £50m on Garnacho, so I think it's pretty clear that's where we sit with Dibling.

Wasn't that referring to Fernandes? 

[Give it to Ron]

3 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

I mean those sorts of questions aren't ever going to give the answer that they were pushed for, let's be honest.

At the end of the day, we all disagreed with it, but the club signed him on a 3 year deal. If the person who was part of that decision then turns around in the fans forum and says ''Yeah, he's shit. I don't know why we did it'', then I'd be questioning his judgement a hell of a lot more to be honest.

He wasn't going to throw him under the bus, I wouldn't have ever expected him or anyone to do.

It got answer we expected but we had an opportunity to voice our displeasure at it - we don’t get many opportunities- it was worded so not to be rude but it got aired whether it was taken in who knows but we said what we felt about it - rewarding failure

[SaintsLoyal]

1 hour ago, Convict Colony said:

Parsons is there to grown us commercially and be the owners patsy for these things.

 All the main commercial revenue has come from Greg Bakers contacts, where is the dyson sponsorship !  😄

[Farmer Saint]

56 minutes ago, saintant said:

Paul Trollope was very down to earth and spoke a lot of sense. Spors and Parsons gave the usual glib responses. Parsons was adamant that any club interested in Dibling should pay the going rate yet we are quite prepared to lowball other clubs for their players - you can't have it both ways mate.

You've never worked in business, have you?

[OneMrsWallace]

55 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Take away...

Will Still is highly regarded right across Europe

in negotiations ref Dibling and Fernandes, but they won't be cheap

Spors' decision to extend Stephens contract - great leader off the pitch apparently

Significant plans for stadium infra and to double our revenue

window not over and looking at creativity

Couldn't give a toss what Stephens does off the pitch, just not keen on seeing him on it. Weird decision.

[ErwinK1961]

7 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

Bazunu, Smallbone, Fraser and McCarthy   - just to wind everyone up.

You’re correct on the first one.

[S-Clarke]

7 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Wasn't that referring to Fernandes? 

Ah yes you're right actually, my mistake.

Same point stands though, £50m on his head by the sounds of it.

[S-Clarke]

3 minutes ago, ErwinK1961 said:

You’re correct on the first one.

I do hope that's a joke, please? I need some good news!

[Saint Scott]

10 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Wasn't that referring to Fernandes? 

Yep, based on premier league starts aged 20

[goodymatt]

14 minutes ago, maysie said:

I picked up on the comment they were trying to extend other contracts… wonder who?

Shea Charles must be top of the list with 2 years left. I’m discounting Dibling as he won’t sign one.

[CB Fry]

1 hour ago, saintant said:

Paul Trollope was very down to earth and spoke a lot of sense. Spors and Parsons gave the usual glib responses. Parsons was adamant that any club interested in Dibling should pay the going rate yet we are quite prepared to lowball other clubs for their players - you can't have it both ways mate.

Er, that's exactly what we should do.

[Convict Colony]

1 hour ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Fan forums summary.....

 

• No Will Still, Paul Trollope in the seat instead, with Spors & Parsons. Will Still send his apologies but a personal issue has come up.
• 2 years in for Parsons, having joined just after the last relegation. Much more chaotic then.
• Very up and down in the Championship then, lost a few in a row, done well in the playoffs.
• Jason Wilcox left in April and left a hole in the football department, and we only had a month or so to prepare for a premier league season
• It was brutal, and we understand frustration
• Spors came in Feb, and we announced Will early, and now in the madness of the transfer window
• We are in a better place structurally for the first time in 2 years, really capable team running the club
• Spors found it challenging when arriving in Feb, needed to understand the energy
• Has been around football for a while, and can see lots of really good things, but had to change the structure that has not been good - recruitment
• Paul Trollope was the manager Ricky Lambert loved playing for the most, and he was the manager when Saints signed him
• Bristol tried to keep him, he was brilliant. Day before season starts, Ricky telling me Southampton had bid...we had to shake his hand and say goodbye
• It has been really really good with Will, the facilities are excellent, and the structure has been improved
• Everything is here for success, and we have made really good progress in pre season

Q. If we get promoted again, what has been learnt?

• A lot to learn from every season. It is important that we have a lot of people in the club who are dedicated to grow higher
• we need to bring in players who are good enough to reach our goals, but to grow also, we have started to do that.
• Squad planning is like art, and becomes visible near the end of the window. You need talent.
• Southampton is a place made for development, 100%, and we need to find them, and use the academy also
• We invested last season, but we need consistency. We cannot change managers every 5 mins, and it is good to see academy produce players
• We will continue to grow revenues, and the gap between top and bottom of the prem was 3 fold, now it is 5 fold.

Q. Last season it was evident that player and manager performance was inadequate (inc board level), what is in place so this is not repeated

• Will coming in was very important, he is highly competent. Coming in Feb allowed Spors time to understand who was the right person to be manager

Q. Pre-season has been a mixed bag. We are not scoring despite we have strikers. Do you think we have a deficit in creativity

• Pre season was planned, and it was great. It showed us what we needed to see. We wanted results, but we needed it to be difficult
• we did not score that much. Damion has just joined. Scoring is not just on a couple of players, but it is from the whole team
• The summer window is not closed and not everything is done. Dibling is training different as there are negotiations. This is very normal in football
• People know Dibling is sought after, but there is a price. If a club wants our players they need to bid and bid well.
• we have too big a squad, and we are cleaning this up. We have to have a pathway for the academy
• If Tyler is here this season, he won't sulk of course, he will play for SFC. We made the new signings early, but we had players coming back at different times
• The loan players coming back add different qualities to the squad, allows the manager to see what is what. We need to be precise
• We dont just need more bodies but need the right players. We are working on bringing in more creativity.

Q. Sports Republic are quick to get rid of the manager, and get someone with someone very different. Sports Republic keep making the same mistakes.

• (Person asking the question would have kept Russell Martin no matter what last season).
• Parsons could not disagree with the question. It got so brutal with Russell we had to step in. It was hard, and we dont want to be changing managers.
• We do go all-in on managers, but that is also difficult. There was not a huge list of managers that wanted to join. Ivan wanted to come, we knew the risks
• If he did well he may have stayed, but Johanes wanted this direction we now have and we have to back that. There were mistakes last time.
• The owners do not want to be making changes. There will be up and down moments, please stay with the manager.

Q. Recruitment has seen too many players at the £10-15m, and lots of them, as opposed to players generally good

• We all want to sign good players, we all have the same goal. 
• Will Still has been coaching for a long time, and he just very normal. He is a strong leader of men. He loves football.
• Great people person, an excellent coach and offers real clarity, hopefully we will see as the season goes on
• He is like a man possessed, very demanding, very high octane. Needs to be aggressive on the pitch. He brings the fire to training.

Q. What is the morale like in the team given last season

• We needed to understand the players when Will first came in. There were some players with their heads down.
• Lots of talk about our players on their form. We needed to see where the players are mentally, they came back from the summer vulnerable.
• Will has really promoted the enjoyment of football. Hopefully the 2nd half against Brighton showed us where we want to be at least
• We reminded those coming back on loan (some did not want go) that they can get back to the premier league at this club
• The organisation at the training was not clear when Spors first came in. This needed to be fixed

Q. The relationship between club and fans not great. Loyalty towards fans seems to be lacking compared to previous seasons.

• Parsons disagrees that the club lacks loyalty. We needed to invest in the stadium improvements as that had been ignored for a very long time.
• We tried to drop costs of season tickets this year. Stadium costs have gone up, we will make less money this season at the ground
• But, everyone wants us to sign best players, that is not cheap. It is difficult to balance.
• The financial gap between the bottom of Premier League and the top is the same between bottom of league 2 and top of Championship
• We have new things in the stadium opening this year, I hope these are well received. We do care about fans and they have been amazing supporting us
• More so given where we were last season, and the away support is incredible. Shirt prices are £65, which is like most in the league.
• We are in the Green with PSR, lots of clubs are not in a good place. If we go back up, we need space to spend more in the prem

Q. After a rough season, what attracted you (Paul Trollope) to come here

• It was an attractive proposition. I like to think my age and experience helps. I grew up in Swindon and knew of Southampton very well.
• Huge club in the South, really excited to be given the opportunity, and to work with Will, who is really highly regarding across Europe.
• Since being here, it has lived up to it, the training ground and facilities are very impressive. We have a real chance of success

Q. Will Fernandes be here Sep 1

• We would like to say yes. We have been clear that if you want our players you have to pay.
• Matty is outstanding. 35 starts in the premier league at 20 years old (only Garnacho is close). We would love to keep him. Everyone has a price and it is not cheap 
• Today, neither Tyler or Matty are close to leaving. Players are really looking forward to repaying the fans, they really feel it.

Q. Jack Stephens was only available for half the games last year, are we rewarding failure by the contract

• This was Spors' decision and responsibility. He is a big leader in training and he really is a help. He knows he can and must do better
• Board fully supported this decision. He is an excellent club captain. He is very disappointed with last season, and the board support Johanas
• We are negotiating extensions for many other players

Q. What do you want from us from Fans at the Derby

• Make the day a really really hostile day. Team need to show what playing for SFC and this game means. Do not wait for the team to show up, get into it
• Fresh season, the team and how we play will look different. We need to make SMS hostile for all to visit. There will be ups and downs, stick with it
• Saints fans last season were ridiculously good last season. Morgan Schneiderlin said it was unbelievable, players would fear for their safety abroad.

Q. How to FFP/PSR work given some teams can just spend what they like

• In the champ you can only lose £13m per year, we do not agree with this, but it is shifting to a squad cost ratio. That is why we must improve revenue
• We are absolutely fine with PSR right now, and will change if voted at the end of the year.

Q. If we dont go up, what is the future for Sports Republic as they have made us a laughing stock

• They have invested quite heavily into the club. The owners had to focus a lot off the pitch. Wider plans there from the owners for the long term
• Dragan and SR fully invested into the club. Dragan deeply cares. It has been difficult. If we do go back up, it will be very tough
• Lots of clubs yo-yoing at the moment, it is very concerning.
• I would like to be sat here of our wider plans, but there are negotiations ongoing. We want to make significant infrastructure changes to the stadium
• Working closely with the council, they are onside, and they see 1-city, 1-club
• We must double the revenue to compete in the premier league

Q. Any negotiations about ticket price caps

• We challenged Leeds with their ticket prices, they ignored it.
• We believe £30 cap for away fans is right, but it needs to be voted in
• Valenciennes spent a week with us, it was very good. We have passed players to them

Q. Why are many friendlies behind closed doors

• Not always easy, depends on the opponent, but something we will work on. It needs to be more open.
• the Espanyol fans arriving was not within SFC control. Other clubs like to host friendlies away from their home grounds.

 

thanks Brah

[hypochondriac]

8 minutes ago, OneMrsWallace said:

Couldn't give a toss what Stephens does off the pitch, just not keen on seeing him on it. Weird decision.

For good or I'll it's spors' decision and he's owned it. That seems fair enough to me. 

[Convict Colony]

12 minutes ago, SaintsLoyal said:

 All the main commercial revenue has come from Greg Bakers contacts, where is the dyson sponsorship !  😄

Hahaha bro u hate parsons with a hatred I can enjoy, keep it up.

[BarberSaint]

2 hours ago, Saint_clark said:

What would you ask?

Why have you let so many asshats attend?

Does Blackmore get paid by the word?

Has RA broken something that he hasn't already broken yet?

[hypochondriac]

22 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

Ah yes you're right actually, my mistake.

Same point stands though, £50m on his head by the sounds of it.

I don't think so. He was saying that the only person near him was Garnacho with less appearances. Not sure that gives an indication on price. 

[AlexLaw76]

1 minute ago, hypochondriac said:

I don't think so. He was saying that the only person near him was Garnacho with less appearances. Not sure that gives an indication on price. 

All was said is that he (and Dibling) won't be cheap... just depends on what cheap is

[Lord Duckhunter]

20 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

For good or I'll it's spors' decision and he's owned it. That seems fair enough to me. 

Shouldn’t it be the managers decision? 

[gio1saints]

1 hour ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Fan forums summary.....

 

• No Will Still, Paul Trollope in the seat instead, with Spors & Parsons. Will Still send his apologies but a personal issue has come up.
• 2 years in for Parsons, having joined just after the last relegation. Much more chaotic then.
• Very up and down in the Championship then, lost a few in a row, done well in the playoffs.
• Jason Wilcox left in April and left a hole in the football department, and we only had a month or so to prepare for a premier league season
• It was brutal, and we understand frustration
• Spors came in Feb, and we announced Will early, and now in the madness of the transfer window
• We are in a better place structurally for the first time in 2 years, really capable team running the club
• Spors found it challenging when arriving in Feb, needed to understand the energy
• Has been around football for a while, and can see lots of really good things, but had to change the structure that has not been good - recruitment
• Paul Trollope was the manager Ricky Lambert loved playing for the most, and he was the manager when Saints signed him
• Bristol tried to keep him, he was brilliant. Day before season starts, Ricky telling me Southampton had bid...we had to shake his hand and say goodbye
• It has been really really good with Will, the facilities are excellent, and the structure has been improved
• Everything is here for success, and we have made really good progress in pre season

Q. If we get promoted again, what has been learnt?

• A lot to learn from every season. It is important that we have a lot of people in the club who are dedicated to grow higher
• we need to bring in players who are good enough to reach our goals, but to grow also, we have started to do that.
• Squad planning is like art, and becomes visible near the end of the window. You need talent.
• Southampton is a place made for development, 100%, and we need to find them, and use the academy also
• We invested last season, but we need consistency. We cannot change managers every 5 mins, and it is good to see academy produce players
• We will continue to grow revenues, and the gap between top and bottom of the prem was 3 fold, now it is 5 fold.

Q. Last season it was evident that player and manager performance was inadequate (inc board level), what is in place so this is not repeated

• Will coming in was very important, he is highly competent. Coming in Feb allowed Spors time to understand who was the right person to be manager

Q. Pre-season has been a mixed bag. We are not scoring despite we have strikers. Do you think we have a deficit in creativity

• Pre season was planned, and it was great. It showed us what we needed to see. We wanted results, but we needed it to be difficult
• we did not score that much. Damion has just joined. Scoring is not just on a couple of players, but it is from the whole team
• The summer window is not closed and not everything is done. Dibling is training different as there are negotiations. This is very normal in football
• People know Dibling is sought after, but there is a price. If a club wants our players they need to bid and bid well.
• we have too big a squad, and we are cleaning this up. We have to have a pathway for the academy
• If Tyler is here this season, he won't sulk of course, he will play for SFC. We made the new signings early, but we had players coming back at different times
• The loan players coming back add different qualities to the squad, allows the manager to see what is what. We need to be precise
• We dont just need more bodies but need the right players. We are working on bringing in more creativity.

Q. Sports Republic are quick to get rid of the manager, and get someone with someone very different. Sports Republic keep making the same mistakes.

• (Person asking the question would have kept Russell Martin no matter what last season).
• Parsons could not disagree with the question. It got so brutal with Russell we had to step in. It was hard, and we dont want to be changing managers.
• We do go all-in on managers, but that is also difficult. There was not a huge list of managers that wanted to join. Ivan wanted to come, we knew the risks
• If he did well he may have stayed, but Johanes wanted this direction we now have and we have to back that. There were mistakes last time.
• The owners do not want to be making changes. There will be up and down moments, please stay with the manager.

Q. Recruitment has seen too many players at the £10-15m, and lots of them, as opposed to players generally good

• We all want to sign good players, we all have the same goal. 
• Will Still has been coaching for a long time, and he just very normal. He is a strong leader of men. He loves football.
• Great people person, an excellent coach and offers real clarity, hopefully we will see as the season goes on
• He is like a man possessed, very demanding, very high octane. Needs to be aggressive on the pitch. He brings the fire to training.

Q. What is the morale like in the team given last season

• We needed to understand the players when Will first came in. There were some players with their heads down.
• Lots of talk about our players on their form. We needed to see where the players are mentally, they came back from the summer vulnerable.
• Will has really promoted the enjoyment of football. Hopefully the 2nd half against Brighton showed us where we want to be at least
• We reminded those coming back on loan (some did not want go) that they can get back to the premier league at this club
• The organisation at the training was not clear when Spors first came in. This needed to be fixed

Q. The relationship between club and fans not great. Loyalty towards fans seems to be lacking compared to previous seasons.

• Parsons disagrees that the club lacks loyalty. We needed to invest in the stadium improvements as that had been ignored for a very long time.
• We tried to drop costs of season tickets this year. Stadium costs have gone up, we will make less money this season at the ground
• But, everyone wants us to sign best players, that is not cheap. It is difficult to balance.
• The financial gap between the bottom of Premier League and the top is the same between bottom of league 2 and top of Championship
• We have new things in the stadium opening this year, I hope these are well received. We do care about fans and they have been amazing supporting us
• More so given where we were last season, and the away support is incredible. Shirt prices are £65, which is like most in the league.
• We are in the Green with PSR, lots of clubs are not in a good place. If we go back up, we need space to spend more in the prem

Q. After a rough season, what attracted you (Paul Trollope) to come here

• It was an attractive proposition. I like to think my age and experience helps. I grew up in Swindon and knew of Southampton very well.
• Huge club in the South, really excited to be given the opportunity, and to work with Will, who is really highly regarding across Europe.
• Since being here, it has lived up to it, the training ground and facilities are very impressive. We have a real chance of success

Q. Will Fernandes be here Sep 1

• We would like to say yes. We have been clear that if you want our players you have to pay.
• Matty is outstanding. 35 starts in the premier league at 20 years old (only Garnacho is close). We would love to keep him. Everyone has a price and it is not cheap 
• Today, neither Tyler or Matty are close to leaving. Players are really looking forward to repaying the fans, they really feel it.

Q. Jack Stephens was only available for half the games last year, are we rewarding failure by the contract

• This was Spors' decision and responsibility. He is a big leader in training and he really is a help. He knows he can and must do better
• Board fully supported this decision. He is an excellent club captain. He is very disappointed with last season, and the board support Johanas
• We are negotiating extensions for many other players

Q. What do you want from us from Fans at the Derby

• Make the day a really really hostile day. Team need to show what playing for SFC and this game means. Do not wait for the team to show up, get into it
• Fresh season, the team and how we play will look different. We need to make SMS hostile for all to visit. There will be ups and downs, stick with it
• Saints fans last season were ridiculously good last season. Morgan Schneiderlin said it was unbelievable, players would fear for their safety abroad.

Q. How to FFP/PSR work given some teams can just spend what they like

• In the champ you can only lose £13m per year, we do not agree with this, but it is shifting to a squad cost ratio. That is why we must improve revenue
• We are absolutely fine with PSR right now, and will change if voted at the end of the year.

Q. If we dont go up, what is the future for Sports Republic as they have made us a laughing stock

• They have invested quite heavily into the club. The owners had to focus a lot off the pitch. Wider plans there from the owners for the long term
• Dragan and SR fully invested into the club. Dragan deeply cares. It has been difficult. If we do go back up, it will be very tough
• Lots of clubs yo-yoing at the moment, it is very concerning.
• I would like to be sat here of our wider plans, but there are negotiations ongoing. We want to make significant infrastructure changes to the stadium
• Working closely with the council, they are onside, and they see 1-city, 1-club
• We must double the revenue to compete in the premier league

Q. Any negotiations about ticket price caps

• We challenged Leeds with their ticket prices, they ignored it.
• We believe £30 cap for away fans is right, but it needs to be voted in
• Valenciennes spent a week with us, it was very good. We have passed players to them

Q. Why are many friendlies behind closed doors

• Not always easy, depends on the opponent, but something we will work on. It needs to be more open.
• the Espanyol fans arriving was not within SFC control. Other clubs like to host friendlies away from their home grounds.

 

Great memory! That second question they wouldn’t let me put in a follow up for but the crowd agreed with the sentiments ie Managerial oversight failure and what specifically is in place now to ensure does not recur. 
I think that Spors is a good recruit because Wilcox leaving and his non / too late replacement was one of the biggest mistakes ever made. Cost us relegation imo. 

[Give it to Ron]

Just now, Lord Duckhunter said:

Shouldn’t it be the managers decision? 

It was apparent that Spors is the football man and all recruitment, contracts and sales are down to him and he is accountable to board for that

[suewhistle]

24 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

For good or I'll it's spors' decision and he's owned it. That seems fair enough to me. 

Maybe a better question on Stephens, and a polite way to express our disquiet (and they must surely know) would have been a question like "What was the rationale in giving Stephens a 3 year contract instead of 2?".

... and has he been to anger management classes..

 

[Lord Duckhunter]

Did anyone ask about Baz?  I’d like to know which clown thinks he’s a number 1 at this level….

[Football Special]

1 hour ago, saintant said:

Paul Trollope was very down to earth and spoke a lot of sense. Spors and Parsons gave the usual glib responses. Parsons was adamant that any club interested in Dibling should pay the going rate yet we are quite prepared to lowball other clubs for their players - you can't have it both ways mate.

I liked Paul Trollope, proper football man, clearly respects the club and wants us to make it as hostile as possible when we play the Skates so he gets the thumbs up from me 

[Midlandsaint]

13 minutes ago, suewhistle said:

Maybe a better question on Stephens, and a polite way to express our disquiet (and they must surely know) would have been a question like "What was the rationale in giving Stephens a 3 year contract instead of 2?".

... and has he been to anger management classes..

 

We know the rationale it was mentioned in the question itself, and it was repeated back in the answer “that he’s a leader off the pitch”. The question was about poor performance on the pitch as a leader and why he’s being rewarded for poor pitch performance and disciplinary issues. What’s the difference between 2 and 3 years.

Edited 2 hours ago by Midlandsaint

[Midlandsaint]

Listened on the radio, big fan of Trollope, parsons waffled a lot and Spors was blunt but some good questions asked without tooooo many bad ones. Liked the Stephen’s and performance questions, a lot was said but ultimately they need to back up with actions so we will what happens with results and the squad come September 

[Give it to Ron]

19 minutes ago, suewhistle said:

Maybe a better question on Stephens, and a polite way to express our disquiet (and they must surely know) would have been a question like "What was the rationale in giving Stephens a 3 year contract instead of 2?".

... and has he been to anger management classes..

 

Why didn’t you ask that then?

[suewhistle]

13 minutes ago, Midlandsaint said:

What’s the difference between 2 and 3 years.

Because hopefully we'll be back up and he'll be 3 years older and slower...

[suewhistle]

1 minute ago, Give it to Ron said:

Why didn’t you ask that then?

Obviously, like most commenting on this thread, I wasn't there..

[Dragon_man]

1 hour ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Fan forums summary.....

 

• No Will Still, Paul Trollope in the seat instead, with Spors & Parsons. Will Still send his apologies but a personal issue has come up.
• 2 years in for Parsons, having joined just after the last relegation. Much more chaotic then.
• Very up and down in the Championship then, lost a few in a row, done well in the playoffs.
• Jason Wilcox left in April and left a hole in the football department, and we only had a month or so to prepare for a premier league season
• It was brutal, and we understand frustration
• Spors came in Feb, and we announced Will early, and now in the madness of the transfer window
• We are in a better place structurally for the first time in 2 years, really capable team running the club
• Spors found it challenging when arriving in Feb, needed to understand the energy
• Has been around football for a while, and can see lots of really good things, but had to change the structure that has not been good - recruitment
• Paul Trollope was the manager Ricky Lambert loved playing for the most, and he was the manager when Saints signed him
• Bristol tried to keep him, he was brilliant. Day before season starts, Ricky telling me Southampton had bid...we had to shake his hand and say goodbye
• It has been really really good with Will, the facilities are excellent, and the structure has been improved
• Everything is here for success, and we have made really good progress in pre season

Q. If we get promoted again, what has been learnt?

• A lot to learn from every season. It is important that we have a lot of people in the club who are dedicated to grow higher
• we need to bring in players who are good enough to reach our goals, but to grow also, we have started to do that.
• Squad planning is like art, and becomes visible near the end of the window. You need talent.
• Southampton is a place made for development, 100%, and we need to find them, and use the academy also
• We invested last season, but we need consistency. We cannot change managers every 5 mins, and it is good to see academy produce players
• We will continue to grow revenues, and the gap between top and bottom of the prem was 3 fold, now it is 5 fold.

Q. Last season it was evident that player and manager performance was inadequate (inc board level), what is in place so this is not repeated

• Will coming in was very important, he is highly competent. Coming in Feb allowed Spors time to understand who was the right person to be manager

Q. Pre-season has been a mixed bag. We are not scoring despite we have strikers. Do you think we have a deficit in creativity

• Pre season was planned, and it was great. It showed us what we needed to see. We wanted results, but we needed it to be difficult
• we did not score that much. Damion has just joined. Scoring is not just on a couple of players, but it is from the whole team
• The summer window is not closed and not everything is done. Dibling is training different as there are negotiations. This is very normal in football
• People know Dibling is sought after, but there is a price. If a club wants our players they need to bid and bid well.
• we have too big a squad, and we are cleaning this up. We have to have a pathway for the academy
• If Tyler is here this season, he won't sulk of course, he will play for SFC. We made the new signings early, but we had players coming back at different times
• The loan players coming back add different qualities to the squad, allows the manager to see what is what. We need to be precise
• We dont just need more bodies but need the right players. We are working on bringing in more creativity.

Q. Sports Republic are quick to get rid of the manager, and get someone with someone very different. Sports Republic keep making the same mistakes.

• (Person asking the question would have kept Russell Martin no matter what last season).
• Parsons could not disagree with the question. It got so brutal with Russell we had to step in. It was hard, and we dont want to be changing managers.
• We do go all-in on managers, but that is also difficult. There was not a huge list of managers that wanted to join. Ivan wanted to come, we knew the risks
• If he did well he may have stayed, but Johanes wanted this direction we now have and we have to back that. There were mistakes last time.
• The owners do not want to be making changes. There will be up and down moments, please stay with the manager.

Q. Recruitment has seen too many players at the £10-15m, and lots of them, as opposed to players generally good

• We all want to sign good players, we all have the same goal. 
• Will Still has been coaching for a long time, and he just very normal. He is a strong leader of men. He loves football.
• Great people person, an excellent coach and offers real clarity, hopefully we will see as the season goes on
• He is like a man possessed, very demanding, very high octane. Needs to be aggressive on the pitch. He brings the fire to training.

Q. What is the morale like in the team given last season

• We needed to understand the players when Will first came in. There were some players with their heads down.
• Lots of talk about our players on their form. We needed to see where the players are mentally, they came back from the summer vulnerable.
• Will has really promoted the enjoyment of football. Hopefully the 2nd half against Brighton showed us where we want to be at least
• We reminded those coming back on loan (some did not want go) that they can get back to the premier league at this club
• The organisation at the training was not clear when Spors first came in. This needed to be fixed

Q. The relationship between club and fans not great. Loyalty towards fans seems to be lacking compared to previous seasons.

• Parsons disagrees that the club lacks loyalty. We needed to invest in the stadium improvements as that had been ignored for a very long time.
• We tried to drop costs of season tickets this year. Stadium costs have gone up, we will make less money this season at the ground
• But, everyone wants us to sign best players, that is not cheap. It is difficult to balance.
• The financial gap between the bottom of Premier League and the top is the same between bottom of league 2 and top of Championship
• We have new things in the stadium opening this year, I hope these are well received. We do care about fans and they have been amazing supporting us
• More so given where we were last season, and the away support is incredible. Shirt prices are £65, which is like most in the league.
• We are in the Green with PSR, lots of clubs are not in a good place. If we go back up, we need space to spend more in the prem

Q. After a rough season, what attracted you (Paul Trollope) to come here

• It was an attractive proposition. I like to think my age and experience helps. I grew up in Swindon and knew of Southampton very well.
• Huge club in the South, really excited to be given the opportunity, and to work with Will, who is really highly regarding across Europe.
• Since being here, it has lived up to it, the training ground and facilities are very impressive. We have a real chance of success

Q. Will Fernandes be here Sep 1

• We would like to say yes. We have been clear that if you want our players you have to pay.
• Matty is outstanding. 35 starts in the premier league at 20 years old (only Garnacho is close). We would love to keep him. Everyone has a price and it is not cheap 
• Today, neither Tyler or Matty are close to leaving. Players are really looking forward to repaying the fans, they really feel it.

Q. Jack Stephens was only available for half the games last year, are we rewarding failure by the contract

• This was Spors' decision and responsibility. He is a big leader in training and he really is a help. He knows he can and must do better
• Board fully supported this decision. He is an excellent club captain. He is very disappointed with last season, and the board support Johanas
• We are negotiating extensions for many other players

Q. What do you want from us from Fans at the Derby

• Make the day a really really hostile day. Team need to show what playing for SFC and this game means. Do not wait for the team to show up, get into it
• Fresh season, the team and how we play will look different. We need to make SMS hostile for all to visit. There will be ups and downs, stick with it
• Saints fans last season were ridiculously good last season. Morgan Schneiderlin said it was unbelievable, players would fear for their safety abroad.

Q. How to FFP/PSR work given some teams can just spend what they like

• In the champ you can only lose £13m per year, we do not agree with this, but it is shifting to a squad cost ratio. That is why we must improve revenue
• We are absolutely fine with PSR right now, and will change if voted at the end of the year.

Q. If we dont go up, what is the future for Sports Republic as they have made us a laughing stock

• They have invested quite heavily into the club. The owners had to focus a lot off the pitch. Wider plans there from the owners for the long term
• Dragan and SR fully invested into the club. Dragan deeply cares. It has been difficult. If we do go back up, it will be very tough
• Lots of clubs yo-yoing at the moment, it is very concerning.
• I would like to be sat here of our wider plans, but there are negotiations ongoing. We want to make significant infrastructure changes to the stadium
• Working closely with the council, they are onside, and they see 1-city, 1-club
• We must double the revenue to compete in the premier league

Q. Any negotiations about ticket price caps

• We challenged Leeds with their ticket prices, they ignored it.
• We believe £30 cap for away fans is right, but it needs to be voted in
• Valenciennes spent a week with us, it was very good. We have passed players to them

Q. Why are many friendlies behind closed doors

• Not always easy, depends on the opponent, but something we will work on. It needs to be more open.
• the Espanyol fans arriving was not within SFC control. Other clubs like to host friendlies away from their home grounds.

 

Why do I take from all of this that they are happy for a year or two in the championship?

[Matthew Le God]

Just now, Dragon_man said:

Why do I take from all of this that they are happy for a year or two in the championship?

How have you come to that conclusion?

[Nordic Saint]

30 minutes ago, Give it to Ron said:

It was apparent that Spors is the football man and all recruitment, contracts and sales are down to him and he is accountable to board for that

It was and he came across as a bumbling idiot. No wonder it's such a shambles.

Edited 1 hour ago by Nordic Saint

[Chez]

1 hour ago, AlexLaw76 said:

 

• We are negotiating extensions for many other players

 

This stopped me in my tracks. I am guessing it has to be Bazunu and Charles...beyond that? Manning, Armstrong?

Will Still has seen them for five minutes, so can he be sure they deserve new deals...but if the Stephens decision is anything go to by, seems like he isn't the one who gets contracts.

 

[Give it to Ron]

1 minute ago, Chez said:

This stopped me in my tracks. I am guessing it has to be Bazunu and Charles...beyond that? Manning, Armstrong?

Will Still has seen them for five minutes, so can he be sure they deserve new deals...but if the Stephens decision is anything go to by, seems like he isn't the one who gets contracts.

 

No its Spors decision and he has been here since February over seeing things and making changes in the infrastructure and recruitment 

[Midlandsaint]

4 minutes ago, suewhistle said:

Because hopefully we'll be back up and he'll be 3 years older and slower...

Are you happy with how he’s performing now?

[Appy]

5 minutes ago, Dragon_man said:

Why do I take from all of this that they are happy for a year or two in the championship?

We don’t have much choice to have a year in the Championship 

[Chez]

23 minutes ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

Did anyone ask about Baz?  I’d like to know which clown thinks he’s a number 1 at this level….

Spors.

And it looks like he going to get a new contract too. It's understandable that the director of football is ensuring players can't walk for free, but maybe watch them play for a bit before handing out contracts.

[SWLondon Saint]

17 minutes ago, Midlandsaint said:

Listened on the radio, big fan of Trollope, parsons waffled a lot and Spors was blunt but some good questions asked without tooooo many bad ones.  

He's German isn't he? Great when you're in a meeting with Americans with all their corporate BS and then the Germans come in totally the opposite!

[Give it to Ron]

1 minute ago, Chez said:

Spors.

And it looks like he going to get a new contract too. It's understandable that the director of football is ensuring players can't walk for free, but maybe watch them play for a bit before handing out contracts.

My concern is what happens if Spors is poached or walks away - didn’t get chance to ask if any contingencies in place as it’s apparent he is making all football decisions 

[Nordic Saint]

5 minutes ago, Midlandsaint said:

Are you happy with how he’s performing now?

Spors is the boardroom equivalent of Stephens. No wonder they get on so well together. I only wish they would do it at another club. They're just two more hangers-on we need to get rid of.

Edited 1 hour ago by Nordic Saint

[Chez]

Just now, Give it to Ron said:

My concern is what happens if Spors is poached or walks away - didn’t get chance to ask if any contingencies in place as it’s apparent he is making all football decisions 

You're concerned we might lose the guy that gave Stephens a two extension? Forgive me if I take a little time to digest the moves he makes in this window and beyond before worrying if he gets headhunted.

[Convict Colony]

8 minutes ago, Nordic Saint said:

It was and he came across as a bumbling idiot. No wonder it's such a shambles.

as takes go this might be the worst one here tonight.

 

[maysie]

2 minutes ago, Nordic Saint said:

Spors is the boardroom equivalent of Stephens. No wonder they get on so well together. I only wish they would do it at another club. They're just two more hangers-on we need to get rid of.

What the fuck too talking about, he’s only been there since February.

[Convict Colony]

people going on about Stephens 3yr contract, do you really think he's on 30k a week for 3 years or more likely 30-20-10 (example) to reflect his reduced playing time and his mentor emergency player role.

[egg]

11 minutes ago, Dragon_man said:

Why do I take from all of this that they are happy for a year or two in the championship?

Good question. Why?

I didn't get that impression though. The whole thing suggested that they're as pissed off with last season as us, and want to sort it. 

I thought they showed ambition without creating undue expectation. That's the right balance for me. 

[gio1saints]

3 minutes ago, Give it to Ron said:

My concern is what happens if Spors is poached or walks away - didn’t get chance to ask if any contingencies in place as it’s apparent he is making all football decisions 

…and see what happened when similarly important lynchpin Wilcox left us and was not replaced quickly..