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Why Do We Need Staplewood?


Jeff Le Taxi
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Surely it would make more sense to train at St Marys? wouldnt harm the pitch too much surely? and as for the indoor facilities, whats that all about? We are in League One ffs, bunch of pansies, get out and run in the rain for gods sake as that IS what you are training for!

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Absolutely, our state of the art training faciliites clearly have had little or no effect on our ability to bring through talented youngsters and flog them at a massive profit to Prem clubs, let's get rid of the whole shebang. :rolleyes:

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Strongly disagree. We are in league 1 but I hope that our ambitions are greater than that. It is a good training ground and should be retained as it can only benefit the club with its coaching facilities

 

Strongly Agree !

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Good point, why the hell do we need a state of the art training facility for, such a waste of money.

 

Because we want to be a better club than we currently are and if we sell of all the assets, you will only eventually end up leasing or renting and throwing money down the drain. It is not a good time to sell land - far better to retain it and use it to complement the St Mary's facilities

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Because we want to be a better club than we currently are and if we sell of all the assets, you will only eventually end up leasing or renting and throwing money down the drain. It is not a good time to sell land - far better to retain it and use it to complement the St Mary's facilities

 

Sorry Westy, I was kinda being sarcastic, but thank you for replying :D

 

I think now us 2 have either got to have a war of words, or comment each other's punctuation, you never had a full stop at the end of facilities.

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Absolutely, our state of the art training faciliites clearly have had little or no effect on our ability to bring through talented youngsters and flog them at a massive profit to Prem clubs, let's get rid of the whole shebang. :rolleyes:

 

In fact the more luxurious our state of the art got, the worse we became. So rent it out to the skates.

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It would ruin the pitch. Have you seen how bad pitchs like Wigan get after one game of rugby? I know we aren't that heavy on the pitch, put a squad of players running around on the same piece of grass 6 days a week for a year is going to completely wreck it.

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Staplewood must stay... but it will only make good players better... these facilities will make little difference to poor players.. hence our problems.Eg: Bale improved as a free kick specialist thanks to the system... but isnt replicating it now!!! Hmmm...

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Good point, why the hell do we need a state of the art training facility for, such a waste of money.

 

Such an overused term.

 

Southampton's training facilities are FAR from "state of the art".

 

Some Prem clubs have spent £30 million + on training facilities.

 

Yes, Saints training facilities are good, but the term "state of the art" means they are an industry leader which in this case they clearly aren't ;)

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Staplewood is a massive asset to the club, and should absolutley be retained. However, I would like to see us train at St Marys every now and then, perhaps in the days building up to home games. Our home form struggled alot this season, this might be a small step towards familiarising the lads with what I'd love to see become a fortress.

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Would obviously like to keep it but it surely isn't a deal breaker. However, using St Mary's apart from the odd training session, would be disastrous to the state of the pitch. We would have to do what P**p*y does and rent training facilities (Hardmoor from Solent Uni or part of the Sports Centre from SCC).

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It is a training pitch, that's all.

 

If we can sell it for a decent price then sell it. In the old days we trained at Wellington Sports Ground and there was a gym inside the Dell. It didn't stop us getting to second in the league and producing youngsters like Moran, D Wallace, Rod Wallace, Le Tissier, Shearer, Benali and Granger.

 

If it's p*ssing down with rain they can use the all weather pitch at Trojans.

 

All this 'state of the art' training facilities is OK if you can afford it, but it isn't absolutely necessary.

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Staplewood is a massive asset to the club, and should absolutley be retained. However, I would like to see us train at St Marys every now and then, perhaps in the days building up to home games. Our home form struggled alot this season, this might be a small step towards familiarising the lads with what I'd love to see become a fortress.

 

Also showing some of the team a football and some tackling, shooting, off side etc video...

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It is a training pitch, that's all.

 

If we can sell it for a decent price then sell it. In the old days we trained at Wellington Sports Ground and there was a gym inside the Dell. It didn't stop us getting to second in the league and producing youngsters like Moran, D Wallace, Rod Wallace, Le Tissier, Shearer, Benali and Granger.

 

If it's p*ssing down with rain they can use the all weather pitch at Trojans.

 

All this 'state of the art' training facilities is OK if you can afford it, but it isn't absolutely necessary.

 

Hate to say it but football has actually moved on since then. Okay we might do okay in League 1 without decent training facilities but if we want to move back up the pyramid a facility such as Staplewood is a must.

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Staplewood must stay... but it will only make good players better... these facilities will make little difference to poor players.. hence our problems.Eg: Bale improved as a free kick specialist thanks to the system... but isnt replicating it now!!! Hmmm...

 

That's because he now spends all day building up his trapezius muscles instead of bending the ball around plastic dummy walls. He is the Chimpy Fridge.

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I would imagine it does not cost that much to maintain the facilities there. At least no difference to renting. So why get rid of perfectly good facilities when you have them? It's not like we are suggesting building new ones from scratch which would cost the club millions!

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I would imagine it does not cost that much to maintain the facilities there. At least no difference to renting. So why get rid of perfectly good facilities when you have them? It's not like we are suggesting building new ones from scratch which would cost the club millions!

 

Interim measure....Just close the corners at Staplewood to save dosh...It worked at St Marys....:D

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Absolutely, our state of the art training faciliites clearly have had little or no effect on our ability to bring through talented youngsters and flog them at a massive profit to Prem clubs, let's get rid of the whole shebang. :rolleyes:

 

Surely the Walcott and Bale deals disprove that theory.

There's likely to be one or two more -if we see Dyer, Lallana and Surman leave in the summer. The fact that bad management on the Boards behalf had squanderd the profits doesn't negate the fact that concentrating on youth does " pay-off ". It looks a bit doubtful asa League 1 team, but when we go back up those type of facilities would be priceless.

 

Playing every match at SMS and training there too, would totalyy destroy the playing surface in one season.

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Surely the Walcott and Bale deals disprove that theory.

There's likely to be one or two more -if we see Dyer, Lallana and Surman leave in the summer. The fact that bad management on the Boards behalf had squanderd the profits doesn't negate the fact that concentrating on youth does " pay-off ". It looks a bit doubtful asa League 1 team, but when we go back up those type of facilities would be priceless.

 

Playing every match at SMS and training there too, would totalyy destroy the playing surface in one season.

 

Saints produced many great players whilst training at Stoneham and The Dell over the years...Crewe produced world class whilst training on a council tip...

Not disagreeing but horses for courses....If money allows keep Staplewood...For our Racing horses when the big boys turn up with their ponies.;-)

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IMO it's a luxury and any benefit is outweighed by the fact that it turns the players into pussies. Football matches are played in all weather conditions, training should be the same.

 

Doing keepie-upies in a nice warm dome is not going to prepare you for a boggy Hartlepool on a wet November evening. Sell Staplewood and make the weeds train down Shirley rec.

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IMO it's a luxury and any benefit is outweighed by the fact that it turns the players into pussies. Football matches are played in all weather conditions, training should be the same.

 

Doing keepie-upies in a nice warm dome is not going to prepare you for a boggy Hartlepool on a wet November evening. Sell Staplewood and make the weeds train down Shirley rec.

 

Merry Oak on a wet soggy day might be better preparation for what is to come.

:rolleyes:

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We need Staplewood to attract up and coming youngsters to join Southampton and not the lot down the M27. Portsmouth have spent quite a bit in recent times vamping up their academy side.

The benefits of Staplewood and a good academy have born the fruit in recent seasons.

We would of folded earlier without the Bale and Walcott money.

We are now at even bigger disadvantage to other clubs in the area that can offer a higher standard of football...the one thing that we can attract kids is to our facilities.

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Hate to say it but football has actually moved on since then. Okay we might do okay in League 1 without decent training facilities but if we want to move back up the pyramid a facility such as Staplewood is a must.

 

Why?

 

Decent coaches are more necessary than 'state of the art' facilities.

 

Watch Man Utd and Chelsea train and you will still see cones on the training pitch.

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Why do we need St Mary's? Just get all the games etc moved to Staplewood, be cheaper to run and we could make lots of new Walcotts and Bales, I can see them all now coming off the convey about, could try and make 5 an hour.

 

Ha! Was just thinking the same thing.. couple of temporary stands for the fans and their dogs, and we are ready for league one at our start of the art facility... Can turn St Mary' s into an ice rink then....

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Surely the Walcott and Bale deals disprove that theory.

There's likely to be one or two more -if we see Dyer, Lallana and Surman leave in the summer. The fact that bad management on the Boards behalf had squanderd the profits doesn't negate the fact that concentrating on youth does " pay-off ". It looks a bit doubtful asa League 1 team, but when we go back up those type of facilities would be priceless.

 

Playing every match at SMS and training there too, would totalyy destroy the playing surface in one season.

 

I think the rolleyes indicates some measure of sarcasm in the post you are replying to. But yes, having state of the art facilities probably had something to do with our being able to attract Walcott and Bale to the club.

 

More to do with people like Malcolm Elias though.

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Also the lower down the leagues we are te less attractive we become for parents and kids who teh scouts have identified - yet things such as teh Academy set up the facilities adn the history of players such as bales and Walcott going on does influence things - so yes we do need Staplewood both for firts team AND teh academy.

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Why do we need St Mary's? Just get all the games etc moved to Staplewood, be cheaper to run and we could make lots of new Walcotts and Bales, I can see them all now coming off the convey about, could try and make 5 an hour.

 

Of course, we DON'T need St.Mary's - at least, not 365 days a year.

YES we need a home stadium....but for what.......

23 Home games + assorted cup / reserves games, occasional charity / international games = 30 days a year .

 

Let Council (or some suitable entreprenuer)take care of it, and hire it out to Saints when needed, and to others as -and - when required.

Man.City use a big council-owned stadium - why not ?

 

A lot of extra costs that can be better utilised elsewhere.

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Why do we need St Mary's? Just get all the games etc moved to Staplewood, be cheaper to run and we could make lots of new Walcotts and Bales, I can see them all now coming off the convey about, could try and make 5 an hour.

It that supposed to be "conveyor belt"?

 

That's brilliant!

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Saints produced many great players whilst training at Stoneham and The Dell over the years...Crewe produced world class whilst training on a council tip...

Not disagreeing but horses for courses....If money allows keep Staplewood...For our Racing horses when the big boys turn up with their ponies.;-)

 

Crewe don't appear to be getting the same quality of player through the doors now that other clubs have equal if not better youth development schemes.

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Without it we would lose our Academy status , that was one of the reasons the skates are desparate to get their own training facilty , the FA threatened to remove their status without a firm committment that the new facility in Lee on Solent would be built

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Crewe don't appear to be getting the same quality of player through the doors now that other clubs have equal if not better youth development schemes.

 

Have they been taking advice off Woodward and Clifford lately and moved inside to a big dome:D

 

 

To be honest Gradi has taken a back seat with the yuf...not the same anymore. Alot of these things go in cycles and down to people like Elias, Stroud and the like.....Obviously talent on your doorstep or arriving....Luck maybe.

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Crewe don't appear to be getting the same quality of player through the doors now that other clubs have equal if not better youth development schemes.

 

think that all changed once money started changing hands at silly amounts for young players.

i have always said that the quality of our academy will drop if we spend to long out of the top flight, parents believe their kids are the best and do not look at where they may get first team football at an early age.

Chelse before Crewe is the way it works

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Strongly disagree. We are in league 1 but I hope that our ambitions are greater than that. It is a good training ground and should be retained as it can only benefit the club with its coaching facilities

 

Strongly agree.

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Absolutely, our state of the art training faciliites clearly have had little or no effect on our ability to bring through talented youngsters and flog them at a massive profit to Prem clubs, let's get rid of the whole shebang. :rolleyes:

 

Surely the Walcott and Bale deals disprove that theory.

There's likely to be one or two more -if we see Dyer, Lallana and Surman leave in the summer. The fact that bad management on the Boards behalf had squanderd the profits doesn't negate the fact that concentrating on youth does " pay-off ". It looks a bit doubtful asa League 1 team, but when we go back up those type of facilities would be priceless.

 

Playing every match at SMS and training there too, would totalyy destroy the playing surface in one season.

 

I think the rolleyes indicates some measure of sarcasm in the post you are replying to. But yes, having state of the art facilities probably had something to do with our being able to attract Walcott and Bale to the club.

 

More to do with people like Malcolm Elias though.

 

A MASSIVE amount of sarcasm.

 

Now we've slid down the Football League, having an attractive setup with experienced coaches is even more important to getting talented kids. Someone had to recruit the likes of Bale, Walcott and Baird and they had to decide Saints was where to be in the first place (within the boundaries of the FA's restrictive rules on youngster recruitment).

 

The Skates train at Welly, which, having used it at Uni a few years back literally IS basically just a few fields and some changing rooms (I'm not sure if they have use of the astropitch). Their youth set up is barely recovering from being a joke in preparation for them moving to new facilities and few if any of their players have come through the setup.

 

You need the raw talent, the coaches, the equipment, the nous AND the status to get the best players into the Academy and out the other end. We've done well, and flogging that off to make money in the short term is patently a false economy, as it severely impacts on the ability to make millions from the, erm, "convey about" a few years later.

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A MASSIVE amount of sarcasm.

 

Now we've slid down the Football League, having an attractive setup with experienced coaches is even more important to getting talented kids. Someone had to recruit the likes of Bale, Walcott and Baird and they had to decide Saints was where to be in the first place (within the boundaries of the FA's restrictive rules on youngster recruitment).

 

The Skates train at Welly, which, having used it at Uni a few years back literally IS basically just a few fields and some changing rooms (I'm not sure if they have use of the astropitch). Their youth set up is barely recovering from being a joke in preparation for them moving to new facilities and few if any of their players have come through the setup.

 

You need the raw talent, the coaches, the equipment, the nous AND the status to get the best players into the Academy and out the other end. We've done well, and flogging that off to make money in the short term is patently a false economy, as it severely impacts on the ability to make millions from the, erm, "convey about" a few years later.

 

 

Getting rid of Staplewood might depend on whether or not you plan to spend the next 10 years in league 1..? I think a lot of people feel that we will be on the way back up very soon - in which case we need to keep the facility. Bit like selling your house because you lost your job..do you expect to find new work ......or are you planning for bankruptcy ?.

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A MASSIVE amount of sarcasm.

 

Now we've slid down the Football League, having an attractive setup with experienced coaches is even more important to getting talented kids. Someone had to recruit the likes of Bale, Walcott and Baird and they had to decide Saints was where to be in the first place (within the boundaries of the FA's restrictive rules on youngster recruitment).

 

The Skates train at Welly, which, having used it at Uni a few years back literally IS basically just a few fields and some changing rooms (I'm not sure if they have use of the astropitch). Their youth set up is barely recovering from being a joke in preparation for them moving to new facilities and few if any of their players have come through the setup.

 

You need the raw talent, the coaches, the equipment, the nous AND the status to get the best players into the Academy and out the other end. We've done well, and flogging that off to make money in the short term is patently a false economy, as it severely impacts on the ability to make millions from the, erm, "convey about" a few years later.

 

Decent kids aren't going to come here now. We are in the third division. Having a posh training centre when we can't afford to keep players is a false economy.

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Such an overused term.

 

Southampton's training facilities are FAR from "state of the art".

 

Some Prem clubs have spent £30 million + on training facilities.

 

Yes, Saints training facilities are good, but the term "state of the art" means they are an industry leader which in this case they clearly aren't ;)

 

Have to agree.

 

For too long people have perpetuated this myth that our set up over at Staplewood is /was up there with the best, when the simple facts are that it is average (at best).

 

Certainly better than some, but light years behind what some clubs have.

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