Been away, you think this season is a success? We’re lucky we’ve employed a brilliant manager, the season is another one we’ve regressed.
We did better than you thought we would. Who do we congratulate for bringing in Ralph?
I haven’t a clue, the key is to retaining him though.
Wrong.
Football is a game of opinions, if Hassenhutl doesn’t get what he wants he’ll go, thats the litmus test of the board and to how fucked we are.
We are playing better football now than under Puel, Pellegrini or Hughes. So I would call that progression.
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Che Adam’s, a top CB & a RB
Vestergaard, probably needs surgery on a groin injury
There is an element of truth hidden amongst the Eyeore like doom and gloom from Bazza - that Hasenhuttl is an ambitious man. He left his last job precisely because there was no support from the owners (or no money) to push on after having made really good progress.
I don’t believe he is chasing a glamour club (though that will come in time IMHO) more that he knows what he needs to be successful and despite getting more out of players, there comes a point where there also needs to be more talent to to go with the effort.
I think we will see him take the side to comply upper mid table next year - back to 8-11, but after that he will expect the board to make some good signings if he is to stay and push on rather than be tempted away by Spurs when Poch has gone to ManU… (mind you that could happen by September)
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But. That is The Southampton Way.
Join us, we will improve you, move up.
Repeat.
The only issue is someone had a brainfart & has now left the club.
“Finally I guarantee we try to bring players here who see us as the next step in their devolvement.
“The most important goal is they are not too old and sign first or second contract and see us as a big chance to show up in the Premier League.
“If they are hungry and want to hunt then they are welcome and can help us to develop this club.”
This means we’re still going to play the moneyball and gamble shit and Gao is putting in little money, a slow death.
Who said that Baz?
Nevermind I found it.
Just what is wrong with the statement that you quote? Should we be getting players who are only coming for the money? Or players who see us as one last big pay cheque? Buying young players who want to develop as footballers, along with developing our own young players, is the best way for a club of our size to succeed. We need to get in the right players, and we haven’t always done that, but that doesn’t negate the essential point.
Spending big on either transfer fees or wages (or indeed on both) for players in their thirties - a strategy you’ve called for many times - wouldn’t be a slow death. It would be a pretty quick one.
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Where does Ings fit in with that?
Small provincial club tries to makes ends meet against billionaire owned rivals
Club also tries to live within its means
Baz still doesn’t get it
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A general strategy is not a dogma - there will always be exceptions. Is that really so hard to grasp?
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Live within it means? Have you seen our wage bill and what we get back for that investment? This only proves how shit we have been in buying players the last 3/4 years.
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Caveat alert.
I’d say our strategy has been shit for the last few years then wouldn’t you?
Stick with dogma as you put it or change it as it isn’t working?
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OK, I’ll answer this, and then you can address the questions that I asked you. Unless you’re willing to do that then don’t expect any further response from me to your questions. Fair’s fair and all that.
It doesn’t make the strategy shit, it simply indicates that said strategy has not been well executed - or, in some respects, not really carried out at all. In the first instance, we’ve bought less well - the fix for that is to buy better, not to change our general aims in the transfer market.
Where the strategy has not been carried out over the past few years has been in focussing too much on bringing players in, while paying scant attention to those that we have in our own academy. Under Hasenhuttl we have, among other positives, used more players from the academy - Sims, Valery, Ramsey, Obafemi and a few others. None has been perfect, but all have shown sufficient promise of better things to come.
Also, even though we’ve made poor signings over the past few years, we’ve also made some very good ones. Redmond, Hojbjerg and Bednarek are all looking like excellent signings, and several others look good and could well improve.
One other thing. After you’ve answered the questions that I asked you before, here’s another one. What strategy would you propose? You seem to be very good at identifying what you don’t like, but other than very vague generalities I’ve seen little to suggest what you do want.
Oh, and I didn’t say we were sticking with dogma. You just made that up.
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So you want to bed in ie carry players whilst they get used to the Premiership and when they do and if we stay up as they haven’t failed we sell them and start again?
You can’t see an issue with this?
Why did Reed and Kruegar get sacked?
Poor coffee skills?
So, in response to this:
You respond with this:
So, answer the questions I’ve asked you, drop the ludicrous straw man shit, and I will consider responding to what you post. If you can’t do that then I won’t. Do you genuinely not understand why it is that you’re scarcely taken seriously?