There are some who think that success means always bettering your position last season, but that is not always the case.

We have been spoiled at Saints since Markus Liebherr took over in the fact we have had seven consecutive seasons of finishing higher in the League than we did the previous season.

That leads to some supporters thinking that if you ail to improve on last seasons position then you are not progressing, but that is not true.

Last season was a strange one in the Premier League, not just Leicester winning it, but in the fact that two big teams in Chelsea and Liverpool could not manage a top 8 finish despite spending multi millions in the transfer market.

The problem in the coming season for Saints is that both have spent big again and with different managers in place than they had at the start of last seaso they will be looking to go back up the table.

That will make a sixth place finish doubly difficult for Saints, but if we can't manage that again this season that does not mean we have failed or our strategy has failed, indeed just as much as Leicester's triumph showed us that a good strategy can sometimes be better than throwing money at trying to gain success, Chelsea's season proved that you can have all the money in the World, but if you don't use it wisely and just throw it around, it guarantees you nothing.

To put it bluntly Manchester United's shirt sponsorship deal is worth £70 million per season more than ours with Virgin Media, our deal in itself is joint 7th in terms of value to the club, that shows you what we have to compete with.

Can we compete in spending power in both transfer fees and wages against the big six ? the answer is firmly NO ! United can afford to sign Morgan Schneiderlin three times and still be richer than us and that is not adding on their other commercial incomes which are far vaster.

But can we compete with them in terms of strategy and a solid foundation to build on ?

The answer is a firm YES !

So just what would be success for Saints this season ?

I think it would be finishing anywhere in the top 10 !

Last season saw us manage that feat for the third time in a row and indeed that was only the second time n our entire history that we had managed that, to make it four in a row would represent the most consistent period in our history in terms of top flight finishes, yes perhaps it wont be as exciting as last term, perhaps we won't be in Europe, but it will be proof that our strategy is working.

So our first point of reference for success is to achieve that Top 10 again, although I have to say here that I would far rather finish say 14th and win a cup competition.

So in conclusion success is not just about finishing higher up the League in every year, its about building solid foundations that mean you are able to compete year in year out and doing so on your own terms, plenty of clubs have been in our position and splashed out with money they don't have, indeed we did so ourselves on a far smaller scale a decade ago and it almost killed the club.

Luckily Markus Liebherr came along and now his daughter Katharina, Markus said from the start that he wanted to build a club that was self sufficient and with foundations, he did not ever say he was going to bankroll it with a bottomless pit of money.

Katharina is saying the same things and she is right to do so.

So Saints fans should enjoy the ride and appreciate just what is happening at St Mary's, every summer seems to be one of berating the club for selling players and not spending more on new ones, we have not just sold players this summer or indeed the last willy nilly, we have a strategy, we know the value of all our players, if we continue to implement the strategy correctly and at this stage there is nothing to suggest we won't, then our success will continue.

However do not judge it just on league positions !

Photo: Action Images

Jesus_02 added 14:54 - Aug 10 "Saints fans should enjoy the ride" While I understand the statement, these articles are beginning to come across as if you are employed to manage the fans expectations. When reporters ask fans how there team is going to go before (for example ) Exeter take on Man U there is a reason that TV never shows an tired old man grumbling a realistic view that as long as they are not humiliated it will be “success”. I genuinely think that we can flirt with the top 4 again this season, I also worry that we will flirt with relegation. Its football, It’s exiting, it’s not all about assured business practices and “money ball”. Success for me will be beating a top 6 side by more than 3 goals putting 5 past some unfortunate souls, winning the Europa league and finishing anywhere higher than 17th. If we don’t win the Europa League I demand top 6! COYRs lets start by making Watford wish they had stayed in the Championship

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froggysaint added 15:42 - Aug 10 How lucky we are that our Club was saved by good people who have made their money by manufacturing, by employing people and by paying their taxes, rather than becoming the plaything of an Arab prince or a front for some unsavoury character with a very questionable background. Their businesslike approach has made Saints the big success story of recent years; above all, the long term nature of the "Southampton Way" is one of the Liebherr Era's biggest triumphs. It's true that our rise from the gloomy depths of league one has been nothing short of meteoric, yet keeping things at the level to which we have become accustomed is no easy task. Sometimes we have to be prepared to take a step backwards in order to take another two forwards. The recruitment of Claude Puel makes clear that the board still place great importance on bringing through our young players to the senior team. It's self evident that this policy of bringing players through to first team football is the best way to make Saints academy the most attractive choice for the most talented youngsters in the country, making the whole thing a virtuous circle. Sure, it requires more patience than just going out into the market waving a cheque book, but it is far more sustainable, and most importantly far more gratifying for we fans to see home grown players in the team. It also means that as supporters we have to accept that the club will move players on as we need to make room for the next crop. It's true that Saints haven't been very busy in the market this summer, yet it's clear that the priority has been tying down key squad members too long term contracts. Let's get behind our team and our new manager. I'm confident that the recruitment of Puel is a canny move which keep our club moving in the right direction.

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Whiteknight added 15:51 - Aug 10 Let's wait until the end of the window to judge the transfers and until after the first couple of games to judge the team. I would say top 10 would be a success and if we can get/.maintain European football even more so! I may be naive but I can't help but think the silence on the transfer front is a prelude to something really big - don't know who but I've just got a feeling about this. Can't wait until Saturday.

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saintsnutcase added 17:14 - Aug 10 Sensible but depressing from Nick, as ever
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saintmark1976 added 17:32 - Aug 10 Sorry Nick but to accept top ten when we only missed the Champions League by three points last term is not success. With respect, I agree with Jesus 02 in that just lately you appear to be turning the site into the house magazine of Southampton Football Club Ltd. Please stop agreeing with everything the club puts out on it's web site and let's have a little more critical analysis of what they are telling us please.

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Ali_Diarea added 18:05 - Aug 10 But is the club now "self sufficient" or is money going out of the club into the owners' bank accounts? It seems that we make a net profit on transfers every summer, bumper tv deals, cup runs etc, where does the money go? Surely it can't all have gone on the training ground and a few 5 year contracts for more senior players?! What does everyone else think
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dirk_doone added 18:08 - Aug 10 Froggysaint, I don't think Kat has manufactured anything in here life. I doubt she had to work any harder than those other owners you refer to. She got left the Mali group of companies by her father and promptly asset-stripped them before selling them all off, leaving hundreds of her father's fomer workers unemployed. This football club is all she's got left, apart from all the money he left her in the bank along with the hundreds of millions of Premier League prize money.

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OwenTheSaint added 18:43 - Aug 10 Completely agree with Ali Diarea.
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SanMarco added 19:03 - Aug 10 Is that true dirk doone? There is no need for Nick or anyone else to manage my expectations - I am a natural pessimist. I have a sneaky feeling that my pessimism will be more accurate this season than last. I accept that the new contracts swallow up money but basically we have kept our spending on new players to the bare mimimum (or maybe even less than that). I don't actually think it is even particularly pessimistic to say that 10th will be as good as we can expect but it will only be success' for those of us who expect 16th. I would understand an argument saying that slipping 4 to 6 places was not abject failure but let's not call it 'success'. Some bookies and a lot of pundits have us below Stoke and having come within one win of the CL last season I would say that battling with (say) Crystal Palace, Stoke, Bournemouth and Everton for mid-table places is a funny definition of 'success'. Yes Liverpool and Chelsea would be expected to leapfrog us and we don't know how Leicester will do but my definition of standing still would be 8th (or 9th if Leicester repeat their heroics) but no, 10th is not disatrous but it wouldn't be 'success'.

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abingdonsaint added 19:03 - Aug 10 Agree with much of this, but it also raises the question of what actually constitutes 'success', and it will obviously vary from club to club. The biggest clubs need to win trophies because that's what is expected given past achievements and expenditure. Consistent improvement is also a guide, and we have been exceptional in this regard. Winning a cup is a realistic aim given our team as well. Speaking for myself though, a massive part is simply being entertained every week. League position is all very well, and undoubtedly a source of pride in recent years, but I want see Saints playing champagne football while stuffing the so called 'big clubs' on a regular basis. Personally, I would rather finish 9th or 10th playing great stuff than grinding out 6th or 7th 'Allardyce style!' The early signs from Claude is a return to a more aggressive pressing game, a la Poch, which is fine by me. (Not that RK didn't have his moments of course!) League position is the destination. Let's enjoy the journey as well!

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SaintBrock added 19:13 - Aug 10 Nick, we finished 8,7,6 in the last three seasons so ending uo in the top 10 would be failure rather than the success you call it. I am far more optimistic than you seem to be - and be prepared to be very surprised - and seriously believe we will be top 6 or higher by next May. Liverpool for sure will do well, Chelsea maybe not with a new boss who is as new to this league as our new boss and carrying far too much expectation. Leicester cannot possibly pull off the same stunt again and will struggle and Spurs players showed in the Euros that they have good days and bad and probably will not be consistent enough to make the top 4 again. Top 4 probably Man U, Man C, Arsenal, Liverpool.

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Ali_Diarea added 19:48 - Aug 10 And another thing, who was the last youth player that was genuinely exciting and premiership standard from a young age? Probably Oxlade-Chamberlin. (Ward-Prowse and Targett might get there one day). We can't rely on the youth team,we should treat it as a bonus when one or two come through. I'd like to see us buying a few proven premiership players now and again, rather than bargain hunting for young foreigners who may or may not cut it. Great when it works and we have been very good at it but let's not stick so rigidly to it. Why not put in a cheeky bid for Mata or Bony - must be plenty of cash left and would genuinely excite the supporters!

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saintsnutcase added 20:15 - Aug 10 Where does all the money go? It goes in players wages - look at the accounts, the owners take out nothing. Nowadays the transfer fees are not that large, compared to what the players earn over the term of the contract.
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Ali_Diarea added 21:04 - Aug 10 £40k per week = £2m per year 32,000 tickets @ £50 = £1.6m per home game Should be loads of money to buy players
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Archersclose added 21:05 - Aug 10 ATM despite the sales of Mane, Wanyama and Pelle we probably still have enough quality to stay out of trouble, although i have a feeling that we may struggle up front this season UNLESS we pay the going rate to get a GENUINELY DECENT STRIKER! If we do i reckon we can stay amongst it up the top end. I have to say though that I worry that the club are getting complacent as they appear to be reluctant to pay the going rates for players. You cannot replace players of Mane's quality on the cheap and decent strikers to replace Pelle do not come cheap either. We WILL need definitely need to replace Pelle as well because i have a feeling Austins fitness will rear its head again and Rodriguez may not now be the player he was a few years ago after those two bad injuries although i'd be chuffed to be proved wrong!. I am with Ali Diarea, the TV money, which is huge, should enable us to be more competitive when purchasing players but all we get told is that the club are re-investing the money from the sales of players into giving new contracts to players and buying replacement players.......there is some explaining that needs to be done with regards the other money that comes to the club such as what we got for finishing 6th last year, advertising and sponsorship, season ticket sales. YES the club has overheads but nobody is telling me that all of this money i have mentioned is being used to pay bills. Basically, if the club tries to shop on the cheap they will get what they pay for more often than not and we will go backwards. Finishing 10th IS a backward step and will be seen as such by most of the fans UNLESS we win a cup, in which case i could live with 10th this season. I just start to worry Nick when i hear you say that 10th will be a successful season for us, Have you been talking to someone at the club? Are they trying to prepare us for this? The cynic within me tells me that the club are chickening out of 'having a go!' If they utilised the other money i referred to they could push the boat out a bit more without endangering the club. As i say there are questions that need t be answered regarding the overall income and what it is being used for. These questions will get louder if it becomes certain that we are going to go backwards.

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davepid added 21:20 - Aug 10 I think nick should write as he sees it. It always generates debate which is all to the good. I know there's three weeks to go yet, but for about two years it's felt to me as if the saints business model is to identify undervalued assets , develop the asset and then profitably sell . That applies to managers as well. Those assets have been very good judgment calls ( in the main) ,especially with managers, and as a consequence ' up the football league we go '. But it also explains why uncomfortable questions are asked in the club about our ambition to spend the money to get to top four, change our reputation from small to big and to build our commercial base.

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BoondockSaint added 00:54 - Aug 11 What's the point of owning a professional sports team if you don't want to compete? The whole idea of sports is to try to beat your competitors! If you can't be bothered, sell to someone who wants to achieve something. Still waiting for Nick to name the players that could easily replace Mane and Pelle. Remember last year we did beat bigger teams, but didn't have enough grit to beat teams we should have beaten handily. I worry about a relegation fight-and if we do get relegated, look for Nick to point out that with the parachute payments and off-loading of talent, the Saints have "done a good bit of business"!

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SaintPaulVW added 06:58 - Aug 11 Top 10 and a cup would be a great season.
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DPeps added 09:09 - Aug 11 With the squad we currently have I think 10th is about right. Whether that constitutes a 'success' or not, I'm not sure! In defence of the club, the plan is for long-term and sustained success so maybe a dip one year will reap rewards in the future. Puel has been employed mainly to bring through younger players, something Koeman seemed reluctant to do. RK's approach was popular with fans because it brought short-term success, but arguably wasn't in the long-term interests of the club. Having said all that, our chances of success next year will improve a lot with the addition of a quality striker or a midfielder who gets goals. I really think that is all we need. With all the extra games next season we need more attacking options so that we can rotate without dropping quality. Finally, on Nick's posts... if he just wrote stuff most of us agreed with then there would be nothing for us to say in reply! Some of the posts do sound like the SFC main site but importantly here we have the right of reply

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GeordieSaint added 13:57 - Aug 11 Coming from Newcastle and supporting the saints I can honestly say the Newcastle are twice as big a club as Southampton, my brethren would snap your hands off for a top 10 finish. Success is relative.
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