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Next Season
at 16:43 17 Feb 2025

And lost to Burnley
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PSR could be history - where does that leave us?
at 16:42 17 Feb 2025

Despite I think 16 clubs voting to keep in place the Premier League PSR rules, as amended following the Man City legal case, it seems that a committee has decided that City were correct. The PSR rules since perhaps 2022 are unenforceable.
Aside from this meaning that most of the financial irregularity charges against City will now be dropped, where is that going to leave the PL?
Whilst there is already a de facto split of the PL into three parts - top 6, next 8/9, bottom 5/6 - mainly being a reflection of the financial power behind the clubs (few exceptions each season perhaps) if clubs are essentially unfettered in how much money their owners can "invest", we will see an acceleration of that split becoming recognised.
I can see top 4 to 6 being in a Euro Super League inside five seasons.
I can see the PL being 18 teams.
I can see the PL being limited in how many teams might get to European cups.

Personally I would welcome that. I think it would make the PL more of a competition and less of a parade. However the PL will hate it because it means less influence and less money. I suspect therefore that this will get very messy.

If however it opens the door to clubs like ours being better able to compete if we ever get promoted again, I'm all for it.
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Money triumphs over sporting integrity
at 14:31 17 Feb 2025

I'm not a tennis fan by any stretch but the stench coming off the Sinner situation reeks,

He admits that he was negligent and took a banned substance. WADA conveniently accepts that he did so unintentionally. The result is a three month ban in a period when there are no big tournaments.

I confess that aside from a couple of high profile cases, I'm unsure just how widespread drug taking and bans are in football, but the situation with Sinner is like asking a player to take a ban between April and July.

Tennis though cannot have their number one player (who people pay to watch) missing from tournaments.

Corrupt.
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Next Season
at 13:42 17 Feb 2025

I think that there are some structural problems in the club all stemming from the ownership which sees us perhaps as a nursery for clubs in lower divisions in Europe who will have the ability to buy low and sell high.

The recruitment has been dire. The managers/coaches not much better and the result is a playing squad of generally insufficient quality and now totally drained of confidence.

Changing an entire first team squad in one season will almost certainly mean relegation as the juniors are called upon to fill gaps and certainly the top half of the Championship has some decent and settled teams.

Changing perhaps half the squad - selling the players who will give us most fees - and recruiting from the younger ranks of PL teams is sensible but will not get us promoted next season. Perhaps top half of the table.

And of course new manager/coaches and preferably new owners.
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Southampton V Bournemouth The Verdict
at 12:10 17 Feb 2025

Perhaps the extra money is minutes based rather than games started? I don't know - just guessing.

I very much get the sense that Juric does now watch other PL games. If he did, he might pick a team whose playing squad is similar and perhaps try to emulate their tactics.

Instead he wants to keep as close as he can the RM ways of playing (failed) but with the addition of a big CF (which is what you see in League 1 and below). At the same time the defensive organisation is full of holes which get exploited.

A few weeks back I thought we were 5 players short of a decent Championship side. I've revised that to perhaps 8 players short.

I'd keep Ramsdale, Fernadez and KWP (only if he will play at right back). The rest are presently short of the mark. I'd probably sell Dibling to give funds for replacements.
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So, the World Cup in Saudi Arabia then...
at 11:40 14 Feb 2025

I'll be going to the USA edition but mainly because I have family and friends there and can save some money on accommodation.

The issue is the distances between venues.

Even the "Boston" venue which the New England Patriots ground is actually about an hour's drive from central Boston.

Trying to go between even those allegedly in the same group (Vancouver, Seattle, LA) are more than a days drive apart.
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Where are we today? And where will be be next year?
at 11:34 14 Feb 2025

Apologies.

I can't think IJ has the luxury of removing players from the squad who might be sulkers etc.
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Weekend of August 9th
at 16:17 13 Feb 2025

If we keep going as we are, we'll be able to watch us in the Vanarama Conference in four seasons?
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Weekend of August 9th
at 12:17 13 Feb 2025

Was there not a suggestion that the TV rights package might include 3pm Saturday games?

Was that next season or 26/27?

The World Cup starts on 11 June so presumably the season will end in early April?
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Where are we today? And where will be be next year?
at 09:42 13 Feb 2025

I would say that most of us on this platform are not sulkers or bad influencers but rather realists and long standing fans who have endured all manner of highs and lows.

And make no mistake, this season has been a low.

Football fans go through phases. Up to the age of what, 14? 15? we can see no wrong in our team and we celebrate every victory as though we've won the league and every defeat as though we're about to be relegated. That's a childish reaction because we were children.

From then to whatever age we begin to settle down, the loyalty to the club deepens but we're either a bit more balanced about the results or - in some cases - even more invested and see defeat as a personal insult to be visited upon opposition fans or even families at home.

Most of us have a period when events in our lives are more important (or should be) than football. Marriage, kids, perhaps death of parents, etc. Football becomes a distraction and still important but is not in context as is not the all consuming passion it was.

Coming out of that phase, perhaps bringing your kids to matches means you arrive at the turnstiles with a sense of responsibility. (Didn't stop one Dad I watched swear every few seconds - with some decent creativity - watched by his 6 year old more interested in a bag of sweets).

Then when the kids are gone we are older and more in control of ourselves and we see victory and defeat for the charlatans they are and can accept and forgive both.

Here though we are in a different place.

Yes, the team is probably not good enough but most of us realise that is because of poor recruiting which is driven by a poor corporate plan. Managers have been indulged way beyond reason probably because of a lack of money.

Poor team, poor results even poor tactics we can stomach and deal with.

Poor ownership is though is often fatal.
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Officials
at 09:06 11 Feb 2025

I'm always siding towards cock up rather than conspiracy simply because keeping that many people quiet for so long is almost impossible.

There is I think a statistical analysis that shows that home clubs are generally treated more favourably than away.

There is some statistical evidence that that the "big " clubs get decisions but it's not really significant.

The problem is that "significant" can mean one "wrong" decision in perhaps 30 made in a game and if that is to allow (or disallow) a goal, it is not statistically significant but it is determinative.

For so long as we have humans as refs, it will always be thus.

Having a robot who is always right will be sterile and boring.
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Where are we today? And where will be be next year?
at 12:14 10 Feb 2025

I think we can all see that the 24/25 season will be one that is perhaps in the top (or should it be bottom?) three ever in the history of the club.

We have a squad that cannot compete at PL level.
That squad was forced to apply a style of football that actually made them look worse.
The new manager was acquired too late.
The new manager seems to be no better than the old manager.
We have failed to recruit well (or at all).
The ownership seems to want a theme park and not a football team.
Arguably we have become a feeder club for French and Turkish lower league sides.
We have now exited the Cup competition with a whimper.

My view is that even competing for mid table next year, we are - assuming nobody leaves - at least five players short.

We need - and have done for two seasons now - one or two strikers who can score a dozen goals each. We need a holding midfield player. We need at least one centre back, arguably two. A creative in midfield would be nice alongside a couple of water carriers.

Instead we show no signs of preparing for next season at all.

Couple of close prospects have probably already escaped us. Tyler Bindon formerly of Reading now signed to Forest (at Reading for the rest of the season) and Dean Huijsen of Bournemouth. Both young centre backs of recognised talent. Under our noses and now gone.

Instead we have Bednarek who is vocal about losing wages if relegated, THB who seems to have a crisis of confidence. Welington who I have not seen play and therefore have no view on. Captain Jack - nuff said.

The best holding mid we have has just been described as unprofessional. I suspect that has not done his playing form any favours.

Our striking options are woeful.

Where is the plan?
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Who Killed The Magic Of The FA Cup for Southampton
at 15:02 6 Feb 2025

Absolutely agree with this.
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10 Greatest Players In Saints History Ranked
at 13:11 6 Feb 2025

Alf Ramsay?

Probably achieved more then most?
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Who Killed The Magic Of The FA Cup for Southampton
at 13:06 6 Feb 2025

The hard fact is that winning the FA cup gets you £2m in prize money.

In PL terms. petty cash.

When Burnley were relegated after finishing 19th (and I'd give a lot to finish 19th this season), they got £6.2m in prize money.

Why would managers risk league position for the cup when there's a disparity in earnings?
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Who Killed The Magic Of The FA Cup for Southampton
at 11:05 6 Feb 2025

The FA Cup was - back when everything was in black and white - a chance for the plucky underdog to upset the ruling class of the big clubs.

Pretty much every match shown in the build ups is about a good little club beating a big club.

And I think that plays into the British mindset. If we have no affiliation in a match our instinct is to support the underdog.

Since 2008 only two (little) clubs have won the competition - Wigan and Leicester. The latter is now arguably a big club as well. Otherwise it's been one of the top 6.

And this year will be the same. We can huff and puff, perhaps beat Burnley, perhaps go a stage further, but eventually we'll run into a big club and because we cannot compete on resource, we will lose.

I see no magic anymore. I see a cynical exercise by the FA to get richer and in the process enrich the top 6 teams.
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Top 3 nationalities most likely to have a bounty on Trump
at 10:58 6 Feb 2025

Trump is attending the Super Bowl because he wants to think that 80,000 people are all there to see him.

Unusual move though. Given the number of homicidal whackos and guns in the US, announcing the whereabouts of the president in advance might eb a bit reckless?

I'd add Saudi Arabia to the list.

Trump wants to send a couple of million Palestinians there and for them to pump more oil at cheaper prices. The Saudi ruling families don't have a great record for bearing criticism well.
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Will we beat Derby's lowest points record
at 12:11 31 Jan 2025

Article in the Times today but told mainly from the effect that the record low points tally had on the club and players.

Apparently only two of that Derby team ever played in the Premiership again.

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Are Saints Fans
at 10:23 30 Jan 2025

Personally I've checked out this season in terms of expecting more points - and even we go a gaol up I expect us to lose - but I still love the club and will defend the team whenever I can.

Obviously not easy to endure the ribbing given the season we're having and workmates who support Arsenal, Man U and Liverpool.

still very interested, just waiting for next season.
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The Rupert Lowe thread
at 09:00 30 Jan 2025

OK.

I see the thin skinned, defenders of free speech have woken and demonstrated that only one of those descriptions is acceptable.

I post about things I find interesting and in this case with a connection to the club. Clearly in this case, half of those who bothered to read the initial post have issues with the poster rather than the post. That's quite sad but message understood.

I'll voluntarily forgo my right to free speech and attempts to get people thinking for fear of being accused of whatever.
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