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Comment | Absolutely ******* Disgraceful
at 11:13:56
Nick - I share your pain, however I think your analysis misses some key points:
1) The players are gutless pathetic excuses for men and the offer to donate a paltry day's wages to Saints Foundation only adds insult to injury. Contrast the men/boys' teams to the women who won 11-0 yesterday;
2) To defend Kruger and Reed is frankly laughable - the rot started whilst they were "in charge" and they must share a big part of the blame, even though they are thankfully gone. If they were hounded out - then good as they deserve to have been;
3) The blame must ultimately lie with the owners. Your mantra has recently been that they have done nothing wrong - but what the f*ck have they done right? They are as gutless as the players and also deserve to be hounded out - however I suspect that they will not dare show their faces for a long while. |
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Comment | Benali Says It's About The Right Decisions Not Money !
at 11:09:03
Nick - I have to agree that "surely tat is better than the situation we are in now"!
I think your/Frannie's analysis is pretty spot on. However, when you talk about negativity, I think it is the frustration that poor decision making didn't allow us to kick on from the consecutive top 8 finishes but instead led to two horrible relegation battles.
Highfield, I think you are making an incorrect assumption - that the teams involved, UEFA etc. give a toss about supporters or affordability. It's all about the global TV audience and I suspect there is huge appetite for this in Asia and increasingly Africa and North America. This would make a European League viable in the short-medium term. Eventually I think this would then turn into a "World" league. I would welcome it if it turns the new Premier League into something more competitive and geared towards clubs having a closer link to their communities - plus more local derbies! |
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Comment | In My LIfetime - Where The Blue Have Been Few !
at 14:42:51
Common Nick - they do better boycotts than us! Also for attendance to be truly comparable you need to divide average attendance by average IQ of those attending - in which case Pompey come out ahead.
I am surprised and disappointed that 130 hasn't been given a right of reply yet - I love a good story!
"But looking back over my time on this Earth I would not swap our last 58 seasons for their's, the greats in football who have played for our club whether coming through the ranks of signed is countless, for them it is another case of Blue Few." sums it all up for me as well.
Keep up the good work and COYS! |
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Comment | Saints V Huddersfield The Verdict
at 14:16:43
I think many supporters are genuinely worried about this summer. I've said before that it will be a good reflection on Gao's true intentions for Saints moving forward. Unfortunately there are now several players who I hope never play for Saints ever again
Re the game - we didn't stay for the lap of appreciation. Maybe if the players had tried to entertain the fans during the game rather than just stroll around it would have been different but I think they just show content for those of us who have turned up during thick and thin to watch some real dross this season...and last season...and the end of the season before!
Final note - I also don't always agree with Nick but want to thank him for expressing his views and keeping this forum going. let's hope we have something to all be proud of next season.
COYS |
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Comment | Who Should Stay And Who Should Go !
at 13:02:28
Great article, Nick. I think this closed season is where we will really learn more about Gao's intentions. The good news is we can feel far happier with RH at the helm than with Hughes and the necessary actions are pretty clear to most of us. |
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Comment | Five Minutes And You're Almost There !
at 09:38:58
I think there are a couple of points missed here:
1) Yoshida, although not the best, is a valuable member of the squad and plays well in a 3-man central defence. I think he is also captain of Japan so there is an interesting question as to why he is not a leader for Saints;
2) Both attack and defence are an 11-man game - singling out the defence is counter-productive;
3) To me one of the biggest issues is lack of fitness going all the way back to Pellegrino's first pre-season and exacerbated by Hughes. Ralph has had to play catch up with this and I think that a good pre-season will sort this out. |
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Comment | Saints V Liverpool The Verdict
at 11:48:06
Good article Nick - very balanced and sums up Saints well. Only one point to make - once again on the receiving end of a bad linesman decision against a top 6 team. Easy to be angry about referees but the linesmen in the league are truly shocking - we'd be better off with robots! |
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Comment | Saints V Tottenham Hotspur The Verdict
at 19:58:24
Good report. Sims, Long and Armstrong were a breath of fresh air when they all came on. A couple of points from me:
1) At half time I was thinking we deserve to go down - not because of the team but because our support was so terrible! At full time, I was thinking Spurs deserve to win nothing....because their support was so terrible once Saints fought our way back into the game! Reinforced by the vlog!
2) I agree with Consigliere that Kevin Friend was incompetent - he gave many bad decisions against both teams. However, if he were simply incompetent you would expect the decisions to even themselves out - they did not. He got three big ones wrong - Vertongen's kick to Sims' head, Walker-Peters pulling down Armstrong and the worst of all - Sissoko's multiple fouls against Redmond in the space of a few seconds. Add to this, his friendly attitude towards Spurs players and you can only come to one conclusion - bias. Now bias can be conscious or unconscious. I will give him the benefit of the doubt and say that it is unconscious but frankly he should never be allowed to referee a Saints game again.
3) Alleged anti-semitic chanting. I was in the Itchen and didn't hear any but clearly we have some idiot fans.... but no more than Birmingham, Arsenal or any other club! I don't like other fans dobbing them in but the stewards need to be aware of this sort of thing and act accordingly.
Anyway - loved the second half yesterday. Hopefully Saints will carry on playing like that and then re-build in the summer. |
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Comment | Saints V Watford The Verdict
at 13:25:03
Nick, a fair assessment overall. Another winnable game with a decent performance that went begging. I think we are no worse than most teams in the league - however, we are also no better so it's a scrap.
My concerns at the moment are:
1) Tactics seem all wrong. What happens during the week - it's like the players have never played with each other before. This is down to Hughes;
2) Substitutions seem all wrong - why bring on Obafemi so late? Why name 2 centre backs on the bench? etc. Hughes again;
3) Team fitness is not there - this would help with tempo etc. but most importantly with mental strength - Hughes again;
4) No leadership on the pitch - again I feel that Hughes needs to chance the captaincy to either Hjobjerg or Yoshida;
5) Premiership refereeing is terrible - I'm not saying the result would have been different but Hooper was appalling - this on isn't Hughes' fault!
I think Hughes needs to go now - he's not right for Saints. There is a list of decent managers who we could turn to right now - let's do it sooner rather than later. |
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Comment | Saints At Manchester City The Verdict
at 10:42:03
Nick - thank you for your reply. However, there are some points that still need addressing:
1) This is not hysteria - some of us have been concerned with the downward spiral for more than 12 months now. The downward spiral has coincided with the Lander take-over raising its head;
2) The £15 million a year increase in commercial revenue is partially due to the actions of the commercial team but how much is David Thomas and how much is Kruger could be debated. How much is factors outside of their influence can also be debated;
3) Your article doesn't even mention Hoedt - who has scored two own goals in recent weeks. Why don't you give him the same stick as Yoshida? Is it simply because you have scapegoated Yoshida in the same way as some fans scapegoat Redmond etc.
I am not "screaming to sack the whole board" but there is a lack of accountability at the top levels of the club (from Chairman to manager) which suggests that there is no solution in sight.
My issue with a lot of your recent articles is a lack of balance and hard questioning of the club hierarchy, which, even if unintended, gives an impression of partiality. |
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Comment | Saints At Manchester City The Verdict
at 09:10:43
Nick, as far as I know nobody has called for David Thomas (Southampton's Commercial Director) to be sacked. Kruger is Chairman - the Chairman is responsible for the whole club - not just the commercials, so it is perfectly reasonable to hold him ultimately accountable for the debacle which is Southampton FC.
How much is the "multi million pound revenue that has enabled us to spend big in both transfer and wages."? It would be good to put a figure on the added-value that Kruger brings to the business.
It might be helpful if you stuck to facts in your reports rather than have a combination of:
a) Blame Yoshida; and/or
b) Blame the fans; and/or
c) Support Kruger. |
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Comment | Saints V Newcastle United The Verdict
at 13:03:16
The obvious games to boycott or stage an early walk out are Manchester United at home on 1st December or home versus Arsenal on Sunday 16th December - we won't win either and they're on TV for maximum embarrassment. |
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Comment | Saints V Newcastle United The Verdict
at 12:36:54
San Marco - your points are 100% valid. The rot starts from the top and works it's way throughout the whole club:
Gao - on another thread SonicBoom says he has invested "plenty" - how much exactly is "plenty". As far as i can tell it's nothing!
Kruger - no idea what he does but as Chairman he is in charge of everything. He is not Chairman of "everything except football"
Reed/Wilson - recruitment has been woeful over a sustained period of time. In any other business they would be out of a job.
I also agree with BaselSaint's point about coaching and training - it was the same last year as this. Unfortunately our players are just not fit enough to even be able to judge whether they are any good or not. This is down to the coaching staff from DoF downwards - responsibility is Hughes'.
In addition, the club cannot do much about the players until January at the earliest and even then the opportunities are limited.
So reluctantly, I come to the conclusion that Gao/Krueger/Reed/Hughes should all do the decent thing and leave as soon as possible. As they are clearly not men of honour then the only course of action open to supporters is a boycott of all things Saints - going to games, buying merchandise etc. |
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Comment | 2017/18 The Post Mortem Part 4
at 12:30:59
I'm surprised you haven't mentioned the fact that the squad obviously wasn't fit enough from day 1 - this is also down to Pellegrino and, to my mind, was one of his greatest failings. The writing was on the wall when we lost to Wolves and he should have gone as quickly as de Boer. |
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Comment | Wealdstone FC Thank Saints Fans
at 10:20:45
We've taken advantage of the offer twice now and I think you saw the best of Saints fans gathered at Wealdstone. It was also good to contribute something to the coffers of a grass roots club. I hope we get the chance again and would encourage anyone to use their facilities. |
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Comment | Saints Heading To China
at 10:18:10
I care not one bit about having "fans" in China or the US or anywhere else.
It is clear that having a two year take over has been massively de-stabalising for the club and I don't think that going on a tour of China will help in any way shape or form.
It has been stated that Gao has done nothing wrong so far - what has Gao done right? In fact, what has Gao done at all? Actions speak louder than words. |
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Comment | Saints Declare A Profit
at 10:40:49
A couple of things to mention:
1) These accounts include one off revenue from reaching the Europa League group stages and EFL final. The first of these will not re-occur in 2017/18 and the second will be replaced by the FA Cup semis (and hopefully final) but cannot be assumed for future seasons;
2) These two one offs are a direct result of on-pitch achievements - nothing to do with Krueger;
3) The biggest pot is TV rights - these are at jeopardy if we get relegated and stay down;
4) How much of the commercial revenue is due to Krueger?
5) These financial results have NOTHING to do with the new owners.
Whilst I agree that the results are positive, they have to be taken in context and are historical - they do not predict the future and our footballing position is now worse than it was at June 2017.
Finally, I support Southampton as a football club, not as a limited company. As an accountant, I like to see a good profit but I also like to see where the profit is reinvested and I like to see that profit being sustainable - these are still open questions. |
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Comment | Mauricio Pellegrino Is Gone !
at 09:29:58
A1079 - Totally agree with your comments.
Unfortunately, I think we are looking at the symptom rather than the cause of the problem and whoever we bring in the root causes of the problems at the club have not been solved.
Still, I feel a little more optimistic this morning than yesterday afternoon. I think that it is absolutely key that we all get behind the team now and become a twelfth man, both home and away, starting on Sunday. COYS |
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Comment | The Players Need To Step Up To The Plate !
at 11:32:18
Nick, I agree with the tone of this article. It is a collective responsibility and many of the players are as culpable as the manager. It is sad that professionals on astronomic wages keep making simple errors, seem to lack any fight, let alone show any accountability or even humility.
Combined with appalling management from the owner down to the manager, I believe that this is what is really unacceptable to may long term fans. No guts, no glory - at the moment Saints aren't even a bowel! |
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Site Scores| Forum Votes: | 23 | | Comment Votes: | 279 | | Prediction League: | 0 | | TOTAL: | 302 |
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