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 !