Saints supporters have bemoaned that they have never known anything like it, that never has a football club seen so many of its players targeted by other clubs, well older fans might tell them different.

As Saints prepared to play in the newly formed Premier League in the summer of 1992, they were experiencing a targeting of their squad in a manner that would not be repeated up till this year, in fact given Saints standing at that time, it could be said that the departures that summer were of a far more serious nature than those we have seen leave Saints so far this close season.

Basiacally the spine of the team was ripped out as Barry Horne, Neil Ruddock and Aaln Shearer all left for pastures anew, in the case of Shearer there was some consolation in the fact he left for a then record British transfer fee, but Horne and Ruddock left cheaply.

Horne was never quite the favourite of Ian Branfoot and although he was a regular in the team his contract was allowed to run out and he left to join Everton (ironically his boyhood supported club) Ruddock was far more controversial, Spurs tapped him up and Terry Venables offered a derisory £250k little more than Saints had signed the player for and the same fee Venables had sold Ruddock to Millwall for only 4 years earlier when he was a 20 year old reserve, back then if clubs didnt agree the fee then it went to a tribunal and Venables knew that tribunals always went to the lower scale, Saints eventually getting £750k far lower than his true worth.

But although Saints squad losses ended up being only three departures, the damage could have been far worse, also being persued that summer were naturally Matt Le Tissier, but also Tim Flowers who would join Blackburn a year later, Richard Hall who was attracting interest after a great first full season.

To add to that we also had a pair of young full backs who were hot property, Jason Dodd who was first choice and the younger Jeff Kenna, Dodd would of course stay at the club for another 13 years but Kenna would join Blackburn a few years later to join Shearer and Flowers, make no mistake the Lancashire Club seemed to want to buy our entire team just as iverpool do now.

So the truth is this summers transfer speculation is a rareity but it isnt something new and given Saints overall squad strength back in 1992 and compare it to this years situation, the truth is that 1992 was far more of a blow to our chances of staying in the fledgling Premier League and being able to partake in its riches, than the departures so far this summer have been.

But the big difference is that now we have a big transfer kitty to bring in replacements and a good manager in charge to re vamp the squad, back then we had very little funds and a much criticised manager who was alienating all our best players and bringing in journeyman work horses.

This summer has not been smooth or without its pain, but believe me in the grand scheme of things, even if we do lose another player or two we are still in a far stronger position than we were back then.

Photo: Action Images

law101 added 12:41 - Jul 25 Good article for us younger supporters!! A lot of our supporters are calling Koeman 'a great manager' before a ball has even been kicked. Only time will tell If he can be a success in the premier league after somewhat disappointing spells abroad previously.
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slynch added 12:43 - Jul 25 THIS IS THE BIZARRE TABLE THAT RESULTED: 1 Manchester United (C) 42 24 12 6 67 31 +36 84 1993–94 UEFA Champions League First round 2 Aston Villa 42 21 11 10 57 40 +17 74 1993–94 UEFA Cup First round 3 Norwich City 42 21 9 12 61 65 −4 72 4 Blackburn Rovers 42 20 11 11 68 46 +22 71 5 Queens Park Rangers 42 17 12 13 63 55 +8 63 6 Liverpool 42 16 11 15 62 55 +7 59 7 Sheffield Wednesday 42 15 14 13 55 51 +4 59 8 Tottenham Hotspur 42 16 11 15 60 66 −6 59 9 Manchester City 42 15 12 15 56 51 +5 57 10 Arsenal 42 15 11 16 40 38 +2 56 1993–94 European Cup Winners' Cup First round 1 11 Chelsea 42 14 14 14 51 54 −3 56 12 Wimbledon 42 14 12 16 56 55 +1 54 13 Everton 42 15 8 19 53 55 −2 53 14 Sheffield United 42 14 10 18 54 53 +1 52 15 Coventry City 42 13 13 16 52 57 −5 52 16 Ipswich Town 42 12 16 14 50 55 −5 52 17 Leeds United 42 12 15 15 57 62 −5 51 18 Southampton 42 13 11 18 54 61 −7 50 19 Oldham Athletic 42 13 10 19 63 74 −11 49 20 Crystal Palace (R) 42 11 16 15 48 61 −13 49 Relegation to the 1993–94 Football League First Division 21 Middlesbrough (R) 42 11 11 20 54 75 −21 44 22 Nottingham Forest (R) 42 10 10 22 41 62 −21 40

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saintjeff52 added 12:49 - Jul 25 Interesting. Amazing how time flies, and your memory with it ! So SPUDS were 'Mugging Us Off' ' EVEN then. Was Levy getting some Practice in for later on ?
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margilamb added 13:18 - Jul 25 Interesting article Nick and there are parables but I feel largely that we are dealing with a different beast this time. I watched with some horror with what is occurring at St Mary's although I have remained largely calm waiting for the waters to settle before being too judgmental. I cannot help feeling however that something is clearly not right behind the scenes as the constant negativity emanating from the press and social media cannot be fantasy when transfers and dealings confirm some truth to the speculation. Les and Ralph clearly sought to mislead everyone by reassuring us that no deals have been done nor would be until a new manager was appointed. This was later proved to be rather economic with the truth when Ron let slip in a recent interview that he was informed of key player departures at his first interview. All of this is happening in the new era of honesty and openness with the supporters as trumpeted by the new board. Potty left at the beginning of the year, the players knew it (as tweeted by the players themselves) yet the board failed to act decisively to prevent what we have now witnessed. Both Ralph and Les should have opened clear and loud communications with the players at the outset instead of retracting back in the creation of a corporate beast the constant job opportunities advertised at saints FC demonstrate. Its all structure without intimacy, something that becomes cold, disengaging and difficult to understand. As a consequence its not surprising that players are so keen to leave or have the appearance of wanting to do so. My deep worry is that eventually Les and Ralph's mismanagement and lack of communication and inspiration will lead to the loss of Ron manager as his track record demonstrates he is a good man who rarely suffers fools gladly. I hope I'm wrong, I really do but the loss of continuity in our side will I fear have a debilitating effect on the pitch this season as I feel it will take time for this side to bed down, something this league is not patient for. A clear sense of where we are going wouldn't be a bad idea either. If Les and Ralph what to create a Rupert Lowe wet dream of a club who's only ambition is to blood young talent and sell it for the highest bidder whilst maintaining a mediocre position in this league then be honest with the fans and say so. I love this club but its rapidly becoming the worst girlfriend I ever had. It kisses me, tells me it wants all the things that I want but at the same time tarts itself on every dating site out there listing itself as single. Eventually I might come to my senses and waste my time elsewhere.

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mayfairsaint1 added 14:10 - Jul 25 Nick, would you be so kind as to copy and paste margilambs post and send it to Les and Ralph because they need to understand what intelligent loyal Saints fans are going through. I'm not underestimating what difficulties the board must be having but I would re iterate what margilamb has said. What if Koeman becomes disillusioned? Pochettino MUST have been TOLD that Shaw and Lalana would be sold because Ronald was. This after being reassured that no one would be transferred without his agreement. I am in total agreement with margilambs point about communication and lack of intimacy. Oh and one more thing. To those fans who think its OK to ridicule and berate certain players - Fox, Hooveld and Guly for example. You might question their ability but if they're doing their best and wearing the shirt spare them and us the vitriol. Their mates hear and read all this stuff too. Thats right, the guys who have left or about to leave. Loyalties a 2 way street.

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montecristo added 15:24 - Jul 25 mayfairsaint1 the trouble is a lot of us dont feel LES REED in intelligent enough to understand what the hell we are going on about. Saints were once just a provincial club with average gates of 15,000. I remember them. We had no money, but had probably the best manager then in our history bar none, Ted Bates, who was a brilliant judge of a player and found gems for us time and again. We are very lucky to have Koeman I was surprised when he came. But how long will he stay if this Board continually fails to produce results. Why are no signings being made? So much for the promise that the money the Club got for player sales would be pumped back into the team. Has it hell.

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landsdownsaint added 17:26 - Jul 25 This player exodus would have happened under NC leadership ,but he would have insisted the money's would be reinvested in new players! Ms Liebherr & her yes man RK are here to asset strip IMO... But that's only my opinion
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BoondockSaint added 17:32 - Jul 25 More likely the managers were told not that the players were being sold, but that the players had told the board they and their agents were pursuing deals whether the board liked it or not. I don't think any club has the ambition to be a "selling club", but unfortunately 90 per cent of them are because of the economic power of a few.
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anwicksaints added 17:43 - Jul 25 sack the board !!!!!! a bloody disaster,dont think they have a clue ,we were short on players last year now how many have gone 7/8 with gully,barnard etc will we be buying 10 players between now and start of season ,dont think so,theey putting to much pressure on the youngsters
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schatfield added 18:24 - Jul 25 lets get some perspective (and ignore the fringe players we let go, because that was a good move to clear up some payroll). We let go an aging striker for 4m and replaced him with a 10m striker that could potentially be a lot better. We replaced an attacking midfielder for 24m and bought someone who could be as just as good for 8m. We lost Shaw for 27m and it looks like we can replace with someone from the youth squad like Taggart.......and if not, I am sure the new guy will get someone in time. So why are we all panicking!!?? This is going to be a great season! Especially for me because after 10 years working overseas, I move back on August 19th ready for the season! Love it.

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BlackRod added 22:09 - Jul 25 The fact that so many players want to leave indicates that there is something seriously wrong. You don't need to be a genius to see that. Then there's all the disgruntled players who want to leave but can't. With only a few weeks of the transfer window open are we really going to be able to sign enough good players to replace those who have left?
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montecristo added 23:07 - Jul 25 And yet there remain some support the Saints at any price brigade who think , god knows how, that the club is not being asset stripped. Chambers now reported to be off as well. I have had enough of the German woman time for her to pack her bags and go back home and she can take Les we are not a selling club Reed and Krueger the hockey coach with her. When is the owner of this site finally going to get the picture and realise that he has got the Saints scenario HOPELESSLY WRONG!!! Time some serious questions were ASKED by this and other sites of the saints Board, why not go and get an interview with Liebherr and find out once and for all what the hell is going on. I remain convinced that Liebherr is planning to sell. I could be wrong but it certainly looks that way sadly. I feel for saints fans I really do what has been going on and the comments in the press are gut wrenching, we deserve better. Just an educated guess but if the Chambers story is true plus all the other rumors about departures, when is Koeman going to hand in his notice???

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AlexSaint_13 added 23:22 - Jul 25 Margilamb and Mayfair you have both said exactly how I feel. I wish I could have put it so eloquently. I am in my mid-50's and this article seems to suggest that in making comparisons with the past we have no right to complain, criticise or be concerned. I recognise that we do not compare with the awful Branfoot days, we are not facing relegation out of the leagues and we are not now facing administration, so yes, in that respect may be it does not match those times. But, that is history, been and gone. I too love Saints, I do not expect nor ever have success. Through good and bad we stand, sit and support our team whoever they may be wearing the shirt. But no one wants to repeat the mistakes or see us mismanage things again and yet, so much of this close season has felt wrong. Something is not right and you can just smell it. Krueger and Reed have mismanaged the whole close season period. I won't berate the players that chose to leave. Who amongst us in our youth have not moved on when we have felt opportunities may be better elsewhere or if we have felt insecure. I didn't want them to leave, I wish they hadn't, and even if things were right they may have chosen to have gone anyway, but you just feel that the board did not manage it well, they mislead with their communications, they have been slow to react and there is little evidence to suggest that even now with only a month to go to the start of the season that they are turning the tide. I have to be honest and say, we have seen mismanagement in the past and we are seeing it again and whether Ron will be here beyond Christmas is debatable, especially if results go against us because our team has not only been decimated in quality but also and perhaps more importantly by morale and spirit. I so hope I am wrong, I so hope I am proved very wrong but the message the club has given out in this close season suggests so much behind the scenes is wrong.

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SaintDownUnder added 01:43 - Jul 26 Nick, I appreciate your optimism, but I remember 92 and this summer is far worse. Chambers is the latest set to leave, so added to Shaw, Lambert, Lallana, Lovern and probably Morgan that's 6 first team players gone. I don't buy into the 'end of the world' rhetoric of some sections of our support, but I do sympathise in that we have al loved watching a team grow in spirit and success, climbing up the league over the last 4 years, and that team has, in a little over 2 months been dismantled. I think Tadic and Pelle look like quality replacements but we already had a decent starting 11, without much depth thereafter and we have gone backwards since then. The main concern for me however is Koeman. Can he really have decided to join saints if he knew this player exodus was on the cards? Maybe he did and was assured he could rebuild the team in his image, if he didn't, how long before he looks for the door himself?

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LostBoys added 02:00 - Jul 26 I am not a wrist slitter nor a bed wetter and I am not going to throw my 2014/15 season ticket onto the pitch in general disgust, but i am getting very worried about out current position if all ugly rumours come true - as they all have up to now in this close season. While Koeman must have known about Lambert, Lallana and Shaw surely he cannot have expected this number of players leaving. I cannot see how you can replace the players leaving in the window or bed a new team in. We all know a bad start puts you in a position it is very hard to get out of.

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TorontoSaint added 05:37 - Jul 26 I wanted to comment on the upcoming article but the bar just closed and I am *toned & sleepy so here is what I came up with while walking the bulldog. !) Should they turn out to be true, the Spider/Chambers offers from Arsenal are a hit and I thought the end was near after doing my best to stay possible despite terrible thoughts and foreboding emotions. On the positive, Chambers may be as good or better prospect than Shaw but like Luke, he has not proven anything yet and Clyne can fill that role immediately.. They are both young players who may or may not develop, we should take the obscene money and run...but we NEED TO START BUYING AND MAKING SERIOUS OFFERS! 2) Perhaps the board is pulling the greatest cover up in history...let me finish. We have loads of young talent able to fill the void should we sell some (or most) of our players. We secure ridiculous amount of $$ due to our 'Cinderella' year, and make off like bandits on every deal.....but we NEED TO START BUYING AND MAKING SERIOUS OFFERS! 3) This was the plan when RoKo came board with their enticing him with the ability to spend this giant wad as he saw fit to build Europa/Champions league squad....but we NEED TO START BUYING AND MAKE SERIOUS OFFERS!!! Either this is the most insane back room deal making, team changing, squad reforming, nucleus reorganizing, overall everything not being the same pile of monkey shit.....or...it is exactly the horror show it appears to even newbie fans like me. nite nite

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