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Virgil van Dijk on 12:31 - Aug 6 with 1475 views

I think that he wants to come because Dave Watson is here..otherwise ??

	doing the same thing only results in the same thing
Poll:	who will go if Maddison comes in ?

(No subject) (n/t) on 12:32 - Aug 6 with 1470 views

saint22

Completely agree we need two decent CB's but to not sign any at all is suicidal
Maybe we try and buy Ashley Williams from Swansea?

[Post edited 6 Aug 2014 12:33]

Virgil van Dijk on 12:37 - Aug 6 with 1436 views

I don't know, Pat. It is just a pleasant surprise that it looks like we are going to get him.

I'd say last season, Saints were 8th in the pecking order of Premier League clubs players would choose to go to. Now, we are about 18th. Players might just pick us in preference to Burnley or Hull. Last season, they'd have jumped at the chance of joining us ahead of the likes of Stoke, West Brom, Palace, Swansea & Sunderland, but not now. However, a good start to the season could rapidly rebuild our reputation in time for the January transfer window, if the club is prepared to spend any money then.

If Kat and Les have been pulling the wool over our eyes this summer, they've played an absolute blinder. Many of us still believe what they told us: that the money from the sale of Lambert, Lallana, Shaw, Lovren and Chambers is all going to be spent on even better replacements, and then, on top of that, we will spend the 30 million transfer budget they talked about, which will come out of our 90 million PL income this year and still leave Kat with 60 million to spare. So, we are going to make some incredible signings in the next week as the season starts then. Maybe some of us are beginning to ask questions?

[Post edited 6 Aug 2014 12:50]

Poll:

Which manager would you prefer Saints to have?

Virgil van Dijk on 13:00 - Aug 6 with 1369 views

saintjeff52

Ummm, is our Les trying to be a 'Wheeler Dealer' again. Too clever by half. I've said all along, IF we want a Player, JUST PAY UP and get him. Looks like Swansea want him more than us. Oh well, 11 Days to Kick Off, and Counting !

Virgil van Dijk on 13:02 - Aug 6 with 1360 views

SaintNick

I think you are being a bit alarmist Dirk perhaps we arent 8th any more but we are still a better bet than many

I think the issue is not that we dont want to spend the money but the fact we are bidding far too low, this isnt Kat or Ralph's fault and things have to change there

No one said this would be easy but we have to support the club through stormier waters not launch a tirade on message boards.

Read or listen to respected journalists in the media and they dont consider saints relegation candidates but in a period of transition

The pundits in the media who are screaming horror at saints are looking to tabloid headlines.

Ray Houghton told me on talk sport on Saturday morning that having sold hambers we would now struglle because we hadnt signed a right back

Satisfying The Bloodlust Of The Masses In Peacetime

Virgil van Dijk on 13:04 - Aug 6 with 1355 views

saintjeff52

Forgot to mention, we have NOT allocated Numbers 5, and 7 yet, so perhaps 5 is being saved for our NEW CB ?

Virgil van Dijk on 13:07 - Aug 6 with 1350 views

Chesham_Saint

Ok, our reputation may have taken a bit of a beating over the summer but surely we're still a far more attractive proposition than most of those clubs? I mean what kind of a shitty place is somewhere like Hull to live, FFS?

Poll:

Virgil van Dijk on 13:13 - Aug 6 with 1331 views

I'll be there supporting the team on Saturday and all season long, Nick. I think a few others may drop out though. It will be interesting to see what the gates are like.

Sorry, Nick, but you didn't get the nickname Negative Nick for nothing: you posted constant alarmist stuff when Cortese was at the club and made sure it got a lot of publicity, to such an extent that they wouldn't even let you have a season ticket, which makes the fact that you hate anyone questioning what is happening now seem a little ironic.

[Post edited 6 Aug 2014 13:16]

Poll:

Virgil van Dijk on 13:21 - Aug 6 with 1296 views

Does anybody think Saints can get promoted this season?

In this particular instance, we should have at least got to speak to the player.
His previous with Koeman was the key to us getting him..but as it stands we cannot even talk to him.
We have to sit back to see if Swansea and Van Dijk fail to reach personal terms.
What kind of recruitment policy is that given our dire need for a centre back?
We must, must, must bid at least the same as Swansea..and quickly!
Reed has, by penny pinching ruled out our best opportunity to attract a young quality central defender. And, this after selling 2 central defenders in the last 2 weeks !
If I weere Ronald I'd be in Reeds/ Krugers/ Kats ear by now.
FFS give our manager a decent chance to rebuild a team, and give us supporters something to smile about...

	doing the same thing only results in the same thing
Poll:	who will go if Maddison comes in ?

Virgil van Dijk on 13:43 - Aug 6 with 1251 views

PatfromPoole

I'll be watching the second leg of Celtic v Legia Warsaw tonight, but based on what I saw in the first leg, I wouldn't be convinced that Van Dijk was that great.

Poll:

Virgil van Dijk on 13:48 - Aug 6 with 1236 views

The club line is that the replacements we bring in are going to be better than the players we sold, so is he going to be better than Calum Chambers? Let's hope so.

I'm still not sure why we had to sell Chambers. We were already awash with money from the sale of Shaw, Lallana and Lovren, on top of the 90 million PL money we get anyway. Would he really have kicked up more of a fuss than Schneiderlin?

[Post edited 6 Aug 2014 13:51]

Poll:

Virgil van Dijk on 13:51 - Aug 6 with 1230 views

saints__fan__73

"I think the issue is not that we dont want to spend the money but the fact we are bidding far too low, this isnt Kat or Ralph's fault"

Really? One is the owner, the other the Chairman.

	"Playing Devil's Advocate since 15th January 2014"
Poll:	Have the events of the Summer made Nick feel closer to LFC?

Virgil van Dijk on 14:05 - Aug 6 with 1185 views

Matt_Finish

The problem is we are being linked to anyone available because we've got money. It's easy journalism. Were we ever in for van Dijk? You know how it works, a journo asks a manager if they like a player and the next thing a fictitious bid is reported. Saints were in contact with Celtic about Forster and it's obvious we need a CB and v Dijk wants a move so it's easy to link him with interest from Saints

I'll start one - Vlaar is demanding talks with Lambert about his future and wasn't even on the bench for Villas 1-0 demolition of Walsall signalling a move to Southampton

Virgil van Dijk on 14:05 - Aug 6 with 1186 views

and the owner and chairman said publicly that Reed was in full charge of football issues..that includes recruitment. Which in turn means he decides on negoiation tactics etc.
How would it look if they were to overule him ?
He is proving a stumbling block to most of our signings, slow laborous. can only deal with one thing at the time.

Yes Kat and or Ralph should reproach themselves for not keeping an eye on him 24/7
He hid behind Cotese skirts for a long time..now he is being found out, just as his previous master was.

[Post edited 6 Aug 2014 14:06]

	doing the same thing only results in the same thing
Poll:	who will go if Maddison comes in ?

Virgil van Dijk on 14:14 - Aug 6 with 1163 views

Really, you don't want the man who was voted 'the worst manager in the history of the Premier League' in full charge of football matters, especially not when you are in the Premier League.

Poll:

Virgil van Dijk on 14:21 - Aug 6 with 1153 views

SaintNick

I think you will find that most of the stuff I posted up about Cortese was not alarmist but asked questions that now are actually proving to be very pertinent.

a few called me negative nick because they felt that all that mattered was that we continued to move up places in the league, they did not care how it was achieved or how it was being paid for.

My season ticket issue was nothing to do with publicity to a certain extent as you put it, it happened because cortese wanted to make an example of certain people, others banned at the same time included Francis benali, Matthew Le Tissier & the Daily Echo.

Up to two weeks before i had the season ticket issue I was in regular meetings at the club regarding supporter issues , I even met with Cortese

I dont hate anyone questioning anything, in fact i encourage it, what i dot like are knee jerk reactions and witch hunts, if this board turn out to be false i will be the first to have a go at them, but they have to be given time to show that whet they are doing is working or not

Satisfying The Bloodlust Of The Masses In Peacetime

(No subject) (n/t) on 14:23 - Aug 6 with 1145 views

Del_Bianco

	Part of A small, but perfectly formed nucleus of clueless c**ts bowling underarm, deludely thinking they're in the big leagues since December 2015
Poll:	what do you prefer?

Virgil van Dijk on 14:28 - Aug 6 with 1137 views

I shall now change that to Reasonable Nick.

Poll:

Will you buy the new shirt(s)

Virgil van Dijk on 15:04 - Aug 6 with 1086 views

saint22

It's a shambles
Doesn't anybody think if Reed was any great shakes he would be at a top 6 club overseeing football matters, ridiculous state of affairs

Virgil van Dijk on 15:13 - Aug 6 with 1073 views

Happy_Jack

"Doesn't anybody think if Reed was any great shakes he would be at a top 6 club overseeing football matters, ridiculous state of affairs"

What targets would you go for if Les gets his head turned by an offer from the big boys?

	Millbrook Furnishing shop floor level banter
Poll:	Who do you think the best Prime Minister of the last 40 years has been?

Virgil van Dijk on 15:16 - Aug 6 with 1064 views

Leslie

You're bitter because he's made it, whilst you tend to gnomes pal

So so bitter

Poll:

Virgil van Dijk on 16:28 - Aug 6 with 1002 views

he lost his gnome last January

	doing the same thing only results in the same thing
Poll:	who will go if Maddison comes in ?

Virgil van Dijk on 16:43 - Aug 6 with 981 views

I know it's intended as a joke, but it does raise an interesting question. Who would we want in charge ideally, not that what we think makes any difference.

Looking at who we've currently got at the club, I'd like to see Koeman given a trial period of being in total control of all football matters, including transfers.

I'm not sure what is going on at the Academy. Have most of the staff who were there last year left or been sacked? Jason Dodd and Paul Williams were two of the more high profile sackings but I think some others have gone too. As the Academy was doing such a fine job, maybe we should consider bringing them all back again? If disagreements with Les Reed were the issue, is he worth more to the club than our Academy? I don't have any inside information about this. I just wonder what is going on.

How good is our network of 20 scouts? Do they all report to Les Reed too? If so, I'd prefer it if they reported to Koeman. I'd also consider poaching scouts from some successful scouting operations, like those at Celtic, Benfica, Sevilla and Bayer Leverkusen.

It seems to me that Les Reed has just taken over by default as he happened to be left behind when Cortese went. There doesn't appear to have been much of a selection procedure to ensure that we have the best man possible in charge of football matters at the club.

[Post edited 6 Aug 2014 16:45]

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