Southampton splashing BIG cash!

[super canary 0]

Well, not just yet. But they have had an 11.8 mill bid accepted by Bologna for Gaston Ramirez. Impressive.

[steve b 0]

Good luck to them, we proved last season that you don''t have to lay out that sort of money to stay up, massive risk for them if it doesn''t work out I would assume!

[ImDrunky 0]

Spending big money doesn''t always pay off and it''s risky.

[Carlton Canary 0]

That is crazy. He is quality but just turned down Spurs due to wage demands. Liverpool also interested and a whole load of European clubs including Inter!

If he goes to the Saints I will be massively shocked & impressed.

[Jacko 0]

Fair play to them. That is a quality signing and the amount of money being spent will really make other teams sit up and take notice. We know this year be incredibly tough. I think our best chance is to stick our guns. Play our own game and play to our strengths. If you spend too much time worrying about how the opposition can hurt you it becomes slightly overwhelming after a while. Such is the quality in this league.

[paul moy 235]

Not impressive if they go bust again though is it. Some never learn and it appears that they may be trying to emulate their Portsmouth neighbours. Much more impressive is to get success running a tight ship with no debt.

High transfer fees mean high wages and potentially unmotivated players that you cannot get rid of as they hang on to the end of their contracts just raking in the money, as is happening at Man City. They cannot move on the players they do not want for this reason. I don''t want that at Norwich. Lower wages allows a squad to be more fluid and flexible and thus helps team spirit and motivation.

 

[super canary 0]

I agree splashing big cash can be risky, but for a newly promoted team this is quite a big statement of intent. Granted it hasnt said if the lad actually wants to go to Soton. Have Southampton had any recent investment?

[paul moy 235]

[quote user="Jacko"]Fair play to them. That is a quality signing and the amount of money being spent will really make other teams sit up and take notice. We know this year be incredibly tough. I think our best chance is to stick our guns. Play our own game and play to our strengths. If you spend too much time worrying about how the opposition can hurt you it becomes slightly overwhelming after a while. Such is the quality in this league.[/quote]

Just spending money does not guarantee success. I really do not care how much they spend as it will work against them.

[Jacko 0]

Which is why I have said we have to play our own game and play to our strengths. We have good players who can do a lot of damage on their day. Even if they haven''t cost mega money.

[scotty is here LOL 0]

I just hope if saints pull this deal off it backfires on them coz nothing will make me more happier than seeing Matt Le Tissier  beloved saints going doing coz all he does on soccer saturday is Slagg Norwich off and TBH im fed up with it so the bloke can joke for all i care Rant over !!

[Lets be aving you! 0]

"Have Southampton had any recent investment?"

 

I think they were bought by a rich Swiss bloke (Liebherr, or some such), who cleared all the debts and then promptly died.

 

They also spent quite a lot last year in the Championship. It certainly helped to sign someone like Billy Sharp in the January window.

 

Their high spending may or may not be sensible in the long run, but it certaintly flags up the difference between a club currently tied to a tight repayment schedule to the banks, us, and another which is not.

 

[Indy 3,471]

And this is why Southampton got into trouble the last time! Haven''t learned and as far as I am concerned they should be made to retro pay all money they failed to pay the businesses they let donw when they went into administration! I''m glad Rangers have been made to set an example of what will happen in the future!

 

After that little rant, this player will never go to Southampton, a bit like Bendtner not likely to come here.

[super canary 0]

Thanks LBAY. I know this type of spending could be disastrous for soton and could backfire.....but then again it might not. I cant help feeling a little jealous. But hey, anyone can make bids, doesn''t mean he is going there.

[Downloads 35]

As I understand it, after his death, his family pledged to continue to support Southampton. So the big money is still there but it depends whether ultimately they write off the loans or call them in at some point. As we know, only rich Russians and Saudis generally write off debt, but the Southampton owners might be different and write it off as for some reason they seem to care about the team unlike other greedy owners!

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 2,424]

[quote user="super canary"]Thanks LBAY. I know this type of spending could be disastrous for soton and could backfire.....but then again it might not. I cant help feeling a little jealous. But hey, anyone can make bids, doesn''t mean he is going there.[/quote]

He''s going there, today quoted as saying ''they offered me so much money''.

 

Good signing for Southampton - but there is of course a risk involved as always hard to predict how players will adapt to the Premier League - especially those from South America who have often found it more difficult than most. Also he doesn''t help them in their real area of weakness, a dodgey defence.

 

I felt Southampton would probably be safe anyway, even before this signing but does mean it''s another team than will be harder for Norwich to keep below them this season.

[York Canary 29]

Quality signing and I think he''ll do well with Lallana in the middle. If he''s tenacious like Tevez/Aguero/Suarez then he''ll be fine, but I''m hoping he doesn''t do too well obviously. Maybe a cheeky injury or two starting against Man City this weekend lol. I do think their defence if weakest point, but there''s time left in the window yet and if they''re smashing nearly £12m out on 1 player I''m sure they''ll strengthen elsewhere unfortunately

[safri_free_kick 0]

I have a feeling this will backfire for Southampton. I can see them being like QPR last season and West Ham in the season when they got Tevez and Mascherano. I sincerley hope we never spend this much on one player (especially one with no PL experience) until we become a top 8 side (which doesn''t seem like happening any time soon).

[Shack Attack 0]

[quote user="safri_free_kick"]I have a feeling this will backfire for Southampton. I can see them being like QPR last season and West Ham in the season when they got Tevez and Mascherano.

[/quote]Didn''t both of those teams stay up [:^)]

[step 0]

I dont like it ! club goes bust, walks away from debts (a lot of whom were small local businesses) only to then, because they havent done it the right way are able to splash cash like monopoly money.

Looks like the south coast could end up with 2 disappearing clubs if the gamble doesnt pay off, and agree with poster about smug old git Le Toss !

[safri_free_kick 0]

[quote user="Shack Attack"][quote user="safri_free_kick"]I have a feeling this will backfire for Southampton. I can see them being like QPR last season and West Ham in the season when they got Tevez and Mascherano.

[/quote]Didn''t both of those teams stay up [:^)][/quote]QPR only got last day survival (as did West Ham I think). My point is that signing expensive players can backfire (plus, what if he gets injured and is out for the season? £12m down the pan). It might also upset the rest of the team. As Ramirez is on big money, he will most likely think of himself as a starting player, and if he''s out of the team for a while (injury/suspension) he''ll probably replace the player filling in for him (no matter how well the replacement has done). This might annoy the other players. Sort of like how Rooney is an automatic pick for England after coming back from suspension.

[ben86 0]

Feelsgoodman, my mind is still blown that were actually gonna pull it off, amazing

[Gnasher 0]

It frustrates me that clubs like QPR, Saints and West Ham are all fine with spending money they likely don''t have all of.

We have obviously chosen to stick to our path of clearing the debt whilst also putting in just enough to keep improving the squad, a strategy I applaud.

5 years time with this strategy, if we have managed to stay in the prem, then we''ll be debt-free, and I imagine we''ll be still doing the same, adding a few players to improve the squad, but more like £5m plus signings with greater wage flexibility.

Biggest issue with this being the challenge of survival amongst teams willing to throw ludicrous amounts of money at whoever will take it to keep them up.

Thats £20m saints have spent on 2 players. Of course it may backfire, but if they survive last day? Job done. Another £20 next season. And that annoys me. Our efforts shall take a while to be rewarded, but I await the day this strategy sees us good.

[ben86 0]

We do have it, we''re owned by billionaires, stop being butthurt and deal with it. We also have no debt and they paid off all owed money in full when we exited administration, which we only went into from building a new stadium.

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

I understood that the debt would be cleared at the ending of this coming season Gnasher. However, apparently ground expansion is then to become a priority so, unless there is a sponsor, some borrowing might be involved.

 

I still refuse to envy the Saints, Hammers and QPR position, with wealth behind them, as this can often be a nefarious route. This has been demonstrated at Leeds and Portsmouth to a greater degree and at other clubs to a lesser degree, including our beloved rivals down the ''road to Hell.'' Investors from abroad do not expect to pour millions into an English Premier League side without expecting some return. The Man. City sheiks and the Chelski "crook" might well be exceptions, whereas the Blackburn chicken farmers might not.

 

When the fair play rules come into force, and we will find out their effect on how things work out by their influence in the Championship shortly, these big spenders and, by implication wage payers, might well come unstuck.  

[Joanna Grey 0]

[quote user="ben86"]We do have it, we''re owned by billionaires, stop being butthurt and deal with it. We also have no debt and they paid off all owed money in full when we exited administration, which we only went into from building a new stadium.[/quote]

And you started off so well. Now fuck off.

[Gnasher 0]

Ah yes I probably could''ve been more clear, I realise the debt is scheduled to be removed at the end of this year, but I decided to say 5 years for the purpose of building up funds etc to allow us to increase our average spend per player sustainably.

As for the stadium I would hope we would be willing to operate with that as our singular debt, i''m sure our debtors will recognise us as responsible spenders and as such be willing to give flexible repayments.

And indeed, I cannot wait for the FFP, though it may only help us a little

[ben86 0]

[quote user="Joanna Grey"]

[quote user="ben86"]We do have it, we''re owned by billionaires, stop being butthurt and deal with it. We also have no debt and they paid off all owed money in full when we exited administration, which we only went into from building a new stadium.[/quote]

And you started off so well. Now fuck off.

[/quote]

So jelly, haters gonna hate.

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

[quote user="Gnasher"]Ah yes I probably could''ve been more clear, I realise the debt is scheduled to be removed at the end of this year, but I decided to say 5 years for the purpose of building up funds etc to allow us to increase our average spend per player sustainably. As for the stadium I would hope we would be willing to operate with that as our singular debt, i''m sure our debtors will recognise us as responsible spenders and as such be willing to give flexible repayments. And indeed, I cannot wait for the FFP, though it may only help us a little[/quote]

 

You''re probably right, but it is designed to even things out to the benefit of clubs like Norwich.

 

It might well effect some of the big boys more than others. Manchester United''s income from shirt sales alone in China could well see their income exceed any expenditure they might accrue (slightly tongue in cheek) and paying Van Percie £200,00 per week indicates that they are not over-concerned, even though  Champions League qualification does, I believe, insist upon the new rulings already.  Liverpool are big in Asia as well and the streets of Bangkok are full of red shirts as well as red lights.

 

The Cardiff owners (Malays?) have changed the club colours from blue to red to appeal more to Asians as this is a vast market for merchanise sales, which quite clearly are capable of tipping the balance in favour of income when FFP comes into force.

 

However, the Saints, Hammers and QPR are relavely unknowns overseas, so will unlikely have this advantage so expenditure could well be restricted, especially as they are currently piling up big wages bills.  

 

 

[Cambridgeyellow 0]

[quote user="ben86"]We do have it, we''re owned by billionaires, stop being butthurt and deal with it. We also have no debt and they paid off all owed money in full when we exited administration, which we only went into from building a new stadium.[/quote]

Take it you were not working for one of the local companies that were shafted then and had their businessess ruint - all at the expense of football. Football should be a game played between to sides not something that ruins peoples lives. I quite liked Southampton your comments have just changed that.

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

I''ve never liked them from the time they lured Ron Davies from us on the cheap and went onto achieve greater things.

 

Us football supporters have long memories.