The 'Southampton Way'

[smudja]

Southampton have recently converted £35million of debt into shares!

 

[Fergy]

I do follow the Saints do an extent because of my stepdad introducing them to me about 10 years ago but all of the Southampton fans I've encountered are brash and vain.

There is no doubt that they have a very loyal fanbase, 18,000 at home every week while being in L1 is absolutely fantastic, but staying in the Premier League for 11 seasons is surely a factor for their core fanbase. Just look how many fans we gained from being in the CCC for 5 seasons.

They are really up their own arses about their rivalry with Portsmouth, recently laughing at their demise on their forums despite them experiencing the exact same thing four years ago. I remember some more bragging about their away support at Home Park last season although it was inevitable they were going up, how many did we take to Rochdale that season we went up?

Matt Letissier kept them up for a number of seasons by the skin of their teeth, they were like the Wigan of the 1990's. They haven't achieved anything domestically in the last 30 odd years.

There's no denying their fantastic youth set-up though.

 

[DrewPAFC]

I've a few mates that as saints fans, but more importantly are football fans, who did not want to see Pompey go under.
Despite your views on the club itself, I think its a footballing model which could be of some inspiration to Argyle.

 

[Graham Evans]

I joined the foundation the day it started.The money raised was suppossed to go to set up an acadamy and whilst that does not look like happenning anytime soon our youth team coaches seem to be doing a pretty good job.I think it is still possible to join the foundation and if more people join it can only help the youth setup.

 

[Greenskin]

Didn't Tony Waiters want to set up some kind of Academy back in the 70s but got rebuffed by the board?

Shame as it could have changed a lot about where we are now.

He certainly set up a youth policy and scouting system that was probably the most far reaching in Argyle's history and produced players like Mariner,Hodge,Barron,Phillips,Megson,Sutton and Aleksic who went on to play at the highest level,as well as players who became stalwarts for the club for many years,such as Hodges,Cooper,Harrison and Uzzell.It was his desire to enhance the youth system which led to his fall out with the board,as i remember he wanted to appoint another coach but the board refused and matters got ever more messy until he was sacked.The youth policy was effectively disbanded after he left and has never been as productive since-yet another example of the Argyle board not being able to finance the ideas of an ambitious and capable manager properly.

As for the Southampton way,they've shown us how it should be done for about 45 years.Produce good players such as Paine,Channon,Le Tissier,Williams etc and build a team around them rather than sell at the earliest opportunity.For sure they have sold over the years but essentially they have achieved their objectives first and used the money gained to sustain their position.It gives me no pleasure at all to say this,like others i've found some of their fans to be obxoxiously arrogant and condescending,but it's the truth unfortunately.Should Argyle wish to emulate them to any extent,a large amount of money will be needed to set up the youth system on as comprehensive a basis as was in the 1970's-franly,i won't hold my breath.

 

[Manchester Green]

Helps when they can steal talented young players from clubs like Argyle for peanuts.

What's the point in developing a brilliant academy if we lose them all for no more than £150k? Waste of time.

Answer: Get rid of agents, and make contracts binding for their natural term, (on both sides). :thumbup:

Difficult when the Premier League has blackmailed the Football League into passing a rule that YTS players can be moved on for a maximum of £150k. The whole system stinks, we have a decent youth setup as it is but I see no point in investing heavily into it if all the fruits of our hard work will be snapped up by teams like Southampton, who'll then have praise lavished upon them for the young players that "they" produced.

 

[Bezza]

There is no doubt that they have a very loyal fanbase, 18,000 at home every week while being in L1 is absolutely fantastic, but staying in the Premier League for 11 seasons is surely a factor for their core fanbase. Just look how many fans we gained from being in the CCC for 5 seasons.

They are really up their own arses about their rivalry with Portsmouth, recently laughing at their demise on their forums despite them experiencing the exact same thing four years ago. I remember some more bragging about their away support at Home Park last season although it was inevitable they were going up, how many did we take to Rochdale that season we went up?

.

Living near Ringwood and going to the odd game at St Marys I have an interest in the saints and they have done very well. They have a good home support, but in fairness it was on the wane before their relegation to league one. Losing 10 pts and surviving their administration seemed to galvanise their fans. Their away support is very good when they are going well. like most clubs, not so good when they are struggling. Before they hit form last season they took fewer than 1,000 to Hillsborough. I dont like the way they are enjoying pompey's demise. I mean, I know they are rivals, but most saints fans seem to want Pompey to go bust which I cant understand. Being a big fish in a small pond has made some of them a bit arrogant.

 

[Quintrell Green]

Southampton have recently converted £35million of debt into shares!

I hope the shareholders receive a dividend. If it is not forthcoming, there may be trouble at St Mary's.

 

[BadBoy]

Thats not a model i want to follow your only one swiss billionaire getting bored from oblivion, 35 million debt transferred to shares shows that they are living beyond their means already and only sustained premier league status can service that sort of spending.

 

[Kai Gilbert]

They have achieved a fan base through getting into the premiership. If we get into the premiership and stay there for a couple of years we will massively increase our fan base and receive mega money from parachute payments. We will then have the money to achieve things such as a good youth system which will help us become successful and we can then become a guarenteed premiership club. However, getting to the premiership will be very tough and then we need the owners to invest the money correctly.