How would you feel if you were a Southampton fan?

[abbobrom]

Well, I for one would feel gutted.

Your team gains promotion to the Premiership and you appoint a new young manager. You have a great season playing some exciting football. Several players hit the radar of the International Management and win call ups to the National team and all seams good.

Then the wheels fall off. You loose the manager to another club in the same league which isn't great. Then several of your top players are lured away to bigger clubs, again in the same league.

This adds more fuel to the fire, that only a handful of clubs can win the Premier League. Or should I say purchase the Premier League and with it further financial gain. The old saying the 'rich get richer'-you know the rest.

For us last season was great in the sense that we did not have a team buying success, although several clubs accused us of doing that. This coming season will be harder, but if we seek promotion again we will have to cope. The problem is, if we are successful again, wi

[TundraWolf]

The negative scenario you paint is a new reality which seems to be played out in a number of different instances of late. You can pretty much tell from year-to-year who the top clubs will be, who will be playing in Europe, who will be hiring the top players from the football world of Europe, Africa,etc, who will be building huge, new state-of-the-art stadiums, etc.

A certain amount of parity is reached here in North America in the National Hockey League, through a salary cap and this may be the way to go.

From Wikipedia:

The NHL salary cap is the total amount of money that National Hockey League teams are allowed to pay their players. It is a "hard" cap, meaning there are no exemptions (and so no luxury tax penalties are required).

The actual amount of the cap varies on a year-to-year basis, and is calculated as a percentage of the League's revenue from the previous season; for instance, in 2007–08, the NHL's salary cap was approximately US$50.3 million per team; for the 2008–09

[wolves71]

The success over the past few years has come back and hit Southampton where it really hurts, ie players. Those at the top scale of English football are like vultures and have picked off the core of the Saints side.

Money as you say abbo talks and clubs have to do what they think is right. Crazy fees have been accepted, it may help Koeman rebuild, or could end up hurting them most and relegation may be the final nail in the coffin.

[greystone16]

Raped. What is the point of going into the Greedy League if you do any good the rapists come in have their pick of your players and then don't play them probably but just hire them out.The so called Premier League is a joke.

[theplater]

The negative scenario you paint is a new reality which seems to be played out in a number of different instances of late. You can pretty much tell from year-to-year who the top clubs will be, who will be playing in Europe, who will be hiring the top players from the football world of Europe, Africa,etc, who will be building huge, new state-of-the-art stadiums, etc.

It's been going on for over 20 years now Tunds, the forming of the 'Premiership' in 1993 and the subsequent 'Sky' deal created this 'monster'!!

[nortonwolf]

The negative scenario you paint is a new reality which seems to be played out in a number of different instances of late. You can pretty much tell from year-to-year who the top clubs will be, who will be playing in Europe, who will be hiring the top players from the football world of Europe, Africa,etc, who will be building huge, new state-of-the-art stadiums, etc.

It's been going on for over 20 years now Tunds, the forming of the 'Premiership' in 1993 and the subsequent 'Sky' deal created this 'monster'!![/quote]

... pretty much the same teams finishing top 6 every year... No chance of a lesser club finish top four, just an annual struggle for survival or mediocrity... and the detrimental effect on the national side.

Speaking as someone who loves football I can't bring myself to subscribe to Sky.

[wolves71]

The negative scenario you paint is a new reality which seems to be played out in a number of different instances of late. You can pretty much tell from year-to-year who the top clubs will be, who will be playing in Europe, who will be hiring the top players from the football world of Europe, Africa,etc, who will be building huge, new state-of-the-art stadiums, etc.

It's been going on for over 20 years now Tunds, the forming of the 'Premiership' in 1993 and the subsequent 'Sky' deal created this 'monster'!![/quote]

... pretty much the same teams finishing top 6 every year... No chance of a lesser club finish top four, just an annual struggle for survival or mediocrity... and the detrimental effect on the national side.

Speaking as someone who loves football I can't bring myself to subscribe to Sky.[/quote]

I'm glad i stopp

[MichiganWolf]

Unfortunately, the money is increasing, so there's really no incentive to change. More and more people are watching and more and more people are buying merchandise.

Just look at the German and Spanish leagues - ruled by one or two giants, lower end clubs losing their players year in and year out and no chance of qualifying for continental spots and yet the leagues are increasing in popularity and revenue.

[Dudleywolf]

Southampton's position is unique in that whilst some players may have had their heads turned anyway, with the Saints owner dying and his daughter , who knows stuff all about footy and may well prefer the cash, taking over. It may well be a bit of asset-striping -realisation of assets going on!

It is the general scenario I fear should we be successful.