You have got to be kidding me.

THEY WILL TAKE THE MONEY

Sadly, even the silliest rumours gain credence due to our 'cash-in' psyche. If Austin is surplus to requirements he should have ALREADY been replaced.

With this latest piece of news (which is likely to end up with us selling a key player by making the serious mistake of selling him,' justified' on the basis of a large quick profit) and seeming unsure about what to do about Fonte, and pursuing a tactical system (the midfield diamond), which isn't congruent with the combination of players that we have remaining, and in failing to replace the cumulative quality loss of players sold (yet again) over the summer, the paucity of our Southampton way is shown to be seriously flawed, if not a complete myth.

Koeman left us because we did not have enough ambition, neither to pay him what he was worth (the market decides) nor to resist the whining of certain players (again). The evidence suggests that all this satisfaction about securing the long term contracts of key players is really only to make sure that we get more profit from their sale rather than to retain them.

And as so many others have said we do not sufficiently re-invest the money in as good if not better players; not to mention all the TV funds that other clubs seem to spend on improving their relative prospects ie. climbing above us!

We have three strikers, two of whom are either unreliable in terms of form and/or fitness and SL who has many qualities, but ruthlessness in front of goal is not one of them ...not good enough. Not enough midfielders who have distinctive (and creative qualities ) with only Tadic (of the 7 first rank contenders) likely to weigh in with more than a couple of goals each season. Defensively we are seriously understrength and only a couple of weeks away from the transfer deadline.

This amounts to gross negligence by the management of the club, a direct result in loosing RK and spending a long time choosing a manager with insufficient experience outside of French leagues.

This will take a good deal of turning around with probably three high quality signings needed urgently, but I fear we are too constrained by our self imposed straitjacket and will settle for mediocrity.

Bot Redmond and Hojbjorg look excellent prospects

I agree mostly Exiled. I'm not sure the system "flawed" per se, but I think we're in danger of putting too much faith in it and being unnecessarily tight on the spending front. We've not made a good enough attempt to replace what we've lost over the summer. I thought the Black Box was supposed to be forward-thinking so why are we in a position now we're now in danger of losing a centre-back (and captain) and a centre-forward just a game into the season with just two weeks left of the window? So that's two positions we already needed more strength in that could be drastically weakened. I don't think it's panicking to say we've got two weeks left to save what could result in a very average season, after resting on our laurels.

Calm down everyone! Let's see how it all pans out. The evidence of the last 7 years seems to indicate we know what we are doing ffs!!

I'd normally be saying exactly what you are now Abingdon because in recent seasons we've sensibly reinvested the money after the summer. However, like I say I think this is the first season we haven't done that and if we let things "pan out" and it doesn't go to plan then we could throw away the season before we get the chance to put things right at Christmas. I just can't see where goals are going to come from.

Until the transfer window closes this could just all be hot air !
We may sell Fonte and have a great replacement lined up, he may not even be going anywhere!
As much as we/I like Charlie; hes not done much, so again the club may have another option that they'd been eyeing in the market; should the right price be tabled. The club / Puel stating we are not in the market for a striker means nothing thb.
Let just see what happens come midnight on 31st August.

I do understand why comments like exiled`s are being made. I still hope a Striker and a CB back will come in but it may be that it just isn't going to happen and we are short in these areas of reliable players who can really produce results. If average is good enough well ok, but we`ve been hearing about consolidation and improvement albeit slow and steady - I really think this may not happen this time BUT I could be wrong.
Am I the only one to not rate Austin? he doesn't give enough, but surely we cannot lose a Striker? Just to disagree with Exiledsaint - Koeman was offered 8 million tp walk away from SMS, 8 million! That is not the fault of the Saints management; but the alarm bells are just audible in the distance and they will get louder.

Charlie Austin's arrival amazed me at the time and he has done nothing since to change my view that he has only ever been a slightly better than average journeyman. He is no Ricky Lambert that's for sure.

I have seen him described as a lumbering oaf by posters on saints web which may be discourteous but in fact may contain more than a few grains of truth.

many years ago the iconic manager of liverpool fc bill shankly said that saints played
ALE HOUSE FOOTBALL
now under les reed we play
dull-football

Exactly bstoke - I'm hoping it is just complacency because that can be overturned this month. If they really think that we are stronger now than we were in April then we are in trouble. Oh, and we are in even worse trouble if this is the start of (the long-feared by pessimists) trousering of the cash by the owners...

I'd be surprised if this is true. Then again, as a Saints fan I'm used to most transfer links becoming reality - the ones involving our players anyway!
Puel has said we're not in for another striker, so selling one from the few strikers we already have would seem bizarre at best.

I agree with much of what Exiled says, although it's clearly too early to write-off the new formation.

The main priority has to be keeping Fonte. Sometimes a possession is worth more than any amount that anyone else is likely to pay. Fonte is one of those possessions at the moment, not just because of what he offers as a player and captain, but because of the destabilising effect his move could have and due to our lack of adequate replacement

Speechless at how we have completely lost the goodwill and enthusiasm from last season and we have only played 1 game.
Shambles off the pitch and Les Reed seems to have no interest in anything other than who can be sold at a profit.
Its like Monopoly.
Pathetic

I'm sure every loyal Saints supporter is feeling the same frustrations, knowing that we can't afford to lose any more potential match winning players unless there are top quality replacements in the pipeline. And when I say top quality replacements I don't mean expensive poseurs like Benteke and Berahino, it's not just a question of spending money it's about the astute signings like Pelle and Mane. Personally I'll reserve judgement on the owner and management team until the end of the transfer window, but I'm not sure that I actually want to wait that long! Something massively positive needs to happen and the sooner the better.

If we get 30+ million for Charlie Austin the same for Jose Font let them go there are others better and cheaper than this but do not let them go cheap they are not the greatest Fonte and Austin will only go for money Fonte will hardly get a game for Manure and Everton are getting desperate

We just cannot let anybody else go we just do not have a big enough squad. The problem is other clubs will know we have the cash and will also know how desperate we are. Going to be a long very hard season we are the laughing stock of every premier league fans

Wow the pessimism pour out here is crazy. ONE GAME in to the season and everyone is jumping off the boat. OK, we do need a player or two and maybe more if we sell Fonte and Austin. HOWEVER, I agree with a few comments that there needs to be a re-investment into players. The club already has top-notch facilities, so using that notion of re-investing there has no merit.

Ultimately, money is the decisive factor for all (RK, Lovern, Lalana, Schneider, etc) and that is the way the game is today. You may not like it, but there is no such thing as loyalty in sports anymore. Money has corrupted all. Period. My question to Les and the board is this: You have developed a sustainable club that is no where near being in massive debt, so why are you not looking to make some big signings and pay larger wages. You dont have to do it every year, but once every couple would make a huge difference.

Just a thought from a Saints fan who remembers the days when loyalty out weighted money grabbing.

3 months ago we finished in our best ever premiership position breaking many records in the process. Now we have lost our manager 2 top goalscorers and a good holding midfielder. Our captain is being linked away as is a striker we regarded as a steal at £4m. We have bought 2 good promising players and are cash rich with a strong balance sheet. We have increased our commercial earning capacity with a good name on our shirts. We all know how strong a squad we need o compete in Europe and the premiership. Are we running a football club or a business? Are we living up to our reputation in some quarters as a selling club with little football ambition? We have been marching on and up for a few years I can't see us continuing onwards and upwards this season.

Every time a player sale happens or is mooted it just reinforces to me the realisation that we will never breakthrough into the top 4/5 and it is sad! After 3 consecutive summers of selling our better players it all starts to get a bit boring! Sooner or later we will start to drop down the league. Would have been interesting to see how we would have done in the Europa League with last season's squad and a couple of additions, but we will never know. Liebherr just isn't sufficiently interested in Southampton Football Club and you need an owner who wants to dream like the fans if you are to have any hope of going to the next level!

Some of the comments on here are worrying! Not for our beloved SFC, but for the individuals posting them. If you take the modern game too seriously, you will put yourself in serious chance of a total breakdown?
Enjoy the days out at St Mary's and away games. Give total support to the wonderful people who have transformed club and if we lose a few games. Get a life! In today's crazy game, if we spent £250 million on players, it would guarantee what? Would those players be loyal to the shirt? Would it really guarantee anything other than unsettling the balance at the club.
If you want to support that type of club and become a glory hunter, then there are a few others that you best go and 'support'?

I'm absolutely fed up with all of our players at some point or another being linked with a move away. Other clubs don't have to put up with this. I'm sure it's because we have this reputation of every player having a price that we would willingly sell at. We need to lose that reputation fast. Roll on the end of the transfer window and then we can concentrate on the football - until January.

Well said NigD

NigD - I think the point you are missing is that every year our season tickets go up, the cost of buying a shirt goes up, the cost of sky sports goes up, club revenue goes up, net profits on transfers go up and the quality of our starting eleven goes DOWN.

Its the devoted supporters that are being taken for a ride, as we just "sit back and enjoy the days out at st Mary's". They're taking the p*ss out of our devotion and you're happy to go along with it.