Everton have done us a real favour.

Good, but not great...plenty more games to go of course, but a handful of memorable wins last season

 

Being a lifelong Saints fan I have learned that when we go through a rough patch, it feels so much better when things come right. To be slumming it at the top with everything going rosy would be terribly boring and so much more upsetting when it all goes pear shaped.

 

Nice, the club he left before joining us, are currently top of Ligue 1.
Think he left a pretty good platform. I think Les has found a bit of a diamond.....no pun intended.

 

More positively those have been the only games we've lost.

Vin

 

Plus just 2.5 days after narrowly losing to Inter Milan, getting back up to almost beat the league leaders at the Etihad. I'd say that was a sign things are on the up.

 

changed my signature last week - Mr. Puel has a lot to live up to!

 

Oh ,how we all wish we could match Sevilla's achievements. Athletic are another club that are constantly shredded - llorente, martinx, herara!! Now Liverpool want Inaki Wiiliams whilst others are after Laporte. However, due to their policy they will only replace their outgoing players with players born and educated in the Greater Pais Vasco region.

 

At least some of their players get taken out of the league they're in. Ours almost exclusively strengthen our closest rivals.

 

We weren't all completely down trodden in the summer. Some of us got slated for simply saying that we'd been here before so trust the Board and wait and see.

Too many knee jerks.

 

I think you added a word by mistake

 

Medium term, there's no good reason we can't emulate those teams in terms of success, we already have more financial muscle that either (http://www.football-observatory.com/IMG/sites/b5wp/2016/159/en/ ) of them - it's "only" regular European football that we now need, throw in a bit a Europa run now & then, and we'll also get that type of recognition in Europe, where they are used to the model of having clubs shredded - even if the British press aren't. And having big European names play against us will only help us become an even more attractive destination for talent, it's slow and steady progress.

 

We should find it easier to keep players when we are more successful....note use of 'when' not 'if'. Players already see us as a team that is good to join for their career's sake....the next step is keeping the best of them. We must remember that they aren't all rushing to leave...it is a good club to play for.

 

I suspect that Les Reed has identified that VVD may well be a top target for many clubs here and elsewhere next summer, so it is likely he may well have targetted his replacement.

 

So Claude beats the Black Cats with the academy boys that Koeman said weren't good enough?

It appears Everton certainly have done us a favour.

 

I have just posted our gratitude on the Bluenose Scousers board...

 

I'll pop over and have a look later

 

Interesting to compare the PL squad costs to a mere 7 years ago http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...ers--Sportsmails-guide-teams-squad-costs.html , Arsenal's was £78m.

 

Ha!....Tobes is still peddling the big club BS on their board...He can't seem to hack the FACT that we are all happier now than with Ron...

 

He couldn't handle the fact that none of us were *that* upset about losing him in the first place.

 

If you go on Everton forums, a lot say he just does not look interested, win, lose or draw. Its just a big case of money talking. More fool them.