SaintDonkey

I hate these "today's the day" days. I was Googling for that "I can take the despair it's the hope I can't stand" quote from Clockwise. It's no coincidence that the top hit on my search was from a Saints fan site! http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=i+can+take+the+despair+it%27s+the+hope&meta=

You're missing the most important question: Will Southampton Football Club exist next season? As long as the answer to that is yes then I'm happy for the moment. And It's NOT Lupus http://www.videosift.com/video/Its-NEVER-lupus-House-MD

Please please please make this be true. Otherwise the Itchen bridge is going to be crowded this evening. P.S. it's never Lupus

I'm kind of hoping the absense of any confirmation today means that he knows something we don't about the closeness of a takeover, and the ambitions of those involved.

If we take what MLT said on face value there were certainly some issues with the demands of the FL. You may doubt the word of Fialka and Lynham but there was something in what was coming from the FL which upset Matt a great deal. Whether these issues were why the Pinnacle bid collapsed is another matter, but certainly there's something there.

OKay back to the takeover - what are the chances that ****ing Mawhinney will **** it up for us again? I'd guess any concesssions that Pinnacle won are gone now and the FL is back to it's "we reserve the right to shaft you over repeatedly and you have to waive any right to be able to do anything about it" position.

What's this cryptic suggestion MB? Do you know something we don't?

I don't quite understand this one. Both Batchelor and Williams are saying they're merely front men. How many front men does one bid need? Hurry up Swissers!

I still believe Tony was genuine, just that as various investors dropped out his eagerness to continue going forwards meant that perhaps he didn't check the credentials of the remaining consortium members as thoroughly as he might.

A much underrated manager IMHO. Labeled as a failure at Tottenham but since then has rebuilt Basle from a team in the duldrums to the top team in Switzerland with 4 league wins and 4 cups. He was sacked in May this year after a disappointing season so he is currently looking for employment...

If we have big money to spend then I'd go for a big name - Keegan is the one that springs to mind. If you want players to come to a league one side you need to demonstrate ambition. However I suspect the owners will bemore realistic and reckon that next season is more about getting safely mid table than promotion, and the big spend and big name manager will come next summer. So stick with Wotte for now, I guess he's earned the chance.

From national champions to regional leagues in three seasons. And we think we've had a falling from grace!

Can anyone who was there say how we lined up? Who was left back for example?

You must be ****ing joking. Get over your Lowe obsession and have a look at Batchelor's track record. The guy is a self admitted asset stripper. His only interest in Saints would be to sell off anything he could get any cash for and wind the club up. Say what you like about Lowe but the only thing he's looked to wind up is the fans.

Who he? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Williams The presenter from the 'Old Grey Whistle Test', the Everton keeper in the 1893 FA Cup final, or the Welsh conductor?

That is very scary reading. Can we get over the Lowe paranoia and start being terrified by who actually is connected to Gillico?

No Lallana in the squad. Denials that he'll be allowed to leave on the cheap. He's off then.

Hmmm big in the cement business. Maybe he's just after Saint Mary's so he can expand the cement works?

BTW where does this 'seven day' thing come from? According to the league rules 77.2 Any party wishing to appeal against a decision of the FDC must, within 28 days of the making of the final order by the FDC, serve on the Executive and any other party to the original proceedings: 77.2.1 written notice of the intention to appeal; and 77.2.2 a statement setting out the grounds of the appeal. http://www.football-league.co.uk/staticFiles/78/3/0,,10794~888,00.pdf Which says we needed to lodge an intention to appeal with 28 days not seven. It's splitting hairs since 28 days had long past by the time Pinnacle were told they couldn't appeal, but I'm curious as to why some people on this board seem to be so passionate about it being 7 days.

Never thought I'd say this but I agree with Apline. Tony was quite clear that there were issues with the contract put forwards by the FL, and quite forwards about showing it to the concerned parties (rememebr the interview with him leaving Staplewood when he made reference to the contract). Le Tissier was obviously one of those who had seen the contract offered by the FL and the unreasonableness of it prompted him to question how the FL sleep at night. Since then the FL have gone on record saying the disagreement was about the right to appeal 'sporting sanctions' and that Pinnalce only needed to sign the contract (and put up the cash). They have now stated that there was no plan to impose any further penalties, but what they haven't said is the scope of the waiving of rights to appeal. I suspect strongly that the disagreement was over Pinnacle signing away the rights to any appeal over sporting sanctions, both the current -10 and any future sanction whether it be planned or not at this stage.

What's MLT got to do with it?

I met Perry Groves during a charity five-aside thing at the Emirates. I was decked out in Saints kit, he took one look at me, laughed, and said 'yeah sorry about that'

If John can get fit (and that might take a while after the best part of a year in Bristol's reserves) he would be perfect for League 1. Pair him with a hungry young striker to do the running around bit (White or Paterson?) and we could have a strike force to be reckoned with (in League One terms).

Isn't Fish out of contract?

eek football? Surely you've got james and Molyneaux on the wrong sides. But aprt from that I reckon that's about right.