Topcat

We are almost at the point where of our remaining games we will have to win 65%, draw 25% and only lose 10% to get automatic promotion. 5 year plan? We are in year 2 and look like being stuck in L1. This 5 year plan looks unachieveable. It all comes down to Managerial stability. In our last 10 years in the Prem we had the worst record for that.

Manji is a very strong supporter of Rupert Lowe over many years on websites. That says enough about the quality of his judgment.

The OS statement pointed to Pardew+2 being unable to co-operate with Les Reed's empire. How is firing Pardew a necessary evil? The better/cheaper option would have been to fire Reed. "Following a review of the current status in and around the First Team, the Club has decided that, to achieve its well known targets, it is essential to make changes to the First Team management and coaching. These targets for sustained and significant progress embrace both the First Team and the Football Development & Support Centre as integrated, co-operative units. Consequently, the First Team Manager, Alan Pardew; First Team Coach, Wally Downes; and Goalkeeping Coach, Stuart Murdoch have been relieved of their duties"

Cortese's action to remove Pardew increased the win ratio required for automatic promotion from 53% to 60%. Not a wise move. He has to be held accountable for decisions like this.

You omit the extras which bring it up to well over £50k for 5,000. Appearance money for CC would be in the range of £3k to £7k so at an average of £5k we get 10 players appearance money.

It was not good business sense. A team competing in the Championship would have had gates 5k higher which would have more than covered the extra appearance money. Admin came in when we were doomed for relegation.

What does Adkins need to address first? He has to start winning. From tomorrow he will need a win ratio of 60%. If he draws the next 3 then the win ratio jumps to 63%. He has little room for a slump.

Not feeling as negative, but the scale of what Adkins has to do to win automatic promotion does need to be quantified. It is worse because of the appalling start. 1. A win ratio of 60%. 2, A draw ratio of 25% 3. Only lose 15% of games. Would get us to 88 points. Previous 5 years, 2nd slot needed 79 to 89 points. The win ratio (I believe) is better than any other Saints Mgr record.

Very true.

Cortese may only give him 12 games to get us into position as promotion challengers. If we fail to go up this season he will be fired.

Thorpe you were right and I posted it in a few places. It convinced me that the deal was on for tonight.

In a co-operative manner?

Press Release from Scunny http://www.s****horpe-united.co.uk/page/News/0,,10442~2152040,00.html

Jealous?

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2152032,00.html "Southampton Football Club is delighted to announce that it has appointed a new First Team Manager. Southampton Football Club is delighted to announce that it has today appointed Nigel Adkins as the Club's new First Team Manager on a three year deal. The appointment follows an intense, but thorough search, with the Club having received a very high volume and quality of applications, the majority of which came from well respected managers currently working in the top two divisions of English football and abroad."

Winner of the order of the brown nose.

The report relayed by Thorpe saint on this site (from Legod) that Adkins was seen today arriving at Soton airport would indicate that we will have an announcement on his appointment today. 5.5 hours left before midnight.

The recent results would support your theory.

Compared to the previous 4 or 5 seasons I thought that our squad had most of its essential components in place better than those seasons. We had in the Championship first year a gross shortage of strikers, then in other seasons a shortage of central defenders and under Burley no full backs. It culminated with the Kids-r-us starters that Portaloo was forced to select ahead of the experienced pros. But maybe my memory is going?

I do not think that he will resign because he said he would not. I do believe that the Scunny chairman will cut his demands, it then will depend on Cortese upping his offer. We are probably talking about a £100,000 gap at present. But there is only 10 hours left to Monday, Adkins deadline.

Which bit of makes him a moron?

It is amongst the best squads ..... on paper. But it could benefit from a loan with pace and a loanee striker to back up Ricky. Key as LTC writes is the fact that it needs an able Manager. It is clear that Adkins wants to be signed up today and the Sc***thorpe Chairman will be under significant pressure to do a deal as this is unsettling his own side.

Exactly right, we do have a credibility problem in the eyes of other Clubs.

Fine. So he should have fired Pardew at the end of last season and given the new Manager chance to get ready for this season.

Well Les Reed has a better managerial record than Wilkins with a 14% win record....