CB Fry

1896 - 1904.

Unrivalled success in our clubs history? Good god.

So for someone demanding facts in Cortese's honour, you've ended up speculating that the vision wasn't his but someone else's after all. What a con - man he was, then. You don't half tie yourself in knots, Delldays.

Who is "you lot"? Cortese quitting because KL refused to commit financially to the CL push is the most common theory given by the pro - Cortese members of the forum. So "you lot" is who lot exactly?

In the statement the club gave where they accepted his resignation. ie he resigned. On my planet the colloquial term for that is "quit".

What is a fact Delldays, is that he quit. Only a few months after telling all and sundry we were heading to the Champions League (another fact). Big promise, then jacked it in. He quit. Fact.

Ask not if you can peddle pie-in-the-sky "ambition" to poor gullible saps, but how.

Who knows what he could have achieved if he maintained his stomach to deliver Champions League football within a sustainable budget, instead of scarpering at the first sign of adversity.

Me saying we can and hopefully will finish mid table over a number of seasons (as you asked, by mid table I mean around the middle of the table) a d go for cup success in Europe (and domestically) is as niaive as people saying we can qualify for the Champions League? You do write some exceptional strawman nonsense but this one is right out of the top drawer. Seriously, well done.

This is about right to me. I fail to see how not pursuing the CL pipe dream is then whipped up into us hurtling to oblivion. We could quite easily sustain a nice mid table Premier league club, bringing young players through, and why not get to the Europa League final like Boro and Fulham did, but actually win the thing like they didn't. I know that seems beneath the nutcases like Richmond and Alpine but it would effing well do me.

His voice has just been on Five Live. Swoon.

What did you expect? It was always going to be pretty anodyne. Just a bit of flannel.

There's going to be a video/audio version, which will be more in depth.

If he says no one was going to leave then obviously that would have definitely happened. He's just brilliant, ain't he?

Barely needs saying, but that ambition was never being realistically pursued before.

Is he?

I think there will be minimal sniping and maximum charm offensive. I think he'll reflect on his achievements, but through the lens of congratulating our England boys. He'll talk about his input into the academy and how successful it is and how proud that makes him feel. We'll get a bit of leadership theory at this point, maybe a quote about being brave in hiring/firing. We'll get a bit of "yes, I am demanding" affected self awareness with a nice dash of "don't believe everything you read" cliché. He will coyly refer to his vision, how he would have done it with more time but couldn't quite agree with KL. He won't be slagging or sniping against anyone on the record in a BBC interview. And his parting shot will some hints on his next move. He'll say he will want to take an underdog into the CL with emphasis on youth. Might lob in a timely Atletico reference. The overall inference will be that he will find another Southampton and take them into the CL instead. Just to make us yearn for him a little. At this point Frank's Cousin will openly weep and start ranting about how terribly boring and depressing and awful it will be to finish in eighth place next season. Life is so unfair.

Fair enough. Saw it on page one but I haven't read the whole thread. Hats off, it was close enough to be believable for me.

I am sure he will be far more charming than people on here are expecting, although that Shaw quote sounds pretty cringeworthy. Expect to be flannelled people.

Heaven forbid anyone would take this forum seriously. By the way, have you calmed down from your little "I'm in the know and you are all being horrible to me" tantrum?

Yep. They need to man up. They do. Jeez.

If, as the Cortese friendly media chums are spinning it, D & W are the magicians that created Shaw and the rest, they won't be out of work for long.

I like the way Paul Williams has been promoted to a "die hard Saint". Paul Williams? Dear me.

In fairness, your switch from smugly dropping "I'm in the know, me" hints to self righteous indignant "how dare you question me" fury within ten minutes yesterday on the Lallana thread was one of the funniest things on here this week. So don't put yourself down, you are serving up the LOLs and no mistake.

#pleaselookatmepleaselookatmepleaselookatmeplease