Ken Tone

No but I listened to the whole interview he gave to Radio Humberside, which I presume Solent took an excerpt from. And in spite of having been up most of the night, then taking a full normal day's training at Scunny and I imagine being in a complete emotional turmoil, I think 'it is fair to say that Nigel Adkins' came over as both intelligent and moral. He has got several diplomas and a business degree you know ... which he took whilst he was working I think. You can knock the signficance of that but I suspect he's a bit brighter than most football people.

Quite. This is chairman saying this ..not Howe himself. I interview lots of people for jobs. It would be pretty rare for me to actually get as far as offering a job to someone who will turn it down. You sound candidates out first. Much more likely scenario is: Cortese interviews Howe and says "we're interested ..will let you know when we've finished our search process". Or even "we're interested" and Howe says "can I think about it before I say I definitely want it?" Fine, says Cortese..we're still interviewing other candidates. Howe goes home and decides he doesn't want to remain in the frame, so withdraws his application. Job never actually offered. Meanwhile he talks to his chairman, exaggerrates a bit and says ..I didn't want it .. implying he probably could have got it if he had. Chairman builds this up another step to 'he was definitely offered it and turned it down.' Pratt of chairman then shoots his mouth off in a completely unprofessional manner. What the hell does he think he is doing breaching confidence like that even if his version is accurate? Result - Southampton definitely, and many other clubs maybe, never deal with Bournemouth again. K.

Surely we can't really be stalling over as little as £50k? There must be more to it than that. Let's face it if we playing against a team this wekend who'd just got a new manager we'd expect the worst. "Opposition's new managers always galvanise even previously duff teams into playing out of their skins to impress new man" is one of the immutable laws of being a Saints fan. IF it works for us too, wouldn't it be worth £50k to 'buy' a win at Swindon?

Well put it this way I am today booking a holiday that will clash with the likely date of the play-off final. This could be because I am still confident of a top 2 finish, or it could be because I don't think we'll even make the play-offs. I'm not sure I know myself! K.

I believe Bob Paisley started out as a physio ..and without Adkins's qualfications. He isn't the big name we'd jhoped for and been led to expect but he is at least intelligent (which is more than you can say for many managers) and experienced at an appropriate level. I reckon he'll do.

He and Dave "to be fair" Merrington should get on well then.

Cue lots of other managers quickly saying they too turned it down, in mass face-saving exercise. Even Phil Brown, after publicly crawling for the job, will find some way of saying he turned it down.

No. I reckon you've pretty much got it taped with that masterly summary of the situation.

Here we go again. Keep up! If you read the other 347 pages on this, you'll see that they would get compensation, via a tribunal. But presumably not as much as SAcunny hope to negotiate. Plus it would be a risk for Saints , if Scunny have any chance of showing that we acted in any way improperly in our approach.

humbrrside saying still in balance ..quite likely he will come

The other one. It's always the other one, whichever one you're on.

The OS statement reads more like damage limitation to me. Trying to give second choice candidate a scrap of dignity by making it look as if he isn't second really.

Sorry mate but I think you are wrong. Can't find chapter and verse but FA and league set rules a few years back to prevent managers being poached during a season. Hence needing Scunny's permission to even speak to Adkins. I think the position is either we agree compensation, or if he resigns it goes to a tribunal. Google wigan v swansea over Martinez. etc It may even be (here I am admittedly unsure) that a tribunal could deem us to have acted improperly (by football 's rules, not real life employment law) and punish us in other ways ..even deducting points

+ 1

Blimey! Do you still exist?

Now reported on BBC, albeit as 'according to Scunny chairman' http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/southampton/8983286.stm We are looking more foolish, and less attractive to other candidates, by the day

Exactly IF all this is true, and that is a big if, then this is a complete **** up, even for that reason alone. Who will want to come here now? How much confidence will they have in cortese's support for them?

That's the point isn't it? They are entitled to compensation. If Adkins did just resign then we'd end up with some sort of tribunal fixing compensation anyway, like happens with under 24 year old players. Of course that can be interpreted 2 ways: 1) we going to have pay anyway, so why not just do it. 2) S****horpe want too much so we'd rather a third party decided how much Meanwhile it appears that Adkins wants the best for his old club (good for him, within reason) . Reminds me of Walcott getting us a good deal from Arsenal when he could have walked, for less.

JOKIN ? Please god you don't mean Jo Kinnear or we really are in a downward spiral.

not really what that article says is it? It actually just tells us that Brown wants the job, not that he's likely to get it

North Hants! Who's the manager of Basingstoke Town? Mind you, personally I think I'm going for this Victor Chandler fella. All the smart money seems to be going to him.

Last week's Sunday Times pools forecast had the game as an away win. I'd save your money.

Hmm. "by the weekend". So Friday is the new tomorrow. Won't give him (whoever) much time to make any assessment of, or impact on, the players, so in effect it will still be Wilkins's team on Saturday. We could really do with winning these away games , not just for the points but also to take the pressure off for the next home game, the new manager's first in charge in front of the majority of fans. What I'm dreading is a bad start at home with idiot fans chanting "you don't know what you're doing " or Pardew's name.

Tomorrow is the new Friday

No. You're missing the obvious. It's going to be Antony Pulis. Why else would he still be on our books ?