Professor

Yes, fans do fund the club through TV income as well as by attending games in person. Liverpool are judged to have more TV fans than Saints, hence they were screened 28 times to Saint's 10 and received several million more in TV fees than we did. If you read what I said, I'm not suggesting a 'nothing is happening' statement. That would be no different to the silence we currently have, which is creating on-going speculation. The statement I'm saying is overdue is one rejecting the bids and obviously that can only be issued if the bids are being rejected. The longer we go without that being said, the more people will speculate that the club is prepared to sell.

Shame you feel it necessary to include insults in a discussion with a fellow Saints fan, but that's your problem not mine. I'd just point out that you are wrong in saying I've asked for a regular update, only that if the club policy on player sales has not changed, then a statement would make that clear. The absence of such a statement - (in words of one syllable - NOT MORE THAN ONE) can be taken by clubs interested in our players as an indication of a willingness to sell. The people who would be most influenced by a statement from the Chairman would be the Media and the management of other clubs, but the absence of a statement may also influence them. This isn't just about satisfying the curiosity of fans but is about whether a step could be taken to reduce demand for our manager and/or players - if that is what the board want to do.

Since it has been reported that there was a Board meeting on Wednesday night to discuss the bids for the manager and the two players, there is something new, but it's been kept private so far. A running commentary wouldn't be appropriate if we are agreeing to deals, but if we are not then a statement would be a way of underlining that position. You must decide for yourself what the silence means, or perhaps you might think it means nothing. I happen to disagree and the longer it goes on the more it would seem likely that deals are being discussed, not rejected.

One thing we have learned over the last week is that the media, both broadcast and print, see Southampton as a selling club, even as a club that needs to sell to survive. Some people might say that this impression is a hangover from the administration period when the club sold Walcott and Bale but the sale of Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2011 during the Cortese period could be taken by the media as evidence that not much has changed. Fans may know that it was largely Mark Chamberlain who influenced his son, but the impression remains. If the media think Southampton are a selling club its hardly surprising that the people running Tottenham, Man Utd and Liverpool think the same. What the Saints' fans are entitled to know, since we fund the club through our support, is whether this is true. If it is true, all the Chairman can do is to try to get the best price for the players we produce which may best be done by appearing reluctant to sell. On the other hand if we really are not a selling club any more, then a strong statement is needed to dispel the impression that seems to be widely held both outside and perhaps even inside the club. Such statements were being reported a few weeks ago when it was said that no player would leave who the manager did not want to leave. But the present silence does nothing to back that up. If the club intends to hold people to their contracts its quite simple to say so. If it isn't sure, then the silence is deafening, "come and take what you want, but do it quietly...."

KL has my support, although I very much regret the ownership model that has resulted in what used to be English football 'clubs' becoming the private property of wealthy individuals, many of them foreign. KL has done enough for me to believe she has earned the support of most fans. I am less sure about the chairman she has installed. Whereas, Cortese demonstrated leadership qualities from the outset I can't see that Ralph Kruger has done anything so far that I am aware of as a fan. He comes with no track record into football so if he wants to show the fans that he deserves support he needs to demonstrate that he can lead this club, not only onwards, but upwards, because I doubt that fans want to us standing still or declining. The Chairman has had an opportunity this week to show leadership and for all we know, perhaps he has, but if he has the fans don't know about it. There is of course, the other possibility, that he hasn't shown any leadership and is allowing the club to be tossed around at the whim of others. I hope that isn't the case, and if it is not, hopefully any impression of weakness will soon be dispelled.

I do like Pochettino's style but wouldn't kid myself that he's superman. He's done OK for us but 8th place does mask the fact that we finished 8 points below the 7th team who sacked their manager for poor performance. Oh, and 13 goals worse off than them on Goal Difference, so it was a huge gulf and 23 points away from the top 4. I like the passing football that Pochettino has brought to the team and the possession tactics but he has struggled to turn possession into goals, which does seem to be a coaching issue. I would like Pochettino to stay, not because I think he's irreplaceable, because obviously he's not, but because he appears to be held in high regard by the squad and it would seem more likely that we will lose some of our best players if Pochettino leaves. But ultimately, does it matter? We have some more exceptional talent waiting in the development squad and in the u-18s. Targett, Gape, Rowe and others won't get a chance unless gaps appear in the first team and they will all be a year older this August than they were at the beginning of last season, so if it is to be a new manager and a couple of players are lost, I will regret it and I hope it doesn't happen, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.

But fans don't want a game played of these bids for the manager and players. They just want them refused, not in order to get more money but refused absolutely. That is the statement I'd like to hear and because we don't have that it leaves open the possibility that Board are playing poker and are just trying to get as much money as they can. The Wall of Silence suggests this, which is why the Echo are reflecting the views of fans who have contacted the paper, but the Board could fend off the speculation with a strong statement of intent. Not that the offers aren't high enough but simply to repeat what they said before - that no one will leave this club who the manager does not want to leave and to add that we will not sell our International stars.

Pochettino did preside over some poor results through November and December so although the team played very attractive possession football it didn't prevent the slip from being in the top 3 to dropping down to 8th or 9th. Even towards the end of the season there were games where possession didn't translate into goals. So, much as I want MP to stay, let's not see him as being superhuman. But what makes him irreplaceable at the moment is that he has the respect of the players and his commitment to the club is likely to be a major factor in helping keep our star players here.

Try putting "Luke Shaw is not for sale at any price" into Google translate from English to northern English. See if you get "increase your offer, add a performance bonus and he's yours"......

For once I agree with NickG. I must be getting old. Speculation about the intentions of the KL and the Board are just as meaningless as speculation in the media about the manager and the star players. NickG refers to facts about KL's period as owner through the Leibherr Trust and its better to draw conclusions from facts rather than from guesswork. NickG does stray into speculation by saying that Shaw is not planning on going, which may or may not, be true. Only Luke Shaw truly knows what is in his mind. But back to facts, and amongst the facts is that Shaw and Lallana are both on long-term contracts therefore the club's agreement is needed to any transfer bid from other clubs, agreement that can be refused. So it is the intentions of KL and the Board that matter and the sooner we learn more about those the better.

Congratulations. This Thread has made the shortlist for the Most Pointless Thread of the Year!

Except that the article says Shaw will 'probably' move to Old Trafford, which is speculation. Shaw is on a long-term contract, so the club's agreement is needed to any transfer and we have reports that a bid has been rejected. Might just as well say he will 'probably' score the winning goal in the World Cup Final, if you are going to print speculation instead of news.

I don't mind this sort of rubbish being printed by the Daily Fail. Its nothing but a propaganda sheet that cares nothing about publishing lies. What I find sad, is the BBC repeating unfounded rumour as if it is fact as they did in the coverage of the World Cup squad announcement by saying that Southampton players were leaving as if the club and the players had agreed to that. BBC Sport seems to be so out of touch that they even allowed A Hansen to say on MotD that Southampton 'had' to sell its players.

For a team from the Premier League to play in the Champions League with a prospect of some success it must have at least a few players valued at £20m or above. If Champions League is SFC's ambition why would it sell its most expensive players and buy cheaper ones? Players under contract can't force a sale but they could go on strike, which seems very unlikely for players who have come through the Academy and appear to have a loyalty to the club. Obviously money matters but its in the club's hands to do something about that. The enquiries for Lallana and Shaw can be batted back if the board does have a plan that will keep the player's loyalty. The rumour I choose to believe at the moment is that enquiries have been made and are being refused.

The club has said that players will leave - the ones the manager doesn't want to retain. They have also said that requests to speak to players under contract who the manager wants to keep will be refused. That is where things are at the moment, regardless of rumour and whispers. This can't rule out a change of stance if the board fail to produce a credible plan to go up a level but until the manager and the players know what that is, decisions are unlikely to be taken. Why should any player want to leave if, having finished 8th, the club was to bring in several international class players to boost the squad? But equally, if the board can't see a way to strengthen on top of what we already have, desires to stay will be affected, although it would still take a lot for a player to break his contract if that was against the wishes of the club. The Club Statement on this is the key to the key summer. No sign yet when that will come but this is only Day One and the first step is obviously the negotiations with Pochettino.

Be interesting to see all the statements that the Saints manager and stars are all departing, replayed at the beginning of next season to compare against reality. You expect rubbish in the rubbish press but for the BBC to repeat manufactured rumours as if they are fact, as MotD did tonight, shows the corporation in a very poor light. Clearly you can't rule out players leaving if the SFC board doesn't come up with a plan that will convince people of the intention to move upwards and onwards, but until it is known what the board's intentions all is simply speculation. The press commonly print wish lists as if they are decisions, which they are not. But reporters aren't held accountable for inaccurate reporting, so they carry on doing it. If you were to ask Pochettino if he'd like to sign Theo Walcott, he'd probably say, Yes. If you were a reporter asking that question, it would be in your paper tomorrow, but that wouldn't make it happen.

Very unlikely in my opinion. End of the season doesn't seem the time to commit to loaning a player out, especially one who's been in the first team starting line up several times as well as a regular sub. I'd expect the manager to assess all his first team squad in pre-season before deciding if any are surplus to requirements for next season.

Haven't seen this reported but if true it probably means that the Hodgson's people have told the non-selected players that their names won't be on the WC squad list. If that is the case, Cole would be no more retiring than any other player dropped from the team.

For a game that meant nothing to either side it was very entertaining. Good to see Pochettino giving the three teenagers a run out as the match went on. Much as I enjoy football, it's going to be nice to have Saturday afternoons back for 3 months, and not to have to wonder if its an odd kick-off time or a Sunday game.

If Pochettino doesn't leave its odds on he'll stay, but if doesn't stay its fairly certain he'll leave. Be odd if he was tempted by Spurs though as its not a club that offers much job security and as they seem to have a manager already, as well as another waiting in the wings, Poch would be number 3. Very crowded manager's office.

Watched on line and was impressed again by Saints' passing football and that when then ball did fall to Swansea, how quickly they worked to get it back. The possession stats of roughly 60/40 told the usual story. MP must be as frustrated as the fans that possession isn't creating many scoring chances and that the percentage of chances turned into goals seems low. The simple answer widely suggested is that we need one or two better strikers, or a goal-scoring winger. Maybe, but we do have some really good players who have poor goal scoring records. Could it be that there isn't enough being done in training to work on goal scoring by midfield and defence players?

There is something to play for - a new record points total for Saints in the Prem. I'd expect Pochettino to see that as a marker for his CV and the players to see it as an achievement for the season. My guess is a full strength team, with the same subs as recently, depending on who is fit.

The passing game reminds me of occasions in Div 1 at The Dell when the small pitch meant that some Saints' sides were very adept at fast close passing. The current team amazes at times as to how effective they are at keeping possession BUT turning that into winning more games needs a big step forward as shown by the league table. We are 8th, having won 8 games at home, drawn 5 and lost 5. If we had won those 5 drawn games we would only be one place higher in the table. If we had won every home game, all 18 so far, we would still be behind Liverpool. If we had turned 7 defeats, home or away, into wins, we would still only be level with Arsenal in 4th but that is the scale of improvement needed to move to the Champions' League places. It's a huge step upwards, which may make it understandable if some of the players, or the manager, think it unlikely that even if we do better next year we won't reach that level unless there are more real quality players added to those we already have. Another one or two from the Academy might reach that level but it takes time so the ball really is in the hands of the Board to show if they do have the ambition that Cortese had spoken about.

As soon as a player answers a hypothetical question about the future, further questions will be put and answers will be analysed to try to construct a story. The press deal in innuendo and fabrication to sell newspapers. Truth matters to them not one little bit, just what can they get away with. The best way to deal with this and not to get drawn in, is to refuse to answer the questions, which looks like the instruction the club has given the players.

A great game at this stage of the season. That they have everything to play for and we have nothing will be seen by a lot of people as making this a nailed-on result for Everton but football doesn't work like that. Our passing game should still give us most of the possession but MoPo and Jesus have a challange in how to convert possession into goals. The idea that our strikers are not good enough to take the chances, such as the ones that weren't taken against Villa, looks too simplistic, as does the idea that only JRod would be capable of scoring. Really looking forward to this game which could genuinely go either way but gives Saints a chance of putting down a marker for next season and encouraging players in the squad to stick with the project.