trousers

We're officially a laughing stock now.... http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/sport/sport-headlines/southampton-to-play-homeopathic-football-2014072989017

Yep, us and Man City wasn't it....?

Why did you renew your season ticket if you knew what was about to happen? Yours curiously....

Yep, good article IMO. One of a few journos that have highlighted our plight against the backdrop of the FFP constraints.....and perhaps the main reason why Cortese's ambition could never realistically be realised....

That's where HelpMeRhonda used to keep hers....

Fulthorpe and Asturius probably worth a mention in the takeover hall of fame.... http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?206-Asturius-Sports#.U9bMU_ldUrU

Calm down....I was just getting my bottle of Remi Martin out of the fridge....

That's looks quite interesting, dodgy Google translation aside

This. God has got a lot to answer for. Transferred to heaven far to soon....

It is possible in life for people to make what seem like daft or implausible comments at the time only for them to come true. If someone had said to you last November that the team who had got Saints to 3rd place in the Premier League would be dismantled 9 months later you too would have probably labelled them a lunatic. Just because someone predicting armageddon is ultimately proved right doesn't automatically mean it didn't seem like bonkers at the time it was predicted. That said, I agree that all criticism should be constructive rather than destructive.

How many have declared they are doing this thus far? (genuine question - haven't had chance to keep up with posts over the last few days) - cheers

"It's always less disappointing to be a pessimist than an optimist" - Bobby Davro

The exact words were: "Whilst I perceive that we have inherited a difficult situation financially, there are now clear and structured plans in place to progress the club and avoid a similar situation from occurring again. Of course it's a burden, but it's a burden that has to be covered and will be covered. When I came in from the outside I had different information, I was surprised but not disappointed. It is what it is and my culture is to look to the future and accept the past." - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26813363 I've always felt the "financial difficulties" were about being able to operate withing the constraints of the Financial Fair Play rules, in that our commercial income hadn't kept up with our outgoings, rather than the club being in financial difficulty in its own right.

That's a valid theory sir. Obviously a risky strategy but perhaps no more risky than blocking player moves and ending up with a demoralised squad. Hopefully we'll look back at the forum at the beginning of the season with a wry smile on our faces and wonder what all the fuss was about....

Jan Kluitenberg ‏@jankluit Today we had a good training session....players are very motivated! Gives me a good feeling!

Isgrove can do a job for us next season, of that I'm sure

Interesting. Another valid theory and would possibly explain the lack of 'honest' PR coming out of the club at the moment? If we openly declared that disgruntled players can go then wouldn't that weaken our negotiating position? Saying in public that we want to keep them (despite thinking or wanting the opposite) means we can get top dollar for them...

How do we know that we've been "pushing hard for the highest possible fee" rather than Liverpool et al simply agreeing to pay whatever the release clause value is? Maybe these clubs have offered less than the release clause and we've turned them down, only for them to come back and offer the release value? Why else would these deals be happening relatively quickly?

Yep, that's also a possibility.

Yep, that did occur to me too. I'm just thinking out loud and trying to make sense of the situation. Not looking to 'blame' anyone per se.

I'm not trying to 'blame' anyone in particular - I've always been neutral as far as the Cortese vs K.Liebherr debate is concerned - just trying to understand why players are able to leave so easily despite the Board declaring that they want them to stay. An across the board release clause is the only logical answer IMO.

Apologies if already been discussed elsewhere, but surely the only reason for the ease at which players are leaving is because Cortese must have made it easy for them to do so via release clauses in the player's contracts? I know that its common practice to include such release clauses these days, and yes, we're getting top dollar for the departees, but there must be a simple explanation for why the Board seem powerless in stopping the exodus and I can't think of another viable reason other than the release clause scenario...