Matthew Le God

Had it not been for Cortese and the Liebherr's it is unlikely we would be in the Premier League in January 2013 to be complaining about what seems to be a very harsh sacking of the manager. Had we not had the takeover in 2009, okay we would have survived somehow, but it is unlikely we'd have been in the Premier League, probably struggling in the Championship with a lack of financial resources by this point. Be grateful for what they have given us. Adkins hasn't been sacked because Cortese/Liebherr's don't care about the club. Cortese has high ambitions for the club that he believes Adkins wouldn't have been able to achieve. Yes, today on the face of it it seems very harsh, but Cortese is doing what he believes to be in the best interests of the club to progress to where he believes it can go. Cortese has achieved a lot of what he has promised already, so we should give him some degree of trust that he is doing this for the best and Southampton Football Club will be stronger as a result of his actions. Accuse me of being a Cortese puppet if you wish, but he has been very good for this club. His ruthless streak doesn't sit well with many, but he does have a strong track record and I for one trust his judgement.

Where have you got those odds? I'll have some of that! Ladbrokes for example only have a 3-0 Saints win at 33/1 and a 4-1 Saints win at 66/1.

Would it not be better that the game is played, Saints win and the first match in a positive atmosphere without negative chanting looking back and is out the way quickly? If the game was called off (which it won't), the next game is away at Old Trafford in 10 days time.

So we undermine Mauricio Pochettino by creating a negative atmosphere in an important home game? Yeah, great idea...

No he wasn't. Rickie Lambert signed on 10th August 2009. Cortese signed players before him, Dan Harding for example was Pardew's first signing and joined on 21st July 2009.

That is probably the worst phrase ever. Would you apply that to someone falsely accused of a crime they didn't commit?

It isn't snowing in Southampton. The pitch is in good condition and under covers, as of 1 hour ago the immediate areas around the stadium are clear from snow. The game will go ahead.

To base your opinion of Les Reed solely on a brief skint in charge of Charlton when they were desperate is very shortsighted.

Artur Boruc signed on 22nd September, he was free to sign after the transfer window closed because he wasn't under contract at a club.

That is exactly why I didn't reply to him. His arguement is flawed, Cortese has stated he wants Champions League and is looking to improve St Mary's, academy and training ground. I'm sure he is fully aware how much that would cost and if he has those kinds of funds available. I doubt he'd bother with such aims unless he really believed he had the funding for it. None of us know for sure how much he has to work with, but imo Cortese despite being ruthless in the extreme knows what he is doing.

I know, I must by crazy to suggest such a thing trousers.

Or the most sensible option... Turn up, support the team and create a positive atmosphere for a vital home game.

Please, please, please for your own sanity tell me you are joking if you think it is an achievement for Pompey to rack up £150m+ of debt, dilute it down to tiny levels through failed CVA's (skrewing creditors), win an FA Cup and put the very existence of the club under threat. Their overspending whilst having a lack of infrastructure has killed them.

They did that at the expense of the long term future of the club and was unsustainable with their small stadium and lack of other assets. Lack of infrastructure has also screwed them in the long term and made them less attractive for investment. Improvements at Staplewood will benefit Saints for years to come. Cortese/Liebherr's delivered that, which should give them standing if they announce future projects. At the moment the stadium image comes with a "?" on the opening image, but I wouldn't be so quick as some on here to completely rule it out. That is the proposed finish date, as of a month ago it was on target for a summer 2013 completion. All steelwork is now up and wooden cladding going on and work on interiors has started. Landscaping of the site is well underway, 3G pitch is finished, work on spectator stand started etc etc.

As I've already said... Unlike the Skates, Cortese and the Liebherr's have a track record of delivering what they say. As a League One side Saints put in a planning application for a development at Staplewood that wouldn't look out of place in the Champions League and construction started whilst in the Championship and will be finished in 5 months time!

Yes, early designs for a St Mary's expansion and development from the same architects (AFL) that designed the new training ground development at Staplewood. Unlike the Skates, Cortese and the Liebherr's have a track record of delivering what they say. As a League One side Saints put in a planning application for a development at Staplewood that wouldn't look out of place in the Champions League and construction started whilst in the Championship and will be finished in 5 months time!

"Literally" Really? A little like this then but in the penatly area...?

They have revealed very early ideas that they commissioned AFL to design.

This is not the plan of a chairman that is happy with relegation fights or mid table mediocrity every season... He is extremely ambitious and would be fully aware a development like this and funding a Champions League push will cost a lot of money. He doesn't strike me as the type that would say such things unless he really thought he could deliver it with the resources he has available. As a League One side he put in a planning application for a development at Staplewood that wouldn't look out of place in the Champions League and construction started whilst in the Championship.

I didn't say that did I. If Saints become an established top half team that isn't going to suddenly change the next season if investment continues. Saints will sell out a number of games this season whilst in a relegation fight. Had the stadium been bigger the average would have been larger. Cortese clearly thinks we do need a larger stadium as he commissioned AFL to come up with early designs for an expansion. It is also foolish to think it is just about increased capacity. The plans revealed in the summer show extra building that would be used in increase revenue streams for the club. Something vitally important under FFP.

I have no idea as to the timescales (sacking Adkins suggests he wanted more than mere consolidation this season), Cortese has mentioned Champions League football for Saints, early plans for stadium expansion at St Mary's and I'm sure he is fully aware of how much it would all cost. I wouldn't be quite so dismissive of his ambitions given what has been achieved so far. None of us know the extent of the resources behind the club, it appears Cortese is confident he has what he needs.

So you think we'd need the same sized stadium in the top half of the Premier League as we would in the bottom half?

He has been in the job one day and you have given him a pathetic nickname. Pathetic.

You didn't answer the question.

None of them had the kind of investment the Liebherr estate has already put into the club. They have achieved a lot already and put money where their mouth is, if they say they have ambitions of this kind why so quickly rule it out?