Matthew Le God

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?

Answer my question first.

You have yet again failed to answer my question, if you do it renders your question irrelevant. Give it a try...

You laugh, yet you were the one that set the daft question in the first place. You thought there were none, yet were shown to be wrong. Remember the Mr Men books you like to use for me? Yet again, you have failed to give a reason why Everton can challenge for the Champions League spots or even top 5 or 6 under Bill Kenwright but Saints can't under Cortese/Liebherr estate. Why is that? Because you can't think of a good reason perhaps?

- Wolves have never averaged over 30k in the Premier League - Newcastle and Leeds have both finished in Champions League places - Villa have been close to the top 4 in recent years in terms of placing No-one has yet given me a reason why Everton under the limited funding of Bill Kenwright can challenge for the Champions League, but Saints under Cortese and the Liebherr estate can't.

Might be worth having Jason Dodd and Martin Hunter involved on Monday to help with the transition.

We are 15th this season and for much of it have been lower. Everton are 5th. If Saints had a 40k stadium like Everton do and were 5th, do you not think Saints would average higher than the current 30k? For example the big games vs Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea, Tottenham etc etc wouldn't be capped at 32k and Saints could boost the average like Everton can in a 40k stadium. Oh, and btw to answer your question... BLACKBURN ROVERS won the Premier League and qualified for the Champions League with an average below 30k! You make this too easy Turkish! - Everton 5th with average of 36,874 in a 40k stadium - Saints 15th with average of 30,496 in a 32k stadium It is easier to have a higher average attendance when for the bigger games you have a 40k capacity to fill, Saints can only get 32k max when the big sides come to town, Everton can get 40k which makes it easier to boost the average. Everton are also having a more successful season than Saints, yet only average 6k more.

Why are you refusing to answer a simple question? You have made a statement, yet refuse to explain it. It suggests that you can't justify such a statement.

Read the first part of the sentence ffs Turkish and stop taking things out of context... "My point was in terms of match going fanbase, Everton are on a similar level to Saints despite them challenging at the top of the league and Saints at the bottom."

Again, you have not explained why Everton can challenge for the top 4 but not Saints. btw you mention Everton in the top 4 once in the last "30 years", in the last 30 years Everton have won the league ffs and Saints have come 2nd. So really not sure the relevance of that!

Everton have made the top 4 under Moyles and they are currently 5th this season with 22 games played. Well what over factors are you going to use why Everton can put up a challenge for the Champions League but Saints can't? Cortese/Liebherr's are investing more money than Bill Kenwright has. My point was in terms of match going fanbase, Everton are on a similar level to Saints despite them challenging at the top of the league and Saints at the bottom.

People remember him for his brief unsuccessful spell at Tottenham, that ended in 1998! 15 years ago! Since then he has had a good record as a manager.

Rather than just dismissing it out of hand with a sweeping statement like that, please at least attempt to counter each and every point I made.

Everton after 22 games are still in with a chance of a top 4 finish. - Everton 5th with average of 36,874 in a 40k stadium - Saints 15th with average of 30,496 in a 32k stadium It is easier to have a higher average attendance when for the bigger games you have a 40k capacity to fill, Saints can only get 32k max when the big sides come to town, Everton can get 40k which makes it easier to boost the average. Everton are also having a more successful season than Saints, yet only average 6k more. Everton are hardly "wealthy", nor have they had anywhere near the net spend and investment Saints have and Saints can out do them in the transfer market. If Everton can challenge for the top 4, then why couldn't Saints in the coming years?

Liverpool fail in £8m bid... http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jan/18/liverpool-bid-internazionale-philippe-coutinho

I think he would have kept us up, I think Cortese wanted more than that (7th largest net spend in the whole of Europe this summer). I don't know enough about the new manager to decide if it was a good or bad decision yet.