Matthew Le God

Depends what you class as a "big side". The sellouts have been... Man Utd Tottenham Newcastle Sunderland Arsenal Man City QPR Liverpool Chelsea West Ham I think West Brom may not sellout, but you never know. But Stoke on the last game of the season will. Some of the other games got close to sellouts - Reading, Norwich Swansea, Wigan, Aston Villa. The Everton game wasn't helped by Saints sacking Adkins beforehand.

Not true, we've sold out long in advance for a number of games. Next home game vs West Ham for example, sold out 2 weeks before matchday!

All four previous Premier League seasons at St Mary's we averaged over 30k with numerous sellouts not just against the "big" clubs. Including the relegation season when we came 20th. Cortese clearly has ambitions and seemingly the resources to match the ambitions that go far above anything we had under Rupert Lowe or any previous ownership since the club was founded in 1885. We will likely have 11/12 sellouts from 19 league games this season, others were close to sold out. All in a season where we have been in a relegation battle until any real concern faded yesterday. If we sellout St Mary's and average over 30k in a season at the bottom, imagine if we had a team of internationals competing for European places and a decent chance of a cup run every year. It was a rhetorical question.

Its would actually put Saints 5th, above Arsenal and only 1 point behind 3rd Chelsea and 4th Tottenham.

Please tell me you aren't being serious? He is a terrible player, did you see him vs Saints at St Mary's? Yes, players have occasional bad game but he simply doesn't have the technique of a good player. Ramirez is light years ahead of him in terms of quality. Yes, Ramirez is at times frustrating and inconsistent but at least he is technically good, I've never seen Naismith have a good game he simply doesn't possess the ability and am surprised Everton persist with him. In any case, you said 2 or 3 players and have only named one.

Which 2 or 3? Hitzlsperger over Cork or Schneiderlin? Jelavic over Lambert or Rodriguez? Naismith over Lallana or Ramirez? Really?

And Saints vs Reading bench... 01 K Davis 06 Fonte 13 Fox 16 Ward-Prowse 20 Lallana 21 Guly 42 Puncheon Thoughts Barry? Because I don't think the depth of that Everton bench or squad is out of reach of Saints in the coming years. Yes, we have a lot of deadwood in the squad who are relics from quick promotions from League One and the Championship and haven't been good enough to keep pace with the club's progression. But Everton really aren't that far ahead of us, nor are they uncatchable in the coming years.

There is a good chance we could finish in the top 9 or 10 this season in the first year up from the Championship! Let alone have that as the upper limit of our ambitions for years to come.

Do you honestly think there is even the slightest possibility it is a "novelty season" and people won't turn up next year? What does that really mean anyway?

We still have to play Swansea so can take points off them and catch them up, we've played Newcastle twice already. If Swansea beat us then you could probably remove them from the list.

Why are you upset by that? Helps keep 9th/10th place a possibility for Saints.

The current top six is Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Everton. So you think Liverpool won't break into the top 6 for "decades" ahead of Everton or one of the others? You only have to go back to last season to see Newcastle in the top 5, in only their second season after promotion from the Championship. There are a number of other relatively recent examples. To suggest the top 6 is set in stone for decades to come is daft. Champions League will be very difficult for Saints, but I wouldn't be so quick to rule out the top 6 under Liebherr/Cortese in years to come.

No chance is that true. A 32k stadium to St Mary's specification for over £300 million! Brighton have a better stadium, with a slightly smaller capacity for well under half that.

Really? How many of their players would you put in the Saints best XI? Huth, Shawcross and Begovic perhaps? Little else.

I don't believe you! You are a man that has made 4,977 post in this thread, not on this forum as a whole but 4,977 posts in this thread!

First since... 2005/06 - The Harry Redknapp and George Burley 50/50 season - 12th in the Championship Me that season watching Saints =

He has been back for quite some time after he failed to make an impression at Bolton.

Damn!

Good, makes Swansea catchable. Saints have a chance of a top half finish, it is those teams around midtable we should be looking to lose, not those below us.

Yes he made mistakes, but he also did some very good things today. He is a class player, still only 22 years old and I think will prove to be an inspired signing in the years to come - even at £12m.

I don't think he is coming off for fitness reasons each time, it is tactical.

Was today the first rendition of the "Cortese chant" since Nigel's sacking?

Ruthless - Yes Cold - Perhaps But he has done a superb job for our club and yes, he has earnt our trust. The coming years should be very enjoyable as a Saints fan, just as the last 4 have been with him at the helm. Imagine where we'd be without him! No Cortese = No Liebherr family Sit back and enjoy the ride!

At home games he leaves Markus' seat empty in respect for him, but Les Reed is close by. At away games Les Reed normally sits next to Cortese in the directors box.

So he will leave to join Inter Milan?