Matthew Le God

You do know Nigel has had two full seasons managing in the Championship before don't you?

Yep, I know it would be many years before Saints could really even consider such a push if it were indeed possible for such a club. Need to get to the Premier League first.

That isn't £300m on the players though is it?

Have Arsenal spent that much to assemble their current squad?

I haven't passed comment on Puncheon's ability in this thread, apart from saying Lallana and Chamberlain are better than him. That doesn't mean I think he isn't a good player or not worth much. Puncheon has clearly shown he can do a job in the Premier League, but I believe Lallana and Chamberlain would do an even better job in the Premier League as they are better players.

Is it always going to be now? Or will time tick on?

Not at all... Did Everton spend £300m on transfer and pay £90k per week to players to get 4th spot a few years ago? A good manager, academy and sensible recruitment got them to 4th a mere 6 years ago. Yes, the League has changed since 2005, but with sound infrastructure and sensible planning, it isn't beyond the realms of possibilities especially if Man City, Chelsea etc run into trouble with the UEFA regulations. A mere 15 years ago, Chelsea's attendances in the Premier League were lower than Saints in League One this season.

Who said you have to follow the Man City model? A model that isn't sustainable in the long term, especially when the new UEFA regulations come into force. (took you long enough to reply to this thread! )

So you think Puncheon is better than Chamberlain and Lallana? Because they are the reason Puncheon got upset, he knew he wouldn't be getting a game and would be on the bench in League One.

11 years ago Man City were in League One.

All I did is state what Cortese has said in a public interview. He talked about developing the land around the stadium and also the possibility of at some point having a train station at the stadium. The gasworks are too far from the stadium to impact on any expansion of St Mary's itself. I see little reason why buying up the industrial estate bit by bit would cause huge problems. It is in the councils interest for the club to regenerate that area of the city and create jobs.

There is a short thread about it here... http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?14620-Pompey-Takeover-Saga

Why are you blaming the players? It isn't their fault the club offered them the deals they did. Should they have said "No, I'm not worth that much per week, give me less on a shorter contract"? This is people's livelihoods, they want the best they can possibly get, just like any Pompey fan with their employer they aren't going to turn down good terms if offered them.

You had 10,008 at Cherries vs Saints. Today was a playoff semi final, and there were 1,000 empty seats in the home end ffs.

I don't think it is an act. I think he genuinely dislikes me, even though we have never met, this is an internet message-board and really not something to get angry about.

Here is the article in question... http://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk/page/ClubStatements/0,,10309~2359777,00.html

"Usual patronising ****e for you" And then you go on and patronise me... Pot, kettle etc You were they one that stated nothing had changed since yesterday in terms of stability, having not read the article this thread is about to see the contract was signed months ago.

Adkins kept S****horpe United (with a tiny budget compared to every other club) up in the Championship. I'd say that is a proven record at that level and very impressive. Yes, it isn't proven in terms of a promotion campaign in the Championship, but that isn't what was stated.

There is a big difference between "less likely" and "impossible", I didn't say "impossible" did I?

Nope, both factors have an influence. They aren't exclusive from each other.

Have you read the article? He signed the contract in January 2011. A longer contract makes it less likely he will be sacked as it would cost more to do so. It also puts off other clubs approaching him, as the compensation package would be larger. More importantly, it allows Adkins and the club to plan for the long term as he has relative job security. Neither Adkins or Crosby have moved their family homes down to Hampshire yet, things like this may make them more inclined to do so. A happy and settled employee, generally is a more productive employee.

A Saints FA Cup stat that may surprise some... - 11 FA Cup semi final appearances and 4 finals

With new ownership of a company, it is not unreasonable to think that the rules may be rewritten. Liebherr/Cortese were under no obligation to follow the same business strategy as Rupert Lowe, look where that left us...

Season ticket price news and new kit news are guaranteed to be along at some point in the summer. What has been up in the air for the last 20 years of being a Saints fan is if the manager is here for the long term or not. A managerial appointed or contract extension is the most important decision a club can make as it shapes the whole direction of the club. I fail to see why anyone would be underwhelmed by this news given the last 20 years of a Saints managerial merry-go round. In the 36 years between 1955 and 1991 Saints had 3 managers, in the 20 years between 1991 and 2011 Saints have had roughly 20 managers. Some long term stability with a talented manager is more than welcome! Makes it easier to progress, sign new players etc if the manager is secure in his job. Lets hope the contract is honoured by both parties and is a successful period in the clubs history.

My mistake... I last read it a while ago and forgot the correct wording.