SaintBobby

Only one. If you're ITK you don't need to guess....

I'm happy to offer £100 to anyone who can name the new manager at least 24 hours before the appointment being reported by SKY Sports News. And £50 if you can do it 12 hours before. However, in order to avoid wild guesswork leading to a profit, you need to say when you heard and from who (you don't need to name them..."a steward" will do) PM me to enter. In the event of more than one eprson getting it right, the money goes to who got it right first.

My post from a few minutes ago on this thread is a 100% accurate summary of a one-on-one meeting I had with a senior individual at the club. Ignore it or not, I dont mind.

In all seriousness (and accepting that I've been as guilty as some on the p1ss take PM posts), I do know that the powers-that-be thought that AP was too old fashioned a manager. The implication was "too English". This was just before the season started and I was left with the strong impression that there were problems with AP. Certainly, regarding transfers, I was told that AP had procrastinated a lot. The money was available. Initial meetings with players/agents would appear to go well, but then AP would find some reason or other afterwards about why he didnt want to sign them. I was even told there was some doubt about whether AP's heart was really in the whole project, whether he really wanted to succeed. I think this was meant as a comment about lethargy etc., rather than suggesting deliberate espionage. AP was unconvinced that Antonio was any more than an impact player and was worth having on loan but not as a permanent fixture. There were also big problems between Waigo and AP. The latter seeing the former as an NC signing and the former being uninterested in a permanent move if the latter was still in charge. I have no idea what specifically triggered the AP sacking, but I was therefore unsurprised when it came. It was also this meeting that gives rise to my view taht they will probably go for a foreign manager.

This is a curious argument. Obviously, people at matches will often hold very different views. But to suggest that this means the views of people who barely go to a single game are as valid as those of those who go to loads of matches is loopy. The absentee may be right and the attendee wrong, of course. But I'm afraid that the fact that you hardly ever watch Saints play does mean your views on the playing side should be given much less weight. I imagine what irritates some people is your lack of acknowledgement of this and the implication that your pronouncements - which are usually expressed in very trenchant and unequivocal terms - are in no way qualified by the fact that you only see a tiny % of the matches. It's not as if you usually (ever?) start a comment with "Obviously, I go to very few matches - and so the many of you that do will probably have a better idea than me - but from what I can gather from Saintsplayer and the OS match report....." Of course, people who don't go to games are entitled to an opinion. But it grates when they are expressed in such an immodest fashion.

Thanks for the PM...wow! I totally agree

Anyonebutwilkins

Look at me...

Thanks for the PM, patred. It all makes perfect sense now...

He does a very good impression of being clueless. He was static on the touchline. Bizarre substitutions. The two results under him have been dreadful. And the performances even worse. Cortese's implication that it might take a long time to find a new manager is loopy. We are nowhere near promotion form.

Terrible. No redeeming features at all really. Wilkins seems utterly clueless too.

The team need sorting out. And fast. The lack of activity in the transfer Market, taking an age to find a manager...it's incompetent

This is a total utter shambles. A disgrace in fact. Possibly Saints worst result the league in 30 years

Adkins would be an excellent appointment. Not a huge name, but a really exciting prospect. Why on Earth do people think he plays hoof ball? He's made the Iron a decent footballing team.

More than likely...

I've worked in media at a fairly senior level for over a decade, so would say I have at least some idea what I'm talking about. I can assure you that press conference information (a calling notice or ops note as its called) is made public in 99.999% of cases. This is entirely different to the accreditation you need to get into the press conference. Even in the 0.00001% of exceptions, press officers simply do not tell bare faced lies to callers about rudimentary operational information. they may stonewall, but even that would be exceedingly unusual, and very risky for the press officer's reputation. It is, by the way, almost impossible to make a "rudimentary check" on who calls in (once you've got through to the press office itself.) Furthermore, once you have issued the calling notice to any media organisation it's essentially public domain material. It is virtually impossible to tell SKY Sports that there is a press conference on Monday at 10am and assume that this information is kept secret. The only security issue is who you let into the press conference itself. You'd often want to exclude members of the public or potential troublemakers and, on occasion, space considerations might mean excluding minor media outlets. Usually though, the challenge for a press officer is the otehr way round (trying to boost attendance - not to cap it). It is virtually inconceivable - so close to a 0% chance as to make no difference - that a forum member on here would receive a text message from a friend about a press coference taking place on Monday and minutes later the press office themselves would lie completely about the existence of such a press conference to a caller who could be from any media outlet at all. I can confirm that there has NOT been a press conference called for 10am on Monday (although I suppose it's possible that by an incredible coincidence they will decide to convene a press conference on this day and at this time at a later stage) I'm happy to receive the benefits of your extensive media management wisdom if you disagree with any of the above, or to clarify any points you didn't understand.

Yes, I think it likely that there will be a press conference at some point in the future at St. Mary's. But it is categorically untrue that one has been called for 10am on Monday. How can you find this out? Phone the Southampton FC press office... Me: Hello, I'm phoning to ask if a press conference has been called for 10am on Monday? Press officer: No, we haven't convened a press conference at all Me: Are you certain? Press officer: Yes Me: Thank you Press officer: No problem I'm still amazed that some people seem to think press conferences are convened in secret. That would be a truly bizarre extension of our media blackout policy...

It may or may not be true that you have receievd a text. It is definitely UNTRUE that a press conference has been called for 10am on Monday.

This result is a total embarrassment. It might be one we can get away with, but the clock is ticking fast. The results so far this season - W 2 D 1 L 2 - are not catastrophic. But they are poor. Especially given the fact that 4 of those games were at SMS. I think there are also good reasons to believe that the current regime is deeply dysfunctional in a variety of ways. From what I can gather, the Nick Illingsworth episode was just an embarrassment - caused largely by him. But the photography ban, the late sale of season tickets, the lack of activity on the transfer market, the odd timing of AP's sacking, the utterly mad and misguided letter sent out with posted away tickets, the ticket tax, the appointment of Jordan Sibley (a highly inexperienced 23 year old, however charming) as Comms Manager....well, none of it points to a well oiled, well drilled, happy-with-itself operation. I'm grateful forever to Markus and NC saving the club. But it does look to me as if we might be in cluster f u c k territory now. Very much hope I'm wrong though.

once you remove Tony Lynam and LLS, that's 28 then...

Let's hope so. I imagine the lack of a manager is an impediment though....can't really answer questions about whetehr seen as a squad player or a starting XI or back up etc. Not an absolute barrier....and of course, there could be great news comign through any minute. I'm just very underwhelmed at the moment.

Seconded. I was expecting a deal to be 75% done. Otherwise, it's hard to see why AP wasn't retaiend for another week or two. To have a two week gap before we appoint a new manager would be very annoying. And also very very unusual for any club (let alone one which had fired its manager rather than see him walk out). I'd think the decision could and should be made in the next day or two.

Sure. I'm still expecting to see new faces, but usually take these sort of loan deals as being add-ons...."nice to have"....but not a fundamental part of building the squad for the long-term. I think our present squad is weaker now than it was in May and find that very dispiriting.

Very, very disappointing transfer window for Saints. Richardson, Guly, Butterfield and Dickson. No disrespect, but that's WAY below what I was expecting. Hope to be proved wrong in the next couple of minutes, but am not hopeful...

Yeah, I stayed up until 3am with my Italian tranaslator just to see that. Guess I shouldn't believe everything I read on this forum :-)