Latheal

Isn't this just about the Owners wanting more of a say and Cortese not having the final word on everything? If that's the case, it's not really a bad thing. Look how much they've put in already without a penny in return in return up to this point. They've been probably the best owners we could ever have wished for. Equally, Cortese has done a great job up till now.

If he's willing to walk away because they want more say in a business they have basically funded then he would surely be off his head. I could understand if they were going to drastically cut funding but that doesn't appear to be the case. This doesn't seem to be about money, it appears to be about control. Hope they get to a conclusion soon and can't see Cortese letting it rumble on too long whatever he decides.

We can only beat teams below us.

Got a feeling some will be called up for the post season games as they'll be loads of withdrawals. To be honest, the enjoyment has gone out of watching England. Some of the selections are mind boggling. I'm one of the few who prefer Welbeck to Sturridge but never at the expense of Lambert. The guy deserves a call up at the end of this season.

Ashley Young on the left, Milner on the right...for an England team that's both shocking and embarrassing.

Lallana showed in his limited time on the pitch what we should expecting in terms of flair and productivity, he was superb and has surely made a claim for the starting spot in front of Ramirez for our next game.

This. Don't know what the issue is. It's a fantastic problem to have. Let the players fight it out for a starting place. If you don't perform, you know there is another quality player waiting to take your place.

Don't think anybody expected Rodriguez, Lallana and Puncheon to be as good as they have been. It's been hard to choose the best two out of the four we have got when you add Ramirez to it. Personally I'm no longer worried who plays there as there is not a lot of difference between all four.

Last year, when Lallana got injured, it showed massively. This year it hasn't really hampered us due to the form of Jay Rod and Punch. Gaston helps massively with that depth. Don't think he had a bad game at all today. His link up and vision was as good as anybody else's.

He hasn't been the stand out player perhaps we expected but then the others have raised their game as well. We already had a £12mil player here in Lallana, will probably have another one in Jay Rod, whilst Punch and Davis have been miles better than we expected.

Gaston is still a massive part of this squad. Hope he doesn't leave. The competition for places has been a large reason for our attacking success IMO.

Whats the chances of WHU going down? 1/100 or 1/1000000?

Best price 25/1, worst 12/1.

But they are in no danger. Hope that's what Fat Sam tells them too.

West Ham can stay up with maybe four more points from nine games. They could stay up without winning another single game.

 

Them getting less than that would represent one of the worst runs of form in all time Premier League history.

 

Yeah, right in the mix they are. Up to their necks in it.

 

This forum is breathtaking it its utter retardedness.

Er, why is it retarded to think that West Ham COULD go down? They are 6 points clear. A margin that COULD be wiped out in 2 games.

Doesn't sound that retarded to me.

The probably need 5-7 points from 9 games. They have winnable some home games including Reading on the last day who will be down by then so I would say there is a great chance of 3 of the right there.

 

We'll be fine if we win our winnable games at home and pick up points at Reading and Sunderland. I'm confident we can get the points we need and be safe before the Stoke game. I think the final relegation position could well be decided by who wins at the DW on the last day.

Pretty fair assessment to be honest. I just feel if they slip up against West Brom next time out, they could be right in amongst it, especially if the teams around them pick up points. After that, it's a pretty horrible run in with six pointers and teams all chasing for something.

Reckon we need 9 points. We should have enough for that looking t the last 8 games.

Home to Man Utd on Wednesday 17th April. Wigan also have to go to West Ham.

They also have to go to Man City, Everton, Liverpool and us, with home games against Newcastle, Wigan, West Brom. Final day v Reading at home.

Yep, they are as safe as Man Utd and not in the mix at all.

A worst goal difference than us by one goal! 10 better than Wgans and 6 points above them. They won't go down.

So they aren't in the mix at all?

Think it's worth keeping an eye on. No harm in that, surely?

Also, what does your crystal ball say about our chances?

And 8 points bave the relegation zone with a vastly superior goal difference so make that nine. West ham won't go down, had some have been saying for months.

6 pts at the moment with a worst goal difference than us. They are in the mix. Some difficult games to come as well.

No, they are as safe as Man U.

So I've heard.

Still, surely worth keeping an eye on seeing as they are only 2pts above us?

Can we add West Ham to this thread now?

Er, how is McManaman still on the pitch after that?

There was a man called Allen

Who invented the Pompey cannon

It was never their fault

It was the football league cult

And now they will have to leave Fratton.

There was also a man named Balu

He's left the Skates in the pooh.

They thought they could fight

They believed they were right

Unfortunately they forgot they owed King Kanu

As well as Balu there was Birch

He thought he could escape this lurch

As time has gone on

He's realised he's wrong

And cannot remove a charge from its perch

There was also a man called Joe

This man had his own ****ing show

He tried to tell them them the truth

Got threatened by Skates' own youth

And has now buried his head in the snow.

Then there's the Pompey faithful

Some of them are ever so hateful

They believe they 're the best

In reality they're a mess

And most of them are not even shameful

Fratton is almost always half full

The players cannot trap a ball

Every week it's a cup final

The fans are in denial

As a developer awaits in the hall

They are the loudest fans on Earth

Despite most of them retarded from birth

They forget they are few

Have less than Balu

Yet still fight over the Park's true worth.

A court date has been set for sure

But nobody's sure what for

The trust have no money

They think Harris a phoney

And the council is just too ****ing poor

This saga will soon be completing

With the skates no longer competing

Their fans will all cry

Neil Allen will spin a lie

And finally they'll realise they've been cheating

Reading worry me....just look at their home games...

looking at that, it is hard to see QPR getting enough points...

 

every time we fuk up a win, it puts added pressure on games like the man city game......

Equally, everybody going there will also see it as a chance of 3pts.

He deserved the season at least in my view. There's been times this season when I thought "what the hell are you doing?", mainly with team selections and substitutions but there was enough improvement to suggest he was becoming accustomed to the Premier League and becoming more comfortable with it. I honestly believed, with Nigel in charge we would have stayed up comfortably, especially with some defensive cover coming in and Adam coming back.

I think the most painful thing for me is that he brought a level of integrity, honesty and pride to the club. I was proud that we played a certain way, with young English players and an English manager who seemed to relate to the fans. It's been a great journey so far, and he (as well as Cortese, lets not forget that) have been a massive part of that.

I've tried to take a balance view of what happened yesterday. From the initial shock and anger, to the dismay of now having a manager who cannot speak much English, to trying to understand the timing and how our club actually works behind the scenes. For example, had we actually won at Chelsea on Wednesday, would Cortese have still pulled the trigger? The evidence seems to suggest he would have. The fact that the new guy has been researching us for weeks points to it only being a matter of time.

What we don't know, and what I am telling myself, rightly or wrongly, is what the actual targets are for Southampton Football Club this season. We've all assumed its merely staying up. I'm starting to think that it was a lot more than that. Cortese has made no secret of his desire to be playing in Europe. Whatever we think, he's backed that up with £30m + of transfers. The reality of that spend is that we are only just above the drop zone, below teams who have spent far less and perhaps nowhere near the high targets he may have set. To me, it's the only thing that makes sense. I'm not saying I agree with it, just that I can't understand any other reasoning.

Having said all that, the new manager doesn't seem to offer anything Nigel didn't anyway. A lot has been made of bringing youth through, attractive style of play ect, but we were doing that anyway. He'll get my full backing, as I'm a Saints supporter and season ticket holder at the end of the day and he's going to need everyone of us over the coming weeks.

Cortese's no show leaves a somewhat sour taste in the mouth. Like I've stated, I can only put it down to targets not being hit. Whether this new guy offers a better chance is open to debate. The rest of the transfer window will be interesting as I believe the club is going to need something to divert attention from the way they have acted and placate the majority of fans.

The one positive I have taken from it is that Cortese is deadly serious about his ambitions about SFC. I read some comments that people would rather see us relegated. When we were in League 1, I loved it. In the Championship, I couldn't believe it would get any better. Now we're in the Premier, I don't want to see us leave it. I'd love us to stay up with the integrity and pride that Adkins brought with him but that's not going to happen now. Cortese, evidently, never thought it would. I can't knock him for ambition, but the way he's gone about it has been totally wrong and a lot of pride I've felt supporting Saints - pride that has come from the way we've played and what we've achieved - has been totally eradicated.

Now, first things first. I thought Nigel Adkins was a very good, very loyal young manager. One who had a really good chance of keeping us up and one who had the potential (potential not being equal to certainty mind you) to be a really top quality manager for many years to come.

 

But..................... Is anyone really naive enough to think that just because we pay for tickets and merchandise and call ourselves fans of Southampton that this gives us some kind right to have a say in who manages our club? This is a business - whether you like that or not - it is a business. And businesses are run by owners, who either run the business themselves (as I and many on this forum probably do too) OR they appoint someone they trust and respect to run the business for them.

 

Some who run a business have a style that involves consulting staff and customers on how they want/suggest the business ought to be run - others don't, they do what they think is for the best - because that is what they are paid to do, that is what their salary/bonus/dividends/profit-share depend upon, getting results. Personally I could not run my business if I spent all day taking into account the views of my customers and staff - they hold too many differing views - it would be a shambles. It is my job and my right to run my business as I see fit. I try not to go out of my way to do anything stupid - but I probably do - but that is my right - no-one elses.

 

Like it or not Marcus chose NC to do this, and the family have chosen to keep it that way. Marcus (who I believe most people on here think is a demi-god and saviour of our club quite rightly) trusted NC implicitly - so much so that he entrusted virtually the whole of the family's business interests to him after his death.

 

Now, seriously, is there anyone on this board or in the media who knows NC as well as Marcus did and his family still do? This is an appointed official who, in reality, has delivered (it would appear) everything that he was asked to do. He has increased the value of the asset (yes Southampton FC is an asset), in doing so he has improved the long-term prospects for the business (yes - Southampton FC is a business) AND he has, so far, done nothing but good for the club.

 

Yes he has, it would seem, ****ed a few people off. The Daily Echo, some in the media, some old players/managers and even some fans, all of whom believe (so this board and some media comments would suggest) that they have 'earned' some kind of special right to have a say in the running of the business or to have their opinion listened too. That's rubbish. He runs the club, he and only he is directly responsible to the owners and whether we or anyone else likes it or not no-one else has a 'right' to make these kind of decisions other than NC.

 

As I have said I liked Nigel very much, spoke to him on a couple of occasions whilst my son was playing for the Acadamy (have also spoken briefly to NC too btw and he was very polite and respectful btw) BUT this is life - NC is paid to make these decisions. He will rise or fall based upon those decisions too.

 

And for those fools who think that a protest, clapping for Nigel or boycotting will have anything other than a detrimental affect on the team they profess to love - then shame on you.

 

Send your emails and letters if you like, take a couple of days to moan and grumble to your mates down the pub and have your 5 minutes of fame on a forum or TalkSport and then get behind your team and your new manager and make sure that you are not partly responsible for the kind of fiasco that is currently engulfing Chelsea and happened recently at Blackburn. Anyone who plays any part in destablising the team at this most critical of times (and yes the easy, simplistic response is to say that NC has already done that) cannot, in my opinion, call themselves a true fan of Southampton.

 

Rant over!!!!!!!!!

100% agree. Good post.

Absolutely gutted he's gone, loved his style and what he has done for the club, but that's modern football. Worried this new guy can't even speak English but there is no way I will boo, or boycott. It's still the club I support, I'll be there on Monday.

Get behind the lads.

There is still a Premiership season to finish.

I am pleased for NA and the team that their game plan worked out.

 

But come on, it was very, very risky. If we'd got thumped, it would have had a bad effect on our confidence going forwards.

Risky? Yes.

Did it work? Yes.

Give credit where credit is due. That's an absolute fantastic result. Can't believe anybody is questioning Adkins tactics to be honest.

I'd rather see the $k@tes win every remaining game this season than qualify for Europe right now. Crap way of qualifying for a crap tournament that would do us no favours at all. Understand why you would raise the point, but it must be the last thing we would need

Agree, enter at the first qualifying round as well, screws up pre season. Think it starts early July or something. Not sure I'd rather see the Skates win every game instead though :-)

Top three euro nations get it. Details here.

http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/fans/faqs/who-qualifies-to-play-in-europe/

Latheal - it is on Fox Soccer Plus at 4pm ET (6 hour delay).

 

Here is the full list of upcoming TV games:

 

Sat 22 Dec. Sunderland H

FSP. 4pm ET (6 hour delay)

 

Wed 26 Dec. Fulham A

FSP. 6pm ET (8 hour delay)

 

Sat 29 Dec. Stoke A

FSP. 6pm ET (8 hour delay)

 

All games are live online at http://www.foxsoccer2go.com (top quality streams - subscription required).

Many thanks Rut. Off down the clubhouse to see if they have Fox Soccer Plus then!

Over in the US at the moment and trying to see when/if the Saints game is on tomorrow. Can anybody help with this delayed stuff? From what I can make out, it's not on live.

Would I be right in stating that West Ham have a attendance figure of about 10000 superior to ours? Plus they had parachute payments last season and PL revenue before that. I suspect that the have 100 million £ of debt bcaus it suits them that way.

They get about 4,500 more than us, same as last season as well. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/stats/attendance/_/league/eng.1/barclays-premier-league?cc=5901

Point taken about the Prem revenue and parachute payments but I thought they were in the **** when last in the Premiership? Could of sworn there were rumblings that they could do a Pompey.

Doesn't really matter but does seem a little strange as one day they were on the brink and if they got relegated they were gong to go into admin. Then they get relegated and go and sign Nolan on sky high wages.