CanadaSaint

Ron, you might be right both ways. Most of that board is relatively inexperienced in PL matters, and that breeds what comes across as (and probably is) naivety. But Ralph is very smart and well aware of his own limitations. He knows what needs to be done and he will know he's not the man to do it - but the man to lead a team that does it. He's very much a team player and team leader, which is why few on here seem to understand him - he's not the kind of "I control-everything" guy we're used to in the PL, so his sound bites might appear rather trite. Well beyond our sight and hearing (thank God) he will be tapping into all sorts of expertise, and I have every confidence that we'll quickly be moving in the right direction.

I've had a close-up view of Ralph because he spent three years as a hockey coach in my city. He places a high value on things like integrity, commitment and loyalty, and he always shies away from making negative or critical comments, regardless of what he thinks personally. He seems like a very nice guy and he is a very nice guy, but cross him at your peril. Reading between the lines of the interview, it seems to me that they knew Pochettino was gone as much as two months ago, that Pochettino's conduct did not go down well (or Spurs' conduct, for that matter) - to the point at which they are not entirely unhappy that he's gone, that there was a message in there for the players (no matter what you may have discussed with Pochettino, you're not going anywhere - at least until the new manager is appointed), and that they are much more advanced in their planning than most on here gave them credit for. Fortunately, I think we have a board in place that values substance over image, and I also suspect that their resolve is as steely as Cortese's, but without the "for public consumption" bluster.

The key word is "assume", which indicates that neither you nor anyone else outside the inner circle knows what Pochettino was promised - other than that no player would be sold that he wanted to keep. We do know, however, that Katharina could have sold the club at a decent profit and stayed in her much-preferred shadows. Instead, she kept the club, took on a highly public role, attended games, and said she wanted to keep her father's dream alive. I agree with you that some key players appear keen to leave but I'm far from convinced that this would be the case if Pochettino had given at least some indication that he would like to stay and honour his contract. He never has. I thought that Shaw would go because MP would rather have the 30 million for further squad strengthening (beyond the unstated budget), but not the rest. Is he going because they're probably going or are they going becuse they know that he's probably going? When we can figure out which was the chicken and which was the egg, which will be some way down the road, I suspect we'll discover that Pochettino was promised lots of resources but just wanted to go to "a big club".

I'll ask you again. How do you know what the Board has committed to deliver (other than not selling players that Pochettino wants to keep)? And, as a follow-up, do you seriously think that anyone at the club views Jos and Gazzaniga as adequate back-up? You don't normally post rubbish but citing those examples in support of your viewpoint was ridiculous.

How do you know that they haven't? Isn't it possible that he just wants to be at "a big club" regardless of our Board's transfer budget commitment and regardless of their commitment not to sell players that he wants to keep? Isn't possible that they've been doing everything they can behind the scenes to keep him but he's got his heart set on being somewhere else? I hope Pochettino stays but he's lost a lot of my respect because - even though he's under contract - he's placed his own interests first and the club's interests nowhere in sight. If he does go to Spurs, the reaction to him on here will be venomous.

The entire point of the Board's statement was in anticipation of enquiries or bids being received - or else why make it? They made the statement and haven't seen fit to make another one since, so it's reasonable to assume that their first statement holds good and they don't need to repeat it. That is, it holds good unless the "he" it referred to (i.e., Pochettino) remains silent in the face of these approaches, because he's the one (based on the Board's commitment) whose opinion is pivotal. The statement needs to come from Pochettino, not the Board - and he's too busy protecting his own position (probably with Spurs rather than us) to make such a statement. If he's "failed to commit himself" it's not because the Board aren't supporting him - they've made it clear that they would. It's because he's too busy pursuing a cause other than the best interests of Southampton FC.

The Board said that nobody would be sold if he wanted to keep them. How much clearer do they need to be? This all pivots around Pochettino and his deafening silence, which has thrown the door wide open for the opportunists at other clubs and in the media. Imagine how helpful it would have been if he had said "If it's down to me, none of my first-teamers will be going anywhere." That's a far from illogical thing for him to say if he has any plans to be here next season - and something that most managers would say if they were faced with the prospect of losing key players. I hope it will all work out well in the end but I have my doubts because I fear that his only focus right now is himself - not the year left on his contract, not his players, not the Board, not the supporters and not the well being of Southampton FC. Sure, everyone should have a right to better themselves and I don't begrudge them that - unless, by their conduct, they are seriously damaging the interests of people who have done nothing to deserve it. I really hope he stays, but if he does go I'd like to see us not only invoke the two million quid clause in his contract (interesting that Cortese would think it necessary to put that in there) but also go after Levy for compensation, if that's legally possible. I didn't care much for Cortese's confrontational style but I'd prefer that to being treated like patsies. Perhaps it's time for a little hardball.

I don't know how many times Pochettino said that such a negotiation was something for the Summer and that he wanted to concentrate on finishing as high as possible. The Board can't negotiate with an empty chair. They even went so far as to say that no player would be sold if Pochettino wanted to keep him (which means that one word from him could end all the Shaw, Lallana and Lovren rumours), so I don't see how you can deliver all the blame to the Board's door. Sadly, I think Pochettino's words were code for "I'm not tying myself down here because I've got other things cooking, and that - rather than the well being of Southampton F.C. - will be my main focus". While I'm a huge admirer of his tactical style, his questionable commitment is having a dangerous knock-on affect in the player group and in transfer planning, and that could haunt us all next season. Frankly, he may be a damn good coach but I have some real questions about his character.

We have absolutely no evidence that Katharina has pulled the plug on anything. She didn't step out of her preferred shadows and into a high profile role just to pull the plug on her father's vision or turn off the spending tap. She could have paid people to do that and stayed in the shadows. Or sold the club for a lot of money when Cortese left. And she wouldn't have kept coming to games if she had mediocrity in mind - or even a major cutback on the club's aspirations. I think she's committed to the same dreams but within a more friendly and more fiscally responsible framework. That's quite achievable, considering that the two most expensive buys in our club's history turned out to be nearly thirty million's worth of duds, and considering the money flowing through the PL now. If she were to tell Pochettino that there is a 20 million pound budget for transfers plus whatever we get for Ramirez, Osvaldo and possibly Luke, and that nobody else will be sold unless it's for silly money, we can continue to progress but in a more responsible way. The three caveats are these: 1. We need to keep Pochettino. 2. We need strong leadership capable of articulating the vision within the club and beyond. 3. We must have someone in the club capable of ensuing that the transfer budget is spent wisely - no more duds. The problem is that the Pochettino situation is up in the air, Ralph is a great and very talented guy but (as I feared) he might be struggling to acclimatize to a new sport, and I don't see the person in the club capable of ensuring #3 (I don't think it's Reed). Yes, there are problems that give the impression that the dreams are dead, but there are also solutions to those problems that could bring them back to life.

I originally posted this on the Cortese thread but it's better here. With Cortese around, our greatest strength was also our greatest weakness - an autocrat at the top who made his own decisions and communicated as, when and how he saw fit. Whether you were the manager, a player, a backroom staffer or even a supporter, you always got the feeling that he was in control - because he was. At every level. If you bought into his vision, he was a god; if you didn't, you probably wouldn't last long. That vision was at the heart of his power and he used it very effectively - often brutally. The personalities now running the show are almost polar opposites of Cortese, so it's no surprise that we didn't just lose his weaknesses when he left - we lost his strengths as well. We have a much friendlier face but we're often talking with multiple voices - or none at all. The "void" creating the current problems is the lack of that vision and the absence of the constant references to it. It's a leadership void. That IMO is why Pochettino and the players are looking elsewhere, and why the fans are growing restless with the current control group. It shouldn't just be us dissecting Cortese's words. Katharina and Ralph need to dissect them as well. And then make the necessary changes in their approach, starting with a new vision that stresses more than just self-sustainability.

Edit: Moved the comment to Crab Lung' thread.

LSC, it's not "semantics" to correct your inaccurate statement that Pochettino has said he's happy. He hasn't said any such thing. And I never suggested that Pochettino should say he has no intention of leaving. I said that he could settle things somewhat by saying that he hopes things can be worked out and that we can keep the squad together - not by staying silent while key players are heavily-linked with other clubs and he's heavily-linked to Tottenham - and then appointing a Spurs-linked agent. That's not "a daily update of his emotional state" but something that could help to quell the frenzy going on right now. The stories have made the transition from the garbage media into more credible sources, and even Hodgson is troubled by them (which in itself adds to their credibility). I'm not sure what places you in a position to know that there's no substance to those stories because they're coming from all directions. Krueger and Co have made it clear that they want to keep Pochettino and that we won't sell anyone he wants to keep. They're trying hard to sort things out but they're getting no help at all from Pochettino. I thought we were all supposed to be on the same team here. As I said, all this speculation is not helpful to the club - and it's not helpful to Pochettino himself if he has any intention of being here next season. Yes, we've survived a lot over the years and I'm also hopeful that this will work out in the end - Pochettino or no Pochettino, Lallana or no Lallana, and Shaw or no Shaw. But when the list of uncertain commitment keeps growing, it's time to settle things down. But I get it - we don't agree on how things should be handled, and that's fine.

So nobody has said that MP is "happy" here, as you claimed earlier - just continual repeats of the largely meaningless "year left on the contract" comment. And a lot has happened since then. As I said, Pochettino was the only one with the ability to settle things down among the player group - and it is (to me) very telling that he has chosen not to do so. He didn't have to harm his bargaining position - "I'm hopeful we can get his sorted out" would have been much more helpful than keeping silent and appointing a Spurs-affiliated agent while the speculation surrounding him and key players escalates daily. And if this situation is not helpful to Saints, it's not helpful to Pochettino if he has any intention of being here next season. I understand your viewpoint. I just don't agree with it. Hopefully all will work out well, one way or another, but we're heading rapidly into painted corners and Pochettino seems to be holding the brush.

I've heard them all say that he has a year left on his contract but never once (at least in the last month or so) heard any of them say that he is happy. Can you point to me to a recent quote? And what seems to have "passed you by" is the point of my post - that Pochettino could have headed much of this off at the pass by saying that he wants to stay and wants to keep the squad together. Instead, we have complete silence while he appoints as his agent someone close to Levy and while the "Pochettino to Tottenham" stories gather pace by the day. And the more that happens, the more some of our key players eye the exit door. All it needed (needs) was (is) some semblance of reassurance from MP that he wants to stay.

Therein rests my real annoyance with Pochettino - and it's a very big one that makes me question his character. That saddens me more than I can say because, until now, I've been a big fan of his. He is the only person in the club who had the ability to prevent this period of widespread instability from ever occurring - not Katharina or Ralph or Les Reed, but himself. Just a few words of commitment - even mild commitment - could have changed everything. Instead, he has apparently chosen to adopt a policy of silence while he pursues employment elsewhere - and he's done this not as a fall-back option but as his main option. Once embarked on that policy it's very difficult to change direction and plead for loyalty to the club from the key players. After all, he hasn't shown much himself. As sad as it makes me to say this, I've pretty much already turned the page on Pochettino and I'm wondering - and worrying - about who's next.

I expected this to be Liverpool's first bid aimed in our direction - far more so than one for Lallana. Nearly all of the big club have major issues in the middle of the back row (key players aging or leaving or falling short on the quality front), so there will probably be huge competition for Lovren. I'll be very pleasantly shocked if he starts next season in our colours, but at least we should get a hell of a fee for him if he goes.

Balotelli, for the most part, was popular with teammates - even if they were occasionally frustrated with his antics. Osvaldo, on the other hand, aims his venom at his own people and has caused internal trouble at several clubs. But you're right, the "is he worth the bother" question is much more easily resolved in Balotelli's case because he's far more likely to add than subtract value.

Osvaldo doesn't do humility, and that will forever be his achilles heel. That, rather than his talent level, is why he's not going to Brazil. As I said early in this thread, Italy would be crazy to include someone with a more than 50% chance of damaging squad harmony.

I've asked this question multiple times on this forum without ever receiving any answers, so I'll try again in this thread. Why would the intensely private Katharina (the media couldn't even find any pictures of her for quite a time) step out of the deep shadows to take on a high-profile role in one of the highest-profile sports leagues in the world if she planned on presiding over a period of cutback, stagnation and inevitable decline? And, in follow up: Why (if she wasn't that interested) didn't she sell the club when it was probably at its peak value - unless she had plans to make it even more valuable? Why would she come to games (an international trip for her) and take an obviously active role when she can hire anyone she wants to do this stuff and stay well clear of it herself?

There's a couple of questions surrounding all of this that I find rather interesting: 1) If the relationship between Cortese and Pochettino was as close as it was rumoured to be, and if Cortese had long been at loggerheads with Katharina (as he supposedly was), why didn't Cortese strike-out the (alleged) "two million pounds to leave" clause before he left or at least change it to one which only applied of he was still CEO? Granted, Katharina could have got him out of there too quickly for him to do it, but it would have been an understandable gesture for a (supposed) friend and a hell of a poison pill for Katharina. Sure, she could have sued him for "failing to act in the best interests of the corporation" but that would take a lot of proving in court. 2) Doesn't that period show that Pochettino is quite adept at posturing in his own best interests (as he may be over the potential Spurs move)? After all, when he threatened to quit if Cortese went, he must have known about the (alleged) "two million pounds to leave" clause, and he must also - therefore - have known that he wasn't going anywhere. Thoughts?

If Liverpool were going to take a run at any of our players, I expected it to be at Lovren. I'd hate to lose him but IMO he was better in the first half of the season, although he picked things up towards the end. The part that troubles me is that if we lose Lovren we might see a 20% perfomance drop in Fonte unless we splash big cash on a replacement. Those two worked well together in Pochettino's system.

I don't think there's any need for some of these comments about Krueger - he's a very good guy and he'll do good things for the club. However, the club is currently coming across to other clubs as weak and indecisive, and that's why they are circling over our players - the latest being Spurs supposedly taking a crack at Rodriguez. We don't need a return to Cortese's antagonistic style but we could sure do with a strong statement that we are not willing to sell our best players, and that any approaches will be summarily rejected. For me, given the lack of consistency in the Red/Krueger messaging, that statement now needs to come from Katharina herself - and soon. It would do a lot to clarify the situation and calm frayed nerves. But the most effective statement wouldn't be verbal - it would be tying up Pochettino. If and when that happens, everything changes.

Aside from all the reasons that Adam should consider, there is the distinct likelihood that it will fall apart because Liverpool are unwilling to meet our valuation. After deducting the Bournemouth cut (and possibly even before), he's worth more to us than he is to them, and I can see the club digging its heels in for a much higher price than Liverpool are willing to pay. That's risky if you're dealing with a petulant prima donna, but Lallana is a million miles from that.

I believe that KL is willing to invest, but invest responsibly. I'm still waiting for some kind of credible response - any response, actually - to a question I have posed several times on here: Why would the intensely private Katharina (remember, nobody could even find a picture of this mega-rich heiress at the start) take a high-profile position in one of the highest-profile sports leagues in the world if she planned on leading it to stagnation and then a downward spiral? The club was extremely valuable and extremely salable when she took over but A) she didn't sell it, and B) she stepped out of the shadows to lead it. Let's not confuse want-away players and end-of-season instability with lack of ambition. I have no idea what our club will look like in August but I think it will be pursuing a carefully considered and well-funded plan to improve on this year's progress.

It's not difficult to foresee a situation in which clubs aren't willing to meet our valuation - especially with the Bournemouth cut being such a key factor, so I'd say the odds are on him staying even if he'd like to go. And I don't think he's the sort to go sulky on the club if things don't work out.