CanadaSaint

Why not? Perhaps his preferred option is the Liebherrs with a substantial inflow of funds and with him in almost total control. If they're unwilling to provide both, he has a back up option. This could be, as many have suggested, his pressure tactic.

I agree with that. And, if it was a deliberate leak, NC is playing a very dangerous game - unless he really does have new owners "up his sleeve", new owners who are not only ready to inject substantial funds but also to let him retain his power base.

I'm still not clear whether the Club is owned by a standalone trust created solely for that purpose, or by a broader trust encompassing a number of Marcus's other assets. Does anyone know?

The underlined part is the whole point, so you're really arguing against yourself here. The role of trustees is one of the highest roles in the legal system. Do we know for certain that the Club is part of a standalone trust or part of a broader trust encompassing all (or most) of Marcus's assets? I can't remember the history.

Forgive me for quoting myself but I still feel - even more so today - that what I said yesterday is at the heart of this:

The two key words in this, IMO, may well be "trust" and "control". Trustees have a legal/fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the trust. They have absolutely no choice in this. The best interests of Southampton FC and its fans do not override that. The trustees are not acting in the best interests of the trust if they sit quietly by while (what they could reasonably perceive as) financially dubious decisions are made. Similarly, they are not acting in the best interests of the trust if they allow one (management type of) individual to have an inordinately large say in how things are run. The only way around these things is for the trust documents to specify that a certain amount of funding is freely available and that one individual (NC) will have total say in how it's applied. It wouldn't surprise me if the problem revolves around the fetters that will be placed on Cortese if the trustees actually start doing their job, which they might feel they haven't been in the past.

That's a good point. It's very difficult to significantly elevate player fitness levels during the season - at least without triggering a rash of pulls and strains. The time to hit the right fitness levels is pre-season, and it becomes maintenance from then on. I'm amazed that Pochettino achieved as much as he did on this front, but a number of players seem to be running low on gas right now. A lot of things will improve next year. With the certainty of improved fitness and the likely transfer budget (better talent, greater depth), I'm looking forward to next season more than I can ever remember looking forward to the next season.

He seems to do a lot more running in support of the high press so I wouldn't be too surprised if the season is staring to take its toll on him. I love his control, his touches and layoffs, his awareness and his free kicks, but the fact of the matter is that our chance-conversion ratio has slipped badly in the last month or two. This has caused us to draw or lose games that we were in a position to win. That fact alone must place the Rickie/Rodriguez partnership in question. Pochettino has a dilemma up front and it will be interesting to see how he addresses it.

I don't think it explains the fact that he's seldom been one of MP's first choices since Day One.

Much as I like Jos as a guy, he's a disaster waiting to happen on the defensive front and his 'distribution' is atrocious. Pochettino is clearly looking at left-footed centre backs so he knows the main problems and will have the funds to resolve them. But, as Anders noted above, we haven't been letting many in. Game after game we've kept the opposition in it - and thus placed pressure on our defence and midfield - by failing to take our many chances while we've been dominant. It's just as important to me that we sign a clinical striker and a goal-scoring midfielder.

Without anything on which to base this, my hunch is that Pochettino demands total commitment to things being done his way - he earned the nickname "The Sheriff" for a reason. Puncheon is more an individualist, and that's caused him problems almost throughout his career. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he's run afoul of The Sheriff at some point, possibly through an inability or unwillingness to maintain his place in Pochettino's team shape. Who knows? Yes, I think we look much better with Puncheon in the team and with him and Clyne working together down the right, but I'm quite willing to accept that Pochettino has good reasons for not starting him.

Our style is being praised almost universally, it's great to watch, it's admired by the fans of other teams, and we've secured some excellent results against top teams. We could and should have won at Spurs last week. All of this without even one player whom Pochettino signed. He's taken Pardew's and Adkins' players and made them more effective by gathering commitment for his own style. That is actually one hell of a feat of man management. I'd say we're well ahead of where we were, and I can't wait to see Pochettino make some signings that address our weaknesses and build further on his style. Shocked that the question is even being asked TBH.

Sometimes it's good just to reflect: http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?41023-West-Brom-2-Saints-0-The-Wake&highlight=West+Brom As my dear old Dad - a huge Saints fan - used to say, "Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday, and all is well."

If we'd taken half of our chances we'd have won easily, but yet again we didn't and we threw ourselves at the mercy of our own weak centre back pairing. Not one of these players was brought here by Pochettino, so I'm delighted to have survived. The real test of Pochettino will come in the Summer.

If Pochettino really had watched a lot of Saints tape before taking the job, why on earth has he decided to reunite the disastrous Fonte/Hooiveld partnership and spurn the very effective Puncheon/Clyne one? I don't get that.

Hate to say this, cos I'm the optimistic type, but it's starting to look like the Spurs game. Lots of missed chances and the danger of someone cutting in and ripping one home late in the game.

For me he's a quality player who doesn't fit Pochettino's style well enough to keep that much money tied up in him.

I hear what you're saying but it's not just an honour - it's a role, and a very important one. It has been quite some time since we had someone on the pitch who could pick the side up with some well-directed words, and there have been many occasions when that may well have cost us points. The list on this link shows that a "no nonsense" temperament, which Lallana doesn't really have (but which players like Ball and Case had in abundance), is quite a common feature: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012%E2%80%9313_Premier_League

Hope? After watching Newcastle falling apart with a thin squad out of gas, my only hope is that we don't get anywhere near Europe next year.

When Pochettino first arrived and there was a lot of fur flying, Schneiderlin was the one who spoke most to the media trying to stabilize things, and he did a very good job of it. I thought he was sure to get the armband, but it's probably not a good idea to change mid-season, and it could have got MP off to a bad start in the dressing room. I wouldn't be too surprised if he's captain next season. He doesn't seem particularly vocal on the pitch but he does lead by consistent example.

Another backdoor positive from today was sh*tting massively in our own nest when it comes to "fair play". After watching Newcastle starting to pay the price for competing in Europe with a relatively small squad, we're probably on the road to dodging one bullet for next season.

LOL. When the shock goes off Claus looks like Jos defending against a fast break.

The Puncheon/Clyne pairing has always worked well but for some reason MP doesn't seem to value it. Perhaps we'll see more of it with Ramirez gone for three.

And, as I said earlier, that's the only positive of the game for me. Pochettino didn't sign any of these players, and not all of them fit his style or meet his standards. We are not going down and, after today, he has a much better idea of what we need to do in order to compete in the top third.

I'm not so dazzled by his undoubted skill that I fail to see how he undermines Pochettino's style rather than contributes to it. Next time you call someone an idiot for voicing an opinion, look in the mirror first.