CanadaSaint

LOL We're forever blowing hot air, hot air to our fans, They think we're the best but we're worse than the rest We're blowing hot air to our fans

Just back from cleaning myself up after reading thread title and realizing that it's an almost direct parallel to 1949 when we lost our main striker, blew a mega-point lead and missed out on promotion (see Fitzhugh's post a while back). Anxiously awaiting A) confirmation that it's ****** or B) a win, and ideally both.

That's pretty much where I sit, too. And I also really enjoyed FC's post. Even if the Liebherrs did decide to move along, we have so much to be grateful for, and we're in far better shape than we've ever been on so many levels. My questions were more about whether they would just drop us to the highest bidder, especially a consortium of hedge funds. My hunch is that their family honour and integrity - and the importance to them of Markus's wishes - will help to ensure that we'll be fine regardless of their decision. FWIW I certainly don't see Nicola walking for a while, and his input - given how close he and Markus were - is likely to count for a hell of a lot.

In the sense that none of us has actually heard a Liebherr say why they're in this, at least AFAIK, you're correct about not knowing their motivation. However, I don't know how many times Cortese - the critical point of contact - has to say that the family are fully committed before people will believe him. And Yes, LTC, he could be lying. As always, time will tell.

But your suggestion ignores the questions I asked, so the hackneyed old saying you used doesn't help much, does it LTC? It was the same situation when Markus bought-in, and there are enough pictures of him celebrating wins as though he had followed us since he was a kid, so the hypothesis underlying the questions is that money isn't everything to the Liebherrs. They also seem to be a very tight family in which honour and loyalty are high values. No, nobody could blame them if they sold at a profit but my implied point was that I don't think this is their primary motivator.

Now there's the difference, I guess. You think that scotty is "very, very naive" and I think you're very, very cynical. In scotty's favour, though, is the fact that Cortese has always made a big point about playing with style, which to me means that he's in it for more than the money and power.

Yep. The barstewards may have cost me the Ipswich game with their sh*t-for-brains connection screw-up, but at least they got us home on time. I'd much rather have made the Ipswich game and arrived home late, mind! Still, it was brilliant to see you guys again. And two wins out of two. Not to mention the pies.

Question 1: Has there ever been a successful hedge fund takeover of a major football team, and why would a consortium of them (cut-throats partnering with cut-throats) think it would be any different this time? Question 2: If the club is for sale, why would the Liebherrs even consider a hedge fund when there are very serious, well-monied, "fit and proper" buyers from across the world who are always interested in buying into the Premiership? Question 3: If Markus was as fond of the Saints and the community as we know him to have been, and if bringing top-level success was one of his main goals at the time of his death, why on earth would the Liebherrs consider selling it to an outfit that is concerned only with money and financial return? Question 4: If the family knew that one of Markus's dying dreams was for the club to become established in the Premier League and eventually compete in the Champions' League (in Europe - their playground), and if they have oodles of money to the point at which the Saints are barely a blip on the financial radar screen, why on earth would they sell it at all? Question 5: Assuming that the only logical answers to these questions is "because Nicola has lost interest and wants to get out", why would Nicola want to get out just as we're on the verge of joining the kind of playing field that he and his ego relish? I'm not saying that there is no foundation at all to the rumours - just that they fly in the face of a lot of logic.

I'm not sure what his termination arrangements were with Blackburn, but Sam is in danger of being paid more not to manage teams than he has ever been paid to actually manage them.

I've felt for some time that WHU may end up in the playoff scramble because they've never looked a very well-balanced, multi-option team to me. Add to this the fact that they'll be under more media and fan pressure than anyone (they already are, really), and I can see them in a real dogfight. Us and Reading. Champions on GD.

No, Bearsy, it was a double-slam and I think I actually got you. Window Cleaner is mistaken as well. Despite how things may look. You may have eluded my radar until now, but not any more.

And here's me thinking that the thread topic was about coverage where we don't have much. Either I misread it or you did. There's a bit of a hint in the second line - "I think we could absorb injuries in most areas."

And then there's Bart, of course.

Nobody that anyone would remember. Just a guy with an opinion, like most on here.

A definite "No" to the counter-viewpoint question, then. No surprise there.

Exactly, and that's what happens when he doesn't get the early pass. With it he could be deadly.

We'll see, but I'm not too bothered whether you think I'm wrong or right. And nor am I bothered whether my thoughts reflect the majority view on here. Nobody wants us to win this thing more than me but we only beat Barnsley today and we need to be far more incisive in midfield if we're to consistently beat better teams on the run-in. Do you have a counter viewpoint regarding our midfield or is "what a load of crap" as good as it gets? Don't bother answering that one, either.

I took those into consideration.

Do you have anything intelligent to offer? Hold that. I already know the answer.

If we had found a way to consistently play forward from the midfield rather than sideways and back we would have won by six. It didn't cost us any points today but it will before the end of the season, and it desperately needs fixing. And if we're not going to reward Lee's intelligent runs with an early pass, we'd be better off not playing him.

It would be good to see who voted for whom in these things, don't you think? "We have the technology"

Jos was superb - not that far behind Kelvin. What a signing he's turned out to be - and not just as a player but as a dressing room guy too.

That performance may well have put his name on the team sheet for the first game of next season.

I shall happily contribute to the standing ovation he deserves on Tuesday night. In the flesh, I'm super-excited to say.