hughieslastminutegoal

But isn't that the point? That he hasn't said anything? That nobody actually knows what he thinks? Maybe he doesn't really care, that as long as he doesn't lose money he'll just leave NC to get on with it as he sees fit. I just feel that they need to make fans believe they are part of the "family", that what you get isn't just what NC wants to give you (good, bad or indifferent). It's a matter of "style".

I am a little surprised that so many think NC has handled this professionally. Whatever NC thinks personally, I doubt that attacking so many publically like this is really the best way to carry on. I think a lesson in diplomacy wouldn't go amiss. If a community-spirited club is what he wants, a bit of inclusivity and humility is called for, not such an outright slagging off of very identifiable characters. Football is a rumour mill BECAUSE people gear their whole lives around it, live it, breathe it. That is the nature of the beast, and that's why it is a different kind of business from banking or diesel engine making, and why PR has to be handled differently and a bit more sensitively. The end of season programme is a case in point. Fans want to end the season in a good frame of mind, already thinking about the good season to come. I am astounded that the opportunity wasn't taken for an owner's statement broadly along the lines of NC's statement, but without the slagging offs. Instead we get still unexplained pulling of the programme. It just ain't good PR. It all smacks very much of "its my toy, so shut up", and I don't think that is particularly clever, whatever we may think of the Echo, or any other ex-players or ex-managers.

But it is so incredibly boring. I'd much rather hear about the latter, especially if accompanied by a photo caption competition.

..and for those who talk about the five year plan proving their commitment.. Kraft said they wouldn't close the Somerset Cadbury's factory...oh. Just a thought.

No, it was the description "footballer" that went too far. The Advertising Standards Authority said it was an unsubstantiated claim.

So you reckon someone paid for advertisement space to encourage fans to buy goods or services, defined what the advert would look like, then decided at the very last minute that if we distributed it they'd sue us? Or that someone else would sue them? I would think that would be a first for a football programme! I'd be gobsmacked if that were the case.

I don't get it. I'd have thought that the owner would have written a bit for the last programme of the year at least saying how pleased he is at the progress made during the year, at so nearly getting to the playoffs, at the JPT win. Not only no article, but withdrawn programmes. I do think Pardew's comment about not getting what their efforts deserve may have been code for something else, not just that we failed to get a deserved place in the playoffs. Given it was the last game of the season, which ML couldn't get to because of flight disruptions, I'd have thought some expression of regret about that to the local press and on the OS might have been an obvious thing to do. Its all very well taking the position that we don't respond to every bit of gossip and rumour, but sometimes good fan relations demand it, and it does no good to ignore that. Pardew's own published comments are sounding somewhat irritated and perhaps a bit dispirited. Whether anything is wrong or not, the impression is certainly being generated that things are not right. And that bad atmoshere can grow into something more serious if not dealt with effectively and promptly. Maybe NC thinks that Wednesday is soon enough, and isn't going to be provoked, but it's what we haven't heard from ML that is ringing alarm bells for me. My own view is that what we might be seeing here was an attempt to buy a club cheaply, get some quick success, and sell dear in 2-3 years time. And I have a feeling they see their programme slipping, and possibly even slipping again... or that "someone" is getting bored now.

Yes, but look on the + side: it makes life seem a lot longer.

Whom is the object of a verb not a subject. "Whom" cannot DO anything.

Yes, a terrifically fine record as a player, much more experience and success than Mark Hughes........ You should go in for stand up, you'd pack them in at The Apollo.

Hughes was gash at City because some of the up-their-own-arses players there were not keen on playing for someone who wasn't a big enough name. Had some of them put in a decent shift, it might have been a different story. When we had him as a player he had gone over, but I do still see him as potentially a good manager and could be the kind of manager to inject a bit more needed steel, if the owner (and NC) believed a change was needed. And I actually think it might be the kind of job Hughes could go for, to rekindle his passion after what must have been a depressing experience for him at City.

I'm not questioning your integrity at all re. your post, but if I were Ladbrookes and a lot of people were trying to bet on what I thought was an unfounded rumour, I'd be very tempted to take their money!

I thank you......

Typical. We don't have a Duck Hunter when you really need one. (One for the twitching bird watcher fraternity only.)

..and he was signed by Sturrock, and not played (IMO) because RL wanted to get more money for BT.

The bizzare thing is that there has been a sequence of "owners", and who owes what to whom is nuts, a very, very strange way for a company to change hands. These people weren't stupid, so what else was going on, what other sleight-of-hand tricks were being played? What was this company being used as a front for?

What is there to managing a bigger club than Spurs? You have lots of money. You "speak" to lots of agents. You buy players who are already successful. If they don't work for you, go out and buy some more who are already successful. Get someone else to take training. As long as it works, you keep your job, and everyone thinks you're great.

What is there to managing a bigger club than Spurs? You have lots of money. You "speak" to lots of agents. You buy players who are already successful. If they don't work for you, go out and buy some more who are already successful. Get someone else to take training. As long as it works, you keep your job, and everyone thinks you're great. If it doesn't work especially well, you get a nice fat payoff, and you get another job on the basis that you've managed a big club. It's a nice carrousel if you can get on it.

They were practically skint when Roeder took over. Any WHU fan will tell you that. Why did WHU sack him?

..and when he'd done his job on us, went back to the skates... hang on, I don't usually like conspiracy theories.....

Before you get carried away.. Bournemouth ... went into Admin West Ham ... were as close as you can get to being in Admin without being in it. Pompey .. in Admin Saints went into Admin, though for once not entirely down to Redknapp. Spurs ..could soon be struggling given what he has spent, if they don't quickly earn enough from Europe. Now before anyone says none of this was his fault: Bournemouth .. I don't know for sure but I'd not be surprised if their constant struggles really had their origins in things done during Redknapp's management period. West Ham .. When he left (sacked) they were as good as relegated and financial woes followed immediately, and Redcrapp had spent a small fortune on rubbish there. Pompey - that is certainly down to his spending, albeit he was allowed to spend till the cows came home by owners who were "possibly" less than kosher. Saints - the one thing Lowe did right was not let that addict to the brown envelope spend any money, though we can see pretty clearly that he couldn't or wouldn't coach and brought in rubbish loans (and just how much did we pay his crocked son to come?) Spurs....watch this space... Even if you give him the benefit of doubt everywhere, he's certainly a bl**dy Jonah.

From the perspective of someone living in Southampton... if only they were.

Sean Hughes centre pic bottom row.

Smacked? Aren't you mixing up your drugs? NOTHING_IN_THE_WORLD worse than a dealer who can't tell one white powder from another.

EXACTLY. Now we are getting there. So why hasn't Cortese nipped it in the bud then? I've been a devil's advocate so far on this thread, trying to do no more than try to put myself where I think Cortese might actually be. As you say, even LM has felt it appropriate to support Pardew in the absence of anything from NC. Maybe it's as simple as NC never responds to stuff in the press, but some statement of intent BEFORE the season closes (when the real silly stuff starts) would be a very good thing for him to do.