SaintRobbie

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11674/8434030/Portsmouth-will-be-thrown-out-of-the-Football-League-if-the-club-remains-in-administration OK - I know it's not Saints per se, but the messages are worth a read. I find myself smiling at the Saints fan comment about 'Pay up Pompey', but violently agreeing with the Portsmuff fans line that losing Pompey from the league loses one of the greatest derby games in English football. My point is, should we be looking to offer some of our talented youngsters on loan to our fishy friends down the road? Seaborne to the Cherries also springs to mind, why not to Pompey. I wonder if its not time to look to help them a little, not much just a little Discuss. ....this'll be interesting...

LOL. Now even I dont see Cortese resorting to Lowe-camp tactics! I remember when the Lowe PR people were caught posting on here, which was a great complement to the reach and respect this messageboard has amongst the Saints fraternity (mind you - you could post more than 3 comments for free then!)

MLT and Lawrie Mac should have free Sts. I have no problem with that. Cortese shouldnt have to pay for his either! I think they all look stupid frankly. NC's comment that he's never met MLT is telling too. Perhaps they all need to be locked in a room and given a couple of bottles of whiskey and told to get to know each other, have fun and find an amicable agreement. Whole spat is pathetic.

MLT and Lawrie Mac should have free Sts. I have no problem with that. Cortese shouldnt have to pay for his either! I think they all look stupid frankly. NC's comment that he's never met MLT is telling too. Perhaps they all need to be locked in a room and given a couple of bottles of whiskey and told to get to know each other, have fun and find an amicable agreement. Whole spat is pathetic.

In 20 years time, Barcelona will be calling themselves the Southampton of the Spanish South Coast and visiting our training ground. And Pompey will promote back into League 2 after 8 or 9 years out of the football league altogether. Well done the monkey-hangers for putting another nail in their coffin today, beating them on their training ground in front of less than 11000 of the greatest fans in English football.... 'When I was just a little boy.... ' I made the right decision...

I think there's too much optimism and hearts before heads going on on this thread. ManUre will slaughter us after a valiant first 60 mins. 3-1 ManUre.

Can't remember.

..a wax work most certainly. In a Madam Tussaud's Saints attraction. He could sit in the Chamber of Horrors along with Wotte, Harry Redknapp, Sir Clive Woodward, the original Ted Bates statue and Nicola Cortese.

YES! Bring back Saints and get rid of Liverpool! SOS S ave O ur S tripes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stripes just aint Saintly!

We'll get spanked late in the second half by a fresher ManUre who will absorb our early pressure with relative ease. Sorry, I'm going 3-1 ManUre win. Too much quality and we only have one game plan currently with a new manager.

Nigel, Thank you for taking a Club that deserves to be in the Premier League and putting it back to where it belongs. Thank you for your positivity and for making supporting my club fun again. I won't wish you the best of luck - as you'll be back with a rival bringing success elsewhere! But when you come back to Saint Mary's I'll chant your name with the rest of the fans - we don't do that to many ex-Saints! THANK YOU.

Thought we did rather well. I'd have had us down for a loss before this weeks naughtiness. Content with that and MP will have learnt a little. Boruc did well, Shaw and Spiderman were super. Puncheon ****s when he likes then can't take corners

Outstanding first half. Everton look pedestrian though - almost as if they are assessing what they're up against. But if we have the stamina to keep in their faces in midfield we could get a result from this. Expect a different Everton in the second half.... very proud of our performance so far though. MC has certainly made a difference - we seem hungry and far more aggressive. Liking this. Please dont lose! (w00t etc....!)

I love MLT. He's a hero - loyal through and through and I've long campaigned for a bust of him to be put up by the players entrance with LOYALTY on the plinth... but.... There's no need for MLT to take out him one man rift with Cortese publicly and I wish he'd just maintain his dignity and wait for the inevitable. Cortese has ironically put the first nail in his own coffin this week. His drive and determination are outstanding (well said Kelvin Davis today on the subject) and his methods ruthless to gain results - that result will be turning Saints into a top Premier League club or failing potentially catastrophically, by relegating us. Either way he'll be gone in a year or two and a half. Why? Because he'll achieve his aim and will no longer be needed here - a suitable time for a more user friendly Chief Executive will come when we're in the top four will see him fall by the same ruthless methods. Those who live by the sword and all that. If he fails and we relegate his decision-making will be shown to be flawed and he'll be out on his ear. If he fails and we're a mediocre mid-table to bottom team, he'll also be removed for someone else. MLT will always be a Saint and should keep quiet, keep his dignity and stop dividing the fan base with this personal feud. Cortese is nothing more than an employee doing a temporary job who'll certainly not be around in 2-3 years time in my opinion. MLT will be around our Club rightly until he departs to become a real Saint. Cortese is driven and determined to achieve top end success for Saints - for that he deserves our full RUTHLESS support in return over the next 2 1/2 years. No hankies, a simple thank you to Adkins and then getting behind our team to realise Cortese's ambition. Once achieved, we'll then look to sack him, unless our new owners do it first. The biggest concern I have at the moment is the echoes of youth development that we saw under Lowe are reappearing. Yes we have a good youth development set up - the best - but you'll not get to be a top 4 club by relying on it. It should be there to reinforce success from investment from outside. When I hear youth being used as a major part of the vision I cringe, it means there's no investment except from within our existing means. It means we need to find new owners to truly kick on and then stay at the top.

Yep. Good post. What's more we have no choice, so we might as well celebrate Nigel and thank him and get behind the new guy. There's no time for division. It's time to move on to become the Barcelona of the South. And if Cortese fails to deliver with this action, then it'll be time to drum him out of the club. If he succeeds? I dont care what sort of **** he is, he'll get a beer off me if I meet him down the pub.

Is Cortese appointing a couple of Dutch half wits to play total football with kids? Is Cortese heading a plc rather than a football club? Is Cortese sending us down two league through ineptitude or trying to push us on? Is Cortese attempting to put in a better manager rather than take a youth team coach or a Rugby coach as Director of Football? .... I think Cortese is most certainly NOT Rupert Lowe.

Great summary. Cortese clearly decided Adkins wasnt good enough to keep us in the Premier League and sort a manager who: 1. Has proven he can manage at the top level 2. Has a strong international pedigree that will attract quality players to a Premier League that is no longer an Englishman's league, but a world viewed multi-billion £$ industry 3. Has the ability to build a defence 4. Has the proven ability to utilize young talented players and is not afraid to encourage a little more 'in your face' football (we may be a little too nice as the fair play league may suggest) 5. Has taken a team struggling at the bottom of a Premier League and cemented them in mid-table (admittedly it appears he then is forced to sell his players as his Boardroom may have mismanaged and ended up where he started - but you can't blame him for that) Frankly his selection of this new man 8 weeks or so ago when Adkins was struggling was logical to consolidate and then kick us on towards European placings. BUT, (and I am sure Cortese knows this) Adkins then consolidated and frankly gave Cortese better options - a better than good chance of remaining in the Premier League and consolidating next season) AND a proven Championship promoting manager who would be the finest manager you could hope for in the event of relegation. Cortese's decision to change Adkins now is wrong. But his decision to change him 8 weeks or so ago, perhaps a little more understandable. Cortese is ruthless. He cares not for favour, leadership to him is certainly no popularity contest. But, he is ambitious. He is trying to drag us into the reality of new times. To be successful in the Premier League nowadays requires an international focus (sadly) and I sense Swansea's example would not have been far from his thoughts. I watched Paul Merson's comments about how we now deserve to relegate and thought to myself how I'd rather support Cortese than Merson anyway. He may be a ruthless git who has made few friends, but he gets results. So far so good. Saints are on the way to being the Barcelona of the South earlier than planned. But, the timing of this decision is more risky than it needs to be. If it works we stay up, consolidate and may well be in a BETTER position to kick on to greatness as a Club. If it fails and we relegate, we are undoubtably in a far worse position - with a manager who may know the Premier League as he's watched it on TV and read about it (!) but certainly hasn't a clue about the Championship. If we relegate we'll end up starting again. Our manager (oops sorry Coach - another poor decision, I cant help but think this continental system of a DoF and Coach simply adds another layer of leadership friction and complexity where its not required) is not up to it. Our best players will leave. Our best youth will be snapped up by Premier League titans. Cortese will have to go to... and possibly along with him his best quality - our ambition. I am a fan who wants his team to be the Barcelona of the South. I don't want to go back to being in the League for the sake of making up numbers and fighting relegation battle after relegation battle again. But, I think Cortese has just as much chance of regretting this gamble (and believe me this is a major gamble that isn't welcome just yet) as breathing a sigh of relief that he has honoured his friend Marcus by delivering on his promise. I hope boldness favours the brave, but I fear there is a close line between recklessness and boldness. The man praying most for success tonight is not a fan - it is Cortese. It is certainly not the Paul Merson's of the world who would thrive on the disunity this so of crass decision may bring. So what? It seems to me we have but one choice. To accept the change and support it. Make Monday a 'Thank you Nigel' night, not a protest about a decision made. We all have to make this risky decision work... because if it does, by god we're in for a treat!

Now I have even less of a clue what the result will be! But, I am guessing we'll win as the players will want to prove themselves and the atmosphere will be electric with controversial singing!

This is positive. If it's right you can understand who he's been chosen: He seems to put a lot of emphasis on quality centre backs.... lets see if he brings some with him Cortese. Still can't help but think the timing of this is all wrong. Adkins should've stayed to keep us up. Right now, I fear relegation more than at any other stage this season. But, lets give him a chance.

I don't post very often these days. But, this is an absolutely stupid decision from NC and the Board. NA was doing the job - the job this season is to stay in the Premier League, THEN push on to greatness. Pushing on could have been with NA or could have been someone else like Mauricio Pochettino... but for now SURVIVAL is the goal. In football it's all about the next game. With NA I finally sensed we had the system, players, positivity and leadership to stay in this league. WE ARE IN A RELEGATION FIGHT AND WE BRING IN A YOUNG FOREIGN MANAGER WITH NO EXPERIENCE OF THE PREMIER LEAGUE and put him in the toughest position in the League. Strange decision. In football success is based on managerial consistency. We have consistency. Strange decision. In football the fans are your 12th man. The fans are firmly behind Adkins. Why? Because after years of following Saints they know what's needed and Nigel's qualities were delivering the next step - SURVIVAL IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE. Finally, a simple message for Cortese, whose ambition I respect. You sound today very much like Rupert Lowe before the financial crash. A new manager who shares his vision of nurturing young players? You can nurture, but you win nothing with kids alone. NA balanced it right. Strange decision. Strange decision. BUT: The threat of relegation is so close, we as fans have no choice but to accept Mauricio Pochettino and get behind the team like never before. Criticising the decision is one thing, we will probably never know the full facts of this decision, but IF WE WANT OUR TEAM TO SURVIVE IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE (and let's face it Mauricio Pochettino has less chance of success in the Championship!) WE NEED TO EMBRACE THIS DECISION AND SUPPORT OUR TEAM. WE NEED TO MOVE ON FAST, ACCEPT POCHETTINO, GET BEHIND OUR PLAYERS AND REMEMBER ONE THING: NIGEL ADKINS WILL ALWAYS BE A RESPECTED SAINT AND DESERVES THAT RECOGNITION FOREVER.

Thanks! Echoes of MLT in the way he controlled that.... although MLT wouldve been scoring a similar goal from closer to the halfway line Wonderful. I though Lamberts goal was pretty class too!

Yes please!!! Yes Please!!!!! Come on someone!! Post it!

In the immortal words of Mr Frederick Flintstone: YABADABADOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Phew... Boruc saves the day for me!! MOTM performance!! Thank should help his confidence too.

Same reason Queens Park RANGERS are so popular in most of Scotland perhaps??