Rebel

the 5 year plan was based on getting out of League 1 in the first 2 years by either going up through the play-offs in the first season - i.e. last season - or going up automatically in the second season - i.e. this season. That would have given us 3 years to make it through ther Championship to the Premiership But this was based on rebuilding the team, strengthening it and keeping the momentum going. That momentum has been lost since the end of last season - and the team is visibly weaker than last season. I have no doubts that if the team from last season - with Waigo and Antonio - had been strengthened slightly over the summer we would have been looking at automatic promotion this season and kept that momentum going now we are looking at making the play-offs at best this season - and that is an outside chance unless things change dramatically and the squad is strengthened very quickly with at least the striker, winger and central midfielder we so desperately need the big problem is unless things do change quickly our key players - Lambert, Lallana, Fonte and Schneiderlin will look to move on in January to clubs already in the Championship or Premiership. And if not then I can't see them staying for another season in League 1 so they will be gone in the summer which means we will probably be even weaker next season - and the 5 year plan will have to be revised to making it out of League 1 and into the Championship in 5 years by growing a team slowly - and there is no guarantee we will do that why has this happened - why have things changed do much is just a close season - why has the momentum gone? I think Markus Liebherr's death changed things more than most of us care to admit. It looks as though the money has gone - that the Liebherrs funding of the club has more or less stopped. And that is the simple reason why we failed to strengthen the team in the summer - everybody - players, manager and supporters - new the team needed strengthening but the money to do it disappeared with Markus. This put a stop on the promises made to Pardew and the players about building a team good enough for the Championship - and I imagine caused more friction between Pardew and Cortese over the lack of transfer funds and the failure to sign players (Antonio, Matt Phillips, Nicky Bailey, etc, etc) - and the weight of expectation. If the more probable rumours are to be believed Pardew and his two assistants then applied for the vacant jobs at Villa or asked Cortese for permision to talk to Villa - this proved to be the final straw for Cortese in his relationship with Pardew and led to a parting of the ways. to be honest if this was the case I don't blame Pardew for wanting the Villa job - and I can understand why Cortese got rid of Pardew as a result if the money has run out at Saints Nigel Adkins - with his track record at S****horpe - is probably the better man for the job - but as fans we are going to have to accept the new timescales for getting out of League 1 and probably accept that the Premiership (with the new parachute payments to the relegated clubs in the Championship making it almost impossible to compete with them) is beyond us I just hope we can recoup or make money from the sales of players like Lallana, Lambert, Fonte and Schneiderlin in January or next summer and invest it wisely in rebuilding the team for the new 5 year plan I hope I am proved wrong about the money drying up though

There's a piece on Le Fondre (its French for pouncer apparently) in The Guardian today - 7 goals in 7 games so far this season. It also says that Rotherham would accept £850,000 plus add ons taking it to £1.5 millon for him. Sorry - I realised Vokes was on loan at Bristol not long after I suggested him! I think the money might well have run out - the signing of Connolly on a one year deal in the summer made me wonder that as with his injury record and at his age it smacked on a no alternative signing. It would also make sense as to why we failed to bring in players like Antonio, Matt Phillips, etc in the transfer window. With all our Strikers injured and off-form if we have the money Le Fondre is a must signing. If we don't have the money to strengthen the team in the loan window or in January we will have to be patient as fans - it will take us another 2 or 3 seasons to grow and develop a team good enough to get promoted - players like Lambert, Schneiderlin, Lallana and Fonte will look to leave in the January transfer window - or if not then next summer. If that's the case lets hope we can re-invest the transfer fees in young lower league talent that can grow with the club.

we need an alternative to Barnard and Lambert - apart from Connolly - coz at the moment none of the 3 are working and Le Fondre does score goals at the moment and wants to play at a higher level - and I think he would give us the competition we need up front as for a big man up front - how about getting Sam Vokes in on loan to lead the line

he was Dr Hammond today - far too many hospital passes to his team mates he also kept waiting for the ball to come him instead of going to the ball and claiming it when it was a 50/50 maybe we need to play Guly Do Pardo with Schneiderlin instead

Cortese should bring Waigo and Antonio back to Saints ASAP and spend some money on a new striker - Adam Le Fondre - before its too late

we lost all momentum in the summer when we released 13 players and only brought 3 in more importantly we failed to replace Waigo and Antonio - two key players who gave us both width and pace and could play bwide or up front - massively weakening the team the players, the fans and the manager knew the team needed strengthening over the summer to win the League this season and guarantee promotion - and when this failed to happen everbody's heads went down I still don't really understand why this happened but I think it led to Pardews sacking - which along with Liebherrs' passing away has thrown the club backwards

Get Lambert fit Bring in another striker on loan (Adam Le Fondre) Add some pace to the team. Give us options on the bench. Have a plan A and a plan B Bring Waigo and Antonio back. Bring a central midfielder or two in on loan. Win our game in hand! Win at home!

I am Spartacus!

the reason for not having an installment plan been know for a while - I read about it on here and when I renewed ny season ticket I asked the ticket office and they gave me that reason reflects badly on Saints fans - although the club should have come out and said why - and given a bit more notice! we still don't really know why Cortese sacked Pardew though I think we can probably discount the made up rumours about Fonte or any other players wife - or a bust up at the training ground. The reaction of the players on the pitch seems to prove that this was a load of rubbish 'it had to be done' doesn't really tell us much though does it pre-season was certainly a waste of time this year though - only 3 players brought in, one of whom got injured, 3 games where the first team was played and only for about 45 minutes in each of them, injuries to Lallana, Lambert and Puncheon we started the season at a gentle jog as a result - whereas we should have come out the blocks firing on all cyliners and at a sprint! undoubtedly this all played a part in Pardews sacking - but I think it really came down to an argument about transfers - or lack of them - and lack of transfer funds. Reading between the lines Waigo was all set to return to Saints but Pardew didn't want him - and blocked the transfer - but then failed to bring anyone else in. Sounds like Cortese refused to meet Reading asking price for Antonio at the same time. I think we also failed with a bid for Nicky Bailey, Simeon Jackson and Matt Phillips - mostly because they wanted Championship or Premierhsip football and signed for clubs higher up the league. Cortese then brought in Do Prado ignoring Pardew. This all led to a confrontation about transfers and budgets, Pardew asking for more money to guarantee promotion - Cortese saying no - which along with the poor start to the season and a wasted pre-season led to a parting of the ways. Sure it all supposition - but it sounds a lot more realistic than the rumours I've been reading and hearing. Call it an educated guess. as for the new manager fiasco - I think that will take some more explaining!

I'm starting to think we should walk away from this one. Surely if Adkins was convinced by the Saints job it would be a done deal by now. I don't think his heart is in it - his head might be but his heart isn't - that's rests with Scunny by the looks of it. If he really wants the Saints job he would resign from Scunny.

Tony Mowbray?

Adkins is undoubtedly a good manager - he track record at S****horpe proves it. But as with all managers it is a case of the right time and place. Would Southampton be the right club at the right time for Adkins - possibly yes and at the same time probably not. I would be surprised if he dropped down a division to manage us - and the Irons fans should be disappointed in him if he does. Undoubtedly he will leave them for bigger and better things at some point - although I would agree with most of the people on that messageboard that right now that's not Saints. Sure we are probably a bigger club and one with more potential - but right now they are the more stable and more successful club. Now if a bigger club with more potential than S****horpe came in for him from the Championship I'd expect him to take the job straight away. But maybe with Adkins he will have to take a step back to take two steps forward - much like Fonte thought he was doing -if he's going to get a job at a big club. There will be a lot more pressure at Saints that's for sure - impatient fans, an impatient chairman, expectation of promotion - and Adkins will have a lot to prove to a sceptical fan base.

You at joking right - he's a terrible manager! We had a Skate in charge before and look where it got us. Apart from a lucky FA Cup run his record at Pompey was awful - and at Chelsea he just sat there as it happened aroun him. And he's not exactly impressing the hammers fans is he. We don't need or want a foreigner - we need someone who can get us out of this division - who understands English Football and League 1! Nigel Adkins possibly. But I'd go for Tony Mowbray - he's English, understands lower league football and built a team playing great football at WBA

Right now he would give us the cover and the pace upfront we so desperately need - a front four of Puncheon, Waigo, Guly Do Prado and Oxlade-Chamberlain would give most teams on League 1 problems it would also allow Lambert to take a break and get the operation he needs - and provide the covet for Barnard whilst he serves his 3 match ban - and Lallana whilst he recovers from hid operation

Is Reed really a Technical Director or Director of Football then. Reminds me a bit of the Sir Clive Woodward situation where no one seemed to know what his role was at the club - he just seemed to cause confusion and then chaos and dismay

when you here sh*te like that you should tell whoever told you to shut their mouths and then never repeat it anywhere - it does nothing but harm the club we - yes we - support

No we are cursed - this should have been our season - but oh no the fates are laughing at us

I'm not convinced that someone who worked for UEFA wil necessarily have the right experience and contacts to market a club in the old English first division. Our TV coverage is minimal (league football show highlights and very occassional SKY games) and the audience for it is pretty much the same as that which uses the Saints website, reads the Echo or attends the games - the active supporter base it's the national newspapers that give us the widest audience and reach unless we are in the premier league we are never going to compete for media coverage with the big clubs such as Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd - but it still seems counter productive to restrict the reach of our brand - or that of a sponsor by restricitng photographers from the national press and other local papers to be honest I don't watch Match of the Day anymore - nor live football on SKY - only the highlights of Saints games on iPlayer - and the only reason I can tell you that Tombola sponsor Sunderland is because I saw a picture in the paper with a match report

the ban on photographers at St Marys will surely affect our chances of getting a 'big' sponsor next season what's the point of paying to have your logo or brand on the front of the teams shirt when its hardly ever going to be seen by a wider audience due to the ban on photographers at St Mary's sure it will be seen by those at St Marys, and on the website and probably in the local paper - but national exposure will be very limited Someone might tempted to sponsor the away shirts - ut only at a knock down price though from a commercial or marketing point of view the ban on photographers seems to be a very strange decision perhaps we'll have to get different sponsors for the home and away shirts - or donate it to charity like Barcelona! Sounds to me like someone made a very stupide decision - and doesn't have the strength of character to admit it was a mistake and revoke the decision

I think it all came down to a disagreement about transfers between Cortese and Pardew Pardew wanted more money to spend and Cortese basically said no - and that led to a major disagreement about they way forward and results on the pitch and a parting of the ways! It seems we missed out on nearly all of our transfer targets this summer - partly because we lost out to teams higher up the league (Matt Phillips to West Brom, Nicky Bailey, Simeon Jackson,etc) or refused to pay the money clubs or players were asking for (Michail Antonio, Adam Le Fondre). It also sounds like Cortese wanted to bring back Waigo - but for some reason to do with Pardew it wouldn't happen - either Pardew didn't want him or Waigo wouldn't come back if Pardew was still there. I think it will tell us a lot if Waigo rejoins us in the loan Window. The Do Prado - or Guly deal - sounds like it was done by Cortese and not Pardew to make a point. Thing is if Pardew said we needed to spend more money to bring some new players in to guarantee promotion he was probably right - at the moment without Waigo and Antonio we are considerably weaker than last season - we have no pace in the team and nothing on the bench that is going to change a game. We are short a striker, a winger and a central midfielder at the moment. But perhaps Cortese doesn't see it this way and thinks the team we have is good enough. If that's the case the next few weeks with Lambert off form, unfit and carrying an injury, Lallana out injured, Barnard banned and Jaidi over the hill the next few weeks will prove him sadly wrong. If we are going to mount a real promotion push we need a decent manager and some new players in pretty quickly - lets hope we get a manager in place before the loan window opens and he brings in the players we need on loan pretty quickly. having said that i think we may need to accept that the money we need to buy our way out of League 1 just isn't there - perhaps Marcus Liebherr passing away changed things - or perhaps the budget originally set was simply never going to be enough it may be a case of wages or it may be a case of lack of transfer funds - only time will tell us if we're lucky the frustating thing is this is a League you can buy your way out off - unlike the Championship what worries me is that if we are not in the top six by January and looking like promotion contenders players like Lallana, Schneiderlin and Lambert will look to move to a club higher up the league in the transfer window - and if we are still in League 1 next summer they will definately look to move if they are still here all we can hope for then is that we are allowed to reinvest all the money we make from selling them back into the squad - and have a manager that can build winning teams by picking gems from the lower leagues and taking great youth players on loan

It sounds to me like it was a heat of the moment sacking - I would guess there has been friction between Cortese and Pardew for a while. It probably started when we failed to make the play-offs last season despite spending money in January. The wasted pre-season and the bad start to this season probably didn't help either. But I have a feeling it really comes down to recent transfer dealings - or the lack of them - sounds like Pardew didn't want Waigo back or Guly at all. But also that we haven't signed the players that Pardew wanted like Antonio or Matt Phillips. I imagine that Cortese refused to pay the money - saying we spent money in January - and argued that we could get cheaper and better players from abroad. This led to a major confrontation just before the close of the transfer window and a parting of the ways.

I am assuming Cortese has written off promotion this season

it is becoming an annus horribilis - but what did we expect - this is Saints - things always go wrong for us

like I want to support another club I bought a half season ticket last season for the first time ever in over 30 years of supporting Saints - to make sure I got JPT final tickets and to enjoy what I hoped was going to be a push for the play-offs at the end of the season this summer I bought a Season ticket for the first time - partly because I was expecting a great season - some great signings over the summers to show our inten - and a team that would hit the ground running now I really really wish I hadn't bothered it means I'm going to go to the game on Saturday wishing I wasn't if Swindon can beat us 3-0 we are in trouble

will it make any difference if he does anyway now - the way Corteses is going we are not going to make it back to the premiership under his stewardship - and certainly not within 5 years - and what good is the Liebherr money to us anyway if we are not going to spend it in the transfer window to build a team good enough to go up automatically we are going to do a Leeds and be stuck in the this division for at least 3 seasons by the looks of it with Marcus Liebherr passing away, a crap pre-season, a weaker team than finished last season, 4 points out of 9 in the first 3 games, and now out of the League Cup and JPT in the first month of the season all the momentum and feel good factor from last season has gone we may have taken two steps forward - but we have taken one step back now yet another false dawn at Southampton FC