egg

Never a beetle Del, but I've bought sold plenty of classic cars. Sure, I hoped that the buyer would love them like I did, but deep down it was about the money. A more relevant analogy though is had one of my daughters inherited those cars, but wasn't sufficiently interested to keep up its maintenance and throwing the required money at it, would they really be expected to wait for "the" buyer who would cherish and throw money at them as I did? The honest answer is no, and thats what this whole debate comes down to - passionate fans unrealistically expecting the female Austrian heiress to have the same passion for our local club as we do.

If her heart / purse wasn't in it, then she had taken the club as far as she could. What's dishonest about admitting that? It was her dad's train set, not hers. The second bit, however, may not be honest. Sure its possible that Gao pulled the wall over her eyes, but in truth who sells something and gives a monkeys if the buyer is going to look after it?

Directors loan repayments are tax free and come from the company.

Why? Both had good games last night. I'd keep the same team, although I'd arguably replace Djenepo with Armstrong if he's fit to give a bit more solidity down the right.

Policy

Would any defence look good in a 424 (basically that's what it was) with Hoj and JWP in front of them? I remember the Chris Nicholls 424 days when we struggled at the back, and that was with Case as a protector, and in an era when full backs mostly stayed back. Yesterday we had full backs bombing on joining a front 4. It's a suicide system and the CB's did well yesterday.

I'm not sure whether to take that to mean that you actually know that the club have planted fake stories, or that's what you've told yourself. I think it's the latter. Answer the other point though please. How would any fan expecting something to happen feel placated when it doesn't happen just cos the paper said it would? Your whole conspiracy theory is based on the fact that fans will believe a lie (printed in the telegraph of all places) and somehow feel happier if the lie doesn't come off just cos they read about it. And what then, ie what's the point of these planted lies? Does the fan who saw a 9 nil defeat on the telly rush out and buy tickets for the next home game, or go and buy his kid a shirt cos the telegraph said that the cavalry are coming? It's boll0cks pal, journalists are full of sh:te

You believe that the club plant that these stories "to placate fans when they don't happen". I'm struggling to understand how any fan expecting something to happen will feel placated when it doesn't happen just cos the paper said it would. That's nuts - the obvious reaction is the opposite. Tell me which telegraph stories that didn't come true came from the club, and how you know (rather than assume) that they came from the club. Personally, I'll continue to accept that papers are capable of writing boll0cks without help from Southampton fc.

It was in a paper and it hasn't happened. That's a rumour. Has every story in the telegraph about us come true? Where it hasn't, what makes you say that it was a planted story rather than paper talk? Same applies here.

Yep. It was noticeable how Obafemi up top with Ings kept Luiz back in his own half. Tactics were good on Saturday.

It's a newspaper story and there's nothing "odd" with treating newspaper rumours as exactly that.

It was a newspaper article, i.e. a rumour. Additionally, somebody on here claiming to be ITK added their view, i.e. an additional rumour. This whole thing has sprung up from rumour, nothing more and I don't buy into the conspiracy theory that the club began the rumour. I've with you on the last point though; that would be a stellar group of people.

Same place as the new dof/coaching restructure before the end of the international break - the rumour mill.

It was a toss up between Mane, Vardy or Aubemeyang to captain my fantasy team. That line up has made it an easy choice sadly.

Can only be pace. He'll do OK if his hamstrings can make it through a game.

Looks like 4222 or 442. There line up is odd too. Either 3 at the back or Chambers in midfield I'd guess. Gonna be goals in this game.

Cheers ?

Wandered where l'undulu had gone. Is Smallbone still injured?

No Slattery, Vokins or L'undulu.

A poster and a newspaper article, so rumours.

Hmmm. Would you also dispute that the groundwork/drains went down then a change of heart? Regardless, there was c. £14m approved and c. £39m spent. That project finished him at the club.

Turkish will no doubt answer if he wants to, but cortese was a nightmare, and some of it has been documented on here. Yes he was at the helm during what was possibly the most exciting era in the club's history, and we all enjoyed our clubs resurrection and return to the PL. However, cortese as a character made us unpopular in football circles, he was divisive in the club, and ultimately treated the club as if it were his trainset with masses of financial waste including and overspend by about £25m on the (leased) training ground without approval. There were other issues too. Don't get me a wrong, I'd have a cortese with cash to burn over the current idiots every day of the week, but let's not kid ourselves that cortese was perfect.

Pain

So the suggestion that we're getting a DOF in and revamping our coaching structure flows from paper talk, and a bloke on here claiming to be ITK? That killed any excitement I had.

Dance