Kingsland Codger

Look on the bright side. Surprisingly, Ashton could have included the interview with Mr Krueger which repeated the same promises as Mr Reed had said one month earlier - and yet within hours one of our international strikers was sold on the cheap. His article could have been even more damning - we got off lightly.

Are you saying Reed didn't anticipate a bid for an England international striker? Maybe not from Liverpool, but from anyone? I take the point made by SaintRobbie that AL and Shaw are still with us and so to have delayed/rejected bids so far shows some resolve but to have caved in so feebly over Lambert runs contrary to his earlier statement. Had we accepted a bid for, say, Kelvin Davis then Reed might be cut a little slack but to have sold Lambert within a month of his statement is damaging beyond repair.

Maybe I'm reading Mr Reed's statement too closely, but then, how else am I or anyone else supposed to read it? I'll quote it again ... "No club has been given permission to talk to any of our players. That will remain so." And yet, one month later, Rickie Lambert was given permission to talk to Liverpool - he decided personal terms. and the next bit ... “We want to retain the players we’ve got. They are all contracted. They all have existing contracts and we intend for them to honour those contracts." It's that pesky word "all" that's the killer. He didn't say "some are contracted" nor did he say "most are contracted", he said "all". And, again, the decision to sell Lambert shows what he said one month ago to be just so much baloney.

My point being quite simple. Neither Mr Reed (nor, after his statement has also been shown to be utterly worthless, Mr Krueger) has any credibility whatsoever.

Mr Les Reed, 25 April "No club has been given permission to talk to any of our players. That will remain so. As far as the policy is concerned, we’ve had a great season. We want to build on that season. We want to improve the squad going forward. “We want to retain the players we’ve got. They are all contracted. They all have existing contracts and we intend for them to honour those contracts. Any enquiries we get will probably be met with a ‘no – not for sale’. Our intention is to keep this very good team together and build on it by bringing new players to improve on that" http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/article/25042014-les-reed-statement-on-pochettino-and-players-1509755.aspx

Not daft at all. I wouldn't rule out the club being sold in its entirety. I just wonder if there isn't a kind of 'double sales' project. By this I mean the plan is to sell off the bulk of the current squad, upgrade Martin Hunter as the manager and promote the fringe and academy players - so next season's squad would include the likes of Rowe, Reed, Targett, Gallagher, Sims, Stephens, Hesketh, Isgrove and other youth team players along with, say, Hooiveld, Gazzanigga, Mayuka and the odd loan or free transfer coming in. Very little, if any, cash will be spent on new players. Then sell off those players and repeat the process. If we survive then so much the better but when relegation(s?) eventually comes along (whether that is sooner or later is only of mild concern) then there is the parachute money, before selling off what's left of a struggling club in whatever division we happen to be in. Who knows, the academy lads might surprise us all and become our new legends but I fear from now on 'the project' will be all about selling with little buying. I'm mildly surprised to see myself suggesting this conclusion; until yesterday morning I had fallen for Mr Krueger's statement, hook-line-and-sinker. I had also been impressed by the statement of Mr Reed just before the Everton game (see below). But it all looks so hollow now. Time will tell, but the good times are unlikely to be repeated for a generation or two. I can only hope the above scenario is all completely wrong. +++++++++++++++++ Mr Les Reed, 25 April "No club has been given permission to talk to any of our players. That will remain so. As far as the policy is concerned, we’ve had a great season. We want to build on that season. We want to improve the squad going forward. “We want to retain the players we’ve got. They are all contracted. They all have existing contracts and we intend for them to honour those contracts. Any enquiries we get will probably be met with a ‘no – not for sale’. Our intention is to keep this very good team together and build on it by bringing new players to improve on that" http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/article/25042014-les-reed-statement-on-pochettino-and-players-1509755.aspx.

Quite why anyone thinks there will be any funds made available for new purchases is beyond me. Today's utter fiasco is clear evidence the asset stripping has just begun. Ask yourself a question ... why would any business sell an asset at speed and at a knock-down price? Maybe I'm disillusioned after being so thoroughly let-down by Mr Krueger's now worthless statement but I fail to see any good news in the near future.

Mr Krueger made the statement twice. "we would like the new manager to be involved in our player decisions" and then .... "First of all it’s very clear that we are in control. We are in control of all the player transfers. All the top players are under long term contracts. Any transfers that take place will be under our terms. We will decide the terms to potential transfers in and out of the club. We will involve the manager. That is important for everybody to know. That’s why we have been able to not agree to any transfers to date, because we have control of the situation, and anybody who is saying anything else doesn’t understand that we are in a strong position with the Saints." The uncensored and unabridged transcript is available on the Echo websitehttp://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/11242017._We_re_aiming_for_Europe____full_interview_with_Saints_chairman_Ralph_Krueger/

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. W B Yeats I awoke this morning to the news of SRL's possible transfer but I took solace in the statement of Mr Krueger on Wednesday. No-one would be sold until a new manager was announced and even if the newcomer thought it best to sell our talisman it sure as heck wouldn't be for a derisory fee with "add-ons". A club "in control" doesn't do "add-ons"; a club "in control" demands cold, hard cash and lots of it. When come lunchtime it was clear the deal was done for a mere £4m and Mr Krueger had either willfully treated his customer base with utter contempt (unlikely) or been royally stitched-up by someone else on the Board (more likely) then, like those who have posted on this thread before me, I felt mightily disillusioned. But at least I now know there isn't a team of twenty dedicated scouts out there scouring Europe and beyond for potential players, coaches and managers. I now know Mr Reed has not been inundated with applications. It was silly of me to have been duped by Mr Krueger's words. There will be no transfer kitty, the new manager will not be hired "in days not weeks" and whoever he might be, he will be underwhelming. What, indeed, is the point? I lack all conviction - although bouts of passionate intensity crop up from time-to-time.

I wouldn't be surprised if he resigned over this weekend. Stitched up royally over his Wednesday statement - he was wrong about the new manager being involved over transfers, he was wrong about us being in control of transfer deals. His comments being 'inundated' with applications for the manager's job now sounds like a load of baloney.

It looks like there are some Boardroom shenanigans going on and he has been well-and-truly stitched up by someone. His statement of less than 48 hours ago is now worse than useless. If the transfer of SRL has been agreed then Mr Krueger is now utterly discredited and anything he says should be treated with a borrow-load of salt.

If someone in another business were to sell an asset at great speed and for a knock-down price, what would you think? One likely conclusion to be drawn would be that they were in desperate need of the funds.

BBC 5 Live were reporting this "deal close to being done, medical on Saturday" on the news at 6 this morning. Nothing new in the Press Association reports.

The whole story just doesn't ring true, yet the news outlets are all saying the deal is very close with a medical possibly as early as tomorrow. All very puzzling. Puzzling because Mr Krueger has told us nothing will be decided on any transfers without the involvement of the new manager. As for the any indicated fee ... £4m plus add-ons? Why would we be interested in add-ons? Mr Krueger has stated, with abundant clarity, that we are in control and any transfers will be under our terms. If Liverpool want to suggest "up to £9m but only £4m plus add-ons" then we should simply say - "no, if you think SRL is worth £9m to you, then pay it all, in full not in installments, in cash, up front, now. And only if our new manager has been involved in the decision making". Time for Mr Krueger, on his return from Burton, to make a statement and say "No, no, no".

I thought he said we are 'in control' of all transfers.

Early January - just after a relegation threatened (but weakened) Spurs side get walloped in the third round of the FA Cup.

Many congratulations. I became a granddad for the first time at the end of last month and it's a fantastic experience. All the joy and none of the responsibility.

Kai Tak - what an exhilarating landing; turn-right-at-the-checkerboard, the mountains, the skyscrapers, the washing lines, the cross-winds and the laping waves. The youtube clip is worth a look - Kai Tak landing

Jonny Wilkinson calls it a day at the end of the season - so it's 'farewell and thank you for the memories'. Although always remembered for his penalties and drop-kicks, he was a ferocious tackler.

Steven Davis

Here's a little something for the reporter to mull over. Saints sold a 17 year old who hadn't even played in the Championship, let alone the Premier League, to Arsenal for a fee reported to be £15m. What do you think Saints would expect for a proven Premier League player, nominated as Player of the Year and regarded by most as one of the hot properties of 2014?

I always suspected those pesky clean sheets we insisted on keeping at the start of the season would come back to haunt us. What chance did we ever give ourselves of coming from behind if we never conceded in the first place?

St Mary's come second in the list http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26630281

Well, that's the fashionable theory, I grant you and who knows, it might catch on. I've always suspected a complex system of mirrors myself but few (if any) others have reflected in this.

The failure of the match officials to give offside was so dreadful MP has every right to shout his anger from the hilltops - fat lot of good it will do him and I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a fine for doing so. However, yesterday's fiasco highlights a huge problem. When everyone in the stadium and at home can see a ridiculous error (Lallana said in his post-match interview he could see the replay on the Big Screen) then why can't the incident be investigated and amended there and then? Chris Foy has the whistle, he should have consulted with his lino and done the correct thing. What galls further is the apparent lack of interest in some of the match reports. See the report on the BBC website STARTS A delightful move involving Toure, Dzeko and David Silva presented Nasri with the easiest of finishes, though City could count themselves fortunate given Silva was offside when he provided the assist. ENDS "City could count themselves fortunate" ?? !! Had that decision been the other way and it was a goal for Saints today's press would be howling for justice.