St Marco

Only 12 people scored more goals. It doesn't matter how they are scored. 13 goals, 10 assists, and played all but 1 game this season. Good luck finding someone who can do that for £4m. Only two people had more assists.

In that period of 'stabilizing' how many of their key players were sold? How many managers walked away?

To put the price into a bit of perspective we paid £4m for Forren who did **** all. Lambert is an international playing at the World Cup for England and has scored over 100 goals for us. Having a near 1 goal in 2 games strike rate. £4m is a joke.

To be honest I would normally agree but I think replacing a proven goal scorer who stays fit most of the time is the hardest position to replace. I am not saying we will be relegated but I do believe that it will be hard to find someone who can bang in 15 PL goals a year for £4m.

To be honest I am getting the feeling he has been employed to be the fall guy. I don't think he is told much at all about what happens at the club, has no influence in anything. His interviews have been interesting to listen to but he has already shown he doesn't know what is happening. "No players will be sold until a new manager comes in who will decide on who to keep and who to let go". Only took a day for that to turn out untrue. He is on a hiding to nothing while the real villains are safe in the bunker.

Or we could of just asked for the £9m up front and if they don't like it they can **** off?

Total legend. Not only a good football player but a decent guy. A dying breed of person in the world of football today. It is like a fairy tale and would only be complete if he scores the winning goal to lift the World Cup (Got to dream right....). Wish him nothing but the best.

I just can't believe this....If anyone symbolises our progression from L1 to 8th in the PL it is Sir Rickie. The guy is a total legend. Granted he is now 32 and looking at the twilight years of his career but he can still do a top job here. If he couldn't why would Liverpool be interested in him? £4m for a guy who has scored 30 PL goals in the last two seasons is a complete joke. I can't help but feel annoyed at some of the hypocrisy on here. Go back a year and some of these so called fans were taking pops at Cortese for pretty much anything. But the new board lose our manager, say they won't sell any players until a new manager comes in then sell our best player the next day, and they call for calm and say people are 'bed wetters'...seriously wake up and smell the coffee. Something is happening at our club and it isn't good.

We had one when we were bottom of league one with just a shell of a club, why wouldn't we after being 8th in the PL with 4 England players and various other internationals? Trying to be un-biased here if I look at it purely from a business analyst perspective I would see a lot of potential in the club/company which could in turn create bigger revenues. To think or imply no 'responsible' individuals would be interested is a bit daft to be honest.

* Allowing a big name brand to walk away from being a kit sponsor * Allowing club sponsors to walk away * Leaving important staff's contracts to get to the 1 year point * Appointing a Chairman who has no experience of running a company let alone any football experience. * Allowing a director to speak to the press saying we are in a difficult financial situation etc

No....I believe that some clubs are after our players, you would have to be stupid not to believe that. But that does not mean those players will go to those clubs. Like I tried to show you with the echo link above if we believe rumours become fact then Shaw would be playing for Man Utd now, Lallana would be at Arsenal, Gaston would be at Inter with Osvaldo and we would have Shane Long as our striker. None of those turned out to be true. It doesn't mean that there was not any interest in them but if the percentage of how many of those rumours turned into reality was 0% then again sorry for not believing in them. I am not saying he was not offered a deal, this is what you seem to be getting wrong. I am saying that just because someone somewhere said he was offered xyz it shouldn't be taken as fact. I honestly do not see how that fits in with me thinking the board need to grow a pair? Because quite frankly they do. They have acted very amateurish on many things. Comments from current players indicates some unhappiness with the board. But hey what do I know I am just a megaspacker

There is no proof. The difference is it is widely reported that those clubs are INTERESTED in those players. It doesn't mean they will make actual bids for them does it?

Of course they are. But knowing what was said/offered by a board to an employee is totally different. Take a look at the rumours we were involved with in January http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/10906131.Saints__transfer_rumour_round_up___January_2014/ How many of them turned out to actually happen? Of the 20 or so rumours not one happened. So like I said before sorry for not having faith in "rumours". If that makes me a megaspacker or whatever then fine.

Show me this leak that you speak of? Again until we have actual proof he was offered things then it is purely paper speculation. When Cortese left if you look at KL's statement she says she offered him a deal as she wanted him to stay on. So far that has not been mentioned in our statement has it? So much bull**** has been written about our club over the years that you would think people would be a bit more cautious with supposed 'reports' wouldn't you? Guess not.

I doubt he would of paid that himself. And again just because you have a clause like that does not mean he was offered anything from our club. It doesn't prove the club offered him xyz to stay.

That does not mean he was offered a new deal does it? If he was offered loads of money and was told his squad would be broken up etc then he might not wanted to stay as the project would now be different. Who knows what was said or offered between the board and him. But like I said to talk as if something's are fact is wrong.

I don't believe it if someone simply made it up on the internet no. Rumours are just that, rumours. Without anything to back them up they should not be talked about as if they are fact.

Source?

An offer that was made up on here? Pretty sure Wagamama would have spoken to MP and by accounts it looks as though the board didn't do anything.

Think the fights start at 6pm and doors open at 5pm. I could be wrong though. We go to baker street for drinks as the ones at Wembley Park are always rammed. Plus it is only two stops away on the tube if I remember right. Think we will be there from around 2ish and make our way there about 4.45pm. If you want to watch the fights I would give yourself 30mins so be there 5.30pm at the latest imo.

Coz he is a c*nt?

No doubt you will get shot down for even mentioning it, but I tend to think we need to hold off with the snap judgements. Right now is the time for the board to step up to the plate and show why they are employed at the club. Give them a chance to put their ideas across and see which direction they choose to go in. They are there to make the decisions that need to be made especially in times like now. We need not only a new manager but a whole new coaching team too. They have to get this right 100% or the negativity will just build and build. All the positives of our rise could be wiped out in one go if they get these decisions wrong. IF they get it wrong then I will have zero belief in them, I question their credentials already as it appears a lot of us on here have more experience then some on the board do of running a company. But we must wait and see what happens. Managers come and go. Players come and go. Board people come and go. The next few weeks will tell us if those board members should be following these people out the door too.

So this he was offered a big contract, given assurances the club wouldn't sell players and invest in bringing more in to push on rumour has become fact now has it?

Like I said in the other thread. If he doesn't want to be here then fine. But I would like to know why he would not want to be here any longer? What did he and the board discuss? It is easy to criticise him but I tend to think he was not given assurances his team would not be broken up. Would not be getting funds to push on from here. No doubt it will become clear in time but if our ambitions do not match then I don't blame him for going. Every single one of us would have done the same thing.

Totally agree. But for me the disappointment is that the journey we were on as a club with the backroom staff, the playing staff, the manager etc has now come to an end. What will happen from here? Who knows. But I think rats leaving a sinking ship rings to mind...