Saint Fan CaM

I am as pleased as the next man that we find ourselves with a new owner who appears to want the best for the club...etc. etc. I've bought my ST and I'm looking forward to supporting ML, the new manager and the team. However, am I the only one starting to get a little concerned about the manner in which pre-season is now progressing? I do not feel I am over-reacting - just starting to feel a bit...well, uneasy. Firstly, not making a swift managerial appointment tends to suggest that a clear candidate was not known beforehand. Not a problem in essence I know, however I would have hoped the incoming regime had enough time to target and secure their man before now. Secondly and most importantly, I am not getting a good feeling about the squad as it stands. Without a manager being appointed, the current batch of players being trooped out are MILES from being good enough to survive L1, let alone challenge for a play-off place. IMO major surgery on the team and its tactics will be vital to any form of success this coming season. Time is running out to sort this squad out and get a cohesive 1st team prepared for the season ahead - to rid the current players of the losing mentality from last season - to drill them in the new managers ideas - to prepare for what will be a very demanding season again. There are only so many pre-season warm-up friendlies to do this work and I repeat, time is running out. Fingers crossed. :cool:

The appointment would serve only one set of people - Pompey supporters, who would get a nice little early season free laugh at our expense. The guy is a proven looser at management - nuff said.

Is Lita any better than Stern John though? Must admit the two of them in a 4-4-2 would be awesome.

Proof? I would have thought by now we would have built a healthy dose of scepticism regarding tabloid reports.

If it means more unnecessary admin then its a no-brainer to cut costs. Those of us who have an ST are OK and certainly at the moment, there is no need for the others to worry about getting a ticket.

Mmm, did that yesterday actually. Guy is a true gent and we should all be very thankful that he is a Saints supporter through and through. Oh, did I mention he's also a good businessman with a nose for getting the important stuff right? Thanks Leon.

Fantastic news. Once again, ML and team have acted swiftly and decisively to sort out the wrongs of the past and to put the club back on the right track. Wotte staying would have been cementing the disaster and indeed repeating it in L1. As I said yesterday, it was best that either he went immediately or he was given full long-term backing and the former was the best decision for Saints by a country mile. Just really loving the vibe that I'm getting from the new regime.

What makes any of you think Crouch WANTS a place anywhere near the Boardroom? Leave it alone - it's really not worth it getting your pants in a twist over....move on...nothing to see here.

I think the key here is he will judged on how successfully he deploys his bosses money. This will start with showing more ambition than Lowe in managerial appointments.

I was with a skate 'friend' yesterday-ST holder. He said 2 key things...1. He hoped Saints got a good buyer & 2. He didn't want Arab money at his club. Looks like he got both wishes. I would not want them to go under, but a return to their lower league status would be sweet indeed.

Superb news. However, not sure where the bear will fit into the scheme of things though?!

Eh? How could this buffoon do that?

We should be working our bolls off to keep the likes of Davis. He WANTS to be here.

This twerp is assisting in killing the game we love. Regardless of his position on Saints, he is an incompetent fool.

Sorry - got to respectfully disagree with that. Top clubs recognise their heritage and history. Lowe tried to purge our history and it's greatest successes. Not saying MLT should be given a formal job, but he should be welcomed open armed as an ambassador for the club and so should any other significant ex-player for that matter.

Worst possible scenario is to 'give him a chance' then sack him sometime into the season....that's Lowe tactics and we all know for a FACT that does not work. In fact, it's completely suicidal. Either appoint the guy, give him resources and the season, OR get shot of him now (perhaps back to the Academy) and appoint a Manager who has a successful track record and knows what they're doing. I vote for the latter choice - Wotte has shown us what he can(not) do.

I truly believed that administration was the only way we would rid ourselves of Lowe, Wilde and the rest of the Board that helped destroy a successful club. I am extemely pleased and relieved to hear that a buyer has been found to save the club from oblivion, although I was reasonably confident that it would be sold (not so confident in Fry's capability though). I will certainly renew my ST - may even buy a 2nd - and will support the team as always. HOWEVER! I reserve the right to be critical of the owner, the management and the players. The first big test for me will be the decision on the manager and any new playing staff coming in. If Wotte is kept in place, I will immediately be concerned about the strategy and policy of ML - primarily because it will not signal ambition to me. And that is the major reason I disliked Lowe. The jury is out - honeymoon period about to start. Good luck Markus.

What time was that announced? How do they know? More inaccurate reporting of nothing particular I suspect.

Seems pretty clear that its not going to happen today now. Will it EVER??!? How many snags and 'minor' points can there be FFS?!

I'm waiting for the inevitable excuse that there are a couple of minor issues to iron out with the FL. Want to believe it will happen, but this has gone on so long now it is hard not to believe that either the prospective interest is false (i.e. no money/ looking for a cheap deal/tyre kickers) , or the club set-up is so poor there are insurmountable hurdles for potential owners to overcome. On a scale of 1-10, where 10 is most likely, I would guess the chances of the takeover happening this week are about 3.

My thoughts exactly. Far too many false dawns. But something about Fry's last comments make me feel a bit more positive. Only doubts are that it might be the Swiss that win, but it's not reported Leibherr money and that we'll not have a cohesive squad to take on L1.

I truly hope so - we need players here who WANT to play for Saints. KD has all the right qualities both as a player, leader and exponent of the club.

It's tied in with the feeling that he does not know the English game. Tbf I think he is an ok coach, however it is the selection of a cohesive team and the manner in which plays them which let's him down IMO.

Ah ok that explains absense thanks. Still concerned that we'll end up with a Rag tag side that has little or no cohesion. It would not surprise me to see us struggle in L1 quite considerably, Swiss money or not, because of this.

There were a number of notable players missing from the game - eg Davis, Stern, trialists etc. (I think this is true reading the OS report). Wondering whether this might indicate that we're likely to have a bloated squad of mediocre players and/or players that do not compliment each other? For me this is indicative of MW's weakness as a manager. Comment?