EastleighSoulBoy

Is that what can be termed as 'Liquidation' then?

That really proves to me that some of them are truly so far away with the fairies that there's no possible way back.

R.I.P. one of football's true, and rare, Gentlemen. I expect there's a kickabout going on up there right now.

Exactly my view. I'm now one of life's cynics but, until proven otherwise, I will take ML & NC's words as honest and transparent. At the end of the day they don't have to justify anything to us fans as they, represented by NC, own it. I hardly think that the club was bought to be an adventure doomed to failure. I'm of the opinion that ML is succesful enough a businessman to have taken good football business advice and will have surrounded himself with such advisors, so he and his team can learn and make their business model succesful. He's no slouch, he'll know all the sharp practices even though he might not practice them himself and, despite his avuncular appearance, he's going to be no pushover when it comes to wheeling and dealing. As Mr John & his agent seem to have discovered!

They brought us such culinary delights as the Deep Fried Mars Bar!

True.

I think that's what is driving some to comment about the 'debt free' statement. It's going to take a while to rebuild this club. I'm happy that we are now financially stable. All I want now is team and football stability. I'm not expecting us to 'walk this league', conversely though I'd be peeved, seriously, if we were relegated! I feel that both ML and AP seem to share a vision of steady, sustainable growth. Hopefully promotion next season, stability the season after and then a push for PL status the following year. It's all well having lots of money, splashing on costly players etc but you have to have stability in a club and, let's face it, how many of the type of players we would like, would be interested in Saints right at this moment in time?

Well said, at least we can say 'We're **** and we know it'. whereas our FFF (Fish Fiddling Friends) know they are **** and still can't believe it. At the end of the day I'd rather be a Scummer than a Skate.

At the end of the day Saints are in private ownership. ML can do what he likes, when he likes and, because we have no shares, it's none of our business anyway! Harsh but true but that doesn't and will not stop us wondering. However, the wondering could drive us round the bend if ML decides not to confide in us and from his view what has it got to do with us how he runs his business? So far he and his team have seemed to be transparent with no real reason to lie or mislead us. ML is not one of those who has been at the helm during our decline. Let's not judge him how we perceived those others. So, when NC tells us that 'we' are debt free I have no reason to doubt him.

Fair play to KD and I reckon when he was interested in WHU it was because he feared that he would not have a job here. Any one of us would have done the same thing.

Can't argue with that logic but I can't help but make commparisons like: Comparing players from different eras is difficult because the way the game is played has changed. While I liked CMFG as a hard working player I look at him against Armstrong and it immediately leaps out at me that Armstrong did play for England. Now, some players for whatever reason, MLT, do get overlooked by their National side but I just can't picture CMFG in an England shirt! As kids we were not aware of players flaws, of course they had them! There was no internet, no incessant press coverage of the players then. They still went out on the p155, played away from home and probably got into a scuffle or two. We didn't even know about our club chairman, apart from the fact his name was Mr Reader! So I'd try not to be too objective, or analytical, of our boyhood heroes. Cynicism comes with age and experience, let's not apply it to our childhood heroes.

That's one hell of a perception! One which I am also fearful off. Question, probably this will provoke further debate, when our troops finally hand over control in whichever of Iraq or Afghanistan how long will it be before the perceived 'baddies' regain control of that country? While here and many parts of the world work on the ballot box there are many that work on the bullet. Now that's a culture that will probably never be removed, sad as it may seem.

Duncan, are you thinking that Saints are going to be short on the back and sides then?

Can't seem to dig out much more than this which refers to the publication of the interview in the next day's paper (Thursday 9th July 2009). I distinctly recall Cortese confirming that Southampton football Club is debt free and that ML does not use debt to fund business (obviously a paraphrase as I don't have a link to the original interview).

I find it hard to believe that Skates find so much time to come on their rivals forum. Are they missionaries trying to convert us to the dark side? Or is the standard of debate and banter a far better quality on here? They are fun to read and their misplaced optimism is a wonder to behold.

As in Rodney? :grin::smt093

Andruszewski (Manny) for the longest? Unless we include Phillipson-Masters ? (Named after a magazine?)

Is 'Bulldog' Downes the ex Wimbledon Goalie?

Spot on, one of the few of football's real Gentlemen.

Skates? Flounder? Premier League? Who could make a sentence using only these three subjects?

I see what you did there!

And unless they get us or Aldershot away in a cup it'll be the classiest stadium they'll play in in Hampshire this season!

I have just checked ITN, which makes MOG correct in my estimation.

Eastleigh, but the Saints tattoo would have had an R.I.P. added under it.