MarkSFC

although I like Antonio it would be great to get someone better!!

Solent suggesting PArdew is looking at awide man....cant see it being Antonio as he played tonight (wouldnt have if we'd had a bid accepted) so another good surprise perhaps?!!

I hope AP picks "his best team" based on performances so far. When you've had the start we've had this sort of game is ideal....absolutely no pressure whatsoever so doesnt matter if we lose, even to a so-called weakened Bolton team. The plus side of this approach is that if we win the huge boost it will give the players could be the catalyst to a big run of wins because this group knows how to win once its back in the swing of things.

i should think that the trend of custom in the hosptality areas is the main reason Cortese has hired someone externally, and as he doesnt start for another week or so we aint going to see much movement in terms of price and/or package. The same will apply to the advertising boards. Having said that on a practical level, I'm not surprised by the low take up (mind you 50 is preety dire regardless) because the Plymouth game was (obviously) on tv and more importantly an early kick-off. I wouldnt want to do hospitality that early....too early to eat really and more importantly not enough drinking time!!!! And then saturday it was Orient...'nuff said!! This club is a work in progress and Im sure it will just get better and better as time passes and as we move up the leagues.....

top.....on a winning streak of six or seven...crowds over 25K....Pardew back to back MOTM winner...Lambert and Lallana POTM winners....and everyone stopd f***ing moaning!!!!

interesting signing...looks good from the clips. We have seriously lacked a runner from midfield - with or without the ball - so this could be exciting. Possibly the two-in-one player to cover Lamberts height "in emergency"!! A CB, a DM, and Antonio and we will storm the league!!

Great statement....should put everyones mind at ease regarding ownership and the future financing of the club. This unfortunate incident seems to have galvanised Nicola Cortese and if ever there was an excuse to walk away then this was it BUT he hasnt and seems to have come out even more driven by the memory of his close friend. Some people who are still a very small minority need to cut this man some slack, look at the bigger picture and stop concerning themselves in petty arguments over petty decisions that effect them. I like that fact he mentions the "Saints Family" a couple of times....we always used to be.....or thats how it felt. WIFMATLF

Well said..me too. Im sure he's a Spurs fan but when he moved here to train with Team Solents Mike Smith in the nineties he somehow managed to get the echo to follow him as if he was a local......

Cortese needs to continue to **** off fans like you if thats what you feel.....

What an incredible story and what an incredible man Markus Leibherr truely was. I think we are possibly the luckiest club in the world to have him and his family as our owners............everything about the man and this last few days brings total humilty to our lives....

The Echo piece is quoting Pardew from after the Bournemouth game so yeah a regurgitation! I suspect "things" were put on hold until Sunday night and that targets and negotiations are back in 3/4 swing. I don't expect any announce prior to the memorial service but I do expect a new signing or two by the weekend!! This enforced lull is right and proper but I'm sure the eye has not fern taken off the ball. A new signing or two and especially a decent one would certainly perk the grieving fanbase.

Thank god someone has highlighted the need for a win because I know for a fact that the attitude in the camp is one of "we don't really care whether we win or not" because we get paid whatever. The thrill of winning a game in front of your own fans is no different to losing so why bother to go out to win thru may as well take the easy option. They have a target of winning the league but losing at home to a lower level team won't affect this so whatever!! TDD for team motivator please......the professional sportsmen need him now....

I lost my dad in his 60's and although it wasn't sudden those memories are heightened because of Markus's untimely departure. I am empathetic for his family and close friends and hope that Saints fans shoe them immediately and over the coming months and years how much we value his intervention in the clubs history. We may still of existed without him but he ensured that we steadied the ship and put in measures to fly again. This is what I will forever be grateful for. Whatever his motives he wanted success and put his money where his mouth was. I think you can't be a Saints fan right now without thinking about the future, but the fact that this wad adressed in the club statement I take this to 100% mean that in essence nothing will really change. For that to be mentioned shows a distinct appreciation of how the fanbase will think/ is thinking and speaks volumes for the family and the executive. I think we owe it to the Leibherr family to back them wholeheartedly in numbers and verbal support for as ling as they support our club.

Gutted, absolutely stunned. A legend in passing, forever a Saint. I will never forget seeing him taking pictures at the JPT and the absolute joy on his face. If ever there was a driving force behind SFC he was it. We owe it to him and his family and friends to win League 1 and power up the divisions. R.I.P. Markus, you will never be forgotten by Saints and deserve to be held in similar regard as Ted and Mary. Thank-you for saving my club.

Gutted, absolutely stunned. A legend in passing, forever a Saint. I will never forget seeing him taking pictures at the JPT and the absolute joy on his face. If ever there was a driving force behind SFC he was it. We owe it to him and his family and friends to win League 1 and power up the divisions. R.I.P. Markus, you will never be forgotten by Saints and deserve to be held in similar regard as Ted and Mary. Thank-you for saving my club.

Jason Scotland according to SSN not Roberts.

Successful teams and indeed succesful individuals know how to win, never give up, and most importantly perhaps expect to always win. Alan Pardew has shown that he is creating this mentality with the club and within the players. Most pro footballers will have learnt their trade in winning teams and so getting that mentality back is nit as hard as working with perennial losers, under-achievers, or pesimistic people. As a fanbase collectively we are not used to being winners, seeing our team win very regularly and are generally pesimistic and negative. If you look at the best teams in the world their support grow up as winners ( generally), are far more confident and that portrays itself as arrogance in many. Alan Pardew has rightly mentioned the effect our support has on the team. We have to turn our mentality around to one of optimism, and expect the team to win, but most importantly portray the positive support for the team consistsntly. In the glory days at The Dell (and the not so glory days too!) there was a general feeling of togetherness. This was probably helped by the fact that the base was virtually the same people week in week out. When it was 22k odd capacity it was still terraced which makes a difference but when it was all-seated and just over 15k it almost felt like a members club. Of course it was a very compact ground and that aided the volume but even still I seem to remember a bit more positivity especially in the dodgy years!! Maybe my memory is being selective but part of the fan base now will only now the last decade or so and that is generally a negative time. Apart from the odd season we have watched more defeats than wins in St Marys (or at least in comparison to what is regarded as succesful) and therefore that pessimism and expectation is ingrained in many. To change this round the team and the club have to initiate and lead this change but the fanbase have to be open to this change and make an effort to be more positive and optimistic during a game firstly, but more importantly in every day life as a Saints fan. On a slight slide note I think that the Chapel end should become the "main singing area" if the away fans have to stay where they are. If the main singers are effectively in the middle of the home fans ( I.e. home fans will be in one uninterupted chain when the ground is less full) then singing will spread down the Itchen and Kingsland, overtime!! It would also isolate the away support which helps Saints. I realise fans like being near the away fans but what's mist important is that Saints win. Almost every other big ground puts the away support in the worst positions possible...not by the singers!

I agree, he's at best an average League 1 defender. 4th change so to speak but hopefully we will sign a loanee CB to push Jaidi and Martin who I think has got what it takes to play at least Championship level! Reckon Seabourne was a sort of panic buy in the sense of getting someone in.

You really need to give it a rest Dune, everyone gets it, you don't like Cortese. Saying it a million times in a million different ways won't make any difference. In answer to your OP though, SFC the family club died the day Askham and his money grabbing friends (reverse) sold it to Lowe and Cowan.

You've been "annoyed" over a booking fee that you don't actually need to pay. You are pathetic.

Maybe that's exactly what he wants. Maybe his approach guarentees maximum publicity. If he's proven wrong in the long term then fair enough but his strategy is to creat a highly succesful and self-sustaining football club. Sure he / his team will make the odd mistake and the odd decision that bucks the trend and looks out of place but I say judge him in two or four years. You may feel that NC is slowly losing the support of the fans but I would argue that it is an extremely slow process. Most people are reasoned and not knee-jerk reactors.

I suppose you think that if you say it enough and say it loud enough people will take notice and agree with your viewpoint. This approach is flawed and makes you look foolish and ill-informed. What affects you doesn't neccessarily affect the majority and because you feel agrieved you feel others should. Your agenda is unclear because you fail to offer solutions other than the ridiculous notion that bringing members of the old board back is a solution to the problems that you feel exist. Remember these former people ( depending on who you mean specifically) screwed our club up with narrow minded short sighted, strategies that were not thought out properly or even implemented well. The man who has a very successful career in business has entrusted his new acquisition to Nicola Cortese and that's good enough for me. If Markus Leibherr hadn't bought the club it may well not exist now and for that everyone should be grateful. Small decisions in the overall picture will affect individuals and that is tough. As long as the majority is ok that's the best way of running a business. It's a cliche but you simply cannot please all the people all the time. To quote another cliche, if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got. I for one do not want what we've had for the last 20 years at least with Southampton, and with football in general. Breaking the mould and upsetting the apple cart can be exciting. Those who do not like change will struggle to understand that.

[quote=adriansfc;805162 They may not know all the details of training and coaching, but they can form an opinion on what they see, and for many on here, they've watched Saints and some of our players for far longer than the manager. Of course it doesn't mean they'd make good managers, but it doesn't mean they can't question decisions Yes, he's more successful than me, but that doesn't make him, or anyone else above questioning forever. Anthony Pulis is probably a far better player than me but I can still watch and comment on his ability. maybe I've not made my point clear enough. I love debate and listen to all opinions, but to be a valid opinion should there not be some reasoning behind it? I don't mind if I'm the only person who believes Pardew is good but if everyone else is just " out with Pardew" ( I know they're not!) without giving any reasons I won't change my mind. At the moment I see no logical reason to get on the managers back. In a few months time it may be different. It may even be different if he doesn't sign any more players this month!!

Poon?!! Brilliant! I'm not a football manager, haven't said I am. I am an experienced manager and know what I think are the traits of a good manager. And I think Pardew is a good manager. When "people" slag someone off for no real reason and without substance it is wrong. Give reasons and debate. Despite how I feel right now if come Christmas we are outside the top 6 depending on the points gap I would probably agree with you that maybe a change would be good. Depends who's available and appointed of course!! I just don't believe we will be in that position, but I do think Pardew needs to make 2-3 decent attacking signings in order to nail automatic promotion.

Maybe that should change?!