MarkSFC

When ML and NC were in discussions last year it was done extremely privately. MLs company is not one that appears to court publicity and ML certainly isn't. This is their nature and the manner in which they do business. Moving from the environments they ate used to, to what is the most public of arenas would surely be a steep learning curve for anyone. I agree with those who say communication with the fanbase has in general been a little underwhelming. I would contend that maybe this will improve. I am happy for NC to concentrate on getting the infrastructure in place behind the scenes before he addresses the PR side. Sure he may lose a few ST holders this year but judge the man two or three years from now. I think someone has mentioned on here about employees not enjoying NC as a boss etc. It would be interesting to know what level of employee it is. Very often (and many here may hate this) the lower paid employees are less motivated and therfore any question of their workload is taken personally because most people at the lower end of the pay scale ( for many different reasons ) just want an easy life!! Also it is extremely reasonable to assume that over the last two or three years at SMS the employees have had very little direction or leadership coupled with the stress of the poor running of the club. I'm not blindly "in NC I trust" but it will take alot more than removing a method of paying for the product and realistic pricing which actually is very good value for money, and some REAL facts, before I start to doubt his intentions and/or ability. A couple of major signings this week would be good though!!!!

perfectly stated trousers!

If increasing the cost of parking "near the ground" has to increase to cover the operating costs so be it. If you don't like it park somewhere else, find another method of transport, or don't bother. It's is increasingly tiresome to hear a small minority moaning about what appear to be sensible and more to the point realistic measures set out by the club. £200 to park at the stadium is something I wouldn't pay but if you want that convenience that's what it is. Our club MUST run profitably - agreed not at the expense of the masses - BUT this cost and the STs will only effect a very small percentage realistically. IMHO if NC does not make tough decisions, and I don't think any have been that bad, the club may struggle long term. Sure ML is ploughing money in but that is from what I can tell for the infrastructure. Any day to day operation must be self sustaining. Simple economics. Get over yourselves.

I'd hate to see 'Arry...jumped up and "has his favourites. I'd love to see Beckham but think he's too close to the current squad to make the neccessary decisions. One day he could be excellent. It needs to be someone totally impartial or at least demonstrates impartiality and purely builds teams for success regardless of who he has to drop. Not Saints related but I would go for Roy Hodgson.

couldnt agree more.....a bit more exciting not knowing before the announcement but its a little frustrating on how quite it seems, but maybe this week will be full of announcements!!

Are they related??!!

Maybe a location thing if true, spent most of hid career up there didn't he with Boro and a bit of time with the toon.

Guy Askham Rupert Lowe Harry Redknapp between them they made the all the worst decisions in our history. C****!!!!

very interesting about the standing foot...will keepers be able to wait to see that and then react correctly?!!

Without knowing all the charges and having not witnessed any of the behaviour the punishments do seem on the face of things a little over the top. Without knowing individual records either you can't make a fair judgement. Anti-social behaviour, agression and violence should not be condoned regardless of the circumstances. Every citizen has the right to feel safe and expect offenders to be punished. This must fit the crime as well. If I "only threw a coin" (which will be classed as a weapon and the act of throwing I'm sure will be coupled with intent to harm) I would accept appropriate punishment if caught. In a civilised society this is the least to expect. If you break the law you deserve to be punished BUT it must be fair.

I'm clearly in the minority here but he wasn't my 2nd best player. Llalana was btw. And clearly Pardew wants another good lb (as oppossed to Mills) and all I've said is that dickson is probably a better long term bet. What's with the love in for Harding, he's not been here long!!!

It's not bull**** it's my honest assesment from what I saw. He gave the ball away too often and was caught in possesion. BUT he improved to what I would guess is his near maximum level, hence Dickson "may" well be better long term from a development point of view I have never understood why fans get so hung up on a player if the club buy someone better....surely that's what matters??!!!

It's not actually. Fonte has stands out from the rest EVERY single game and has actually done it at higher level. Lambert is brilliant at League 1 and should be in Champ but we don't actually know yet. Harding however was inconsistent at best early season and although he was good in the 2nd half of the season he doesn't stand out for me. He probably is too good for League 1 but only average in the Championship! As I said, let's see!

If Harding was really that good he would have been snapped up by a Championship club last summer.he isn't going to improve very much but because of his age Dickson could improve more. Let's see in two years!!

Ian Harte

Dickson is a good signing because he's a few years younger than Harding and is is cheap gamble as he may have the potential to go all the way. Harding definitely won't go all the way, probably not even to the Championship as first choice. As for the team of the season I think you are spot on although I have a feeling we may well get a top striker to put pressure on L & B ( hopefully Austin!!). I'm sure the RB we sign will be great too and the CM will certainly be better than Hammond!! I reckon the other signing will be an experienced CB so after all that we could possibly have the best in every single position!!!

The "fans" of a football club have an emotional attachment which for some runs deeper than others. The level of emotional attachment linked to you general disposition and intelect is a reasonable indication of what you expect "back" from the club. Whatever an individual expects and feels is ok by me but sometimes an element of realism coupled with the manner you express yourself needs to occur. Then you have the "businessmen" of the club. Hopefully (and in our case we are lucky) those "businessmen/women" who run your club are experienced, professional, and have a background of success. Another trait you get from these people is the ability to be unemotional when making the tough decisions concerning strategy and planning. This means that some fans will not be able to logically understand the actions of the club leaders when it effects them emotionally. This is life. Cortese comes from a very non customer focussed world and as such that has benefited us hugely so far. Sure he could do more but would you prefer the opposite scenario where the CEO etc, is very communicative and fan friendly but makes bad business decision after another??!! Given time I'm sure ML and NC and co will satisfy both ends of the spectrum!!

I understand, and as much as your hypothetical scenario could well become the truth so could a thousand others. If it was to occur then it would still not be the end of the world. In order for ML to make a profit Saints will have to be very succesful for a number of years, well the amount of profit that would make a difference to a billionaire! I'm not a "happy clapper" by any means and can definitely see all view points but I don't understand why after all the sh*te we've had over the last 5 years some people always look at the worst case scenario?!! It's your right of course!!

What if.....and this is just hypothetical.....what if Cortese saw an opportunity to raise his profile ( legitematly so ) which is why he put SFC forward to ML. What if ML actually got excited by the prospect of having the modern day rich mans accessory.what if they both realised how special the club is and what a hell of an opportunity it was not just to make a little bit of money in the long term, but actually an exciting challenge that woul actually create huge personal satisfaction but also make hundreds of thousands of people very happy?!! God forbid anyone in this world should not be primarily motivated by money. Remember though it's only hyperthetical!!!0

Paying In three amounts before 6th Aug, now there's an idea....it wouldn't and shouldn't have been at ££328 price. I refer you back to my OP!!!

It's not pedantic it's fact. You claimed in an earlier post that I am hiding behind my pc, which Im not, but aren't you doing the same? You promote your opinion continuously and moan at people like Nick I (rightly or wrongly) but won't put you head above the parapit. At least you did put forward a suggestion to the club. That's the only good thing you've done which sets you apart from the other serial moaners!!

wrong, your gas and electric bills ( and water) are not credit because 1) you are not credit checked before purchase and 2) you pay for what you use after using it because you and the company do nit know what you are going to use. A ST on an instalment plan is the sane as something like a gym membership. As the lack of instalment plan matters so much to you why don't you go proper public via the echo and tv, really get your point across. After all I'm sure the majority of fans who would like an instalment plan don't read this site. And by doing this you can begin your journey to new "face and voice of the fans" as I think you would fit in to the O'Callaghan,McMillan,Illingsworth mode very well. Good luck

Go and watch the cheaper supposedly better option then? There are also a few league 1 and plenty of Championship more expensive. Dare I even suggest that maybe the ground rent and policing costs affect ST prices?

Fantastic post well done. How many hours did it take you to come up that?

I'm not the one hiding behind his pc. You are unbelievably niaive. I actually hope that the instalment plan never returns so that people like you never get aST again. St Marys would be a better place without you. And if you think "flexing my financial muscle" is why I have posted this thread and said what I have then you couldn't be further from the truth. Why if that's all I wanted to do would I have taken the time and initiative to put forward "a compromise solution" to the club??