Lallana's Left Peg

My issues aren't to do with selling players, as if Shaw and Lallana knew Man Utd and Liverpool wanted them I don't think Cortese's presence could stop them. My issue is the uncertainty around Pochettino (I think Cortese would handle the situation much better) and of massive concern are the reports from Adam Blackmore that the players don't know what is going on - that should be setting massive alarm bells going off. It suggests to me that there isn't a plan. So we're about to sell two of our best players and there isn't a plan. Is no-one else concerned about this!?!

Adam Blackmore has been interacting with fans all morning on twitter. Massively concerned that players don't know what is going on or what the plan is. No wonder none of them appear keen to want to commit to stay.

Adam Blackmore ‏@bigadamsport · 16 mins Coz I keep getting asked & haven't replied - don't shoot the messenger & all that - here's what I think of situation at #saintsfc >>> Adam Blackmore ‏@bigadamsport · 14 mins > The club will struggle to keep Lallana & Shaw as we know - and I was told Liverpool made a firm bid for Lovren of 15M which was rejected Adam Blackmore ‏@bigadamsport · 13 mins But I've no proof of that - I think hesitation over Poch is due to Daniel Levy , who may well be waiting to see if he can lure a 'big' name Adam Blackmore ‏@bigadamsport · 12 mins But my biggest worry re Poch is that #saintsfc board have let him to hold all the cards & I'd like club to be positive & say it how it is Adam Blackmore ‏@bigadamsport · 12 mins A number of #saintsfc players feel they can't get answers they want off those in boardroom - that's what they've told me Adam Blackmore ‏@bigadamsport · 11 mins And the timing of the Williams/Dodd exit was a pr disaster of the highest order at worst possible time - did the board not think of that?

Unless you were going for a meal to say goodbye (and no, I am not ITK) Some people may recognise Ros from the '4 Lions' video Saints posted when Lambert, Lallana, Shaw, and Rodriguez all got called up. She was in Poch's office getting news of the call ups and was in the video at least once from memory.

I don't think you can read too much into it. Perez is there as well. There could be any number of reasons why they are having a meal in a public place. It's certainly not the sort of environment anything important would be discussed anyway.

Yes.

I agree that it would seem out of character, plus we'll have to wait a few hours to see if the suggestion is even true of course. Just relaying something I've heard - no credibility to it.

Suggestions the Mirror are running with a story that he has handed in a transfer request.

Pretty sure that is Club Secretary Ros Wheeler with them as well.

How the **** did we allow him to leave without signing an NDA to stop this sort of crap?

Some news soon then, but not what we want: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/manchester-united-transfers-luke-shaw-7146895#.U3tyCgeSoRI.twitter

Here we go: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/manchester-united-transfers-luke-shaw-7146895#.U3tyCgeSoRI.twitter

Players can do as they please but know the tests they will be put through first week back will show whether they've been naughty boys or not so they very much have to self-police.

He's been sitting on a new contract for months. If he was happy with it he'd have signed by now. He wants to see what other interest there is (his prerogative, of course). Pochettino's future would not irk me as much if the future of some players weren't linked to his so much. I'd rather the club take a position that they make the most suitable offer they want and if he doesn't want to sign it we move on. Waiting for him like a little ***** while he sees what else is out there makes us seem very smalltime.

I understand the viewpoint but if Pochettino wanted to stay why hasn't he signed yet? We're being played.

I am by no means a bed wetter at all and very rarely have any negative thoughts about the club but right now I am quite concerned that we have a Manager who doesn't appear committed and players futures who are linked to a Manager more than the Club itself. It all has the potential to go very very wrong. And should it do so, by the time it is sorted we may need to replace some important players (50/50 record in the transfer market at best) and of course a Manager. Not an exciting prospect, is it?

I don't want a pithy press release or anything like that. I'd much prefer the club to be decisive and move forward. The longer this goes on the weaker our position for Pochettino staying, recruiting a new Manager, players leaving / coming etc.

Former - bids for Shaw and Lallana.

The club isn't coming off very well in all this thus far. Press are like a pig in **** linking our players everywhere and our Manager to Spurs, meanwhile our public declaration of sorting out things at the end of the season set some expectations yet there is no news and all we have to put up with as fans are the prospect of being a much worse team next season. I would have suggested that it may have been more prudent for the club to say things will be looked at in the summer rather than at the end of the season, which sets the expectation that if there was a desire from the Manager to stay at the club that it may have been something that was sorted by now. As it goes our Manager is clearly non-committal right now (which in itself is a bad feeling) and further to that it appears the future of key players are more linked to our Manager than our Club, which is also a horrible feeling. So now I have to put some faith in a Board with no footballing experience (aside from Les Reed) to get a deal sorted for our Manager just several weeks after they claimed to have inherited a 'difficult' financial position. So you'll have to excuse me right now if I think they have something to prove rather than me thinking they have my trust and all be will be ok.

Good piece from the Echo online which basically suggests Saints are sitting on player bids until they get Pochettino's future sorted.

I disagree - players progress at different rates. Here are some examples: Shaw - was with the U21's last season until November Chambers - with the U21's all of last season JWP - dipped into the U21's in the second half of last season Reed - made the step up to the U21's late last season and spent most of this season with them The U21's this season also contained a lot of players making the step up from the U18's full time. Our U21 team is regularly one of the youngest put out (I would suggest an average age of 19) whilst our U18 team mainly consisted of first year scholars this season. Dodd and Williams do a good job bringing the players on and teaching them about standards and Hunter is very good at instilling an element of professionalism in the way they manage the game and gets them doing the things that Pochettino likes ahead of training in the first team. If there is a reason any of them are leaving I would be fairly confident in saying it has nothing to do with performance.

Why on earth would we sack Dodd / Williams and Hunter? Both manage the youngest teams in their league and have been responsible for honing young talent so it is deemed good enough to make the step up to a team that is 8th in the Premier League.

Not good to have legal issues - until we know who invoked them it'll be very hard to make any reasoned assumptions regardless of who the names are.

I would fully expect players to be informed of the clubs position when other teams bid GDP's of small nations for their services. In fact I suspect they are entirely aware of the buying clubs position but it would be unusual and unfair for Saints to leave them in the dark. If nothing they should just reiterate their position to them that they aren't for sale so the next round of transfers requests and leveraging can begin. My theory is that the club doesn't know what to do with players until they know who will be their Manager, and they can't sort that until Pochettino makes up his mind. A bit of a sorry state of affairs.

Enjoyed his agro-laden approach to dealing with defenders in League 1.