alpine_saint

Before reading Reed's statement : 5 After reading Reed's statement : 8 Still think we buggered the season up, but looking forward with more optimism to next season now.

This is a pretty unequivocal statement. Glad I took the time to read the full version. This is very reassuring; I tried to pick holes in it due to my tendency to be a bit paranoid, but couldnt. My only comments are that I really hope he is fully in the loop, and a slight concern that this statement didnt come from Krueger. He may not be involved in the footballing side, but this has a commercial dimension too. Perhaps a co-penned statement would have been better.

Nope, dont see anything specific about Cortese. I did say "you dont know what you've got 'till its gone" as well. But well done you for having the time to go and search for pathetic p*ssing contest rights...

Tells it like it is : http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/11167759.Former_star_tells_Saints_to_hit_transfer_trail/?ref=var_0 Personally I say the same thing every season, but with the vultures circling, a statement of intent is needed this summer more than ever...

Yup. Utterly shocking.... Combined with the business Martin Samuel wrote about us and the FFP rules the other day, I am actually wondering why the rest of us bother any more..

Firstly, I dont recall moaning about Cortese that much. Yes, some of his transfers were w*nk. But least he had a vision, and drive. He was trying to make us better. I certainly didnt go off on one like some of the hysterical fish wives about car parking costs, etc. And I was bigging him up for playing two pre-season friendlies in my home town. At the end of the day though, I suppose I have to refer to the old saying "you dont know what you've got 'till its gone"

I wish Cortese were still at the club. The bloke had balls, and a clear sense of direction that the fans could see unlike with this invisible lot. He made us believe for a few short years (including before MoPo turned up, despite what the clappers-cum-revisionists might allude to) that we are more than the mediocre sh*tty provincial club - that occasionally turns up a gem of a player who is rapidly snapped up by one of the big 6 - that we truly are. A belief that for me is rapidly evaporating due to the supine bunch we seem to have running the show now. I personally expect them to stand by as the likes of Manyoo thoroughly eviscerate our squad over the summer...

Spot on.

I could live with it.

Has he done anything worthwhile to settle the club and the uncertainty we are facing, or has been choosing furniture and colour scheme for his office been too draining ???

Manyooo will wait a long time and go through a lot of managers if they want a replacement on the level of Ferguson, if they ever manage it. Docherty and Atkinson couldnt manage it. The owners and fans need to come to terms with the idea that their Golden Era is possibly over for good. One good side-effect of this is that is may well push the reset button on Luke Shaw leaving.

Just shows how we completely blew the season in the January window.

Yes - Juve should hand it over. No-one else will give us more. We need to take it on the chin and move on.

Yes, because one refereeing decision was all that denied us a win. Sod the fact we could have played until midnight and not scored... But I am glad so many of you are so impressed and satisfied by pretty possession football, however ineffective it is actually being proven to be....

Utterly toothless. Buying Osvaldo has totally trashed what might have been a legendary season. At least defence looking more solid with Boruc back. Assuming no player exodus for one moment, strikers and second GK are clearly the summer priorities.

Getting the news out before the player fire sale. Nice...

Looks like my worries about a major rebuild being required were not without foundation... Reckon MoPo is going so its not like the board are going against his wishes. We're a selling club again. A selling club with a poor record in the transfer market; only Lovren of our big buys has been any good.

Yawn. Jones and his IPCC cronies must be coming up to another round of funding...

Pretty disastrous summer ahead then, unless he is referring to Osvaldo and The Gash.

The only regret I have about that whole debacle was not being able to go to that EGM...

Cant blame MoPo for that, Fonte makes far too many costly mistakes.

Well that's more than The Gash has had, certainly...

Respect. That was one of the biggests twists of what was written on here in many a month. Your campaign to become Happy Clapper #1 of TSW has really gathered apace.. Pity about the Sell Jack Cork black mark on your copy...

Deffo departing: Osvaldo Ramirez Likely departures : Shaw Schneiderlin Possibles : Lovren Lallana Chambers Less likely : Cork Lambert

Come on FFS. That's the equivalent of the "I'm leaving for family reasons" stunt I have myself pulled a couple of times to extricate myself from sh*tty companies with as little grief as possible. London is a an hour away from Southampton. He could have split the difference and lived somewhere between Winchester and Farnborough. He'd still get home quicker than stuck in London traffic. Personally, I dont believe it. He was told or saw he was dropping down the pecking order and jumped on his terms before he was pushed.