sadoldgit

----------- 10th highest spenders in the country tells me they backed him also, did they come out and slate him after we lost at home to brighton..or the first ten games..? NO do they ever really talk much in the press..? NO how hard is that to grasp.? No they don't talk to the press much, but the only time he did before it was seemingly critical of the league psotion (and by association the manager's job). His statement on the OS also was hardly inspring (or totally honest it would seem from what Pardew was saying). Get over the money thing will you. How do you know that Pardew did no ask for more and that those players would not have made a difference? How do you know that Danns would have come if offered more money and that if he had, that we would have made the play offs? Neither of us knows what goes on behind closed doors but you seem to have already decided that you know exactly how much support Cortese gives Pardew. Why did Ward and his club think he was coming here? Why did that deal not happen?

I am only doing what you and Delldays do. I read stuff I run it through a thought process and I run some of my thoughts on here because apparently this is a forum where you can exchange views with others. Like everyone on here, I do not know the full facts. I am debating with what I have or what I think I have. And whilst I am not a judge I do work for the criminal justice system!

His personality has been discussed by plenty of people on here. Perhas you need to expand your redaing or what you chose to focus on. I will give you a helper though because it might even be on this thread. And this comes from a conversation I had recently with a lady whose son works at SFC. Apparently Cortese does not like to be addressed directly by the staff. Sound like an open, down to earth, approachable guy to you? Now if that is not the case, fine. But I have mentioned that a few times and no one has come back and said no, that is not the case. His spat with the Echo. A reasonable response to a newspaper breaking a story already in the public domain or a dummy spitting exercise because he hadn't got his own way? Or am I making these things up?

So what? There has been a storm on here before when the CEO has not allowed the manager to buy the players he wants. For example Starchan wanted to spend £9m on 2 players and dummies were thrown out of pramas when that wasn't allwoed to happen.Do we know that Pardew has got every player he wanted? Why are prepared to back someone blindly? That happened before with Wilde and Crouch. Look where that got us. As I keep saying, if Cortese delivers, no problem. In the meantime, can't we ask questions?

Still under the sea?

Okay I shall ask you too. From what was in the public domain, do you think that Pardew had the full confidence of his CEO last season and if so, why didn't Pardew apparently feel that he did (judging by his comments). I don't know what happened with the ward deal other than his club thought we were buying him and at the last minute we bought a cheaper option.

Get behind the manager FFS. You are Alpine in disguise aren't you. Where have I ever said that I want Lowe back? What is the matter? Is it okay to have a pop at one for his problems with the press, apparent ego issues, no knowledge of football etc but not another? Have you seen any posts from me saying I want Lowe in and Cortses out? And you accuse me of making things up? Tell you what, I don't want to upset you anymore than I have apparently have already. Give me a list of people I am allowed to comment upon and those that I am not. By the way, if you scroll back a few posts I said that Cortese delivers there will be no problem. Do you have an isue with that comment?

It seems that the likes of McMenemy, Le Tissier and Keegan also thought that Cortese was less than 100% behind the manager too DD. Tell me why you think that was? I know you think that I am "weird"...perhaps you think these people are too? One big conspiracy theory. We are all making things up. Another question...Ward or Seagrove...which one would you prefer in a Saints shirt? Which one did NC buy?

There is a big difference between a poll and what people write. The original thread said not if Pardew should be sacked but when. There plenty of people on here firing off opinions about when he should go next season if we aren't clear at the top too. Perhaps you spend too much time underwater? The stuff that goes on here is daily banter and there will always be a section of the forum that aen't happy with a manager no matter what he does. My issue is with the CEO and his apparent lack of support for the club manager. Would you say that he has been fulsome in his praise and support for Pardew this season? Other than his carefully written piece on the OS can you point to any other comments that would led you believe that the two of them are working in harmony? Doesn't this bother you? (ps I already know the answer to the last one )

You trouble me DD, you are rapidly turning into AS. Of course Pardew (or any manager) makes mistakes and of course people can question them. What I flip over is people suggesting that he should be sacked because he makes a few. You were one questioning his job after only a few games weren't you? Yep, I hold my hand up. I flip at that short-term knee-jerkism. (ps, there are others who have also questioned NCs behaviour so far)

And waht should you support your manager, because if you read any management training book it will tell you that is a good thing to do if you want a committed and strong team, working together to achieve a common goal. Demotivated, unappreciated people tend not to give you 100% and why sould they if they think you do not rate them? People who know football better than anyone on here, felt that Pardew did a really good job for Saints last season. It worries me that Cortese didn't appear to be in that camp. His statement also worries me. It is very clear from pardew's statemenst that he did't feel 100% supported by his CEO. so why prentend is his (Cortese's) statement that they were best buddies? Lowe had many faults, but he did support his managers in public when he had to, even if a few days later they were out of the door. People want to know that management teams are pulling together, even if behind closed doors they are not. THis club has a tough job next season. It needs everyone pulling together. If Pardew thinks he might be out of a job come Christmas is that really condusive to building a strong club/management team???

You are quite right FC. It is just my opinion. That is what we do, come on here and share opinions. My opion up to a coule of weeks ago was formed by what littel he "puts out there" and I understand that he needs to be here longer before he can be properly judged. However, it didn't help my perception of him when I was told by a Saints fan (who hated Lowe by the way) that he son works at SFC and the Cortese does not like to be addressed directly by the staff and is not popular there, that we may have another CEO with an ego bigger than St Marys. Of course if he delivers, no one will care. If he doesn't, we may have another bout of witch hunting a la Lowe going on! I am pld enough to remember the days when people only talked about the players. Then the managers became as big if not bigger, and nowdays it is the "suits" who get a lot of attention. Inter did a great job last night and through the whole season, but who got the headlines? A bloke in a suit, not a bloke in shorts. Football is a big business now. All you hear about Blackpool's success is £90m. The money men will be sniffing arond that aready. CEOs are as newsworthy as players nowdays.

Some people put pillow's over their babies faces and suffocate them!

I'd be very worried if the local newspaper was in the pocket of the club/CEO. The club has its own websire and matchday programme and can publish wht it wants. The newspaper should refelct the issues and concerns of the supporters rather than spoon feed them nice morsals of spin. Both Lowe and Coretese fell out with the Echo which is probably a healthy thing = shows that they are not going to bend up and drop 'em. Some of the stories will b unhelpful but don't they ask the same things that we do on here? Isn't that there job? ASk difficult qiestions. If the club then chose not to respond people can draw their own conclusions. If they draw the wrong conclusions the club have had an opportunity to put that right. Take the recent debacle about Pardew's job. It came about because of Cortese's lack of public support for the manager - not because the Echo was mischief making. All he had to do was to congratulate Pardew on the cup win an say that he would be working with him to ensure promotion next season but no, he only came out and said something once the world and his dog were parading their support for the manager. His statement when it came was not great either. Hitting out at Saints legends when you were the making of the whole mess isn't going to win you many friends unless you are in the minority who want Pardew out.

Maybe, or maybe it just proves the point that spending money does not guarante success. I watched Inter Milan win the biggest club competion this side of the planet - how much didthey spend on their team compared with the likes of Barcelona, Real Mdrid, Chelsea even? What about the othe managers who failed to match Hollway even though they spent more money or had a more expenive team? Strachan is seen as being a better manager for us than Burley...where did his team end up? Pardew spent money and had a good season but didn't finish about teams with cheaper players. If putting a successful side togther was an exact science the teams would cancel each other out. Managers get two chances a season to put a side togther and if this do not gel quickly they are going to struggle. Burley was pragmatic enough to realise how tough it is to maintain a strong, consistant campaign. That is why he said that the target was the play offs. Ver, very difficlut to deliver automatic promotion and he knew it. He did deliver the play offs and that Sanits side were as good as any of the top 6 teams, just not as consistant as the top two. Redknapp, who many think is an excellent manager, told us that we would "go up f'sure" - during his stint as a CCC manager for us was that ever likely? But you don't have a pop at his feeble efforts. In the last few years the Saints have only been a decent competitive side in two seasons. Pardew's season and Burley's only full season. No doubt if Pardew doesn't get us up next up next seaosn he will be slagged off too. If only it was that simple.

Yep, and they are just opinions based on what little I know of the bloke so far, which is pretty much the same as what has gone on with Lowe, Crouch, Wilde etc isn't it? Very few us of have met, let alone know these people yet we form opinions based on what we think we know. I accept I might have completely wrong idea of Nicola Cortese. What I am sure of though is that his lack of public support for the manager he employed was there for all to see (or not see as was the case) and that is my major problem with him so far. And to come out in a statement on the OS and pretend that they have slumber parties together was spin worthy of Mandleson himself was it not?.

But we can only judge his judgement on what we know he has done so far. An ill judged and petulant spat with The Echo. Pulled the plug on the Ward deal. His less than lukewarm "support" for the manager he employed. The Spin Doctor piece on the OS. His appareent arrogance and rudeness toward the staff at SFC. Yep, he provided tea and coffee to the queues on one occasons so perhaps he does have an eye for the occasional PR opportunity... Truth is we don't really know this bloke at all well. He could well have done lots of wonderful things that we don't know about behind the scenes, but what little comes out in public hasn't shown him a great light so far. Still so long as he backs Pardew in the transfer market, supports him 100% in the promotion drive next season and runs the club on a sound financial basis (i.e. does his job) then that is fair enough.

I did not think that Lowe and Burley were the "dream team." Now if you had said Bates and McMenemy then it would showed that you have been paying attention all these years By the way, if you have bothered to read my posts properly you will see that I think that Pardew has been a better manager for us than Burley, but that doesn't quite fit with your agenda does it? As for the rest of your statement, sorry but it doesn't make any sense to me.

Spot on.

I am behind the manager. I wish I could say the same for the CEO.

I don't agree John. Cortese couldn't do what Pardew has done this season. There are plenty of CEOs who could come in and run SFC just as well as Cortese. The manager is the most important person in the club. They are the ones who deal with the end of the business that we follow the club for..the football. I don't see any cups given out for a splendid performance in the Boardroom

Oh I see, so Lowe is a thief now is he? You really do need to grow up. Anyone would think that it was Cortese's own money the way you carry on. Lowe wasn't the only one who failed to find investment. The people you put your support behind failed too remember? It is also strange to see you so behind someone so similar to the person you profess to hate so much. Still Alps, a reasonable balance argument is not something you come on here for is it? I can tell how much you are waiting for Cortese to sack Pardew...you have probably already got your posts down in a litle notebook ready. But then you will have another quandry. That will make Cortese even more like Lowe! Oh dear...what to do?

He was indeed, and that is why it is so odd that he choses to distance himself from the apparent "failure" this season. As his appointee you would like to think that there would be this "we are all in this together" thing going on. Cortese appointed Pardew but I can't remember one occasion when he has come out and shown any level of support him or the job he has done.

I speak of him in the same breath as Lowe DD because I am an adult, not a child. Why can't the two be compared? Frankly the only difference I see between them is that one has manoney and the other didn't. Cortese no longer walks on water as Lowe ate babies. They are both businessmen. They are both arrogant. Both fell out with the Echo. Both have no PR savvy. Neither had football backgrounds before coming to the club. Cortese has had one season here. Lets see what he has achieved in 5. If he does walk on water we shall be back in the Prem I just think it is a little previous to start the hero worship already. By the way, I think that the success on the pitch is down to the manager more than the CEO. Perhaps it is Pardew you should be bigging up and not the "suit".