The system of ITK leaks

The ITK leaks are interesting and highly sought after when they are discussing incoming transfer rumours but when they refer to possible and planned outgoing transfers they seem to have a very negative effect on our support for the team. Ultimately, they turn some of us against just about every one of our players and managers, with the exception of those that have been bought recently who are talked up as their purchase reinforces the cult of Les and the black box.

Jose Fonte is in his 8th year with us. Not many top class international players stay here that long. He has done nothing wrong but the finger of suspicion is being pointed at him the same as it is at all of our player who are sought after by top clubs. How do we know that certain players told Les they would refuse to play for the club, threw trantrums, threatened to go on strike or that certain managers were lazy, disliked by players etc etc???

For me anyway, the best thing to do is support the team out there on the pitch and to be grateful to those top players who gave us many years good service. That,as I recall, is how it used to, before all of these 'leaks' about tantrums, sulking, laziness and strikes started.

A very small percentage of saints supporters post on this site. Why would our drunken opinions have the slightest effect on anyone at the club? Do you seriously think anybody discussed on here would even bother to look?

The ITK leaks are interesting and highly sought after when they are discussing incoming transfer rumours but when they refer to possible and planned outgoing transfers they seem to have a very negative effect on our support for the team. Ultimately, they turn some of us against just about every one of our players and managers, with the exception of those that have been bought recently who are talked up as their purchase reinforces the cult of Les and the black box.

 

Jose Fonte is in his 8th year with us. Not many top class international players stay here that long. He has done nothing wrong but the finger of suspicion is being pointed at him the same as it is at all of our player who are sought after by top clubs. How do we know that certain players told Les they would refuse to play for the club, threw trantrums, threatened to go on strike or that certain managers were lazy, disliked by players etc etc???

 

For me anyway, the best thing to do is support the team out there on the pitch and to be grateful to those top players who gave us many years good service. That,as I recall, is how it used to, before all of these 'leaks' about tantrums, sulking, laziness and strikes started.

Almost every player/manager that has left in recent years has had a/several negative PR pieces slipped out just before the move. Yet every time it is the players' fault/attitude/greed etc. No smoke without fire etc. You don't need to analyse ITK leaks on this forum to figure that out. We pay them feck all and they want to leave - i.e. 10k Nat Clyne.... Such is life... and fortunately/meanwhile saints march onwards.

Almost every player/manager that has left in recent years has had a/several negative PR pieces slipped out just before the move. Yet every time it is the players' fault/attitude/greed etc. No smoke without fire etc. You don't need to analyse ITK leaks on this forum to figure that out. We pay them feck all and they want to leave - i.e. 10k Nat Clyne.... Such is life... and fortunately/meanwhile saints march onwards.

10k my arse.

10k my arse.

No thank you

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My opinion is this:

Past success, nuggets of information, or an ability to piece together currents strands of thought to create a believable impression of current events are all irrelevant skills unless we, as fans, know the source of information. This is basic journalism. Because ITK leaks are ultimately deniable by the club and ITK'ers will never out themselves (forever remaining anonymous) the credibility of leaks is perpetually under question for the discerning Saints fan. This doesn't mean that ITK leaks are not entertaining, because for me they absolutely are. In a way similar to Sky Sources leaks, they contribute in an entertaining way to the farce/pantomime of the transfer window. Some might, in fact, be truthful.

However, ITK leaks go wrong in three main ways:

First, fans who obsess about Southampton attempt to systemise proceedings. They try to find a logic within something they cannot possibly understand. This isn't a slight on those fans (it's just male behaviour to do so - we all do it in to some extent). Rather, it's just an indication that we will never have enough evidence or information as to what happens behind the scenes in the transfer window. When fans try to over-analyse proceedings, it can lead to irritating disputes that, for the rest of us, acts to the detriment of what can be sound discussion about the team we love. Forum quarrels are tiresome to scroll through, and ITK leaks contribute to this.

Second, in a way, that can extend to the pitch and fans being overly negative. This has an impact on the team's performance as it contributes to booing, as OP points out, (although not to a high degree, however; as the above poster points out, those who post here are a microcosm of the wider Saints fan network) but primarily to Saints fans' own outlook and perspectives. What I want to say to those who are negative is: "Cheer up, lads. It's not all doom and gloom!"

Third, and most importantly, the presence of ITK leaks can in some way contribute towards fans' betting markets. Now, on one hand we could say that this is down to personal responsibility. If you have a deficit of common sense and believe ITK leaks to the extent you'll place money on it, then you probably deserve to lose it, right? Well, yes and no. Immorality is a fine line, and in this case, I wouldn't go so far as to condemn those are leak ITK - however, what I would say is that those who do so without any concrete knowledge (I'm quite sure there is evidence of this in this transfer window - work this out for yourself...) are highly irresponsible.

My two cents.

We are very lucky to have Jose Fonte and no-one would begrudge him a move. What normally annoys people is the fact that the Club do not have a replacement lined up of a similar standard.

This is especially true of Mane and Wanyama.

We are very lucky to have Jose Fonte and no-one would begrudge him a move. What normally annoys people is the fact that the Club do not have a replacement lined up of a similar standard.

This is especially true of Mane and Wanyama.

I'd begrudge him it tbf.

We are very lucky to have Jose Fonte and no-one would begrudge him a move. What normally annoys people is the fact that the Club do not have a replacement lined up of a similar standard.

This is especially true of Mane and Wanyama.

I would argue that VW's replacement, Romeu is of a similar standard ..... not the man mountain but a better footballer.

I would also ask how you know Boufal is not of a similar standard to Mane ?

Sorry, allowed myself to stray off topic .... that'll be Dalek's fault

We are very lucky to have Jose Fonte and no-one would begrudge him a move. What normally annoys people is the fact that the Club do not have a replacement lined up of a similar standard.

This is especially true of Mane and Wanyama.

I would also argue that the main reason people normally get annoyed, is the hurt and confusion of a much loved player finding another club more attractive.

We are very lucky to have Jose Fonte and no-one would begrudge him a move. What normally annoys people is the fact that the Club do not have a replacement lined up of a similar standard.

This is especially true of Mane and Wanyama.

I would argue that Jose Fonte been very lucky to have us.

I would argue that Jose Fonte been very lucky to have us.

Hi there. Lots of thoughts. I agree with you broadly, but then is any player loyal to one team these days ? There are very few and I would say that Fonte has been a great servant of the club.

Hi there. Lots of thoughts. I agree with you broadly, but then is any player loyal to one team these days ? There are very few and I would say that Fonte has been a great servant of the club.

Hey, I completely agree. He's been there since the start of the 'new era', a true leader through our promotion campaigns and subsequent success.

All I'm saying is our growth as a club and his as a player, go hand in hand. I seriously doubt he'd of ended up playing for Portugal if his career had taken a different path and he hadn't been on this journey with us. He was fortunate enough to be in the right place, at the right time.

10k my arse.

We offered him 25k to stay.... care to guess what Liverpool did?

We are very lucky to have Jose Fonte and no-one would begrudge him a move. What normally annoys people is the fact that the Club do not have a replacement lined up of a similar standard.

This is especially true of Mane and Wanyama.

Whilst I am 90% sure your posts are just a wind up - I will bite on this one.

We would all begrudge him a move. He signed a new contract last season. Very different from other players sold, we simply couldn't replace him with what we could potentially get and what we could potentially get is worth writing off for another couple of seasons with him in the team.

You are a school teacher ( thank fook my kids don't or didn't go to your school) and the school along the road (very unlikely I know) offers you three times the money to do the same job. It's a no brainer...........It is no different for players.

We are very lucky to have Jose Fonte and no-one would begrudge him a move. What normally annoys people is the fact that the Club do not have a replacement lined up of a similar standard.

This is especially true of Mane and Wanyama.

Take a look at how we've operated since returning to the Premier League and then look at the bollards you've posted.

We don't replace like for like, we try to replace like for potentially better.

How does an ITK thread turn in to a ***** fight ... Jeez grow some balls ladies

We offered him 25k to stay.... care to guess what Liverpool did?

There's no way on earth Clyne was on £10k a week or the we offered that for him to stay. We would have had players on more than that during the Lowe Premier League era, let alone three years ago.

Just a nice myth that people want to believe because they can get all furious.

Lots on here believe what they think is true

I think the Itk's on here are gagged so much now that if we care to search the media/internet you can find more or less the same info they have to offer.

We offered him 25k to stay.... care to guess what Liverpool did?

Sorry but I believe he will already have been on at least 25k already. The contracts often have a sliding scale based on appearances and 25k would easily have been met by his 90 odd appearances for Saints. If he was negotiating a new contract he would have been offered 40-50k especially with his England caps and potential future ahead of him.

A very small percentage of saints supporters post on this site. Why would our drunken opinions have the slightest effect on anyone at the club? Do you seriously think anybody discussed on here would even bother to look?

This is about right. The large majority of posts are by a few dozen people, some of whom dont go. Who cares what drunken fatsos, sitting in their strong vests sipping on cheapo lager type on their computers? Apart from other drunken fatsos of course

I would argue that Jose Fonte been very lucky to have us.

And we are very lucky to have you writing on this forum

And we are very lucky to have you writing on this forum

aaw, thanks

Personally, I take any "ITK" comments with a huge pinch of salt.

Taking Jose's case as an example, then actually nobody is "ITK" about his intentions except Jose, and he is perfectly entitled to be undecided!

Same as newspaper gossip imo. It's all chinese whispers and speculation, and any thing that comes true is most likely to be coincidence or a very safe bet that anyone not "ITK" will have guessed.

The whole ITK thing is a strange one.

I'll go on NewsNow, read the blogs from the likes of HITC, Give me Sport, The Transfer Tavern etc. etc. and have no problem dismissing them for the bull**** they are. Yet I see a snippet on a forum from someone claiming to be ITK and it's a whole different ball game. Common sense tells me it's probably not true ITK info, it very rarely is, but that doesn't stop me getting a wee bit excited when I read something I want to be true.

This is about right. The large majority of posts are by a few dozen people, some of whom dont go. Who cares what drunken fatsos, sitting in their strong vests sipping on cheapo lager type on their computers? Apart from other drunken fatsos of course

I resent that. I'm badly underweight.

We offered him 25k to stay.... care to guess what Liverpool did?

:lol:

Let's put this nonsense into context, you're saying that Nathaniel Clyne, a player we signed on a Bosman when we got promoted to the Premier League, agreed to join us and signed a 4-year deal to be paid the same amount as Rickie Lambert was being paid in League One?!

I can fully believe that Clyne's ORIGINAL contract with us was around the £25k a week mark - that's the sort of level we were paying our key players around that time, so in order to sign someone who was going to go straight into the first team, that sounds about right, but there's absolutely no way that was what we were offering AFTER he'd proven himself a consistent performer for us and been selected for the national team.

I resent that. I'm badly underweight.

I think I'm carrying a bit of weight on your behalf

We are very lucky to have Jose Fonte and no-one would begrudge him a move.

What normally annoys people is the fact that the Club do not have a replacement lined up of a similar standard.

This is especially true of Mane and Wanyama.

tbf Dalek .....we don't know that for sure, maybe there is someone who we can't get just now, or maybe Puel does have a plan B ?

If Fonte continues his excellent and consistant form, the question might not arise for another season or so ...

Mane grew into his good form, and was called " all manner of things" by people on this forum in his first few months at SFC.....I think Wanyama was " a one-off " and although his three red cards may be one of those un-enviable club records we want to forget, there were a number of shortcomings in his game that Pochettino has yet to discover......

Maybe his replacement might be a totally different style of player.

The whole ITK thing is a strange one.

I'll go on NewsNow, read the blogs from the likes of HITC, Give me Sport, The Transfer Tavern etc. etc. and have no problem dismissing them for the bull**** they are. Yet I see a snippet on a forum from someone claiming to be ITK and it's a whole different ball game. Common sense tells me it's probably not true ITK info, it very rarely is, but that doesn't stop me getting a wee bit excited when I read something I want to be true.

me too Steve, ..and it's most interesting to notice who's first to publish a rumour.. and how quickly the others copy the story, often word for word......

(not that there is any real truth to any of it) ..but like you, I find it refreshing to find a positive storyline.