Fitzhugh Fella

But he is making some good points Nick. It is true on this forum a negative Saints story is shot down in flames with the journalist derided for being a fool whereas for all positive stories the journo is hailed as a mega God. Similarly we do all accept the club statement as being 100% kosher. CB is just pointing out the truth lies somewhere near the middle. I tweeted Jackson yesterday basically suggesting his piece was a lie but he declined to respond. Mind you he must have been hard at work because this morning's Guardian is full of United crap!

Yea fair point - the fans emotions are increasingly secondary in the greater scheme of things. Beam me back to 1900

Yea but should the guy from the Guardian be not only swallowing this crap but actually publishing it? Maybe I am niaive but I expect more from such sources?

Happy and 7.5 which would have been a 9 if MP had taken Sunderland A in the Cup a little more seriously (still can't fathom the logic).

Very welcome statement, categoric if slightly overdue. I think it was a bit much to expect supporters to start considering buying season tickets without some reassurances on the manager’s future and that has now been given. Although I still can't think why MP wants to wait until the end of an already dead rubber season. What I would like to see next is a press conference with all those journos (inc ones from respected outlets) in attendance in front of the Saints fans and we can ask them why basically they made up a pack of lies. Has anyone got that Guardian reporter's contact details, the one who claimed the Shaw deal was virtually done? I would like to have a quiet word. No doubt they would claim Reed was lying.

I will retweet for you old chap

Indeed, CB Fry often talks sense on the main forum but you simply cannot attack Rally boy because he has posted a contrary view. Without Rally Boy's input this thread would have died a long time ago. In the meantime This charity malarkey is a dangerous contentious area. The skates are shameless and therefore the benefit of the doubt tells me they are using "this" to bolster coffers in a sly and underhand way. Never ever trust a skate.

Exactly that money was spent by a bloke who was more than liberal with other people's cash. He got the push which suggests they weren't too pleased.

People are forgetting. The 30m goes into the Liebherr bank account. Whether we see any of it is up to them. Gone are the days when it was our money.

Whatever side of the camp people are on I see this as one of the most worthwhile threads on this forum at present. Proper debate and all that.

The academy is something to be proud of but I get no pleasure when I see the likes of Bale stuffing a last minute goal in against us as he did at WHL last season. The secret is not only producing the players like Bale it's holding onto them long enough for them to give something tangible to us - like 4th spot or dare I even say it, the FA Cup.

Ottery - you crack me up, you really do. And I am not just saying that.

I have to say I am bloody glad he has gone and I would rather have this present board who seem pragmatic and considerate of our aspirations and past. The ride won't be so exciting of course but it will be a lot less antagonistic.

Wes Tender, you are perfectly entitled to optimism and the club won't be harmed one iota. My fear surrounds creating false levels of expectation which when not achieved can lead to disillusionment and apathy. It will be interesting to see how we all feel in 12 months. We have had 5 damn good years (helped by spending not a little cash), but now we have hit the glass ceiling, imo anyway, let's see if the optimism continues.

I apologise for using the word "clappers" - it was childish but there is a danger sometimes of having our hopes raised by over optimism. I think if Cortese had been given a free rein for another two years and had flashed the cash as liberally as he had up to now then just perhaps we could have pushed on for 4th, but I reckon he was living a lie as far as how much the owners wanted to spend and now normal service is about to resume. For a brief heady moment some on this forum got a bit carried away with the result that 8th next season will be seen as some as a disappointment. Still reckon 8th and a genuine attempt at the FAC is our limit and not to be sniffed at.

So if you dare to criticise SaintSteve says you don't support Saints. The happy clappers continue to do more damage than they realise.

I think what really riles me is this; if all our good players are enticed away, it will be to clubs that are owned by either venture capitalists (Man Utd), oligarchs who illegally looted and plundered their nations wealth (Chelsea), or oil rich fascist Arabic states who rip the arse out of the Far Eastern labour market (Man City). These sort of people, aided and abetted by Sky's fawning millions have destroyed any semblance of competing on a level playing field. However I do accept the likes of Burnley could for example point a finger at us and say if it wasn't for the Liebherr millions you would never have snatched Jay Rod from us, so I don't want to be too hypocritical, but I do console myself that at least the Liebherr wealth was not ill gotten and we have also kept things in proportion by developing the academy and more importantly giving them a chance. Things being this way will mean unless we discover vast tracts of oil under Staplewood we have reached our peak, give or take 5th or 6th if we got lucky. The glass ceiling is well and truly in place and I can't see us smashing it.

Can't disagree with that!

Pretty much spot on and is why I think we have now peaked under a glass ceiling. The Premiership is increasingly being devalued for the far eastern market. The rich are getting richer and football in this country has lost its way. It has been great being a Saints fan this season, bucking the trend with home grown players playing decent football but ultimately we are nothing more than a feeder club to dodgy oligarchs and dubious oil wealth conglomorates. How depressing is that?

Fair play for the effort you have made and your dedication. But there is nothing wrong with people having a moan on a forum, that's what it is all about. I learn more from negative posts than the happy clappy rose tinted ones which actually tell me nothing. Safe journey home.

Don't worry it would have wound up all the inbreds, that's all that counts!

I love irony

Just glad Ottery is not our manager he would never drop any of his boyz

I think it f=====g hilarious. Those of you being churlish or sniffy need to get a life.

Another sobering thought is how hard it is to hold onto our best players. In the old days the likes of Paine, Channon, Davies were held onto but now as soon as a player shines in the academy the jungle drums start beating at Stamford Bridge or Highbury. This summer it really will be interesting to see if we can hold onto Shaw.