Fitzhugh Fella

What I find fascinating is that like Lowe before him Cortese has split the fan base into those pro and those anti. I was very much in the anti camp re Lowe but for me the jury is still out re Nicola's stewardship of our club. He certainly knows what he is doing, he is determined, ruthless even and not to be messed with. It is a great shame however that to get to where he wants us to be the club as a whole seems destined to lose its inclusiveness. I am not sure the good people of Southampton are ready for NC's journey, we can be a funny bunch.

That's a fair observation and a question I would like put to Matt.

During the Pinnacle takeover when I posted details of the so-called investors on this forum and exposed the bid to be bogus I later that morning had one helluva row with Matt. He loves the club as much as I do but he wasn't afraid of letting rip. But he is the first bloke to own up, confess, apologise whatever and move on. He's a professional pundit these days and he speaks as he finds. Not everyone agrees with what he says and some think he should stay quiet. People seem to think if you criticise what goes on at SMS then that makes you a traitor a big mouth or whatever. From where I sit I would just like to hear genuinely held views regardless of whether I agreed with them and with Matt you get that. I remember a few months after the Wilde takeover which I very much supported. I met John Sydenham for a coffee - he was over with a young Australian lad who was on a trial. I was staggered at what John told me. The club was a mess he said, in-fighting, chaos on the training side of things, disharmony all around and he was very disillusioned. I really did not want to hear what he was saying but because I knew him to be one of the straightest guys around I sort of believed him but hoped it was just a bad week. History shows how disastrous the Wilde era was and how the wrong people were in the wrong places, as far as the health of Saints were concerned, but so many of us hated Lowe so much that we refused to believe his replacements were doing an even worse job. I am not saying NC is doing a bad job at SMS, in fact far from it, he could very well be doing an amazing job and there is no doubt he has a vision and a determination to carry it off. These are exciting if not confusing times for us fans as we look backwards at Adkins's departure and then almost instantly look forward in expectation at Pochettino's reign. As fans we basically back anyone who gives us success. There's the debate, Matt obviously does not see it quite the same way as a lot on here, so one good reason if you are free and nearby you come along to hear his reasoning.

So which of these three words do you not understand "no holds barred? Having been to one of these before I think I can safely say Matt is not one to hide his real feelings and if he feels something has to be said then he will say it. You don't agree well now's your chance. All keyboard warriors welcome.

I think it is a shabby attempt to create a facade of normality ie business as usual.

http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?42776-Those-who-disagree-with-MLT

now have the chance to put their money where their mouths are. On Monday February 4th at Waterstones in Southampton High St, Matt Le Tissier has agreed to do a no holds barred Q and A session. Prior to this I shall (wait for it...roll of drums) do a shortish presentation on "Suited and Booted" using team line ups on a screen to talk about the club's pre-war history with a little surprise at the end. My talk begins at 6:30pm and Matt will be on about 7 to 7.15 I guess. So if you think he should stop criticising goings on at SMS why not come along and tell him in person. If you want to know why as a player he took bets on throw ins etc, rather than slag him down on an internet forum challenge him face to face at Watersones. He doesn't bite and hearing things from the horses mouth so to speak might just lay a few ghosts to rest that have appeared on the MLT v NC thread. Tickets incidentally are £3 and can be obtained direct from Waterstones. Hope to see a few of you there.

So he has no access to the level of detail re the future fate of the PPs? That is enough evidence in itself to convince me Colin is related to Geoff Hoon and the whole PST are the original "work it all out on the back of a fag packet" brigade.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/southampton-transfers-lucas-biglia-of-anderlecht-1548470 Sebastian Fernandez from Malaga on loan?

The only pundit worth listening to - was v complimentary about the Saints tonight.

According to this morning's papers they are Toni Jimenez Sistachs aged 42 Spanish goalkeeper and Toni Borrell aged 38 also from Spain. Both were with Pochettino at Espanyol.

Having kept the extent of Lallana's injury the closest guarded secret since the 5th man the club are hardly likely to tell us all he is or isn't playing on the morning of a game.

Even though you are a Tory supporting Mail reader I hate to say it you speak sense. I can sense a coalition coming on.

They did not save Saints - they picked up a bargain. Your interpretation is not wrong you just need to look at it through another perspective

Topcat - if the Liebherr money has dried up completely then we have seriously moved into the red. My guess is NC has turned a £14m club into a £50m+ club and he still has access to funds to ensure their investment is secure.

I understand but I guess I just don't get the point of trying to do something which is not going to get results....but like I said I do understand where you are coming from.

The club have just tweeted a picture of the St Marys surroundings all cleared of snow and with no more of the white stuff forecast I think there is every chance the game will be on.

A tad unfair on Terry. Whilst many of his colleagues were not best mates with him, they all respected his ability. Some were also jealous at his relationship with Ted. Terry himself admits today that he was a bit ruthless in his youth but that got him where it did. As for his relationship with NC - well Terry is smart, maybe he will be the one that NC one day listens to, he certainly respects him as shown by making him President. I think once TP has his feet under the table he will in his own way seek to have some positive influence.

Exactly I am not denying anyone the right to protest, merely it will not change things one iota; so with that in mind we might as well move on (albeit with a bad taste in our mouths). An unpopular decision such has this was always going to come, in a way I am surprised it took so long. For those of us who wish to remain Southampton supporters we are just going to have to lump it - unless of course anyone has £50m in our back pockets.

Well it was a bit tenuous I admit but you know where I am coming from and I wasn't expecting anyone to take me that literally. Sing songs for Nigel by all means, I might even join in, but I have faced the fact it won't make the blind bit of difference. Under Lowe he was very much answerable to shareholders even though without the unlikely support of the big institutions we were never going to overthrow him. However had we all voted with our feet then very quickly the big institutions would be ringing him to see what was what. Therefore he had to keep half an eye on his customers. If not very many turned up on Monday I doubt NC would be particularly worried - no institutions to bend his ear.

But that is the point; the club does not belong to the city anymore it belongs to the Liebherr family. We had our chance, we blew it, we went into administration and then a consequence of being taken over by a private buyer, we lost our independence. You are right no doubt NC will sell one day, but we will only be passed on to another private owner and as such very vulnerable to his (or her) whim. Of course we still hold the right to protest but the gist of my post is no one has to listen any more.

Although I was as disappointed as the next fan to see NA leave I see no point whatsoever in protesting. NC knows 95% of the fan base is hacked off, but he is doing what he thinks is the right thing for SFC. As he represents the owners he is entitled to do exactly as he pleases and there is nothing you or I can do to stop him. When we were rescued by the Liebherr family in 2009 I was roundly criticised when I pointed out we had forfeited all our rights as supporters. Private ownership is just that and if they paid £12m to own what was once our club then they have every right. If you spent a lot of money on a house and then the people who used to rent it told you how to decorate it and the bloke round the corner who used to be the gardener for the previous owners started telling you what to plant in the garden you would quickly tell them to "foxtrot oscar". We all welcomed the Liebherr money without actually realising that although we were being saved we also simultaneously relinquished all control. Protesting or singing songs for Nigel (excuse the XTC plug) ain't going to make a blind bit of difference and a lack of crowd support might cost us a vital 3 points v Everton that I have a feeling we will now need more than ever, come the end of the season. Whether we like it or not we have to take Nicola Cortese's decisions on the chin and move on - there is no choice unless you turn your back on the club you love.

I was and tried to tell folk on here, but this forum just shoots messengers. Nigel will be relieved in my opinion - he wanted out and he wanted out with a decent CV, he's got that and some. Good Luck to him - smashing fella. My biggest worry is this new chap, talented and highly thought of he maybe but he is new to the Prem, new to the country and he does not speak English, not really what a team needs when they are in a scrap to stay up.

Just one word "timing"