Latheal

Isn't this just about the Owners wanting more of a say and Cortese not having the final word on everything? If that's the case, it's not really a bad thing. Look how much they've put in already without a penny in return in return up to this point. They've been probably the best owners we could ever have wished for. Equally, Cortese has done a great job up till now. If he's willing to walk away because they want more say in a business they have basically funded then he would surely be off his head. I could understand if they were going to drastically cut funding but that doesn't appear to be the case. This doesn't seem to be about money, it appears to be about control. Hope they get to a conclusion soon and can't see Cortese letting it rumble on too long whatever he decides.

We can only beat teams below us.

Got a feeling some will be called up for the post season games as they'll be loads of withdrawals. To be honest, the enjoyment has gone out of watching England. Some of the selections are mind boggling. I'm one of the few who prefer Welbeck to Sturridge but never at the expense of Lambert. The guy deserves a call up at the end of this season. Ashley Young on the left, Milner on the right...for an England team that's both shocking and embarrassing.

This. Don't know what the issue is. It's a fantastic problem to have. Let the players fight it out for a starting place. If you don't perform, you know there is another quality player waiting to take your place.

Don't think anybody expected Rodriguez, Lallana and Puncheon to be as good as they have been. It's been hard to choose the best two out of the four we have got when you add Ramirez to it. Personally I'm no longer worried who plays there as there is not a lot of difference between all four. Last year, when Lallana got injured, it showed massively. This year it hasn't really hampered us due to the form of Jay Rod and Punch. Gaston helps massively with that depth. Don't think he had a bad game at all today. His link up and vision was as good as anybody else's. He hasn't been the stand out player perhaps we expected but then the others have raised their game as well. We already had a £12mil player here in Lallana, will probably have another one in Jay Rod, whilst Punch and Davis have been miles better than we expected. Gaston is still a massive part of this squad. Hope he doesn't leave. The competition for places has been a large reason for our attacking success IMO.

Best price 25/1, worst 12/1. But they are in no danger. Hope that's what Fat Sam tells them too.

Er, why is it retarded to think that West Ham COULD go down? They are 6 points clear. A margin that COULD be wiped out in 2 games. Doesn't sound that retarded to me.

Pretty fair assessment to be honest. I just feel if they slip up against West Brom next time out, they could be right in amongst it, especially if the teams around them pick up points. After that, it's a pretty horrible run in with six pointers and teams all chasing for something. Reckon we need 9 points. We should have enough for that looking t the last 8 games.

They also have to go to Man City, Everton, Liverpool and us, with home games against Newcastle, Wigan, West Brom. Final day v Reading at home. Yep, they are as safe as Man Utd and not in the mix at all.

So they aren't in the mix at all? Think it's worth keeping an eye on. No harm in that, surely? Also, what does your crystal ball say about our chances?

6 pts at the moment with a worst goal difference than us. They are in the mix. Some difficult games to come as well.

So I've heard. Still, surely worth keeping an eye on seeing as they are only 2pts above us?

Can we add West Ham to this thread now?

Er, how is McManaman still on the pitch after that?

There was a man called Allen Who invented the Pompey cannon It was never their fault It was the football league cult And now they will have to leave Fratton. There was also a man named Balu He's left the Skates in the pooh. They thought they could fight They believed they were right Unfortunately they forgot they owed King Kanu As well as Balu there was Birch He thought he could escape this lurch As time has gone on He's realised he's wrong And cannot remove a charge from its perch There was also a man called Joe This man had his own ****ing show He tried to tell them them the truth Got threatened by Skates' own youth And has now buried his head in the snow. Then there's the Pompey faithful Some of them are ever so hateful They believe they 're the best In reality they're a mess And most of them are not even shameful Fratton is almost always half full The players cannot trap a ball Every week it's a cup final The fans are in denial As a developer awaits in the hall They are the loudest fans on Earth Despite most of them retarded from birth They forget they are few Have less than Balu Yet still fight over the Park's true worth. A court date has been set for sure But nobody's sure what for The trust have no money They think Harris a phoney And the council is just too ****ing poor This saga will soon be completing With the skates no longer competing Their fans will all cry Neil Allen will spin a lie And finally they'll realise they've been cheating

Equally, everybody going there will also see it as a chance of 3pts.

He deserved the season at least in my view. There's been times this season when I thought "what the hell are you doing?", mainly with team selections and substitutions but there was enough improvement to suggest he was becoming accustomed to the Premier League and becoming more comfortable with it. I honestly believed, with Nigel in charge we would have stayed up comfortably, especially with some defensive cover coming in and Adam coming back. I think the most painful thing for me is that he brought a level of integrity, honesty and pride to the club. I was proud that we played a certain way, with young English players and an English manager who seemed to relate to the fans. It's been a great journey so far, and he (as well as Cortese, lets not forget that) have been a massive part of that. I've tried to take a balance view of what happened yesterday. From the initial shock and anger, to the dismay of now having a manager who cannot speak much English, to trying to understand the timing and how our club actually works behind the scenes. For example, had we actually won at Chelsea on Wednesday, would Cortese have still pulled the trigger? The evidence seems to suggest he would have. The fact that the new guy has been researching us for weeks points to it only being a matter of time. What we don't know, and what I am telling myself, rightly or wrongly, is what the actual targets are for Southampton Football Club this season. We've all assumed its merely staying up. I'm starting to think that it was a lot more than that. Cortese has made no secret of his desire to be playing in Europe. Whatever we think, he's backed that up with £30m + of transfers. The reality of that spend is that we are only just above the drop zone, below teams who have spent far less and perhaps nowhere near the high targets he may have set. To me, it's the only thing that makes sense. I'm not saying I agree with it, just that I can't understand any other reasoning. Having said all that, the new manager doesn't seem to offer anything Nigel didn't anyway. A lot has been made of bringing youth through, attractive style of play ect, but we were doing that anyway. He'll get my full backing, as I'm a Saints supporter and season ticket holder at the end of the day and he's going to need everyone of us over the coming weeks. Cortese's no show leaves a somewhat sour taste in the mouth. Like I've stated, I can only put it down to targets not being hit. Whether this new guy offers a better chance is open to debate. The rest of the transfer window will be interesting as I believe the club is going to need something to divert attention from the way they have acted and placate the majority of fans. The one positive I have taken from it is that Cortese is deadly serious about his ambitions about SFC. I read some comments that people would rather see us relegated. When we were in League 1, I loved it. In the Championship, I couldn't believe it would get any better. Now we're in the Premier, I don't want to see us leave it. I'd love us to stay up with the integrity and pride that Adkins brought with him but that's not going to happen now. Cortese, evidently, never thought it would. I can't knock him for ambition, but the way he's gone about it has been totally wrong and a lot of pride I've felt supporting Saints - pride that has come from the way we've played and what we've achieved - has been totally eradicated.

100% agree. Good post.

Absolutely gutted he's gone, loved his style and what he has done for the club, but that's modern football. Worried this new guy can't even speak English but there is no way I will boo, or boycott. It's still the club I support, I'll be there on Monday. Get behind the lads. There is still a Premiership season to finish.

Risky? Yes. Did it work? Yes. Give credit where credit is due. That's an absolute fantastic result. Can't believe anybody is questioning Adkins tactics to be honest.

Agree, enter at the first qualifying round as well, screws up pre season. Think it starts early July or something. Not sure I'd rather see the Skates win every game instead though :-)

Top three euro nations get it. Details here. http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/fans/faqs/who-qualifies-to-play-in-europe/

Many thanks Rut. Off down the clubhouse to see if they have Fox Soccer Plus then!

Over in the US at the moment and trying to see when/if the Saints game is on tomorrow. Can anybody help with this delayed stuff? From what I can make out, it's not on live.

They get about 4,500 more than us, same as last season as well. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/stats/attendance/_/league/eng.1/barclays-premier-league?cc=5901 Point taken about the Prem revenue and parachute payments but I thought they were in the **** when last in the Premiership? Could of sworn there were rumblings that they could do a Pompey. Doesn't really matter but does seem a little strange as one day they were on the brink and if they got relegated they were gong to go into admin. Then they get relegated and go and sign Nolan on sky high wages.