doddisalegend

If we win the JPT I still find it hard to believe that the club will sack AP for being the first manager to bring us silverware since 1976, regardless of the league results (baring relegation). If we do I Imagine there will be a lot of mangers who would think twice about replacing him, as getting sacked for winning a trophy would suggest poor job security. Marcus and NC didn't look to ****ed off on tuesday night when we won did they? They certainly didn't look like they where lining up to get rid of AP as they stood clapping him and the team for 10 minutes.

I still find it hard to believe I work 40hr weeks in a physically demanding manual Job (as gardener/groundsman) Yet I still have to put in the same work again next week. While they may put in more work over 45mins than me (I don't run with my strimmer) at the end of the day they might only do 15 hours a week (with trainning and matches) compared to my 40. If I told my boss I was to knackered to work after 4.5 hours I wouldn't be in my Job long.

tell nicolacortese@saintsfc.co.uk

I can't agree. Surely part of a managers job is to win silverware for his club? Managers get sacked all the time for not winning stuff, so how can winning something not effect his standing with the chairman and fans? One of the chairmans stated aims at the start of the season was to win something for the trophy cabinet, so if AP provides that for NC surely it must work in his favour with regards to his job.

Thats my feeling. I wondered if winning the JPT would strengthen or weaken APs standing among the fanbase and with the chairmen though, or if it's seen as irrelevant in the scheme of things.

Thanks! I thought he was and then someone told me on another thread he was on a one year deal, goes to show you shouldn't believe anything you read on a fans forum:p

Personally I'd be happy to brag about, when you think most clubs only have three or four trophies to play for a year winning any of them should be a cause for celebration. I'm not embarrased becuase we're in league one on merit (or lack of). When I'm old I'll bore my grand children with stories of the JPT and league one and I'll be proud to have been here.

Will it buy AP another season in charge. The way I understand it AP is on a one year contract. Some recent devolpments suggest that our chairmen is unhappy with APs progress while some fans on here have also stated they are unhappy with the way AP is doing things and the way the team is playing. At the start of the season the chairman stated he wanted silverware, recently however he has said the league is more important than the cups many on here seem to agree that the league should come first. So the question is if (and we may not) we win the JPT but fail to reach the playoffs do we extended APs contract? On the one hand AP will have delivered our first silverware since 76 on the other he will have failed to achieve NC stated main aim. what are peoples opinion does the JPT buy AP the right to another season in charge? For me personally I think it would be pretty shoddy to show someone the door if they actually win the club our first silverware for 34 years even if cup wins are not the clubs stated first priority. Thoughts.

Thomas is that sort of player watching him against Ipswhich he was constantly sticking in an elbow or pushing people in the back. He's a brute and a bully but sometimes you need a player like that as long as he doesn't get sent off.

Actually I agree with you there we went over the top in the transfer window in light of the chairman's aims. I wanted a good right back and maybe a creative midfielder. The team were playing ok before the window but now we've got to many players. The wierd thing is as fans we've craved a transfer window like this for years, now we've had one it's not all it's cracked up to be. The new players need to learn to play as a team (yes the gelling excuse) after a few weeks they probably will but by then the playoffs will be gone. I assumed NC would understand this which is why I figured we're planning ahead for next season rather than this one.

Fair enough. A sad comment on modern football if a manager actual wins our club something for the first time since 76 only to be shown the door. Still I'm sure his replacement will get the full backing of the board and fans for a whole six months (if he's lucky) before the knives come out.

No I'm not missing the point. The point is NC and many fans have changed their expectations this season due to a good run in the autumn, NC spent to achieve his new goals and now he's likely not going to get what he wants he's going to spit his dummy out. My question still stands. NC stated at the start of the season he wanted silverware if AP delivers him silverware will he still sack him for not getting to the play offs? simply question really

So according to the Dons, we're a great side with 10mil worth of talent and a EPL quaility manager. Getting the excuses in early then. 5 mins of reading this forum would debunk at least two of those ideas

Didn't NC start the season saying he wanted silverware (rather than some sword that was a gift). So if (and its still an if) AP wins the JPT where does that leave the situation. "Thanks for winning us our first trophy in 34 years now do one your crap" I know most people think the JPT is a tin pot trophy but still clubs don't normally sack managers that win them a trophy do they?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8504230.stm I know Claridge is a skate and thus everything he says is suspect, but I thought his take on Rickie Lambert was interesting. Also his comments on leaking late goals might apply to us (although he's talking about Swindon)

Fair enough he's not a likeable person. But it's hard to argue that he isn't a good manager, unless of course he became our manager at which point he'd be crap and have no idea what he was doing;).

No we should have stuck with Nigel P but we didn't, still nothing to stop the club making the same mistake again. The truth is unless we find someone of fergies standard some fans will always dis-like the manager not matter who he is.

Sadly I think niether Bates or Mcmenemy would have lasted in todays modern football. Everything has to be now. Thats not just Saints though thats pretty much all football. Still probably the most successful team of modern times is Man utd and how many managers have they had recently.

Why do you and others get upset when someone suggests that not being promoted this season is resonable? Whats the massive rush? I love saints been my team all my life but in truth when have they been anything but mediocre. Why does the fact that I like the fans of many teams accept that it's unlikely (though not impossible) that my team will ever win the EPL or compete in the champions league in a regular basis bother you? Ask yourself this who are enjoying being saints fans more those of us that think this season is better than the last few seasons and enjoying the moment (yes even the pointless cup competitions) or those fans who are demending promotion this season, moaning about the manager and complaining about what a waste of time the JPT is? I know which type of fan I'd rather be.

Yawn. Play offs were always the plan this season. Always, hence the eye-wateringly extravagent outlay on players, coaches and wages. Play offs were the plan. You give a manager everything they could ever need on a silver platter. Asking them to be at least as successful as Colchester United and Millwall is hardly unreasonable. Get over it. Not according to this interview with NC early on in the season http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/paulfletcher/2009/09/back_from_the_brink_southampto.html Cortese's plan is for the club to win promotion from League One in two seasons and reach the Premier League in five years. He does not expect Liebherr to enjoy a return on his investment until the club returns to the top flight but reckons Saints can break even in the Championship. In the meantime, there are funds available for Pardew to mould his squad.

Does this apply to the players as well the Manager. If we're as crap as people are saying then the players need to go to they've been here several months and aren't performing upto scratch. Turf them out and buy up the whole of the Norwhich team (prehaps with the leeds players as the reserve team) we can afford it, it's tough but it's fair.:cool:

Thats not true we've beaten Charlton, Bristol Rovers and Norwhich this season in the cups. So we have the ability to beat top half sides. Why we play better in the cups than the league is a mystrey though.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/paulfletcher/2009/09/back_from_the_brink_southampto.html This article is quite intresting to re-read in light of the chairman's latest comments, it was written back at the start of the season.

So what do you want? It seems that winning is not enough now, we have to win while playing like Brazil every match before the fans are happy. Every match is different sometimes you have to dig a result out, sometimes you can pass the ball around like Arsenal and still lose. All AP needs to do is convert more of our draws into wins. As a team we're not losing many games we're going in the right direction but the journey's still only just started really.

Well I haven't been to every game this season so maybe I've been lucky. I've seen us win several 3-1s with us playing some nice stuff this year and the match against Ipswhich was a corker. I can't see it being realistic to expect us to win every match let alone win every match by a landslide while serving up the sort of football that Brazil would be proud of.