theyin

Silly question. Survive of course. The reaction to Saturday and a host of other derbies down the years are reason enough.

Fantastic, thanks for the translantion. I know it's an old article but I think it sets out more in that piece than anything we've known before - unless of course it's been up on a thread before????

So whose O level French is still up to scratch? Liebherr: «Je ne vais pas acheter Kaka» Agé de 61 ans, Markus Liebherr a repris le club anglais de Southampton. Le Bullois en explique les raisons. Le Bullois Markus Liebherr compte bien redonner ses lettres de noblesse au club de Southampton. Comme une trainée de poudre, la nouvelle a fait le tour des sites internet anglais: «Un Suisse au secours de Southampton». La BBC, le Times et tous les autres journaux anglais d’envergure en ont parlé sur la toile, avant d’être relayés par les sites sportifs étrangers. Ce Suisse se prénomme Markus Liebherr: un nom bien connu dans la région. Après Hans, ancien directeur de l’entreprise Liebherr-International AG et la cavalière Christina, voici donc son oncle Markus. Discret jusqu’à présent, cet homme d’affaires de 61 ans a quitté la fratrie Liebherr en 1993 pour fonder sa propre entreprise basée à Fribourg: MALI International. Markus Liebherr, pour quelles raisons avez-vous décidé de reprendre Southampton (22 millions)? Le club se trouvait en grande difficulté financière et quelqu’un devait investir. J’ai donc profité de l’occasion pour reprendre une équipe qui évolue en troisième division, mais qui s’appuie sur des supporters fidèles et qui a le potentiel pour figurer en première division. C’était une belle opportunité à ne pas manquer. Un Suisse qui prend en main un club anglais. Cette décision peut surprendre… Non, je ne crois pas. Il ne fallait pas manquer une telle occasion. J’ai beaucoup moins investi que si j’avais repris un club en bonne santé. Etiez-vous déjà impliqué auparavant dans le monde du football? Je suis régulièrement les principaux résultats. Mais j’avoue que le football n’est pas ma passion. Avec cette acquisition, je vais davantage découvrir ce milieu que je ne connais pas encore beaucoup. Quelles sont vos intentions? L’objectif est simple: Southampton doit retrouver sa place dans l’élite du football anglais. Maintenant, cela ne sert à rien de brûler les étapes en prenant trop de risques financiers. Mon but est de construire une équipe solide, formée par les joueurs du cru. C’est pour cette raison que je vais m’entourer de personnes de confiance, qui seront prêtes à s’engager pour que le club retrouve des couleurs. Vous n’allez donc pas imiter Florentino Perez, le nouveau président du Real Madrid, qui offre une pléiade de stars à ses supporters? Désolé, mais je ne vais pas acheter Kaka (rires). Franchissons doucement les différents paliers qui vont nous permettre de réussir notre pari. Pourquoi avoir choisi de vous expatrier en Angleterre et ne pas avoir choisi d’investir dans un club suisse, par exemple? En Suisse, aucun club n’était dans la même situation et ne m’offrait l’opportunité de repartir à zéro. L’attente semble énorme du côté des supporters. Sentez-vous cette pression? Je sais que Southampton est un club de tradition qui a eu la chance de compter de grands joueurs par le passé, soutenu par beaucoup de supporters. Le club a coulé ces dernières années, car plusieurs personnes tentaient de le diriger. Je suis désormais le seul maître à bord et j’espère bien le mener vers le chemin du succès. Est-ce-que c’est une première pour la famille Liebherr d’intégrer le monde du football? C’est vrai que ma famille est davantage attirée par les sports équestres. Mais c’est plutôt mon frère Hans, qui est passionné par les chevaux. J’ai bien essayé, petit, sur des poneys, mais cela ne s’est pas avéré concluant (rires). Vous êtes désormais propriétaire d’un club anglais. Allez-vous changer vos habitudes? Bien sûr, je vais souvent aller au stade pour voir l’équipe. Mais j’habite à Bulle et je compte bien y rester. J’effectuerai simplement plus de voyages. Un passé glorieux En début de semaine, l’homme d’affaires résidant à Bulle a donc décidé de reprendre en main le club anglais de Southampton. Le montant de 22 millions a semble-t-il été nécessaire pour que le Gruérien puisse trôner dans le magnifique stade du sud de l’Angleterre. A la dérive depuis sa chute de première division en 2005, Southampton a, cette saison, été relégué en Division One (3e division) à la suite de la faillite des anciens propriétaires, qui ont laissé une dette de 52,7 millions de francs. Avant l’arrivée de Markus Liebherr, seule l’histoire du club pouvait donc être considérée comme riche. Evoluant en Premier League de 1978 à 2005, Southampton a remporté la célèbre Cup en 1976. Plus récemment, cette formation a échoué en finale face à Arsenal (2005). Des joueurs comme Kevin Keegan, Peter Shilton, Alan Shearer, Peter Crouch ou le jeune talent Theo Walcott ont d’ailleurs porté les couleurs de ce club. C’est donc avec le poids de ce glorieux passé que Markus Liebherr va tenter de réussir son pari: remettre le club à flot pour qu’il revienne à bon port, en Premier League. Ce qui augmentera logiquement la valeur financière de sa nouvelle acquisition. vac

" We had so many young players who had no experience, no real desire or hunger to understand what it means to be a full-time professional, so we got into them a little bit." Who the feck are these kids with 'no real desire or hunger'? I thought that was the thing about youth. This is football FFS. It is a sign of our times when ungrateful little ***ts who think the world owes them a living have to be cajooled into doing their bit in what is THE easiest life. These numbskulls would be at the end of the till packing grocery bags if they weren't kicking a football about. I love Saints, I love football, I just can't abide the eeejits who play the game.

surely NC won't want to be associated with the management merry-go-round at SMS of recent years. We have a wealth of new players coming into the team and in our case, like others, ManC, for example, it's going to take time to gel. It takes time. I expect the doom mongers on here are from a younger generation that have no concept of 'giving the manager time'. Far from NC being the person wielding the knife, I fear it is going to be the vocal 'yoof' and their inevitable boos from over heightened expectancy, that could sway the chairman's mind. So shut the feck up, we're in L1 for another year....unfortunately, get behind the team, rain or shine and watch AP take us back to the Prem. Hope the team sorts it out soon though. Tired of all these reports I'm listening to/reading about.

Legod... " (As for today, not good enough - I'm sure the team and manager know it, but just in case, I'm sure all the feckwits will point it out to them... yawn). " Like you just did

very disappointed, if the team isn't gelling with all these new faces against the like of Exeter, how the hell are the team going to pull it together for the likes of Pompey?

The stripes don't work for me. It seems to me, if the badge is to be redesigned that reflections of the city, it's people and the club over the 125 year period need to be taken into account and then two or three elements of that incorporated into the final design. Here's a start shipping, water, forest, Hampshire, 125 years, saint, st mary's, bargate, the gateway to the world, itchen bridge, test and itchen, Hampshire rose, stripes sashes and quarters, Cunard queens, mulberry harbour, Etc etc Something to work on?

Amazing how some journo signed up to the forum can get us all repeating the same words we were coming out with a few days back and lookee here, here's me doing exactly the same Plain sash - that means NO barcode boll@x and no bold 'since 1885' festooned all over it. Simple stitching under the badge will suffice couldn't get any more easier than that

My biggest concern is the fact we are soley reliant on the OS for insight into the club. Let's face it, as a third tier club we've not exactly got the world's media parked at the club or training ground gates sussing out the next big story. Who has the inside links that can provide an independent view and report what's really going on. Isn't their someone in the area with a journalistic background (or even a student on the media course at Solent Uni who wants a project for a couple of years) , an interest in the Saints that can in some way reach out to the club in order that we are provided with something other than the club line. There's no outlet for players to give a view or to report what they are ... hopefully ... doing in the community. I think one of these websites, if not SaintsWeb , if of course someone had the time and commitment, could build a relationship which could provide the link between the fans and the club that isn't available to us at the moment. If that's garbled, it was a long day and even longer night

So just because the majority of our fans are not "cultured aesthetes" we should have a kit that screams like an over designed Umbro monstrosity from the early nineties then? With regard to the sash not being recognised by fans, do you think ManU's chevron on their current kit was recognised by them? It's a one off, I'd put my money on the sash being chosen already if like it has been said, it is already decided.

My Dad was telling me a few weeks back that he would think nothing of going down to Fratton Park during the sixties to watch a game if Saints were away. Anything to watch a game

Yuk, overegging it or what? that sounds like a cheap sweaty from Matalan or some of the overdone since 1885 'casual' wear from the megastore 1885-2010 under the badge will suffice

sash it up baby - I'm convinced this is the way to go white shorts and red stockings (why did they ever use that term?)

I wouldn't dare encroach on decisions that should be dealt with purely by regular goers. I'd have my tongue torn out

always thought the Palace under Venables kit of the 70's was class like our Admiral one of the same vintage. They did it again last year? and Man City have gone down the sash route again this season for their third kit. I'm diggin the sash ala Peru, then again my earliest memories of the Dell were in the Patrick kit which was unreal, but then again my first Saints kit was the Admiral. Now seriously undecided. In NC we must trust Will UMBRO borrow from another manufacturer's sartorial history though? Hmmm can't see it so Doggface's November thread could just hit the nail on the head unless they do the sash which was essentially a bit of ribbon tacked onto a white shirt. Sh1t, Why is this taking up so much of my time?

Is that rumours on here or from a well placed source? Sash or Patrick for me

you'll learn..... mortgage, kids, wife, debt, work, travel distance and other priorities .... once these things enter your life me lad, you'll realise football is simply that, a game to be enjoyed when the other things in life allow. Good luck to all the older ST holders, I applaud their loyalty and maybe if things were different. I don't want to sound like a patronising ***t but you lot do come out with some cr@p. You can afford the weekly outlay because the majority of you are only paying your mum a pittance for your housekeeping. You've got your ticket, enjoy it

I suspect it's the Northam 'yoof' have the biggest beef about this. Get over yourself, Shankley's mantra (heard of him) doesn't ring true today, just as it never did when he blurted out his famous line. Life is about more than just a puffed up sheep's bladder. ST holders have priority, as they should, so what's your problem? Get your ticket and enjoy the fact that we'll have as many in our end as Leeds come Wembley, if we beat MK of course.

why all this worry of offending the corporates with fruity language etc. My experience of corporate football invites at the Emirates, Wembley, Fulham, the Bridge and at Euro 2008, was that the majority of so called corporates were simply a bunch of high achieving sales lads out of a free p1ss up. Are you telling me SMS attracts a better class of corporate goer?

when was the last time we played well? I know a win's a win but we've always been known for a certain style. Now I don't get to go all that much but from what I read, it sounds dreadful

i hope a few tea cups are thrown

isn't it possible for someone living local to play the Radio Solent broadcast via justin.tv or something? I want to hear SMS erupt when the 5th goes in. OK, I'll calm down

I hear you with that one

The Northam Kop?