Saxon

I for one would like to see a bit of Van Dijk modelling the new kit

Maybe they didn't get a chance.

Quality announcement! Very impressive! Unfortunate date for me though :S

Plus this way round, i.e. it being the first bit of business, we have the new manager and new player appointments and the friendlies (the marquee ones ) to cheer us all up after so we gradually accept it overt the summer. If we sold him right at the end of the summer that would leave us in a downer right before the start of the season. This looks like the best way to do it and if we're all honest and take our red and white tinted glasses off, this was going to happen very soon anyway (saying goodbye to Rickie). I'm happier he gets this prem retirement package to his boyhood club rather than becomes a bench warmer we barely see for the club and then ends up disappearing one summer on a free. Plus it frees up the high salary.

Looks pretty sweet to me. And bear in mind that that figure includes the pitches at considerable expense and the training dome (also at considerable expense). I bet you that the building was about 50% of the cost if not less. The pitches would probably surprise us by how much they cost. But yeah the building isn't the only thing they've built (see the aerial mockup earlier in the thread).

Training ground looks truly gorgeous. And stoked for the "marquee preseason home fixture" that's being announced in the future. Would love to get tickets for that! Who knows, maybe that Dortmund rumour will turnout to be true

Haha yeah well that's what I was thinking! I only just realised he was in the poll in the thread too and I voted for Keoman duh I'd change my vote now if I could. Still, I guess as he's more prestigious possibly, it's harder to get him. But looks interesting that the odds have shortened. Would definitely keep me happy.

Hadn't realised Claudio Ranieri had been linked. What would people's opinion be if we appointed him? That's some experience, and plenty of European experience as well.

Really puts our current crazy situation into perspective. Here we are, still not long out of league 1 in the scheme of things and we're all stressing that next season in the PL we might not be able to push for Europe as seriously as we want watching that has chilled me out about the whole thing. Saints will still be saints next season, looking forward to discovering our next hero in the seasons to come

Perfect. Exactly how I feel about it. SRL is also one of the only modern players whom I'd ever believe to be sincere in anything they say about stuff like this. So his farewell letter means a lot. Will dearly miss his ultra honest, humble and adorable post-match interviews for saints.

My favourite youth player. Great attitude, great set piece taker and a shame he hasn't got on the score sheet yet with some of his screaming shot attempts. Reckon he'll be very big one day. Big congrats to him and hopefully we see even more of him next season!!

Really really positive sounding interview. After Krueger's and now this I think we can all be cautiously optimistic about pushing on next season

This. And agreed where somsone said it's down to the manager. Plleeaaaaasssse can it be someone with impact, not any of the usual suspects trading around the bottom half of the prem. We still have such a great opportunity to push on with the right appointment.

Except this time we're further ahead than we were when Poch took over. So this time in 18 months, if we got a manager with high potential, only sold one or two players and strengthened there's no reason we couldn't go on and keep pushing like we have been trying. So then after the next 18 months maybe there's a bit more incentive for them to stick around, and if not, there'll be more incentive to replace them with someone better and so on up the chain. IF we get a really decent replacement and we keep the majority of the squad together and it all goes well next season... still, do-able Poch has gone, yes he was important, but it's his style, if we got a really good manager in to replce him or someone the players could buy into, someone to generate some excitement, there's no reason we can't carry on. This doesn't have to be the end at all. Personally I really am amazed that THF took Poch, we're being linked with many managers (and no weakly) that I would have thought they'd choose over him so if anything we have a chance to really ad to our cause. They key will be to get the new guy in ASAP to convince the players to stay with his reputation and vision. But then we might get a Malky Either way onwards with the journey! I'm excited by the manager prospects, excited to see the kti whatever it is, excited to see if we get some interesting signings and excited to see our boys in the world cup

Yakin would get my vote. Definitely think that would make the players have a think about going anywhere and did some really good things with Basel Supporting that: Positive comments from him regarding the possibility, and he's currently leading the odds at the moment (william hill have him at 11/4). We can pretend that Macky isn't the bookies' next favourite

The super optimistic part of me is just hoping that maybe the reason SFC have been so quiet is that they've been working in the background for ages to finalize our first summer signing to announce along with Poch's contract signing (since they've been working on summer signins since since the season ended according to Reed). Too much? But in all honesty, we had a smashing last season, still hyped from watching that, hope Poch stays, still don't necessarily buy the paper rumours, they all quote each other and no one quotes anyone legit. As I said earlier "XXXXnews understands that" without any reference to HOW or WHY they can possibly understand that (tea leaves? star signs?) would be laughed back to the editors desk for anything else. They can't reveal the source for some reason? Then don't bother publishing it as it'll be lumped in with all the other B.S. rumour articles. Hope he stays, if he goes I'm sure we'll survive and I'm sure we'll have a better 14/15 season than most people are thinking we will

"Does anyone still think he will stay?" Yes, I still think he will. Just me and Viking then? I'm not really paying much attention to all these ever escalating rumour articles. It's like they're all trying to one-up each other. Forgive me but I deal in facts in my profession and I only go on what we know for definite (not a dig at anyone, I just find football rumours needlessly stressful and it infuriates me to no end that they can just publish nothing articles). Plus, if he does go and we were wrong, I will not harbour any resentment towards one of our best ever managers who has only enhanced the reputation of our club and conducted his time here with the utmost professionalism. Have some people just forgotten that the whole of the last season just happened? Sure the FA cup wasn't a success, but without getting into it the team he fielded should have beaten that Sunderland team, the players talked a big game, just didn't happen, just one of those days (could have put money on it since it was against Sunderland again ). But what about all the professional conduct, the professional interviews, the commitment to never give up, how he inspired and commanded the respect of the dressing room and brought out the best in our players and most excitingly produced such a thrilling brand of attacking high pressing football from our players. So whatever happens, thank you Mauricio Pochettino for making us the talk of the PL this season, for helping nearly four of our favourite boys get into the England team, for daring to dream and challenging the bigger teams, for bringing in more talented youngsters and showing the rest of the league how to compete on a lower budget. Thank you Mauricio Pochettino for making us proud to be in the PL again, thank you for making us anticipate every game against every opponent with excitement, knowing we would play without fear and in many cases get results we hadn't in a long time. Thank you Mauricio Pochettino for pushing the team and our expectations, in achieving the highest possession stats in the premier league and for bringing such joy to the Southampton fans this season. As to what happens from this point, judgement on that I will reserve until I know the facts. It is unknown. But at this point, with what we currently know, all I can say is that we are in the insane situation where one of our best managers is being ripped apart by some of his club's fans based on rumour and conjecture. Ungrateful doesn't even begin to cut-it. Yes, we will all be disappointed if he leaves, but you mustn't forget everything that he has given us up to now, especially when all of this is stemming from football journalism rumours. Anyway Hi yes I'm new to posting here (been reading for ages). Just wanted to give my two cents. Flame shield activated tl;dr I think he'll stay and think it incredible that after the results of last season that MP is slagged off like this based on rumour and conjecture