Some interesting Cortese info

[Jimmy_D]

If we get to the stage that we're challenging for the top 5...

 

We'll also be at the stage where we're challenging for the top 1.

 

I hope I live to see the day we have more trophies than Pompey.

[Scudamore]

If we get to the stage that we're challenging for the top 5...

 

We'll also be at the stage where we're challenging for the top 1.

 

Yep. Read it a few times now and I've no idea how you've worked that one out.

[Jimmy_D]

Yep. Read it a few times now and I've no idea how you've worked that one out.

 

Nothing more than optimism that if we have an aim of regularly finishing top 4/5, and we actually succeed in that aim, then every other team that regularly finishes top 4 is generally regarded as being in the hunt for the title every so often.

 

I'd argue it's pretty difficult to aim for Champions League football without aiming for the title itself.

 

If we don't make it that far, I'm confident that we'll be a stable team in the Prem before too long, and above Pompey, which is the status of Saints I grew up with, I could live with that, but I can dream it'll be far far better

Edited 26 May, 2011 by Jimmy_D

[ericofarabia]

I don't trust rumours that don't come from taxi drivers or men in suits talking loudly in pubs....... but hope the general gist and good intent is correct.

[Tokyo-Saint]

When NC goes on TV and starts talking about star trek, in a duck hunting toffs jumper and with a ruddy and punchable face, I'll believe he is the same as Lowe but with money. Until that day, I will be grateful to him and all he has done for the club I love.

[rooney]

Is a training ground that wouldn't look out of place at a top 4 club not the evidence you need?

 

Does anybody know the latest on the Training ground? Has the improvements started yet. The last I heard from this board was that PP had been agreed and we had a visual tour but that was ages ago.

[Wade Garrett]

I can imagine him being like that. He's massively driven and if he's been entrusted with a pretty hefty budget (which i'm pretty sure he has) then he's sensible enough to use this properly and not throw it at players left right and centre.

 

He's building up this club in the right way and I'm pretty excited.

 

Spot on. He resisted spending big in January, despite what a lot of fans were saying, held his nerve and was proved right.

 

We go into next season in a better position for it.

[Gingeletiss]

Spot on. He resisted spending big in January, despite what a lot of fans were saying, held his nerve and was proved right.

 

We go into next season in a better position for it.

 

This

[SaintNeil90]

Spot on. He resisted spending big in January, despite what a lot of fans were saying, held his nerve and was proved right.

 

We go into next season in a better position for it.

 

This

 

I would say signing Guly for around £1m, Forte for a few hundred thousand, Chaplow for a small amount and Stephens loan would have cost us alot and would have been big spending for league one.

[Puddings and Monkeys]

This is so much better a thread than the "we're signing Michael Owen" type garbage.

[Wade Garrett]

I would say signing Guly for around £1m, Forte for a few hundred thousand, Chaplow for a small amount and Stephens loan would have cost us alot and would have been big spending for league one.

 

The Guly deal was already on the table(I doubt it was near £1m), you don't know how much Forte cost, Chaplow was a steal at £50k and Stephens was brought in on loan when people were crying out for a midfielder to be bought.

 

Cortese had money to spend, but chose not to because he had faith in the squad, and knows promotion means we can aim a little higher in the Summer.

[NickG]

quite a few posters were saying we would not get promotion without paying millions over the odds for Lewis (who did his best to throw away Peterborough's chances and way behind KD) and CMS

[richardc]

Are we signing Owen?

This is so much better a thread than the "we're signing Michael Owen" type garbage.

[Daren W]

Going way way back to the original SCW job spec (before the wants to be a manager & Redkrapp shenanigans) he was brought in to develop specialist coaching skills (a shooting coach would be good after we had so many shots off target last year!) but also his real brief was to put a mechanism in place to take the kids from the Academy level to bring them into the first team. At that age, some are ready at 16/17 (AOC Theo Bale) but some need a bit more time (Brian Howard for example) and we let them go too early.

 

IF he really is into all that type of back-up structure then things really could get interesting. We have the funds for the team AND the support.

 

Hmm I could almost get excited by THAT prospect

 

That was one thing that really ****ed me off about Redknapp, the way he made Woodward look like a kook and some new age weirdo...

I was genuinely excited by the new science that Woodward was looking to bring to the club. What's interesting is seeing how people react to the same science but when it's championed by someone like Adkins... A football man.

[Scudamore]

Nothing more than optimism that if we have an aim of regularly finishing top 4/5, and we actually succeed in that aim, then every other team that regularly finishes top 4 is generally regarded as being in the hunt for the title every so often.

 

I'd argue it's pretty difficult to aim for Champions League football without aiming for the title itself.

 

If we don't make it that far, I'm confident that we'll be a stable team in the Prem before too long, and above Pompey, which is the status of Saints I grew up with, I could live with that, but I can dream it'll be far far better

 

Fair enough. But I'd say the whole concept of "the big four" revolves more around the Champions League spots. Spurs have finished in the top five the last two seasons and still been well off the pace for what is really required to compete for the championship.

 

Should be interesting when old ruddy nose finally leaves United. That'll shake things up a bit up the top of the Premier League.

 

Still can't see how we'd break into that top five or so clubs without some serious spending though. And Cortese sure as sh:t isn't stupid enough to think that training facilities wins games of football.

 

Interesting to see how it all pans out!

[Scudamore]

That was one thing that really ****ed me off about Redknapp, the way he made Woodward look like a kook and some new age weirdo...

I was genuinely excited by the new science that Woodward was looking to bring to the club. What's interesting is seeing how people react to the same science but when it's championed by someone like Adkins... A football man.

 

Please don't say "football man"...makes me think of saggy chops. And it's too early in the day to be getting angry!

[suspect everyone]

All very positive, although I am hesitant to place too much stock in the 5 year plan. You'll find most clubs in the Championship have similar grand plans, plenty of which are never realised. Plymouth Argyle had themselves a 5 year plan to get into the Premiership a few years ago when they were in the Championship, that one didn't quite work out.

 

I am loving the positive atmosphere within the club at the moment and this season has been truly excellent. However I'll just take each season as they come rather than look 5 years down the line, for me the world of football is just too uncertain for those sorts of concepts.

[hypochondriac]

All very positive, although I am hesitant to place too much stock in the 5 year plan. You'll find most clubs in the Championship have similar grand plans, plenty of which are never realised. Plymouth Argyle had themselves a 5 year plan to get into the Premiership a few years ago when they were in the Championship, that one didn't quite work out.

 

I am loving the positive atmosphere within the club at the moment and this season has been truly excellent. However I'll just take each season as they come rather than look 5 years down the line, for me the world of football is just too uncertain for those sorts of concepts.

 

I agree, just saying that is possibly a personal goal that Cortese has set himself.

[toofarnorth]

I have a source at SFC (have posted about him before) and had some lunch with him yesterday where he filled me in on some positive stuff.

 

Cortese has ****ed off a few this year but the players love him because he is a big believer in player power.

 

He is very into sports science and that sort of thing and will be employing a number of staff to analyse things like training and individual performance in games. It is why Adkins and him gets on so well apparently.

 

In the words of my source we 'have too much money' (lol) but haven't spent too much on players because Cortese prepares to focus on the infrastructure because in the long term this is more beneficial. He apparently encouraged his staff to 'come to him with projects' and that if he liked them he would approve it regardless of cost (an example given was 20 million.)

 

Cortese has a new five year plan which involves us being top five in the premiership.

 

Now as you all know I have my reservations about Cortese, but I thought most of that was pretty positive and put me in a good mood.

 

Did he give an example of what project would possibly cost 20 million?

[hypochondriac]

Did he give an example of what project would possibly cost 20 million?

 

no he said something like (my memory is failing) 'he encouraged staff to come to him with projects and if he liked the look of them he would give the go ahead with money not being a problem. We're talking about potential projects costing around 20 million here so it's serious stuff.'

[toofarnorth]

no he said something like (my memory is failing) 'he encouraged staff to come to him with projects and if he liked the look of them he would give the go ahead with money not being a problem. We're talking about potential projects costing around 20 million here so it's serious stuff.'

 

New tier on the Kingsland maybe. Who knows.

[The9]

That was one thing that really ****ed me off about Redknapp, the way he made Woodward look like a kook and some new age weirdo...

I was genuinely excited by the new science that Woodward was looking to bring to the club. What's interesting is seeing how people react to the same science but when it's championed by someone like Adkins... A football man.

 

I'd quite like to know about all of the science that Spurs employ under Redknapp, the stuff like Kinesio tape hasn't just sprung out of thin air, and Bale was one of the first high-profile users.

 

From what we know about Redknapp (and from what I know from reading a biography of Woodward I bought for a quid from a discount book store in Eastleigh!), Woodward was very keen to manage a football team and saw the transfer of his Sports Science skills as the way to get through the door.

 

Woodward's skills in sports science included player monitoring, developing the training environment (including for comfort and relaxation), and match day preparation and psychology, amongst other things - and I suspect Redknapp discrediting his methods by making out that the technology wasn't needed was his way of preserving his position. I remember him making some comment about not knowing how to switch on the Prozone machine, implying it was useless and unnecessary, when by then pretty much everyone else was already using some form of player monitoring, and nowadays you get the likes of Arsenal talking Wilshere out of the U-21s by showing him GPS records of his training and matches !

 

Lowe was open-minded enough to consider Woodward could help Saints, though it's fair comment to ask why we were blowing the money on longer-term planning when the key was to get back to the Prem sharpish. In a settled Premier League environment Woodward's influence could have given us a huge edge, and worst case scenario would have kept us up with the developments at places like Bolton - this was 2006, not 1986 and plenty of teams already had this kind of thing going on already. We'd already seen the benefits of pure physical fitness with Strachan's 2003 side and the Cup Final gameplan was to drag Arsenal into extra time.

 

I don't believe for a second that Redknapp doesn't have sports science people now at Spurs, given the choice at the top level everyone would do it whether the manager thought it worthwhile or not, to get whatever edge they can.

[St_Tel49]

Woodward back then?

 

I honestly feel that Cortese is Lowe, but with money.

 

I don't think that's a bad thing.

 

Yes, I have aften thought that. Cortese's vision does not seem to be one iota different from Lowe's - it is just that he has the finance to support it. Cortese also avoids the baggage of being perceived as an "upper class" dabbler in football.

[saint_stevo]

Is a training ground that wouldn't look out of place at a top 4 club not the evidence you need?

 

No not really

[Rebel]

With Woodward I think the real problems started when he was named as Director of Football instead of Head of Sports Science.

 

It was obvious he was Lowe's favourite - after all they had a lot more in common than Lowe and Redknapp - Rugby, Hockey, Public School background, old city connections and upper class origin. Whereas Redknapp was a wheeler dealer slightly dodgy football manager from East London!

 

Lowe, Woodward, Redknapp, Bassett and Smith was never going to work as a management team. The new age v the dinosaurs!

 

I would have welcomed Woodward as a Head of Sports Science - who at the same time was going to get his FA coaching badges and maybe help out with managing the youth teams to get some football experience.

 

But as a manager or director of football it was a catastrophy waiting to happen.

 

Also the time to do it was when we were in the premiership and had the money for his wage bill and the whole project. At the time I think we all thought the money would be better spent on first team players!

[St_Tel49]

How could he possibly find out who it is? Cortese doesn't know me and I didn't name them!

 

Watch out for men with violin cases

[St_Tel49]

With Woodward I think the real problems started when he was named as Director of Football instead of Head of Sports Science.

 

It was obvious he was Lowe's favourite - after all they had a lot more in common than Lowe and Redknapp - Rugby, Hockey, Public School background, old city connections and upper class origin. Whereas Redknapp was a wheeler dealer slightly dodgy football manager from East London!

 

Lowe, Woodward, Redknapp, Bassett and Smith was never going to work as a management team. The new age v the dinosaurs!

 

I would have welcomed Woodward as a Head of Sports Science - who at the same time was going to get his FA coaching badges and maybe help out with managing the youth teams to get some football experience.

 

But as a manager or director of football it was a catastrophy waiting to happen.

 

Also the time to do it was when we were in the premiership and had the money for his wage bill and the whole project. At the time I think we all thought the money would be better spent on first team players! [/Quote]

 

This

Edited 26 May, 2011 by St_Tel49

[Sour Mash]

I have a source at SFC (have posted about him before) and had some lunch with him yesterday where he filled me in on some positive stuff.

 

Cortese has ****ed off a few this year but the players love him because he is a big believer in player power.

 

He is very into sports science and that sort of thing and will be employing a number of staff to analyse things like training and individual performance in games. It is why Adkins and him gets on so well apparently.

 

In the words of my source we 'have too much money' (lol) but haven't spent too much on players because Cortese prepares to focus on the infrastructure because in the long term this is more beneficial. He apparently encouraged his staff to 'come to him with projects' and that if he liked them he would approve it regardless of cost (an example given was 20 million.)

 

Cortese has a new five year plan which involves us being top five in the premiership.

 

Now as you all know I have my reservations about Cortese, but I thought most of that was pretty positive and put me in a good mood.

 

None of that is really new, meaningful, or interesting though is it? Just stuff that has been posted on here many times already in the last few months.

[hypochondriac]

None of that is really new, meaningful, or interesting though is it? Just stuff that has been posted on here many times already in the last few months.

 

No one asked you to read it. It's nothing groundbreaking as I said, but just confirmation of what others have said and clearly some have found it interesting or they wouldn't have commented. Do you have a problem with me posting it?

[lettuce]

How could he possibly find out who it is? Cortese doesn't know me and I didn't name them!

 

I'm sure Cortese could remember who he ate lunch and discussed these topics with on Tuesday.

[hypochondriac]

I'm sure Cortese could remember who he ate lunch and discussed these topics with on Tuesday.

 

My source had lunch with me not Cortese

[Sour Mash]

No one asked you to read it. It's nothing groundbreaking as I said, but just confirmation of what others have said and clearly some have found it interesting or they wouldn't have commented. Do you have a problem with me posting it?

 

Yes. It is boring, meaningless, doesn't actually say or tell us anything new or confirm anything. Fans will always love posts/threads speculating about how much we might have to spend and that we're "aiming for the top 4", sounds great doesn't it. But thanks for telling us about your lunch meeting.

[alpine_saint]

Lowe only cared about making money for the shareholders and being in the limelight. Cortese cares about the club and has been very low key regarding public appearances. How are they anything alike?

 

This.

 

Lowe liked talking money but brought nothing to the club whilst taking plenty.

 

And I havent seen NC in a squad photo or heard of him turning up at the training ground in a monogrammed tracksuit.

 

Lowe really reckoned he could do the managers job, and this Napoleon complex where he interfered in Poortvillet's team selections helped get us relegated from the CCC.

[doddisalegend]

Did he give an example of what project would possibly cost 20 million?

 

Free season tickets for the first 28,000 at SMS on the 1st of June.....

[hypochondriac]

Yes. It is boring, meaningless, doesn't actually say or tell us anything new or confirm anything. Fans will always love posts/threads speculating about how much we might have to spend and that we're "aiming for the top 4", sounds great doesn't it. But thanks for telling us about your lunch meeting.

 

But as I said some people didn't find it boring and meaningless. I just thought I would share what I had heard and it gives a bit of an insight into who Cortese is (how he is into sports science for instance.) Whatever you think, some people have deemed it worthy of discussion. I suggest if you find something so boring and meaningless in the future that you simply ignore the topic.

[Saint J 77]

When NC goes on TV and starts talking about star trek, in a duck hunting toffs jumper and with a ruddy and punchable face, I'll believe he is the same as Lowe but with money. Until that day, I will be grateful to him and all he has done for the club I love.

 

I really don't see how any sane saint fan could think they are anything alike. Lowe only cared about making money for the shareholders and being in the public limelight. He only wanted a good youth to so he could sell them off to the highest bidder. Any good player we developed, you could be 100% certain would be leaving at the first available chance. He ran the club as a business almost forgetting or ignoring the fact we are a football club and need success on the pitch.

 

Cortese wants success on the pitch. He keeps a low profile. He doesn't sell off our promising players at the first chance he gets. He seems to have a vision to get us back not only to the premiership but has grand ideas of us challenging for a champions league place. The only similarity they share is the lack of commucation with the fans. But they are nothing alike whatsoever. Also I believe Cortese to be a human being, I still not convinced Rupert ever was

[Scudamore]

Was this actually a lunch date with Jose Fonte? Did he show you his lunchbox?

[John B]

I really don't see how any sane saint fan could think they are anything alike. Lowe only cared about making money for the shareholders and being in the public limelight. He only wanted a good youth to so he could sell them off to the highest bidder. Any good player we developed, you could be 100% certain would be leaving at the first available chance. He ran the club as a business almost forgetting or ignoring the fact we are a football club and need success on the pitch.

 

Cortese wants success on the pitch. He keeps a low profile. He doesn't sell off our promising players at the first chance he gets. He seems to have a vision to get us back not only to the premiership but has grand ideas of us challenging for a champions league place. The only similarity they share is the lack of commucation with the fans. But they are nothing alike whatsoever. Also I believe Cortese to be a human being, I still not convinced Rupert ever was

 

You dont seem to have much grasp of reality - Lowe did a reasonable job with the limited resources and like most clubs he had to sell players to balance the books.

 

Cortese like Lowe believes in Sports Science the development of Youth and balancing the books and unlike Lowe has a free Stadium and a billionaire backer.

 

 

Lowe operated primarily in the Premier League where we were always struggling because of our lack of a rich backer and before the relegation from the PL I thought things were going reasonably well.

 

Cortese is doing a very good job at the moment but it is a lot easier now because of the financial situation at SFC but I still doubt Champions Leage football will come to St Mary's as other teams in the PL have shed loads of money large Stadiums and the same dreams as Cortese .

 

Going into Administration appears at the moment to have been a good thing

[Born In The 80s]

Does your 'source' know that you've just publically written about all the information he/she gave you in confidence? Have they given their permission? If the person who told you all this stuff is employed by the club in some capacity, then i'm pretty damn sure they wouldn't appreciate you making all this information public and claiming it all comes from a source at SFC. It's not difficult to trace back to who your source may have been from the club's perspective and you may well have landed your mate in trouble, when i'm guessing you were told in confidence.

[Windmill Arm 2]

Are we buying Owen for 20 million ?

[hypochondriac]

Does your 'source' know that you've just publically written about all the information he/she gave you in confidence? Have they given their permission? If the person who told you all this stuff is employed by the club in some capacity, then i'm pretty damn sure they wouldn't appreciate you making all this information public and claiming it all comes from a source at SFC. It's not difficult to trace back to who your source may have been from the club's perspective and you may well have landed your mate in trouble, when i'm guessing you were told in confidence.

 

That's my concern not yours.

[alpine_saint]

You dont seem to have much grasp of reality - Lowe did a reasonable job with the limited resources and like most clubs he had to sell players to balance the books.

 

Cortese like Lowe believes in Sports Science the development of Youth and balancing the books and unlike Lowe has a free Stadium and a billionaire backer.

 

 

Lowe operated primarily in the Premier League where we were always struggling because of our lack of a rich backer and before the relegation from the PL I thought things were going reasonably well.

 

Cortese is doing a very good job at the moment but it is a lot easier now because of the financial situation at SFC but I still doubt Champions Leage football will come to St Mary's as other teams in the PL have shed loads of money large Stadiums and the same dreams as Cortese .

 

Going into Administration appears at the moment to have been a good thing

 

You havent really read what he wrote, have you ?

 

The ideas that Lowe had may not have been bad, and may be similar to those NC is willing to support, but the whole manner of execution was shambolic and amateurish under Lowe, whereas NC gets on with them without f**king fanfare or media whoring.

 

There is also no evidence at all that lowe tried to find investment or financial backing, since that would have diluted his grasp on power. You also get the impression that NC has a better grasp of what a football club is and means, or at least has much better advisers.

 

The key difference for me is that NC is going for these things, some similar to lowe's ideas, some different, in a whole-hearted and PROFESSIONAL manner either without or at least with a very carefully concealled personal agenda, and in his case if there is a personal agenda at all like a whopping bonus, it is NOT detrimental to the clubs goals.

[Born In The 80s]

That's my concern not yours.

 

Well if they don't mind you posting all that stuff, then there's no way they're employed by Southampton Football Club. There is absolutely no way an employee of the club would give you private information and be happy for you to write about i all on a popular fans forum (that, as everyone knows, is being monitored daily by the club). And if they're not employed by the club, the chances are the information you have given is bull****.

[Lord Duckhunter]

I cant believe what I'm reading on here, that some people still think SCW was a good idea and is somehow a loss to us because of his "sports science" knowledge.Every single Premiership Club and Manager (yes even dinosaurs like Redknapp) use it. Not one, despite being the highest paying sport, has approached, employed, or spoken to SCW about a role at their club.I doubt if one supporter of a Premiership side wishes they would employ SCW, I doubt if one Premiership manager has ever asked SCW for advise. The only person involved in Football that felt he needed his "skills" was Rupert bloody Lowe.

 

And dont forget it was not just SCW that Redknapp and Harry Basset had to put up with, but Clifford as well. Why has no other club called on Clifford's services. Comparing NC to Rupert Lowe is like comparing The Beatles to Freddie and the Bloody Dreamers.

[alpine_saint]

I cant believe what I'm reading on here, that some people still think SCW was a good idea and is somehow a loss to us because of his "sports science" knowledge.Every single Premiership Club and Manager (yes even dinosaurs like Redknapp) use it. Not one, despite being the highest paying sport, has approached, employed, or spoken to SCW about a role at their club.I doubt if one supporter of a Premiership side wishes they would employ SCW, I doubt if one Premiership manager has ever asked SCW for advise. The only person involved in Football that felt he needed his "skills" was Rupert bloody Lowe.

 

And dont forget it was not just SCW that Redknapp and Harry Basset had to put up with, but Clifford as well. Why has no other club called on Clifford's services. Comparing NC to Rupert Lowe is like comparing The Beatles to Freddie and the Bloody Dreamers.

 

hehehehe. Not forgetting that not even the English RFU want the services of SCW anymore....

[Saint J 77]

You dont seem to have much grasp of reality - Lowe did a reasonable job with the limited resources and like most clubs he had to sell players to balance the books.

 

Cortese like Lowe believes in Sports Science the development of Youth and balancing the books and unlike Lowe has a free Stadium and a billionaire backer.

 

Going into Administration appears at the moment to have been a good thing

 

I never said I thought, we would make the champions league but the mere fact that is an aim shows ambition. Something Lowe never did even with limited resources. After the cup final we were in a great position to move forward but what did Lowe do? He sold our best player? Bridge may have wanted to leave and he got the best he could for him but what did we do with the money? Or any of the money from all our brightest and best sold? I don't really want to argue about the past but how do I not have a grasp on reality?

Yes Lowe wanted to develop the youth but only because he saw pound signs in his eyes. As I said earlier Lowe ran the football club as purely a business. His first concern was his shareholding buddies and looking good to them. He failed to realise success on the pitch could mean success off it. Or perhaps he knew the gains of success on the pitch would never be as profitable as just cashing in on the talent! Either way he stopped caring at one point if he ever really did.

[angelman]

Lowe only cared about making money for the shareholders and being in the limelight. Cortese cares about the club and has been very low key regarding public appearances. How are they anything alike?

 

Interesting comparisson between the two. I think ^ sums up the difference. As an aside, I never think that clubs that are listed work particularly well in this country. The similarity is that they are both bankers and both had financial prudence. I think that it is a great thing that Cortese is starting from the 3rd tier and working up from there. Lowe came in at the top, got big with the FA and did like the limelight. The only thing that I don't think Cortese should say is that we will be top 5. It isn't easy and might come across as arrogance, but if that is the worst of his "crimes" then that isn't too bad.

[Gingeletiss]

Does your 'source' know that you've just publically written about all the information he/she gave you in confidence? Have they given their permission? If the person who told you all this stuff is employed by the club in some capacity, then i'm pretty damn sure they wouldn't appreciate you making all this information public and claiming it all comes from a source at SFC. It's not difficult to trace back to who your source may have been from the club's perspective and you may well have landed your mate in trouble, when i'm guessing you were told in confidence.

 

Doubt Hypo worrys about that, he's basking in his 'look at me' moment. However, this is not really a big surprise, is it? Some of us have been saying 'watch this space' for ages.

[St_Tel49]

Yes. It is boring, meaningless, doesn't actually say or tell us anything new or confirm anything. Fans will always love posts/threads speculating about how much we might have to spend and that we're "aiming for the top 4", sounds great doesn't it. But thanks for telling us about your lunch meeting.

 

I don't get the impression that most posters on this thread think that it is boring and meaningless. TBH you could conceivably apply that description to 95% of posts (including your own if I am to be blunt). If you don't like a thread then don't post on it. Its an approach that has always worked for me.

[dronskisaint]

Originally Posted by dune

Words is all it is at this stage, and to deliver on this we will have to pay top wages and transfer fee's. You can't break into the top 5 (with the intention of establishing yourself there) without breaking the bank, and for a club like Saints that cannot be achieved without the Liebherrs bankrolling us.

 

It isn't just words, it's new training facilities, new coaches, more money for the academy, promotion, new contract for lallana. All very real and part of the long term plan.

 

Plus the first part of the original plan that was put in to place has shown to be succesful and involved spending on wages and players above the level a L1 club would expect. On that basis there's no reason to suspect that the same strategy will not be carried out through the Championship and beyond.

 

Of course words were all that they were back then too but credit the forst part of the plan coming to fruition - pleased but not at all surprised to hear that the business plan has a rolling update - it's a model that the progressively thinking companies all would work to.

 

I think we're very lucky in being chosen as the club to do this with - I also think that we were a perfect fit for those plans. Wise choices all round!