OVER THE HILL Posted 15 January, 2014 Share Posted 15 January, 2014 Very few of us know him as a person but all of us know of him as a football person,in that respect he was superb Well said Nick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenridge Posted 15 January, 2014 Share Posted 15 January, 2014 I think you can judge NC on two fronts - what he did for the club in footballing terms which to my mind was almost faultless and what he was like as a person and on that aspect I think I best not comment. It would appear you are quite bitter towards many people over time at the club Duncan so its somewhat difficult to take your comments on a balanced level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gis Posted 15 January, 2014 Share Posted 15 January, 2014 Thank you Nicola, you took the club from near extinction and left us in a brilliant position. And OK, whilst the Liebherr backing was the foundation, there have been many examples where money spent at other clubs has been wasted. Saints are well prepared for the future, even though things are uncertain now. Two massive regrets. 1. that I never made it to one of those famous dinner parties 2. that it looks there won't be the chance to reprint that 2010 Leeds programme cover from 2010(?) .......... with the subscript under the picture 'who the **** is laughing now'...........when we made it back into Europe Here's to success for you and your family in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre Posted 15 January, 2014 Share Posted 15 January, 2014 More than appreciation, just... well done, Nicola. You did a damn good job, just like you said you would. But yeah, seriously, thanks so much. What a ride it's been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRM Posted 15 January, 2014 Share Posted 15 January, 2014 I hope they give him the same treatment he gave Adkins, zero acknowledgement. exactly this. I was at the Everton game and saw a steward take a thank you Nigel banner off a fan , he said he "was just following orders from the top" so stuff cortese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadoldgit Posted 15 January, 2014 Share Posted 15 January, 2014 No one is bigger than the club. Least of al people with over inflated egos. He treated people badly, had no respect for our tradition. It was all about him as this has proved. Perhaps he would like to take Osvaldo and Ramirez with him. What a waste of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiggles31 Posted 15 January, 2014 Share Posted 15 January, 2014 A ruthless man but a great chairman for our club so thanks for everything he has done. But now is time to move on. He is not bigger than the club although I think he used to think that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le Tissier Posted 15 January, 2014 Share Posted 15 January, 2014 Good riddance to him! Just like the photo of the shirt. No name on the back of the shirt is bigger than the badge on the front. Same applies to him. Mark my words this will be a blessing in disguise ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintadjg Posted 15 January, 2014 Share Posted 15 January, 2014 Surely only a ****ing retard will be glad to see the back of The Don,he did an amazing job.I bet the other chairmen are loving it.January sale time at St Marys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrZuess1979 the 2nd Posted 15 January, 2014 Share Posted 15 January, 2014 Cortese directed vast amounts of cash our way when all seemed lost. I know the money came from the Liebherr's, and full credit to them for that, but Nicola brought it to us, as these day one articles show. http://pap.centelia.net/EC_20090709_MAIN_TAC_042.PDF http://pap.centelia.net/EC_20090709_MAIN_TAC_043.PDF Five years later, and look where we are. I don't know if Nicola is this way inclined, but if he wanted to stand on top of Albion Towers, arms aloft shouting "veni vidi vici", I'd have no problem with that. Based on the five year plan, that's what he did. Didn't agree with every decision he made. The whole boycott of the Echo made us look like a laughing stock, as did the insistence on bought and paid for press photos and our consequent billing of South Coast Club. Roughly this time last year, we were all shocked with the ruthlessness of Adkins' sacking, especially with Pochettino waiting in the wings. Even if you saw the cold hard logic of the decision, you also had to take into account the negative press we got as a result. Hopefully the rift with the Echo will now be repaired Whatever your opinion, Cortese was his own man, and as much as single-mindedness can be an asset, it's probably what did for him in the end. Thanks for everything, Nicola. This ^^^^ Thank you Cortese, I believe with out him we'd have no club to support Saint legend up there with bates and Marcuse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_saint Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 No one is bigger than the club. Least of al people with over inflated egos. He treated people badly, had no respect for our tradition. It was all about him as this has proved. Perhaps he would like to take Osvaldo and Ramirez with him. What a waste of money. I see 5 years later you are still a Lowe Luvvie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david in sweden Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 (edited) He seems to come into a category of someone you liked, or hated. He upset some people because he took away the programme sellers, abolished free tickets and changed the beer, and along the way sacked a couple of popular managers and then installed a " foreigner " who nobody had heard of ....and who dared not speak English in front of the cameras. However..from a business perspective, he persuaded Markus to buy the club, (when it was on the brink of extinction) and then endured many sarcastic comments when suggesting we'd be back in the Prem. in 5 years (and managed it in 3.) He dragged the club and its fans, kicking and screaming into the 21st century footballing world and projected a state-of-the-art training facility for the club which is second to none. Clearly, an ambitious man with vision - when few could see beyond the fog in the Solent. I can only hope that his blueprint for the club's future won't be caste aside when they clear his desk. I think he wanted to buy the club, or at least get a controlling interest but it was not to be. Had he been a bit more of " a man of the people" he'd probably have attained " Sainthood " and the glory. He undoubtedly had his next move planned (if he couldn't get Katherina's co-operation for HIS plans), and so I expect to see him take a leading role in one of the top Euro club...any day now. We can hope that Katherine L. becomes a Saints' fans and respects her father's desire for the club's success because (had he lived) he would surely have been proud to be the owner of a Prem.club. IF ...she eventually sells, it must be to someone willing to meet the eventual valuation ..£100 million ??)....and be prepared to fork out £30 mill. a year to " pep-up the squad " with some foreign talent, whilst continuing to support the next generation of Academy graduates..... and hopefully someone with more patience for eventual success than the Chelsea owner has. MP's admission that he intends to stay is re-assuring ...at least in the short term, as he will surely be the target of some of the " mega clubs " in the future. Had he also chosen to go, I tried to " mentally head hunt " a suitable replacement. With view to our Academy and high level of British playing personnel; I reasoned it should be a " Brit " of some standing in the game...(currently unemployed)...with an international reputation as a player, experience of the Prem, and management experience plus some degree of tactical nous....I came up with only one name, which I somewhat reluctantly put forward ........Glenn Hoddle. Hopefully we won't have to face that possibility for a while. Edited 16 January, 2014 by david in sweden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom28 Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 Sorry to see him go. Best leader this club has ever had. Hope, but don't expect, to see him back at some stage in the future. Club legend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARCELONASAINT Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 Personally i don't give a rats arse what he was like as a person....what i care about is the football club and on that basis i thank him for saving our club and everything he has done since that has seen our dramatic rise to where we are now. In over 40 years of supporting SFC i can honestly say he has been the best chairman we have had in my lifetime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katalinic Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 No one is bigger than the club. Least of al people with over inflated egos. He treated people badly, had no respect for our tradition. It was all about him as this has proved. Perhaps he would like to take Osvaldo and Ramirez with him. What a waste of money. Take Osvaldo and Ramirez out of your post and replace with Delap and Delgado and we could be talking about someone else - the difference being that Cortese has been a success and the club has gone forward under his chairmanship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicestersaint Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 What does one say about Nicola 'marmite man' Cortese - you either love him or loathe him. I am in the middle - I respect much of what eh did, but I think he showed considerable discourtesy to many people, picked silly fights with various people and the press, and was horrible in his treatment of Nigel Adkins given what he had done for the club. It is odd how what people hand out to others sometimes comes back to affect them too. What goes around comes around. Goodbye Nicola Cortese - much more than a footnote in the everlasting story of Southampton Football Club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ringwood Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 With a family member as a direct emplyee of the club, he is loved and hated almost 50/50 by the staff it seems, the balance by the fans probably 95/5 by other clubs I reckon he gained respect and with that SFC gained respect and returned to its rightful place at the top table. he's given us one hell of a ride, I hope he does reappear and lead a buy out, and that he gets to fulfil his dreams and mine Good luck Nicola Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearsy Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 What does one say about Nicola 'marmite man' Cortese - you either love him or loathe him. I am in the middle lols Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 What does one say about Nicola 'marmite man' Cortese - you either love him or loathe him. I am in the middle - I respect much of what eh did, but I think he showed considerable discourtesy to many people, picked silly fights with various people and the press, and was horrible in his treatment of Nigel Adkins given what he had done for the club. It is odd how what people hand out to others sometimes comes back to affect them too. What goes around comes around. Goodbye Nicola Cortese - much more than a footnote in the everlasting story of Southampton Football Club. I love that you say you either love or loathe him then you say you are in the middle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dronskisaint Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 Astute and driven man who made all the right important business calls, we as fans of the club owe him a great deal...possibly even the club as we know it. He has been the architect of one of the most succesful turnabouts in recent footballing history. I unequivocally thank him for everything he did for the club right from introducing Markus up to establishing us in the PL. Sure he had good access to money but our position today is testament to the fact he spent mostly wisely. The lower leagues (and the current bottom clubs in the PL) bear witness to the fact that money poorly administered can create even greater problems..QPR, West Ham...skates even?! I would welcome any consortium that included him at it's head, he's earnt the right to be here if he wants to be - it could be that the call of Serie A is the driver for his decison to leave...he's not made many wrong calls whilst with us - I hope he has the same success rate in whatever he chooses to do. Thank you Nicola Cortese for what you have done and achieved for my club, good luck for the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Tender Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 Thanks Nicola for bringing us to the attention of Markus Liebherr and thanks for your drive and ambition that has brought us back to the Premier Division on such a sound footing. But now it is time to draw a blue line under your stewardship and move onwards and hopefully upwards. I recall the introduction that many fans had to Cortese shortly after he arrived, when at the Radio Solent forum at the start of his first season, he stated that he and Markus Liebherr were solely custodians of the club, which was owned by the fans. There were times when it did not feel like that, but we fans cannot really criticise the incredible results that have been achieved by him. Whether it is feasible to have a Chief Executive who is as driven and ambitious as Cortese but at the same time also a bit more conciliatory towards the fanbase remains to be seen. There is no harm in hoping that such an individual does exist and that Katerina manages to find them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanimal Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 It would seem that a year on from Adkins departure, the one thing we all agree on is that both Nicola and MoPo wii/would be extremely hard acts to follow, and no one could come up with viable alternatives. Which just goes to prove that Miss Liebherr has a tough task on her hands now to find a CEO who can fit the spec of Wes T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St_Tel49 Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 I think it's about time we moved on. ..... back to the obscurity we came from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goneawol Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/nicola-corteses-southampton-departure-like-3028224 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Warrior Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 I'm very grateful for all the excellent work he has achieved for the club . We are on an (even keel) no pun intended under his leadership . Every thing we have achieved in recent years has been dine quietly and professionally un like previous owners . I wish him all the best and thank you for taking us to the next level . And I mean upwards not downwards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supergoose Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 Thank you Nicola, what you've achieved for us will never be forgotten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manji Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 It would appear you are quite bitter towards many people over time at the club Duncan so its somewhat difficult to take your comments on a balanced level. Well said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manji Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 Thanks Mr Cortese and see you back here in the summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CB Fry Posted 16 January, 2014 Share Posted 16 January, 2014 ..... back to the obscurity we came from? Maybe we'll stay in the bright lights of ninth in the Premier League because we have never, ever achieved that level of success before. Not ever. No sir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastian firefly Posted 17 January, 2014 Share Posted 17 January, 2014 Maybe we'll stay in the bright lights of ninth in the Premier League because we have never, ever achieved that level of success before. Not ever. No sir. chortle chortle...hearty laugh... we all agree williams is better than hoddle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special K Posted 17 January, 2014 Share Posted 17 January, 2014 He did reasonably well with the money he has had to spend. He made wholesale changes at the Club, some for the better, some not, but at least he had conviction and the desire to see that conviction through, with results showing in a short space of time. I know he treated some staff shabbily, but others seemed to like him very much - presumably, in the main, those he brought into the Club. He will always be a controversial figure, but the Club won't implode just because he's gone. Can't quite understand some of the fawning on this board over him, but on balance he was a decent chairman at a time when a bit of backbone was needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The9 Posted 17 January, 2014 Share Posted 17 January, 2014 I think you can judge NC on two fronts - what he did for the club in footballing terms which to my mind was almost faultless and what he was like as a person. Pretty much sums it up for me, oversaw some great things for Saints, getting us not only back to the Prem but back to the top half, but far too concerned with doing things his own way for the sake of it, and singularly disinterested in any of the details which make the club a pleasant experience for its customers. I've said a few times that if he wanted to be liked by Saints fans, it wouldn't have been too difficult with what he's done, but for some reason he always wanted to be a bit of a d1ck. Still very appreciative of the improvements in the footballing side since the takeover though, and hopefully he's now done with football, because I sure as hell wouldn't want us on his bad side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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