The mess we're in

[the saint in winchester]

Had to smile at this comment from Blackpool chairman. Hmmm, so we are the Premier League Blackpool!

 

[TABLE=class: data-table, width: 464]

[TR=class: heading]

[TH=class: left first][h=2]Karl Oyston, Blackpool chairman[/h][/TH]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=class: left first]"We have a position that is virtually unique in football - we are a debt-free, cash-rich club, unlike many of our competitors."

[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

[Depressed of Shirley]

Barkley will be at either Citeh or United before the end of August I think, and wouldn't be surprised if Stones has gone as well. Everton will be as powerless as us if the p[layers agent hears of a £120k per week deal for his client.

 

as if by magic, he signs a new four year contract, what do I know? Well done Everton, he probably won't demand to go until next summer now.

[CB Fry]

Gonna post my bit here, for those of you who care anymore.. typing it out now, will post it up as soon as poss.

 

I've taken a lot of stick on here for my viewpoint over the past few months... That's fine, I can accept that but now can any of you finally see what's happening here? I've PM'd some people on here with some of the stuff that I have been told already and there's plenty more to come. I'm part tempted to blab it all out now as, just as I was typing a PM to someone today the JR and MS story broke... and that was what was the content of my PM - the future of those two. Oh well, lost some ITK credibility there. Seriously though, I haven't enjoyed any of this happening and I can safely say that those worried have a damn good reason to worry.

 

So, onto the juicy stuff... I'll try do this in sections and keep updating it as I go...

 

Cortese Leaving/Direction Of Club

 

Anyway, you may not like to hear this but yes, everything went to complete sh1t when Cortese left. It was never "business as usual". The figurehead who sold the club to Lovren, Osvaldo, Wanyama and the other ambitious members of our existing squad took all the drive and ambition with him. Like him or not, he wanted to push us further and the players believed in that vision, that's what motivated them to join or in some cases, stay when they could have moved on a lot sooner.

 

The official line is that KL wanted NC to have more accountability to his actions - that's fair enough. After all, it's technically her club and her money. The relationship between the two had been fraught for a while with NC wanted to go in one direction and KL, maintaining a small interest in football matters but a larger one in financial matters wanting to go another. Evidently, this would only lead with a parting of ways and one winner whilst ourselves and Cortese are left as the losers in this whole sorry saga. Oh, and Les Reed is doing alright, too - then again, he was never going to rock the boat with the cushy number he had. "Yes Kat, no Kat, three bags full Kat".

 

The appointment of Krueger has spectacularly backfired - he was meant to be the figurehead who "talked the talk" whilst quietly, behind the scenes, things were being scaled down and the goalposts shifting. As soon as NC left, it was never our intention to "walk the walk" too - only to allude to it whilst slowly dampening and managing fans expectations. As Guan said, he was reeled back in and Reed was wheeled back out. To be honest though, it doesn't matter who releases statements now as it's been proven - it's all bullsh1t.

 

Finances

 

I need to underline something else... there is nothing wrong with the club financially. The term that Hofstetter used was to discredit NC and NC hasn't released anything into the media about players leaving or tried to unsettle them. They did have a lot of respect for him and wholly supported the direction of the club under his tenure. NC did that interview after he left because he knew what was coming.

 

We are one of the healthiest clubs in the Premier League and even more so now to the detriment of our playing squad. We won't hugely over budget with the training ground and yes, NC was carefree with the cash during his time here but despite this, we were in healthy, normal position. It's not a Pompey or Leeds situation and the wage budget sits well within the structure. We've not been overstretching nor were careless with managing them. We were absolutely fine and in a position to add to our squad after an equal best-placed finish under Pochettino last year.

 

Possible Sale Of Club

 

I don't know for sure but it's rumoured that KL wants to make up the difference in her valuation with player sales... whether that's the case, I'm not sure but no-one was willing to pay the asking price over the last few months so a reduced price might see a few interested parties come to the table. Once she's stripped the club bare and reinvested the bare minimum, that is, to keep us whatever is viewed as "competitive".

 

Adam Lallana

 

Adam, as club captain, asked numerous times on behalf of himself and the players about the plans for this season from Feb/March onwards. Everyone wanted to know for sure that the "project" was still alive. At first he was told "everything will carry on as normal" as if Cortese was still there. Quietly, the scenery was shifting and Adam and the players recognised this. In addition to this, the situation surrounding the managers future also compounded matters and it wasn't before long that the squad began to wonder what was going on and what direction the club was going in.

 

Adam did try but like everyone else, failed to get a conclusive answer to his questions. Towards the end of last season, he'd already been lined up to join United but with Moyes being sacked that deal fell through. Later, Liverpool's interest surface and despite AL's attempts to deal with the situation maturely he was messed around and he left on a very sour note. That was never his intention, likewise it was never the intention of Lovren, too. In fact, none of the players were particularly itching for a move until Cortese, then Pochettino left and the whole continuation of the "project" was left clouded in mystery.

 

Players (ex and soon to be ex-players)

 

There are no clauses in any of the players contracts. They requested to leave - why though?

 

In January, the club were well aware of the Shaw interest and were already in discussions with potential suitors. This was to be the ONLY planned sale under Cortese and preparation for the new season was already being discussed between NC, MP and other staff.

 

With the plummeting depth in morale due to a lack of communication from the top about the directions and ambitions of the club, the players obviously talked amongst themselves and saw no future here unless they got reassurances. Like Adam, they got lip service if they were lucky or nothing at all. You only have to look back at previous comments in the press from the players over the past few months where they're hinting that they didn't know what was going on and that they'd be happy to stay if the club focus and ambition was still the same. Instead, they got silence.

 

That said, there are many factors in their decisions to leave and in some cases, intrinsically linked. The Pochettino effect, clubs direction, suitors and possibility of European football, raises in salary BUT it's worth knowing that before Cortese left, all were very settled and happy and many were contented with the progress being made. Sure, they were ambitious but that ambition simply mirrored that of their chairman and manager. To keep them, we'd have to align our ambitions with theirs and we didn't.

 

Make no mistake, apart from Shaw and the sentimental sale of Lambert (who, incidentally, wanted to finish his career here otherwise), many of the sales and impending sales were avoidable. How? By matching their ambitions. By retaining their teammates. By retaining and backing the popular manager first and foremost would have given us the best possible opportunity to keep a hold of those players.

 

I was just typing a PM today to someone about the J-Rod, Schneiderlin situation when the news broke but yes, they're next and won't be the last.

 

The morale of the team was further damaged by the outgoings after Shaw's sale and with the lack of the communication about the direction of the club many decided they'd have enough. As mentioned before, their ambitions aligned with that of the previous chairman and without the same drive/figurehead/ambition as previous then it was only natural they'd instruct their agents to look elsewhere. The treatment some of the players received during the period where potential suitors were circling was shambolic, too. The board acted amateurishly, refusing to take calls from players and making it as difficult as possible to communicate with them about the clubs intentions. The whole trust relationship broke down unsurprisingly and that's we've had what seems like toys being thrown out the pram. It wasn't. It was the frustration seeping out of the players at the club after many months of not-knowing.

 

Yes, Cortese really was the glue that kept it all together.

 

Worth taking notice that despite all the hatred towards the outgoing players, how gracious have they all been since they left, including Pochettino. Most have all thanked the fans and the club for their time and memories and in the case of our home-grown players, the development of them as players. They'll remain classy as they were brought up "The Southampton Way" - the sad thing is, there is no way any more.

 

TBC

I think I can finally see what's happening here.

 

Thank you for opening my eyes, Crab Lungs. Thank you for opening my eyes.

[Turkish]

Any update on this crabbers? Any more ITK stuff come your way last few weeks?

[Plastic]

Also who was his source? He said he revealed them, but I must have missed it, and I don't want to trawl back through all this miserable nonsense to find out.

[St Lej]

I've taken a lot of stick on here for my viewpoint over the past few months... That's fine, I can accept that but now can any of you finally see what's happening here? I've PM'd some people on here with some of the stuff that I have been told already and there's plenty more to come. I'm part tempted to blab it all out now as, just as I was typing a PM to someone today the JR and MS story broke... and that was what was the content of my PM - the future of those two. Oh well, lost some ITK credibility there. Seriously though, I haven't enjoyed any of this happening and I can safely say that those worried have a damn good reason to worry.

 

So, onto the juicy stuff... I'll try do this in sections and keep updating it as I go...

 

Cortese Leaving/Direction Of Club

 

Anyway, you may not like to hear this but yes, everything went to complete sh1t when Cortese left. It was never "business as usual". The figurehead who sold the club to Lovren, Osvaldo, Wanyama and the other ambitious members of our existing squad took all the drive and ambition with him. Like him or not, he wanted to push us further and the players believed in that vision, that's what motivated them to join or in some cases, stay when they could have moved on a lot sooner.

 

The official line is that KL wanted NC to have more accountability to his actions - that's fair enough. After all, it's technically her club and her money. The relationship between the two had been fraught for a while with NC wanted to go in one direction and KL, maintaining a small interest in football matters but a larger one in financial matters wanting to go another. Evidently, this would only lead with a parting of ways and one winner whilst ourselves and Cortese are left as the losers in this whole sorry saga. Oh, and Les Reed is doing alright, too - then again, he was never going to rock the boat with the cushy number he had. "Yes Kat, no Kat, three bags full Kat".

 

The appointment of Krueger has spectacularly backfired - he was meant to be the figurehead who "talked the talk" whilst quietly, behind the scenes, things were being scaled down and the goalposts shifting. As soon as NC left, it was never our intention to "walk the walk" too - only to allude to it whilst slowly dampening and managing fans expectations. As Guan said, he was reeled back in and Reed was wheeled back out. To be honest though, it doesn't matter who releases statements now as it's been proven - it's all bullsh1t.

 

Finances

 

I need to underline something else... there is nothing wrong with the club financially. The term that Hofstetter used was to discredit NC and NC hasn't released anything into the media about players leaving or tried to unsettle them. They did have a lot of respect for him and wholly supported the direction of the club under his tenure. NC did that interview after he left because he knew what was coming.

 

We are one of the healthiest clubs in the Premier League and even more so now to the detriment of our playing squad. We won't hugely over budget with the training ground and yes, NC was carefree with the cash during his time here but despite this, we were in healthy, normal position. It's not a Pompey or Leeds situation and the wage budget sits well within the structure. We've not been overstretching nor were careless with managing them. We were absolutely fine and in a position to add to our squad after an equal best-placed finish under Pochettino last year.

 

Possible Sale Of Club

 

I don't know for sure but it's rumoured that KL wants to make up the difference in her valuation with player sales... whether that's the case, I'm not sure but no-one was willing to pay the asking price over the last few months so a reduced price might see a few interested parties come to the table. Once she's stripped the club bare and reinvested the bare minimum, that is, to keep us whatever is viewed as "competitive".

 

Adam Lallana

 

Adam, as club captain, asked numerous times on behalf of himself and the players about the plans for this season from Feb/March onwards. Everyone wanted to know for sure that the "project" was still alive. At first he was told "everything will carry on as normal" as if Cortese was still there. Quietly, the scenery was shifting and Adam and the players recognised this. In addition to this, the situation surrounding the managers future also compounded matters and it wasn't before long that the squad began to wonder what was going on and what direction the club was going in.

 

Adam did try but like everyone else, failed to get a conclusive answer to his questions. Towards the end of last season, he'd already been lined up to join United but with Moyes being sacked that deal fell through. Later, Liverpool's interest surface and despite AL's attempts to deal with the situation maturely he was messed around and he left on a very sour note. That was never his intention, likewise it was never the intention of Lovren, too. In fact, none of the players were particularly itching for a move until Cortese, then Pochettino left and the whole continuation of the "project" was left clouded in mystery.

 

Players (ex and soon to be ex-players)

 

There are no clauses in any of the players contracts. They requested to leave - why though?

 

In January, the club were well aware of the Shaw interest and were already in discussions with potential suitors. This was to be the ONLY planned sale under Cortese and preparation for the new season was already being discussed between NC, MP and other staff.

 

With the plummeting depth in morale due to a lack of communication from the top about the directions and ambitions of the club, the players obviously talked amongst themselves and saw no future here unless they got reassurances. Like Adam, they got lip service if they were lucky or nothing at all. You only have to look back at previous comments in the press from the players over the past few months where they're hinting that they didn't know what was going on and that they'd be happy to stay if the club focus and ambition was still the same. Instead, they got silence.

 

That said, there are many factors in their decisions to leave and in some cases, intrinsically linked. The Pochettino effect, clubs direction, suitors and possibility of European football, raises in salary BUT it's worth knowing that before Cortese left, all were very settled and happy and many were contented with the progress being made. Sure, they were ambitious but that ambition simply mirrored that of their chairman and manager. To keep them, we'd have to align our ambitions with theirs and we didn't.

 

Make no mistake, apart from Shaw and the sentimental sale of Lambert (who, incidentally, wanted to finish his career here otherwise), many of the sales and impending sales were avoidable. How? By matching their ambitions. By retaining their teammates. By retaining and backing the popular manager first and foremost would have given us the best possible opportunity to keep a hold of those players.

 

I was just typing a PM today to someone about the J-Rod, Schneiderlin situation when the news broke but yes, they're next and won't be the last.

 

The morale of the team was further damaged by the outgoings after Shaw's sale and with the lack of the communication about the direction of the club many decided they'd have enough. As mentioned before, their ambitions aligned with that of the previous chairman and without the same drive/figurehead/ambition as previous then it was only natural they'd instruct their agents to look elsewhere. The treatment some of the players received during the period where potential suitors were circling was shambolic, too. The board acted amateurishly, refusing to take calls from players and making it as difficult as possible to communicate with them about the clubs intentions. The whole trust relationship broke down unsurprisingly and that's we've had what seems like toys being thrown out the pram. It wasn't. It was the frustration seeping out of the players at the club after many months of not-knowing.

 

Yes, Cortese really was the glue that kept it all together.

 

Worth taking notice that despite all the hatred towards the outgoing players, how gracious have they all been since they left, including Pochettino. Most have all thanked the fans and the club for their time and memories and in the case of our home-grown players, the development of them as players. They'll remain classy as they were brought up "The Southampton Way" - the sad thing is, there is no way any more.

 

TBC

 

Wow. What utter drivel this turned out to be, as widely expected.

[Patrick Bateman]

As expected, what a load of utter drivel and sh*t!

[Heisenberg]

 

Sums it up

[hypochondriac]

We were in a complete mess tbf. Credit to the board for getting some good signings in and the fans for keeping the pressure up and forcing the board into a U-turn over Morgan and Jay.

[alpine_saint]

We were in a complete mess tbf. Credit to the board for getting some good signings in and the fans for keeping the pressure up and forcing the board into a U-turn over Morgan and Jay.

 

Yep.

 

But Turkey and CB knew this would be the result all along, apparently.

 

[Crab Lungs]

One win and a couple of signings and everything's ok is it?

[hypochondriac]

One win and a couple of signings and everything's ok is it?

 

It is a lot better now tbf.

[alpine_saint]

One win and a couple of signings and everything's ok is it?

 

Dont go into defensive mode. We were in a right mess, and the sneering Über-Fan know-it-alls know it too.

[CB Fry]

One win and a couple of signings and everything's ok is it?

No. For me, everything has been okay all year. With the exception of the day we sold Chambers.

[CB Fry]

Yep.

 

But Turkey and CB knew this would be the result all along, apparently.

 

I knew it wasn't a fire sale or asset strip.

 

It was obvious, at the time, to people that were not fu cking idiots.

[CB Fry]

We were in a complete mess tbf. Credit to the board for getting some good signings in and the fans for keeping the pressure up and forcing the board into a U-turn over Morgan and Jay.

You thought we were in a mess. Massive difference.

[CB Fry]

Dont go into defensive mode. We were in a right mess, and the sneering Über-Fan know-it-alls know it too.

In your caramel - centred opinion.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

Guys, you were an embarrassment. Some of us knew exactly what was going in, yet were branded as 'deluded'. At least we now know who's opinion is worth its salt.

[The Cat]

One win and a couple of signings and everything's ok is it?

 

We signed more than a couple of players and spent not far off the money we got in. I'm struggling to see how everything is not ok, can you enlighten me?

[notnowcato]

Dont go into defensive mode. We were in a right mess, and the sneering Über-Fan know-it-alls know it too.

 

But the ubers could control their bladders... It's not over till the fat lady sings, or maybe until Alps backtracks quicker than Michael Jackson on acid.

 

As I said all along - change happens, it's how prepared and willing to change you are that matters.

[Turkish]

Yep.

 

But Turkey and CB knew this would be the result all along, apparently.

 

 

With the benefit of hindsight, I'm glad i waited until september one to judge, glad I trusted the board (see my location) and ultimately I m glad to be proven right.

[Turkish]

One win and a couple of signings and everything's ok is it?

 

Surely your contacts must be able to give you an update? What else can you tell us that'll make our eyes water?

[TheCholulaKid]

Guys, you were an embarrassment. Some of us knew exactly what was going in, yet were branded as 'deluded'. At least we now know who's opinion is worth its salt.

 

Tbf, I don't think anyone 'knew exactly what was going on'. The difference was some people weren't reactionary, knee-jerk bed****ters. Most sane people decided to wait until the dust was settled before making a decision about this summer. At least we know who's 'opinion' we can safely ignore from now on.

 

I'm all up for gloating btw, small recompense for having to wade through the reams of **** and drivel posted on here over the summer.

[S-Clarke]

Up until the appointment of Koeman, it was a real WTF situation. No one knew what the plans were.

 

Personally for me, once they got Koeman in I was pretty assured that ambition remained and quite simply cost cutting wasn't in action here. We just had a load of precious individuals, minus their best friend who promised them lies for 2 years. (that goes for supporters as well as players by the way)

[GarrettIvo]

One win and a couple of signings and everything's ok is it?

 

 

#itshappenedbutitsnotatallwhatyouvaguelyalludedtoo

[Batman]

Up until the appointment of Koeman, it was a real WTF situation. No one knew what the plans were.

 

Personally for me, once they got Koeman in I was pretty assured that ambition remained and quite simply cost cutting wasn't in action here. We just had a load of precious individuals, minus their best friend who promised them lies for 2 years. (that goes for supporters as well as players by the way)

 

what lies?

I have heard champions league being mentioned as an ambition by this lot.

 

dont go down the point scoring clarkey as plenty of times, you have been very critical of the club yourself!

we have rebuilt, with a huge net profit. all good considering

[S-Clarke]

what lies?

I have heard champions league being mentioned as an ambition by this lot.

 

dont go down the point scoring clarkey as plenty of times, you have been very critical of the club yourself!

we have rebuilt, with a huge net profit. all good considering

 

Not trying to point score. Just not happy with the foundation NC laid, that's all. Not going to say any more on it! This is a fresh start now.

[Batman]

Not trying to point score. Just not happy with the foundation NC laid, that's all. Not going to say any more on it! This is a fresh start now.

 

what foundations were bad?

this week we have heard that champions league is an ambition for the club, where is the difference?

those foundations have allowed us to rebuild with a huge net profit.

 

maybe that would not have been the case had we never had the likes of MP, Lallana, Lambert etc

 

like you say, it is history, but those foundations you are not happy with allowed us to bring in somone like koeman in the first place due to how very good we were last season

[View From The Top]

Up until the appointment of Koeman, it was a real WTF situation. No one knew what the plans were.

 

Personally for me, once they got Koeman in I was pretty assured that ambition remained and quite simply cost cutting wasn't in action here.

I go along with that. The only time I really thought we'd lost the plot was the Chambers deal but I'm totally confident, being told what I have, that we couldn't do anything to stop it anyway.

[CB Fry]

Come on then Crabby.

 

Apparently everything is not okay.

 

What's not okay. Tell us. I bet you have some right gems that if only we knew etc.

[KelvinsRightGlove]

With the benefit of hindsight, I'm glad i waited until september one to judge, glad I trusted the board (see my location) and ultimately I m glad to be proven right.

 

Like it.

[KelvinsRightGlove]

Well yeah?

 

I mean the issue was ambition, club being for sale, asset stripping etc.

 

The summer proved that:

 

1. The club will reinvest funds

2. The board can convince good players to join and pay good money for them

3. The board could convince a good manager to come in.

4. They weren't prepared to let every decent player leave.

 

What comes next we don't know but they've done a very good job in a very difficult summer for me. As for the usual alpine comments, well, grown ups tend to wait and see what happens before steaming in on the ignorant express.

 

Up until the appointment of Koeman, it was a real WTF situation. No one knew what the plans were.

 

Personally for me, once they got Koeman in I was pretty assured that ambition remained and quite simply cost cutting wasn't in action here. We just had a load of precious individuals, minus their best friend who promised them lies for 2 years. (that goes for supporters as well as players by the way)

 

Good assessments. Agree with both of you on these points.

 

Chambers was WTF, but still not really that sold on the idea that people getting het up on here or wherever made the board do such an about turn over Morgan & JRod if I am honest.

[Saint Garrett]

Can't really disagree with S-Clarke. Normally speaks a lot of sense. We were in a mess, players leaving left right and centre, Koeman in and then Ralph getting some balls and saying JRod and Morgan going nowhere was the turning point. Looking far stronger now, and pretty chuffed with how it's turned out.

[The9]

So, this will come down to whether we get 6 or so new players in the next 35 days or not really.

 

As for the club being sold, the cost thing makes sense but I'm not sure how putting it in a position to get relegated would help recover the cost of an investment.

 

Posted on 28th July, the day after Lovren left and the day Calum Chambers went.

 

Since then we have signed:

Ryan Bertrand (loan from Chelsea)

Fraser Forster (£10m, Celtic)

Shane Long (£12m, Hull)

Florin Gardos (£6m, Steaua)

Toby Alderweireld (loan - Atletico)

Sadio Mane (£11.8m - RB Salzburg)

 

Released/loaned out:

Dani Osvaldo (loan - Internazionale)

Jordan Turnbull (loan - Swindon)

Billy Sharp (sold - Leeds)

Gaston Ramirez (loan - Hull)

Jack Stephens (loan - Swindon)

Jos Hooiveld (loan - Norwich)

 

And signed and released:

Saphir Taider (end of loan)

 

7 in, 7 out... plus we kept Schneiderlin, Rodriguez and Boruc - can't really complain about that - we're still a long way short of where I thought we might be, but we look like we could finish in the top half again, which I didn't think there was a hope of on 28th July.

[sadoldgit]

what lies?

I have heard champions league being mentioned as an ambition by this lot.

 

dont go down the point scoring clarkey as plenty of times, you have been very critical of the club yourself!

we have rebuilt, with a huge net profit. all good considering

 

Delldays, there is a huge difference between trying for a CL place (which, if you are a Prem club, you should all be hoping for) and telling players and anyone who will listen it WILL happen.

[Dig Dig]

Good assessments. Agree with both of you on these points.

 

Chambers was WTF, but still not really that sold on the idea that people getting het up on here or wherever made the board do such an about turn over Morgan & JRod if I am honest.

 

On the same day that Chambers was sold, many media outlets seemed to think both Morgan and Jay were about to sign for Spurs. Kruguer had been speaking to Spurs the week before and Morgan and his agents expected the deal to go through. Somethin changed so if not the wider media attention and fan reaction over social media, what changed?

[KelvinsRightGlove]

On the same day that Chambers was sold, many media outlets seemed to think both Morgan and Jay were about to sign for Spurs. Kruguer had been speaking to Spurs the week before and Morgan and his agents expected the deal to go through. Somethin changed so if not the wider media attention and fan reaction over social media, what changed?

 

Because fans weren't already making a lot of noise prior to Chambers?

 

People were already wailing the day after the Man Utd game when talk of bids for Lallana and Shaw were in. Then when Poch left, and Lambert, and Lovren. People were kicking up a lot of fuss throughout.

 

Krueger said he wasn't discussing transfers with Spurs, or was that one of his many 'lies'. I said in another post we most likely ever know exactly what went on over this summer, in my opinion I don't think the board made a sudden change of plans because of people getting upset on the internet.

 

Speaking from experience of going through a sh*tstorm online, people on the outside think they have all the information (they never do) and link things together (that are not connected) and think they effected the outcome (they rarely do). Maybe I am wrong, and it was all the fans getting angry on here/facebook/twitter etc that changed the boards plans - but for me that is overestimating fans influence.

[sadoldgit]

Fair play to the "amatuers" on the Board and the owner. We were told by one ITK that she was selling up and that it was asset stripping. Not so it seems. Not only has the owner not sold but she and the Board have delivered. The mass bed wet-in was always a bit previous and once the Board had appointed Ronald koeman it was apparent that they were serious about this business as so it has proved to be.

 

Some of the comments on here have been appalling. Once yesteday talked about Krueger lacking integrity! There have been many personal comments about Katharina's weight (goodness knows what that has to do with anything). The Mail in particular have been muck racking virtually every day.

 

Koeman and the Board have made a number of hard nosed business decisions and a rocky ship has not only been stablised, it has ben refitted. Only time will tell if the growth and development of the club will continue, but as of this morning things really arent looking too bad are they?

 

I just hope that the small band who jump on every last thing to try and make it look the the Board do not know what they are doing shut up and give them a chance to show that they do want what is best for the club. We are being told of "panic buys" yet it seems that players like Mane have been on the radar for some time. In a few weeks RK and the Board have clearly had a plan of targets and back up targets and have been working their way through to the point where we are now. With a squad that, on paper, looks good for a top half of the table finish and god cup runs. If RK sees his three year contract through I have no doubt that we shall be a stronger club than we were at the end of last season.

 

RK and the Board deserve a huge amount of credit this morning.

[sadoldgit]

On the same day that Chambers was sold, many media outlets seemed to think both Morgan and Jay were about to sign for Spurs. Kruguer had been speaking to Spurs the week before and Morgan and his agents expected the deal to go through. Somethin changed so if not the wider media attention and fan reaction over social media, what changed?

 

Media outlets said a lot of things that were not true. If you believed then we were after Caulker. Accodring to our manager that was not the case. Krueger said he didnt speak to Spurs about transfers when in Toronto - now perhaps people might see that he was telling the truth? Koeman said that he wanted JRod and Schneiderlin to be the core of his new side. Neither has been sold. One can only assume that those that were let go we seen as being expendable in the new regime - nothing wrong with that. The proof of the pudding is in the eating as they say. For all of the media chattering we have a decent manager in palce and a squad that looks like it can compete. The club has not melted down and has not been sold. JRod and Schneiderlin are still here. Our defence looks like it should be stronger than last year. All good I would say - whats not to like? If you want to believe that was down to fan pressure sobeit - but it looks to me that when RK was appointed they sat down and worked out how to take the club forward and have actioned that plan.

[saint1977]

Fair play to the "amatuers" on the Board and the owner. We were told by one ITK that she was selling up and that it was asset stripping. Not so it seems. Not only has the owner not sold but she and the Board have delivered. The mass bed wet-in was always a bit previous and once the Board had appointed Ronald koeman it was apparent that they were serious about this business as so it has proved to be.

 

Some of the comments on here have been appalling. Once yesteday talked about Krueger lacking integrity! There have been many personal comments about Katharina's weight (goodness knows what that has to do with anything). The Mail in particular have been muck racking virtually every day.

 

Koeman and the Board have made a number of hard nosed business decisions and a rocky ship has not only been stablised, it has ben refitted. Only time will tell if the growth and development of the club will continue, but as of this morning things really arent looking too bad are they?

 

I just hope that the small band who jump on every last thing to try and make it look the the Board do not know what they are doing shut up and give them a chance to show that they do want what is best for the club. We are being told of "panic buys" yet it seems that players like Mane have been on the radar for some time. In a few weeks RK and the Board have clearly had a plan of targets and back up targets and have been working their way through to the point where we are now. With a squad that, on paper, looks good for a top half of the table finish and god cup runs. If RK sees his three year contract through I have no doubt that we shall be a stronger club than we were at the end of last season.

 

RK and the Board deserve a huge amount of credit this morning.

 

I agree with most of this and certainly S-Clarke's post on the subject. I did finally get cross at the Chambers sale but it appears that Cortese took a pragmatic approach of tying him to a contract for a larger sale later, as he probably did with Shaw, that had a release clause rather than losing him for a pitiful £2m 'development fee'. So no blame attached to either Cortese or the new board structure, just the sick free market of football which the club are trying to use to our best advantage.

 

The sales profit minus buying costs and agent fees should clear some of the Staplewood arrears and the club appears in rude health. Still a few contract issues to sort out - Cork, Clyne etc. Thankfully the club have jettisoned the culprit from the 'financial difficulties' statement and some of the earlier PR gaffes appear to have been learnt from. Koeman was a super appointment and his stature in the game has played a key role in stabilising the club. Good strength shown on the Morgan front which has helped a lot of the fans back onside.

 

As for Neil Ashton and the Mail, yes they were friendly with Cortese but Ashton's main beef is that he's a dinosaur who can't abide the thought of a successful British medium-to-large sized football club being owned by a woman.

[Dig Dig]

Because fans weren't already making a lot of noise prior to Chambers?

 

People were already wailing the day after the Man Utd game when talk of bids for Lallana and Shaw were in. Then when Poch left, and Lambert, and Lovren. People were kicking up a lot of fuss throughout.

 

Krueger said he wasn't discussing transfers with Spurs, or was that one of his many 'lies'. I said in another post we most likely ever know exactly what went on over this summer, in my opinion I don't think the board made a sudden change of plans because of people getting upset on the internet.

 

Speaking from experience of going through a sh*tstorm online, people on the outside think they have all the information (they never do) and link things together (that are not connected) and think they effected the outcome (they rarely do). Maybe I am wrong, and it was all the fans getting angry on here/facebook/twitter etc that changed the boards plans - but for me that is overestimating fans influence.

 

I think we were close to selling Rodriguez and Morgan and he at least expected the sale to go through. Do I believe that Ralph was meeting Spurs official and not discussing players? No.

[washsaint]

Oh dear Crab Lungs - your missive turned out to be a crock of s**t did it not?

 

Or do you still think we are doomed?

[KelvinsRightGlove]

I think we were close to selling Rodriguez and Morgan and he at least expected the sale to go through. Do I believe that Ralph was meeting Spurs official and not discussing players? No.

 

I don't really think Ralph has a great deal of input in our transfer deals.

[notnowcato]

I don't really think Ralph has a great deal of input in our transfer deals.

 

Well within your rights to think that, maybe you could give a bit of reasoning as to why you think this?

[The9]

Oh dear Crab Lungs - your missive turned out to be a crock of s**t did it not?

 

Or do you still think we are doomed?

 

You should probably re-read it. Lots of stuff about what HAD happened and the reasons he'd been told for that, and not much about what will happen (because, obviously, his sources were no longer at the club or privy to those decisions) - even the stuff about the club sale is couched as opinion rather than based on his sources.

[KelvinsRightGlove]

Well within your rights to think that, maybe you could give a bit of reasoning as to why you think this?

 

I can't remember precisely which one, but in one of the interviews he gave over the summer he alluded to this. When asked about transfers, he said something along the lines (apologies I can't remember the precise wording) of: "That's Les Reed and the recruitment team's job. I'm not too involved in that side of things". He's also made comments such as "I'm just the hockey guy".

 

Thinking about this, Ralph has done a fair few interviews over the Summer. I can't think of many other CEO/Chairmen (I forget which he is, sorry) that have given quite as many. Coupled with Reed's numerous interviews, I think there actually has been a fair amount of communication coming out of the club. Even Koeman is a lot more open and forthright than Poch was. Never really understood this communication vacuum that was muted on here. What did people want, a blow-by-blow account of communications? I'm fine with deals being announced when they are done - as things can go wrong or not happen right up until the minute they are finalised. Which I'm sure would only lead to more wailing anyway. Sorry, gone off on a bit of a tangent there.

[Julian H. Cope]

Tbf, I don't think anyone 'knew exactly what was going on'. The difference was some people weren't reactionary, knee-jerk bed****ters. Most sane people decided to wait until the dust was settled before making a decision about this summer. At least we know who's 'opinion' we can safely ignore from now on.

 

I'm all up for gloating btw, small recompense for having to wade through the reams of **** and drivel posted on here over the summer.

 

Word.

[OldNick]

I think we were close to selling Rodriguez and Morgan and he at least expected the sale to go through. Do I believe that Ralph was meeting Spurs official and not discussing players? No.

some on here gave the board their unconditional backing,full credit to them. I still do not have the same faith but will accept that they look to have got in a good manager who can attract players in. I still think Reed is useless and if Koeman has found 4 of the players in why do we need 20 scouts?

 

The club have taken in the region of 80-90m and spent in the region of 50-60m. i have yet to see any evidence that they would have not taken in another 25-35m if they could have sold MS and Jrod, but the fans meltdown (not just on here)stopped that. Good business if you are the owner.

How many believe MS and Jrod will be with us in Feb? So lets not get too in front of ourselves, we may have a couple more Taiders! There again if Koeman knows the iam sure they will be fine

[Fowllyd]

Well within your rights to think that, maybe you could give a bit of reasoning as to why you think this?

 

I can't remember precisely which one, but in one of the interviews he gave over the summer he alluded to this. When asked about transfers, he said something along the lines (apologies I can't remember the precise wording) of: "That's Les Reed and the recruitment team's job. I'm not too involved in that side of things". He's also made comments such as "I'm just the hockey guy".

 

Thinking about this, Ralph has done a fair few interviews over the Summer. I can't think of many other CEO/Chairmen (I forget which he is, sorry) that have given quite as many. Coupled with Reed's numerous interviews, I think there actually has been a fair amount of communication coming out of the club. Even Koeman is a lot more open and forthright than Poch was. Never really understood this communication vacuum that was muted on here. What did people want, a blow-by-blow account of communications? I'm fine with deals being announced when they are done - as things can go wrong or not happen right up until the minute they are finalised. Which I'm sure would only lead to more wailing anyway. Sorry, gone off on a bit of a tangent there.

 

More to the point, perhaps, is that Krueger is a non-executive chairman, so you wouldn't expect him to have any input into the buying and selling of players (or, indeed, any other executive activities). Similarly, I wouldn't expect Bruce Buck at Chelsea or Sir Chips Keswick (always love that name!) at Arsenal to be involved in their transfer dealings.

 

Cortese was an executive chairman, so was heavily involved in transfers (and everything else).

[Delmary]

Up until the appointment of Koeman, it was a real WTF situation. No one knew what the plans were.

 

Personally for me, once they got Koeman in I was pretty assured that ambition remained and quite simply cost cutting wasn't in action here. We just had a load of precious individuals, minus their best friend who promised them lies for 2 years. (that goes for supporters as well as players by the way)

 

This, confirm by Chairman in recent Solent interview.