Southampton Banter Archive January 16 2014

16 Jan 2014 20:30:56
So, with all the recent excitement at our club I guess its safe to assume that we are not bringing any players in during this transfer window! The only way I can see this changing is if our owner makes a statement that she is in for the long haul but even then I guess no decisions would be made until a new ceo is in place?!

16 Jan 2014 19:01:40
This may just be a coincidence but with the rumours that we could be taken over by a chinease billionaire, is it weird that sunseeker, one of our main sponsors has just been taken over by a Chinease billionaire, Wang Jianlin, could be a coincidence but whoever buys the club I hope they bring Cortese back!

16 Jan 2014 16:37:16
Roll on Saturday lunchtime. Let's hope Saints have some fire in their bellies. Sunderland have improved markedly under Poyet. Come on Saints. Get stuck right into them. Show Katharina Liebherr what we are all about. And to the Saints fans lucky enough to be going to the game. Let's hear you on the telly, eh? A song for Don Cortese? There was an outcry and songs sung for Adkins when he departed. Cortese has done far more for Southampton Football Club, and after some of the previous incumbents, a breath of fresh air at Saints, irrespective of your opinion on his decisions. --- ( Yes he was harsh)
I've watched Saints in Germany, Spain, Ireland and obviously England since 1973. Rarely have I looked forward to a game like this weekend.
BRING IT ON!

Spot on Milton. Sing it loud, sing it proud. Let's help the players get the ball in the back of the net. Saints must win this game, just to clear the "pressure" (albeit media inflicted) on their young shoulders, and to stamp their foot on that top 9 place, and push closer and closer to the Magpies and Manchester United above us.

I quite like Gus Poyet though, and have nothing against Sunderland as a club, but I despise Paolo Di Canio, and as he brought in many of their players, I really hope we can get all three points. I have a hunch PDC would probably take all the credit for their victory if they got one!

But, most importantly, three points tomorrow should in all reality secure our Premier League status for next season. There's one hell of a battle going on in the bottom half, anyone from us downwards could, theoretically, still get dragged into the drop-zone. - A great season.

Prediction? Sunderland 1-3 Southampton. Goals from Lambert, Lallana (assuming they play, like) and a stunning length of the pitch 90th minute winner from Boruc! Adam Johnson will be their goalscorer.

Enjoy the match anyone who's going. Fans of both teams, and any neutrals. Good luck Saints!

Saint Etienne.

16 Jan 2014 15:21:05
MP shows his class by declaring "100%" commitment to saints.

Phew!

Now, let's go and buy Messi!

At least it settles things for the time being. I thought Poch was coy on his long term future, as in beyond the summer, but it was great to hear that he himself would not accept any players being sold in this window that he did not want to see go. My impression is that Cortese and Katrina Lieberr are on different wavelengths, but there's no way of knowing what the terms of this indifference is until either side may face the media.

16 Jan 2014 12:21:57
I think MP will announce that he's staying today. But if he resigns, who do we get in next? I heard Malky Mackay is the bookies favourite but I'm not happy with that. He's a good manager, but a good manager at Cardiffs level not ours. I know AVB said he wanted to take a break, but I think if we offered him the job with good transfer funds he'd take it. And I know he likes working with youngsters, I think he'd be the perfect manager for us and that kind of big name manager to make players want to come/stay. But I hope it doesn't come to this, I want MP to stay. What do you all think?

Yeah, good points and suggestions.

In the frame if Pochettino did leave (also my wish list):
Hoddle
Laudrup
Adkins (hate it, really hate it, when I read comments on here from fans slagging him off. He is a wonderful manager! Appreciate his work. He will get Reading promoted too!)
Klinsmann
AVB
Mackay

Maybe an unknown from well off the radar. After all, nobody had EVER heard of Pochettino before he got the Saints job. I mean, yeah, we'd all forgotten about the guy who "fouled" Michael Owen for that penalty in World Cup 2002 ;)

Ironically, for Xmas my wife gave me a Saints tshirt as a stocking filler. With the slogan "Keep calm and follow the Saints" on the front. So appropriate right now.

Keeping calm, got to play more FIFA Manager to fix this agony! Looking forward to the (from) 3pm news conference (availabe on ssn)

Saint Etienne.

AVB has failed twice in the prem no way would I want him.

AVB wasn't given a fair chance at Chelski and had the highest win percentage of any Spurs manager in something like the last 100 years.

Yeah, AVB isn't a dead dog just yet.

But hey, Pochy has just said he;s 100% staying. So, we don't need to worry about his successor just yet.

Hopefully this means the players stay, and at least, see out the season in style.

I really wouldn't like him. Bale dragged his team to 5th last year and this season they were playing incredibly boring football scrapping 1-0 wins from the penalty spot, he also isn't a good motivator. I also find his croaky voice really annoying in interviews.

16 Jan 2014 10:18:38
Wonder how many of the 'fans' who sung Adkins' name and waved their little white flags for weeks after he was sacked will so the same for NC, the actual reason we rose so quickly.

There's only one Nigel Adkins
He's the one
Who got us up
And then took us up again
There's only one Nigel Adkins!

Nigel Adkins,
Great manager, great man.

Careful what you wish for.

Saint Etienne.

Would you also say all of Sir Alex Ferguson's success was down to his chairman too yeah?

Saint Etienne.

Actually, yes, Fergie could have been sacked in his first couple of seasons but the owners stuck with him and the rest is history as they say

Adkins is a terribly average manager, I could have took us up to the prem with the squad we had, and probably won atleast league one. Reading arguably have the best squad in the Championship and where are they?

Cortese is the real catalyst behind our recent success, he was the one who brought Markus to us, chose to sack Pardew, he was the one who rightly sacked Adkins and put MoPo in charge, improved our training facilities, put the Barce philosophy through our entire club. He personally sends the wives and children of club staff birthday and xmas cards. And that's just what I can care to type out.

Cortese will be a bigger loss than most people realise.

Luckily he'll be back with Chinese buyers

1. You couldn't have. I don't know who you are, but if Pardew couldn't even get us into the top 6 (yes, we had started on -10 points, but still would have missed the play offs) then I really doubt you would have.
If you could, then stone me, you should be after David Moyes job soon!

2. "Terribly average manager"? Really? Seriously? I'll have to let you read his career record, and show exactly how "terribly average" that is.

3. Reading do have a good squad, and are one of the best teams in Championship. but QPR without a shadow have the best squad, and starting eleven, in that division, by a mile.

The rest of your points are credible though, apart from the Sir Alex nonsense. That club won so many titles and trophies because he IS the greatest manager in British football history.

And that's exactly why Pardew was sacked. Look at the squad we had for our first season under Adkins, that team should have run away with the league. We were favourites to win the championship and we almost ended up dropping out of the auto promotion places. Adkins' record you say? What has he exactly done? 2 promotions from league one, one promotion and relegation from the championship an average half a season in the prem and a below expectations season with Reading, you're right he's an incredible manager. Sir Alex probably is the best manager in British history, but as I said, he could have been sacked after he performed poorly at the beginning of his utd career, had he been sacked he wouldn't have been anywhere near what he was, so in a way, his success and utd's success there after is due to their then chairman sticking with him. Liken it to Rickie Lambert, had he not signed for saints what would he be doing now?

First comment on this thread but this guy above ranting about how Adkins is average and 'he could took us up to the prem with that squad' is an imbecile! we weren't favourites for the championship until we started so well partly due to Adkins. Poch has done great but we only went up 1 place last season when he took over and Adkins was on a run of only 2 losses in 12 so who knows where we would of ended up with him could of been higher! Poch certainly has got us defending better as a unit

16 Jan 2014 10:01:06
Hope things get sorted and things get better. From Nottingham Forest Football Club.
Chin up lads
COOPERRED

Sound mate, cheers

Thanks Forest fan/s.

Good luck with your own season, the promotion push. It surely won't be long 'til Billy Davies leads you into, and keeps you in, the Premier League. Too big a club, and city for that matter, to be outside the "big" league.

Appreciate your support. Always nice to see football fans coming together in times of trouble/sadness.

Saint Etienne.

16 Jan 2014 09:50:59
The conflict at saints will carry on with cortese planning on coming back to the club with new backers and keeping Pochetino on as manager

Katrina Leiberr on the other hand does not want to leave the club but will appoint Les Read as chairman who will bring in Gary Neville as manager after the world cup.

Correse left over a power struggle and not because katarina wants to sell

I know this as I follow the right people on twitter

Gary Neville would be a great choice!

He could use us as his stepping stone before becoming future United or England boss.

He's English and he knows his stuff and played for probably the best manager in British football history, Sir Alex.

But perhaps he'd rather stick to his job on the telly. Which he is awesome at.

Not sure Twitter is the best source mate.

Gary Neville! no no no no no.
Twitter? really?

16 Jan 2014 09:44:47
"EXODUS"
Just a few predictions, or hot gossip stuff, I hope none of these happen, but eh.

Pochettino will leave after the thrashing we give Sunderland this weekend. New manager in place for or just after the next match after Sunders, which is Yeovil in the FA Cup, although they may only be temp or appointed from within. *Must win, and will win!

Then, the following players transfer to:

Lambert - West Ham. Price region between £6m and £9m, maybe some deal involving Ravel Sainsbury's!

Rodriguez - Liverpool. Sets the world alight following a move which also sees their own loan player Victor Moses come to us, with a scattering of currently unwanted Anfield youth players, with a fee of around £10m.

Lallana - Brazil 1970, because he's good enough to do this!!! In the real world, he stays, as he's loyal etc, but if he does leave (business cliche reasons) it's to Manchester United, £20m with or including add-ons which include a player or two.

Lovren - Any of the big, big clubs, something in my wild brain suggests Barcelona or Arsenal. £13m.

Schneiderlin - Manchester United or Arsenal, after a bidding war battle, for around £17m.

Shaw - Chelsea. £30m, but we keep him for the rest of the season as part of the deal.

Puncheon - Palace permanent, and they pay whatever the going rate for a pacey winger who's responsible for THE worst penalty miss of the season. Unlucky Punchy, you're still a very good player!

Ramirez and Osvaldo - Italian clubs, take your pick, for slightly more than what we paid for them both.

But, the good news is, no bids come in for Hooiveld or Yoshida. So always something to build on!

Saint Etienne. (Having spent the morning sulking into my cornflakes soup, I'm now going to play FIFA Manager and fix my head!)

You forgot that Elvis returns at the Sunderland pre-match press conference to announce that he is the new owner along with Bill Gates and are giving existing season ticket holders a free seat for life whilst they will be investing £1 Billion Pounds starting with buying Messi, Ronaldo and Iniesta.
The ground is going to be tripled in size and the cost of beer at the ground is going to be capped at £1 a pint (getting rid of Carling in the process).