Southampton Rumours Archive January 17 2014

 

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17 Jan 2014 20:25:17
A source has indicated to me the real argument between Cortese and Leibherr was in fact not over player sales, hence her coming out and saying she wants the team to stay and that nobody important is for sale. It was in fact over the expansion of St Mary's.

Last summer Cortese had been putting pressure on Leibherr to either expand St Mary's or build a new bigger stadium. However Leibherr was arguing the stadium was not full enough on a regular basis and thought European football should be achieved first as well as arguing that she had already been paying large sums for the training ground development and was not happy to flood more money in for the sake of an 'unnecessary expansion'.

Last summer she managed to convince him to stay by saying she would look in to options which was enough to keep Cortese happy for the short term but her persistence in turning down options lead to problems re-emerging around 3 months ago when Cortese again said he wanted to leave if he wasn't granted permission to do the development. Leibherr has not since caved in to his demands for expansion and he has therefore resigned after warning her that he was looking to go if she refused. Whether or not he intends to return with a consortium who will go for the expansion is as of yet unknown.

I hope this clears the air for some of you, it certainly seems to make more sense in my mind since I had this explained to me.

Saint Phil

Believable5 Unbelievable12

Very interesting Saint Phil. How reliable would you say this 'source' is?

Funnily enough I once remember a similar argument occurring at an ice-hockey club I supported, the quite reasonable line was 'No expansion on the arena until it is packed to the gunnels every home game and people can't get tickets'. That team won the league [the equivalent of Saints wining the EPL] and it was still never packed! Different sport and circumstances I know but it rang a bell.

Regardless of this I don't think we'll see any new players arriving so I would say it's a good job Cortese resigned otherwise this section of the site would be a bit deserted to be honest.

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If I was cortese I would have taken her up on the option of Europe first. Lowered season tickets prices for next season, offer half season tickets, more family days in the chapel etc to raise attendances then within 2 years be granted a stadium?
I think there were other reasons. I think the fact she wanted to sell and he didn't seems more plausible. Not sure on him coming back either. It seems that's the rumour most fans would like to see.
On pocc, I'm would have been surprised if he left. Ok he has been a good manager, but he himself is still learning his trade. He got sacked from espanyol mostly down to his best players being sold. Southampton job is still a very good job for him to have with or without cortese. Poch hasn't proved yet whether his style of play will win anything other than an applause from the pundits. With the backing of a new chairmen, he could have a very bright future at saints

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Why would he resign? Surely if he's got something lined up already, the leibherr family and this new consortium would do there business and cortese would stay at the helm overseeing everything went smoothly. If Katharina wanted to sell so badly she wouldn't tell him to resign to sort out this so called deal. She'd just let him do it
Aimless speculation.
Im a saints fan, a realistic one at that.
Is it not more plausible that 1. He feels he's had enough success and wants to move on whilst on a high or 2. He's that good that he's been offered work at a bigger club?
People need to stop pointing the finger at the leibherrs. They've put there hand in they're pocket when asked and given us no reason to doubt them

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Seems a very logical explanation, I'll go with that

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So they'd give £17m for a single transfer that might not pay off in the premier league. But wouldn't expand the stadium. The stadium cost £32m and it's a known fact that only one end has the space to expand on. So I estimate that another tier would cost less than some of the signings we've made.
Also construction work wouldn't start midway through the season. Sorry mate poor source

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Have to say I've questioned the new stadium or expansion for a while because St Mary's should be full more often as it is. This is only our second season back in the EPL so wether it's a hunch or a reliable source I'll go with St Phil.

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It cost 32m in early 2000, would be surplus of 120m plus now.

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The entire stadium can be built on - that's why the shape of the steelwork is the way it is in the roof structure.

Theyd be building upwards, not outwards!

Originally thought the goal ends but I understand it would be more sense to do the kingsland first.

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Cortese resigned over a power struggle he wanted to call all the shots with no one else involved, katrina didn't agree with that.

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Can, t say I blame her for wanting some say on how Her money was being spent. Whilst NC has done a great job driving saints forward it's well known that he could get stroppy, having said that I would hate to think we could end up with another Rupert Lowe type as chairman that really would be the pits.

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There has been much speculation about the intentions of Katharina Liebherr over the last few days, most seem to think that she was not prepared to match Cortese's ambitions financially or wants to sell the club.
The National media bandwagon have been less than courteous to our new Non-exec Chairperson with accusations that she is a 'dream-wrecker', 'has no interest in football' and have even mocked her appearance and dress sense, all of which is utterly appalling.

It is worth pointing out that katharina has quietly sat in the shadows and allowed Cortese to invest substantially more funds into the club since her father passed, than what was put in whilst he was alive. The five year plan was to return and re-establish saints as a premiership club and that has been achieved in a manner well beyond all of our expectations as fans. Surely we must be eternally grateful to her for honouring Markus's wishes and continuing to provide the backing to make the 5 year plan a reality.

Whilst there is no doubt that Cortese's vision, drive and business nounce has been vital, but so has the means to bring them to fruition.

So what now?
No one really knows what the future holds, but a little reading between the lines (which the media have completely misjudged in my humble opinion) may give us a few clues.

She is not the head of a hedge fund or a wily investor who has access to a couple of hundred million, she is a MULTI-BILLIONAIRE who has always retired from a public profile, so why on earth would she put herself directly in the firing line and under huge media attention if the only intent was asset strip or sell the club? She could have appointed any one of her many CEO's or advisors to have stood in and take the flak whilst she stayed distanced and safely out of the spotlight in her mansion in Zurich. She hasn't done this, she has come to London to spend time with her lawyers to negate the future, and has personally come to the club to reassure the manager and the staff. She has consciously come out of the shadows and amid reports that all she wanted was more accountability in how one of her companies was being run and wanted some form of personal involvement, which is far from unreasonable.

I don't believe that this is the actions of a multi-billionaire who has no interest in the club, and wants shot of it.

Times of uncertainty at Saints have rarely been tidings of good news for us, and as much as I wish Cortese had continued, it is starting to appear that he has thrown his toys out of the pram a little bit.

All things considered I am still very optimistic about our future, for the reasons listed above, but would be great to hear a more indepth idea of the future plans from Katharina, she has taken her place at the table, but is yet to show her hand.

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The source I have is fairly reliable, doesn't tend to tell me much but has been right considerably more times than not so I do trust him for the information.

I have given you the full story as far as I have been told, but I imagine the reason Cortese wanted to know now would have been linked to the need for planning periods. The fact he keeps being turned down would, by now, mean they would be unable to do the construction this summer.

I also think you have to remember that Katrina is still a business woman. She is not going to pump money in for something she doesn't see as important and clearly based on the arguments I have been told she made, she saw the stadium expansion as an expense that was not required due to attendance levels. Therefore her paying so many million for a new stadium or an expansion would be ridiculous in her eyes.

I hope this has adequately answered any questions, if you have more I'll attempt to answer them too.

Saint Phil

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Cheers Saint Phil,

After today I am hoping she doesn't mind spending money on players! Gaston carted off to hospital and more importantly Dejan also stretchered off looking very poorly. We cannot have another five or six game stretch with Jose Partnering either Maya or Jos, it will be carnage. Also Artur better buck up, when we're all over a team it's a not a training session! He's starting to be too relaxed I think, knowing he'll get picked unless he's injured. Whilst we're at it let's hope Osvaldo can start banging in the goals, we make enough friggin' chances!

It's all very depressing - once again over 60% possession, once again weak goalkeeping allows a team back into the game, once again we take only about 20% of our chances. At one time today we had 8 shots on goal and they had 1, it was 2-1 at that stage!

This squad needs a bloomin' shake up.

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Hi Saint Phil.

I have heard similar rumblings regarding the stadium, with both expansion of St Mary's and a new stadium being mentioned.

What many people are forgetting regarding this kind of work is that it can take several years to come to fruition, so Knowing how Cortese always wants to have a plan B and Plan C, he would have been looking at those prospects now for the coming years.

While KL is a multi Billionaire, and wouldn't think too much about the odd £30m transfer fund, How much would a new stadium cost? £500m? Enough to make even someone as wealthy as KL think twice.

All that said, I also believe that KL wanted a little more oversight at the club, and believe that would have driven Cortese mad, since he is such a control freak.

Oh and before anyone rubbishes the expansion/stadium rumour, if you cast your minds back to when we were in Div 1, Cortese stated he was looking at either expansion options, or new stadium options even then.

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17 Jan 2014 16:24:53
Katharina has backed Poch and said no players will be leaving in this transfer window.
People need to stop jumping on the media bandwagon that she's out to ruin the club.
Let's go with the facts and that is since she has been on the scene we have spent over £70m on players.
If she was out to ruin the club, why would Cortese tell Poch to stay on.
I'm sorry to say it but maybe it's just a case of Cortese has had a better offer.
A. C Milan have been linked with him.
He'd probably get paid more,
It's his home country,
They're a European giant.

Until something happens to make me think otherwise, the owner fully gets my backing!
COYR!

Believable14 Unbelievable1

It makes sense to me that KL business advisors told her that the structure at the top of Saints was not a healthy one for any big business or for her as the owner. NC couldn't face changing the way he ran what was becoming his Kingdom to rule as he wished so he left.

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I think that NC is looking for, or knows of another buyer and that he will be back at the club once that happens. He would obviously want to keep MP and the squad in place for that reason. KL wants to sell the club as she has no interest in football other than her father's commitment to SFC. I wonder if NC and KL have an agreement in this respect?

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Agree with the initial post but disagree with the 2 comments that follow.
1. If I was to of invested money into a club and the person running it got me back to back promotions, stability in the premier league and let's be honest probably quadrupled the value of my investment. Why would I want to change it?
2. If the leibherrs were looking for a sale they wouldn't of denied it to the media. There is no logic in doing that. They would of also given cortese permission to sort this. Not made him resign to do so. Like the original post says. Maybe he's had a better offer. There are bigger clubs than us that would definitely be after the services of probably the best chairman the premier league has seen.

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17 Jan 2014 16:04:25
Abdisalam Ibrahim is being linkded to saints as well as a number of PL clubs including Swansea and Everton. He is availble for £250k compensation after being let go from Man City. At 22 doesn't seem a bad option but do we really need another midfielder

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A player like that is worth a go considering. If he flops it's at little cost yet if he's successful even on a rotational success then it's worth it. Worth increasing squad size.

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I can't see us signing anyone this transfer window

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Surely if we got him that would spell the end of Corky : (

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I'm pretty sure he's an attacking midfielder, so Cork would still get playtime until Wanyama returns

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I hope Vic is back soon then we can sell Cork.

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Aint he in the patrik viera mould

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Lets get the facts straight about the Cortese issue. Liebherr have bankrolled the club and have never ben found wanting. They have not only paid out countless millions on the new Staplewood facility which is state of the art, they have paid of all of the debt and converted 30 millions worth of loans into equity. They have also paid out 75 million on payers so far. Is any one in their right mind suggesting that Katharina Liebherr is NOT committed to the club? Really?
Added to which she has moved over here, installed herself as non exec. chairman, and acoording to the press, she doesn't like football. Amazing logic.
Her father has oly been gone a couple of years, vand she knew how much he cared for Saints. I am willing to bet she is still grieving. get real people, we are very lucky to have the Liebherrs with us. Now as to Cortese and why he left. I think its quite simple. With all the money that had been spent, well over 100million Miss Liebherr wanted greated accountability. Cortese would not complly, and he had to go. Its surprising, really, but he was an autocrat, totally inflexible, as we all know, and Miss Liebherr was not going to put up with it. I fully expect considerable restructuring t ensure the accontability sought, and that is why she has sent weeks in London talking to her lawyers. We the fans, the players, have nothing to fear, she looks and behaves like a chip off the old block, she will be true to the Southampton project that was her father s dream.

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Southampton are 6/1 favourites to sign ings

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