No-one is bigger than the club but I'd be gutted if he went. We should remember though that he's hardly Mr Popular outside of Southampton and particularly with the press. Wouldn't be the first paper to write bollocks about Saints.
This is very bad news, and horrible timing coming off the back of yesterday's effective retention of our top-flight status. I have a horrible feeling that this is a result of some pin-striped manager of the trust wanting to see a return on this asset. The club are now self-financing, recent loans taken out to finance player purchases and training ground developments shows this. We're expecting a big windfall from the increased TV money and I expect Cortese's vision is to use this to fund further player purchases. The people running the Trust may not share this view, expecting to now receive a dividend on their investment. I seriously hope not, as both we and Cortese are likely to be the losers in such a stand off.
I dont get the feeling that this is about Cortese's contract or his remuneration package. I suspect this is about something deeper, possibly about "how" the club is run. I have always believed that the Liebherr family didn't share Marcus's enthusiasm for this project, it's only conjecture but what if the Liebherr family are now demanding the club be run for profit with a dividend return to them, whilst Cortese still wants maximum possible investment to grow the club yet further and fulfill his visions? This would lead to a fundamental disagreement between the parties and would be far harder to resolve than simply negotiating a new package.
I'd be inclined to agree with this, he's already pretty well remunerated. More likely it's over a clash of ambitions as you say, they might want to start getting a return on their investment rather than reinvesting all the profits back into the club.
Yeah, if Cortese was after a bigger payday he would have left when Milan (I think?) were after him. I'm sure he could also get a nice cushy, low-publicity job in a bank somewhere if money was his main concern.
The Liebherrs, in my opinion, can't afford the risk of changing Chairman. Cortese has been dependable, prudent, and worked in the best interests of the club with extremely successful results since 2009. He, as much as the players and managers, has got us to where we are now. Cortese, in my opinion, is stalling as he wants to see if the Liebherrs will support his ambitions. He wants to see us in Europe, but that would take considerable financial clout, which would have to be provided by the Liebherrs. If the Liebherrs can't/don't want to match his ambitions and fork out rather than cashing in, then I can see old Nicola getting off the bus at the next stop. Would be a shame. A great shame. But no one is bigger than the club. We were alive in 1885, and will be come 2105.
The one interesting element is whether it would be Cortese or the Liebherrs exiting stage right in that scenario. A 51% stake of Reading cost £40 million, at a time when promotion was well short of guaranteed; they could rather easily sell a controlling stake at a price that would see a net profit on the venture. If they wish to cash in, they're much more likely to get the desired return by selling rather than taking a dividend...and the person best-suited to arrange such a deal is Cortese himself.
I think (hopefully) that this is just negotiation (albeit leaked into the public domain) on either: (A) - The amount we have to spend in the summer (B) - The ambition of the Liebherrs (C) - Cortese's paycheck The only one to worry about would be (B).
Well, if they think NC is expensive, then they will be in for a rude shock without him. I hope someone has told them that he'll be taking the DVD with him as well.
Hmmm this has made me realise that I would rather the club was in the hands of a different owner, but with Cortese at the helm, than still belong to the Liebherrs without Cortese.
So important you had to say it twice. Yes, I know, a double post. Annoying aren't they, but true in this case. We've actually had 4 seasons of relative stability, unless you include the managerial changes, and I much prefer it. If this turns out to be a popularity fight between Cortese and the Liebherrs, then Nicola's got my vote.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22510420 A decision at the end of the month it is said, so talk about it all you like, until an official announcement appears on the OS we won't know anything for sure. I have supported him throughout, even though I questioned several decisions, without him we would probably be wallowing in Division 2 with our fishy friends, so any negative judgement against him has to be balanced with the knowledge that he was the man that got Markus Liebherr involved, without that we would be dead in the water. I don't care too much who runs the Club as long as it isn't a duckhunter, an Indian Chicken Farmer or a skint Russian Oligarch.
