Another article from the BBC's Ben Smith, who seems to have close links to the club, after a visit to Staplewood earlier in the year. Chairman Nicola Cortese at heart of Southampton's success story http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25420261?
Imagine the explosion of praise if we manage to stuff Spurs this weekend….battle of the Chairman goes to NC!!!!!!!!
Cortese has undoubtedly been the main reason for our recent success, but I think this article goes a little too far. I'd like to believe that the structures at the club would be maintained even if he left, after all, whoever takes charge afterwards must surely realise they would be mad to make dramatic changes to a system that works so well.
So when media articles can't develop any anxiety in respect to key players leaving, because they aren't, and they can't get the manager interested in leaving, because he isn't going to, then one finally turns their attention onto the man we've all known is the driving force. And it keeps on giving us all the plaudits that, in actual fact, other articles have pointed out several times, it gets to the bit that it really wanted to say... How long can the club keep hold of Cortese..? Well the man who wrote it needs to do just a wee bit more research to finish off. Here's the line he was looking for, said early into the new ownership: Southampton is my baby; I'm not going to abandon it.
Written by the same man who wrote this in January: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21084754 Maybe he is now vindicated....
you really believe that PTF? I think it could come under threat if he were to leave. Someone else may want to impose themselves and prove they have better ideas.
A new Chairman would drop anything which he didn't believe in which costs money...all the detail stuff I suspect. I'm happy for us to continue with all this OCD stuff...I think it has a positive psychological effect on the players as much as any tangible effect. The players think they are being treated like valuable race horses...must make them feel good about themselves.
And even if we had someone nearly as competent, they might struggle to get the same sort of buy-in. Seems to be a rather uncommon focus and spirit around the team...if Cortese goes, Poch may follow, and if those two leave the players might be more inclined to look elsewhere.
It was all right when we were a struggling side...easy to get a Chairman and manager that could achieve struggle and failure. When you've smelt and tasted steak, quorn won't do.
That question at the end is a bit cheeky and annoying. It seems that if anyone within football shows a sniff of talent or gets a little success then they must go to a bigger and more fashionable club forthwith to maintain our comfortable status quo. The other daft thing about that question is that the article explains the reason why he is very unlikely to leave Southampton and that's control. Bigger and more prestigious clubs could offer him a chief exec role like a David Gill type of deal, but can they offer the same freedom he enjoys here? Where he is essentially the owner and the impression is that the Liebherr estate sign off a budget every year and turn up to the odd game. Plus he sounds like a man who relishes a challenge. Winning the premier league with Southampton would be one of the greatest achievements in club football history, whilst going to say AC Milan and overseeing a title would be greeted with a meh. No football club can offer the control and freedom he enjoys here and as long as his relationship with the Liebherr estate remains solid. I can see him here for a good few years yet.
Nobody is irreplaceable, not the Queen of England, not the President of the USA and definitely not that upper class twit Cameron. You can replace them all but you might get worse or in the case of Cameron undoubtedly someone much better. Let us all just enjoy the ride with Nicola while we can.
