to promote an individual for his own personal gratification. Designer, watches, weekends in europe in five star luxury hotels. All paid for by the club.
Yes, because no other business ever has flown journalists out anywhere in order to present a positive image of their business/product/club etc. I take it you don't work in PR. Honestly, all you're successfully doing here is making yourself look like a berk. If that was your intention then you have my absolute, unmitigated congratulations. A job very well done.
Flying a journalist goes on all the time, look at all the other clubs that do it ! oh A positive image of a business or just relentless gut wrenching PR to promote one person instead of the club.
I'm not going to go through a history of other clubs that have had journalists at training camps but I'm sure there's plenty. From what I remember that piece you're referring to was a piece of good PR for the club. Why do you have a problem with that?
For brands that are trying to sell a product. In football, it gets you no more positive press. Cortese probably more spent on Jim White than he ever did helping supporters. Think we are the only club that never used the £200k grant to subsidise away travel for our travelling fans etc.
restripe, I have no doubt there will be some 'dirt' or stories that won't paint NC in the most favorable light. No-one thinks he is perfect. The point however you seem to have overlooked that you have zero credibility in your posting that people don't give a toss what you say. If you really want NC to be damned, then just sit back and wait for a hack to throw the story on the front page of a red top. Cut out the headline and the article and put it on your notice board. Even better, ring one up and tell them all you know. They will lap it up. Until then, take your drivel elsewhere.
That's probably a bad thing CBK. Do you think that over 4.5 years, that NC did more good for the club or bad, whether with someone else's money or not?
Cortese's recent charm offensive with the press was only after burning his bridges with many of them. He perhaps learnt from early mistakes, but he suddenly swung violently the other way and hiring a private jet for a select few journos was bizarre.
But, and I know you hate the concept, in a lot of senses (think corporate/sponsorship etc) Southampton Football Club is, as well as being a sports entity, a brand that needs promotion and selling. It's just a fact of life, like it or not. It also needed selling to players (on the sporting side), so of course, mollycoddling a journalist to write a positive piece is part and parcel of that process. It's hardly an 'amazing rumour', it's sensible business practice.
I'd say it was about even between good and bad. Even if it were more good than bad, doesn't mean you can't discuss the negative aspects as some people see it.
What about Fergie? Good or bad? I've no problem discussing the bad of Nicola Cortese. I have a big problem pretending that it in any way at all overshadows and negates the good.
Redstripe...may I suggest your hatred of Cortese (whether well founded or not) harms you rather more than it harms him.
You really are in a fantasy world if you think this talk of "projects" and having a nice training ground really makes a difference when a chequebook is waved in players faces. Pompey's millionairre players were training on ex-school playing fields, yet still won an FA Cup. It's all about money. Saints had it, hence why we attracted the squad we did. Hence why we can give teenagers very good professional contracts... but they'll still want to leave to join Man Utd etc if those clubs seriously come calling.
I think you're in a fantasy world if you think the ambition shown by a club, coupled with clear direction (and a DVD!) has absolutely no impact.
No it doesn't, but when people act like redstripe76 it makes it very difficult to take their concerns seriously.
And throws money at scumbag journos, not his own money either... yet fleeces supporters at every single opportunity.
