Summer 2014 Transfer rumour thread - Part VI

Wot he said...

 

Do you not? Even though it is well reported that the training ground was well over budget and the £27m of transfer debt we had? Hofftsetter (spelling) has said that the financial situation was worse than it should have been.

Why do you think they're suddenly so anti Reed? Do you think it may be because he is doing all he can to stop them leaving on the cheap? I certainly heard nothing against him until recently. Cortese was obviously close to these players, some, myself included will say he was too close and was too involved and his departure has left a power vacuum and enough uncertainty for agents/players to look for a way out.

Dejan's interview was one of the most immature, contradictory and outright ridiculous statements I've ever had the misfortune of reading from a professional sportsman, so forgive me for not taking that seriously at all.

Of course it is a possibility, lets see how the summer pans out, I'm sure Koeman wouldn't leave a Champions League team to come and manage a provincial club with a lack of ambition, but that's just me.

Apologies, this is very rushed as I'm on a tea break at work.

 

He was "forced" to give up some power that he had been given in the first place. He chose to go at that point and it can easily be seen as forced as out as much as walked out.

I love what Cortese did for this club, but I also have doubts over what was happening and how we were getting there. I don't view him as having just been moved on calmly; I think he went disgruntled that someone took over his game.

 

Even with the Cork/Fonte contract stuff, we don't know if they were told we'll sit down in the summer and work it out. That may have been interpreted as end of season/May/June/July/August...

 

I haven't seen the monstrous Cortese kit - but would love to. Any links please?

 

You don't want to, I had a headache for hours! Lol

 

Tis a thing of beauty

http://www.not606.com/showthread.ph...wn-unique-2014-15-kit-and-training-wear/page5

 

Oh dear... actually aesthetic taste was the one think Cortese never got quite right. He always looked uncomfortable in his clothes, for example, even though they were probably Italian designer, made-to-measure, etc

 

The day we got promoted from League One I was walking round the front of St Mary's just as Nicola arrived and he looked cool as f***. The driver opened the door for him and he stepped out, jacket hung over his shoulder, sunglasses on, shiny Italian shoes with a massive heel. Very impressive.

 

I agree, but I don't blame him for being disgruntled. LTL posted an analogy a while ago about having a heartless dictator who is unpopular but gets the job done as a boss vs having a boss who is everyone's friend, and the point was you'd rather have the dictator if he gets the job done. The phrase "a camel is a horse designed by committee" comes to my mind. I don't think there was anything about the club that was unstable while Cortese was running it, contrary to some claims on here. I don't think we were ever spending outside our means. I understand the concerns that come with such a rapid rise with one man holding all the power, but unlike Portsmouth, Malaga, etc. we actually were spending within our means (still are, obviously). Nothing seems to have changed financially since he left. We're still investing all transfer income back into the transfer budget. We're still, I assume, spending big on new players. With that in mind, I have to wonder why anyone would be distrusting of the way Cortese was running the club but happier with the way it's run now. What exactly has changed?

The only change we've heard of at all (which I know is just rumours) is that the current regime is less hands-on with the squad and they're not best pleased. What else is different?

 

See this just shows that we all have different ideas about what constitutes cool. Massive heels ffs? Not cool, dude. You can be a short-arse and still be cool, so long as you accept that you're a shortarse. But the shoes you describe? Naaaah man. Disastrous.

 

Construction always seems to go over budget, and anyway I don't know how Cortese can be linked with that happening. He and Markus planned the training ground before Markus died. As for the £27m owed for transfers, that is surely just standard practice. All clubs pay for some transfers over time rather than in one go. The fact that Hofstetter wasn't aware of it is pretty weird (I guess he'd been led to believe all players had been paid for?), but it's just periodical payments for transfers, it's nothing to be concerned about. It's money that was always going to be spent. It was ridiculous that it ever actually got published as news and people made a big fuss about it.

Much like with players, I think unfortunately we have to face facts that most managers are after a bigger paycheck too. That'll be why we got Koeman, and there's a good chance that'll be why we'll eventually lose him.

 

Haha well I wouldn't wear them, but he pulled the look off quite well.

 

Agreed, high heeled mens' shoes belong in the 70s Discos and Havana.

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I didn't say either way whether I was happier now or not and I haven't said that Cortese's management style was wrong or wasn't responsible for where we are now. My doubts are based on lack of info. I don't know why KL wanted to be more involved; something may have triggered it and I don't know why Cortese wouldn't stay. However, I can only guess (again from things we read and hear) that he wanted to push on more quickly somehow, because as you said, nothing much has changed, so why did he go? If he only went because KL wanted to share some of that power, then I feel ok that I think his parting let us down a little, but I suspect there was more to it than this.

We can have conjecture all day long but we just don't know the facts.

There is one thing though. The players who suddenly felt bad about the club, did that far too quickly for a grown up, so something or someone caused that and if it was the Board not being touchy feely enough, then they didn't give it long enough. These players didn't decide in May they wanted to leave.

 

Well there was one rumour that their disagreement was over the timing of selling the club. In fact, this BBC article claims he disagreed with her wish to sell. That story fits with the fact that the day-to-day running of the club hasn't changed. It also fits with my suspicion that she will put the club up for sale this season.

As for your last point, note in the above article where it mentions when Pochettino said he'd be leaving if Cortese did. He stuck to his word, didn't he. Maybe some players had the same idea.

 

On Instagram, Guly asked Lovren to see him in London tomorrow, but Lovren's in Croatia apparently.

 

Ugh!
Small man syndrome + conspicuous consumption syndrome = yuck

 

Interesting... where's Guly hoping to go to? Anyone know?

 

On my FM game he went to Fluminense, if that helps. I can actually picture him in a Fluminense shirt.

Also on a different thread - I can't remember which - we had some predictions going as to where he'd end up. Anyone know where that is?