Now is a wonderful time to be a Saints fan. We have had a couple of great years, winning at Wembley followed by promotion last season to the Championship. Yesterday we signed a really, really good player and it shows signs to us fans that NA and NC are doing what we all wanted and that a good season lies ahead. But, what I want above all, is stability at the top. I want us to have a manager and chairman that stay around for a few years. It has been one of our greatest weaknesses over the last 15 years that our manager sare changed every 18 months. We have had a fair few changes in chairmanship too, and I believe that the only way to success is stability at the top. Just look at Manure and what Fergie has created. One manager 20 odd years. Look what we did with Ted Bates and Lawrie Mac. I really hope we don't have a season where people start calling for Adkins head. Even if things don't go too well this year, we must keep that duo as our leaders. What we can achieve then is endless. In Nigel and Nicola we trust.
Stability is essential, but only when you have the right people! in Nigel we have one of the best young managers around, and in Nicola we have a Chairman who has bought into what it means to be a Saint, and who is determined to enact Marcus's grand plan. 2 years on the plan is on track - we are all on the bus, well except the daily Echo!
Same with the players, we need to integrate them in, not just go & chuck big money at some prem has-been. Its already a good group, but with people like Cork coming in, it can only complement it. What a two years, amazing.
Nicola has promised to stick it out for Markus, so let's hope he's enjoying being a football chairman (remember it's not his profession, though he has specialized in sport). However, will he want to leave if the aim of the Premiership is achieved? I hope not. Managers are only as good as their last season, unless they have a good rapport with the Chairman. At the moment NA and NC are a match made in heaven..long may it last.
If Adkins does not have us in pay off's or at least narrowly missing out he will be sacked. The money spent is being spent demands this. Footballs changed, it's dog eat dog, and rightly so.
Living up to your name I see! I think pay offs apply to other teams, not to be mentioned..... I think I understand what you mean, football itself hasn't changed a lot, it is the way that it is being run from the top, that is the problem, starting from FIFA right down to FL administration level appears to be more to do with corruption and bribery rather than a sensible management organisation, teams like ours that have been through the mill without a lot of help from the overseeing organisations, no longer need lessons on how to run a tight financial ship and living within our means, if that means that we don't get the promotions that we so much desire, hopefully what we do achieve is through fair play and not from corruption and deviation, win? yes but not at all costs, there is too much of that already.
As I said play offs or near miss, not promotion. If we aim to push on for next season we will need to be finishing top 8. That has to be part of the five year plan right? I really think some Saints fans have become too modest, agreed we have fallen from grace, but we have foundations, support and the players to be finishing top 8. Stop being so pessimistic. SaintDon agreed, not at all cost agreed, but we have to be ruthless as Cortese is to reflect the way things are. As for the spelling… yawn. You're not a teacher are you?
Don't be silly the 5 year plan allows for like 3 years in the championship, nige and Nicola clearly get along well and long may it continue, reach the play offs or not I shouldn't think nige will be our onager the season after next. This year to me is about consolidation and of we do better then that is a massive bonus!
Absolutely. We have a side that is largely untried in the Championship, however well they have played in lower leagues. Some of our players have been here before, some, like Corky and Connelly have played in the Prem, but most of the squad haven't. This next season will see how well this squad can do at this level, and how much it needs strengthening before the push for promotion. I disagree about Nigel though, he's here for the long haul and will grow with the team as he gains in experience. By the time we get to the Prem he'll be ready to take us there.
I just wanted to add while we are singing the praises of both Cortese and Adkins. The two do seem to get on well and seem to work well together. Like all good leaders though, they should not be averse to criticism. These forums are not just here to praise they are also here to criticise. Criticisms should not always be seen as "getting on the back of the particular person", but just that ,an expression of a different way, or a mistaken attitude to what is happening. Calling for someones head is a very negative way of looking at things and should be frowned upon when things are not going particularly well. With Pardew a few were calling for his head almost from the off. The fact that it happened after 6/7 games was for most a surprise. We do not want things like that to happen again this season so lets keep the faith with the manager and let him do his job. Criticise if you must but always for the good of the club!!
Well I'm too old to run and too fat to hide, so I'll send you my post code CBK; just be gentle with me
I agree about NC & NA getting along well, which is a great foundation and I think the key to that is that they are both well educated intelligent people - I believe thats why NC and AP fell out because AP is your stereo typical poorly educated, big mouthed, ego fueled football manager - never going to work! NA although steeped in football has educated himself well and is a thinker more in the mold of Arsen Wenger than Barry Fry - they will get along well and that will be to the benefit of Saints for the longer term
Think Nicola wants someone who believes in 'the dream' as much as he does. Pardew was only ever passing through. Adkins can probably see that he can progress with Saints.
I think that we will not see a knee-jerk reaction. The Liebherr family do not behave like typical short-term owners looking to get a return on their money. They will, however, expect the five year plan to be fulfilled, but a few bad results will not be a cause for concern. The only concern that I have is that we have become used to Saints winning most games, and by a good margin. It will be more difficult this year. I hope we will all have some patience.
Agreed. I've always said that for me, three years in the Championship means: Year 1: Consolidate. Do not relegated, and ideally do not get in any sort of relegation battle full-stop. Finishing somewhere between 12 and 16th would be a tick. Year 2: Push for promotion. If we miss out on promotion, no worries. If we miss out on the play-offs, no worries. 5th - 10th would be a tick. Year 3: Get promoted. Ideally automatic, but at the very least through the play-offs. 1st - 2nd would be a tick (3rd - 6th would ultimately be accepted if we won the play-offs).
I doubt it, not if he wanted to live. We all know it will be tougher this season, but you can't start a campaign without high hopes.
I think the important thing here is that Nigel and Nicola seem to have a great rapore dont think that was the case with Pardew which became no secret even though he did'nt do a bad job.After all so far our two most expensive buys to date under this regime Lambert and Jose were in Pardews tenure.Nigel as yet has not really had the chance to flex his muscles yet in that regard he is more of a team builder than a buyer though i think his budgets will increase as we progress up though Nicola is ambitious i think it could based on a steady but longer lasting build than The Foxes lets throw money at it ethos and after all how long will Sven be sticking around.No for me we are looking good going forward with two people with similar ideals and vision dont think we will have any problems with continuity for a while.
