People were upset abut Adkins and for Adkins, but we need Cortese to stay. He has been fantastic for us, including the initially surprising appointment of Nigel. I am bginning to see his thinking...Nigel got us promoted and had started to turn things round, but was he capable of taking us to European football within 2.5 yr (apparently the target set for Poch)? Was he capable of attracting really good players? Would he raise the profile of SFC? probably not, I'm sad to say. Nicola has more ambition than us...we've got to step up.
51 to 1....that says a lot if this poll is indicative of how all fans feel. Certainly shows the vast majority on here back him.....and I suspect the majority of Saints fans would agree.........
I don't want to go round in circles on here. But I just feel this is a bit unfair. Firstly Gaston came and if we kept on improving our league posistion then the players will come. Essentially players want money and success and if we could offer both (I think we could with Nige) then they'll come. Again the profile of SFC would be raised by climbing the league, look how much our profile has raised this season! David moyles was small name at before everton but look at the job he's done there. It's done now but I dont see why nige couldn't have taken us to europe he's already built a team clearly good enough for the prem and don't doubt with continued backing he could have done so for europe. Anyway it's over now and theres nothing wrong with positivity but just don't see that we need to bring nige down especially as many fans were talking about him leading us to europe before.
Cortese doesn't have to justify his actions to the fans, media or Matt Le Tissier, only to the Liebherr family. After all its their money he is spending. However, he is the best chairman we've had since I've been a fan. Saying all this it wouldn't hurt if he explained his bigger decisions now and again.
Last Friday I was pissed off with him...real pissed off. I have to admit though that even after a week you can see how the club could take on a higher profile with the change of manager. It's like Cortese knows the club needs these injections of pace at intervals to keep pushing onto the next level. MEDIOCRITY - let's face it, it's long been the shield we hide behind as a Saints fan. In all my time as a Saints fan I've witnessed us scraping along as the ultimate "making up the numbers team" in the Premier League until our demise and scrape with financial doom. The last 2 1/2 years have been a joy to watch and the pleasure of watching us win week in week out was incredible. Then we got back to the Premier League and started to lose again, "aha" that familiar feeling is back...MEDIOCRITY. All of Cortese's posturing about how he wants Southampton to be a big club is forgotten amidst the talk of relegation battles, "surely all he really wanted was us back in the PL." It somehow feels fine, because that was what I was used to last time round, and it's what all your United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea supporting mates expect of little old Southampton too. This last week though I've come to realise that Cortese isn't go accept mediocrity, I think he's actually serious. So in answer to the OP, okay Cortese might be a bit bullish in his methods, but he hasn't messed up so far and I trust him to continue this project of his.
Cortese has my support. He reminds me of Daniel Levy at spurs in that they both have strong business backgrounds, may not be top in the popularity stakes, have reputations as tough bosses, but do seem to get results. The news of the sacking of Nigel seemed harsh but it highlights both Cortese's bad points and good points. Nigel was sacked when he was doing fairly well and, argualbly, getting better, and Cortese seemed to have lined up a new manager to take over as much as a few weeks before the sacking was anounced*. Extremely clinical, but imagine if Adkins was sacked and there was no replacement? The potential uncertainty of that could be far worse. I think Cortese highly values his own reputation and so would not take decisions like this lightly. Although brining in any new manager is risky, especially if the previous one was doing ok I trust that Cortese's has done his homework. * quote from MP in BBC article 18/01/13 "I know about the squad because I've been researching them for several weeks. - why would he research the squad if he didn't have a fair idea he was taking over?
Well that's one definite convert. Regarding Saints, since July 2009 there has been a spring in my step and a tingle down my spine. No, it isn't arthritis, it's knowing that we went from the pit of despair to just about the best result possible, and then some. Cortese has been the one consistent factor in all of this. He has been the dreamer, the planner and the prime mover of it, and frankly, I find slightly insulting on his part when I read of people who have the gall to carp on about what he does and doesn't do. I still cringe with embarrassment when I recall that he was booed by some supporters at the JPT Final. If he had been a no-money fart who just managed to save the club for a bit of fun, while the fans went from emotional pillar to post [read familiar..?], then certainly, there would be great cause for moaning and whinging. But it isn't this way. We hit the executive jackpot when Cortese decided he wanted to run a football club, and especially, take one from the depths of going out of business to the top of the tree. WTF is the matter with some supporters..? Don't you want to see your club become one of the most successful sides in Europe..? Or do you just want to settle for being the biggest club from the South Coast..? Like Downthe36 observes... MEDIOCRITY..! I've had a gut full of Saints being that way. Time for a change in the order of things, with the continuation of the success story so far.
I get the impression that the media don't appreciate Southampton getting 'above themselves.' We are alright if we know our place. When he first took over the club, Nicola gave brave interviews stating his intention to get us to the top and into the Champions League. He was ridiculed for it and that is when I think he stepped back from publicity. The media like to worship the top clubs and they like brave little clubs...but we were too well off to be portrayed as such. The media had every right to criticise Adkins sacking (after all we did), but they made it personal again as if Nicola was a fool who acted out of spite. It's interesting that we are beginning to see more considered articles as journalists actually investigated our new manager.
