Article: CONFIRMED: Mauricio Pochettino replaces Nigel Adkins as Saints manager | Southampton FC, Football

Even if NC read this and decided to reinstate NA, and NA agreed, it wouldn't be the same. The mood has changed forever - it's the end of innocence. A bond has been broken. It's like cheating on your girlfriend - once it's done and you've been caught, a bond breaks down (not talking from experience, by the way), and a second chance is never quite the same. No going back - success or bust.

 

Nah apparently Adkins is great now and Cortese should die in a hole.

 

I often get the feeling that some people get some sort of weird morbid kick out of having something to complain about.

 

Don't know if this has been pointed out -

Guillem Balague's tweet (yes, Balague is a very reliable source) was:

"People might think its a bit left field but two of the cleaverest guys are about to be given a superjob. We'll celebrate later"

...two of the [cleverest] guys? Who's the second?

 

I have been a supporter through Askham, Lowe & Wilde etc and it is without question that Nicola Cortese is the best chairman we have had.

I'm gutted that Adkins has gone and I don't agree with decision and will chant his name with everyone else to show him our appreciation, but I'm not about to cut up my season ticket for it.

The only time I've deliberately not gone to games was during the latter days of Branfoot where I didn't agree with the style of football and entertainment on the pitch.

Like the decision or not I believe Cortese has done it for the betterment of the club.

 

I woke up this morning and went to the OS expecting to see a bit about our new signing. I did not expect our new signing to be a manager. I read the article three times to make sure I did not miss something. For me timing is the biggest surprise. Earlier in the season when we were really struggling I would have been disappointed but it would make sense. But now? NA and the boys look like they finally understand the PL. The tactics are looking better and the players are performing well. It is OK if NC thought NA could not take us to the top spots, but we are not going to get there this year anyway. Make the change in the summer. This year is about surviving now. I was confident NA would keep us up after the run we have had. MP is going to have to be a fast learner. Faster than NA. We don't have 8 games for him to understand how the game is played in the PL. He doesn't even have 4 I'd say. We cannot afford to drop points due to poor understanding of the players abilities and the PL. I fear relegation is much closer now. I'm sure the players will be fine if they can figure out quickly how MP wants them to play. We will know Monday after the game how the players have done in the 2 days of training they have. No surprise the rest of the coaching staff has gone. That is normal but with only two days before the game how is he going to know the players, etc. At least we have a break before the next game so MP and the players can spend some time together.

NA will certainly be a PL manager again and I hope he waits until the summer when there will be more jobs to choose from. I will certainly follow him as I have our last good manager WGS. NA's personality, his communication, his relaxed nature were all revelations. I've not seen a manager like that before. The game needs more managers like that and less like many of others we see. I also liked that he understood the physio side. He knows about training and recovery and all that part. I hope that part of the staff is still here in case that is not MP's strong spot.

 

My apologies, I have only been viewing this forum sporadically and your comments for the Chelsea match for example did not appear very pro Adkins.

 

Meh. How are they taking advantage of you, exactly? Simply because you disagree with the decision? And then if Saints stay up and the new manger turns out to be an astute hiring will you send Cortese a letter of apology and purchase a season ticket and vow never to question him again?

The idea that Cortese may have crossed a bridge where you can no longer support the team regardless of results, I can understand. That he somehow "took advantage" of fans or that you won't even give the new manager a chance is in my mind, rather foolish. Cortese promised a club that would compete for Europe and have a strong academy. Nothing he has done so far has been contrary to that vision. At worst he made a grave mistake, but he can still correct that if he isn't seeing results.

Maybe some of us were hoping we could have it all, but perhaps this is where the rubber meets the road. I think I would rather Saints not win but stand for "family," or "loyalty" or whatever so this is kind of a tough situation for me. But in no way did Cortese ever promise that, so we have not been duped and if your primary concern is whether Saints stay up or if they win then Cortese has certainly earned some leeway on that front.

 

You didn't annoy me Dan, I thought you were being heartless to another poster, that's all. How I felt today was like this:

Today I felt shocked. I was disappointed, because I loved the way Nigel managed the team and the honest appraisals he gave of everyone, except himself - he was usually way too modest. But there is no way it compares to being relegated, and then relegated again, and then nearly going out of business. Actually, being relegated once was enough and far worse than losing an extremely good manager. Managers can be replaced, but you're still in that lower division, with no guarantee of bouncing back out of it. Let us have some perspective.

You cannot do anything once a board decision has been made. I sometimes boggle at fellow fans who think they have some kind of big influence over the club that they don't own. If those particular fans are confused at this point, I'll make it easy to understand - it isn't YOUR club. You pay, you watch and make a noise, positive or negative and that's it. If you feel you have some affinity then great, but don't let it get in the way of the fact that your single non-attendance is ever going to give the club any grief. Unless you do things like boycott attending matches, en masse, to show your displeasure, or the entire crowd boos or cheers for 90 minutes, you're not showing anything but an uncoordinated, semi-supportive noise which may lead to the ultimate detriment/benefit of the team, the club, yourselves, etc... Fine, you may feel that way. But do your fellow 30,000 odd supporters feel that way too. The mass contribution is the strength and the weakness of a football crowd. Remember, this is the Premier League. You are there to cheer and create an atmosphere. We left the cosy world of club football back in the early 1990s.

You see..? Not a million miles away from how you felt as well, and possibly a little harder on everyone. I wrote that earlier and decided to save it or ditch it. I'm not wallowing in sentiment either.

 

I don't think we're far away at all, I certainly agree with that post. I recognise I was seen as callous but hey, it's been an emotional day. I just invested my emotion in rather than getting angry at the club, getting frustrated at people who I saw as being overdramatic. I'll allow people time to get over it and calm down, but the main body of your post is certainly true. It's a shame, but it's the state of the game.

It's something a lot of people could do with remembering. Perhaps prompt people towards it on attempted "make a demonstration" threads?

 

Well said . Lets never forget what NA did for this club , but lets look to the future !

 

Visit the Arsenal board if you want cast iron proof of this.

 

I do not post often but the Chairman Mr Cortese is the life of our club, he and his management team have made a decision.

We all have opinions sure, but now let's get focused about the next game and remember the good times.

Long live Southampton FC.

And Good Luck to our new Manager and all players.

 

Hear hear. Gutted for Nigel as he was such an honest and entertaining guy as well as what he's done for us. Don't think this new fella will be too bad though regards interacting with the fans in time. There was certainly a lot of the questions in his conference that he understood and was smiling about and preparing his response for without even needing the interpreter to translate the question. Think he may be a character too, not Nigel but hey ho.

Either way, the players are the ones that will need our support come Monday so let's get right behind them!

Lat

 

I am gutted and very disappointed

Today feels nearly as bad as a few days 3 and a half years ago felt.

The key word is 'nearly'.

That other time my club were days from ceasing to exist. However my grief was short lived when a certain Mr Cortese (backed by Markus' money) saved my club.

Today is a bad day but cannot be compared. NC saved my club, a 127 year old institution.

However much I like Adkins and think he should have been given more time I hadn't heard of him until 2 and a half years ago. Will always respect the man and be thankful he was our manager and what he has done for us but that can't alter my feelings toward a club that I have supported for 30 years!!!

In the words of a top bloke. blue line and we move on to the next game.

Feel bad, feel sorry but I guess this now proves that Cortese's ambition statements were not at all tongue in cheek. are very real and he wants it much sooner than any of us expected. Also maybe some pressure applied from the Liebherr's. We don't know the facts.

As for some MLT statements. He may well have moaned and groaned about Cortese but he didn't stop supporting Saints because of it. Can't understand people talking of Boycotts.

My signature will remain though. Testament to a great 2 and a half years from a great man.

 

NC is the captain of the good ship Southampton, if he decides that the new guy is a better fit then we have to go along with that. NA was the most successful Saints manager ever, 2 seasons and 2 promotions yet this does not mean he is the best manager ever. Maybe NC was finding it hard recruiting players from abroad as they have never heard of Southampton and never heard of Nigel. I think NA will finally be manager of Matt Phillips at Blackpool

 

I dont feel in any way being taken advantage of. I dont like it and the way it was done was shabby to say the least. The man in charge has decided (and he has that right) to move on with someone he feels is better equipped to fulfill his vision. The team whoever brought it together is the team we support and should continue to support.

 

His assistant at Espanyol?

 

Cortese has screwed over Adkins, but he obviously feels that the new man is the one for the job and, to be fair, he is an exact fit (apart from speaking good English). We all feel that the timing stinks, because we accept that finishing a few places above relegation is a success for this year. Obviously, Cortese doesn't or he wanted this sorted this season and get a running start at next season. At no point has Cortese screwed the fans over or cheated us. Boycott the match or chant by all means, but then return and support the team. I don't want Saints relegated because I chose to take the moral high ground.

I would feel a lot more sick this morning if it was Cortese who had left the club.

 

MP was successful for 3 years at Espanyol, then had a final poor season when players were sold from underneath him. He was, however, popular with the fans who turned on the board rather than him. Sound familiar. Will miss NA, but he will be a success elsewhere. We must support the new manager because his success will be our success.