On Saturday it was a sight not seen for several years with Matt Le Tissier leading a host of names from our illustrious past in welcoming Francis Benali.

Ralph Krueger took another big step in re establishing Southampton Football Club in the community on Saturday when he made a very public demonstration of support for Francis Benali as well as a whole host of other names from Saints past, including Matthew Le Tissier, who along with Benali had been subject to rough treatment from former Saints Chairman Nicola Cortese.

Krueger having come from a sporting background albeit in Ice Hockey knows the importance a Professional sports club has in the community, how much it means to those who support it and of course he knows that the benefits run both ways and that the club benefits in return from a supporter base that is happy and a business community that feels welcome and will put in sponsorship money.

Nicola Cortese saw none of these benefits, why he didnt one can only speculate, perhaps it was because he did not come from that sporting back ground that Krueger does, perhaps he had no affection for the club or perhaps he thought as Saints as his own personal fifedom bankrolled by the Liebherrs and that being the case he did not need the supporters money nor that from busines's.

Cortese almost seemed scared of Saints past, frightened that his own achievements would be overshadowed if supporters were reminded of it.

Whatever the reasons ultimately they contributed to his downfall, which is sad because Cortese did oversee a good period in Saints history, he could truly have been feted as a great, but the sad fact is he divided the club not united it, it could have been even better than it was but our ex Chairman chose a path that made him a very rich man rather than a very respected rich man, perhaps all along he was only interested in the money ? or perhaps he just didn't get what football is all about !

But under Ralph Krueger things seem to be changing, he is not frightened of Saints history or intimidated by the fame of people like Matt Le Tissier, he knows that any sports club needs to take pride in its past, yes it needs to look to the future and move forward, but the past is what brings supporters to the club initially.

This isnt rocket science, look at the biggest club's in the World, whether its Man Utd, Liverpool, Real Madrid or Barcelona, visit their grounds and you will see reminders of their triumphs all over the place, be it statues,museums, pictures etc etc.

Saturday was perhaps the first public admission that things have changed at St Mary's, Krueger admitted to the Daily Echo that he has been talking with Le Tissier virtually from the first moment he arrived at the club

“For me, it has been really natural from the first day I met Matt a few months into the new year,” said Krueger, who described it as an “honour” to have had Le Tissier in the directors’ box for Saturday’s match against Newcastle.

“It was February or March we came together and it was just natural.

“He fits the values that we want to exude here with the Saints, and the line we want to go on.

“He has been wonderful in the background, just as a supporter of the difficult summer we had, and somebody I can soundboard off once in a while — discussions outside the inner circle.

“He is a trusted friend already of the club.”

Very welcome words indeed after the past years we have had were Francis Benali was banned completely from the club and Le Tissier ostracised and they were only the tip of the iceberg.

Krueger elaborated on hos he sees the past helping the future.

“It is something we want to make sure that the expectations of players that are here, where we learn from this summer and try to work with the experience of players from the past to reignite that kind of loyalty and passion for a one-club lifestyle,” he said.

“That is not going to be possible to do with all players, but it is certainly using players like that as an example — look what life is giving back to them now that they did that for Southampton.

“They are so respected in the community, I can see the support they get around here.

“It is nice to see those stories, but it is a different football world today. We know that, but we would like to still tap into what their experiences were.”

Although Krueger clearly wants to embrace the clubs past he is also keen not to dwell on past issues in the boardroom which is a refreshing attitude, it would be easy to point the finger at the ex Chairman, but he is not doing so and wants Saints achievements on the pitch to do the talking.

But he has an open mind and is not afraid to look at the bigger picture, nor is he afraid to listen to those around the club, take in their opinions and use some of that advice if he considers it wise.

It is a breath of fresh air, the saddest thing of all though is that the recent past had to happen as it did, it could have been so much better and the way that fans were divided was in many respects obscene in that some supporters were prepared to let the treatement to Le Tissier and Benali happen because they saw it as "Business" and that all good businessmen are ruthless and it is impossible for a decent ethical person to be a good businessman, it was almost as if some supporters had been watching the film Wall Street on repeat and believed that "Greed Is Good"

There is an old saying in business, "If you chase money you never catch it, if you chase success then money will come"

That is very right and now Ralph Krueger and his board are putting things together the right way, they are embracing all parts of the community and know that success is easier achieved if everyone associated with a football club is kicking in the right direction, be it the current staff, ex players, supporters, local business and of course the media.

Im sure that Krueger is just as ruthless as Cortese when it comes down to it, but he isnt ruthless for ruthless sake and that is the crucial difference.

Markus Liebherr ran his companies with very strong and ethical morals, Im sure he brought his children up the same way, that being the case we should be in good hands.

Saturday was a big step forward, on the pitch we saw our rebuilt team show that their is life after the summer departures, off it we saw that the Clubis back to being what it has been for over half a century, a well run business that can compete with the best.

Photo: Action Images

slynch added 10:43 - Sep 17 Didn't Cortese kick out a few personalties cos they were scamming freebies and come down scrupulously on unprofessional behaviour at the club and media? Did he not employ previous players to train the U21s and did this lot sack 2 of them? Is my memory deceiving me? Am I just cherry-picking facts to suit? I'm confused. Am I re-writing history or has it already been re-written for me?

1

nomorerumours added 10:44 - Sep 17 Yet another excellent piece Nick. I passionately believe that our club has brought back those family values seemingly lost to most modern sports clubs, especially to the greedy world of top level football. Something has gone very wrong in recent years and this is not the way forward. Our club is proving that we can compete with the big boys doing it in the traditional ethical way. Ralph's point and yours that this will help to increase player loyalty just like we had with MLT is a very good one. RonKo will certainly help that process with players wanting to learn and improve under him. Most of all, of course, greater success will encourage even more players to stay. What a future we can look forward to.

2

darkangelv2 added 10:54 - Sep 17 I think you're cherry picking Slynch. The leadership team who axed Dodd and Willo was the same team that was in place under Cortese (Reed & Hunter). As far as freebies.... LeTiss, for example, bought a season ticket but Cortese would have its entry blocked if he knew Tiss was on Soccer Saturday. Petty beyond belief.
2

Zambucco added 11:00 - Sep 17 Marvellous piece Nick, and your article was good too! I was never a Cortese lover, for the way he treated our history. I also always saw him as somebody abusing his power and the money of the Liebherrs. Some saw him as the saviour, but pointing out a good buy to a billionaire not exactly rocket science. But for who's benefit? I think it was like a spoilt kid begging his rich uncle to buy him his newest toy, then discard it as soon as he got board, or the uncle stopped giving him money to make it bigger, faster better? Admittedly he had vision, but doesn't everybody? But in business these have to be realistic, in the time frame and financially. Anyway enough Cortese bashing, oh okay just a quick kick in the nuts from Matt and Franny! I'm very excited with this new board, I can see a period of stabilisation, realistic growth and progress. It seems the things on the pitch are running smoothly, so far a fantastic coach, a quality squad, okay needing one or two more good quality players. But it's off the pitch where the real progress is being made. Forging partnerships with internationally respected companies, Garmin for one. With this board we will start generating revenue outside of Sky, yes we may have to sell on a few good players, but this summer has shown that, we can not only survive and prosper, but also become stronger. No need to fear change! But I've noticed small things around the ground, to create extra money, more visible programme booths, selling of refreshments pitch side, how long before we have sellers walking up and down the aisles, American style? I'd welcome that. The extra effort being made to reduce the queues at the bars. The opening of the Halo bar all these may seem small, but the are increasing revenue, they are giving the fans less to moan about and more to give praise for. Now my suggestions to the board, move away fans to a far flung corner! or at the very least fill that awful gap between opposing fans, it gives such a bad impression on any footage on tv! Make the Northam terraced, so all those who want to sing, can do so but in unison, instead of 3 or 4 different factions singing different songs! How about actually a competition to write new songs, that can have the words on the big screens and accompanying music? We were apparently tops in a recent survey for singing at grounds, not the content or volume, but actually the quality of the singing. I'm a block 42 season ticket holder because I love to sing shout and swear, standing up. But It's tiresome singing endless songs about our players past and present, and our hatred of Pompey. Okay an improvement on the songs of violence when I was a teen! Let's have some variety. To summarise COYR!!!

3

ChristchurchSaint added 11:55 - Sep 17 Whilst I agree with Nick and to a lesser degree with Zambucco, I do feel that we do owe a little credit to Cortese. Personally I did not like him, he was ruthless and very self centred. However, I think we all know that initially Markus knew very little about football or the "English football system". I believe that he bought cheap with a view to investing well and if necessary making a substantial profit. Very quickly, he fell in love with our wonderful club- its values, its homely feel and most of all its past and what it represents to its supporters. Cortese was the person who led Markus to us and we should be grateful for that. Having said all that, I wholeheartedly support Krueger and Katherina, (and did during our dark summer) in the way that our "family values" have been re-instated. To see Matt and Franny on the pitch meant so much to them and even more, so much to us. Hopefully this, in turn, will rub off on other members of staff/players who will develop the same values and we will improve because of it.

3

landsdownsaint added 13:04 - Sep 17 What's happening at the moment is fantastic but be sure it was Cortese who turned this club around!...you are very correct that his reign couldn't continue ... Even I'm starting to see that now and I'm a Cortese fan
2

bstokesaint added 13:33 - Sep 17 Good points raised by most in my opinion. As a business man I found Cortese to be ruthlessly successful. Some will point to the fact that he never maximised revenue streams, but his decisions surrounding the club's finances and day-to-day operations right up to match day preparation (at the players' hotels for example) seemed to pay off. At the time I have to admit I got caught up a bit in this success and turned a blind eye to some of the negatives; the media blackout and the aloofness towards and ex players. Now he's gone and I can focus with a clear head again I am very pleased to see Ralph muck in (with Franny's run for example) and embrace our former greats. It's almost an admission he comes from a different sporting background, but he's wholeheartedly prepared to learn what it means to the fans. I respect that. A lot. Long may it continue.

1

pintsizedsaint added 14:00 - Sep 17 This might now be the right time to forget about Cortese. There's a hint of irony that, as NC did with Pardew and Adkins, we can see that NC had taken us so far and that, for Saints to move to the next level, we needed to part company. Some will see that as a crime, some will see it as a theme of natural progression of SFC. It's therefore about the whole, rather than the sum of parts. A number of decisions have been made since those fateful days in administration. Some of those seemed risky - almost suicidal - at the time, but ultimately saw SFC grow stronger. I guess now we should accept that change is good - as long as it is not too often (and is always done for the benefit of the club).

2

BoondockSaint added 14:12 - Sep 17 Picking cherries or sour grapes? Believe me Nick, as a NHL fan, hockey is very much a sport that embraces it's past and traditions (look at the success of the recent "Winter Classics" old-time hockey outdoor games). Involvement with the community is high priority (and good PR from a business point of view) and as any fan will tell you, on a scale of best to worst in treatment of fans on a personal level, hockey players are always listed as top, followed by NFL players, baseball and basketball (the more money, the crappier the attitude) in their interaction with the public. I don't think we'll ever see football players numbers retired as they do in hockey, but it is a great way of linking with the past, looking up at the rafters and seeing the history of the club and hoping you'll see the next one in his prime. Cortese used to have security follow Matt when he left his seat to use the men's room. I still think it was to make sure he didn't take a wrong turn and wind up in Cortese's and see the kiddie step-up in front of his "throne"!

0

Jesus_02 added 14:18 - Sep 17 About the most sensible sentiment here is form pintsizedsaint although as I understand it the new regime wanted and offered for Cortese to stay. As darkangelv2 comments its the same leadership team of Reed & Hunter as with the new regime. However I dont think the freebees that slynch was talking about just entailed season tickets. I think of more concern where the wages and expenses that went with "ambassador" roles. Lastly Nick you realy want to give up on Cortese mate. He obviously did something to upset you. Maybe he didnt realise you for the spokesperson for all saints fans that you obviously are. Maybe that time is over and you can sit at the captains table once more ;)

0

Jesus_02 added 14:25 - Sep 17 BoondockSaint "Cortese used to have security follow Matt when he left his seat to use the men's room" Thats hillarious! Personally I heard that once, he undit the salt celler just enough so when Le Tiss went to put salt on his chips the whole contents ruined is butty.... Grrr that Cortese Evil...Evil I say :)
3

BoondockSaint added 15:11 - Sep 17 Hopefully Matt will not have any influence over the training table menu!!
1

SaintNick added 16:20 - Sep 17 Jesus 2 get facts right, le Tissier was never an ambassador, under Cortese he was already working for sky, so had no need for freebies, he bought season tickets so he could sit with his son when he was able to attend matches Sorry to read you have something personal against me, if you knew me you would realise i have never ever put myself forward as a spokesman for all saints fans nor have i ever wanted to sit at the kings table

0

Jesus_02 added 21:41 - Sep 17 Nick, I don't have anything personal against you. Thanks for providing a platform for airing my views. You just mention Cortese an inordinate amount...and in all honesty its something you might want to look at. All that stuff about "Greed Is Good" makes it look like you view fans that don't share your view as somehow morally subhuman. I don't know if I have said it on here but I have elsewhere, it was fair play of Le Tiss for buying season tickets. I loved watching him as a player like every Saints Fan. But to be honest he didn't deal with very well things either...remember the "clear the air talks" that Cortese agreed to, only for Matty to take to twitter to slag him off? You are right about one thing though Matty and Benali were the tip of the iceburg. And as far I can remember he WAS a PAID ambassador in the Lowe days. Lets not return to that. I wish him well on his TV career and can only marvel in Franny's recent achievement.

0

Jesus_02 added 21:45 - Sep 17 ".... and worked as an ambassador to Southampton Football Club" http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/heritage/hampshire100/100sport/1481697.Matt_Le_Tissie Unless the echo have it wrong (wouldn't put it past them!)
0

Blogs 31 bloggers

Southampton Polls