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Time For Southampton Football Club To Unite
Friday, 17th Jan 2014 10:21

Despite our lofty League position, Southampton Football Club has not been united in the past few years, now is the time for everyone to pull together and kick in the same direction.

Last year when Nigel Adkins left there was uproar, his popularity was high and indeed in the summer of 2012 there were many who would tell you on internet message boards how he was the best ever saints manager.

His sacking caused much calamity and predictions of relegation, however the supporters in the main left their worries at home and when they went to St Mary's got behind a manager who most had never heard of a few days earlier, in short they did not get on Pochettino's back just because he want Nigel Adkins, he was given the chance to show that he had what it takes and he was the right appointment.

We will never know whether Nigel would have gone on to fulfill supporters expectations, but the fact is he had to go because his relationship with the man whom he was answerable too had broken down and was therefore unworkable.

There are comparisons therefore to be drawn with what has happened at St Mary's this week, perhaps Nicola Cortese would have gone on to lead us to that fabled "Next Level" but like with Adkins, perhaps now we will never find out.

But we need to have learned a lesson from 12 months ago and that lesson is that if we truly want Southampton Football Club to succeed then we need to pull together in the next few weeks and make sure a drama doesn't become a crisis.

Many still like to honour Markus Liebherr by singing his name at games, so is it fitting that his own flesh and blood should be so villified by some before she has even uttered a word in public, Markus was an honourable man, that is clear, he left the Club to his daughter, he did so for a reason and that is probably that he thought she would be the best person to look after it and see no harm came of it.

Katharina Liebherr has decided that things had to change, not in a major way, but certain things had to be accountable now when they hadnt been before, this was not acceptable to Nicola Cortese so he resigned.

Like the situation between Cortese and Adkins a year ago and indeed Cortese and Pardew in 2010, the working relationship had broken down so was not going to produce positive results if it continued, so something had to change.

There are many who wont be happy that Nicola Cortese has left the Club, perhaps they only see results on the pitch as the benchmark, however Katharina Liebherr and the trustee's of the club cant see it in such a simplistic way, indeed legally the trustee's cannot and this is what has lead to Cortese's departure.

In the short term nothing at the club has really changed apart from the fact that perhaps the bubble of the promise of Champions League qualification has been burst, what we do have though is reality, we know just who is running the club and to a greater degree how it will progress in the short term, as i say in that rspect nothing has changed part from the dream that we would spent £100 million to go for that fabled next level.

So the King is dead, long live the King, we cannot cry over spilt milk, we need to get behind the team and make sure that the drama off the field doesnt spill on to it, to be blunt Adam Lallana, Jay Rodriguez or Morgan Schneiderlin are not better or worse players than they were on Monday, they still have a lot to play for both personally and as a team, the manager is the same all that has changed is a name in the boardroom.

One thing is for sure as a whole the City and Community is more united behind Saints than it has been for a couple of years, football clubs are more than just that, they are part of a community, they are part of a City or regions identity, the more that work together from the club and community the stronger the football club will be, from this point of view we are stronger, so perhaps we are now in a position to achieve more in both the short and long terms.

I no more than anyone can predict the future it may be better or worse than it would have been under Nicola Cortese, but we cant change the past now and like a year ago when Nigel Adkins left we have to move on and move forward, ironically this was Nicola Cortese's mantra, that success can only be achieved by never standing still but constantly moving forward and changing.

Ultimately though it will be about results, if Saints go on and win a few games then like Adkins, Nicola Cortese will be another footnote in our history, if we lose a few then the questions will start to be asked.

But the truth is football club's are about far more than results, league positions change, squads change, managers change, no football club ever stands still, but if it has everyone behind it then it stands much more of a chance than if they are not, we have been divided as a community for too long, now is the time to stand up and look at what our priority is and that hopefully is the success of Southampton Football Club

Photo: Action Images



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Zambucco added 11:01 - Jan 17
perhaps we can stop singing the 'Cortese' song, it's embarrassing!
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montecristo added 11:27 - Jan 17
I expect all the media nonsense to settle down once the penny drops that there are no major changes, no player sales and that the manager remains in place.
However, sell Shaw, and the meltdown stories will go into overdrive, and therefore I suspect Liebherr will understand the need for stability right now.
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SanMarco added 11:36 - Jan 17
Good article - inspired partly I bet by the rather silly MLT vs Cortese debate yesterday. I know football fans are passionate and seem to need their 'hate' figures (I was the same with Woopert) but in the end there are no real villains here. The anxiety now is to get a suitable buyer for the club ie one who will not asset strip or load the debt incurred by purchasing on to the club. To me Ms Liebherr is someone who has an interest in doing that.

By the way - I think we've got a game tomorrow............
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Steve_N added 12:07 - Jan 17
Hmm. I wouldn't argue with what you have said. My biggest worry is that we could now see an exodus of much of the talent we have at St Mary's. Bear in mind that most, if not all, of the current squad arrived (or have signed senior contracts) under the reign of The Don. They would have bought in to the vision he had for Saints. With him gone will the club continue towards the realisation of that vision. Only time will tell.
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IanRC added 12:13 - Jan 17
Agree with most of that Nick. Whilst well intentioned doubtless, MLT did us no flavours yesterday. Onwards and upwards, you never know NC might be back with a consortium. Stranger things happen.
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SaintNick added 12:15 - Jan 17
Stven is right only time will tell, but football players are not total idiots, they have signed contracts due to the wages etc offered, not on some promise of champions league football that deep down they know is not achievable, unless NC had told them the Liebherrs were willing to bank roll the project in which case they will now actually feel cheated by NC not inspired by him
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SanMarco added 12:22 - Jan 17
May I ask a simple question: Is there any hard evidence that NC might be thinking of this consortium idea?? I have seen none. Lots of people are mentioning it - is it just wishful thinking/fanciful scenario or has NC said something??
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BoondockSaint added 14:29 - Jan 17
None of the players jumped ship when Nigel got sack-and they liked him, so why should they now? No tears for the Little Guy he got treated the same way he treated others. Karma's a......
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SaintNick added 14:34 - Jan 17
The only real evidence is that when the sale of the club has come up in the past NC had said that he knows people who would want to invest, I would say he seems to have burnet his bridges a little with the liebherrs though
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