A few months ago Saints supporters were eagerly looking forward to the World Cup in Brazil, hoping that four Saints players would be in the squad, now howeverthere is a bitter taste in the mouth.

As Saints stormed to a few good results in the Spring "We are Southampton We Are Off To Brazil" rang around St Mary's and a few away grounds to boot, there was a feeling of togetherness and that our players had a special quality about them that others elsewhere did not have, the inclusion of Lambert, Lallana, Shaw and Rodriguez in the England squad was almost a sense of civic pride.

Now that feeling is a distant memory, the injury to Jay Rodriguez saddened Saints supporters but that sadness is nothing compared to that felt for the way that those players, Rodriguez aside are behaving now.

Rickie Lambert leaving was a big blow, it wasn't that he was going, most Saints fans wish him the best of luck and know that apart from being the right deal for the club its a great chance for Rickie, however the feeling still remains that Rickie should and could have gone to Brazil a Saints player, we wanted to back him and feel the pride that we have felt for the past five years, yes we will still consider him one of ours in Brazil but deep down we know he really isnt anymore and the TV screens will say Lambert - Liverpool and not as it really should be, personally I don't know why if Liverpool were so desperate to tie up a deal that a pre transfer contract could not have been drawn up keeping him a Saints player till he returns from Brazil, but that is just me being a little naive.

But what really hurts is the behaviour of Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw obviously wants to leave as well and we can see why they would wish to do so especially financially, but there are ways of behaving, so far Shaw has kept things low key, not made public statements and done things the right way, sitting back knowing that it is his job to play football not to brow beat his club publicly.

But seemingly Adam Lallana is different and thats what hurts, here is a player that has been with us for a decade making his first team debut 8 years ago, yes he showed us loyalty when we were in trouble 6 years or so ago, but that loyalty has been repaid over and over again, not least by a five year contract a year ago, back then he was content to sign it, probably because there was not a queue of clubs at the door, his fleeting inclusion in the England Squad in September 2012 was a distant memory and so confident was he that he would get another chance he booked his wedding for the middle of the World Cup.

A year ago that contract made him financially secure, now though it is not good enough and he wants away, no one blames him for wanting to go to Liverpool, it will increase his wages not to mention the chance to compete for the title and the Champions League, but there is a way of going about these things.

Now Adam is either a very immature boy or he is getting the wrong advice from somewhere, possibly a little bit of both, the constant press leaks that are saying he has delivered ultimatums etc to Saints are only coming from one direction though and that is not St Mary's.

Perhaps they are not coming directly from Adam, but they are not being denied by him which is perhaps poignant, but if anyone needed evidence that he isnt really thinking things through about what is the right way to conduct yourself then its the picture of him signing a Liverpool shirt in Miami, this given the situation was not the move of a wise man and it was compounded by him allegedly saying "I Hope So !" when the fan asked whether he would be moving to Anfield.

This is just plain stupidity and could come back to haunt him if Liverpool pull out of the deal and he is forced to stay at Saints, indeed there is part of me that thinks that Katharina Liebherr should take a leaf out of ironically Liverpool's books and steadfastly hold him to his contract as the Merseyside club did with Luis Suarez last year when put under the sort of pressure that they now are exerting on us, short memories I would say.

Sadly it all means that even seeing Adam in an England shirt is now tainted, he isnt the person he was a year ago seemingly, perhaps Mark Clattenberg was right in his alleged remarks at Goodison last season.

Perhaps the only ray of hope is Luke Shaw, yes we know that he will leave in the summer for probably Old Trafford, but he is keeping his own counsel and that means we can not only enjoy his performances for England but wish him well as we trouser a massive fee in July, of course there are the same rumours as with Lallana about him wanting to go and indeed wanting the deal done before the World Cup, but he seems to accept that the Club dont want to sell before then and that he has some respect for what is best for his current employers.

It is just sad that it has come to this, two months ago we were all looking forwar dto watching our best loved players pull on an England shirt, we nejoyed their journey as in the space of the last 10 months or so they have gone from nowhere in the England pecking order to vital members of the squad, yet our reward as fans is to see them want to go at the first offer, it turns out after all that they were no different from the other 99%

Photo: Action Images

Zambucco added 10:17 - Jun 4 I can only compare footballers behaviour to men having affairs. They have a beautiful, loving caring wife, who has made them happy for many years, people are envious of the relationship. Then some slag with big tits and bangs like a barn door in a storm, the lose all sense of reasoning and they're off, truly believing that they will be happy. Only to find in a few years, that it was the biggest mistake of their lives. The ex has moved on , is beautiful and successful, attracts very handsome rich and wonderful men. She can then laugh when he comes back with his tail between his legs, saying "I miss you" only for her to say "It took all the strength I had not to fall apart kept trying hard to mend the pieces of my broken heart and I spent oh so many nights just feeling sorry for myself I used to cry But now I hold my head up high and you see me somebody new I'm not that chained up little person still in love with you and so you felt like dropping in and just expect me to be free and now I'm saving all my loving for someone who's loving me" or maybe just "you can fook right off!" Most men would just like to have a crack at the bird with big tits, throwing everything away for a fleeting moment's pleasure. But some know when they have a good thing!

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SaintDavo added 10:18 - Jun 4 Coulndt have put it any better, spot on sir. Was REALLY looking forward to this world cup anyway and to have 3/4 saints stars there in the england team as well as a few of the foreign guys was the icing on the cake, now it just feels a bit empty. Really hope england do well of course but it has definitely had the edge removed. I think us saints fans deserve a bit of a lift with a decent manager coming in and steadying things and looking at bringing in some new heroes......

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truthfulsaint added 10:24 - Jun 4 You are correct but I thin the players felt betrayed by the sacking of Cortese and the subsequent leaving of Pochettino under these two we could seriously dream, now its back to finger biting time.
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mgprobert added 10:35 - Jun 4 Spot on - again. Sums it all up pretty well I think. Hopefully some good news over the next weeks, exciting signings, and we will put this behind us - but you are right, our World Cup is not the same now
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montecristo added 10:41 - Jun 4 I am inclined to think that there is no smoke without fire, why doesnt Lallana want to stay at a club he has supported through thick and thin, and vice versa, is it because Liebherr is refusing to put up funds for player transfers? Isnt this why Cortese left ,and why Krueger went to some lengths to point out the club had to live within its means. If Liebherr has ambition for the club she needs to show it a simple statement of intent to the effect that the club does not need to sell its players and the club proposes to be active in the transfer market bringing good players in would have stopped all the nonsense we have been saying. Neither Krueger nor Reed strike me as being up to their respective jobs and I dont want to speculate as to why they were appointed. Was it so that there was no opposition to KL if she is planning to asset strip??? Krueger had an opportunity to allay such fears in his last interview and he miserably failed to address the question it just shows lack of ability, lack of experience and a lack of conviction.

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dirk_doone added 11:03 - Jun 4 For me the World Cup is tainted by LIVERPOOL FC's behaviour and, in the case of Rickie Lambert, by our club's reaction to it.
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Jesus_02 added 11:06 - Jun 4 I was never really an England Fan, for a number of reasons really. But mainly because of the type of people that represented our country and the politics of the FA. I still hold hope that atmosphere, excitement have simply got to our players, agents have just seen £££££ or that it’s simply easy fodder for the media. I am disappointed. I was genuinely looking forward to watching England in the WC because of the. I thought the current crop (not just the Saints players) seemed a better bunch and the "Team England" seemed less intent to select players on who they played for. For me Hodgeson has spoiled that by pandering to the "big" clubs. I will still be supporting Rickie though - seems like a nice bloke that works hard and is genuinely grateful for his situation (still a saint till July 1st)

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cheltenhamsaint added 11:15 - Jun 4 The Lallana "I want to leave" report carries no direct quote and was released by Ben Smith. Interestingly it has not be milked dry by usual tabloid journalists Yes, the same Ben Smith who had an exclusive interview with Cortese a couple of weeks ago. And released the day after the club made their own statement about transfers. The statement is out of character for AL, even if he does have those thoughts, so perhaps we should not be making hasty judgements just yet?

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dirk_doone added 11:24 - Jun 4 Articles like this are doing Liverpool's, let's make Lallana a Liverpool player before the World Cup campaign, a power of good.
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ThereIn76 added 13:19 - Jun 4 I think a sense of perspective is needed. The internet is littered with so-called quotes from players and the people putting them on their websites are more interested in making a story than the facts. We should not take them at face value unless there is no doubt that they are the exact words as spoken by the player and not taken out of context or twisted. What are the differences her between Adam and Rickie? Rickie’s transfer came out of the blue, it’s his ultimate dream move and Saints had said they wouldn’t stand in his way if Liverpool met Saints’ asking price. The last point there applies equally to Adam does it not? The difference is that Saints want to make £20m profit on Adam and Liverpool haven’t yet made an offer that meets that demand. Saints also want to keep Adam until after the World cup as there’s a good chance his value will increase. They might also want the new manager to have a crack at persuading him to stay. I agree that watching the World Cup won’t be the same with three players whom we’ve all championed throughout the season having in fact kicked their last ball for Saints. But there is no reason to feel ill will towards Adam any more than towards Rickie or indeed Luke. Saints are determined to get the highest price they can for Adam and hopefully the new manager will be allowed to use it to re-invest in replacements. Let’s not jump to conclusions.

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thegeneral added 13:22 - Jun 4 With so much bias against our club its getting very difficult to form opinions on fact. On the face of it Lallana is bang out of order but perhaps he fell for a cheap trick by a gutter journo, who slipped some kid twenty bucks and being a decent fella he's signed the shirt, or he is being an arsehole… we just don't know. Personally i'm trying to hold back going into a spouting rage about whats happening at our club until we have an idea of whats happening. I would say this though. SFC have/had become a threat, great enough to worry the 5 (if you incl ManU) champions league clubs and those on the edge of it. With huge amounts of money involved and the appeal to the worlds top players it is financially vital that these teams remain in the competition, any threat to them must be destroyed by whatever means, destabilise through the press and taking a teams best players are simple and effective, look how many fans are hating on rumours. This is where our board have massively failed, Kruguer can not be the right man for the premiership with his background, for me he has already done enough to prove this, the sooner he goes the better. I'm not a lover or hater of Cortese but i do think he would have managed things better, in fact there would be little cause for rumours as our top players and ex manger would be happily installed in the club and definitely pushing for 6th or 7th place next season.

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landsdownsaint added 13:39 - Jun 4 I have got a problem with Lambert going for only 4million ! And the way he and the papers were playing it ,he couldn't wait it to leave !? As for Lallana I'm getting the same vibe ,as you say signing a LFC is a real kick in the teeth to us ... IMHO
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BaselSaint added 13:43 - Jun 4 As we look to the future it is the job of Krueger and the board to change the mind-set of the press and the league that we are minnows to raided, disposed and depleted at the will of others. It is gut wrenching especially when clubs like the Spuds think they can join in... I mean really! who the h*ll are they? I don`t respect them and I don`t consider them a big club. I hope we make it as difficult as possible for the bidding clubs and squeeze every last cent out of them!

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BoondockSaint added 14:01 - Jun 4 When ML saved us, one of the first statements from Lil Nic was that the club would have to be support itself. That was so we wouldn't go down that bad financial road again. For all the Cortese groupies, Krueger has no football background-but what football background did Cortese have? He was a banker, which meant he knew how to make himself rich with other people's money-which he did here until he got caught. If we had hired a "football man" the complaint would be "Oh, no, not another one of the same old hacks that get hired and fired over and over again" We'll just have to wait and see how things go with the new management team. But anyone thinking we're going to crack the top six soon should take a look at the top six revenue streams and then check into rehab. Remember what a whinger Lallana was with the refs? We used to overlook that because we were doing well, but it now seems it is his personality. One thing is for sure: When England go out on penalties, if Rickie makes his, the press will say "The Liverpool striker always scores on penalties." And if he misses, they'll say "The former Southampton striker failed."

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thegeneral added 15:13 - Jun 4 Cortese didn't have a football background but he did came from a ruthless, cynical, greedy industry, perfect for football i'd say
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Slacker added 15:47 - Jun 4 Thank you Nick for setting out so clearly how many of us feel about the situation. I hope your views are heeded.
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Whatsforpud added 17:06 - Jun 4 Whatever happens, the three England players in question wont play for another club until after the World Cup. Therefore I am pretending they are Saints' players, and will follow them with interest if and when they play for England. Am trying to make the best of a bad job!
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troddy added 19:57 - Jun 4 From feeling so positive about Saints players in the W.C. i now feel sort of betrayed. I am so fed up with all the rumour and speculation none of them good, the way it,s going we will be lucky to have a reserve team out when the season starts. Every other team seems to be picking off our players- we seem to be open for the sales. I can't understand what Krueger is doing, is it to sell all the assets then the club? I felt Cortese would have told them all in no uncertain terms to bog off and there was a certain confidence in him from the fans.I have my season ticket for the next round but I think it's going to be a very tough one .

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aceofthebase added 08:08 - Jun 5 Stop knocking the management. They haven't sold our star players yet and maybe not in the future. I'm still hoping no-one else will be leaving so lets get behind all the saints players and that includes the ex players such as the ox and rickie. Perhaps The old management might have sold our stars by now. Who knows?
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ExiledSupporter added 11:05 - Jun 5 Boondock rightly puts all these specious complaints about Krueger's experience into context, Cortese had no more relevant experience than Krueger when he started. At least he is more inclined to explain himself to the fans than Cortese ever was. Perhaps Cortese deserved the heave-ho for his allegedly disastrous financial mismanagement of the club's training ground costs and seemingly managing to hide it from the Liebherr's. Perhaps we should not be so enamoured of his record in every respect. He has been partly forgiven for disposing of Adkins in such a brutal way because MP proved such a success, perhaps we should wait to see whether the replacement for RL does a better job for us in the future than Rickie would have done in his declining years? The problems we are now encountering stem from that in so far as Cortese's departure destabilised Pochettino who was further disgruntled perhaps by all the rumours around Shaw and Lallana and what appears to have been an unsatisfactory discourse with the club about its ambitions, MP's departure appears to have upset at least Lallana who had a 'special' relationship with him. And all this seems to have been inflamed by Lambert's sale (despite it being a good deal in the medium term for us) and Krueger's sane and sensible comments about the club living within its means - who can reasonably argue about that given our not so long ago struggle for continued existence. No there's too much histrionics being indulged in by those acolytes of Cortese against a new management group who as individuals have inherited a storm not altogether of their own making. My only problem with the current situation is the apparently continuing influence and employment of Reed; would we have anything like these difficulties had the expensive signings that have been abject failures (Osvaldo, Ramirez, Forren, Mayuka etc) either not been made and we would have had that money in the bank or had been successes in which case we would have had a much stronger squad able to weather these storms. Let's not forget that Cortese appointed Reed and worse still did not sack him and that he is the only football adviser that Krueger can turn to presently. Let's also recall that MP's judgement was seriously flawed in urging the recruitment of Osvaldo (and Cortese was was in charge) and so also has a significant part in undermining the funds available to us to strengthen the squad this summer. By the way, I wouldn't be surprised if MP has been in regular contact with Lallana and advised him on his 'best interests' in order that Spurs can get involved in the bidding for him.

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REEDYREEDOREEDZ added 16:28 - Jun 5 ExiledSupporter - I completely agree with your first three paragraphs, but not too sure about the continual knocking of Les Reed. You blame him for those bad signings but who is to credit for signing Lovren, Clyne, Rodriguez, Boruc, S Davis or even Jack Cork? Reed was in charge of recruitment when those great players were signed, and Osvaldo was blatantly a Pochettino signing.

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ExiledSupporter added 16:44 - Jun 5 Reedyetc, though I can't prove it I suspect that almost all of those with the possible exception of Boruc were Adkins choice, perhaps sanctioned by Reed. I would also include Billy Sharpe as certainly one of Adkins choices, all of them he would know a good deal about In the cases of Ramirez, Yoshida, Forren and Mayuka Adkins had probably never heard of them let alone know anything about their qualities etc

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REEDYREEDOREEDZ added 16:55 - Jun 5 You're probably right about Ramirez, Yoshida and Mayuka. They were all last minute panic buys. Adkins probably said 'I need a striker with pace' so they got Mayuka, 'A centre back' so they signed Yoshida, and Ramirez was probably a Cortese led purchase because of his links in Italy. In the past, the best business done by Southampton is done early in the transfer windows (except Forren), so once the new manager is in place they need to get cracking and get the deals done in July!

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