According to some Saints were going to go into complete meltdown back in January and then again five minutes after the season finished, Saints fans need to keep calm and carry on.

There are those out there who want to see Saints fail, the news stories with the word meltdown in them have been numerous, articles linking our players to other club's plentiful and all this hasn't been helped by our ex Chairman's recent interview, but almost two weeks after the season has ended and the transfer window being open has seen nothing other than hot air in the papers and panic amongst some sections of our support.

The Cortese interview was sad to see, sad because you would have hoped that the man would keep quiet and wish his old club well, this doesn't look like being the case and his message that no players would have left under him does nothing other than incite, the fact is that we will never know if that would have been the case, under him we were only really tested once and that saw Alex Oxlade Chamberlain leave the club so anything else is merely speculation, would his presence in the Saints boardroom now have stopped Man Utd allegedly bidding for Shaw or Liverpool bidding for Lallana as he is insinuating would have been the case ? he would truly have been the first man in football to do that if it had of been.

There are those out there who are now interpreting every transfer story as proof that Ralph Krueger and his new board do not know what they are doing, well so far they haven't done too badly in that they have just been getting on with their business quietly, pretty much in the same way that Cortese did to his credit, however for some Saints fans that is not good enough and they see the club's silence as proof that clandestine deals are being done and the current board lacks ambition.

That theory has no foundation, the absolute truth is that we have exactly the same ambition as we have had at any time during the last 4 years and that is the ambition of Katharina Liebherr, yes our public face was that of Nicola Cortese, but the fact is that as an employee he could never set the ambitions of the Club only Katharina Liebherr could do that.

So those ambitions remain in tact, so far neither she or her representatives have given any indication as to their intentions other than building up the business, if she was not interested in the club then surely she would not have put so much time and effort into it as she has done, she has made her presence felt by being publicly seen at most games and showing that she is on the bridge of the ship so to speak.

With regard to players leaving, this is no indication of ambition at all, the words Champions League Qualification were bandied about last season, but the words had no substance, our ex Chairman liked to give the impression that if you said the right words and did certain things then there could only be one result, but we all know that in football that is not the case, im mathematics may be, if you put 5 + 5 into a calculator then as long as you have pressed the right keys it will always make 10, in football that is not the case, spending more money than your competitors never guarantees success.

Selling has always been the name of the game in football, that has always happened even at the biggest clubs, ambition is about getting that selling process right and using the money wisely, no team is built on one player it is built on having strength in all departments and that sometimes means getting a big transfer fee for a player that weakens one position in order to strengthen others, of course in an ideal world you keep all your best players and still buy more, but this is not an ideal world.

So I re iterate we have to give Katherina Liebherr, Ralph Krueger etc a chance, when and only when players leave and others come in can we start to assess how well they are doing, up till then everything is just supposition, exactly the same as whether Nicola Cortese would have lived up to his boasts that the sale of anyone would not have happened on his watch.

Before we start dreaming of the Champions League we should be thinking of stability, two seasons back in the Premier does not yet give us any stability as Norwich found out recently, 8th does not guarantee mid table next season as West Brom found out, we have to build the foundations before we build the house otherwise like Portsmouth found out, it all just collapses around you.

So Saints fans should now get behind the current board, realise that in modern football if a player wants to go then he will go, whoever the club is, that is the nature of the game im afraid, we should now look to what we can achieve, rather than what we were told that we could, as supporters we need to ask ourselves the question, do we want to see the club continue forwards or do we want to bicker so much that we help bring its downfall.

For me its always been about the Club, whoever is in charge, the supporters are the club, owners and players come and go, but the supporters remain, in fact the only thing certain in a football club is that the players will leave, the only question is when.

In football its a marathon not a sprint, ambition should always be long term rather than as in the case of our friends down the road who just over four years ago were still playing Premier Football

So the message to Saints fans is ignore the press its going to be an uncomfortable summer, that is for sure, but if you want to see success show the board that you want it, buy the season tickets fill the ground, show Katharina Liebherr what this club means to you, don't expect her to put her hand in her pocket if you won't put your hands in yours.

If you do that then you have every right to demand excellence from the owner and board, but if you don't then the person with lack of ambition is not Katharina Liebherr

Photo: Action Images

St_Guido added 09:53 - May 23 Bravo!
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mgprobert added 10:04 - May 23 Very well said that man - hear hear!
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saintstuinoz added 10:12 - May 23 The last two paragraphs are the best words I've read in ages. Get a season ticket (if you can) and get behind the club. Whatever happens this summer, we should have the squad to challenge for cups and be decent in the league. Whilst I can't get a season ticket, I'll certainly go to every match I can, on my annual return to blighty. Up the Saints!
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ExiledSupporter added 10:12 - May 23 Agree with these sentiments, but like many I feel that the Pochettino issue is the key both to the club's direction of travel over the summer but also the effectiveness and resilience of the Liebherr, Krueger, Reed trio. Secure the manager and a lot of the fluff in the press will disappear, lose him and we will face all sorts of unwanted pressures from inside the player group. At present no news on this issue is good news. The manager has another year on his contract and presumably isn't going anywhere quickly so long as we refuse Spurs any access to him which seems to be within our rights and threaten legal action against them if they make an illegitimate approach. At the same time we must make it a very tough decision for MP by offering him a high salary (money well spent) and most importantly make it clear to him that a) he has a veto over incoming players (can't trust Reed with that given his poor track record) and that the club will build the squad overall not simply weaken it in the interest of ready cash. My nagging concern is that the training ground financial deficit may be too tempting to refuse big money for Shaw if it's as much as £30m, but if that happened we would presumably be able to either source a replacement from our own resources (Clyne or Targett) or buy in a decent player (still think that Buttner would be a useful and relatively cheap proposition). In these circumstances I think the chances of keeping Lallana, Schneiderlein and Lovren would be much better. So far so good for Liebherr and Co, now lets quickly secure MP and move forward.

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davidhosey added 10:29 - May 23 Excellent article Nick.! I do also agree with exiled supporter though. I feel the key is keeping the manager in this case. The most stable club in the league has to be Arsenal and that is down to the longevity of Wenger. If we keep MP, who is a very good young manager he will demand that no players are sold. The only exception may be Shaw who is worth so much money that we could sell him to United (and maybe take Buttner in part exchange). This would leave us with funds to seriously strengthen !!

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SanMarco added 10:39 - May 23 Superb article. I would love to see the same team and manager as last season with 2 or 3 strong additions, as (nearly) all of us would. Reality probably will be different (I would be astonished if LS stays) but we have had lots of sagas like this over the years and we will only 'meltdown' if we allow ourselves to. A well run club, a very good team with a very good manager and superb support are very possible next season, even if all that those who want to leave do so (as of course they will).

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IanRC added 10:39 - May 23 Personally I only have praise for the way Katharina Liebherr has carried on her late fathers plans for the club. I agree with much you say Nick and with ExiledSupporters comments too. At this time we can do nothing but sit and await developments but there is nothing to cause undue alarm so far provided one can ignore the garbage disbursors at the mail. I sincerely hope I will be sitting back this time next month watching 3 Saints players playing for England in the World Cup (shame it isn't more, hope Jay is recovering well and Nathaniel was unlucky). News of an extension of MoPos contract would of course be welcome as would other contract extensions but only time will tell.

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Zambucco added 10:40 - May 23 Great article Nick, this feeling needs to be spread amongst the fearful fans, who just seem to be whipping up a storm, fanned by the press. Who I believe are the handle of very clever skate fans. Who have become journalists and are systematically destabilising our club, to the point where they can come in, buy us up, move into our ground, and make us all slaves!!! Sorry I digress. We do have to give the board time and place confidence in them. Katharina is head of a huge corporation that operates successfully globally, built with patience and massive business acumen. RK has been a successful business man and sports coach. The fans have the passion, the board have the business acumen, let them do their jobs and we'll do ours. Every business has to grow to flourish, the board will want this to happen, but with the current set up it will take a little longer, but will be longer lasting, built on a solid financial and business foundation. So let's sit back, relax, and continue to enjoy our rise, to watch our team play some incredible football. To marvel at our own new and raw talent coming through the ranks. To give the team, the board, the club our massive support. COYR!

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REEDYREEDOREEDZ added 10:43 - May 23 Great article! The newspapers & media sources are looking very silly at the moment. Two weeks ago they were saying Shaw to United was a done deal, Lallana to Liverpool too. Nothing has happened since. I quite like the way the club have handled things so far. They haven't been drawn into commenting on the nonsense speculation. The only message from the likes of Kruger and Reed have been that we are not willing to sell any of our best players. So far they appear to have stuck to thier word. ExiledSupporter - Forget Buttner. He can't defend, which is why United are getting rid of him. It'll be Danny Fox all over again! You're right about Pochettino though; a lot depends on him staying. The players like playing for him, they like his system and believe we can achieve great things with him in charge. If Poche stays then we'll have the best chance of keeping our best players. If he goes then some of our players, I think, will start considering other opportunities. Pochettino is smart though. He'll be aware of all of the problems at Tottenham. The expectation, the clueless chairman, the lack of fight in the team. If Southampton invest wisely this summer, buy a quality striker, keep our best players, then there's no reason why we can't be pushing to finish above Spurs next season.

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landsdownsaint added 12:12 - May 23 Still don't understand your problem with NC ? But your last 2 paragraphs are absolutely spot on COYR
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tiptop added 12:15 - May 23 Great piece Nic thanks! Agree with Exiledsupporter - the fear is why the delay over tying down the manager and some players to longer contracts - and the repercussions that could have. Why has Poch not signed a contract extension yet?..it should be done by now right? With the chance of building on from last season and making a serious challenge for the top 6. Lets face it Southampton FC is a pretty good place to be. But things are not helped buy Poch their odds on No.1 target. Anyway if he was going to sign for the north London cocks then why hasn't he done so already? The silence from Saints is DEAFENING. I dont want idle comments. I want News. News like - Poch signs new 4 year contract. All we have to go on is Les Reeds statement or quotes from Poch saying things like 'I have one more year on my contract', 'contracts are not worth the paper they are written on in football' and 'I am waiting to hear he boards new 5 year project'. It must be a pretty detailed 5 year plan if they are still discussing it. What are the boards new plans? For example what would you or Poch prefer to hear: Top 4? Sorry, that doesn't fit in our model. ..or Top4? What can we do to make that happen. What do Everton's board say? Cortese was never tested in this way as you say Nic. He remained silent when we were chasing signings like Gaston. We never had this much rival interest and media swarm over our squad. He intimated that that wouldn't have been the case under his leadership. Well maybe he held some sway with certain journalists..but not as much as he would have liked. We are in the strongest position we have been in for may a year thanks to the grace of Markus and Katarina. Historically we haven't been able to hold on to out brightest talents for a year or 2 longer because of the gravity of the top 6 clubs. But we are steadily building our own gravity at St Mary's with the Owner, the manager, the players, the team spirit, the quality of the youth players and academy. These coupled with Cortese's penchant for fine detail and mindset of how can we be the best created a sum greater than the parts (and the parts are pretty good). I don't want to see that growth in strength weakened. Yes there are smart people at the helm but time will tell if they can continue on the course that has built this team and its belief. Hopefully there hasn't been too much of a shift in the winning psychology.

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ChristchurchSaint added 12:37 - May 23 Well said Nick- good article. That well known adage about not losing your head when others around you are etc etc is so relevant at the moment. Yes of course we all want to hear that MoPo and the players are staying and we are buying top class players to improve the squad, but at this time nothing bad has happened, so we can only assume that all is still OK at St Marys. Only time will tell and hopefully by the beginning of August all will be looking rosy for another brilliant season.

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131153 added 12:46 - May 23 I have spent almost all of the time since the Utd game thinking about and reading about our meltdown/demise. As you say Nick nothing has happened and I think on balance that is good news. I was fortunate to go to one of the supporters dinners arranged by NC. I came away impressed, there can be no doubt he is very single minded. I do feel other clubs would at least be wary of dealing with him. With his character I don't suppose there was much chance, if any of him keeping quiet after his departure. I feel certain if he was still in charge, the players who are allegedly under offer currently by other clubs would have been told by now they were not leaving.. However for all we know the current board have said the same, it's reasonable to assume that following Les Reed's press conference. Others have said NC sold AOC I don't accept at all this is a similar situation. At the time the club were not in a position to offer the opportunities it is now able to offer the current squad. The people who have commented RK is not a patch on NC are I believe probably wide of the mark. NC had a financial background and no sporting background. RK has a sporting background and no financial background, however Canadian Ice Hockey is there No 1 sport.. It is therefore fair to assume his background in Ice Hockey should give him a reasonable insight into team sports etc.. Whoever said footballs a funny old game certainly hit the nail on the head. When you have a player earning 200K getting upset over not getting birthday wishes from his club the game (business) is probably as close to bedlam as you can get. If the top clubs can cherry pick our best players I'm afraid we may have to grin and bear it, it's not right but maybe reality. Let's hope not, keep our fingers crossed and with a bit of luck hope next season is as enjoyable as the one just finished.

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SaintGeorge added 12:51 - May 23 Bang on. Can't be said too often that the club is the fans and nothing else.
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BoondockSaint added 13:35 - May 23 Never mind the players! Is there any truth to the rumour that Liverpool is offering Nick 50 million to switch over and run a new fan website for them called Ugly Inside & Out? I'm really worried since there has been nothing but silence from Katharina about this!
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SaintNick added 14:03 - May 23 The offer is on the table from Liverpool but until they can give me assurances about a birthday cake and a personal visit & handshakefrom John Henry I remain a Southampton web editor
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SonicBoom added 14:21 - May 23 Agree with most of it. However I don't agree 100% with the last bit. So we get our season tickets first to show her we are behind the club? Surely it is equally valid for fans to want to wait and see what the club are going to do? If you pay all that money and then all the players and manager leave then is that fair ? I'm not saying I'd do it, as I think if you are a fan then you'll go one way or the other anyway, but there has to be a balance unless we are all just sheep and should just hand over cash blindly ? Plus this illegal approach stuff is just nonsense. It happens every day. We do it too! Do you think that AL isn't speaking to Gerrard about what it's like at Liverpool when they are around the pool? Is that an illegal approach?

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Whatsforpud added 15:34 - May 23 While I am disappointed/worried that the manager's position hasn't been nailed down yet, I acknowledge that the Shaw and Lallana uncertainty must be a difficult situation for the board to handle. Both players were whisked away a few days after the end of season. Hearts and minds can only be dealt with by face to face talking, and really cannot be handled on the end of a phone. Bit of a baptism of fire for the new board.

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cramd1 added 23:56 - May 23 Might be contentious, but if we get £30m for Shaw and make sure there is a 20%/25% sell on clause as well, it would make excellent business sense. Whilst my matches are largly viewed via the internet these days, my view is that he isn't really a great defender. How many goals have we conceded this year because he has been caught too far up field without cover in place. Time may tell, because I thought much the same of Gareth Bale, but do believe I was proved correct in terms of defending! That said Shaw does get into a lot of good attacking situations but does he play the right ball?? If he has any nous, he will stay for at least another season along with the other £100 m of talent that is supposedly off. Schniedelen, 1 more season and u could/no should be playing CL football with Saints

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montecristo added 00:19 - May 24 I have had a letter from the Sports Editor of the Daily Mail claiming that Shaw and Lallana are done deals and that both will be off this summer. I am so tempted to ask him to name his source was that Dodd and Williams I wonder.
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IanRC added 11:05 - May 24 Montecristo, probably typed on mail letterhead. Their sports team appears to be corrupt.
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