The media is trying to stoke up rumours of Ronald Koeman jumping ship to Everton again with stories of multi million pound transfer kitties and doubled wages, but Saints fans need to let it wash over them.

A week or so ago it was generally assumed that Ronald Koeman was not going to be the new manager of Everton, it seemed that he was satisfied with Saints ambition and with the wage rise offered and had headed off on holiday saying that it was now in the hands of the lawyers etc.

So what has changed in the last fortnight ?

The answer is absolutely nothing apart from the fact that Everton have been increasingly desperate to land a top class manager after the realisation that they are not an attractive proposition to those managers with a reputation to lose.

That has meant that they have had to abandon thoughts of attracting a big name with talk of history and tradition and get down to luring potential targets with cold hard cash, both in the form of well over the top wages and the promise of a transfer kitty.

Sadly there is little Saints will be able to do in terms of wages, if Everton want to pay over the odds then that is their perogative.

But in terms of where Everton are compared to Saints and the transfer kitty then that is a different matter.

The reality for any incoming manager is that he might have £100 million to spend, but a chunk of that is going to be made up of money received from selling John Stones and Romalu Lukaku, in many respects that is a similar job to the one that Koeman came into Saints and had to tackle, but the big difference is that Saints still had the basis of a very good squad whereas take out that two and Everton do not have much quality after that, the likes of Baines, Barry & Jagielka aguably the backbone of their side are all in their 30's and after that there is only Barkley of any great pedigree.

Koeman was of course aided in his transfer dealings by the system that Saints had had in place for a number of years to identify and evaluate potential signings, of course the Dutchman's knowledge was also a key factor, but he will not have the same level available to him if he joined Everton.

The job at everton is frankly far more difficult than the one that Koeman took on at Saints, Southampton were a club on the up, Everton are on the down on the back of several years of decline.

That means that £100 million to spend in the transfer market is a pittance, even if spent it would still not give Everton a squad the quality of Saints.

Another factor is the fact that Koeman is an honourable man, he has stated that he will remain for the duration of his contract, but he is also a man who has his future planned in his own mind, he is not a man who uses clubs as stepping stones, in that respect he values his reputation, but he is looking at being the manager of a truly top club at some stage, either the likes of Barcelona or at International level with Holland.

That being the case he would surely not take a backward step and therefore a gamble by joining Everton, yes if he repeated the job he has done at St Mary's then his reputation would soar, but he has more to lose by going to Goodison than he has to gain in the long run.

So the actual substance behind the sudden surge of media outlet stories of Koeman to Everton have little substance other than a few sources close to Everton trying to dangle a carrot in front of Koeman through the press to either tempt him or perhaps more poignantly to try and convince Everton's own fans that their club are serious players.

But football is littered with clubs who have billionaires take over and promise a lot only to find out that money does not guarantee success and that in actual fact more often than not it results in relative failure, with the fall out being that eventually the Billionaire loses interest and the club is in a worse state than when he arrived, look at Aston Villa or Newcastle United for evidence of that.

The reality is that club's need a proper strategy and to be able to implement that going forward, there is a limit that Saints can move forward without spending more money, but there is also a limit on how far they can move forward however much money they spend.

Saints supporters should therefore remain calm this summer, Ronald Koeman signing a new deal is not the be all and end all, the only question is not will he leave ? but when he will leave !

That being the case we should have faith that the club have the strategy in place for his successor and that being the case then they have a far better chance of getting the right man in, than Everton have waving little all else in candidates faces than a cheque book.

Of course we all hope that Ronald Koeman signs a new deal and that he stays at the club for years to come, but the reality of Premier League football suggests that will not be the case, Ronald knows what he wants next, a contract no matter how long is not going to change that.

Photo: Action Images

SanMarco added 11:58 - Jun 2 I obviously read the right papers because I haven't seen any of this. I am fairly calm - my only slight concern is that Ron himself has used that poison word 'ambition'. This has become a word used to justify dishonourable behaviour (trademarked by Cortese and his little friend MoPo). Anyone can use that word to prepare the ground for a departure. I don't believe that Ron is doing that but he has used the word. Nothing wrong with ambition of course but it does depend how you define it and MoPo/Cortese infected the dressing room with it like some kind of disease. Ron won't do that but if he was to decide to go it is the word he will use in justification...

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halftimeorange added 12:49 - Jun 2 Ominously, Ron is odds-on with a number of bookmakers to go to Everton. Other words he might use are "lack of ambition". If he did go to the Toffees at such short notice then I believe that would bring wholesale disillusionment to Saints supporters - not just because he's gone but, because our fan base really believes he is honourable, unlike many other top drawer managers. His staying, at least for next season, must surely be more important to the board than all the first team players leaving so they'll bend over backwards to keep him.

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saintsnutcase added 13:36 - Jun 2 He may just be using Everton to negotiate a higher compensation offer from Saints when he extends his contract with us. I hope so.
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perazi added 13:43 - Jun 2 It's starting to sound fairly ominous re RK jumping ship to Everton. Makes you think that the Toffees have made the big offer and he's on his way. So much about honouring his contract unless Les has said he can leave now rather than become a lame duck final year manager with no intention of extending. With the amount of press coverage in the last few hours the Club surely have to make an announcement one way or the other about this.

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SaintNick added 13:56 - Jun 2 The club are caught between a rock and a hard place, assuming that they have not given Everton permission to speak to Koeman or his agent what is it exactly that they can say ? They cant turn round and say these rumours are not true in case it rebounds on them and they cant say we are not going to match everons offer. They just have to sit out the rumours, as fans we have to stay calm and hope that the reason the club is saying nothing is because there is nothing in it What is clear is that there is a media campaign orchestrated by Everton to try and unsettle Ron with talk of big money, ths is on a scale as bad as anything Spurs get up to. Everton had a reputation as being the peoples club and doing things the right way, now with a new co owner it seems that is out of the window and he thinks he can just brandish a cheque book

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Big_T added 13:58 - Jun 2 Why do the club need to release a statement? Mr Koeman is happy with the contract that has been offered and happy with the ambition of the club, two key players have signed six year contracts. He has gone on his holiday and the legal teams and lawyers are earning their money hashing out details. The Press make up rubbish all the time so don't read it. Just check the club website; important information will always be on there.

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ChristchurchSaint added 14:49 - Jun 2 I also believe that Ronald is an honourable man and that he will at least see out next season. Re your comment about clubs being taken over by billionaires, I would think that we have a billionaire at our helm- the only difference is that ( I believe!) she gets on with the job in hand quietly and in a dignified manner. We never make the headlines for having a loud mouthed executive ( Sorry Nick, you might disagree about a certain Italian gentleman!), and we most certainly wouldn't try and get the media to do our dirty work by broadcasting outrageous wages and transfer pots. This whole issue shows the sad state that our football media is sinking to.

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IWOZTHERE added 15:00 - Jun 2 We can only wait and see. What worries me is that Les Read may still have the same attitude. The same attitude that many supporters blamed rightly or wrongly for the 'loss' of Alderweireld. The bottom line is we don't know what's going on behind the scenes and it amuses me when fans present their opinions as facts. That applies to 'positive' stuff like 'Ron is an honourable man' as well as negative opinions. The only certain thing is that we can't do anything about it.

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Jesus_02 added 15:22 - Jun 2 the thing that has happened is that it was reported that RK was signing a new deal and that simply hasn't materialised. The Club are pretty strong on how much money they need to be making and how fans need to pay above average. Maybe (just maybe) RK has looked at our inability to tie down ANY of our key players in comparison to bumper TV money and thought that he has taken the club as far as he can.

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helpineedsomebody added 15:42 - Jun 2 in a couple of weeks the FA will be looking for a new manager nobody turnes down the england job
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Consigliere added 16:50 - Jun 2 I've just caught some of the blather about this on Talk Sport, having switched on the car radio half way through the "discussion". At first I thought that they were talking about Koeman going to Everton as a fact. It was only after a while that I realised that they were merely speculating, and inviting listeners to ring in which their own speculation (and some fairly pointless willy-waving about which is the bigger club). Well it filled 20 minutes of otherwise vacant airtime but I didn't hear a single fact and eventually switched over in exasperation. I recommend everyone else does so too, until we know for sure.

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St_Carlos added 17:19 - Jun 2 If he signs for Everton then it says everything about Southampton FC. And no one will be able to blame any player for leaving again. Quite shocked that Koeman is even treading anywhere near Merseyside. I hope his wheels get robbed and his agent gets taken out
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DPeps added 18:21 - Jun 2 From what I can tell there's no substance to this story at all. A journalist has said something speculative and others have jumped onto it. Until a respectable media outlet reports it I'll assume that Koeman will be here for three years just like he's said week-in week-out for the last two.
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SanMarco added 18:38 - Jun 2 I am not hearing this rumour from any respectable sources. St Carlos says "If he signs for Everton then it says everything about Southampton FC." I don't see how you can say that with no actual facts at hand. If (and it is only if) he is offered a ridiculous amount of money by Everton and does go then to me that is more about him not being quite as 'honourable' as many think he is. Saints are sensible not to offer silly money - it rarely ends well. Offering too high is as bad as offering too low and 'ambition', or lack of, would need to be properly defined in pounds, shillings and pence before I am able to make judgements about it.

2

Stevebish added 19:01 - Jun 2 Also as he is under contract with us still don't we have to agree before he can leave?
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bstokesaint added 19:09 - Jun 2 I'd be surprised if Ronald even considers the Everton job. There are two jobs that we all know that he wants and neither are available. What's more he's already said he'll honour the last year of his contract. I believe him.
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SanMarco added 19:12 - Jun 2 I am now panicking having just looked at Oddschecker. 4 to 1 on would suggest that they know something ??
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SaintGeorge added 19:42 - Jun 2 http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/10302167/ronald-koeman-odds-on-to-b Betting isn't just rumours though is it. 11/1 to 1/4 in a single day is pretty much game over normally.
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bstokesaint added 20:27 - Jun 2 Not a good sign, but significant small bets generated by media might have spooked the bookies. Still don't think it adds up unless the "positive talks" fell down catastrophically. Ron has already said he's happy at Saints, will honour his contract and gets senior players to sign long term deals. All indicators on the contrary to today's rumours. With Poch you always that feeling he'd do the dirty. Ron seems to respectable to go down that path. He could walk into jobs at Barca or Holland tomorrow. What does he have to gain from going to Everton in between other than a shedload of cash. Is that really what he's about? Just don't see it.

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squidofdespair added 22:19 - Jun 2 All of the above posters have missed one vital FACT which is that Nicky almost beat his record. Almost.
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richsaints added 22:28 - Jun 2 Questions: To lose a good manager after a top ten finish is perhaps unlucky to lose two in two years after an even better finish and to a club in the bottom half of the table suggests a massive problem behind the scenes.
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bstokesaint added 22:37 - Jun 2 IF true Rich. I've scoured the web and social media and the only source appears to be a Dutch journalist, who has no official quotes or anything solid other than to say if he had to put money on it he'd guess that Ron will make the move. Up until that point his article suggests Koeman's preference for Southampton. Again, if true it may be less about "problems behind the scenes" and just more evidence of how realistically we just can't compete financially in a sporting world of mega riches where money is the main driver for players and managers alike. I'm not sure where that leaves the Premiership when every club has a billionaire owner!!

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Bettwsresident added 22:52 - Jun 2 I've just laid him becoming the Toffees manager, can't quite believe the odds so thought I would make the most of them! I have always been an optimist!
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Stevebish added 22:58 - Jun 2 I have looked at the articles on this and at the moment there is no proof it's all just speculation and as was said previously started by a Dutch journalist but I still don't buy it yet he has always said the minimum is he would see out his contract and he has always seen out his contracts previously before so I am inclined to believe it now until something solid comes up and we still have him contracted for another year so he couldn't even talk to Everton without our OK

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SanMarco added 23:46 - Jun 2 There is one person who could put this to bed straightaway. Every hour that goes past without a denial from Koeman is worrying - he knocked it on the head pretty quickly last time. One plea from me would be that if it is true then we wait for the facts before pouring loads of sh**e on the club. If he goes he will be another MoPo, Hoddle or Strachan for that matter. I am still hoping that he is more honourable than those gentlemen...

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