Of course at this time of year you would expect to see a lot of rumour and counter rumour in the national media, but some sources are more keen to spread talk of discontent at St Mary's than others.

Most supporters may think that the frequent transfer linking of Saints players and even the manager with other Clubs is merely a product of our relative success this season, but clearly there is a little more to this than meets the eye and it seems that the Club feel this way as well as the Daily Echo.

Back in January when the then Chairman and CEO left his post there were a plethora of articles singing his praises whilst at the same time suggesting that Katharina Liebherr did not have either the clubs best interests at heart nor the business brain to run it.

These articles were usually from journalists in the national media who had been courted by our ex Chairman and seemed willing to continue to put out pro Cortese propoganda. Whether this was with the blessing of Cortese himself or just that they felt that he was truly a great man is unclear and is open to debate, what is strange though is that certain Journalists seem keen to continue to put out a certain view and that they miss no chance to suggest that at least half a dozen of our players wish to leave alongside the Manager himself, in the early days there would often be implied criticism of Katharina Liebherr and her abilities, although this has abated somewhat with her prudent appointments and re shaping of the club's board and corporate governance.

But the sniping in the press has continued and one man who was quick to peddle the pro Cortese line back in January was Neil Ashton of the Daily Mail, on the day that Cortese's departure was announced, Ashton wrote a piece headlined "Saints in Meltdown" in that he claimed that
"Pochettino was on the brink"
"Rickie Lambert could lead a player exodus"
"Katharina Liebherr to be non executive chairman and sell the club"

Clearly he was being briefed by someone and as we now know none of his predicted meltdown happened, indeed the club improved upon their position back then of 9th and are now virtually confirmed as finishing 8th gaining 21 points from the 14 games played since Cortese's departure an improvement on their points per game ratio under Cortese.

But for some members of the media this is not a sign of a Club where business has continued as usual and certain people have not stopped putting out frequent articles where its claimed that one player or another as well as the manager are unhappy and are about to leave.

Ashton again today 29th April has put out one such article, claiming that Adam Lallana is going to Liverpool and that Luke Shaw feels he will miss the boat if he doesn't join a big club now , add to that yet another Pochettino to Spurs story in the same article and you have to wonder if Ashton has some sort of agenda against Saints and if so why, he seems never to be content with one rumour when he can put out several.

Clearly this has been noted by the Daily Echo who in their coverage of the story said

"The same national newspaper reporter — in the same paper which last January was central in promoting Nicola Cortese’s side of his split from Saints, making derogatory comments about Katharina Liebherr in the process — maintains that Saints left back Luke Shaw will move to Manchester United this summer. "

You could also point to the Club's surprising statement on Friday by Les Reed as proof that the Club itself feels that certain media sources have an agenda against them, clearly Saints feel that some of the reports issued so far are not accurate and that being the case are being put out there to suit someone's agenda.

Internet message boards are speculating that it could be a former employee of the club briefing the media, certainly you can see why some would come to that conclusion, journalists such as Ashton were clearly seen to be putting out a certain message back in January and in the months before and seem to be continuing to be singing off the same hymnsheet, there is no real evidence for this, perhaps these journalists just have a grudge against Saints themselves or are putting out agent's rumours but it has to be said that under normal circumstances though, you would expect them to be pursuing stories that are of far more interest to the general public across the UK than Southampton Football Club.

Photo: Action Images

ClickInsect added 14:12 - Apr 29 Christ if you keep posting articles based on what UTS says, you'll have to do one on Anti-Swiss bias against Saints orchestrated by the E.U. Cortese had gone to ridiculous lengths to ensure that he didn't have the slightest semblance of goodwill from the press (including you by the sounds of it.) Hence the Daily Echo's comments today as well. The articles were based on speculation due to the fact that he had brought the club up from the third tier of English football after back to back promotions. "of far more interest to the general public across the UK than Southampton Football Club." - Such a daft statement. Do you think the articles are of interest to Liverpool & Utd fans? On the football weekly podcast, the Guardian's head of digital as good as admitted that the briefing on Shaw & Lallana had come from Woodward (or his office.) This Liverpool story is also 100% standard for them. They brief on targets, then make derisory offers before the player goes elsewhere. It's there M.O down to a tee. The players they actually sign, never reach the press prior.

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dirk_doone added 14:13 - Apr 29 Neil Ashton of the Daily Mail also caused major disruption at Spurs with his relentless campaign against Andre Villas-Boas. The only teams that benefited from that were Spurs' rivals and Zenit St. Petersburg, who now have an excellent manager. This month, while Sherwood flounders at Spurs, Villas-Boas became the first manager in Russian Premier League history to win his first six matches in charge.

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ItchenNorth added 14:14 - Apr 29 90% of all the stories you'll find on the net are rehashed. Each headline is an attempt by the autor to get some notoriety driven by the desire to get 'hits' on their article. National journos need to generate revenue, TV need viewers ! Yes there is a campaign on Saints atm, but as always (like any other club), we take stock in August and get on supporting our club. Best thing to do is ignor it, or it will drive you crazy !!

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danvaughan89 added 14:20 - Apr 29 Spot On. Neil Ashton has a serious issue - literally cannot stop going on about our club and predicting the doom. interesting to see that UTD are fanning the flames too...
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IanRC added 14:29 - Apr 29 Agree that the Mail and Mirror are a disgrace to journalism the club should threaten to sue
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SaintlyTim added 14:53 - Apr 29 I've had 3 comments withdrawn by the Mail all in response to Ashton's scandalous articles about Saints. He is a prize idiot!
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montecristo added 15:12 - Apr 29 I was pleased to see this piece in the Ugly Inside this morning and I take my hat off to you Nick.Only yesterday I wrote to Les Reed along similar lines, the only difference being that I highlighted not only Ashton s nonsense but also Martin Samuel s recent article suggesting that because of the FFP rules Saints could not retain their best players and would be forced to sell.The way in which this article was written adds up to blatant defamation in my opinion in that it is not only misleading but also damaging to the club s reputation. Any fan player or young player reading that would have to concluded that his future would best be served by going elsewhere. It is simply outrageous and damaging. I suggested that Reed should consult the club s lawyers but there is a case for saying that since much of the press focus is on Saints as opposed to other clubs that Southampton is being singled out for some very ugly treatment by the tabloid press. I also suggested that it would be in order for a formal complaint to be made to the Football Association which could only assist the club s case in a court of law should the association agree that Southampton have a case. In any event this kind of behavior by the press makes a mockery of the principle of free speech, as implicit within the concept is the idea of responsible comment. In other words abuse the principle and you suffer the consequences. Ignoring such comments is not the answer as the damage to the club s reputation and standing in players eyes as well as the fans will simply continue, and this behavior cannot be allowed to continue unchecked. It has come to the point where any real news now will not be believed and that too is not in the public interest. I doubt that I will get any feedback from Mr Reed, he is I am sure far too busy, but nevertheless I am hoping he will at least make a call to the club s lawyers and let them take a view on the matter. It simply is not the interest of the game for the press to be allowed to continue issuing unsubstantiated stories aimed at creating uncertainty and ultimately discontent among the unfortunate club s staff and fans alike.

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BoondockSaint added 15:16 - Apr 29 If, and thats "if" any of the players leave I would think only Rickie would go to Liverpool since he is from there. Shaw would go to Chelsea since he is a supporter from when he was a kid. Lalana and Shaw will be going for more money than the scouse can afford. Remember, with the new rules about native born/developed players coming in, young talented Englishmen are at a premium, and we have more than anyone, I would think. So we could hold out for huge money and there are only 2-4 teams that can afford that.

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slynch added 15:46 - Apr 29 I think it's all "grassy-knoll" journalism, next you'll be tellin' us they DID land on the moon!
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Jesus_02 added 17:38 - Apr 29 I am not sure that there is an organised campaign against Saints, I just think that they are lazy, rubbish journalists. They basically write anything that is vaguely plausible e.g. Lallana would fit in with Brendon Rodgers style of play and he is quite good so let’s do a story about a possible transfer. I also have no doubt that money changes hands with agents of some players, how else would Sead Kolasinac get column inches to explain that he is considering an offer from Man U, (but he will wait to see what he is offered by Schalke. The club need to nip it in the bud, the media think that we are to be taken for granted. Can you imagine Liverpools reaction if Arsenal made it public that they had bid £1 more than Suerez’s release clause?

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saintmark1976 added 19:26 - Apr 29 There is an expression in journalism which says "never let the truth get in the way of a good story". Another is "today's newspapers are tomorrow's chip wrappings" In any event does anybody really care what The Daily Scare says? Lets just put it down to where it came from and move on.
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ChristchurchSaint added 20:23 - Apr 29 Nice article Nick. There is of course one other option. Could it be that the Fleet Street trash don't like a "small" club muscling in against the "beloved big clubs" How dare Southampton even consider themselves to be anywhere near the "Top 6?" Hopefully our players/manager are ignoring the drivel being printed and remain loyal to us. Whether that happens only time will tell!

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A1079 added 23:25 - Apr 29 It is funny you should write this article Nick because I was thinking the same over the last few days. You are right, the media, particularly the press love to create speculation even if it is without foundation. However, I strongly feel that this is a concerted effort to unsettle our players, manager and club and whilst the press is the worst for it, not exclusively so - Radio 5 and others are also playing a part. It is as bad as I have ever known it. It is as if that how dare a club like Southampton have ambition, have good players, play entertaining football and dare to have a manager or board that has a vision. Sadly, this will, as much as we would like to think otherwise, have an impact on how the players that have potential feel. It will wear them down, sow the seeds of doubt etc in their minds and make them believe that for them to progress and be successful they will have to leave. The statement last week, rather than dampen the speculation appears to have had little effect. MP and Lallana's comments only help fuel the doubt however unintentional. All this will only get worse and worse unless the speculation around our manager and key players are sorted quickly and long before the world cup starts. If the worst happens we will survive and rebuild again but I would hope the media can be proved wrong, very wrong, but I fear they will get the outcome they are seeking so the likes of their beloved Liverpool, Man U, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs can maintain the monopoly and status quo and Southampton can be that little provincial club. Liebherr, Pochettino et al - prove them wrong

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darkangelv2 added 13:40 - Apr 30 100% agree Nick. 100%
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darkangelv2 added 17:08 - Apr 30 PS. Credit where it's due should also go to the Echo who, post-Cortese, are being subtle yet clear in their support for the new Board and their knowledge about the more 'unprintable' elements they know of Cortese's reign.
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