Saints have sacked youth team coaches Jason Dodd and Paul Williams, at most clubs a story that would at best carry a short piece in the local paper, but for the Daily Mail's Neil Ashton an event that spells the collapse of the entire club.

What has Neil Ashton of the Daily Mail got against Saints, since the moment that Nicola Cortese left St Mary's he has never missed a chance to try and de stabilise the club, barely a week goes by without Ashton suggesting that one player or another isn't about to leave.

On the day that Cortese left Ashton used the word "meltdown" and here is that word again in his piece telling of Dodd & Williams exit from St Mary's

As mentioned at any other club the departure of a couple of youth team coaches would barely merit more than a few lines in the local paper, yes Jason Dodd is a club legend as a player but his coaching career is not illustrious and even less so Williams who played 39 league games in a two year spell under Gordon Strachan.

According to Ashton these are the men responsible for the likes of Luke Shaw et al coming through although given that Dodd has been here in his current position only a little over 4 years and Williams only 3.

But Ashton once again trolls out his favourite phrase "Meltdown" and tries to use the departure of the pair to give the impression that this will see the likes of Shaw leave in disgust, despite the fact that most of the players and staff are now on holiday, Ashton states that this move has been met with disbelief by them all, perhaps they have all sent him a postcard !

Ashton finishes his article with this

"Shaw is leaving Southampton when he returns from the World Cup with England and captain Adam Lallana has also made it clear he is quitting when he returns from south America.

Dejan Lovren, who was outstanding in his first season with Southampton, will agitate to leave if Southampton start selling their best players."

Perhaps this is why The Mail seem happy to let Ashton peddle hhis agenda, he seems to know a lot more than has been printed, Perhaps Shaw will leave, but Adam Lallana has not made it clear he is quitting preferring to concentrate on the World Cup, likewise Dejan Lovren who only a day or so ago made it clear he wanted to stay, but will now be agitated if players leave after this.

It is of course sad to see Jason Dodd and Paul Williams go, but the inference from Ashton is that these two were integral to the youth set up, truth is that our Academy set up has been strong for the past 15 years, it has survived far more influential peiople leaving to move elsewhere, Huw Jennings the man responsible for the modern day youth academy left in 2006, yet we have still remained strong, Huw who ? you might say and rightly so, only at Saints and with the likes of Ashton stirring things up do you hear when Youth coaches are sacked at a club and in a national newspaper to boot.

Photo: Action Images

slynch added 11:16 - May 20 The Daily Mail will get even more up tight if they get replaced by two foreigners!
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vectis added 11:16 - May 20 I agree with you Nick. You wouldn't have thought this was big national news. Ashton makes it sound like they 'are' the academy and now it's all over bar the shouting. feel sorry for Dodd and willo...good servants...but its not like they were sacked half way through the season. And in any other job if the club wants to go in a different direction then best to,part ways. Ridiculous fuss. although I have to ask nick would your reaction have been the same if cortese had fired them?

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SaintNick added 11:51 - May 20 My reaction isnt about why they were fired or how, its all about how certain journalists are using it to stir things up. I find it strange they have gone but I dont know the facts If Cortese had fired them I would feel the same way I do now and thats perplexed, but Im sure it wouldnt have merited a full media frenzy in the national press or at least certain parts of it

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Toussaint added 12:08 - May 20 If Pooch fired them, then that surely points to him remaining at the club Ashton works for the Don
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SaintlyTim added 12:18 - May 20 I have been so incensed with Ashton over the last few months that I've left 3 comments at the foot of his articles and all three have been withdrawn by the DM. The gist of my comments suggested he ought to base his articles on facts and not what goes on in his head.
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Fordy added 13:20 - May 20 I think the timing of the sackings is interesting. If Poch was staying he wouldn't have want this done without his consent. Alternatively, it could mean he's off and the club are doing what they'd wanted to do when he was the boss. Good luck to Dodd and Williams. My only abiding memory of Dodd in charge is him being completely clueless as to how to stop Patrick Bamford tearing us apart in the FA Cup when we had a team (inc. Shaw and JWP) that was far superior to the Forest side we were up against.

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SanMarco added 14:20 - May 20 I hate the Daily Smell for many reasons not just over their persecution of the Saints. They lie and twist facts (if they even bother with such things at all) as a matter of policy. Didn't Woopert used to have trouble with them too? On the wider point about departures - From reading online comments on several sites I do worry that too many supporters are going to react very badly when what we all know is going to happen happens. LS, MP and AL + possibly one or two others are going - not because the papers say they are but because they are. I worry that people are going to blame the club/board/KL for something which is inevitable. I hope I am wrong about both these matters but I fear I am not.

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LesVivian added 15:50 - May 20 Lesson to be learned: don't buy, read or believe the Daily Mail! It is a smug rag pandering to deluded folk who think they are a bit special!
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cheltenhamsaint added 17:41 - May 20 What we do know is that Jason Dodd was a decent, though not outstanding full back, that served us well for many years. He has had the opportunity to do some youth coaching at one of the top academies in the country over the last few years. Paul Williams had a less illustrious time with us but also had a coaching opportunity. The chances are that neither were the top youth coaches in the country yet they had one of the prime jobs of this nature, and positions that are crucial to the development process being as successful as possible in producing talent for the first team squad. Good luck to them both and I hope they find an opportunity at another club quickly. Has their departure been mentioned in a newspaper? Of course, I say this in jest, By writing about it aren't we just fuelling another such story. Best just to ignore, in my opinion, and debate as supporters what we (i.e you Nick as editor in chief) think is most interesting to us and our club. I would rather read more of your player assessments anytime, even if I do not agree with them.

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aceofthebase added 17:46 - May 20 Ashton is a bit slow to report our interest in Ashley Cole!
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saint22 added 18:29 - May 20 What isn't with problem and the daily Mail??? Why read it and worse than that believe it?! It is the scum of the scum and has a lot to answer for. People like Ashton are as bad as those who read it Boycott the rag
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ChristchurchSaint added 20:38 - May 20 Yawn, yawn! More garbage from that well known football expert Mr Ashton. Can I point out that I have just looked at the official website and there is not a mention of this. I do not dispute that this has happened, but the club normally would announce something on the website.
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IanRC added 22:41 - May 20 Ashton and his colleagues appear to be part of the News of the World style of journalism. We shouldn't be surprised with anything a profession that committed the atrocities their bin searchers and hackers did subsequently does in the name of generating 'news' They are the only reason I question the right to free speech, a disgusting group of individuals.
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saint22 added 06:52 - May 21 Well said Ian RC
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Whatsforpud added 14:51 - May 21 Nick, probably a fair proportion of us would read a national newspaper. The Daily Mail is only one of about 10 or 12 national papers available, so most of us would be oblivious to what the Mail is saying anyway. Maybe your article would have been better concentrating on the fact that a loyal servant in Jason Dodd (in particular) has been given the push, rather than what the Mail is saying.

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Zambucco added 16:14 - May 21 Maybe they got the sack because they weren't good enough? It happens!
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