Read the internet over the past 24 hours and you would assume that Southampton Football Club is about to go into meltdown.
The thing is little has actually changed.
Nicola Cortese might well have had big ambitions but they were never going to be bankrolled by the Liebherrs who clearly had lost faith in him, this isn't an attack on the former Saints Chairman, just a comment that although many fans assumed one thing, the reality was actually a lot different as we now have found out.
So we are actually in a better position now in the fact the situation is a lot more polarised and clearer, again not an attack on Cortese, but the fact is he couldn't deliver what he was promising because he didnt have the financial clout that he needed to do so he may hve wanted to spend millions in a Champions league bid, but the Liebherr's didn't share that business plan, eventually this would have become clear to all and players and fans would have become dissallusioned and there would have possibly have been a slow demise as the top players left, indeed it would have been very hard to hang on to certain players like Luke Shaw even with a top six finish, look at Everton they have been consistently top 6 yet they lose at least one player a year to a "bigger" club, could Spurs even hold on to Gareth Bale ?
Now we have a possible four outcomes.
1. The Liebherr's continue to run the club and install a CEO who is experienced and will run the club as to their budget, he wont promise or deliver Champions league qualification but will hopefully keep us in a stable position in the Premier.
2. The Liebherr's sell the club to a new owner who is a good custodian and who continues with the progress we have made.
3. The Liebherr's sell to a bad owner another Vincent Tan at Cardiff or Alam at Hull.
4. The Liebherr's sell to a Cortese backed consortium.
Three of those four possibilities are perfectly acceptable.
Lets give the Liebherr's credit here, they saved us with their money, they never promised multi millions to make us a top top club, they have done what they promised in five years and have never done anything to suggest that they have anything but the best interests at heart.
Back in 2009 they arrived with talk of a five year plan to get us in the Premier League, they also stated that their aim was also to make the club self sufficient in that time, it could be said that both targets have been reached and of course Nicola Cortese played a big part in that.
But somewhere along the line what the owner's wanted and what Nicola Cortese wanted went off in different directions, again Im not casting any blame here, but whilst the supporters lapped up talk of Champions League qualification, the Liebherr's didnt and a rift was appearing which became public last May.
We will possibly never find out the true cause of the rift, some rumours, none of whom have eminated from the Liebherr's have insinuated that it might have been a question of control, others have suggested that it is about investment money into the club, then there are those who are saying that the lub is up for sale, these are just the tip of the iceberg, the truth is probably a combination of all three of them.
Many Saints fans are up in arms about Cortese leaving, I can understand their point, they feel that challenging for the Champions League is not on the cards now, but the truth is it never was due to reasons explained, I applaud Nicola Cortese's ambitions, but he was making statements that the Liebherr's werent willing to cash.
But what Saints fans and indeed all football fans fear most is change, especially when things are going well and this the crux of the matter, the future is uncertain in many people minds.
Ironically Cortese has often said that the only way to achieve what you are aiming for is by constantly striving and never being afraid of changing things, even when things are OK, perhaps Saints fans can take consolation in those words.
It might not be the last we see of Nicola Cortese, as i said he may well come back heading a consortium, if that is the case it will have definately have been a change for the better, if he does so he will be able to deliver what he has promised with the financial backing he needs.
In any business there can ultimately only be one boss who makes the ultimate call, as we have found out.