Message Board regular "Winchester Exile has been viewing the posts this week with interest, here he gives his take on the situation

NC has been crucified on the Forum in the last few days. Some of its justified, some of it isn’t. However, whether justified or not, I believe NC as the top man at the club is our best bet at the moment and here’s why.

When Marcus Leibherr picked up the club for a bargain in July 2009 he placed a great deal of confidence in NC as his Executive Chairman. There was no reason to doubt Marcus’ decision at the time and that faith has been continued by Marcus’ family after his death (NC’s still in post right!). During the bidding process, the other possible buyers were second rate, even Matty’s lot. We struck very lucky with Marcus and its unlikely this will happen twice. If Saints were to be sold again, we have no reason to believe that the bidders would be any better than the second raters around the last time and who wants second rate owners?

There can be no doubt that NC can be an intriguing character and that he rubs some people up the wrong way. Given the unsuccessful summer transfer policy, I’m also not convinced by the structure within the club at the moment. However, NC has steered the club to the PL and championed the development of the academy. As we’ve seen by the acquisition of Ramirez, he’s willing to stick his neck out and all clubs need their top man to do that from time to time. This doesn’t however mean to say that he must get every decision right but he must get it right overall, given time. I think NC is a believer in the long term and is willing to sacrifice short term gain for long-term stability. He’s not there yet and I think even he would agree with this. There is some way to go.

In some ways our current predicament is providing the ownership/club management/team management combination with an interesting test. If they can steer us through this then it will be a real triumph and proof positive that the regime should remain. If they don’t then something will have to change. Crunch time is approaching but there is a little way to go yet.

There’s a lot to be said for stability. It could be argued that the more stable a club the more successful it will be. Despite the club as a whole not performing as everybody wants at the moment, including NC, a change of ownership or even Executive Chairman would not necessarily bring about success.

Matty has stated that NC is not a nice human being and he may be right and he may be wrong, I don’t know. But at least we know what we’ve got with NC. A hard nosed Executive Chairman who will make a decision that he thinks is right for the club and then execute it. Who knows what we’d get if the club was sold or a new man came in.

Sometimes it’s better the devil you know and as argued above, the current ownership of the club is the best for Saints at the moment and that ownership, like it or not, comes with NC at the helm. The grass isn’t always greener elsewhere – just look at that shower down the road.

Photo: Action Images

Jesus_02 added 17:12 - Oct 24 My reasoning a) Cortese's success is intrinsically linked with that of the club, even if he is looking out for himself then he is looking out for the club. b) Cortese is a successful business man who wont let sentiment impact his judgement. c) Cortese mission as defined by Marcus was to make the club sustainable in the Premier League. It could end in badly but it could end worse than it began

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thegeneral added 17:45 - Oct 24 NC is well known for his lack of comments but on occasion it would be good for fans moral to hear his thoughts, a statement supporting NA (as i think most fans do) would be most welcome. I also think it would be a good idea to bring in someone like Strachan as a support to NA rather than sack him. Adkins has a bright future in the game but needs a bit of mentoring because he's relatively young and also inexperienced at this level.

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zonehead added 18:06 - Oct 24 Were 3 years into the 5 year plan and ahead of schedule,so there maybe a relegation and some down times, but Nigel wants attacking football, and like the team they are all learning, so regardless of the situation we should bite the bullet and stick with our man for the long haul. (or bring glenda back)
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SouthCoastSaint added 18:51 - Oct 24 Cortese is hated by staff at the club. I've had it on good authority that plans have been suggested for some sort of internal protest. Le Tissier has said there are revelations that will come out when he leaves that prove he is a nasty piece of work. He is said to be aloof and big headed (didn't meet staff when he first arrived unlike previous management). He may be fully capable in financial terms but I don't think the internal harmony of the club should be compromised just because he's flash with the cash ie Ramirez

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suttonsaint added 20:13 - Oct 24 Most chairman aren't there to win a popularity contest and ours is no different.Were always banging on about consistency and giving managers time so let's do the same across the board(no pun intended).I'm sure NC does have an ego bigger than Scicily but trying to hound him out and concentrating all our efforts on behind the scenes stuff is getting us nowhere.I'm just a simple Saints fan who wants us to do well and don't have the first clue about what goes on behind the scenes and before the advent of the internet and twitter..neither did any of us. What we want and what we've got seem to be poles apart for most and who says that will change with a different regime at the helm.Maybe all manner of scandal will come out in years to come but for now the constant and tedious chairman bashing is getting us nowhere fast.Just get behind the lads like we do so well and leave the business to the suits.Maybe I'm being naive but that's how I roll on this one.

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Saintpaul120 added 20:39 - Oct 24 Firstly, it's MARKUS. Markus Liebherr. Secondly, all the above, and wasted column inches in the Echo and the UI, is exactly why the club should issue a very carefully worded statement in order to quash the rumours which are very damaging to all at Southampton Football Club.
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UTS added 22:18 - Oct 24 Maybe we just want Cortese to let the manager do his job. Stop being a tosser towards oure ex-saints. Treat the SMS staff with dignity and not the line "dont speak to me unless i speak to you" None of his weird behaviour has benefited the club in anyway shape or form. In fact its probably damaged it in many areas. If you have read things on forums, thinking thats 'just made up' i suspect it isnt !! Many disgruntled staff hence how things are leaked constantly.

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geezershoong added 22:48 - Oct 24 I don't like my boss either but that doesn't mean I can just down tools and throw a hissy fit. If it bothers them that much, quit.
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ItchenNorth added 23:35 - Oct 24 SuttonSaint and geezershoong; spot on, I couldn’t agree more. Who gives a monkeys if Nicola Cortese is not liked at St Marys by the staff. Maybe it’s because he sees that for years we have had a culture at the club that is frankly second rate. We always needed someone to come in and transform the club. We nearly went out of business ffs. We’ve needed someone like Cortese (and his ways) to come in and give this club the opportunity to be sustainable at the very highest level. Yet 5 minutes in the door and for some crazy reasons we think the grass would be greener if we had someone else !! We could have had a Venky or a Balram Chainrai ! Has he let us down so far; no would quite clearly be the answer to that. I’ll back Nigel Adkins all the way (and hope NC does too) but if a chance comes, we’ll just have to roll with it.

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SingaporeSaint added 03:37 - Oct 25 There does seem a confusion on the role of NC here. NC is the CEO, he is the man running the business on behalf of the owners, he's not the owner. He's not spending his money - he's spending the Liebherr family money. NC is not a football man - he was Markus Liebherr's banker. I don't have an issue with having a banker as a CEO/Chairman - thats fine. What I want to see is communication on running the club, some inclination on the family's view, support or not to the manager on footballing affairs. When NC was clearly working for Markus Liebherr, NC's role and the vision of Markus was very clear - Markus was the owner, NC worked for him. The view of the owners and such the role of NC is less clear now. There are many many rumours on influence behind the scenes in footballing affairs, transfer strategy, ability to negotiate with agents, ego and rudeness to staff, relationships with ex players, the press, and serious doubts over the relationship between him and NA. All of these can be cleared up via effective communication which I think we need to see.

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BoondockSaint added 04:19 - Oct 25 Markus wasn't thinking of buying a football club until NC talked him into it. It was a good investment since they got it cheap and but just keeping it afloat, they could make a profit if the found a new buyer in a few years. I always suspected that NC always wanted to run/own a club and this was his big chance, and if in a few years Markus (sadly now it's his family) wanted to sell, well, NC would get himself some backers and buy it. By all accounts Markus was a kind, moral, unassuming man (he mentioned to Pardew that he disapproved the players harrassing the ref after a call). I cannot imagine him treating the staff badly.He seemed to keep NC in check, but now there's no one. The Saints have always had a good rep around the league and in the media. but now sadly, it's started to go bad and needs to be repaired. What big/successful club squabbles with the local paper over nothing for years, has the gall to attempt to try the photo scam, treats it stadium staff like serfs and freezes out their legends of the past? If the club gets a rep as a toxic place to work, who would want to come here? I agree that maybe instead of firing NA, they should bring in an older, wiser manager to be his mentor. But what manager of quality is going to come here if they think NC is a petty tyrant? What player will come here if he thinks even if he plays his heart out, it will mean nothing? Who will do a deal with us if they think we'll try to cheat them like trying to get NA to quit his old team to avoid compensation? I agree, we need a new attitude and more open approach to the fans and the league. I not only want to be proud of the Saints, on the pitch but off it as well, like when other fans say things like they have in the past: "I've always liked the Saints and root for them to do well-when they're not playing mine!" Here's hoping NC gets visited by three ghost tonight!

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bstokesaint added 12:58 - Oct 25 NC is not paid to be a nice man. Even for a Saints legend MLT is naive to make such comments. He shouldn’t lower himself to such a level. Other posters here have made good points about the top people within their own place of work. Let's face it very few people get to the top without dumping on somebody along the way. The pressure and kind of people you deal with at the top level; agents, aggressive bidders from other clubs and the hungry press, are what you're there to deal with. It'd be nice to see NC's human side and maybe honour former players, but maybe he doesn't feel he can let his guard down, or maybe he just wants to stay in the background. I’d suggest any discontented staff should ask themselves the question, who is more important; them who do payroll or serve beers at match days or NC, who handles the money and affairs of the club's saviour? As long as he continues to be successful I will stand by NC, as Markus did.

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BITTERNEBOY added 13:03 - Oct 25 The club would be better off without Cortese dont really see what he actually adds to the club. He is obviously on a very high wage but loads of people could do his job without upsetting all and sundry
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REEDYREEDOREEDZ added 13:27 - Oct 25 Cortese has worked his b*****ks off for Southampton FC. He's turned the club around from the complete mess we were in 3 years ago. He's half the reason we're back in the Premiership. He was integral in Markus buying the club, he's run it like an efficent business ever since, he's put plans in place to secure our long term future and up until May this year had done well in the transfer market. If anything, he's been the ideal Chief Executive for us, and yet people still don't appreciate all he's done. The only critism you can aim at Cortese is the way he has treated the ex-Saints legends, the way he treats some SFC staff, and the lack of sealing a few more key transfers in the summer. Apart from that we are definitely better off with him on board. All of this talk about Cortese having an influence on what players play and what formations are used is complete rubbish. It's all down to Adkins.

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UTS added 18:28 - Oct 25 What part of Cortese 'vile obnoxious behaviour' isnt responsible for two promotions, do some of you not get ! Show me an example of a horrible person thats ever done well in business ? its a total myth. I think since the summer hes viewed himself as the team manager and Adkins his coach. I just think Cortese is taking the piss really esp out of Liebherr.
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bstokesaint added 12:29 - Oct 26 UTS "Show me an example of a horrible person thats ever done well in business ? " Are you for real? Not sure where you've worked all your life, but you've clearly been very lucky. And not read any newspapers or watched TV in a long while!
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UTS added 16:21 - Oct 26 I forgot gangsters doing well ! drug dealers, debt collectors, fraudsters etc The fact is these people dont last long and are always caught out.
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ItchenNorth added 09:22 - Oct 27 UTS; So why the Gary Oldman picture !!! He's mainly famed for his character acting of these very same traits ! Sounds like you and Cortese would get on like a house on fire really lol !!!
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ItchenNorth added 10:47 - Oct 29 Ho dee ho UTS; I admire your quick thinking and change of profile picture !!! Up the Saints !!
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