Over the past couple of years Tottenham Hotspur have had a reputation in football for their unsettling tactics, but their antics in that time have paled into insignificance after the events of yesterday.

Spurs have received major criticism in the past few years for the way they approach trying to get a player or manager, Saints had experience of this first hand with firsty the way Mauricio Pochettino was poached from his job at St Mary's and then the way firstly Morgan Schneiderlin was unsettled and then last summer Victor Wanyama and Saints were far from being the only victims of these bullying tactics.

However the madness of yesterday and the way that Everton tried to publicly lure Ronald Koeman, made Spurs look like angels.

Of course I am not naive enough to believe that club's don't talk to players & managers agents behind the back of their current clubs, that is the way football works and has done virtually since it began, but Thursday 2nd June will perhaps go down in history as the date that the rule book was torn up completely rather than quietly ignored.

The day started quietly enough until a tweet from a journalist in the Netherlands started a media frenzy, initially the stories were leaked to the press presuambly by Everton or somone close to them that Everton would be launching a final bid for Roanld Koeman and they were prepared to break the bank to do so both in terms of managers salary but also in the transfer kitty at his disposal, a figure that seemed to increase with each new story that went out.

But then came the tweet from Holland that this was almost a done deal and that Koeman's agent was already on is way to Merseyside to conclude the negotiations, quickly this story esculated with each media outlet trying to get a headline that would persuade readers to click on their webpage.

Soon it wasn't just Koeman's agent going but Koeman himself and the figures kept getting bigger and bigger.

This was a very pubic display and o be blunt it can only have been orchestrated by Everton.

So why would they do so, the simple answer is probably that they have already been rebuffed by Koeman and were making a final and desperate attempt to show him what he would be missing and trying to lure him into changing his mind.

But why such a fuss, after all surely it would be better to conduct all negotiations in private and then make a formal approach to Southampton, this would be the normal way.

The fact that this did not happen suggests that Everton were far from being able to even conduct these negotiations, it was a simple case of one last attempt to try and get Koeman and his agent to be interested. To be blunt, if Koeman was that near to joining Everton then they would not have needed to have this media frenzy, indeed completely the opposite, they would have been trying to avoid it.

It could also have been a case of Koeman's own agent trying to stir Saints into offering his client a little more, if that is the truth then I would suggest that it might work !

Whether it will be successful or not is yet to be seen.

The media however seem to think it will be and went big on it, although it should be noted that the more serious sports media outlets ignored it completely.

Everton are not coming out of this in a good light, in the past they have had a very good reputation in football as a club who do things the right way, Bill Kenwright their Chairman
was in the old school mode and they prided themselves on their reputation as the people's club and not like their near neighbours across Stanley Park.

The arrival of Iranian businessman Farhad Moshiri seems to have changed all this, he does not seem to be a man who plays by the old rules and like many billionaire owners of football clubs before him seems to think that rules do not apply to him, he has paid his money so he will do what he wants.

Men like this have big egos, they want to be seen to be major players, how much of this is Moshiri just trying to show to the Everton fans that he is the real deal.

In the next few days we will see whether this blatant unsettling of Koeman has had any effect, he has always stated that he will not break his Saints contract and will at least see the deal through, hopefully that still remains the case.

But if it should not be then Southampton Football Club will march on, it has always been the case that Ronald Koeman has made no secret of his desire to manage a truly big club or at International level, we knew he would not stay for ever, his resolve is now being tested though, from a footballing point of view he has done a great job at Saints, one more good season and he would be firmly in the spotlight for a big job.

But going to Everton is almost back to square one, yes he has a lot of money but he will need every penny, it is a far bigger rebuilding job than Saints was, it will take time and the chances are that even with all this money the sixth Saints achieved this season is the best that Everton could hope for given the club's they are trying to compete with.

That being the case Koeman has everything to lose at Everton and not much to gain in terms of reputation.

Photo: Action Images

ChristchurchSaint added 08:59 - Jun 3 Agree totally with you Nick on most of this. Sadly this is now the way of of life in football, bully boy owners who try to steamroller their way to get what they want, press who love the big headline where a big club can put one over on a small club (who have had the sheer audacity to think that they can sit at the high table with the adored big clubs!). The authorities have to take their share of responsibility for this- national team managers who ignore high performing players from small clubs, and instead play players from big clubs who are hardly fit. TV allow pundits to spout their bias views about how players/managers should always go to big clubs, and how the small clubs have to remain in the lower eschelons. The only hope we have here is that Ronald will prove them all wrong, by announcing that he has no wish to go to Everton, and he will do the decent thing and honour his contract. Incidentally, if this does mean we offer him a better deal, then good luck to him, he deserves it!

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SonicBoom added 09:07 - Jun 3 I didn't know there was a rule book and if anything , tapping up and secret meetings have been going on for years. OK the fans don't know about it but it still went on. Put simply Everton don't have anything that we don't have. They offered him 6 mill and transfer funds. We have a billionaire owner too. If we want to offer him the same we could. If we really don't want to lose him we could do that. Let's face it 6 mill is the same as buying an average player. If Ron goes it's because we chose to let him and not be held to ransom.

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SanMarco added 09:41 - Jun 3 There is a rule book Sonic - and if you break any of the rules in it you get fined 20p (and not much change from 50p for serious/repeat offenders.) My continuing worry on this is the betting markets. Ladbrokes etc suspended the betting altogether and he is 8 to 1 on in some places. To me that suggests big money from people in the know. I hope I am wrong because I've had enough of these disappointments...

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froggysaint added 09:45 - Jun 3 I pray that this story is just silly season nonsense, or just cynical manoevring by RK's agent. There really does seem to be no honor amongst thieves. I'd have thought RK would be on to much bigger things when he does leave Saints - Arsenal maybe, when Wenger's contract is up in a year, or the Holland job. Ultimately he clearly wants to manage Barcelona, No disrespect to the Toffees, but for him to move to Everton would at best be a sideways one. In truth, as you've pointed out, the rebuilding job at Everton is massive - even with a bunch to spend.

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SanMarco added 09:49 - Jun 3 A BBC North-West reporter has just said this "Unclear how close Ronald Koeman to Everton is, but I hear contract discussions etc with Southampton did not impress him. This could develop quickly."
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pintsizedsaint added 10:06 - Jun 3 Only time will tell. I reckon this might be agent talk to try and get Saints to give a better deal. I admire our stance on financial matters but sometimes think we stick too rigidly to principles. RK is a highly regarded manager now and so we should offer more. However we are never going to match Everton's figures (which are obscene - and should act as a warning signal to RK that with big bucks comes unrealistically big expectations in short timeframes). If I were RK I would steer well clear. As for the betting, it always worries me. However it may well be that the rumour has made a large number of people take a punt, which snowballs. Bookies happy to do that. Always look at the odds for RK staying. If they lengthen considerably then the bookies really do know something.

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EasternSaint added 10:48 - Jun 3 Echo pouring plenty of cold water on all the rumours. Sure they'd know what is going on, and much more so than the national scandal rags! http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/news/14533715.Southampton_hopeful_over_K
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LordDZLucan added 11:16 - Jun 3 Now we'll see what Ronald is all about. Saints have proved their ambition by starting to tie the top players down to long term contracts. If he stays, which I think he will, it demonstrates that he buys in to that ambition. It doesn't mean that he won't move on to a bigger club in a year's time if a position becomes available but it does demonstrate what motivates him. If he goes then it will prove that personal monetary gain is his primary concern as he won't do better than 6th in the Premier League with that Everton team even if he does get £100m to spend as £100m doesn't go that far these days.

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Bettwsresident added 11:37 - Jun 3 The good news is that after yesterday's madness the odds are coming back out again on betfair. They dropped as low as 1.22 yesterday evening but have drifted out to 1.35 this morning and are still moving out.
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SaintNick added 11:38 - Jun 3 Betting being suspended is no real indicator, next manager of a club is a "fun bet" as the bookies would call it, you would not be able to get really big money on it due to the possibility of someone close to a new manager in the know getting a big wager on and caning the bookies. The bookies will see rumour and follow that and wont want to take a hiding on thousands putting on £50 at good odds

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PhantomTippler added 11:45 - Jun 3 I'm not one into foretelling but on my way to Southampton University for a conference today my car radio kept Bluetooth shuffling The Smiths song This Charming Man.
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SanMarco added 11:47 - Jun 3 Sky are reporting that he is in talks with Everton. I have a horrible feeling about this. We all assumed he would see out his contract - perhaps Les did too and was complacent. If so he has to go. On betting - the sort of money that moves a price from 1-4 to 1-9 is big money, not just a few fun punts.
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Big_T added 12:45 - Jun 3 Bookmakers are very good at jumping on rumor, they suspend betting to raise interest then the next day surprise surprise they open betting, taking in lots of so called sucker bets.
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Big_T added 12:45 - Jun 3 Bookmakers are very good at jumping on rumor, they suspend betting to raise interest then the next day surprise surprise they open betting, taking in lots of so called sucker bets.
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WanderingSaint added 13:33 - Jun 3 This looks to be happening, far too many rumours for it not to be. RK apparently not impressed with contract negotiations with SFC. Money talks - very loudly. Can someone please provide some sort of evidence that RK is "honourable?" Nice guy, talks well, but evidence that he is more honourable than anyone else please. He was never going to stay longer than his initial contract anyway so we're just 12 months earlier needing a new manager. In reality we were all amazed that got him in the first place and we all thought is was a real coup, so it's no surprise that he's going. The only surprise is that it's a sideways step to Everton. He must have been really unimpressed! Let's concentrate on getting someone good in replacement.

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IWOZTHERE added 14:42 - Jun 3 I agree with WanderingSaint above. Who started this (written in blood) claim that 'RK is more or less honourable than anyone else? I hope he is 'honourable' but as far as I'm aware this is the first test. No doubt we'll find out soon. For the record, and in the event, I'd sooner see a clean break rather than spend the last year of his contract in limbo.
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Bettwsresident added 14:46 - Jun 3 FFS! Please no, just when we do get into the Europa league...Koemans stated ambition, he goes to a club on the slide. This is not good...and i'm losing £30! Saying that, the odds of him being next Everton manager are still drifting out on betfair, 1.5 now and I'm laying off!
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Bettwsresident added 17:45 - Jun 3 this is taken from the comments on a liverpool echo non article....so true! "As a life-long Evertonian, I would like to object to this pathetic article, which is small minded and rather childish. You cannot argue with the fact that Southampton have consistently done better than Everton in the league over the last few seasons and that none of the current Everton players would get into the Southampton first 11. Having left the bleak cold of Liverpool to go down to the sunny south coast on many occasions, I have to say that sunny Southampton and the surrounding area of the New Forest is a beautiful part of the country, which Ronald Koeman would be mad to leave for our inferior city and team. Koeman is a man of honour and he honour his contract with Southampton, and keep his word to their supporters. Most likely, he will sign a new contract with Southampton to extend his stay on the South coast, he would be crazy no to. It's a disgrace how Everton have tried to tap up Southampton's manager. I'm ashamed to call myself a Toffee."

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halftimeorange added 18:06 - Jun 3 One has to look at the plus points in such a negative atmosphere. Southampton is acknowledged to be a well-run club with an infrastructure which has previously proven to select appropriate personnel to manage the on-pitch activities. We are top six in the EPL and in Europe with a backbone of class players. If Ron goes there will be suitors queueing up to take his place and some of those will have winning pedigrees. It's unsettling, yes but we're not doomed - we are too an attractive proposition for that. I'm looking forward to the next chapter in Saints story.

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SanMarco added 18:42 - Jun 3 Well said halftime - I will be disappointed for a day or two but then onwards and upwards. If, well let's face it when, this news is confirmed we need to accept that Koeman has walked out on us. Whatever else we feel about Les and friends it will be Koeman who has joined an ignoble list including Souness, Hoddle, Strachan and Mopo. "Ambition" will be the word but we came just 3 pts behind 4th place - "Ambition" will not be why he is leaving - try "greed". (Obviously given there's a 1% chance he might stay I withdraw all that if he does.)

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aceofthebase added 20:51 - Jun 3 Can Saints continue to improve if Koeman leaves? You bet we can. I understand another Dutch manager is now free, no please I'm joking but there are plenty of managers ready with impressive CVs who would jump at the chance to manage Saints. RK is well liked but he is far from perfect, he has not always picked the best team and some players have not played their best for him, others are his favourites but have not been convincing. I still hope he stays but it will not be a calamity if he jumps ship.

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BUCK added 21:19 - Jun 3 The betting has not suspended on this. Goto oddschecker.com and it will give you the price of every bookmakers unless they've suspended. But there's still lots still open. There is no way on gods earth koeman will goto everton. I've got big money at a ridiculous price of laying koeman to everton. Easy money
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simmo400 added 21:22 - Jun 3 Firstly Saints are a business. They are going to make money. If that means making profits on players or a manager that will happen. They will not be held to random by anybody. Personel come and go but SFC will remain. After all we only need to finish 4th bottom next year for a good season. Should we achieve this we may hold on to our players and manager for once.
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SanMarco added 21:45 - Jun 3 Yes Simmo but we would sack the manager though! The end is nigh - even the BBC are saying the clubs are negotiating the deal...
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TeamCortese added 01:47 - Jun 4 I don't care what anybody says. If Ronald goes then this should be a major wake-up call to everyone on this forum and Southampton FC as a whole. The brutal truth is if the situation was the other way round (i.e. Everton finished in the top 6 and Koeman decided to swap for Soton who finished 11th) it would be considered career suicide for Ronald---not a sideways move. The reason it isn't case with him swapping for Everton is simply because Southampton FC has created a reputation of being a selling club lacking in ambition. I understand the word 'ambition' is a bit dirty on this forum and in many regards has become a subterfuge for greed/disloyalty with previous managers leaving. However, the problem is ambition is actually a valid reason. Ronald has clearly taken us as far as he can and believes the board will not back him to take the club to the next level. I don't think his motivations for the move is entirely about money. He knows Barcelona, Holland and possibly Arsenal are one season away. However, he knows his stock will lower if he's not giving adequate funding to maintain or better our position next season. Next season is going to be very competitive. Man Utd have Mourinho, Liverpool has Klopp and City have Guardiola. Furthermore Leicester, Tottenham and Arsenal will strengthen significantly-- not to mention West Ham, Stoke, and Everton. We need to change our strategy and stop selling our best players it's not sustainable. We are not taking advantage of our position. Our top players are constantly being linked with moves away. We are never strengthening our core but always replacing them. Where is the money going? We have been in the EPL for 4 seasons now. The sponsorship money has gone up enormously. We should be investing heavily. When you consider the investment put in by the board last season we didn't deserve to finish in the top 6. We were extremely lucky! Ronald has done nothing short of a miracle the past couple of seasons and he knows it. I really think Katherina Liebherr and the rest of the board should get off their ass and start really investing in this football club! If they don't then why are they involved? Lastly, if Ronald does leave, there needs to be a change of ownership. It is inexcusable to lose a manager that got us back-to-back highest points tallies in the EPL. Let's not forget this is the very same manager that beat Man Utd (away twice), Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City in the two seasons. He will not be easy to replace if we lose him.

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