Yesterday, Southampton’s chairman Nicola Cortese resigned. Depending on how long you have been trailing this story, he is either being tempted to take up the chef exec job at struggling Milan, or has found working under owner Katharine Liebharr too much. It’s also possible that Ms Liebharr has insisted on a return on her family’s two rounds of investment in the club and forced his hand.
Five years ago Cortese was a working in Switzerland as a banker and acted on behalf of the now-deceased and father of Katharine, Markus Liebharr. They successfully put a deal together to buy Southampton FC and rescue the club from administration (liquidation is not inevitable, some clubs survive). Cortese had no previous experience in the football industry.
Southampton are a small club who seem cursed to produce incredibly talented youth players, only to see extraordinarily bad executives spurn their bounty. I remember writing about their ‘blood on the boardroom carpet’ six years ago.
A year ago this Saturday, Cortese sacked Nigel Atkins, the manager who won them two successive promotions and put them in a comfortable position on the FA Premier League. Cortese was to 2013 what Vincent Tan is to 2014, the butt of a thousand jokes, but none of us were reading the script.
Cortese’ next move was to appoint Argentine Mauricio Pochettino, the 40-year-old recently sacked manager of Espanyol. Southampton haven’t looked back, despite the words “Hooiveld” and “Fox” regularly featuring on team sheets.
Pochettino is now one of the hottest properties in football but he’s not the story, his former boss is. In appointing a young, low-profile, manager, Cortese tackled square-on the biggest problem in football – the vast risk invested on the shoulders of one man, the manager. A football manager is expected to be a master of tactics, a motivational dressing room speaker, a media communications expert, a scout and pretty much guru of everything.
None of them are good at all of this. As a consequence, clubs invest vast proportions of turnover on player wages and transfers, with haphazard diligence being carried out. The man ultimately responsible for approving this spend is more likely to be a shouty media darling, spending an average of 2.5 years at the club, than someone who has experience of long-term strategic planning.
Cortese figured that what he really needed in a manager was a tactical head, someone who could run a technical team, consulting with scouts, coaches, nutritionists and fitness trainers, and come up with what American football teams call a playbook. You want to play at Old Trafford? This is what worked when small teams visited the Bernabeu last season. Playing teams’ taller/faster/luckier with referees than you? You’ve got to see how these guys are leveling the playing field in Uruguay.
Football clubs need their manager to be Master of Tactics, and if they can concentrate him on this, they’re doing better than 90% of clubs in the game. They don’t need someone ‘connected’ to agents in value markets, this attribute can be recruited easily. They don’t need a good media talker. Despite being able to speak English, Pochettino gives press conferences through an interpreter. Yet the fans love him!
Clubs don’t need someone to play to the galleries, or someone with the ability to induce affinity from his public, most of the time results will keep (most) fans onside.
With his technically-proficient and happy-to-be-working-anywhere manager installed, Cortese had all operations working as he wanted, including the inordinately expensive recruitment process. Sacking a good and successful manager in Atkins was the most ballsy and innovative thing to happen in English football in decades, but he was operating in an industry which is the biggest financial basket case in sport. So, despite his clarity of vision, the Southampton gig was never going to last.
Today’s newspapers predict a mass exodus as Pochettino and Southampton’s gifted players head for the exit, good news for Joos and Danny, perhaps, but you feel for the beleaguered fans, who were shown a glimpse of how things should be done, but for years will wonder, what could have been?
The rest of us can ponder the opportunity available due to entrenched inefficiencies in football.
“You should always have pressure on you”, Stefan Johansen, 15 January 2014. I like this guy already.
Last shout for North America based Celtic fans for the Feile, which starts in Philidelphia tomorrow. Full details of the events can be found here. it’s bound to be a great weekend so get along if you can.
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That was funny.
Clyde has a line up of greetin old zomified huns:
Goes to break.
Cue the music
Here we for ten in a row.
Celtic advert for match.
Hehehehe.
Hun mentions our old Lisbon lion in the dug out.
Meanwhile yours at toothless.
G i r u y.
Bhun telling us we need to be a bit more respectful…….hahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Oh Alex upset bout Tims coming on and laughing at his team, and he is going to renew, never saw that coming, a bitter bitter Hun.
is this what the sevdroids will be singing in the terraces this weekend
“wonga wonga wonga wonga wonga wonga wong…mr wonga….give me a loan….”
The Poundland ST Sales Drive has started on Snyde…
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BeIBpZUIAAACNXM.jpg:large
Blantyre Tim
I don’t care about them, I don’t know when they play unless I read it on here, I scroll by a lot of the comments about them…. But this is hysterically funny, they have spent too much, died, taken on the persona of the dead club and the same people are spending to much again. Meanwhile the fans are trying to find a relationship between Celtic and GCC. This would be funny if it was Hearts or Motherwell.. Enjoy
DJBEE
Your work here is done
paul67
19:44 on 16 January, 2014
Never mind bah humbug, two questions:
I thought this site was the leader in not lazy journalism…:)?
Where is our striker, John Daly…?…:)
Fill your Boots indeed…Nirvana…:)
PS: can you smell that liquid again?
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
blantyretim is praying for the knox family
19:28 on 16 January, 2014
Maybe it’s just that my physio has me in severe pain but the orc death part 2 doesn’t interest me.
They died and we failed to kick on..
But lets worry about them..
Old firm fans the lot of ye..
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Would you deny is the opportunity to laugh our heads off….every day for 2 years now… And more to come……..hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Aweeeeee nae mare Huns comin on, well that was fun, I really really enjoyed that, ok blog done, moaners, fill yer boots, hahahahahahaha, any lurking Huns, GIRUYs.
Ok bhoys. I take it I was overly grumpy..
No jelly for me..
Malt whisky thanks…
TET
Thanks for the SSB link
I wish yon Alek fella was my neighbour my ohhh my would I have some fun:))
Blantyretim, ha!
Lennybhoy, liquid is not flowing yet but the long term fundamentals remain acute.
BT……. A Single Malt will certainly do the trick!
HH
Gerry
Roger Lloyd Peck RIP
It was only a few months ago that after 25yrs a fella who frequents our local club stopped calling me Seamy (which is not my name}
We would be standing at the bar and he within earshot could hear people around me calling me by my given name but still insisted on addressing me as Seamy. As with the Trigger character it became a running joke with in the club.
A few months ago he called me over and said
“You don’t call you Seamy do you?” Obviously I said no.
“ Won’t happen again mate” says he, and walks off without as much as reddner
I still don’t know who put him right
paul67
19:58 on 16 January, 2014
Indeed they are, indeed they are…:)
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
We’ll have more on this developing story on Rangers on @ScotlandTonight at 10.30pm including financial analysis & insight from our guests.
I think the level of seriousness of events at Sevco can be gauged by the fact that Neil ‘glass half full’ Patey has walked away…
1 Celtic fan on Snyde, a two hour program, last caller comes on and complains about…………………………….HaHa
I thought radio snyde didn’t exist until the huns died a couple of years ago n someone asked if I listened to the phone in?
What? They are still going?
Dip in to hear the greetin clowns, tonight was exceptional.
One of my faves frae ra berrs oan Chas Green…and I paraphrase..
“An honest straight talking Yorkshireman, that’ll do for me”
Wonder if this geezer is available for any more comments?
This 15% wage reduction was a sticking plaster over an arterial severing wasn’t it?
I wonder if they’ll try and get a reduction in wages before administration to try keep costs lower if the players TUPE over to Rang3rs after the event?
If I was a gifted Sevco stalwart like errrrm……Black, I’d be telling them to get to……..I’d be declining their kind offer as well.
BT
Ok bhoys. I take it I was overly grumpy..
No jelly for me..
Malt whisky thanks…
Enjoy
Gerry.
Hmmmmm..
Ok it might chill me…
Yorkbhoy.
I will..
SSB fair cheered me up. Don’t know who was funnier, clowns phoning in or rockets answering them.
There was a Rangers supporter on tonight asking if anyone could carry out an independent audit of the books to inform supporters where the money had gone and where it would go in the future.
He asked if there was no shareholders group who he could turn to to get the matter raised at which point I had a wry smile.
Not only we did we have Res 10,11 and 12 put to our AGM but there is an Open Meeting of all Celtic supporters groups and individuals on Monday evening to discuss a number of issues of concern.
Now dont ask me what they are but I might trot along to find out.
However the contrast in attitudes between the two sets of support is marked. Every Tim wants a say in Celtic, every bluenose wants somebody else to have the say in Rangers.
I’ll post details of the meeting later.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/600/m7uu.png
VP-His Big Hoose looks like it’s very much open :)
Len Brennan
14:24 on 16 January, 2014
RIP Roger Lloyd Pack
Sandman – Liked all your reviewed shows but have you seen Sons of Anarchy?
Excellent show which is a lot more than a show about a biker gang.
Brilliant stories and very good cast. Seasons 1-5 on DVD and season 6 about to start possibly on 5USA (they had it last year but talk of Sky taking it on).
HH
/Bishop B
!!Bada Bing!!
14:30 on 16 January, 2014
Sandman-Boardwalk Empire is very good.
=============================
Thanks guys. Sons of Anarchy I’ve heard good things about and I think I can catch it from the beginning via netflix. Will be moving onto it next month.
And Boardwalk Empire – got the entire seasons to date on a hard drive and have yet to watch! Better get switched onto it. Love Steve Buscemi – great character actor, brilliant as hitman ‘Mr.Shush/Shhh’ (sp?) in ‘Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead’, one of my all-time top ten favourite movies.
On the Oscars – DiCaprio deserves to run away with Best Actor. Seen all the others apart from McConnaghy in Dallas Buyers’ Club’ which will be this weekend’s movie of choice.
But ‘The Wolf…’ is Scorcese’s best since Goodfellas and young Leo makes it compulsive manic viewing.
I reckon there will be no press conference tomorrow. Cancelled as a mark of respect to thon deed club. (a bit like Andy Gorams aunt)
voguepunter
I have saved a page off the Deadco den”Charles Green got the bug”:))))))))
I cant get the mental picture of him with his sleevs rolled up dreaming of French villas giving out cups of tea to the deluded waiting to buy season tickets.
One Quote though I can hardly type for laughing
“I think as well he’s at an age where he will be thinking about his legacy and he will realise that if he can turn R*ng*rs around he will never be forgotten “
Tony Donnelly ,
Are you going to issue a public health warning prior to sending your mugshot lol ,
On a serious note, is it wise , if you think of all those hurting Huns you have been
Sending best wishes to , lol they know where you drink , would’nt put it past any
of them to pay a visit , and just like Ally they would be sleek it about it .
Auldheid,
For once, I will be in Glasgow on Monday evening. Where and when is the meeting?
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BeIJbLHIUAA5FXz.jpg
Leftclick
Aye ole Chas n Dave led them a merry dance.
All this Sevco malarkey is beginning to remind me of the closing scenes of Trading Places.
Which of our heroes will play Clarence Beeks?? :O)
Sorry for sweary words didn’t see them through the tears.
marspapa
20:18 on
16 January, 2014
Tony Donnelly ,
Are you going to issue a public health warning prior to sending your mugshot lol ,
On a serious note, is it wise , if you think of all those hurting Huns you have been
Sending best wishes to , lol they know where you drink , would’nt put it past any
of them to pay a visit , and just like Ally they would be sleek it about it .
—————————————————————————————————————
they wouldnay get oot alive mate believe me…