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.
[calameo code=000390171ece27dd9e54e lang=en page=98 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
942 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- »
BMCUWP….
Lots of childhood memories sullied now they have started catering for our pre match swallying crew.
We used to do that in Janefield Cemetery,there was a better class of Jakey tapping fags off ye in there.
http://captiongenerator.com/12211/Rangers-Players-Refuse-Pay-Cut
Adolf latest
Anyone on here going to Celtic Trust meeting next week?
Yogiy
JFH
I didn’t realise our playing squad was so large. 50 full time pros?
The new Rangers have 56 full time pros.
Seriously?
Well worth a watch
Does anyone remember a restaurant near Paradise,where you could get a swally nearly 24 hours a day?
Duke of Terraine was it called?
Oh,and the Market Bar in the Gallowgate / Meat Market……remember being pashed in there as early as 9 o’clock some Saturday mornings before home games lol…ffs it used to open at 6 in the morning.
Reply from FrPaulStone to this chap I’mGary88 who found this hilarious piece on rangers media :)
If you only read one funny item today, make it this classic! http://t.co/FYxZMXkmzk Hat tip to @ImGarry88 !
No. 12 Shirt
She had been battered, raped and pillaged for several months. Every fresh blow seemed to bring her closer to that final crushing blow. Like a wounded animal she tried to stand on her feet, to regain her dignity and honour, but the attacks were relentless and to the shame of all, none would come to her aid.
And finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the end was near. The Haters, Vultures and Ghouls made their way towards Ibrox for the telling knockout blow. In the interests of “sporting integrity” a boxing referee was enlisted to deliver the final count.
At the doors of Ibrox they were met by two sentinels who barred their way. Alistair McCoist and Lee McCulloch. It was pointless asking them to move. Neither would walk away.
“Start the count” demanded one of the haters. And so it began.
But not as as they had expected.
10….9….8
“Wait, wait your counting wrong” screamed the haters.
7…6….5
The two sentinels were no longer alone. For on either side of them filing quietly into line were unknown faces wearing Rangers shirts with No. 12 on the back. They didn’t need names on the back, it was the badge on the front which was important to them. There were young and old, sprightly and infirm, the capable carried the less capable lest they stumbled.
As the count continued the numbers, grew, and grew, and grew, until thousands joined the two sentinels barring the way to Ibrox.
The silence was broken momentarily when a whisper filled the air, some say to this day it came from within the walls of Ibrox itself……. “We’ve got the battle fever on”
“Who are these people?” asked one of the haters.
Ally McCoist stepped forward……. “Allow me to introduce you to my No. 12’s……they don’t do walking away either”
And so it began.
In years to come Rangers historians will recite stories of Baxter, Woodburn, Cooper, Laudrup, McCoist, Gough and of course of No. 12.
In the coming months news outlets will feature stories about the No. 12’s – the fans who would not let their club die.
Their loyalty, faith and passion in a football club will capture the imagination of nations.
They will become the benchmark which other supporters aspire to.
Whatever is thrown at them or their club No.12’s will come back for more, time and time again until eventually our detractors can thrown no more.
Wherever their club goes the No. 12’s will be there. And every other Saturday Ibrox will be filled with No. 12’s.
Our children’s children will proudly tell their friends at school that their grandfather was a No. 12.
No. 12’s will be the topic of conversation every Monday morning, in factories, offices, wherever people assemble.
Newspaper columns will mention the No.12’s in the same breath as resilience and a never say die spirit.
Who am I and how do I know all this ?
Im a No. 12 and Im about to take my place in history.
Elbows latest
http://i942.photobucket.com/albums/ad267/clangers1/docking_zpsd7f863ca.jpg
ryectcher
I used to go to the Budgie up by the fruit market a few years ago, think that was open from about 6am
Oops share price just dropped again, down -2.70%. But, who is it that’s actually buying this stuff?
That aul five way agreement reminds me of the Hotel Bar scene in local hero.
The one where they crack open a good malt ~ the American negotiator and Scottish Lawyer agree to exchange lives.
Then they get to the bit where they have to decide who gets the wife.
You can imagine they decend upon a bar after another of their farcical Hampden meetings.
Big Charlie orders a bottle of Scotland’s finest ~ they chew the fat ~ the wee small hours they stumble accross this great agreement, they all sign up for it, announce it to their MSM pals, who are in the same bar making up that mornings copy.
The next morning in the cold light of day they look at it…
Ah! They think… They then agree to keep it quiet..
Hail Hail
From IBartin
@timomouse Keep an eye on Easdale Holdings @TheMcLane which was set up in August last year. A hive off vehicle?
the spirit of arthur lee
12:02 on 17 January, 2014
You ARE joking, aren’t you…?…..that writing has been super-imposed..?
I know what my reaction would be if a Celtic player displayed a tee-shirt like that…
Have I been duped.?…..hahahaha
ryectcher, I’ve been a regular in there for a few years and my wee bro even longer. They’ve had a bevy licence since I started partaking of their pre match delights. A great wee place, plus the owner is a right good Tim.
Perfect.
EmeraldBee, borrowed that.
Remember everyone, use ice cream and jelly responsibly.
ABZMike
Thanks , that’s what I thought. So if the players don’t allow there contracts to be torn up there’s nothing Das Huns can do……….which will bleed them dry…. which is always good
Was at Fun Lovin’ Criminals gig at ABC last night.
Band were on great form. Talented musicians as well as probably the coolest band on the planet.
Huey Morgan is definately “hep” enough to be the hoops fan he reputedly is.
Southside, southside. “that’s Brooklyn by the way”
RYECATCHER
I remember The Duke of Touraine very well!
Ingram St,at Glassford St.
My styoooopid intelligent-but-typical-dumb-blonde lass in the late 80s used to love going in there late on a Saturday night.
Place was full of pretendy and not-pretendy gangsters. They loved her,natch.
I think she knew what she was doing. Made me bloody uncomfortable,for sutre!
FFers in darkened rooms clutching their old service revolvers:
“Been reading endless posts, listening to Wallace’s excuses, and thinking about events since 2011…complete and total head f***.
However it seems I’m not alone in feeling the whole saga has impacted negatively on my health, and stress levels…family and friends have noticed. It has worn me down…without opening old wounds I did try and warn people in my own way – for years – about where Murray’s misrule was taking us.
I am now coming round to a nihilistic opinion: total wipeout….. Ground Zero. A ‘catastrophic event’.
I have read the board and most fans from finance and business have 101 reasons to avoid bankruptcy, or Admin II, and to work with ‘poor old Mr Wallace’ but I can only see us reading more of the same sh*t but from a new note book. This won’t change. We have to stop the roundabout and get off…that’s it….I am sick of it.
I am happy…perfectly happy…to start again in Div 3 with a 25 point deduction and U19 squad if these c[hap]s have all gone, and gone for good, and we the fans own the stadium, name and the famous badge on the jersey. I know most will drift off, I know all the risks, but I am calm…[You just told us you were a basket case, Sammy]
Sorry, the arguments are now legal, financial and technical and we’ve had 2 years of it and got nowhere: every leak regarding bad news has been true; every glimpse of hope has been shot down.
Under these people we cannot dream, we cannot hope, and we will get nowhere…and I think that is the ‘bottom line’.”
——
“Personally I think there is no way back for us, I accepted that around 1 year ago”
——
“I was unbearable during Admin and the subsequent months.
I think id detach myself from it this time and try to just hope for the best and not worry about it, if I could”
——
“It’s over for me…the BEST they can offer is permanent second best to the [Tims], on a shoestring budget, with the board syphoning off what they can when they can.
There is no future under them….I fear for what my kids might see, and what will be left.
We can only thrive if football people are involved, and fans, and the ‘rangers community’ from Lewis to Lahore; Dumfries to Dunedin.”
——
“I wanted fan revolt and action under Murray, even with the sorry state we are in now after whyte and green we still can’t do it.
I think we are well and truly ****ed and there is no king or McColl riding to the rescue.”
Where oh where is that most glib and shameless of liars?
Eddie,
Was in the Budgie a few times too,early doors on a Saturday.
Get fired up with the cheeky stuff and follow some drum bangers and flute blowers around Royston Road for a couple of hours then back to the Budgie for mair pre match swally.
Twas a rough old crew in the Blochairn Bar mate,Is it still there?
eddieinkirkmichael @11:57
Anyone on here going to Celtic Trust meeting next week?
——
Planning to come through from Embra for my first CST meeting. Looking forward to catching up with any CQNers there
BMCUWP…
Is that not the Colonial you’re thinking of?
Duke of Whatever I’m on about was across from Danny McGrain’s pub at Parkhead X
Gerry
The club has a facility with the Co-op which allows us to borrow up to £33M on excellent terms, pre-agreed and running forward some considerable time hence, to 2019 as I recall.
The agreement requires that a set amount is drawn down at any given time in order to maintain the facility going forward. This gives Co-op interest at rates which would shame a benefactor :¬) Libor plus 1.125%. We pay about £200K interest a year to have the facility on hand. It’s a national scandal I tell you. I might write to my MEP and kick up all manner of fuss. I demand we should be paying far more interest.
So, we have a loan account drawn down by £10.6M as at end June. If needs must, if the stand falls down tomorrow, we can borrow a further £23M to rebuild it. It’s on tap as required, but not used.
The club also has cash on account. At end June there was around £14M cash on hand.
Netting off the loan account with the current account, we have net cash of £3.6M. In other words, net credit, not net debt, as at June 2013. Of course the cashflows are cyclical over the year, highest in the summer, lowest in the spring. cf the current problems at RIFC plc. So we dip into the red over the business year.
With the sales of Wanyama, Hooper and Wilson subsequent to the June year end, together with the income from the Champions League this season, less operating costs etc, it’s forecast the club will have a net cash balance of perhaps £20M at the end of June this year.
Despite being so cash rich, the club will continue to ensure that the Co-op loan facility remains available and on hand, just in case it’s needed. It’s an emergency contingency. A disaster recovery fund if you like. It costs us a pittance after all. I’m sure the EU people will be all over it soon.
TBB
RYECATCHER
That was defo the name of that place.
Only pub I’ve been wary of leaving my lass while I went for a slash.
Ooooops,wrong word under the circumstances!
new article posted.
Rye catcher
Yes I think it is, seems a lot of guys used it .as a place to sc,ore the old marching powder and other party drugs. I remember g.etting. A Taxi Ov.er there Once fro Drumchapel with 2 guys I dumped into at a game that I used to go to school with, ended up on a 3 day session
hen1rik
hen1rik @ 10:37 on 17 January, 2014
If you are interested in tackling this then register for twitter & follow me, morrissey23rd & TheScottishFaDo every honest fan who pays their way shouldn’t be treated like mugs.
—-
Done,done and done HH
THE BATTERED BUNNET
Did you see the post from MURDOCH AULD AND HAY re yourself and BRT&H?
Seems you are on a list….
10 Questions For Every Celtic Supporter
1) Do you think Celtic is Democratic ?
2) Do you think all Celtic Supporters should have equal rights ?
3) Do you think all Celtic Supporters should have a vote ?
4) Do you think all Celtic Supporters should have an equal vote ?
5) Do you think only 29,000 Celtic Shareholders should have a vote ?
6) Do you think approx 25,000 Celtic Season Ticket Holders who are not shareholders should have a vote.
ACGR,
how are you my small freind?
not seen your brother on here for a while – is he healthy and happy?
P
Weeminger.
No what iam saying is he was a question and he gave his professional opinion and he gave it.
Now people like you and others and me might not agree but hey that’s our opinion.
But for them to say he has a sevco agenda is frankly ludicrous.
He is a tim! ST holder and probably attends more games than most on here criticising him.
Big sean.
HH
SOAL at 12.02, ha ha, nice one!!
:-)
Celtic1member1vote….
1….No
2…No
3….No
4…No
5…..Geez peace…..none of them should have a vote
6……Refer to answer for 5.
Kind Regards
Peter Lawell
Graham Wallace on Sky Spotts site
“”Categorically, there is no threat of administration II.”
Surely he is not using Latin numerals at Ipox?
It must be eleven ????
The players are revolting, but we knew that;)
the spirit of arthur lee
12:02 on 17 January, 2014
Elbows latest
http://i942.photobucket.com/albums/ad267/clangers1/docking_zpsd7f863ca.jpg
Ryecatcher, anywhere on that coast will get you a good fish supper and Pittenweem is good.
The man who wrote the Kelty Clippie, the late John Watt rated Pittenweem so much he wrote a song about it. PITTENWEEM JO
I’m goin’ wi’ a lassie fae Pittenweem,
She’s every fisher laddie’s dream.
She guts the herrin’ doon by the quay,
And saves her kisses just for me.
Well, last July it come tae pass
I met this bonnie fisher lass,
Wi’ her e’en sae blue, and black was her hair.
I met her doon by the village fair.
Oh, Pittenweem, Pittenweem,
She’s every fisher laddie’s dream.
She guts the herrin’ doon by the quay,
And saves her kisses just for me.
So I says tae her, “Can I see ye hame?”
She says, “Och fine, but I ken yer game.
But ne’er the less, ye’re awfy kind.
In fact, a widnae really mind.”
So I took her hame that Saterday nicht.
The moon was shinin’ oh sae bricht.
And as we sat there on the grass,
I said, “Hey, Jo, will ye be ma lass?”
Well, she’s ma lass noo, and weel I ken
She disnae gang wi’ other men:
‘Cause I was fast but they were slow,
And that’s how I won my Pittenweem Jo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DibgnPrT64
Ryecatcher@ 11:45
I get the image of Tony Donnelly interviewing Jamsie as
Rab C Nesbit , mainly because of his fave saying , giruy lol
Lads,
CQN naps (week 23) on here please…
cheers, fleagle1888