Cortese denies Pardew rift (From This is Hampshire)
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Cortese denies Pardew rift
4:09pm Saturday 13th March 2010 in
NICOLA Cortese has described the gap between Saints and the top of League One as “simply too big”.
But the Saints chairman has denied there has ever been any rift with manager Alan Pardew over the team’s results or position.
However, Cortese has once again underlined his desire to reach the playoffs at the end of the season – something Saints were 16 points short of going into today’s match against Leeds.
Cortese said that is not good enough, given the amount of money that has been spent on the team.
In total this season, Saints are thought to have shelled out about £3m on transfers.
Cortese does not believe the ten-point deduction Saints started the season with should be an excuse for not making the playoffs.
“If you go back to the beginning of the season, Southampton were probably not in a much different position than Norwich or Charlton, with the difference that we started on minus ten points,” he said.
“But Norwich or Charlton had no money to spend in the window.
“We all know what we spent.
“Now we are approximately 30 points behind Norwich and 20 points behind Charlton.
“I think that gap is simply too big.”
Cortese said both he and manager Alan Pardew were of the opinion that the amount spent in January – around £2m – meant the playoffs had to become their target for the campaign.
“We spent quite a considerable amount of money in the transfer window,” he said.
“Simply, when you do that automatically your expectations change.
“When the manager comes to ask me about buying players, we also talk about what we are going to end up with when we are buying those players.
“So we were always on the same page with what we want to achieve."
For full story don't miss this weekend's Pink.
Comments(48)
Luda.
says...
4:44pm Sat 13 Mar 10
H0ckeyd
says...
5:09pm Sat 13 Mar 10
KCAJRETSOF
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5:14pm Sat 13 Mar 10
Red&White Power
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5:18pm Sat 13 Mar 10
Cortese obviously has big ambition and is right in wanting better results. Brentford, Exeter and Wycombe where games we should have won. That said i also think he like reverse psychology to get things moving. After spending someone else's millions who can blame him.
Spudsaint
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5:29pm Sat 13 Mar 10
H0ckeyd
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5:30pm Sat 13 Mar 10
On the N332
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5:34pm Sat 13 Mar 10
KCAJRETSOF wrote:Agreed. Furthermore, it doesn't matter how much money you throw at building a team, Rome wasn't built in a day. Was NC expecting too much to be seriously challenging for promotion? I believe Alan Pardew set out with the objective of a mid- to top-half table position at the end of the season - and anything else would be a bonus. Well, we have JPT final to look forward to but play-offs are still a distant light at the end of the tunnel. I can only hope that this season's achievements (so far) will not go unrecognised with NC. We are nigh on Championship material and worth a serious bet for promotion next year if the dream (fantasy?) doesn't happen this season. I rest my case. COYR!
it is not correct to say we were the same as Norwich and Charlton apart from the -10 points. Saints were in a total mess with half a team, hence the low points tally in the first ten games. That is what has cost us the chance of promotion - not the fault of manager or team!
big ed
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5:38pm Sat 13 Mar 10
Croomey
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5:45pm Sat 13 Mar 10
saint t.boy
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6:24pm Sat 13 Mar 10
exciting times ahead for this club and will be repaying my faith and thanks to markus and nicola by buying a set of ST's.
COYR
ALAN PARDEWS RED ARMY!!
spratt
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6:26pm Sat 13 Mar 10
Andy_Germany
says...
6:34pm Sat 13 Mar 10
Condor Man
says...
6:52pm Sat 13 Mar 10
Optimism rules OK
says...
6:55pm Sat 13 Mar 10
Ozmosis
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7:02pm Sat 13 Mar 10
(s/w = nice-form, psml!)
Red&White Power
says...
7:52pm Sat 13 Mar 10
Now they have been let back into SMS they should refrain from personal attacks.
OSPREYSAINT
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8:03pm Sat 13 Mar 10
Bungy53
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8:43pm Sat 13 Mar 10
Bunman
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9:37pm Sat 13 Mar 10
stjj
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9:37pm Sat 13 Mar 10
Bungy53 wrote:go on bbc radio solent web site it is on there.
Can anyone tell me what was said regarding a move from St Marys? The Saints Player doesn't appear to show the interview as being available to listen to it this evening.
Jewson Smithee
says...
10:14pm Sat 13 Mar 10
Tirau Dan
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10:42pm Sat 13 Mar 10
Were Saints on an even parr with Norwich or Charlton when Alan Pardew took over. Has someone got the book value of players from Norwich and Charlton to compare with Saints.
Alan started with no players lined up by scouts. He had the remnants of a team that had been stripped to the absolute bare bones and no pre-season training organised by himself.
He had a pair of poles that didn't want to play, some kids that very much wanted to but were never up to the task and a few talented stalwarts that had been down trodden that have come through.
Norwich had 11 player changes and got a new manager Paul Lambert at 18th Aug he has had a 68% win record with his new team.
Pards joined Saints on 17th July and has a 48% record. Parkinson has a 33% record with Charlton and has had the team since Nov 2008.
Pards got in a good core of helpers and players in and rebuilt.
The early string of draws and defeats were part of Pards learning the team. We did well against some good teams but consistently failed to soundly beat the less fancied teams.
The loss to Brighton and the first half debacle against Orient held us back as the others flew up the league.
The window came and we added more. They need time to settle but meanwhile we drew with Exeter and lost to Tranmere. Yet produced some of the most scintillating football seen for years at home.
It's that last box referred to by Pards.. "consistency" that remains unticked.
The Chairman says there is no rift.
He says there is no plan for a Director of Football.
He does say the gap is simply not good enough.
Bit long, sums it up as I see it and probably most of you.
Its the half empty/full glass.
The Chairman, is not happy with the results and wants the play offs this year.
There is pressure on and I think it's good healthy pressure. Is Pards in jeopardy.. no.
Know how astute our chairman is he may well have some confidential monetary bonus or penalty in place for failing to deliver that final box and achieve his budget target: the play-offs.
Waysider
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7:15am Sun 14 Mar 10
Andy_Germany
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7:22am Sun 14 Mar 10
JohnItaly
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7:26am Sun 14 Mar 10
Andy_Germany
says...
8:06am Sun 14 Mar 10
JohnItaly wrote:well said JohnItaly. I wonder if NC reads these posts? Probably not. Maybe he should, then he would realise how upseting his comments can be. He might also realise how passionate Saints fans worldwide are.
I seem to recall a five year plan when the club was taken over. Does Cortese think spending money will bring instant success and therefore now adopting a FIVE MONTH plan?
franiow
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8:19am Sun 14 Mar 10
RJCogburn
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9:05am Sun 14 Mar 10
SouthamptonLegend
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9:16am Sun 14 Mar 10
Andy_Germany wrote:It isn't a 5 year plan!!! It's 3!! Cortese said this ages ago.
JohnItaly wrote:well said JohnItaly. I wonder if NC reads these posts? Probably not. Maybe he should, then he would realise how upseting his comments can be. He might also realise how passionate Saints fans worldwide are.
I seem to recall a five year plan when the club was taken over. Does Cortese think spending money will bring instant success and therefore now adopting a FIVE MONTH plan?
Cortese said the gap simply isn't good enough and we can't use the -10 points as an excuse...totally agree with him and have been telling you muppets on here for a long time but you all disagreed.
I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't make the play-offs Alan Pardew would be sacked by Cortese. Expectations need to be met and Markus and Nicola have very high expectations, as should we all!!
Charlie Wayman
says...
10:03am Sun 14 Mar 10
The Echo has distorted the sincerity of this interview by honing in on an alleged rift between Cortese and Pardew. To me Cortese came accross as a sincere and genuine person with a burning desire to take the club back to where it belongs.
Saints fans just savour the moment. and Echo report the spirit of his comments not highlight extracts to sell more newspapers.
Luda.
says...
10:12am Sun 14 Mar 10
I don't know how many staff Nicola himself has appointed, maybe this was the thinly veiled swipe at Pards?.
Whatever this guy does will be right for the club.
The team at the moment is playing great, but we will never know if the grass is/was greener had someone else been appointed.
Hope Alan is the man to lead us to the Prem in 5 years, but unless we are making real progress in the championship in two years time, i don't believe he will be.
Paul Lucas
says...
11:00am Sun 14 Mar 10
.
What if - AP didn't make the play-off's and was sacked?
.
Who would you all see as the man to do it, the man NC would appoint.
.
What if the new manager was appalling - what would the fans and NC think then?
.
COYRS!!!!!!
Southampton Heart
says...
11:16am Sun 14 Mar 10
I think NC is doing a smashing job...and we couldn't have a better man in charge (in St Markus's trust).
I'm so excited for our Club's future.
Southampton Forever!.
SouthamptonLegend
says...
11:47am Sun 14 Mar 10
Paul Lucas wrote:You can more or less guarantee the next man will be better. We will be able to attract very well known and very experienced managers. Cortese took AP on for this season because he had a good play-off record, he might think now that it's not good enough and anyways we don't need that experience as we'll want to be champions of every division after this season, so someone with that experience is going to be needed. We need a great manager for the future and i don't think AP is a great manager, he's ok but not the best.
OK - Time for a what if??
.
What if - AP didn't make the play-off's and was sacked?
.
Who would you all see as the man to do it, the man NC would appoint.
.
What if the new manager was appalling - what would the fans and NC think then?
.
COYRS!!!!!!
Andy_Germany
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11:56am Sun 14 Mar 10
The Exiled Saint
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12:34pm Sun 14 Mar 10
As Chief Executive Officer of Southampton FC and sole board member he is the one responsible to Marcus Leibherr, the owner, for the Clubs’ progress. Therefore he will be always the one who decides on all matters concerning the Club, including the buying of players.
This may not suit the traditionalist or those who may be of the opinion that his role is merely to sign the cheques. Those days are gone, and if proof were ever-needed then just look down the road at Fratton Park, where the coach/managers were given carte blanche to buy any player they wanted.
I doubt if there was a “rift” between Alan Pardew and the CEO, except in the mind of those who may still be resentful at not being consulted, as they had been in the past.
If anyone had told me last August that we’d be tenth in table, with a mathematically possibility of getting within the playoffs, gone seven home games without defeat and planning a trip to Wembley, I would’ve doubted their mental health.
We may not get promotion, but thanks to Marcus Leibherr, Nicola Cortese, Alan Pardew, et al., Southampton Football Club is in a much better condition than it ever was under any combination of the Lowe/Wilde/Crouch/ McMenemy regimes.
Yesterday’s gate of 30000 plus, for a Third Divison club, must surely confirm this.
waxrose
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12:52pm Sun 14 Mar 10
Costa Baz
says...
2:40pm Sun 14 Mar 10
SouthamptonLegend wrote:I might be wrong, but I thought NC was asked during the interview to confirm if the '5 year plan' was still in place, to which his response (unless I am a muppet) was 'yes it is'.
Andy_Germany wrote:It isn't a 5 year plan!!! It's 3!! Cortese said this ages ago. Cortese said the gap simply isn't good enough and we can't use the -10 points as an excuse...totally agree with him and have been telling you muppets on here for a long time but you all disagreed. I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't make the play-offs Alan Pardew would be sacked by Cortese. Expectations need to be met and Markus and Nicola have very high expectations, as should we all!!JohnItaly wrote: I seem to recall a five year plan when the club was taken over. Does Cortese think spending money will bring instant success and therefore now adopting a FIVE MONTH plan?well said JohnItaly. I wonder if NC reads these posts? Probably not. Maybe he should, then he would realise how upseting his comments can be. He might also realise how passionate Saints fans worldwide are.
Perhaps you can direct the muppets to the archive in which NC said it was now a 3 year plan?
Luda.
says...
2:45pm Sun 14 Mar 10
Costa Baz wrote:Definatly said 5 year plan, infact he seemed a bit pee'd off that he was asked.
SouthamptonLegend wrote:I might be wrong, but I thought NC was asked during the interview to confirm if the '5 year plan' was still in place, to which his response (unless I am a muppet) was 'yes it is'. Perhaps you can direct the muppets to the archive in which NC said it was now a 3 year plan?Andy_Germany wrote:It isn't a 5 year plan!!! It's 3!! Cortese said this ages ago. Cortese said the gap simply isn't good enough and we can't use the -10 points as an excuse...totally agree with him and have been telling you muppets on here for a long time but you all disagreed. I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't make the play-offs Alan Pardew would be sacked by Cortese. Expectations need to be met and Markus and Nicola have very high expectations, as should we all!!JohnItaly wrote: I seem to recall a five year plan when the club was taken over. Does Cortese think spending money will bring instant success and therefore now adopting a FIVE MONTH plan?well said JohnItaly. I wonder if NC reads these posts? Probably not. Maybe he should, then he would realise how upseting his comments can be. He might also realise how passionate Saints fans worldwide are.
Costa Baz
says...
2:46pm Sun 14 Mar 10
If, as I understand it, the fee was charged for every ticket, did the extra staff and phone lines really cost £132k?
KCAJRETSOF
says...
2:48pm Sun 14 Mar 10
RJCogburn wrote:Exactly right! Remember Rupert's revolving door? How about QPR since they had rich owners. Saints fans, above all others, should totally reject any idea of getting rid of AP anytime soon. Personally, if the manager went if we don't make the play-offs this season, I would feel totally depressed. Some of our fans have very short memories and vastly inflated expectations!
Cortese is right to expect results for the investment,however AP is building a strong team which will need continual investment if we are to progress.Any successful club at any level requires that.Next season will be the real test.No 10 point deduction and hopefully no top player sales in the summer - then lets expect the Manager to deliver promotion,but if the club pulls the rug from under him we will only have ourselves to blame.
sotonexpat
says...
5:45pm Sun 14 Mar 10
Bunman wrote:Fcuk off Skate.
All well in paradise then?
wallop wonderboy
says...
6:35pm Sun 14 Mar 10
Upon his appointment to the club/company on the 3rd August his official statement said that his intention was to 'create a solid base from which we can build and become successful. This will take time'.
At the Fans' Forum on the 3rd September when asked about the prospects of getting to the premiership he said that 5 years would be reasonable.
In his Christmas address dated the 21st December 2009 he said that 'progress in the league remains our priority and we remain ambitious to continue our climb up the table'.
Since that last statement the team has done quite well and won most games. Our form has for the most part matched our expectations.
His comments above are all reasonable.
I heard part of his interview before the Leeds game. I did not understand the comparison with Leeds and Norwich and the ten point gap. Dan (NZ) has already pointed out that both those teams were well set at the end of July to start the new season with settled squads. AP had to come in and pick up the remnants of a squad and add a few elder statesmen, loanee boys and one or two others that he managed to beg and borrow through his network of contacts. They did bloody well and whilst they might not have won as many as we would have like and we perhaps drew a few too many at least we had a team proud to wear the Saints shirt and to give the fans something to shout about. It has been a great recovery year but please do not spoil it by being over critical if we do not make the play-offs. After all our chairman (NC) is quoted in his own club website as saying that it would be reasonable to take five years to get to the premiershit(oops-mis
hit the key but it might be near right) and at present , promotion or no promotion this year we are well on course.
Tirau Dan
says...
8:23pm Sun 14 Mar 10
It's not a reason for a rift between a manager and the directors until they are convinced that the manager is unable to perform to expectation.
I would expect there may be some confidential monetary penalty in place for failing to achieve his budget target: the play-offs but this isn't a director that is going to run a fairground carousel for managers to jump on and off.
If we get to the play offs brilliant if we don't I think most fans are already looking forward to next season being the finest winning record for many years.
If and when Nicola decides Pards is not the man either a football direct would come in to help (already discounted in the near future) or at the end of the season out goes Pards and in comes the new man... I really don't think Mr Cortese will speak about it in advance to anyone except the manager and replacement. For me I can't see that happening in a million years and if it did the candidate would have to be absolutely mind blowingly top flight.
Have some Saintly faith and confidence in sense and competence.
BIg-Al
says...
10:34am Mon 15 Mar 10
Yes it is - but these clubs didn't have to sell their Championship standard players to pay wages bills and other debts. SFC had no team, no pre-season training or team-bonding for the new players. I believe Alan Pardew has done an absolutely terrific job and shouldn't be held responsible if the expectations of the Chairman has changed from his five-year plan.
spratt
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4:14pm Mon 15 Mar 10
Alicesdad
says...
4:38pm Mon 15 Mar 10
spratt wrote:Well said.
Why all this speculation about AP being replaced? I thought NCs interview extremely impressive and no hint of a rift with AP. He was right though to point out that we are not in the league position we should be at this stage. Reading between the lines of the interview I got the impression that the £3m spent was on an understanding with AP that with the players brought in the playoffs could be achieved. Not that they would but that they could. I still think that some very poor results by way of draws and losses disappointed ML and NC but that does not mean there is any question of AP going. Refering to some of the adverse preceding comments on NC I think we should remind ourselves that the Chairman and owner are far more important than the Manager. Managers come and go but the Club was saved by Marcus.
In any event take a look at the team in 6th place now. They will prbably end up with around 80 points. We can only beat that by winning every game. Highly unlikely.
Even if we had beaten Wycombe Tranmere, Exter and Brentford we would still be adrift and hoping the other results go our our way. Its clear to see, the poor start when we were rebuilding plus the ten point deduction made our task very difficult. We will however win this league next season with a massive points haul and we will go up thefollowing season too.
Optimism? Maybe.. but te only way is up.
So now we are back to this ridiculous story of a "rift".
THERE ISN'T ONE.
There is only one paper making an issue of this. The Echo. No other paper is bothered as we are League One and not big news.
The Echo should stop stirring this up and lookm to the future with positive news not this constant jibing and misquoting.
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Mick99 says...
4:33pm Sat 13 Mar 10