Nicola Cortese - I'm coming for you......

I've got one Fats.... NC has spoken openly about SFC pushing for a UCL spot in the not too distant future. Obviously this would require establishing ourselves in the PL first and I'm intrigued about the how he plans to bring new blood in without rocking the boat. Will the club:

1. Operate a salary structure that sees all players earn no less than x but no more than y regardless of current deals?
   
2. Hope that players simply accept that some newcomers might arrive on significantly higher salaries?
   
3. Not sign anyone whose demands exceed those of current high earners and accept that this will rule us out of lots of deals?

I doubt it will be answered but if you don't ask and all that.

Enjoy the trip!

 

I believe it will be this point because that seems to be the way Cortese operates our transfer system already. I reckon a lot of potential deals over the summer stalled because of this very reason.

That's just my opinion though.

 

I'm with Greg in that I think it will along the lines of the 3rd point. But of course as we get further up the English football pyramid, so will those higher earners at the club get paid more and thus allow us further flexibility when it comes to what we can offer potential new signings.

For example, if in four years time we're competing directly against Aston Villa and Everton and Fulham, and Lallana and Morgan have proven themselves as Premiership quality players, then it's only natural that they are going to want to be paid what their Villa/Everton/Fulham counterparts are being paid. Loyalty works both ways.

What the players are earning now, will not be what they are earning in three, four, five, years time - assuming this progression continues (I don't think it will progress quite as far as Champions League football, but hey, who knows). I'm not expecting it to be too long until players earning £30,000 a week becomes the norm around St Marys.

 

But then we're not in the Prem yet, are we? Establishing ourselves in the EPL will surely mean we are going to have to (a) pay the players who remain in the squad more, and (b) offer more to players we are trying to sign, whether that means they will get more than the existing players or not.

You have to admit, whoever we were supposedly trying to sign in the summer, we're not exactly missing them, are we? I think NA and NC knew the squad was strong enough for the NPC without signing more strikers etc., so they weren't bothered that we couldn't attract them to SMS on the wages we were offering. Next summer, hopefully, they will assess what we need for the EPL and act accordingly.

 

On a slightly different note, I shall be sending Senor Cortese a Christmas card this year with seasons greetings and expressing my thanks and appreciation for everything he has done for our club.

 

I should imagine that the current crop have clauses that grant an automatic 50-100% pay rise on promotion. Add to that the work being done by people like Dave Whelan to control PL salaries and I don't think we'll be too far off the pace for the type of players we want.

 

Don't forget to ask him all these questions!
Good luck mate

 

Say to him to visit the Algarve

 

Good luck. Have a great trip.

 

Sammie is going to that proper clout good luck!

 

I trust you have had all of the jabs and are taking your own medical kit. We want you to come back and be well enough to tell us all about it.

With regards to a question I don't have one other than to make two suggestions to Nicola:

1 Fix the bloody sound system at SMS so that we can hear what is being said;
2 Sack immediately that gibbering bald headed idiot who does the warm up and that half time nonsense.

That is it other than to say look after yourself out there.

 

sounds a good question !

 

I have a question!

I am half Italian, and my late mother taught me to cook an amazing Bolognese! Does he think he can beat it!

 

Question: do you have any close friends in English football or do you feel like an outsider?

 

I presume Portsmouth fans can ask questions!

Question: Having been owner of Southampton for as long as you have, would you say you have adopted the whole Portsmouth-Southampton rivalry or do you just consider Portsmouth another team that you want to beat?

Just thinking about it, of course all owners want their clubs to win, but do owners care about local rivalries? Or are they just ordinary games, pretty much? Do people like Abromovich care particularly if Chelsea beat Fulham (or QPR) more so than any other team? Does George Gillette (does he still own Liverpool?) care particularly if Liverpool beat Everton more than if they beat another team?

 

Hicks and Gillet left L'pool ages ago.

It's FSG now, (they own the Red Sox).

 

Good luck. You now officially become a hero!

 

Hope you have a good trip fella

 

Cortese isn't the owner, he's the chairman.

 

Meh, tomato, tomato.