A good insight

[nickthemod]

about the summer and meltdown - view external link

[nickthemod]

about the summer and meltdown

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When Mauricio Pochettino left Southampton in May, few could have imagined that the supposed sinking ship he was deserting would be more buoyant than Tottenham Hotspur by the time of Sunday's reunion at White Hart Lane. Can a club lose their chairman, their manager and five key players but emerge stronger? This is the extraordinary nine-month story of how Southampton's vision defied the pundits and overcame boardroom turmoil, broken promises and a dressing-room exodus.

The morning of Monday, May 26, 2014, will not be easily forgotten inside St Mary's. Fif**** days earlier and Southampton had just recorded their highest Premier League finish of eighth but any joy at what had just gone was tempered by the uncertainty of what might lie ahead.

The offer of an improved contract had sat unsigned on Mauricio Pochettino's desk for two months and Southampton were left waiting to discover

[nickthemod]

The plan was that there would be no more sales but then Arsenal requested a meeting. Despite the expectation of a bid for Morgan Schneiderlin, Arsene Wenger was clear that he wanted Calum Chambers.

Southampton's board remained reluctant to sell until both Koeman and Reed agreed that £16[!]8201;million was a positive deal for a player regarded internally as the second choice right-back to Clyne. After Lallana, Dejan Lovren was the next biggest disappointment in how he pushed for his move and it was ultimately decided that £20[!]8201;million for a player who had cost £8[!]8201;million 12 months earlier was not such a disaster.

Krueger would then come out publicly to say that no one else would be leaving. A £10[!]8201;million bid had been made by Tottenham for Schneiderlin in the belief that he had a release clause. Schneiderlin thought this had been agreed with Cortese when he signed a contract extension the previous year. It left a difficult situation to manage but, after sounding off

[Dirtyweasel]

Really enjoyed reading that

[Rockthecasbah]

Really interesting stuff..

I love it when a plan comes together.

[PapaLazarou]

Cheers for posting, Nick - what a cracking article.

[suicide]

Cracking read Nick,Gonna float it on one of the more reasoned Pompey boards, Certainly some lessons to be learned from it.