Nicola Cortese - Saints Chairman Opens His Heart

Nicola in his statement goes through how the loss has affected him, and his and the Liebherr family's thoughts on our future prospects.

He describes how close he had become to Markus and also how deeply he trusted him and looked up to him. He acknowledged how the loss of Markus has impacted on the Liebherr family, his family and the Saints family as a whole.

One thing that he did stress was the fact that the way us fans had reacted to the passing of Markus had filled bothe the Liebherr family and him with huge pride.

He told how the tributes at St Mary's and the memorial service which was held on Wednesday are something that will never be forgotten.

Nicola stressed that the way the Saints family had come together to remember Markus, had only reinforced his determination to succeed with the plans made by the two men.

He also told how he often spoke with Markus about their plans and how deeply Markus had become attatched to the club and the fan base.

Since Markus' passing he told how he had spoken with the family and how they also want to see the promises and plans reach fulfillment.

The statement goes on to thank the fans on behalf of both the family and himself for the way we rallied round at this sad time with our support and tributes.

Nicola did add a special thank you to Mr Pete Winkelman of MK Dons, whom he said is a real gentleman.

The one note of steel that came out in the statement, was that of his determination to succeed. He said that some outside parties question what is happening at St Mary's but that he will continue to do what he believes is best for the club at all times.

The statement in full can be read by clicking here

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