"I don't really want to get involved in any big discussion about the situation, " he told the Sunderland Echo from the club's training camp near Antwerp in Belgium.

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The Echo is a cool little club on the east side of Los Angeles, just grimy enough, with dark blue walls and a crowd that on a recent Monday night included movie stars Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix, bobbing their heads to an all-girl band called The Like.

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But journalist Gordon Simpson, who covers the club for the Southampton Echo newspaper, says Cortese's decision will ultimately be judged on results.

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