SW11_Saint

Yeah, but Darling was Melchett's creepy little right hand man. Think what you like about Crouch, can't see him in that role to Lowe!!

Left to Right - Cowan (Darling), Lowe (Melchett), Wotte (Baldrick), Wilde (George). No one is smart enough to be Blackadder!

Don't Panic!!!!

I always think too much is made of Lowe being "something in the City" - lots of us work, or have contacts there, it doesn't mean that you are a major player (like a Gavyn Davies for example).

Definitely a Birdie night!

If what you say were true - yes, very clever; a Plc Chairman purposely going out of his way to aggitate and annoy his shareholders and customers. What a shining light he is to British Commerce...

On this we can agree - if you have enough shareholders behind you, you take the reigns and there's no point crying about it when they get taken away democratically. Perhaps the biggest culprit in all of this is Wilde, as Kingmaker for Lowe after "swapping sides". There has to be some serious character flaws there. As I have said before, I will wait in vain for someone to arrive on a white charger and rid the club of the lot of them...

Surely it was the shareholders who brought Wilde/Crouch to power? Isn't that what a Plc. is all about? Again, blaming our financial meltdown on the 12 months or less that Crouch was at the helm is naive in the extreme. He didn't cover himself in glory by any stretch of the imagination, but to suggest the mismanagement that had gone on for several years before had no beaing on our financial position is ludicrous...

I think the thing you, and Jonah, seem to be misunderstanding is that this, in my humble opinion, is not a "Lowe v Crouch/McM" debate. Frankly, I do not think any of them are fit to run the club - we need an entire new board, with fresh ideas and god help us, Money! It's doubtful we'll get them. If you held a gun to my head and asked who I thought the "lesser of the two (several) evils" were I'd probably have to plump for Crouch, but again, I think we deserve better than any of the current or recent past encumbents. Of course fans will bicker about things (just listen to 606!), and the seriousness of the "problems" will vary depending on each clubs predicament - Man Utd fans probably ***** about how often they change their kit, not being able to get tickets to games etc. But to start casting back 20 years to prove that "Rupert is no worse than those who used to run the club" is a poor defence, and, as I mentioned, rather juvenile.

What, if we signed the European footballer of the year, assembled a squad of top class internationals and regularly qualified for Europe? Damn right we'd bang on about it - we'd give him the keys to the City!!!

Good lord you are scraping the barrel now...! Like several top 5 (and one top 2) finishes, and signing the European Footballer of the year, England goalie etc. etc. never happened. Jeez... stop trying to rewrite history Jonah, it's make you look rather silly I'm afraid.

Alan Ball, no question.

No.

Although most managers rant and rave about decisions at the time, the fact is they tend to "even out" over a season. I cannot see we have been any unluckier than any other club in the CCC. The table doesn't lie - we are where we are because we deserve to be - we simply aren't currently good enough to meet the standard in this division. Unfortunate, but true.

Unbelieveable how naive some people can be. Putting aside the issue that I hardly heard a murmur about Davies coming here, let alone any fans being up in arms about it, do you really really think Lowe would "splash out" on Davies and admit his Dutch Masterplan is f*cked? Oh, and to answer his question. No, it's not all Lowe's fault. But it mainly is.

Missing the point... agaaaaiinn.... the point is the accountability of those in charge over a sustantial period of time. Lowe has overseen the majority of our plummet through the leagues, and free-fall into financial armageddon - much of which has arisen by his poor decision making and the bizarre experiments he insists on subjecting the club to. So, YES, I DO think the chair of the Plc. needs to be accountable for the performance of the company/club. Think of it as half a decade of selling sweets made out of ****. Worth a complaint or two I'd say... NO! if HR had been able to "do what he'd do best" he'd have been signing players left right and centre - whether it would have worked it or not is another matter, but please don't kid yourself (or us) that Lowe "backed him with an open cheque-book". (PS Crouch was already here, just in the reserves under Wigley, so Lowe didn't "let him" do anything on that front, he just picked a reserve player and set him on the road to becoming an England squad regular). Oh purleeese...!!! there's that selective memory again... Well, the proof of the pudding... "they" kept us up. Will Rupert's masterplan?? We survived due to a number of factors - luck had a part, no question - but so did hard work, committment, the club and fans pulling together, and having a ballsy young tracksuit manager experienced in the trials and tribulations of English league football. Most of these other factors are not, and will never be present while Lowe is at the helm. We could have built on last year, but oh no, we had to throw all of that out and go for another Rupert brainwave... Erm, yes, we know that! I think you overestimate just how interested the rest of the country are in what goes on in the SO postcode area. Most couldn't give a toss. They only know RL based on what the see and hear, from him directly, and indirectly, via the media and can make their own minds up. Most of this is due to him pushing himself into the public forum - when we were riding high, let's not forget how much self publicity went on (but now things are going wrong of course it's all Leon Crouch's fault!). Not at all. Wilde and Crouch are accountable for their year in charge. They clearly mismanaged the financials somewhat, but kept us up. Everyone responsible for allowing Rupert and his Granny Gulag-ers through the door should hold their heads in shame. I've said for many months/years now - we need a clean broom; get rid of the lot of them, and let someone else have a go. Problem is the mismanagement has been so acute that we're a total basket case now, so that's highly unlikely to happen. Of course! But never hurts to throw it out tere does it - in the same way "Commie" was bandied about during the McCarthy witchhunts. Never know... that there mud just might stick to one or two... Same way most Saints fans do these days - hope for the best, fear the worst, sing/scream your hearts out for 90 minuges... then invariable go home depressed and wonder how on earth we ever got into this position... ... which bring us full circle!

Assuming you really do mean NP, and not SW... NP kept us up... or is that a minor issue that we should ignore?!? I'm not suggesting Redknapp "didn't stand a chance" at all - merely that he wasn't given ENOUGH of a chance by the board (financially or organisationally), given the way he operates. Mind, it really doesn't help coming aboard when a club has been through a sequence of 1 win in 14 - you can't seriously be suggesting that had no bearing on the job that Redknapp was charged with? Can you? Aaahhhh... the old "lunatic fringe" - wondered how long it'd be!! (Pssst... supporter for 35+ years, professional person, shareholder, season ticket holder for more than 20 years - of sound mind and body, as far as I'm aware - and my last medical checkup). Still, always helps to lob that group noun in to try and underimine reasonably sane argument doesn't it?

Very possibly, well done him in that case - spotting that we had a useful resource hanging arond doing nothing vs. one that would enable him to freshen up the team (note Beattie vs. Crouch careers success since). A good piece of business, I'm sure you'll agree? It's brutally unfair isn't it! Mind you don't confuse it with "accountability" mind Jonah, they are very different. An easy (convenient?) mistake to make, but note quite the same thing old chap. Would you "scapegoat" the bloke brought into manage the sweet-counter at Woollies for their ultimate demise? Nah, neither would I... that would be missing the issue totally. Again, well done him - he inherited an underperforming, leaderless team with their morale on the floor. Freshening up with new blood is the obvious thing to do, and what any manager worth their salt would at least attempt. I am not saying that Redknapp is completely absolved of all blame in our relegation, of course he had a part to play - but to my mind a minor role compared to those who had made blunder after blunder in managerial appointments (you clearly include HR himself among those poor managerial appointments), and left him with a mountain to climb (with his arms tied behind his back!). RE. your point b) it ALWAYS has to be worth a gamble if someone is failing dismally (ref. Wigley, JP). It was absolutely right to replace Wigley, and "gamble" with someone else, but if you're gong to select someone like Redknapp - and surely anyone in football knows how he operates?? - then you need to give him adequate backing to succeed. Otherwise, go appoint someone else. All irreleveant now anyway - here we are in a very similar position, one league rung lower, and Lowe has AGAIN made the same mistake, appointing from within. Someone with at very best a mixed track record and no experience of managing in the English league. We know the outcome, just a case of waiting for it to happen. Still, you and Rupes will be happy as it's been done "at little cost" (ignoring relegation, a 3/4 empty stadium next year, and possible administration, natch!). "outside of this place" - this message board you mean? Not sure, I have lots of mates who don't post here, but are more than interested in Ruperts continuing dismantling of SFC... outside of Saints, fans I agree - no one really cares, although you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who knows football, and I mean ANYONE, who has a good word to say about your beloved Rupert Lowe. I hope I am objective enough to see the faults of all of those who have failed SFC - and I include Lowe, Wilde, Crouch etc. in that number, along with a host of less than average managers and players. Rupert's track record for sustained mismanagement, and moreover making the same mistakes time and time again, stands head and shoulders above anyone elses though - hence why you (and he) feel he's "victimised". Again... one word - ACCOUNTABILITY. Comes with the territory I'm afraid. Toodle pip!

Perhaps some analysis of those 14 "Wigley games" is in order, many at home, and most against teams we'd normally expect to beat. Or would that reality slip the handbrake off your (rose tinted windowed?) Rupertmobile...?

Another convenient re-writing of history to protect Lowe from any criticism. Are you his Chief of Staff or something? You're right, Redknapp did have (some) of the transfer window, but wasn't given any money to spend in it - so we had to rely on the one small purchase (Fuller) and some loan signings. I actually thought that Redknapp Jnr did a reasonable job when he was fit (not often, admittedly) and don't forget Camara scored some crucial goals. We also of course had Crouch sitting in the reserves until HR came along. It was Harry's pivotal use of him that at least started us playing to whatever limited strenghts we had. I always find the scapegoating of Redknapp interesting - it's very convenient for Lowe (and his diehard followers like your good self), and his departure back 'down the road' blinds people to a objective analysis of his tenure. Yes, he failed, yes he had bad luck, but he also had his hands tied financially (when he's allowed to "wheel and deal" the results are there for all to see), and had a Chairman who didn't believe in him. Redknapp will carry the can for many, especially those desperately trying to absolve Lowe of all accountability, but the uphill task he inherited from Wigley, and the confines within which he was required to work (financially and structurally), never really gave him or us the chance needed...

Hit the nail on the head. So you'd agree with me then, that Lowe's most abominable mistake was to appoint Wigley, having failed to learn his lesson with Gray. You could also extend that point to Wotte, but at least we can console ourselves with the fact that this will be his 'third strike', as he finally finishes the club off...

With the club in crisis, what else do you expect us to be discussing on a fans formum FFS?? Do you have something massively more important you'd like to suggest, perhaps how wide the stripes on our home kit next year should be? Jeez...

I think I can pretty safely say a Stern John brace won't save us this year... You're comparing apples with bananas... different board, different manager, different team (all inferior to last season), different, sorry, NO, spirit. We haven't got a cat in hell's chance under Lowe/Wilde/Wotte. We're ****ed.

Because they realise that decisive action is needed (not just another shuffling of the deckchairs) to turn what's left of the season around.