Fitzhugh Fella

Ignore Buctootim, Trousers - your point was very valid and yet he could only answer it with sarcasm, irony or whatever. Sometimes people are more interested in point scoring than debating.

I must admit people who know him have always said that compared to Lowe he was a reasonable sort of chap but in the couple of phone conversations I had with him last year during the SoS initiative I found him perfectly polite but his manner did remind me a little of Lowe himself. The relationship between the two men must be an interesting one - I have heard of times when Cowen has been a steadying influence on Lowe especially when things have got a little out of hand but when all said and done he has not been able to prevent some of Lowe's more "excessive or extravagent" decisions. Lowe is very capable of brow beating people - he has a forceful character that gets belligerent when opposed. I did have a few minutes talking to Mary Corbett prior to the AGM and was quite shocked when she told me how on quite a few occasions she had been intimidated by him.

My reading of this now is you need to go into voluntary administration before you are relegated (unlike Leeds) to trigger the 10 points this season rather than next. This is why there is a very strong possibility that Southampton will go into administration sooner rather than later. Things are critical, I believe.

You make a valid point.

Perhaps to help you out I can use a political analogy. If Rupert Lowe is Southampton's Maggie Thatcher then Andrew Cowen is Southampton's John Major. Incidentally I hear Andrew Cowen is heartily sick of the present situation and is looking forward to "getting out" asap.

I believe this story and have heard similar which sort of negates Jan's claim that he picks the team 100%.

So now we know why "his international clearance didn't come through in time". I wish the OS would just give us the truth instead of all this subterfuge.

Roger - my e mail address is duncan@duncanholley.co.uk

I won't be renewing my son's ticket next year. He has lost complete interest.

Too many stories about Ron you couldn't publish Andy. There's still a few blokes in So'ton on the lookout for him

Thanks for explaining that Tim. One of the other side effects of the GITR appeal was it reconnected Ron to the fans and vice versa. Plus it has also led to Ron gaining some employment and self esteem. It also painted Saints fans in a positive, good light - even this morning I got a message from Sky TV asking all about it and the National media interest has been remarkable. Even the club came out of it smelling of roses at the time and although we were then being governened by the discredited execs I have to say they were very helpful.

Answer? YES Just had a long phone call from Tim in LA where we have resolved our little spat. So a major change is needed. Tim is working on that so I am happy to see what happens, for the time being. Best regards Duncan

Nick - can I respectfully suggest you (we) revisit this post at the end of January. Cheers.

Tim - I am not insulting you FFS. But posts like yours are actually now doing this club harm. The sooner we all wake up and realise the crap we are in the better. Your pyhscobabble clap trap probably works well where you live but unfortunately it doesn't wash here. And if you don't like the heat then stay out the kitchen. I do not mean any offence, mate but please either get real or butt out. Now is the time for plain speaking because our club is going down the pan and we really do not need any karma from half way around the world. I still love you, don't worry - but you have picked the wrong day to post a happy clappy message. The boys from the "Ave" say hello, but trust me having just left there your post would have gone down like a lead balloon. Hope you are well and New Year blessings. Dunc

Tim that is religious unhelpful Californian bull****. We were ****e today and the sooner we come to terms with it the better. Respectfully yours Duncan

Ron has not been given the £10,000 which is why he hasn't mentioned it. We are holding on to it until we are sure that he is fit and healthy again. We have been paying his out of pocket expenses and we helped towards his teeth (which needed to be done before they would look at his hips). The 2nd op is due on Feb 5th. If there are no complications and it becomes obvious that the rest of the money is not needed then the GITR committee will consider what best to do with it. We have already had some debate (pay off his debt on his trailer, bring him to the UK etc etc) but we have now decided to wait until after the 2nd op. It was only after the money was raised that Tim Mumford (TT) got involved and managed to get the US system to meet most of the costs we had been expecting to incur.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/jan/04/southampton-sportinterviews

Don't worry Pullis will save our season!

Tbh I think most good young United reserves would not want to come to SMS. I think they probably set their sights on Championship sides who are pushing for promotion. Borrowing from Millwall is more our scene right now - unfortunately.

I was particularly drawn to the Guardian's "velvet-collared businessman" description of Lowe. That is a new one on me.

Whether or not Lowe signed good or bad players is inconsequential but the point is a manager stands or falls by his signings whereas a Chairman (unless he fires himself) does not. Football is all about opinions and I respect yours because it is well made, but I sincerely believe that right now had Crouch and Pearson been at the helm we would be in a better position than we are currently in. Cork's unfortunate departure today is a perfect example of how vulnerable you can become if you build your squad around promising youngsters on loan. There is no solid foundations being laid, no continuity and no guarantees. The consequence of all this is the fans will lose heart if they think players can just leave as soon as they show any signs of looking half decent. Saints are now playing an everlasting game of Russian Roulette and as we all know it is only a matter of time before the bullet finds it way into the right chamber.

Welcome back Richard. While I kinda agree about LM's ego, I still find it sad that now, this club's finest hour is being tarnished by a rather unnecessary and spiteful one-way spat. For all his faults (and everyone has an opinion) LM's achievement in bringing home a trophy should be treated with at least a modicum of respect. Did you get your chips in the end?

Enjoyed watching this from the BBC. Good to see Channon, Ossie and Pedro singing "Oh When the Saints" and have never seen the Barry Davies piece on the final before. Also the boardroom filming is new to me - good to see George Reader (then our Chairman) get a few words with Mary's dad watching on. Things have certainly changed - no photo of a train in the Boardroom then. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/7783151.stm

We need to loan some experienced defensive muscle for the battle ahead not Ryan Smith, who looks clueless everytime I have seen him. What is JP up to?

I am not a million miles from your views. As the poster before you highlighted the Trust was launched amid a blaze of publicity and promises and then....virtually nothing delivered not helped by appalling communications. To be fair running something like a Trust efficiently is time consuming and needs dedication but it seems these were characteristics lacking at the time. Nick is a nice enough bloke, with savvy and he means well but I do fear out of the 3 amigos he feels more at home in Lowe's camp and has unwittingly allowed himself to be "cultivated" to a degree. I suppose he could level similar bias accusations at me, as out of the Holy Trinity, I would prefer Crouch (certainly on a temporary basis) but at the end of the day a completely fresh face will be the only way the fans can once again unite. A well-run active and independant supporters club with 5,000 members would be a loud voice and one any self-respecting Board would like to have a decent relationship with. In the old days clubs actually relied on these supporters clubs for finance. Ted Bates's first signing, Jimmy Shields from Sunderland was completely financed by the Supporters Club so it was little wonder the directors in those days showed a little more respect to the fans and their organisations.