SFKA South Woodford

Fully agree, when the dust settles, Saints should definetly try to sign him. He's just notched another as well.

Luton and Bournemouth were both hit with additional three point penalties for having been in administration before within a period of years, which if I remember rightly is either 2 or 3 years. So Stockport should be getting the same penalty, as they were in admin less than two years ago.

Has anyone still got the link to that new football stadiums website? Thought i'd check on the progress of the Withdean.

There are plenty of pubs within a short walk of Leytonstone station, which is the next stop down the line, including a big wetherspoons on the high road less than a five minute walk from the station. It also has the added bonus/disadvantage of a McD's next door. There is also a pub called 'The Railway Bell' which is just across the road from South Woodford station, which is on the same tube line but about a ten to fifteen minute tube ride away. This has the added bonus of being about a five minute car ride from the North Circular for those that are driving and the station also has plenty of car parking spaces.

I've just had a thought about another way the club can get some more much needed income. We all know that the club cannot sell season tickets at present. But what is to stop the from selling memberships for next season? They could set the base price for a membership at £20 which I know is twice what it was last season, but times are harsh and money is needed. They could also offer memberships at a higher price for those that are intending to buy season tickets for next season. Then if the club is bought and is able to put season tickets on sale over the summer, those that have bought a membership at a higher price, will get whatever they have paid over the £20 figure deducted from the cost of their next season ticket. Sorry if this has already been suggested, but I haven't read any posts along this line.

Exactly, it makes those doing all they can and those giving money they can't really afford to the club to keep it going for the future generations, look like right bunch of mugs. Why are we bothering to try to save our club? If those tw*ts who ran on the pitch, are just going to do all they can, to scupper that good work. I fear these people have today cost our club very dearly, in fines, increased policing, further points deductions from the football league and the repairs needed for the damage they have done. They have also possibly now blow our hopes of a takeover taking place. It was absolutely ridiculous moronic behaviour.

Agree with the banners sentiment, but with a show of unity from the fans all singing and raising the roof off St marys for 90 min tomorrow, i'm sure there will be lots of us that will be shedding a tear at the end. Especially if we only get a paltry 23,000 and know that the club will more than likely fold before a buyer can be found. As Vinnie says in Lock stock "It's been emotional!"

I think you will find, that Luton and their fans would be more than sympathetic with our plight, as they hate the football league and Mawhinney with a passion, and don't want any clubs to suffer the injustice that they have.

Basically the end of league football in Southampton, and may very well be the end of a football club in Southampton. Seeing as how all Saints fans must be the unluckiest people on the face of the planet, maybe we should all start supporting whichever of the big four is the most unpopular amongst all of us, maybe we can make lightning strike twice.

I received this message from a friend of mine who is a Luton supporter and used to run their club website and was closely involved with the club, so what he says here should be fairly near the truth of their situation. See below. Sorry but you're now going to be subjected to an explanation as to what has happened to LTFC in recent years. It's complicated but to understand why we feel so angry with the FA and the FL all of these points have to be understood. I'll do this in two parts. Part two might come later on when I get the time! ;-) No other club in the history of the football league have had to endure what we have had to go through this season: (i) 10 points deducted (by the FA) for things done by the previous holding company rather than the football club (ii) 20 points deducted (by the FL) for coming out of administration without a Creditors Voluntary Agreement (17 points + 3 points) Of course, there's much more to it than first meets the eye. I'll discuss point (i) first: Some agent's fees over 3 years ago were paid via the holding Company (Jayten) rather than via the Football Club. From a purely business and accounting perspective there is absolutely nothing wrong or illegal in doing this. It was all run through the proper accounting systems - no tax avoidances, no 'bungs'. However, it broke a technical FL rule that states that agents fees have to go through the Football club's books so the FA can audit how much clubs are paying to agents. The reason it was done this way was to hide agent fees from the then manager (Mike Newell) who had completely lost the plot as a manager and was waging a war against agents saying they 'took too much money out of the game'. I'll come back to this statement later. The MD at the time didn't want the confrontation with the manager, and this was his resolution. The club secretary pointed out to him that this was breaking FL rules and was told to mind her own business. She then took it upon herself to report this to the FL. If she hadn't, they would not have known anything about it. (Note that every Luton fan believes she did the right thing in telling the FA). I also believe that one or two of the agents were also not officially registered with the FA or the FL, but as these people were introduced to LTFC as the player's agents then they had no reason to doubt them at the time. It also needs to be ponted out that none of the above gave LTFC any 'on the field' advantage. If they had simply paid those fees through the football club's books then the result would have been the same (unlike the West Ham situation when they signed Tevez et all, breaking football league rulkes *and* gaining an on-the-field advantage by playing players they shoudln't have been allowed to sign). Now, bare in mind that these dealings via the holding company were done over 3 years ago. It was reported to the FA straight away, yet it still took the governing bodies a further 18-24 months to get around to dealing with the issue. By that time, we had been relegated twice and had a 10 point deduction for going into administration. The dodgy MD saw what was coming and persuaded someone else to step in and take over the running of the club. 'Due diligence' was taken before the take-over was official, and within a few months the new chairman realised that he had been lied to and that the financial state of the club was far worse than he had been told or been allowed to see. He then forced the other director's to resign and put the club into administration (it was allegedly losing 400,000 a month). So, we go into administration and have to pay an administrator for 9 months to run the club (coating approx 1 million quid!!). A number of players are sold by the administrator, who then sacks the manager as well. A consortium setup by LTFC fans eventually wins control of the club. The 2020 consortium is then hit by the FA with a 10 point fine for breaking a technical rule, despite the fact that no advantage was gained as a result, no 'cheating' (as some very ignorant fans from other clubs have stated) was involved at all. West Ham avoided a points deduction because it was related to things done by a previous regime and that it wouldn't be 'fair' on the club or the supporters. Fair? What do the governing bodies know about being fair? A fair outcome would have been a warning and a suspended 10 point penalty (say for three seasons). The perpetrators of the 'crime' (and I use the term loosely) were fined about £5,000 and banned from running a football club. Big deal!!

Too true adrian. I truly love Saints and for years thought that they had a family that would stick together through thick and thin, that was at least 30,000 strong. It now seems that I and many others on here were wrong and only half of that number really ever belonged to that family. It's making me feel so sad, when I think back to Cardiff and the sea of yellow and blue and the unity that was displayed that day, and try to marry that with the situation now. It upsets me when I read the apathetic comments of some on here and the posts on the number of tickets that have been sold. It makes me angry that so many that claim to be Saints through and through, don't seem to really give a toss about our club. We all know that the state of the economy, threats of more job losses and the football that is being served up on the pitch are reasons for people not to go along on Saturday, but they are all things which will change for the better in time. If people don't get to the game this weekend, then Saints will cease to exist as a league team and the rumours about being in the blue square, or a lower league next season will be a reality, as a new team will have to be formed. It could then be years, if ever, before the city of Southampton has a league football club again. So come on Southampton, show that you are a city that loves your football club, splash some cash and get down to St Marys on Saturday.

Not as if he hasn't said this several times already. So I wouldn't count on that statement making any difference. There really should be enough people who give a sh*t about the club to sell 30,000, for what is after all a very important game in more ways than one.

Well said, it woud seem that not enough people either realise or care about how grave the situation is. If they want a club in the city in the future, then they should turn up and show their support.

Mine was away at West Ham in either 85 or 86, Saints lost 3-0 or 3-1, and Shilton got a hell of a lot of abuse from the hammers fans, having had wife beating allegations levelled against him at the time. First home match was 87, I went to several in quick succession and can't remember which was the first. It would either of been 1-0 Vs Watford with Danny getting the goal, or 3-0 vs Oxford can't remember the scorer's though.

No one is saying that they are an uber fan or doesn't understand that people do have other commitments. People are just showing their concern that, other's don't seem to want to get involved with saving the club, by coming along to support the club at the turnstiles in it's hour of need. If we have a couple of hundred thousand people on the database, as being Saints fans, it should be possible for 28 to 32 thousand of them to get to each game, especially now Ruperts gone and that we may no longer have a club to support at the end of this season. The support from those that did make it along today was fantastic, well done to those in Northam for keeping the volume up.

No, you haven't beeb conned. I heard the elbow hit Rudi's head, from where I was sitting about 10 yards away, sounded very nasty at the time. How Kuqi stayed on the pitch is beyond me and all of those sitting around me in the Kingsland who saw it.

Good on you for coming along and helping the club. None of us are 'carping', we are just appealing to all those who love the club, to do what you are and make an effort to save the club, either by coming to the game, or by buying a ticket and staying at home, if the fayre being served up on the pitch isn't to their liking. No one is saying that they are a better fan than others, just that the club is in it's hour of need, and everyone who wants to have a football club in Southampton next season, needs to answer it's call and show the club their support. As Mark Fry keeps saying, if the fans don't support the club and give him the time he needs, then finding a buyer for the club will be irrelevant. So come on all of you who have ever had Saints in your hearts, keep their heart beating, so that one day we will all feel the joy returning from the pride of saying 'I'm a Saints fan'

That's the attitude that will save our club. Support the club, while we have a club to support, what's served up on the pitch is now irrelevant. Where are all the tens of thousands who profess to love the club? Is it right that the loyal 15,000 of us have to save the club on our own?

That's pretty poor when you consider the situation that the club is in. Do the people of Southampton actually want a football club to support? We all know that the team is not serving up much entertainment on the pitch at the moment for whatever reason, but if you don't like what's on display on the pitch, care about the club and can afford it, buy a ticket anyway, support the club. The team is much more easily rebuilt than the club.

Only problem with that though, is that we never attack the inswinging ball in the correct place. No Saints players ever seem to make a near post run across the keeper. Consequently all cutting inside does, is produce either a lightweight shot or a floating cross, both of which are easy for a goalkeeper to collect.

Reported on Skysports news earlier, that the administrators said that they have now received over 30 enquiries for Saints.

I was sat a few seats in front of Martin Chivers on the 19.00 train service from Central to London on Saturday evening. I'm not sure whether he was already on the train when it pulled in though. He was suited and booted, and talking to another guy. He only mentioned Saints a few times, and was talking to the other guy in the terms of 'You lot are in real danger' and several other things he said led me to believe the other guy was a Saints fan. It's sad that he see's spurs as his team rather than Saints, and seems not to have any feelings for his home town club and it's predicament. Did he always get a rough reception from Saints fans after his move or did something else happen to sour his opinion of Saints?

I will also make the following small pledges on top of the money I have already pledged. To give all of my collection of Saints replica's including the signed one, which was signed by most of the team after the dellhurst game, to the fund. To give my programme collection to the fund, which includes Cardiff cup final and last game vs Arsenal at the dell programmes. Not a lot of any worth I know, but every penny which can be raised will be vital to the fund.

Nice of him to still be wishing a ten point penalty on Saints, even though he admits his club were guilty of the same thing and got away with it.

Exactly, they can't punish Saints for not breaking their rules and just doing what others have done and gotten away with. Whatever next, punishing the big four for not having the assets to furnish their debts? As they have been mis managed into huge debts.