trousers

Ah....ok...sorry....must have missed that due to it being the holiday period....fair dos....I still believe the best way for a new regime in waiting to make the headlines would be if the likes of Le Tiss, Channon, etc, formed an ex-players alliance. That's what attracts the media's attention.....not "local businessman consortia" kicking tyres....(naming no names, obviously)

Local bubble press maybe, but it wouldn't attract national coverage IMHO (which is what ultimately forced Lowe out last time). If a supporter throwing coins at the chairman at an AGM barely registers on the national news-o-meter then a few local businessmen lining up in a pseudo board isn't going to trouble Fleet Street editors or columnists, again IMHO. Of course, when Lowe was trying to rock the Crouch boat this time last year, the Daily Mail (Charles Sale column) couldn't get enough Saints 'boardroom shenenigans' to publish.....funny how the current farce doesn't hit Mr Sale's radar.... Oh to have friends in high places....

Not sure if that's a positive thing....?!

Charlton, 4th April. HTH

I've always been a fan of Saga since his 'one-man-band' act during the last 10 games a couple of seasons ago....but my fear this time around, assuming he comes back into the fray next month, is where will he get his motivation from? I know that a footballer's in-built professionalism should be enough to spur them on but we all know how much of a fine line it is between a player scoring for fun and not scoring at all because of the psychological weight on their shoulders. I've just got this nagging doubt that Saga will be able to raise his game mentally for the 2nd half of the season.

Exactly....philantropists are far more likely to push some pocket money our way if they are dealing with passionate, savvi ex-players than a divided board or a Micky Mouse consortium cobbled together by anonymous local businessmen. We need a consortium with influencial figureheads. If Niall Quinn can get off his arse to rescue the club that he loved then why are our ex-players sitting on theirs watching us wither and die?

+1 Was just about to write exactly the same. Would be hugely worrying if the players weren't speaking up if things are wrong (which they patently are)

Here's how... SFC simply becomes a 'finishing school' for Hoddles Accademy....so, we don't actually have to employ Hoddle directly, SFC simply becomes an outsourced division of his business that Hoddle manages. Would be a somewhat off-the-wall arrangement but it would fit with both company's business model, one would venture.

Said this before but this season has the hallmarks of Lowe wanting to manouvre the club into administration so that he can either (a) make the club more attractive to an investor at the post-administration end of the tunnel ] or (b) acquire the whole club himself for a song Why else would he be overseeing such a malaise and decline with seemingly no worries about what is happening...? 2+2=?

Can't Le Tissier be persuaded to "do a Niall Quinn?". Surely, as a famous figure head of the club, he would stand more chance of attracting the necessary funding (credit crunch aside) as he would be seen as a more affible consortium leader and thus someone that a philantropist or two would be more happy investing in/with compared to the 'fear' of investment that the current rabble must inject into potential investors....? edit: and get other high profile ex-player in on the act too...Channon, Paine, etc....players that CARED for the club when they played and who must surely care enough for the club now to form a high profile consortium....

Welcome back Duncan. Excellent piece. Happy new year to you too.

Correct. Same old, same old.

One nagging question.... Why doesn't a news story about someone throwing coins at a football club chairman make the national press/media? Have we really sunk that low(e) that no-one outside of the Southampton bubble takes a blind bit of notice what is happening at the club, no matter how newsworthy? Surely this happening at any other 'big' (sh) club would have made the national media? Unless 'someone' at the club with friends in the media is suppressing the story?

Poortvliet said: "Paul is at the moment not available to play against Plymouth. "He's not part of the squad selection. I cannot say anything about it – it will come." Eh?

Doesn't matter if it was a 3 hour or 3 day visit....if it affected the team's performance (and the circumstantial evidence would suggest it did) then people paid good money for a product/service that was not of merchantable quality. Get claiming folks... Or sit on arse and do nothing..... The choice is yours.

Yeah, let's keep our turmoil secret....no one will have a clue we're in turmoil if there isn't a banner saying so.....

A mass boycott is indeed the answer....but alas there are too many people on here (and further afield) who fail to grasp the "no pain, no gain" concept - it is a sad fact that we (the fans) need to do something that goes against what the heart tells us we shouldn't be doing. We need to take one step backwards to go several steps forward. Why are there people who can't see that? To say that they couldn't hurt the club they love is a complete false economy. They are ironically hurting the club by this sycophantic head-in-sand stance. (just watch the responses to prove this point)

For those who attended the Forest game this sounds like a clear cut case of a breach of the Sale of Goods and Services Act. Not that your average Saints fan will be arsed to claim the refund to which they are entitled.....

We have a volunteer....

Was Duncan there?

I care because if they score more than us we will struggle to make it to the next round

"Jan Poortvliet then arrived to face questions from shareholders." Baton down the hatches....

Time for a coin / Lowe version of this game.... http://www.sockandawe.com/

Richard Chorley thrown out for throwing coins at Lowe! That should make the story go 'national' !!