saint1977

I'm fairly sure a Plymouth fan who knew Wotton came on here last summer and said Wotton was on more than Plymouth were paying him. The Euell signing was bloody daft and Hone should be shot for that alone and I'm not sure Safri was neccessary either post parachute and I'd like to think Rupert would have overruled those. To be honest, I think we're splitting hairs. I wish that Wilde hadn't seen fit to bring Rupert back last summer but he did. No-one in that boardroom has made a sensible decision in the last 5-6 years, whether it was Wigley, Woodward, Redknapp, Beerley, signing Euell, appointing the Execs, the statue debacle, Dodd & Gorman, sacking Pearson, JP and the idiot experiment or the millions of loan players that cost us a lot of money last season and barely pulled on the shirt (although they probably would have only disgraced it further). I'm not sure abot knocking back SISU, at the time I agreed with the major shareholders but Coventry are looking at spending some money this summer - compare that to us. Then again, Coventry were more desperate than us at the time. Seriously though, look at all of those decisions above and tell me that most CEOs wouldn't have been fired for those? No wonder our fans morale became so low.

He reminds me of that 18 year old kid that tried to buy Aldershot before they went bust in the early 90s and appeared on Wogan. Anyone else remember that? Certainly puts the "Rank" in Xerox.

I'll also add that we are where are now and to be honest what Rupert says or doesn't say matters not a jot. It's what the consortiums are saying to Fry that I'm concerned with as if that isn't productive in the coming days we'll have many years to debate this issue but no football to actually go and watch!

It's tricky to know what Rupert would have done 2006-8 had he stayed and I guess therefore there isn't a right or wrong answer. What I do know is that Lowe increased the overheads in our first parachute season when income had slumped post-drop with the Dome fiasco - Tony Husband from BBC called this staggering or words to that effect - check out the article. Lowe also broke the wage celing with Rasiak's signing and was promising a significant warchest if he'd stayed. I think he may have reigned it in 2007/8 perhaps but a lot of the damage may still have been done and gates may have dropped even faster than they did. So I can't say for 100% certain whether we'd be in admin or not and certainly Wilde, Hone and chums were even worse and did our club a dreadful amount of harm. I just suspect that Wilde's clowns delayed admin by 12 months. I can remember Lowe and Cowen being quoted in 05/06 saying that they didn't know where the next penny was coming from and that's WITH the parchute money first season. After all, we couldn't rely on selling Crouch and Theo every season in the CCC! The only was I believe admin could have been avoided was a buy-out which the warring parties made very difficult. It will certainly be a long, long time before any consortium can repair the damage caused 2004 onwards by ALL parties and the mistakes have been really basic.

With the exception of Kelvin too blooming right as well.

I can blame them for not trying in a number of matches this season, particularly Forest where we conceded the second goal by two of our players pulling out of tackles, QPR and Sheffield United home. Thank God I cut back on the away games last season. Still, I'm up for visiting lots new grounds next season with new owners.

I'd go with this as well and both would be interested in the role I would imagine.

Eastleigh's current league is his level but I like the idea of him going to Bournemouth, horrible little club. Has to be in most fans worst ever XIs, alongside Jakobsson or Scott Marshall.

Good call, mate of mine is a Lincoln fan and reckons this guy would do well in L1/CCC and he'd certainly stand a good chance of a regular game. Brezovhan the Swindon keeper is out of contract and if Kelvin does join Pearson he'd be a decent replacement. Chester have also got a French CM that was earning rave reviews before agents turned his head from L1 clubs and Chester are if anything in a worse mess than us. Could be worth a punt if we can secure new owners.

The other perspective would be that the new purchasers, whoever they may be, don't want to waste millions sorting out SLH and Askham's carnage. Just because people are very wealthy, it doesn't mean they don't want to nail down the best deal for their purchase of a once-proud club that is now -10 in League 1, even if that means leaving it to the 11th hour. Nailbiting for us as fans of course but this is probably how the scenario will play out.

I think it'll happen folks but these things are always last minute. With the -10 and relegation, buyers are going to nail the best deal they can out of Aviva and Barclays. Fry knows this as well but will also have to look after the creditors first.

Paul Jones was a decent keeper, some high-profile blunders when he didnt command his area but some great saves - OT - as well. Took our second best ever keeper (behind Shilts) in Antti to dislodge him and can anyone remember Finland V Wales just after Antti signed? Strings of great saves at either end all game.

Agree with this. Jones was excellent in buying players but defensively we were poor apart from his first season. Hoddle got the players fitter and better organised but Hoddle's record in the transfer market is poor. If you had Hoddle as Head Coach and Jones as DOF, Lowe's dream continental system might actually have worked! In reality, the two men would hate this, particularly with Hoddle's ego. I don't think the continental system works in England really, the politics get in the way. I can't think of a club where it has really worked but plenty where it hasn't - us, Spurs, Chelsea, even the Skates when Rix was manager with Harry as DOF.

I can remember someone in the West Stand throwing a burger at Ian Wright when he was in full flight. I can also remember a random Saints fan in the Milton late 80s going demented at Steve Foster of Luton (ex-Skate) and throwing loads of pound coins at him at every set piece.

Vomit when my friend projectiled at Soton Central after a day's drinking at Coventry away first game of the season 1999 (Egil's late winner). Most of it went on the platform but a bit of it rebounded on me. Cheers bud. He did it again after a home game later in the season, onto a fruit machine and rebounded onto another friend and it was all over his face and hair!

A Norwich friend of mine reckons we also got promoted from Div 3 South at the same time as well. Agree with Docker P on price, the walk-up cost was disproportionate for the unfit garbage on display this season. Norwich's pricing is much more flexible as they are aware their local economy doesn't pay the best wages, rather like Southampton it is dependent on service sector and finance with little graduate work available outside of a shrinking public and Education sector. Norwich's board, although they have made some howlers in appointing their managers 1) Do care about the fans and travel to London etc to meet the exile groups as well regularly and are happy to be accountable 2) Have put money in. Without Delia, no NCFC. Ditto Murray and his fellow Directors at Charlton. If you want to know the difference in how Saints fans related to a failed CEO (and "backers" like Askham and Richards who stuffed us all to make a fortune out of a pathetic investment) that no-one bar a few sycophants on this forum wanted back in the summer, you have your answer. Get new owners that care, that can sensibly and modestly invest and that can get the price structure right, and you'll see gates hold up.

Soton itself is a pain in the backside to get in and out of by car at any time and the railways are regularly dug up at the weekends as well. I have to park in Woolston and get a bus over and that's only possible because the gates have been much lower for much of the season. Why doesn't the city encourage the set-up of a ferry network system? Having been to Sydney recently, the ones that operate out of Circular Quay are superb. Surely we could do that at Town Quay alongside Red Funnel and just think, it would be easier than having to travel to Hythe if you live on Waterside, Bitterne Park, Hamble would be covered, Swanwick, Fareham/Titchfield/Warsash etc. We could have a stop outside SMS and this could encourage investment in the whole area, not just the club. In the summer it would be an attractive way to get around the city and beats sitting in traffic.

Saga and Skacel will be off, Rasiak will have to be offered on a free as he still has a year to go. Surman will go which is sad as it means we haven't got the best out of an able local lad but Lallana is no loss even with his skill - he can juggle a ball but then so can Mr Woo. Smith is a car crash and Pulis has made as much impact as Yahia did in 04/05. Gasmi's only contribution was to bottle a tackle he was clear favourite for when Notts Forest scored their second goal. Molyneux musn't be allowed to obstruct Mills' progress - Mills is the pick of the youngsters for me - so he can go but if he wants to cover on a fringe players' wage that's fair enough. Don't rate DMG but he's scored a few of late and might be a bit of a Kenwyne at that level. Dyer is gone and John's contract is up this summer. Would like to keep Kelvin and Euell (did I just type that?) if they are prepared for a big wage cut and JP Saeijs should be recruited if he's OK with L1 - he'd be one of the best players at that level. If Leeds go up I'd like Prutton to return as skipper if they didn't want too much for him if new buyers had some funds. Look out for Brezovhan the Swindon keeper if Kelvin goes to Leicester - awesome at that level and out of contract as Swindon cut back.

He certainly has the ability but not enough pace to play wide, I think Coppell would beef him up, get him properly CCC/PL fit and put him in the centre where he could thrive and he knows where the goal is too. Right manager to get the best of Drew IMO, sad that he won't be doing it here but ho hum. No criticism of Drew here by the way but just reflecting that we haven't got the best out of our players for many years which is a shame as it's something Saints used to do very well.

Don't think Drew wants to play in L1 and we haven't got the best out of him since promising seasons in 05/06 (when he broke through) and 06/07. With the exception of some bright games at the start of this season, he's been dreadful the last 2 years and has looked under-developed on his upper body - hence always being outmuscled in games - and not fit enough. Reminds me of when Souness and then later WGS sorted out Oakley who in his younger days had a tendency to skip breakfast and not train properly. Don't think you'd find Oakley doing that now but I think Coppell would instill the right habits in drew at a real professional football environment at Reading with proper coaching and not the tinpot joke we've become.

That chicken and mushroom pie will be aimed at Wilde's head, or that of Askham, Richards, Wiseman or Lowe. Not keen on seeing Crouch in any of the consortiums either. I want a fresh start, Fry has said the remaining consortiums want to run the club properly and amen to that. That means the drinking is curbed as it was under WGS, players train properly and fully and Southampton becomes an away fixture clubs fear again. Stoke may have some animals amongst their fans and players but they do remind me of what we need to become next season - hostile crowd but supporting their own players, proper backing from the board for the manager but letting him do his job (ie no Lowe interference) and honest, super-fit, well-organised players.

Both options = death. The only way Lowe could return is on Tom Scott's coat-tails and even then, the money would soon run out. Don't worry though people, Fry has already said that many of the groups have been ruled out because significant funds are needed to run the infrastructure and overheads Rupert built up. That's before a player is bought or put on the pitch. Rupert couldn't even afford to sponsor the academy now, let alone actually actually run it or the whole club! I don't think we'll see Lowe, Askham, Richards (as bad as Askham) or Crouch in any of these consortiums.

Quality. The less I hear the better I think it is for the club and it means that those NDAs are holding firm. I think these 2 lads today are PR seekers and don't match up with Fry's statement.

It didn't help certainly and Hone and chums (inc Wilde) brought players in on some stupid contracts that they were just not worth - Euell, Safri, II. This significantly increased the overdraft when the parachute payments ran out after taking a gamble 06/07. Remember though that our overheads were significantly increased by the Dome development and large off-the-field wages being paid in the wasted first parachute season of 05/06. Tony Husband on the BBC Sport piece on our demise says "The Woodward experiment might have been worthwhile in they were in the Premiership but at a time of tightening belts, it was a staggering decision". Not having a pop at anyone on this thread but showing that EVERYONE who has been involved with running the club since 2004 has made effing useless decisions and has been a total waste of space. Let's hope someone takes us over this time that uses their brain and not their unjustified ego/s. Frankly we all need to move on if the club can stay afloat. Derby, Bolton and Man City re-emerged from this level back to the PL but it will take not only our support this time but some genuine investment from future boards as well. This seems to be part of Fry's criteria so that the creditors have some chance of scraping back some assets and it should have been part of Askham's in 1996. That way, we wouldn't even be having these boring debates about Lowe where neither side is particularly objective.

Not a big McG fan and that penalty was pathetic but he has had a little scoring run in the last few games and with weaker opposition next season might get a few more. Hope he turns out to be L1's Kenwyne Jones (who got 10 in 10 at that level on loan for Sheff Wed) than his 19 games without a goal for relegated Port Vale.