Sheff Saint

Agree

It is easy to criticise with hindsight. Trouble is many normal Saints fans, myself included, saw that this path was the wrong one as soon as it was announced. Of course mistakes were going to be made. But in my opinion Lowe has now made to many, to often.

Maybe. But i doubt it. The bank don;t run the business, they just pull the purse strings. So long as Lowe get's to the figure they've asked, how they get there is of no concern to them. I would have thought. Too many decisions Lowe has got badly wrong this season.

No. Because Mr Lowe adopted a botched job of a cost cutting policy that nearly cost us our place in the CCC. If Mr Lowe had adopted a rational cost cotting policy we perhaps wouldn't be in this position.

It worries me he doesn't see much difference in the competition between the CCC and League 1. Means we's is well and truly f**ked next season if he's right!

I loved the year we stayed up and Man City went down. I mean, i didn't love the match, it was horrible. In all the seasons of scrapes that we've had, that season was probably the most tense all the way through the 90 mins. Even more than last season. I may well be wrong but Dave Merrington looked round in the dug out as he had a gasp (as Man City equalised) and stuck my fingers up to say 2-2 (not flicking the V's). He put his thumbs up and turned round. I'm sure it wasn't at me, but i like to think so. Back in the day's of the family centre behind the dug out at the Dell. God that game was rubbish. Wimbledon games always were. I remember Richard Hall having an absolute stinker as well.

Wotte if we stay up, no doubt. Whatever his involvement before hand, he'd deserve credit for turning it around. And Davies. I thought he was total **** but to be fair, he's had a blinder of a season.

In general i think beating the odds is always great and when the pressure is on it's brilliant. Games like West Brom away last season, Reading this season. They're all fab. When we won at Newcastle 1-0 with MLT scoring, that was amazing. Specifically i loved Dellhurst. I loved 120 mintues of the the play off game at Pride Park. That was a brilliant match as well, even if the outcome ended up rubbish. Beating Man Utd those three years on the trot. Beating Arsenal at SMS. Beating Arsenal at the Dell in the last game. Perfect things like that just don't happen as a Saints fan!

Have the players underperformed this year? Not especially. They've not been great but i don't think you can label them as underperforming. We've just played some very poor players at times this season and not utlisied the good players well enough. The likes of Skacel and Euell have been ok when they've played, probably played better than the treatment they've had warrants, to be fair. The likes of Lancashire and Smith are probably doing as well as they can, which is someway short of the required standard in the CCC.

Lowe. He's CEO and he'd have overseen two relegations. Almost all the staff underneath have changed so, whatever the many, many other factors that have contributed to our current position and are highlighted in posts above, he is the main man that is ultimatley accountable. He'd have overseen a slashing in attendance, a massive reduction in turnover and much inferior product on display. Sure, the margins of success and failure are very thin in football (although this year his policies have directly impacted us so if we stay up or not he needs to go and fingers crossed we stay up) This is not a 'quick fix' or whim or knee jerk reaction. This is over the course of 10 years. This is a man who has turned a successful football club and business into a very unsuccessful one. Whatever good he did in the first part of his first tenure he must be held accountable if we get relegated again, and should quit even if we manage to turn it around despite his influence this year.

Got my train ticket yesterday!

I thought Davies would be great for us. But then i thought Forest would be up near Donny now as well. Looks like that isn't working out as i thought. Wrong again! That said it doesn't look like all is well behind the scenes there. He's had his hands tied regards transfers.

Umm. I'm not warming to Wotte especially. As i've said before if he keeps us up he's done a good job and should stay. But if we go down i think a clean broom throughout would be helpful. Fresh players, fresh board. The likes of Steve Cotteriall would be good for that division me thinks.

I thought our midfield was too samey on Saturday. Gillette was the pick for me, a little scrappy thing winning lots of ball. But Morgan and Surman lost the physical battle too easily. We looked very one-dimensional. Not sure how we played in the three we won as didn't see them so it may have been a blimp (but it was very similar to the Bristol City game last month), but i'd be tempted to push Skacel into a more attacking role and give Llanana the chance ahead of McGoldrick. I think we need the early goal tomorrow. All the last few wins have come with us getting a lead in the first half hour.

True! Think there's as much chance of Charlton getting out of it as there is Leicester screwing it up now. They'd even had a relative blimp before Saturday, drawing a few. Turned that around on Sat though didn't they!

And just to support this, of teams that have been in the Prem and then relegated to League 1 how many have gone straight back up to the CCC? One, Manchester City, scrapping through the play offs. How many failed at the first attempt, if at all? Bradford, Forest, Leeds, Sheff Weds. If Leicester get up and get up automatically it will be some achievement.

Yes, think that its them. Just shows though what a step down it would be. Of course attendances would drop but i'd hope we wouldn't see any/many sub 10k attendances. Even if we struggle.

It was a very subdued atmos yesterday all round. First trip to St Sndrews, not impressed. But i was full of cold so a bit subdued myself! Intresting looking at League 1 attendences, only Leeds, Leicester, MK Dons and one other that i can't remember that are averaging over 10k this season.

I think this is a lot of fuss over nothing. I don't think we are close to admin at all. As Steve said, relegation doesn't mean a big loss of revenue, except possibly dwindling gates. As a result if we drop down a division i think we'd need an entirely different pricing structure for STs, members and match day tickets to encourage as many along as poss if we're doing poorly but still be able to cash in if we do well. Delaying the decision is just common sense. I still think and hope that I'm right that Lowe has always talked down the finances to strengthen his position at the club, distance himself from the last regime if his ideas go belly up and enable him to force through his flawed policies. Not sure how tight it would be if we went down and started poorly, but i would be very surprised if we went into admin this season or at all if we stayed up.

I think this is a lot of fuss over nothing. I don't think we are close to admin at all. As Steve said, relegation doesn't mean a big loss of revenue, except possibly dwindling gates. As a result if we drop down a division i think we'd need an entirely different pricing structure for STs, members and match day tickets to encourage as many along as poss if we're doing poorly but still be able to cash in if we do well. Delaying the decision is just common sense. I still think and hope that I'm right that Lowe has always talked down the finances to strengthen his position at the club, distance himself from the last regime if his ideas go belly up and enable him to force through his flawed policies. Not sure how tight it would be if we went down and started poorly, but i would be very surprised if we went into admin this season or at all if we stayed up.

Brilliant. Well done boys. I hate sounding negative but this makes the first two thirds of the season all the much more frustrating. But great result. Keep up the passion and we've got a chance hopefully.

Does that mean we can't get rid of Lowe because he's got 10 years knowledge? How did you feel when Rupert took over then?