AS we look forward to the start of a new season, it seems hard to imagine that only three months ago the club was only one Leicester goal away from relegation and possible administration.
As a Saints supporter, that is certainly not something I would ever wish to experience again.
advertisement
That experience made it absolutely clear to me that a fundamental change of direction was required if the club was to survive for any length of time outside the Premiership.
Unlike many other clubs, Saints has been blessed with Premiership quality facilities. But this blessing has proved to be a serious hindrance to our financial survival outside the top flight.
In this simple sense, the club has become a victim of its own success, a situation only made worse by fundamental structural inequities within the national game. If these inequities are not addressed by the powers that be, I can easily see a situation where we will see the extinction of a significant number of league clubs over the coming few years.
Unfortunately, some supporters are becoming complacent about the threat of administration.
There is a belief that there will always be a "white knight" that will come to the rescue and that the club will always survive, in perpetuity for the benefit of the community and its supporters. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The ever increasing numbers of league clubs facing financial difficulty will inevitably lead, in my view, to the extinction of some of our most historic clubs should something not be done quickly to redress the financial imbalances that exist within the industry.
The recognition of this very real threat to our club led to a change of board composition during the close season.
There has been the introduction of a new streamlined structure designed to enable quick, efficient and effective decision making at a time of financial crisis, where the success or failure of the club could hinge on the board's ability to be responsive to the challenges facing it.
In making these changes, we have been able to remove petty politics from the boardroom, and have adopted what we believe to be a realistic and sensible approach to the problems facing the club.
The board is now fully focussed on both the financial survival of the club, and on ensuring that we remain competitive in football terms.
Although promotion may seem a long way off based on last season's performances, I believe that with the approach we have adopted, this is an achievable and realistic objective.
Of course, promotion cannot be guaranteed, but we must be able to make it the basis of our aspirations and ambitions at the beginning of every season.
This has required major changes at the club over the summer and has involved urgent and necessary cost cutting both on and off the field, and the introduction of a new coaching set up with an emphasis on youth and entertaining football.
We believe that at a very fundamental level those working within the club must be committed, motivated, and have a desire for success above all things.
This has been reflected in our choice of coaching staff, and in the evolution of our first team squad where "playing for the shirt" has become an important part of our coaching philosophy.
As many will know by now, we intend to give our youngsters every chance to realise their true potential.
Age will not be a barrier if they are good enough.
Our approach has been, wherever possible, to renew or extend the contracts of our most talented young players to enable us to build a squad that can continue to improve over a number of seasons.
If this approach proves successful and promotion is attained, then our squad can largely be kept together and we can continue to evolve and grow as a team, rather than needing to undertake the major squad surgery, which usually accompanies elevation to a higher division.
We see long-term continuity as an essential element in bringing success.
In Jan Poortvliet and Mark Wotte we have two exemplary "no nonsense" coaches who fully understand the philosophy we are trying to bring.
I am delighted they agreed to join the Saints and help us realise our vision.
Jan and Mark, together with Dave Hockaday and Stewart Henderson, have had an intensive pre-season, getting to know the squad and understanding their strengths and weaknesses.
Players have been released or sold who do not fit into the style of play that we are seeking to introduce.
New players have been brought in who will be able to contribute positively to the new tactical approach. Motivation, application and professionalism, in addition to footballing quality, are now pre-requisites for our squad players. We realise that without these, success will be difficult to attain.
In this regard, the club has been fortunate in that it has an academy of some considerable quality, possessing a number of youngsters who are capable in the short to medium term of making the step up to the first team and carving out a reputation for themselves.
We believe that our approach will reinforce our academy's reputation, and make the Saints the destination of choice for many of the country's top youngsters who are vying to make their mark in professional football.
Of course, any team requires a foundation based on strength and experience to hold it together and to successfully compete, particularly in the Championship.
We continue to seek the best blend of youth and experience with the more mature and experienced players in the squad acting as role models for the younger players - on and off the pitch.
Our goal is to develop a culture and squad capable, not only of attaining promotion to the Premiership, but also of staying there.
However, we must be realistic in the short-term as it may take some time to achieve our goal. For example, if the club fails to secure a swift promotion we must accept that in the future, it may be necessary to let some players go to other clubs to further their careers.
If this proves necessary, this will at least help provide us with the necessary financial resources to continue competing for promotion.
Player trading is vitally important for any club outside the Premiership, as is the ability to identify, attract and retain the most talented youngsters either from the UK or abroad.
Saints have been extremely successful in this regard in recent years and we will seek to ensure that this continues for the foreseeable future.
The success of Southampton Football Club and its parent company is totally dependent on success on the pitch and this will remain our absolute priority.
Whilst much is made of the land assets of the company possibly providing a financial lifeline to the club, in reality this will not manifest itself for many years, if at all.
The club must operate in the here and now and that is what your board is determined to do.
If further opportunities arise to improve the club's financial position, they will be examined on their merits at the time. This will hold equally true in respect of any bona fide offer received to acquire the share capital of the company.
With so many changes, the support and patience of our supporters will be crucial.
There is no magic wand that will guarantee promotion - simple dedication, commitment, and hard work is what will be required.
At the highest levels of sporting endeavour, confidence, belief, and mental strength can also make the difference between winning and losing.
This is where our supporters will be vital and where they can directly contribute to our success on the pitch.
With the strong and unwavering backing of our loyal supporters, especially when things do not appear to be going our way, I believe our team, and in particular our younger players, will be able achieve great things.
I, for one, am looking forward to the new season with optimism.
I am looking forward to seeing how our youngsters develop; to seeing exciting, attacking and enjoyable football, and to experiencing the ups and downs of the Championship season.
We are in a highly competitive division with very few points between a play-off place and a relegation berth.
If we can play well consistently, anything is possible.
Football has been plagued, for far too long, by the minority who take pleasure in playing the blame game and deriding other people's efforts.
There is no place for this attitude at Southampton Football Club.
We need to look beyond this, to be constructive, committed, to work hard, play hard, and then together, just maybe, we can achieve all that we desire.
Michael Wilde, Southampton FC football club board chairman
COYR
