saint63

£400 000 is the underwritten amount that Mr Fry has needed to keep the club afloat during what are inevitably drawn out negotiations. It gives him wriggle room and for those of uswho care a little longer to save our football club. After 45 years of supporting Saints I am grateful to the underwriter - I could guess who - as business people will leave it to the very last minute in order to get the price as low as possible. Simple economics Mr 19C. I am beginning to see that you are not a real supporter at all - just an agent provocateur. Well done the orgainisers. Why don't you come up with an interim solution 19C rather than being so negative - or are you just all talk. I'm preparing to drive up from Devon next Sunday as I can't envisage what my football interest is going to be like next. I'll have to support Exeter City and pretend!

Changing player - well done to Michael Poke, in goal for Torquay Utd.tonight at Histon. He's played in both semi -final legs and, hopefully will play at Wembley. However, he's replaced Scott Bevan who's been injured recently. An interesting selection poser for the manager.

A beautifully written piece which demands that those with knowledge and/or responsibility bring out the facts behind the decisions. Without being patronising to you- thanks and well done Verbal. Do you know more than you let on....?

The best bit of P R we could expect at present. It was an honest appraisal, with a tinge of sadness.

Does this imply Ince was not a top player?!!!!

I shall be there next Saturday just to support the club and its future. They can put out the U18's for all I care. The bigger picture is what matters. We have to make sure that we are solvent for the close season and have a club for League One. If we don't get a decent crowd all of that is in jeopardy.

It would be ironic if we - the supporters - had redress against those responsible for the financial mess. Not likely but worth a muse....

After 45 years of loyal support I can take no more. I can no longer support a hierarchy that has made mistake after mistake and has failed. Theyhave failed to notice that the club had started to be turned around at the end of last season - albeit with a few hiccups. I wonder what their business concerns are like to work for? I'd hate to work for them! Many of us are leaders in large private or public concerns and would never engage on a set of processes that totally disengage the followership -whether staff or clients/customers. You have to sign up to the vision. This lot may have a few disciples but their arrogance and inability to carry the vast majority is reckless in the extreme. They certainly know the cost of everything, but the value of nothing. Good leadership will succesfully convince its followers of its strategy. Messrs Lowe and Wilde clearly have not and as such have failed. They almost seem to be happy to get us relegated in order to prove their point. I note that the board of Plymouth Argyle have told Paul Sturrock that relegation - or the threat of it will not be tolerated. Where are our leaders? They are giving a message of either acceptance of relegation or not caring. Why should us longstanding fans care more than our directors? They have failed as they set us on a course that was ill prepared, unchartered and lacked the experience of previous knowledge of such a journey.

There is a great difference between having a 'stronger stomach' and an inability to understand the facts of the situation that he (Lowe) has greatly exascerbated this season. He is a poor and failed leader - he is one dimensional and has clearly not understood that other factors - especially the attitude of the supporters - must be included in to any business plan for the club. I note that the share price has dropped again today. When is his toy going to be our club again?

I agree. The negativity has been way beyond the original intention, I'm sure. Torbay Saint is a genuine supporter whose loyalty and care for Saints is beyond reproach. He was only trying to pass on what he'd heard without comment. I know the person who sent the message is also genuine. I've known both families for many years. Any sheet in the wind gives a glimmer of hope in these desperate times. In any other club or business our leaders would have been sacked for business failure. Can we add Football PLC Chairs to Gordon Brown's list of persons not deserving of bonusses? PS If the share price continues to drop at the current rate we'll all be able to chip in to but RL and MW out! Happy Days!!

So I've been wasting the last 45 years supporting Saints?? No forum when I started supporting Saints....

I can assure you he's not a plant. He travelled down last weekend to support the anti Lowe protest and will be at the Bristol City game. He would much prefer LC and LMcM any day!! Mind you - any sane person would!!

After 45 years of supporting Saints I now am firmly of the opinion that the sooner Messrs Lowe and Wilde go the better. Relegation is now a certainty.Their experiment has messed us up big time. I have spent hundreds of pounds over Christmas and New Year on tickets for myself and family - no wins and no goals scored. Above all, it was so sad to see the depths to which we have got to as we can no longer compete against Man U. In the past at least we could give them a game. Mr Crouch at least tried to sort out the finances on his watch. More experience is needed on the pitch - and a manager who knows his way around our league.

I agree. It's not a sensible strategy to put young players in before they're ready. They deserve better and should able to concentrate on learning without these additional pressures on them.It's abuse of their enthusiasm.I felt sorry for Patterson today. It wasn't his fault he was put in that situation. It was the fault of those who picked him too soon. It could well cause him to regress, which is a real shame. He has clearly not learned enough yet about closing down without needing to dive into a tackle. This is best learned in less pressurised contexts, not against the best club team in the world.

The England Cricket team is a much more professional oufit than our shambles!!

There is an alternative. Getting some players with pedigree in - central midfield, centre half and centre forward - would raise morale among fans and the increased gates would offset any additional costs. All other options will lead to certain relegation. What a mess we are in - thanks to Messrs Lowe and Wilde. Did they honestly think this experiment would work?? Still - two relegations will certainly lead to a resignation from Mr Lowe and an isolated Mr Wilde. Living 150 miles away and therefore more objective, I now believe that if Mr Crouch's plan had been agreed by Barclays, then we would be in a much better league position now. Do something before its too late RL and MW!

We have the poorest squad of players I can remember. Now we find ourselves with less cover at centre back and no proper outlet at centre forward to get on the end of the crosses - as we play with two wingers - it makes you wonder. We need a physically strong spine to compete at this level. We seem to have a Corinthian Casuals style of approach to football - purist but with no devilment; overplay and no end product. These days have gone by. I am beginning to wonder if JP is out of his depth with his under developed youngsters playing academy learning football rather than the cut and thrust needed. Our academy prospects in the squad are of poor quality - and our better players on loan have now gone. I am now of the opinion that this experiment has failed. We need stronger characters on the pitch - physically and mentally.

I started going to the Dell in 1963 straight after the Man U semi final. My two boys came with me as soon as they were old enough in the 80's. We've gone to support them hundreds of times despite the costs of a 270 mile round trip. I've seen many ups and downs but never anything like this. However, after Notts Forest and Plymouth I can't face watching any more. The SLH youth team is out of its depth and we are odds on to go down. I'll keep my membership as a sign of hope that the current regime will be replaced and people who show they care about SFC return. As soon as that happens I'll immediately return. This is written with great sadness but it's the only action I can take to show my disgust at the depths we have sunk this season. I felt real hope during the early summer but that's all gone. An empty ground will be the only message that hits home to RL.

Heard Paul Tisdale on Radio Devon on the way back from Home Park. He came over as very articulate and knowlegeable - and communicated his analysis of a defensive misjudgement for Wycome's goal very well. Lancashire would certainly learn something - the first goal!!I t was a refreshing change from JP. This young man has real potential and has the advantage of having worked with many young footballers at Exeter and Team Bath. As such he would fit in with the current philosophy and be one the fans would relate to being steeped into the club. I'm sure the ex board would warm to him - after all Lawrie Mac worked with him. His team plays good passing football yet can be more direct when needed. He's exactly what we need as this incoherent drivel we are forced to live with at present. We are an embarrassment and after 45 years of watching Saints I have had enough of this substandard team who are certain to be relegated.After Man U I will refuse to pay good money for tickets and a 270 mile round trip for watching a reserve team play. Any other chairman - and Lowe himself by previous experience - would have sacked JP by now. I hope Lowe will learn from this debacle. If you mess up once in business, don't return a second time. You've had your day; your chance is over. You've failed. Listen to the advice from your wife. She's right!! I hear that Cowen might be feeling that too - as the brains behing the dynamic duo perhaps he'll see sense as well.

[ The only way Saints will survive is by hanging on until the economy picks up, hanging on financially and in the Championship. The way things are going survival will be outside the Championship unless we get a proper centre half and a centre forward to get on the end of crosses. Propoganda football is not enough.

Re-writng history I see!! If you want to make a point, please stick to facts.

What game were you watching?? Skacel was one of our our better players!!I prefer to judge players on performance rather than the size of their wages.

While the share price drops further I hope that there will be enough dissent at the AGM to give Mr Lowe and his friends a very hard time. While the current policy is in place we have the worst prepared (as per poor selection and starts) and worst squad of players and this will get worse in the January sales. What we need is someone in charge who will get to grips with the physical nature of this league. It is a league of pace and strength. Just for a start we need a strong and physical centre half, a hard central midfield player and a proper centre forward. This spine of the team is totally lacking - except for the very admirable Kelvin Davis. I expect that Mr Lowe's total lack of understanding and poor leadership will lead to Davis being sold too in January. Doesn't he realise that instead of this cycle of despair we should be speculating to accumulate? Give the supporters some hope and they will return. He is so shortsighted. Sell up now while you can get 24p a share Mr Lowe, because they way you're going you'll end up with nothing - and a huge blemish on your curriculum vitae......

I've been watching Saints for 45 years and this is the poorest team I've seen. Don't misunderstand me, I want them to succeed, but this isn't going to work. If this isn't said loud and clear now it will be too late. Playing pretty football in midfield flatters to deceive. We need -well - where do I start?!!

I've witnessed many poor performances over recent years but this was the worst. A very poor lightweight team with no strike power and poor tactics. A more direct style is needed rather than this powder puff passing sideways which allows teams to regroup. We were out powered in midfield. When will the leadership learn that this team is struggling and will certainly be relegated. I predict by Christmas we will be bottom and there we'll stay. Where are you Leon Crouch?