Long Shot

So was it Hone or Crouch who killed off "the fan on the board idea"? I am a little confused.

I heard QPR re interested as well - no fee involved Saints just happy to unload a high earner

Give me JP anyday over Gregory

They seemed to drop nicely into position for Reading!

Fair play to you lady Saint.

You make a fair point - where is Salz and his gang?

Thanks for taking the trouble to post after what sounds like a depressing night in foul conditions. Go pour yourself a stiff one - thanks again.

Last year we won our third game (ironically against Stoke) so we had 3 points from 3 games - stats I would accept right now. Oh yes, last season we beat Brum as well.

Of course it does

That is a very good question. Pay offs to the execs comes to mind but surely to God we didn't give them that much. Perhaps Leon Crouch and David Jones could enlighten us - certainly the latter who was in situ the entire 07-08.

Don't get me wrong I can see no other alternative to what Wilde and Lowe are doing now. It seems we have no choice - but one point of my thread is we should realise a lot of the reason we are in this mess is because of them and others. It does irk me to see the grand architect of this situation accepting Director hospitality on Saturday. I think Askham has a lot to answer for and has got away largely scot free with public criticism. At least Lowe and Wilde put their mugs above the parapet now and again.

You have a point Steve and I guess we don't really know the intricacies of the Burley/Hone dynamics to judge how much he "persuaded" Hone to push the boat out but, you must admit, some of Burley's buys (in hindsight agreed) were wasteful under the tight financial circumstances we were in. I know a few Burnley fans for instance and they laughed like drains when they heard we had taken Thomas off their hands for over a million. Incidentally I see Fuller scored for Stoke on Saturday - letting him go was another Burley mistake imo. OK all managers make mistakes it just seems Burley was a little too careless and perhaps a little too dogmatic.

Are there any Saints fans around today with a "sound" mind?

I think Bennett has been released and gone back to ireland.

says today's Independent referring to Southampton FC, and with the inevitable sale - it seems - of Davies and perhaps Surman (Readings DoF was in the director's box on Saturday) the above description is becoming uncomfortably close to being right. While there is sometimes no point in playing the blame game because what's happened can't be altered I feel, in the light of Askham's presence in the Director's box on Saturday, that we should be bringing those most responsible for our demise to trial. Having just read "The Nuremberg War trials" by Airey Neave while on holiday (yes I know not very light reading but I had read all mine and this was in the villa bookcase) I would like to lay charges as follows to the following "war" criminals in order of culpability. Guy Askham - you are charged with starting the whole shooting match in the first place by putting in place a highly suspicious reverse takeover that turned SFC into a PLC and lined your own and others pockets while some long-standing servants were conned out of their shares. You then sat back and watched as your partner in crime, Rupert Lowe, despite showing early promise, turned this club from being one of the most respected clubs in the country into a laughing stock. You alone could have spoken up in our hour of need but you chose to melt into the shadows while Rome burned and now you have the cheek to once again sit at the feet of the emperor's throne. Shame on you. Rupert Lowe - you are charged as being an accomplice of the reverse takeover and subsequent dereliction of duty as you oversaw the clubs established Premiership pedigree evaporate amid a plethora of unwise managerial appointments. Your failure to see the warning signals in our relegation year and your subsequent mis management of the first year of the parachute payments has cost this club dear and set us on the spiralling downward path we now tread. You are also charged with being pompous, arrogant and gaffe prone PR wise. Michael Wilde - you are charged with a gross case of misleading the fanbase with promises and manifestos you could never keep. You are also charged with imcompetent mismanagement of the highest degree with your appointment of a discredited executive team. In the middle of the storm you then abandoned the ship which means a dereliction of duty charge only apt. Your involvement short has been, in short, disastrous. Hone/Dulieu - charged with mass incompetence and lack of PR skills. Also charged with bullying and harrassment of employees and fans. Leon Crouch - you are charged with 1st degree niaivity which nearly had grave consequences. Despite the good ship Southampton heading for the rocks you continually pointed the telescope to the open sea and refused to address the impending wreck until it was almost too late. Your patronisation of the fanbase was also inexcusable and it is considered you are unfit to serve on a football board ever again. Keith Wiseman - you are charged as beeing weak willed and knock kneed. You have also wined and dined on Southampton FC far too long without contributing anything worth mentioning. In short you are a complete waste of space. Lawrie MacMenemy - despite your known distaste for Mr Lowe and Mr Askham you were still prepared to line you pockets at the reverse takeover and then watch silently from the wings until your turn came again to feed at the trough. You have served this club well in the past but your time is up. George Burley - you are charged with losing interest and being a manager that led the unfittest side in Saints history. You signed a lot of highly paid underperforming footballers over the last 18 months and when the slide came you couldn't be bothered to address the situation. You were content to sit back and tread water until the right offer came in and you left behing the most demotivated squad since Ian Branfoot. A 1st degree negligence charge is laid at your door. Steve Wigley - charged with mass ineptitude of the highest degree. You let yourself be talked into a position you didn't want and you showed weak character in not standing up to the "playground bully". The Saints Trust - despite a much vaunted launch amid promises and big talk you failed to have any effect at a time when the fans were crying out for a united voice. In fact you took on the appearance of a rabbit caught in headlights and today most don't even believe you exist such is your timidity. You wasted a golden opportunity to stand up and be counted and you are charged with cowardice under fire. Gordon Strachan - another who left a sinking ship. You are also charged with being economical with the truth over your reasons for leaving. Jason Dodd/John Gorman - you are charged with being absolutely useless and overseeing the worst ever performance by a Saints side in modern times. Harry Redknapp - you are charged with treason, no more no less. Sir Clive Woodwood - you are charged with carrying out dangerous experiments with guinea pigs not up to the task. You are also charged with bringing the biggest clown in football to Staplewood, Simon Clifford. His arrival was another nail in our coffin as it alienated the back room staff. All in all this is a very sorry state of affairs and the prosecution calls for a 100% blanket ban on all the above ever entering SMS again.

Yea that was my "exocet" memory - it was in the last minute and forced the game into extra time which we won

Happy un PC days

The doors at the Archers being pulled back about 10 mins from the end Eric Martin throwing practice balls into a stewards sack before ko. Brian O Neil wearing a trilby as he ran out playing football in the car park Jimmy Gallagher The Halo Club The Nos 2 bus going down the Archers with a brief glimpse of the pitch Fred Kemp The St Johns Ambulance men taking corners The pie shop by the players tunnel Seeing "Bootsie" getting bottled in the Milton by Chelsea fans. The coppers coming on to the pitch perimetr with 10 mins to go. L Mac greeting those old dears who were always hugging the bench seat wall the scoreboard with a David Walker lookalike model The police erecting a cordon by Silverdale Rd. The congestion by St Marks church Excited Newport fans in 67 FA Cup match Chivers putting a pen over the Milton terrace Bobby Stokes debut v Burnley Paine scoring v West Ham on MoTD Summerbee getting sent off, Milton end going mad Tommy traynor's testimonial v Twente Enschede Jim Steele's mistake v Anderlecht The 3 Wallaces debut Chantin in the car park about Branfoot MLT's first and last goal Horne's last minute equaliser that flew like an exocet Holmes's goal v Watford in the Lg Cup. Getting Wet The sweet shop opposite The house in the Archers that later became the Supporters club and the strippers on a Sunday John McGrath covered in oil The gateway pub in Northlands Rd Ron Davies's jag Mick Channon being called Doreen because he always fell over Dougal's sheepskin later sold to Motson throwing apples at the Everton coach circa Lg Cup 1971 England manager Alf Ramsey in the director's box Booing Bobby Moore in 1966 Tony Byrne coaching the kids in the car park David Smallman booting us out of the Cup circa 1971 (Wrexham) Joe Kirkup's umbrella Watching Southampton Schoolboy matches George Best's wife and him getting sent off Hollywood's tackles.

I think Graham Hiley would have preferred to have still been working at St Marys but he assumed - probably correctly - his face did not fit. He cared about the club imo so he was alright by me.

you may "seem" yourself as fit but you can't proof read your own posts, skinny

Ha ha nice one ESB - you must be a "barefoot" child of the 60s. Seriously though, I know his shares were neccesary to oust Crouch but at the end of the day I would feel a tad embarrased with the title of Southapmton FC Chairman while being kept in the dark with footballing decisions. In fact I would be a lot more comfortable outside the tent at present, sitting in an executive box and putting a few pennies into the club coffers. He's resigned out of the blue once before (so as not to hinder investment as I recall) so he could always "do the double".

If, as it seems, Lowe is taking most, if not all, of the "big" footballing decisions at the moment it begs the question what is the point of having Michael Wilde as Southampton FC chairman? Does he actually do anything apart from the odd bit of PR on here and step in when Lowe is on holiday? According to another thread on SWF, yesterday he had no idea of who was being sold and who wasn't. You would have thought the Football Chairman would at least be kept in the loop, otherwise just what is the point? Lowe might as well hold both positions - at least it would be one less tea cup to wash up after board meetings.

Although I share the concerns mentioned in the opening thread I will at least applaud JP's honesty - it is refreshing to hear a manager, sorry head coach, tell things as they are. But Svensson's knee is even more important now Davies looks like he is going and just what is wrong with Dyer and BWP. We are tetering on the edge of a precipice no doubt about it.

Its a fair point

Do you think JP knows we are (allegedly) signing Pullis?