Saint Fan CaM

I don't get it. While I admire the die hard fan who can still take the rough with the even rougher, I cannot understand why there are some that simply seem to forget that the supporters that are walking away have put up with Lowe's failed strategy for at least five years. This is not something that has just happened overnight! How much longer should supporters continue to pour their hard-earned money into a failed club? I bought a season ticket based on a squad that I thought might improve on last seasons results - I feel I have been mugged by the club as everything changed AFTER they had my money. At the core, the PLC has killed the club. The detail starts with the stadium - while very nice, it has a debt associated with it that is not sustainable outside the Prem unless there are sizeable gates (or a rich owner underwriting the debt). There will not be sizeable gates all the while a reserve team of youngsters gets beaten week in week out by large margins. It is heart breaking, but Lowe has killed the club - not because of his background or his looks...but because he has simply made far too many fundamental mistakes and continues to do so. JP is a lightweight - many of us knew this from the day he was appointed and now Lowe cannot sack him because that would be admitting defeat. Sorry to say, but I am now of the opinion that the ONLY way to save what's left of the club will be administration. This will not kill the club - remember its the Holdings PLC that will die, not SFC. It is the only way to rid ourselves of the PLC and Lowe, Wilde etc. - terrible to have to admit it, but it is the only way now and so those that stay away might be considered as real fans, helping to move the club towards a brighter future. Change can be frightening at times when you cannot see the end game, but if you grasp it firmly enough to shape the outcome, invariably there will be a happy ending. At the moment we can change nothing - after administration that in itself will change.

We need to win games...despite tonights performance, which is better than losing clearly, we are still relegation candidates at the moment. JP needs to get Lowe out of the changing room and also needs to ensure there's a decent experienced backbone to the team CONSISTENTLY. No more stupid experiments with 95% of the team under 21 and play 4-4-2 at home.

The thread has provided such fluid entertainment, I thought I'd add a ripple of applause.

Rupert parks his new toy in the most inappropriate place disrupting training - Jan hunts him down, demonstrating how many fingers he needs to insert up Ruperts *rse to sort him out.

Great performance by the lads...really enjoyed the game and I have not said that for what seems like ages. KD is in excellent form at the moment - top keeper, even if he doesn't always command his area as best he could, he more than makes up in the save dept. Lallana is a star - ran his socks off for the side tonight - was everywhere. Surman bossed midfield. And the new lad - well, if that goal had been scored in the Prem the Sky twerps would be creaming themselves - it was that good a finish. Well done to the team and the coach - I am hoping that my reservations are proven unfounded about JP. This may just be the green shoots of minor recovery perhaps?

Great news to hear Ron is making a good recovery and hope all is well for round two. Got to agree with all others who have expressed a deep wish to see Ron at SMS - I know it will bring a tear the eye for many - it would be a fantastic gesture of goodwill to all the long-suffering fans to be given the opportunity to applaud Ron onto the turf at SMS.

Well done to the lads - at last JP has seen sense it seems and gone with a plan B 4-4-2. Good result away from home, but this will mean little if we throw away 3 points at home on Tuesday. Once again I shall attend full of hope that the team is settled and they play to their potential.

Well its nice to aspire to such great heights as Plymouth eh? Thanks for pointing that out - I shall sleep soundly now in the knowledge that we are no better off than them. It really makes everything alright and I shall try to remember that little nugget when we lose tomorrow....again.

Mmm, thought a fair bit about this. For ages I managed to get by just buying a day ticket, but then fancied sitting in one place and got a fantastic seat in block 30. Its nice to get to know a few faces around you. BUT, frankly I am not really enjoying the day out now - poor team, rubbish officials, atmosphere is sometimes so awful you can taste it. I nearly didn't renew this year but thought I'd give Lowe and Co one more chance with the "revolutionary new system" and thats going t^ts up. Next year I think I will be going back to a day ticket - if I can be bothered to go atall. There is little hope each week - I don't go to games anymore thinking "yeah we might win this one" and I really feel like I need a break from that sometime soon. Losing is no fun and to have no hope of better times is draining.

JP is talking like a loser...yeah, sure he lost some sleep....but if you can't stand the heat Jan get out the f*cking kitchen and take the clot Wotte with you. Oh yeah and take Dire and McGoldick with you because they add nothing to your ever so massively hyped revolutionary new system.

Your response only serves to demonstrate your lack of understanding and command of facts. Crawl back under that rock - after you've taken your foot from your mouth.

Not entirely true - if the Manager tells the team to play in a certain manner and they do, then surely its the Managers fault because his planning is sh^te. Also, Managers can change games by changing tactics - if the Manager just stands there with his hands in pockets shaking his head, nothing will change and the inevitable will happen. True they should - but then surely its the responsibility of the Manager to change things either during the game or in the planning of the next game? It seems to me the only reason JP changes the team is to react to injury - not to the type of team faced in the next match or more to the point, how sh^te each player performed in the last game. If this were true McGoldrick would be gracing the reserves. So sorry - JP is NOT managing the team well atall. I remember VERY clearly Lowe and Wilde espousing the wonderful revolutionary total football system that JP and Wotte would be bringing. Check the OS - I feel sure you find something on there. But anyway, thats not the issue - the system whatever you want to call it IS BLATANTLY NOT WORKING. NO! Why the f*ck should I or any other Saints fan give this guy any more chance than he has had already - i.e. a full pre-season, several league and cup games to experiment and numerous opportunities in training? And lets be clear - JP is YET ANOTHER failed manager selected by Lowe. How many is it now? How long do we have to wait? We waited for Pearson to get it right and he had slowly started to turn it round. The fans were on his side. He had won the changing room. And then what happened? That stupid tw*t Lowe went and sacked him. Thank again pal - your comments do not stack up in the slightest IMO.

I fear for the team after this game... where the hell is Skacel?

All the major shareholders agreed on a sell at 50p/share. Nobody came up with the money to finalise the deal obviously. With the actual price closer to 20p who can blame anyone feeling a little dubious about the investment?! Administration is beckoning....probably closer than we think.

As my hope for the team subsides, so does my enjoyment in watching a team that is underachieving - watching the ship sink under Lowe's stewardship. I have no idea who is calling the shots at SMS in terms of tactics and team selection, but its very clear to me that something is not right - its just not working. The whole set-up has an amatuerish, gullible feel to it. Almost as if the architect of the 'revolution' (whoever that is) is not qualified to tie BWP's boots, let alone run a CCC football team. I sold my ST seat for Saturdays game....saw the weather forecast and decided to enjoy my weekend away. I didn't miss SMS atall really - listened to the game on the radio actually and wished I hadn't bothered. At the moment there's a 10% chance of me renewing my ST and that's diminishing by the week. Its pains me to admit it, but I just do not care anymore....

Its not an honest assessment FFS! If it was, he would be saying, "I haven't got a clue how to adapt an outdated Dutch footballing system to the modern CCC game, using a bunch of youngsters that are not ready for the rigours of such a tournement. The lads heads are starting to drop because its clearly not working for them. And I do not know what to say from the byeline because I don't have a plan B."

Are 16,000 people wrong? We are now back at the point where we could all fit into the Dell once more....nice U turn Lowe. I know a few people who refuse to pay the same money to watch kids. And watching the shambles in the 2nd half tonight who can blame them? If this carries on I will not be renewing my ST and I suspect many more will not either - gates will crumble next season further and they'll close a stand. I can tell you something else - if Lowe sells any of the decent youngsters prior to the end of the season, I will never set foot in St. Marys again until he's gone - that will be the last straw - I don't care how broke Lowe says we are...that's his problem as Chairman to sort out and if he doesn't then HE has failed. Rant Over...

No other team above div 2 will have him...I'd be snapping Saints hand off if I were him.

If JP does not use Skacel then he will show to all just how inexperinced he is at this level. Best play Rudi at LB and Surman on the left - they had a reasonably good partnership going there last season.

Just thought it worthwhile also pointing out that QPR also played some attractive football - its just that they attack THE GOAL rather than play tip-tappy attractive football around the perimeter of the penalty area. Let me repeat that strange concept - they attack THE GOAL! Can you hear me JP?! We need a player like Stern John who can SHOOT! Err, what do you mean he was on bench....?

Once again an inept defensive display. 10/10 to Davis who was outstanding in goal despite the scoreline which was in fact flattering to us. Gillet weak as p*55 - just too lightweight to command a CM position in the CCC. McGoldrick is not fit to even tie Blackstocks laces. Why did we not start with a strong backbone with Stern and then bring on the young lads later if necessary? Dyer once again was very poor - he has very little sense of where his team mates are - one day he might thread a convincing ball through to a runner. However, as I have said since early in the season, what concerns me the most is JP and his complete lack of tactics when things are going wrong. When you go one player down, especially when its a CB, playing the same game and expecting to get away with it is suicide. Frankly, JP's credentials (or lack of them) are starting to show through. In summary, the coach got it wrong today - played too many youngsters against one of the stronger teams in the league.

I suspect many people either don't want to pay £5 to be ignored by the 'in crowd' on here, which is a tad worse than being abused because someone doesn't agree with your point of view. Shame really - the forum really is a shadow of its former self as so many once prolific and entertaining posters have been put-off. I still enjoy the occasional peep to see what's going on, but frankly it is not worth spending that much time on nowadays.

Err...golden duo!?!?! Please remind us how many games Wotte has managed to win with his pretty experienced reserve side? I just hope the youngsters in the squad don't get too used to losing games - all this total football is fine and dandy, but when is the winning mentality going to be undermined because the results are awful?

The key to the answer to this question does not reside with Lowe I believe on this occasion - it will lie with the banks and with shareholders as such. If we are anywhere near looking like relegation candidates after Christmas, the pressure and decision to appoint somebody to save the club from that fate will be huge, as relegation will lead to almost certain administration and THAT is something Lowe will have to avoid at all costs. Lets not forget that for this reason alone, Lowe has taken a massive gamble, despite how upbeat we might feel about Jan and his plan.

Nice post - most will agree. But then I suspect the minute Lowe sells one or two of our best youngsters to raise cash thus upsetting the balance and team spirit of the side, there will be a somewhat more negative vibe on this forum. Of course this may never happen - I truly hope not, because we need consistency - this club needs consistency. The kids - the new generation of supporters - need consistent heroes...not go out and buy a Saints shirt with Sneiderman or Surman or Gasmi on the back, only to see their hero sold on to a 'bigger' club. If Lowe REALLY wants to turn back time and take us back to a time when agents didn't rule the roost, then he needs to develop a backbone and keep this team together as long as possible.