Wes Tender

And it would be nice to go shopping again in Sainsburys and Tesco near Hedge End without encountering a few Skate shirts. It is possible that as we have superior shopping facilities in our area, they come here to shop, wearing the only clothing that they possess. Otherwise, they are obviously plastics, as I never used to see them here. Fancying a change, I went to ASDA Chandlers Ford at the weekend for the shopping. I counted at least a dozen people wearing Saints related apparel and no Skates. I think that until Pompey are relegated and the plastics disappear from my locality, I might continue going to C/F.

The rest of your argument is fair comment, apart from this, which I take to be there because of the difficulty that you have in posting an opinion without trolling. Pearson has proven his ability to keep us in the Championship and also his capability in getting another team promoted back into this division from the league that we will be in. Wotte was in charge when we were relegated from this division and has no past history of success in the third division in this country. As such, Pearson would be an ideal candidate to manage us right now, as his track record proves he has the ability to achieve what we require to achieve. What is this potential that you feel Wotte has and how has it been proven?

An internationally known manager would be a great magnet to attract the sort of player who could get us out of this division. All of a sudden, because of Markus Liebherr, our profile in the game has already been raised quite a bit. The appointment of a serious manager is the next logical step to get people to sit up and pay attention to our ambitions. Where we were last week, nobody serious would have considered us a good prospect to manage, whereas now that the owner could listen seriously to the requirements of the manager when discussing the type of player needed, things are entirely different. Before, we were financially unable to afford even some of the players already here, let alone the ones who we might want. Now, although the manager would not have a blank cheque book, at least the money is there if a player is deemed to be essential either to buy or to keep. In short, we now have options. If there are either ambitious young managers, or more experienced good ones out there available, they could either kick-start their career again, or make a name for themselves here.

So you're saying that even if you get taken over by a rich consortium, there's no guarantee that you'll remain in the Premiership? So what's the point?

Great news, as it must have been a temptation to go to a Premiership team and earn much more than he did here. But perhaps he has a nice house down here, family and children settled with friends and he has made a decision based on the quality of life he has in this area. He quite likely remembers clearly the derision he got at Sunderland in the Premiership, when things hadn't gone well for him with a very leaky defence in front of him, but despite some stick early on when he came here, he worked hard and proved the doubters wrong. As a result, he has become a bit of a cult hero to us and this decision is likely to enhance that reputation. Ultimately, he might have decided that he gets paid enough to be comfortable financially and likes it down here. He obviously enjoys his football and might have considered that he would prefer to play every game here rather than warming the bench as the reserve keeper. With our new owner, exciting times are ahead and he might yet enjoy the ride back up to the Premiership over the next three or four years. A big thanks, anyway, Kelvin

There is a pendulum that swings in the fortunes of the two clubs. The Skates heyday was the wartime years when they had the advantage of players in the forces playing for them and they were champions the year of my birth. During the years of my youth and for most of my adult life, their fortunes declined as Saint's fortunes rose, with a 27 year stint in the top flight while Pompey languished one or two divisions below for much of that time. When we gained Lowe and became a PLC, we underwent two relegations while Pompey got lucky with two successive takeovers from people with considerably more money than we have ever had and so the pendulum had swung totally the other way. I am content that the pendulum is about to swing the other way again. We have an owner now who is considerably more wealthy than the two past Pompey owners put together and our debts have been wiped out, whereas they are a club laden with debt and even if this current deal goes through for them, I can see future problems. They are the ones having to sell the family silver to keep on an even keel and their future is uncertain until their current plight is resolved. I'm sure that in the next few years, the pendulum will have swung the other way and we will resume our natural position as the South's major force in football.

Its all about opinions and usually when it comes to players, I respect yours. But I don't agree in Lallana's case. I did accept that it might have had a lot to do with the clueless total football experiment where too many youngsters were played together in an unfamiliar formation and it might also have been the case that we didn't have the right manager to motivate him and play to his strengths. It would have been interesting to see how Pearson would have fared instead. I agree broadly with Nick. The examples of his contemporaries like Walcott an Bale going to top Premiership clubs is a bad one when he is hyped to be the next one. Unfortunately the early hype didn't materialise into ongoing results further into the season and having been told that he is an exceptional prospect and not delivering last season, he possibly thinks that it is for reasons other than those in his hands. I reckon he ought to prove himself here before going elsewhere as it will be better for his development and future value in the longer term.

My attitude and perspective has changed since yesterday. Before then, I would have been quite angry that he hadn't exactly shone last season and justified the hype in him and I would resent him leaving because of the investment that the club had made in bringing him up through the youth coaching system. There were only one or two players in our relegation season who could hold their heads up high and say that they gave their all to the cause and he wasn't one of them. Granted that the inept management had a lot to do with that too. But today, my viewpoint has changed. Whereas before it would have been difficult to replace him with somebody of equal talent and potential because we did not have the money to be able to afford it, that has changed dramatically. Any player that isn't 100% committed to the task ahead, should go now and make way for somebody who is. If KD decides to stay, great credit to him. The older, more mature and experienced hands should have a quiet words with those like Lallana and pursuade them that Saints are standing on the threshhold of a bright and exciting new era in their history. They shouldn't quickly dismiss the opportunity to come along for the ride, probably ending up as more rounded individuals in the process, but ending up anyway back in the Premiership within three or four years with luck. The alternative might be much more money a league or two higher, but it also includes the possibility of warming the bench if they're lucky, or playing for the reserves if they're not. When we get in the players and manager capable of pushing on, we'll be an exciting prospect for other young players whose star is in the ascendancy, or older players whos star is waning from the higher divisions, but who still have something to offer. A team such as this could accommodate somebody like Lallana and help him develop. It really is his call. But if you stay, Adam, only do so wholeheartedly.

Wrong. It is especially in Skatesville that these individuals congregate.

And my son's. He'll never forget this one!

Gaydamak probably introduced him to their number one fan, Mr Westwood. Westwood probably jumped the gun and had the new owner's name tattooed on his bum, so he'll have to get that removed.

Definitely.

Well, as it's a football club forum, we always have the option of discussing the players, the manager, the football; that sort of thing.

Why would you want a Swiss Army knife with the Arsenal manager's surname on it? Get the Victorinox version with just the cross.

Thank you Markus for buying our great club and having faith in us when others did not. If you are true to your word and committed to your quest to restore this club to its former place in the top flight of British football and are in it for the long term, then you will earn the respect, the gratitude and the friendship of tens of thousands of people who love this club. As the administrator Mark Fry has remarked, he is confident that you are the right person to bring success to Southampton. It has been a long drawn out process, but I'm certain that most fans will agree and be happy that you are our new owner. We all wish you well and hope for a long and mutually successful relationship with you.

Best possible birthday present for my son!

Crystal Palace have a match this evening?

I must say I agree in general. I don't have any issues with those who loyally attended regardless of the board or the manager or the dross that was served up in the name of football last season and certainly don't accuse them of prolonging the Lowe regime. We are all entitled to our own beliefs, opinions and actions. We can only hope that now those divisive elements and egos are no longer associate with the club, that unity can return once more.

Well, again, by bracketing the two things together, you fail to accept that your case is weakened by not considering the differences in perspective. I can prove a loss of revenue to the club from several personal friends and acquaintances who I know for a fact boycotted several matches. Naturally it cannot be proven exactly how much in total was lost to the club from the boycott, or whether it was sufficient to be the last straw. But I am that much closer to proving my position than you, who cannot point to anything you did that brought about the downfall of the Soviet Union.

I'm sure they will. They usually buy 7 or 8 of them as a family; have done so for many, many years.

I suggest that the box should be buried under the centre circle of the skates' new ground when it is eventually built.

The International Finance group?

I think that the perspective between your analogy and mine has been rather blown out of proportion. I'm quite content to believe that my little contribution taken together with many others might indeed have amounted to the straw that broke the camel's back. If you wish to believe that your college debate as a spotty teenager helped to overthrow the Soviet tyranny, then all I can say is that despite the passage of all those years, your debating skills haven't improved much since your college days.

Yes. Nick is interfering with the Space/Time continuum, which might have dire consequences.

Some like you, Nick, say that the fans boycott was totally ineffectual, whereas others blame us by telling us that if just 500 of us had turned up to all home games, we might have avoided administration. Who is right? Personally, I'm inclined to think that there were many reasons for the declining crowds, such as Lowe's return, the high prices for watching the youth team, the poor Dutch saps, the lack of success that understandably followed on the field, the dismissal of Pearson and so on. But as the numbers of those who actually boycotted cannot be proven, then it has to be accepted that there is the possibility that they were sufficient to tip the balance to push us over the edge. Fair comment? Anyway, this is all thankfully water under the bridge. Let's move onwards and upwards, eh?