Weston Saint

That was investing money. I am not expecting that, just his experience of business. It has been reported to me he still has a love for Saints

Well some of them were working with Crouch before he stepped down. Would they act now, I do not know. One is too busy trying to save another major plc at present.

Last season Bransgrove shared the cost of the "Ex Directors" box. I spoke to him about Lowe coming back but I will not post what he said. I do not think they have fallen out although I agree with FloridaMarlin that it is a cool relationship.

So I am criticised for taking a "voice of reason" view by some, come up with a plan of action and this is your response! Thanks for nothing Tris.

Let’s look at this from a logical viewpoint. We want Lowe and Wilde out of SMS and SLH. That is the mission statement but is it enough. We need to make sure someone competent can come in and run the club, not for a while until the mythical investor turns up but for the next 5 years. Ridding Lowe of attending matches is not enough. We need to see the back of him permanently. So how do we achieve it lawfully? We have to marginalise his support but how? Wilde will be a good start but so far he has not shifted as he is worried about losing his money. Quite honestly Lowe is doing a pretty good job at marginalising his own support through his actions to date and even that has been ineffective. What can we achieve? Once he has been marginalised, what next? We need a plan for someone to come in knowing there is no money in the pot with a struggling side and coaches that are just not up to the job. Who is capable of this and drive us forward with a business plan for the next 5 years? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is a way. First find a consortium of business men who have a passion for Saints. Say Salz, Davies and others who I will not name as I have promised confidentiality. Then find a football CEO to bind it all together. Ask them to put together a business plan for the next 3 or 5 years to save the club and take it forward. Once you have that you need to review the shareholders list and write to all shareholders setting out the plan and asked for pledged support. If you are lucky to get enough support you then get the consortium to go to the financial institutions including Aviva for support of the plan and showing the shareholder support. Just may be Wilde and some of the others who support Lowe at present will see that alternative and break ranks. Once you have a pledge for 50% or more, you approach the board and ask them to resign. If they do not you call for an EGM. Once Lowe has gone the rebuilding can take place but it will not happen tomorrow. It needs time Anyone got a better idea?

Try to be civil and through your red mist you might just see I am not a Lowe supporter. Here is a way. First find a consortium of business men who have a passion for Saints. Say Salz, Davies and others who I will not name as I have promised confidentiality. Then find a football COE to bind it all together. Ask them to put together a business plan for the next 3 or 5 years to save the club and take it forward. Once you have that you need to review the shareholders list and write to all shareholders setting out the plan and asked for pledged support. If you are lucky to get enough support you then get the consortium to go to the financial institutions including Aviva for support of the plan and showing the shareholder support. Just may be Wilde and some of the others who support Lowe at present will see that alternative and break ranks. Once you have a pledge for 50% or more, you approach the board and ask them to resign. If they do not you call for an EGM. Once Lowe has gone the rebuilding can take place but it will not happen tomorrow. It needs time Anyone got a better idea?

Let’s look at this from a logical viewpoint. We want Lowe and Wilde out of SMS and SLH. That is the mission statement but is it enough. We need to make sure someone competent can come in and run the club, not for a while until the mythical investor turns up but for the next 5 years. Ridding Lowe of attending matches is not enough. We need to see the back of him permanently. So how do we achieve it lawfully? We have to marginalise his support but how? Wilde will be a good start but so far he has not shifted as he is worried about losing his money. Quite honestly Lowe is doing a pretty good job at marginalising his own support through his actions to date and even that has been ineffective. What can we achieve? Once he has been marginalised, what next? We need a plan for someone to come in knowing there is no money in the pot with a struggling side and coaches that are just not up to the job. Who is capable of this and drive us forward with a business plan for the next 5 years? How is that for starters.

He is not CEO of the rosebowl nor a Director or an employee. Rod Bransgrove told me he has provided some good advice regarding the development of the Rosebowl but that is all. http://www.rosebowlplc.com/pages/whos-who/

Assume you mean themselves as Bransgrove is Chairman and CEO of the Rosebowl plc.

Not really Duncan, I only post what I believe. If that is the voice of reason so be it. I am happy with my approach to matters. I am not doing it to impress others.

No because they usually will ask the club first. Sky tend to keep to their own area and the ex players tend to go into the dressing room rather than the hospitality area unless invited. If they did it is so rare there is unlikely to be a problem but I take my lead from the hospitality manager. Same at Goodwood. Our instructions are those with badges only but if a box holder brings an owner or a trainer in to talk to his group Goodwood say that is acceptable. A balance has to be drawn but I cannot really be objective without the full facts. I was merely putting a point of view that seems out of kilt with the ordinary supporter on here. I can live with that

Perhaps I have taken this view because I steward Hospitality at the Rosebowl and Goodwood Horseracing where the cost per person is much higher than SMS and can see from the inside. There is a way of handling such situations but without knowing the full facts it is difficult to be objective.

If someone comes in for him I would expect him to look to the club to confirm they will be extending or offering him a new contract. Loyalty can only go so far and needs a loyal response from the board. I doubt he will get the reassuring he needs and will be off. His stock is reasonable high at the moment and he will be able to command a decent contract elsewhere. Stay until the end of the season with a club likely to be relegated and a chance of a dip in personal form without a good prospect of a new or extended contract and he would be daft to stay loyal. The club should act now and offer him at least a 1 year extention whilst finances are sorted. But I am not holding my breath!!

I decided to support the “Dutch” idea at the beginning of the season and was excited by the style of play and aspirations of total football. I truly expected us to struggle early on with results but see a gradual improvement to a mid table (or just below) position by the end of the season. I certainly did not expect us to be in the bottom 3 at Christmas. It is becoming increasingly obvious ( a view many have held since the start) that the style is not suited to this league and we lack experience to turn things round. The team yesterday looked decent and the strongest (Skacel for Molyneau excepted) available from players at present with the club. However they looked clueless for much of the game against a fellow struggling club. This is totally unacceptable We have a coaching team that have been given long enough to impose their style and tactics. They have failed. They need to go. The club needs to act now. Crouch was heavily criticised by the Lowe group for “hoping for non existent investment” whilst finances were burned. Lowe will be tarnished with the same for hoping for a non existent change in our results fortune with this team of coaches. The big question is, will he go for it? I am told there is increasing disillusionment in the boardroom with the present coach. It is no good just sacking one of them. They all need to go although Hockaday may be an asset to have in the background when a new MANAGER is appointed. I fear Lowe will carry on as usual using finances as a stick with which to continually beat the club and ultimately us the supporters. I am realistic enough to know finances are in a poor state and need to be managed. I appreciate the bank has a big say in our clubs decision making off the field. However the balance has to be right. It does not appear to be the case at present.

But not all the other shareholders will want to oust Lowe for Crouch. There has to be a viable alternative leader with a respected team with football interests at the fore and a 5 year business plan to turn the club round. It is not a case of just getting rid of Lowe and his group, as I know you appreciate Dave.

Lowe made his move to push Crouch out by an EGM threat because he knew he had, with Wildes support, a majority support. Crouch stepped down because he knew he had a minority support without Wilde. Nothing seems to have changed.

Actually I was not thinking of factories but my own industy in the financial sector. May be my 5 years in retirement has distanced me from the real world of today As for the picture, have you been in the board room lately? I have been told (not verified) that a picture of the team and the FA Cup is there. The argument Mrs McMememy is using as a stick to beat Lowe with is kind of embarrasing and detracts from the real issues and arguments for Lowes removal. It is reported that Lowe offered an olive branch to McMenemy when he came back but McMemeny's mistrust and dislike for Lowe caused him to turn away from such gesture. I don't blame him for turning it down by the way any more than I do not blame Lowe for removing the picture from the boardroom. However, as is typical with Lowe he handled it very badly. It could have been put in the Hospitality area. Offering it back to McMememy was poor show in my opinion. Some may call my comments a contradiction in terms but I can live with that

I have put up an explanation of my comments on the other thread. Whether you agree with it or not is for debate but I can tetell you I am in the real world Steve. I just see some things different than you perhaps with a more dispassionate eye. . People including Crouch are asking Lowe to get away from the football side and concentrate on plc matters. Wilde is the Chairman of Football. He reports back to the plc board and collective decisions are made there. Wilde was present but left early. I just do not see the need for Lowe to be at every match. A CEO of a company does not spend every day on the shop floor, he relies on reports and looks at the statistics. Matches are on video. He can review if necessary. It does call into question Lowes alleged love for the club, I will grant you and others on this thread that point. That is my view and the reason for my comment on this thread.

I have not been into the hospitality suites although I was fortunate to get invited into a private box last season against Hull. I am assuming the facilities including food and drink in the suites are free and unlimited. That is why you or your hosts pay a high premium. That usually includes a few ex players who have been asked by the club to “entertain” If any ex player just rolled up to speak to the paying public and enjoy the facilities for free it would cause the cost to go up and at a time of recession and with an already struggling club/team that needs to be carefully managed. I am assuming David just walked in to speak to friends without asking. In my opinion the action that needs to be taken now is for the Manager of the facility to carry out a full investigation within his team and report to Andrew Cowen. Andrew should then seek a meeting with David and his paymasters to get their side of the story. The club should then issue a short apology or explanation of the action. Ex players, particularly those who have been good servants of the club need to be treated with respect but they need to respect the rules and regulations of the club. It has to be a two way thing. I suspect David would have made nothing of the situation in normal circumstances but the total mismanagement of the club on the field, in the boardroom and our poor results was the final straw for a man with passion for our club. I can understand him feeling sore about his “treatment” but I hope he can now reflect, put it into context and continue his association both in media terms and as a much needed ambassador in the hospitality facilities when called upon. I hope this clarifies my comments yesterday

I think posters need to pull themselves into the real world. We are in an age of mobile phones, email and instant video conference facilities. It does not matter Lowe was not there. Wilde & Cowen were.

Some of you have clearly missed the point. I appear to be wasting my time on this subject.

No problem.

Is Armstrong giving his time free to Sainst? I thought he was being paid by the radio station! Was Armstrong invited by the club to go into Hospitality? Did he pay to go into hospitality like everyone else? He was a great player for us and should be treated with respect but you just can't walk in wherever you want without asking or paying.

It was a touch of sarcasm on my part, no more, no less. Fulthorpe is a fantasist and a strange one at that.

I have been told Lowe was not at the game. Quite funny to see some round me in the Itchen singing "Lowe Out" and gesturing to him in the Directors box. Fulthorpe was there though