10 years ago today

A great moment in Saints history

Jim Branning sung.

I was there.

Someone called Gareth Bale also scored his first goal at st Mary's

Ten years ago this week we were preparing for a Championship match with WBA to begin the club's second season in the Championship following relegation from the Prem in 2005. George Burley had assembled a reasonable squad with Rasiak and Saganowski as strikers and the introduction of 17-year-old Gareth Bale at left back. The WBA match was a 0-0 draw and there were dark times ahead, despite scraping into 6th place and into the play-offs where the team lost in the semi-finals to Derby on penalties. This was the year that the financial problems became apparent with former Chairman Rupert Lowe saying that the construction of St Mary's had been predicated on the club remaining in the Premier League.

The next season saw players such as Bale, sold to stay afloat financially but in the end the sums didn't add up and although Saints managed 3 seasons in the Championship, the club finally went into administration in April 2009 and were relegated to L1 with the famous 10-point deduction. Ten years ago, fans were squabbling constantly over Lowe's chairmanship and many were probably not aware of just how dire things were financially. Had the club managed to win through the Playoffs that season and return to the Prem in 2007/08, history would be very different but its hard to believe we would be where we are today.

Ben Franklin (1706-1790) said that "Out of adversity comes opportunity". Our club is a prime example.

Interesting how club myths become established facts. Total net cost of SMS was £17million, once sponsorship, grants and the proceeds from selling the Dell are taken into consideration. RL effectively took out a 10 year loan against the stadium to cover other debts in 2001. With an interest rate of 8%. If it had just been for SMS, then the mortgage would have been around 5-6 million by the time that we went into administration in 2009. Total debts in 2009 were around £30 million in 2009. We simply lived beyond our means and paid players too much after relegation in 2005. Having said that, administration got rid of RL and we ended up with owners who seem to know what they are doing.

Ten years ago this week we were preparing for a Championship match with WBA to begin the club's second season in the Championship following relegation from the Prem in 2005. George Burley had assembled a reasonable squad with Rasiak and Saganowski as strikers and the introduction of 17-year-old Gareth Bale at left back. The WBA match was a 0-0 draw and there were dark times ahead, despite scraping into 6th place and into the play-offs where the team lost in the semi-finals to Derby on penalties. This was the year that the financial problems became apparent with former Chairman Rupert Lowe saying that the construction of St Mary's had been predicated on the club remaining in the Premier League.

The next season saw players such as Bale, sold to stay afloat financially but in the end the sums didn't add up and although Saints managed 3 seasons in the Championship, the club finally went into administration in April 2009 and were relegated to L1 with the famous 10-point deduction. Ten years ago, fans were squabbling constantly over Lowe's chairmanship and many were probably not aware of just how dire things were financially. Had the club managed to win through the Playoffs that season and return to the Prem in 2007/08, history would be very different but its hard to believe we would be where we are today.

Ben Franklin (1706-1790) said that "Out of adversity comes opportunity". Our club is a prime example.

Incorrect I'm afraid chap, our first fixture that season was Derby away.

Bale made his debut and scored a cracking free kick to put us 1-0 up, they equalised through Seth Johnson, we went 2-1 up thanks to BWP, then they scored in injury time of the 2nd half through Paul Peschisolido to make it 2-2.

Other than that the rest of your post is otherwise agreeable

Didn't we manage 4 seasons in the championship before administration and league 1??

Incorrect I'm afraid chap, our first fixture that season was Derby away.

 

Bale made his debut and scored a cracking free kick to put us 1-0 up, they equalised through Seth Johnson, we went 2-1 up thanks to BWP, then they scored in injury time of the 2nd half through Paul Peschisolido to make it 2-2.

 

Other than that the rest of your post is otherwise agreeable

Bale made a couple of appearances at the end of the previous season. Debut v Millwall away was it? The Derby goal was his first though

This thread going slightly of track here.

Can we bring it back to Jim Branning.

I was there, what a moment in the clubs history.

Incorrect I'm afraid chap, our first fixture that season was Derby away.

 

Didn't we manage 4 seasons in the championship before administration and league 1??

Bale made a couple of appearances at the end of the previous season. Debut v Millwall away was it? The Derby goal was his first though

He's not a Professor for nothing. But then again, he probably is.

This thread going slightly of track here.

 

Can we bring it back to Jim Branning.

 

I was there, what a moment in the clubs history.

Just to clarify, Branning's debut (and Bale's first goal at st Mary's) was the 2 0 mid-week victory against Coventry on 9 August 2008.

I'm not sure if he came back for the zip zip west brom game the next Saturday, as suggested by the Professor.

Interesting how club myths become established facts. Total net cost of SMS was £17million, once sponsorship, grants and the proceeds from selling the Dell are taken into consideration. RL effectively took out a 10 year loan against the stadium to cover other debts in 2001. With an interest rate of 8%. If it had just been for SMS, then the mortgage would have been around 5-6 million by the time that we went into administration in 2009. Total debts in 2009 were around £30 million in 2009. We simply lived beyond our means and paid players too much after relegation in 2005. Having said that, administration got rid of RL and we ended up with owners who seem to know what they are doing.

Really sorry, but that is almost all complete rubbish - and most points available in the public domain.

The 4 million pounds we paid Aviva when we got back in the premier league within five years, should be enough to prove it.

Gareth Bale goal, how 10 years fly by

Jim Branning - I was there and still have no idea why he was ...

Just to clarify, Branning's debut (and Bale's first goal at st Mary's) was the 2 0 mid-week victory against Coventry on 9 August 2008.

 

I'm not sure if he came back for the zip zip west brom game the next Saturday, as suggested by the Professor.

2006.

Didn't we manage 4 seasons in the championship before administration and league 1??

Yes, but I think he was referring to after we sold Bale.

We sold Bale in the summer of 2007 and last 2 more seasons in the Championship. Our total spell in the championship was 4 years : 2005 to 2009. Then 2009 to 2011 in League 1, one season back in the Championship (2011 to 2012) and the Prem since 2012