Do we REALLY need Rupert Lowe any more?

[eelpie]

If he is:-

the reason why many supporters are not attending matches,

interfering with team selection,

and duplicating Michael Wilde's role in applying stringent economies,

 

WHY do we need him?

 

Cowen or Askham could fulfil his role as SLH chairman, and negotiate with Barclays and Norwich.

 

Poortvliet would continue with the policy of promoting youth,

while attempts to sign and play a couple of better quality and more experienced specialist defenders would not be blocked.

 

Lowe has done all he needs to do! Without paying his salary we might be able to afford not selling at least one promising player in January.

 

Without Lowe, morale among supporters would soar. Gates would increase. And the match-day atmosphere that we saw during the last match at St Mary's last season would return.

 

So thank you and goodbye Rupert, I say. Anyone agree that Lowe is not needed anymore?

[Red and White Army]

I think this thread is not needed any more.

[Window Cleaner]

If he is:-

the reason why many supporters are not attending matches,

interfering with team selection,

and duplicating Michael Wilde's role in applying stringent economies,

 

WHY do we need him?

 

 

 

 

 

Because he thinks we do, the bank might well think we do as well.On the salary front I doubt if 80K a year is going to change much, shift Rudi and we'll

save 6 times as much.

Rupert Lowe (and his clique) and Mike Wilde own a controlling interest in the club.Until someone is prepared to step up with enough filthy lucre it doesn't matter what you, I or Uncle Tom Cobbley think of their continuing usefulness.

[Long Shot]

If he is:-

the reason why many supporters are not attending matches,

interfering with team selection,

and duplicating Michael Wilde's role in applying stringent economies,

 

WHY do we need him?

 

Cowen or Askham could fulfil his role as SLH chairman, and negotiate with Barclays and Norwich.

 

Poortvliet would continue with the policy of promoting youth,

while attempts to sign and play a couple of better quality and more experienced specialist defenders would not be blocked.

 

Lowe has done all he needs to do! Without paying his salary we might be able to afford not selling at least one promising player in January.

 

Without Lowe, morale among supporters would soar. Gates would increase. And the match-day atmosphere that we saw during the last match at St Mary's last season would return.

 

So thank you and goodbye Rupert, I say. Anyone agree that Lowe is not needed anymore?

 

 

His departure would not do the club any harm and like you insinuate it would "flush out" all those who are staying away because of his presence.

While he remains this club will never be 100% united, that is a fact.

[St Landrew]

In actual fact, I don't think Rupert is meant to be at St Marys in anything but in our imagination. OK, he attends matches, but he's not the Chairman of SFC, but of SLH. Michael Wilde is Chairman of SFC, so maybe Rupert isn't getting a salary after all. He may be pulling the strings, but I don't think he's being paid.

 

Perhaps someone who actually KNOWS can come on here and tell us.

[OldNick]

.

While he remains this club will never be 100% united, that is a fact.

I think that is most pertinent and correct.

I have a lot of time for people with principles as long as those principles have been consistant Sadly most of the fans deserting the club have principles that have only surfaced since relegation. Afterall Rl was at the club 10 years and only in the last 4 have fans all of a sudden found these principles that they adhere to whatever

[Johnny Shearer]

His departure would not do the club any harm and like you insinuate it would "flush out" all those who are staying away because of his presence.While he remains this club will never be 100% united, that is a fact.

 

In all honesty I dont think that many would would return to St Marys if left right now. Its just a convenient excuse IMO to say you wont go to a game if Lowe is there.

[saintstr1]

We Did Not need him back in the first place , I honestly believe if Crouch & Co had been left in place we would have been taken over long before now , Pearson would still be in charge,( Not that I have anything against JP) , We would have a better balanced team and probably in the top half of the League. Rupert Lowe you are just a egotistical ****,

Thanks for nothing,Again!!

[Window Cleaner]

In actual fact, I don't think Rupert is meant to be at St Marys in anything but in our imagination. OK, he attends matches, but he's not the Chairman of SFC, but of SLH. Michael Wilde is Chairman of SFC, so maybe Rupert isn't getting a salary after all. He may be pulling the strings, but I don't think he's being paid.

 

Perhaps someone who actually KNOWS can come on here and tell us.

 

 

Yes he is, he gets paid for 2 days a week. It's public knowledge, said so himself. Said it was "all we can afford".

Mike Wilde gets nothing, expenses from Jersey from time to time perhaps.

As he's only allowed what 75 days a year in the UK he probably turns up about once every 2 weeks.

[OldNick]

We Did Not need him back in the first place , I honestly believe if Crouch & Co had been left in place we would have been taken over long before now , Pearson would still be in charge,( Not that I have anything against JP) , We would have a better balanced team and probably in the top half of the League. Rupert Lowe you are just a egotistical ****,

Thanks for nothing,Again!!

I dont think we would be in any better position with NP as he would have had basically the same funds to work with, but that is only opinion of course.

[saintstr1]

In all honesty I dont think that many would would return to St Marys if left right now. Its just a convenient excuse IMO to say you wont go to a game if Lowe is there.

 

Only about 3to 4,000 a match IMO.

[Window Cleaner]

We Did Not need him back in the first place , I honestly believe if Crouch & Co had been left in place we would have been taken over long before now , Pearson would still be in charge,( Not that I have anything against JP) , We would have a better balanced team and probably in the top half of the League. Rupert Lowe you are just a egotistical ****,

Thanks for nothing,Again!!

 

It's an academic arguement? LC had his chance to find some "investors". Trouble with all that is that he's a minority shareholder. If his "investor" can't produce the financial clout to convince the majority shareholding groups of

their plans for the club then LC could stay in charge 1000 years and we wouldn't be taken over. He just found Fulthorpe et al, they don't seem to have the wherewithal.Nothing stopping Crouch from selling them HIS shareholding and letting them try to convince others of their plans.Mary Corbett could do the same, then they'd have 16% or so as a working base. There are a few other bits and bobs floating about out there as well.

Let them get to 29% first and then proposition either Wilde or the Lowe clique.Why can't they do that, ah no money, yep that's always a bugger.

It's catch 22, they need control to get the money, but they won't get control without the money.Mike Wilde as good as said "flash the cash and I'm listening, if you can't p!ss off".

[Johnny Shearer]

Only about 3to 4,000 a match IMO.

 

Thats fair enough. But even then I wouldnt expect an immediate rush back. It'll be in dribs and drabs and if the team is performing well.

 

Ah well, each to their own and all that I suppose.

[Sundance Beast]

I think that is most pertinent and correct.

I have a lot of time for people with principles as long as those principles have been consistant Sadly most of the fans deserting the club have principles that have only surfaced since relegation. Afterall Rl was at the club 10 years and only in the last 4 have fans all of a sudden found these principles that they adhere to whatever

 

Thank you NickH for probably the most relevant and important point on the whole Lowe issue. Does Lowe need to leave or do fans who have been happy to support the club under his previous leadership but have deserted us now simply need to change their own attitudes. As for the plastics well all clubs have them and no doubt they will return the club to full capacity and pretend to the rest of us what loyal supporters they are.

 

An excellent point and as usual the stay away anti-lowe types will not respond with an intelligent counter argument as to any true supporter there isn't an argument worthy of consideration.

[saintstr1]

It's an academic arguement? LC had his chance to find some "investors". Trouble with all that is that he's a minority shareholder. If his "investor" can't produce the financial clout to convince the majority shareholding groups of

their plans for the club then LC could stay in charge 1000 years and we wouldn't be taken over. He just found Fulthorpe et al, they don't seem to have the wherewithal.Nothing stopping Crouch from selling them HIS shareholding and letting them try to convince others of their plans.Mary Corbett could do the same, then they'd have 16% or so as a working base. There are a few other bits and bobs floating about out there as well.

Let them get to 29% first and then proposition either Wilde or the Lowe clique.Why can't they do that, ah no money, yep that's always a bugger.

It's catch 22, they need control to get the money, but they won't get control without the money.Mike Wilde as good as said "flash the cash and I'm listening, if you can't p!ss off".

 

You are right it is now a academic argument, but when I was down at St Mary's for the last game of last season(sheff u) I was told on good authority that LC & co were very near to getting significent investment until Big Boots Lowe and his puppy dog stormed in and kicked it all into touch. The only reason they bullied there way back was because they were about to lose personally on there investment, Lowe is not interested in Saints as a football team,to him it is just a cash cow same as it has always been.

[St Landrew]

IMO, Lowe has gambled with the fan's support for a very long time, and now it has cost the club and him dearly. He now has to balance out whether his involvement is being an almighty millstone around SFC's neck, or whether his bad image can be overcome. Knowing Rupert by reputation, I'm sure he thinks the latter. Personally, I feel that Rupert should concentrate his involvement in nurturing the club as it is, and making it into the biggest bargain available, so that he can, if he wants, just become an SFC supporter, and have no ownership or involvement in the club. And new owners, with much more money and ambition, can take the club forward.

 

If Rupert could achieve this much, then the majority of supporters may think a little better of him, and eventually return to St Marys. But they won't with him still around the place, and every week that goes by will not improve the situation, whether Jan gets the players winning consistently or not. It's a grossly unfair situation for JP, the coaching staff and players, but supporters vote approval with their wallets. What else can they do if they don't like where the club is heading or the personnel involved..?

[Window Cleaner]

You are right it is now a academic argument, but when I was down at St Mary's for the last game of last season(sheff u) I was told on good authority that LC & co were very near to getting significent investment until Big Boots Lowe and his puppy dog stormed in and kicked it all into touch. The only reason they bullied there way back was because they were about to lose personally on there investment, Lowe is not interested in Saints as a football team,to him it is just a cash cow same as it has always been.

 

Yes well as I say unless Lowe et al and Wilde actually sell their holding there will be no takeover (or investment as some quaintly put it). The fact that they came "storming back" was because their investment was disintegrating.If the "investors" had the wherewithal then they would have sold out (thus protecting their investment in another way). Crouch's investors didn't have the money,that's why Mike Wilde asked for proof of funds.All this is public domain knowledge. We were talking to them after Lowe and Wilde came back, they didn't have the swans, we told them stop tarting about. It's all in the LSE notifications.Lowe and Wlde will be here UNTIL SOMEONE HAS THE MONEY TO MAKE THE DISAPPEAR, end of...

[Saint Mikey]

This business about Lowe keeping crowds away is a load of old tosh. If we were top of the league, we'd have £25k+ crowds, no problem. Lowe is just a convenient excuse not to go to the game.

[Guest Hacienda]

I think that is most pertinent and correct.

I have a lot of time for people with principles as long as those principles have been consistant Sadly most of the fans deserting the club have principles that have only surfaced since relegation. Afterall Rl was at the club 10 years and only in the last 4 have fans all of a sudden found these principles that they adhere to whatever

 

Yet again you show your complete lacking of understanding.

 

I really shouldn't be shocked at that though.

[Carlos Fandango]

You are right it is now a academic argument, but when I was down at St Mary's for the last game of last season(sheff u) I was told on good authority that LC & co were very near to getting significent investment until Big Boots Lowe and his puppy dog stormed in and kicked it all into touch. The only reason they bullied there way back was because they were about to lose personally on there investment, Lowe is not interested in Saints as a football team,to him it is just a cash cow same as it has always been.

 

If Crouch was still in charge we would have been in administration by now. That's pretty much common knowledge, it was his strategy. If Pearson could have done a better job is opinion, I happen to think he was hugely overated, we won the last game of the season to stay up having been in the position due to some pretty poor results in the weeks leading to the final game. That's just my opinion of course.

Maybe the question should be, if Lowe goes who will step in to run the club? Again and again people cry for the head of Lowe, well ok that's fair enough to feel that way but please give me an alternative at the moment because I can't see a huge queue of people waiting to take over. Maybe he deserves a little credit for doing a job that noone else is willing to do at the moment. If you happen to think that he is only in it for the money then ask yourself how is he going to acheive that by making the club less successful? It's a self defeating argument isn't it?

[Guest Hacienda]

This business about Lowe keeping crowds away is a load of old tosh. If we were top of the league, we'd have £25k+ crowds, no problem. Lowe is just a convenient excuse not to go to the game.

 

You really don't have a clue do you?

[saintsfannick]

we need him because without him no1 else would want 2 take control of the club and rl could save us from administration

[saintjay77]

If he is:-

the reason why many supporters are not attending matches,

interfering with team selection,

and duplicating Michael Wilde's role in applying stringent economies,

 

WHY do we need him?

 

Cowen or Askham could fulfil his role as SLH chairman, and negotiate with Barclays and Norwich.

 

Poortvliet would continue with the policy of promoting youth,

while attempts to sign and play a couple of better quality and more experienced specialist defenders would not be blocked.

 

Lowe has done all he needs to do! Without paying his salary we might be able to afford not selling at least one promising player in January.

 

Without Lowe, morale among supporters would soar. Gates would increase. And the match-day atmosphere that we saw during the last match at St Mary's last season would return.

 

So thank you and goodbye Rupert, I say. Anyone agree that Lowe is not needed anymore?

 

Dont mind seeing the back of him but we saw the backtof him once before and the gates were hardly over run with the fans that were staying away were they?

 

gates are low because we dont look like we will be going very far this year. simple as.

 

The banks are probably happy dealing with him as they know he will make decissions that we dont like and thus save a few quid here and there.

 

It doesnt look like he is doing the role that Wilde can do as whe he was the main man we spent money left right and centre on dross that got us further into the kak pit.

 

Interfering with the team selection? If you mean saying that certain players cant play because it will cost too much then fair enough. Im sure there are chairmen up and down the country telling there managers that they cant buy this or that player because they will cost too much. Only difference is we are paying the wages for the player all ready. But if you mean Lowe is picking who will play where then I think you are deluded. To pick the team you need to be taking the training sessions, assaesing the fitness, testing formations. From where I stand it looks like the Management team are doing that rightly or wrongly, but they are the ones doing it. Not Lowe.

 

When has Lowe Blocked us getting in an experienced Full Back?????? TBH I havnet seen us linked with one at all in the transfer window. We heard about the players we did get and out of those only Cork can play Full back. The full back problem IMO is down to the managment team thinking what we have is good enough. They think we need to strenghten in other areas and they have. A costly mistake IMO.

 

Who knows what would happen had Skacel been sold???? Would that have released funds for an axtra player? As the midfield players had been brought in would the next department been the full backs? no-one knows so its purly guess work.

 

The attmosphere from the last match last season was down to it being our last game of the season and we still had a chance to stay up. I wonder how many people go just so they have a chance to storm the pitch at the end? Its been the same on every last match of the season for god knows how many years so not having Lowe about had nothing to do with it.

 

Im all for Lowe being gone and would support any realistic way of getting rid of him but sometimes we need to take stock of what is actually going on and be realistic about what we can actually do.

 

The club need money and in that sense it needs fans to turn up as much as possible. If the 15 supporters who wont step foot in SMS while Lowe is there turnd up it wouldnt make a blind bit of difference. We need the fans that go to watch a good game of football back and to get that we need our team to be not so easy to beat. Being so young they have allot to learn in that department so its not going to happen over night.

 

Last but not least the main reason IMO that we have low gates is cause people are more skint now than they were last year. Only 12 months ago people were still talking about the house market might crash, the bubble may burst. Yet people were still borrowing and spending as if nothing was wrong. How many now are keeping hold of there cash and limiting there spending?

 

We are all taking a hit and if the club want more people in the door then the only way they will get it will be if they reduce the prices to suit the people that probably do still want to come. It wont do as imuch good to the bank balance but it will do allot to help the atmosphere in SMS.

[saintsfannick]

the credit cunch is not the reason for our low attendances because it's the same for the fans of every club and noone else apart from a league 2 side has had attendance drops like us, I personally think it's because the fans can't see the club going anywhere but downhill

[Saint Mikey]

You really don't have a clue do you?

 

Neither do you, if you think Lowe is the MAIN reason we're having these crowds:

 

1) Fans are rightly ****ed off from the amount of dross that has been served up for the past four seasons.

 

2) Add into that a complete lack of Senior players worth wanting to go and see, then there's your answer. OK, it's nice to see some homegrown kids do well, but it's not the same as having some genuinely talented players playing well.

 

3) Credit crunch is biting alot of people's asses, and footy will be the first thing to go.

 

Or, is it your far more reasoned argument, that we have lost £10k supporters all down to nasty Mr Lowe?

 

Like I said, if we were top of the league the place would be buzzing. It's only cos we are sh*te that we are having these crowds, this is what happens when a team consistently fails to perform anywhere near fans expectations, for such a long time.

[saintjay77]

Neither do you, if you think Lowe is the MAIN reason we're having these crowds:

 

1) Fans are rightly ****ed off from the amount of dross that has been served up for the past four seasons.

 

2) Add into that a complete lack of Senior players worth wanting to go and see, then there's your answer. OK, it's nice to see some homegrown kids do well, but it's not the same as having some genuinely talented players playing well.

 

3) Credit crunch is biting alot of people's asses, and footy will be the first thing to go.

 

Or, is it your far more reasoned argument, that we have lost £10k supporters all down to nasty Mr Lowe?

 

Like I said, if we were top of the league the place would be buzzing. It's only cos we are sh*te that we are having these crowds, this is what happens when a team consistently fails to perform anywhere near fans expectations, for such a long time.

 

Exactly!

 

If this thing with the kids is going to work it will take a long time for the fans to buy into it. If they were instantly successfull then the stadium would have allot more people in it singing about how our kids are better than other teams stars.

 

The thing that makes me laugh is there are plenty of people that would rather see us go into administration which would end up with the same people being in charge and a team full of kids.

 

If someone with money comes in to buy the club I will be truely happy but until then I will carry on hoping that we get enough points on the board to stay up. Any places higher than relegation will be a bonus. Couldnt give a toss if lowe still has shares or not in the mean time.

[Window Cleaner]

the credit cunch is not the reason for our low attendances because it's the same for the fans of every club and noone else apart from a league 2 side has had attendance drops like us, I personally think it's because the fans can't see the club going anywhere but downhill

 

Not so

Our attendances are down on a greater percentage basis than many others.

Apart from a few teams we are still getting reasonable gates for the CCC.

One of our main problems is that we seem to have a near-Southampton core base of about 9000 fans and the rest is scattered about the country randomly.

I would suspect if you compared that to say the 16K they got at Palarse when they were playing their neighbours Charlton, you would find that the vast majority live within a short drive or train ride of the stadium.

As we can see from SOG's post it's not just the £24 to go to the game in that case, it's petrol or diesel which have rocketed lately, it's food on route because you need 3 hours to get here.We probably have fans dobbing out £70 or so for every home game, when a "credit crunch" starts to bite and your mortgage goes up along witth your bill at Tescos etc ,football becomes a luxury you can't afford.I would think the area in which our fan base has dwindled the most is the 32-40 year old, married 2 kids,150K mortgage section.

Students will be hard pressed financially this year as well. It has now been 3

seasons since we got relegated, 1 complete higher education cycle.Kids who started going in their 1st Uni year are now gone from the City,perhaps the incoming haven't replaced them.

[saintjay77]

Not so

Our attendances are down on a greater percentage basis than many others.

Apart from a few teams we are still getting reasonable gates for the CCC.

One of our main problems is that we seem to have a near-Southampton core base of about 9000 fans and the rest is scattered about the country randomly.

I would suspect if you compared that to say the 16K they got at Palarse when they were playing their neighbours Charlton, you would find that the vast majority live within a short drive or train ride of the stadium.

As we can see from SOG's post it's not just the £24 to go to the game in that case, it's petrol or diesel which have rocketed lately, it's food on route because you need 3 hours to get here.We probably have fans dobbing out £70 or so for every home game, when a "credit crunch" starts to bite and your mortgage goes up along witth your bill at Tescos etc ,football becomes a luxury you can't afford.I would think the area in which our fan base has dwindled the most is the 32-40 year old, married 2 kids,150K mortgage section.

Students will be hard pressed financially this year as well. It has now been 3

seasons since we got relegated, 1 complete higher education cycle.Kids who started going in their 1st Uni year are now gone from the City,perhaps the incoming haven't replaced them.

 

I know I dont live in the area anymore and I havent been able to afford to go to the games for a long time but even if I lived back in Southampton my current financial situation wouldnt let me go to every home game and i guess there are many others in the same boat.

 

I wonder how many listeners the Solient gets now adays compared with how many when we had a full stadium week in week out? I doubt the stay away fans have given up supporting the saints completly so those in the area probably listen on the radio instead?

[saintstr1]

.

Maybe the question should be, if Lowe goes who will step in to run the club? Again and again people cry for the head of Lowe, well ok that's fair enough to feel that way but please give me an alternative at the moment because I can't see a huge queue of people waiting to take over. Maybe he deserves a little credit for doing a job that noone else is willing to do at the moment. If you happen to think that he is only in it for the money then ask yourself how is he going to acheive that by making the club less successful? It's a self defeating argument isn't it?

 

Anybody could step in to run the club , After all by his own Admission Lowe only does 2 days a week, so who is running it in his absence. I would also say that if the reported figure of £80,000 PA for his 2 day week is correct it is obscene , and no doubt he is claiming expenses as well. Do you really think that Lowe cares if the club is successful or not to the same degree as the supporters, as long as it continues to pay him a decent income and his capital investment is fairly secure Lowe wouldn't really care if we finish 1st or 21st in the league

[Carlos Fandango]

Anybody could step in to run the club , After all by his own Admission Lowe only does 2 days a week, so who is running it in his absence. I would also say that if the reported figure of £80,000 PA for his 2 day week is correct it is obscene , and no doubt he is claiming expenses as well. Do you really think that Lowe cares if the club is successful or not to the same degree as the supporters, as long as it continues to pay him a decent income and his capital investment is fairly secure Lowe wouldn't really care if we finish 1st or 21st in the league

 

Do you honestly think any chairman is as bothered as the fans? If you do then I think you are kidding yourself. You are making some assumptions about his earnings/expenses and using those assumptions to form an argument against him, crazy. As for people to step in and run the club, well there doesn't seem to be a huge queue of people lining up to do the job. Sorry to repeat myself but you still haven't actually answered the question of who will take the job on if Lowe goes. "Anybody" doesn't really constitute an answer.

[NickG]

If he is:-

the reason why many supporters are not attending matches,if people want to watch saints they go whoever is in the boardroom, this is just an excuse.

interfering with team selection, who says he does?

and duplicating Michael Wilde's role in applying stringent economies, as above

 

WHY do we need him?

 

Cowen or Askham could fulfil his role as SLH chairman, and negotiate with Barclays and Norwich.quite possibly, but does that mean he would automatically step aside

 

Poortvliet would continue with the policy of promoting youth,

while attempts to sign and play a couple of better quality and more experienced specialist defenders would not be blocked.

 

Lowe has done all he needs to do! Without paying his salary we might be able to afford not selling at least one promising player in January.

 

Without Lowe, morale among supporters would soar.probably rise Gates would increase. no this depends on resultsAnd the match-day atmosphere that we saw during the last match at St Mary's last season would return.only if it was a match to save us from relegation

 

So thank you and goodbye Rupert, I say. Anyone agree that Lowe is not needed anymore?

 

Bizarre thread - can you back up anything in it? see bold

[NickG]

We Did Not need him back in the first place , I honestly believe if Crouch & Co had been left in place we would have been taken over long before now , Pearson would still be in charge,( Not that I have anything against JP) , We would have a better balanced team and probably in the top half of the League. Rupert Lowe you are just a egotistical ****,

Thanks for nothing,Again!!

 

by who? it was all talk quite clearly

[mack rill]

This business about Lowe keeping crowds away is a load of old tosh. If we were top of the league, we'd have £25k+ crowds, no problem. Lowe is just a convenient excuse not to go to the game.

 

Nail on the head. If you are high in the league wining your home games there would be ques to get in SMS.

As it happens you are not,,,,,,so peeps look for excuses and stay away.

It just so happens that the Red Barron is back in the hot seat and will be taking all the flak!.

[OldNick]

Yet again you show your complete lacking of understanding.

 

I really shouldn't be shocked at that though.

Well what do I need to understand.

The fact is fans have been falling away under RL's stewardship and under the Wilde bunch.

The club could have sold 50k plus for the Cup final, we sold out regularily in the Pl .

Please tell me why it was different to go to games when we were in the PL to now?

Had the reverse takeover happened and was RL then the chairman?

I really can't see a difference to then and now, if the reverse takeover was as bad as some say ,then why did those fans still attend any Saints games from that day.

Can you not see that? I know you have follwed Saints and we have had other discussions on this and I was pleased that i think you said you were still going to games but it seems illogical that the principle becomes more important now we are in the CCC

[Wade Garrett]

Neither do you, if you think Lowe is the MAIN reason we're having these crowds:

 

1) Fans are rightly ****ed off from the amount of dross that has been served up for the past four seasons.

 

2) Add into that a complete lack of Senior players worth wanting to go and see, then there's your answer. OK, it's nice to see some homegrown kids do well, but it's not the same as having some genuinely talented players playing well.

 

3) Credit crunch is biting alot of people's asses, and footy will be the first thing to go.

 

Or, is it your far more reasoned argument, that we have lost £10k supporters all down to nasty Mr Lowe?

 

Like I said, if we were top of the league the place would be buzzing. It's only cos we are sh*te that we are having these crowds, this is what happens when a team consistently fails to perform anywhere near fans expectations, for such a long time.

 

Lowe would rather pay dividends to shareholders, or use the clubs money for share buybacks, than have a successful side.

 

If Lowe was that bothered about the club and his own investment, he would step aside. He would if he was being honest with himself anyway.

[NickG]

seem to remember is was quite hard to get cup final tickets - and how long had Lowe been in by then?!!

 

If we get promoted with Lowe still here (not that I think it is likely) even if he was even more arrogant and dismissive of fans we would sell out.

 

The crowds are a result of delining support due to years of crap football in a lower league.

[NickG]

Lowe would rather pay dividends to shareholders, or use the clubs money for share buybacks, than have a successful side.

 

If Lowe was that bothered about the club and his own investment, he would step aside. He would if he was being honest with himself anyway.

 

step aside for who? not a big queue is there willing to spend money. I wish he would, but I also wished LC would.

[saintstr1]

Do you honestly think any chairman is as bothered as the fans? If you do then I think you are kidding yourself. You are making some assumptions about his earnings/expenses and using those assumptions to form an argument against him, crazy. As for people to step in and run the club, well there doesn't seem to be a huge queue of people lining up to do the job. Sorry to repeat myself but you still haven't actually answered the question of who will take the job on if Lowe goes. "Anybody" doesn't really constitute an answer.

 

Try Askham or Cowans or whoever runs the club in the 5 days each week when Lowe isn't there

[Artavash]

the credit cunch is not the reason for our low attendances because it's the same for the fans of every club and noone else apart from a league 2 side has had attendance drops like us, I personally think it's because the fans can't see the club going anywhere but downhill

 

I think this is actually closer to the truth than any of the politics arguments. I think the rot started when we left the Dell. While we were there we were expected to struggle, and we did so valiantly - beating the odds on the drop on several occasions. The atmosphere was great, the fans were packed in and supporting the team. The team provided honest endeavour and some of them provided world class ability (regardless of what anyone else thinks ).

 

When we went to St.Marys it was (after a somewhat shaky start) a brighter more optimistic place to be. Couple that with a FA Cup run that took us into Europe and suddenly in the eyes of some we were a sleeping giant. Regardless of the argument about investment for the UEFA cup year, I think the attitude of many of the supporters over and above the 13k mark went into serious entertainment mode. Yeah the core 13k support is there - but in the Dell it amounted to roughly 80% of the stadium capacity. Now in St.Marys (and I am including the empty corners as they still have a detrimental effect on the stadium atmosphere IMHO) the percentage is 40%. So the core supporters effect on the game has been diluted since we moved.

 

Now if the additional support joins in then no problem, but I think the current downturn in numbers is primarily down to the disappointment of relegation, failure to get promoted, and then a real downturn in the performances with poor year in the CCC.

 

Add on the boardroom struggles and financial problems and I think this is keeping the more casual fans away, (along with the general cost of tickets). I seriously think once the young team become more consistent we could see numbers returning, but thats likely to take time as they're on a steep learning curve all across the team.

 

I still think it's a shame we lost in the League Cup as it had the potential to make an interesting twist on the season, as well as increased revenues.

 

Just my opinion.

[offix]

Didn't need him then, don't need him now. In fact, quite the opposite; could have done without him then, could have done without him now.

[Wade Garrett]

step aside for who? not a big queue is there willing to spend money. I wish he would, but I also wished LC would.

 

Step aside in his day to day running of the club is what I meant. He is divisive, and is holding the club back just by being there.

[Window Cleaner]

Didn't need him then, don't need him now. In fact, quite the opposite; could have done without him then, could have done without him now.

 

Patience and Prudence circa 1956??

[OldNick]

Lowe would rather pay dividends to shareholders, or use the clubs money for share buybacks, than have a successful side.

 

If Lowe was that bothered about the club and his own investment, he would step aside. He would if he was being honest with himself anyway.

Left wing clap trap.

If you invested into something you are rightfully expecting a return, (Iam not a shareholder) therefore the chairmans job is to try and get people to buy the product and then from the profits a return is given to the shareholders.

There are many people who have shares costing them £1000's of pounds and rightfully deserve something back, afterall they could put it in a buildoing society and get 3-6% on it and so if they invest in Saints they should get at least that back or why do it?

Would you give a company £1000 and not expect a dividend?

[NickG]

Step aside in his day to day running of the club is what I meant. He is divisive, and is holding the club back just by being there.

 

I thought so a couple of years ago, but frying pan/fire comes to mind. Comparing him to an idealic knight in shining armour is fine but you need to find one! If not just as well as compare him to someone who is going to do even worse as acedemic

[Wade Garrett]

Left wing clap trap.

If you invested into something you are rightfully expecting a return, (Iam not a shareholder) therefore the chairmans job is to try and get people to buy the product and then from the profits a return is given to the shareholders.

There are many people who have shares costing them £1000's of pounds and rightfully deserve something back, afterall they could put it in a buildoing society and get 3-6% on it and so if they invest in Saints they should get at least that back or why do it?

Would you give a company £1000 and not expect a dividend?

 

 

Where is the politics you muppet? Use the money to improve the team and the shareholders would all benefit in the long run. But that would require the mind of a true entrepreneur, not a bean counter like Lowe.

 

We know where Lowe's priorities are, himself and his cronies. Certainly not the team or the fans.

 

You have your head too far up Rupert's arse to be objective.

[70's Mike]

I have always wondered what a chairman/ceo of a football club actually does day to day.

We trade about once a fortnight for 9 months, have department heads for the football, and commercial side of the business.

Turnover is , what £6/7m now, we just seen top heavy imo it is not a full time job

[Window Cleaner]

Where is the politics you muppet? Use the money to improve the team and the shareholders would all benefit in the long run. But that would require the mind of a true entrepreneur, not a bean counter like Lowe.

 

We know where Lowe's priorities are, himself and his cronies. Certainly not the team or the fans.

 

You have your head too far up Rupert's arse to be objective.

 

 

 

What money, there is no dividend because we don't make any profits. Hasn't been since I was in short trousers, well 2004 at least.Share buy back? would have financed about a month's wages for a premiership player.

[OldNick]

Where is the politics you muppet? Use the money to improve the team and the shareholders would all benefit in the long run. But that would require the mind of a true entrepreneur, not a bean counter like Lowe.

 

We know where Lowe's priorities are, himself and his cronies. Certainly not the team or the fans.

 

You have your head too far up Rupert's arse to be objective.

Now if you had put it that way i may have had more time for the post. Yes I agree make a successful side, get mopre profit pay out dividends everyone is a winner.Say that he is only interested in paying dividends period and then I wont agree,

[Snowballs2]

we the supporters do not need Lowe...however Lowe fails to understand that HE needs the supporters

[rocknrollman no2]

Cant see why we need him now?

He knows nothing about football,

He interfers with the team,

He devides the fanbase,

Hes a walking PR disaster,

He is only now doing what any accountant would be doing in the same curcumstances.

So go Lowe now.