Had enough of lowe and his stupid ideas askham come out from behind lowes shadow

[fos1]

HAD ENOUGH OF LOWE AND HIS STUPID IDEAS ASKHAM COME OUT FROM BEHIND LOWES SHADOW

 

 

 

In January it is likely that any of the promising youngsters currently playing for the Saints will be auctioned in order to stave off administration. This club is now ensnared in a treacherous shark infested seas taking in more water at every desperate twist and turn. Disillusioned, dwindling crowds, aren't helping matters but with players being forced out for financial reasons and the continuing poor home form it is of little surprise the fans of this once great club are deserting the ship in droves. And a reason for even more unhappiness on the good ship Southampton FC is the return to the helm of Captain Lowe - the South Coasts' very own Captain Bligh.

 

Having once before being cut adrift he has managed to survive in his life-raft for 2 years before, with the help of one of the sailors who helped oust him in the first place he has once more returned to the poop deck, cutlass in one hand and telescope in other. Captain Bligh was an arrogant, despised leader who thought he could do no wrong and Rupert Lowe is a worthy successor to his legacy. Not only was he completely responsible for our relegation due to his poor choice of managers but perhaps more importantly his bigger crime was his complete mis-management of our relegation. Whereas other relegated clubs who are run by men who know their football such as West Bromwich and Birmingham bounce back before the parachute payments run out Southampton did the exact opposite. Panic selling with virtually no sensible replacements was the name of the game and then for good measure throw a Molotov ****tail into the manager's office in the shape of Sir Clive Woodward, hitherto the champion of the sport that is played with a funny shaped ball.

 

So, instead of trusting the manager with some of the cash to build a promotion team, instead give him £80,000 for Fuller and then saddle him with a rugby loving mole. No wonder Harry Redknapp soon scuttled back to his spiritual home. So then what? Ah yes George Burley - once highly thought off but now on the slippery slope and a man who in Lowe's own words "needed managing". A man who had left his two previous clubs in strange circumstances and who it was rumoured was never likely to chair any local temperance meetings in his spare time. Burley's poor management manifested itself after Lowe was cast adrift by Mike and the crew of the Bounty (so named after some "Wilde" promises of funds), so it would be unfair to blame Lowe completely but of course upon his return what did he do? He got rid of one of the most sensible managerial appointments this club has made in over a decade and appointed a man completely alien to English football who would soon find himself out of his depth.

 

Never mind thought Captain Lowe I can always give him a hand on the rudder with my vast knowledge of football. With Jan P looking increasingly likely to take a long walk off a short plank, some time soon, what will the good Captain do then? Blame himself? Not likely. No, more likely appoint another rabbit from a hat and the club will spiral ever quicker into oblivion. Captain Lowe owns less than 6% of Southampton FC and yet he is allowed to get away with premeditated shipwreck on a grand scale and still no one lifts a finger. Where is the man that first championed Rupert Lowe? Is he happy with what his prodigy has done? Is he still prepared to back him at the AGM on the 23rd December. Step forward Rear-Admiral Guy Askham, once Chairman of this club in happier, less complicated times. Admiral Askham has it in his power still to pull the plug on Captain's Lowe and rescue a sinking ship before it finally goes down, but will he? For the last few years he has been holding his telescope to his blind eye but even he must be aware that the lifeboats have been launched to no avail and the fate of the crew and the passengers is in the balance.

 

After 34years of supporting this great club I have never been so depressed at seeing Lowe and wilde ripping the fans and our club apart.

 

Askham has for once in his life to do the best thing for this football club and not for himself he has the power to remove Lowe

 

THIS FOOTBALL CLUB WILL NEVER BE UNITED WHILE HE IS ON THE BRIDGE

[Whitey Grandad]

I agree with you but it's not a fair analogy - Bligh was a very good seaman who knew his stuff.

[chocco boxo]

time Lowe got another black eye! He is a smarmy ****.

[SaintKenny]

Summary of that block of text please

[saint1977]

It won't be Askham doing the hiring and firing - it will be Barclays. They will be watching our results and if they can see us slumping to a cheap relegation, they will fire Lowe and the board and force the club's sale/adminstration (which would be awful) even if Wilde loses hand over fist.

[SOTONS EAST SIDE]

You got no chance, THE LEECH ASKHAM is Lowe's biggest Fanboy. Keep dreaming!!!!!

[Fan The Flames]

It won't be Askham doing the hiring and firing - it will be Barclays. They will be watching our results and if they can see us slumping to a cheap relegation, they will fire Lowe and the board and force the club's sale/adminstration (which would be awful) even if Wilde loses hand over fist.

 

They can't do that, I wish people would stop saying stuff like this.

[SOTONS EAST SIDE]

It won't be Askham doing the hiring and firing - it will be Barclays. They will be watching our results and if they can see us slumping to a cheap relegation, they will fire Lowe and the board and force the club's sale/adminstration (which would be awful) even if Wilde loses hand over fist.

Barclays cannot do anything, as their only a debt holder and not a shareholder, so cannot influence any board desicions at all.

All they can do is ask for their money back (overdraft), but if we are servicing that debt, they'd be hard pressed to call it in with the banks being in the spotlight with the GOVT at the mo!

[Weston Super Saint]

They can't do that, I wish people would stop saying stuff like this.

 

Me too.

[70's Mike]

They can't do that, I wish people would stop saying stuff like this.

 

it is just another line trotted out to justify lowes crap decisions

[Snowballs2]

Its time to go Lowe..take with you the Dutch failures and Wilde. There can be no justification for the policy of sticking with Lowe, Wilde and the Dutch trio

[Minsk]

The main problem with thread is that someone like Askham was probably in the first lifeboat, all alone with 50 people's rations having fed all the women and children in there with him to the sharks.

[Long Shot]

They can't do that, I wish people would stop saying stuff like this.

 

me too, but we are deeply in the mire nonetheless

[sunrise]

www.punchaceleb.com/hit/lowe

 

There's quite a few of us who have had enough off Lowe, the sooner the likes of Lowe and Wilde bugger off, the better.

[70's Mike]

www.punchaceleb.com/hit/lowe

 

There's quite a few of us who have had enough off Lowe, the sooner the likes of Lowe and Wilde bugger off, the better.

 

 

i see the apathy has even spread to this site with lennon going back above rupert

[beatlesaint]

Guy Askham will never grow a pair and do the right thing.

He is IMHO a more hateful and evil figure than Lowe.

 

He will always put himself first......ask the Corbett family about Gentleman Guy !!

 

He'll be at the AGM, sat there with that snidey, sickly grin on his face.

 

Bas*ard

[rocknrollman no2]

Very good original post.

But at least Bligh had experience and a plan.

All Lowe has is a failed experiment and his ego.

[cambsaint]

Unfortunately for the analogy, Bligh for all his failngs as a man was a very good sailor, and reached safety against all odds when most men would have perished.

Don't see Lowe doing that in the 'Good Ship Saints'; except possibly in the panto season.

[saint63]

While the share price drops further I hope that there will be enough dissent at the AGM to give Mr Lowe and his friends a very hard time. While the current policy is in place we have the worst prepared (as per poor selection and starts) and worst squad of players and this will get worse in the January sales. What we need is someone in charge who will get to grips with the physical nature of this league. It is a league of pace and strength. Just for a start we need a strong and physical centre half, a hard central midfield player and a proper centre forward. This spine of the team is totally lacking - except for the very admirable Kelvin Davis. I expect that Mr Lowe's total lack of understanding and poor leadership will lead to Davis being sold too in January. Doesn't he realise that instead of this cycle of despair we should be speculating to accumulate? Give the supporters some hope and they will return. He is so shortsighted.

 

Sell up now while you can get 24p a share Mr Lowe, because they way you're going you'll end up with nothing - and a huge blemish on your curriculum vitae......

[aintforever]

This realy is a very sad state of affairs.

 

IMO it is pointless calling for the manager to be sacked because I really can't see any decent alternative who would want to work with Lowe. If there was one I think we have probably blown what resources we have so it would probably be an impossible task to turn things around anyway. Lowe had one chance this summer to get it right, there was no margin for error and he has ****ed it good and proper.

 

It is also pointless calling for Lowe to go as there is obviously not even a hint of a take over. Wilde has proved himself completely incapable of running the club on his own, Crouch only has 10% and whilst I think he would be better than Lowe he wont get the chance because of the politics.

 

All we can do is sit and watch while we slide into league 1 and go bust. Our only hope is that someone turns up after admin buys the club outright and gives us some sort of future. In many ways if we were on -10 in League 1, but with a new owner who actually has a bit of cash and a plan, the future would actually be more rosy than it is now with the current lot.

[Mole]

Askham is an old man who´s taken his pieces of silver. Don´t think for one minute this traitor will ever put SFC before himself.

[stanthemanfairoak]

You got no chance, THE LEECH ASKHAM is Lowe's biggest Fanboy. Keep dreaming!!!!!

SPOT ON!:mad:

[fos1]

Askham is an old man who´s taken his pieces of silver. Don´t think for one minute this traitor will ever put SFC before himself.

 

I agree with what your saying, but pressure has to be put onto shareholders who hide behind Lowe, and have done for years! without them Lowe is nothing as he does not own enough shares himself !!

[Mole]

I agree with what your saying, but pressure has to be put onto shareholders who hide behind Lowe, and have done for years! without them Lowe is nothing as he does not own enough shares himself !!

 

But what can we do? Lowe simply sneers at protests and popular opinion so all we can do imo is just sit back and boycott until the club runs out of money. It´s a really sad situation but i don´t think there´s any other option as Askahm and Wilde have shown they don´t care.

[mightysaints]

SPOT ON!:mad:

Askahm is the biggest traitor, he sold the clubs soul to RL

[Right sider]

But what can we do? Lowe simply sneers at protests and popular opinion so all we can do imo is just sit back and boycott until the club runs out of money. It´s a really sad situation but i don´t think there´s any other option as Askahm and Wilde have shown they don´t care.

 

But he lives and runs this business for the shareholders and he has to listen to their opinion. This Agm the shareholders have to make their concerns heard loud and clear.

[Long Shot]

But he lives and runs this business for the shareholders and he has to listen to their opinion. This Agm the shareholders have to make their concerns heard loud and clear.

 

 

Perhaps now is the time for Andrew Cowen (Mr Teflon man) to step out of the shadows and put a hand on his friend's shoulders and say "time to go Rupert".

[Long Shot]

Perhaps now is the time for Andrew Cowen (Mr Teflon man) to step out of the shadows and put a hand on his friend's shoulders and say "time to go Rupert".

 

 

Sorry I forgot - according to some on here "there is no alternative".

[fos1]

Perhaps now is the time for Andrew Cowen (Mr Teflon man) to step out of the shadows and put a hand on his friend's shoulders and say "time to go Rupert".

 

As Ruperts Dad once said "Rupert is never wrong" !!!

[Kaiser Soze]

HAD ENOUGH OF LOWE AND HIS STUPID IDEAS ASKHAM COME OUT FROM BEHIND LOWES SHADOW

 

 

 

In January it is likely that any of the promising youngsters currently playing for the Saints will be auctioned in order to stave off administration. This club is now ensnared in a treacherous shark infested seas taking in more water at every desperate twist and turn. Disillusioned, dwindling crowds, aren't helping matters but with players being forced out for financial reasons and the continuing poor home form it is of little surprise the fans of this once great club are deserting the ship in droves. And a reason for even more unhappiness on the good ship Southampton FC is the return to the helm of Captain Lowe - the South Coasts' very own Captain Bligh.

 

Having once before being cut adrift he has managed to survive in his life-raft for 2 years before, with the help of one of the sailors who helped oust him in the first place he has once more returned to the poop deck, cutlass in one hand and telescope in other. Captain Bligh was an arrogant, despised leader who thought he could do no wrong and Rupert Lowe is a worthy successor to his legacy. Not only was he completely responsible for our relegation due to his poor choice of managers but perhaps more importantly his bigger crime was his complete mis-management of our relegation. Whereas other relegated clubs who are run by men who know their football such as West Bromwich and Birmingham bounce back before the parachute payments run out Southampton did the exact opposite. Panic selling with virtually no sensible replacements was the name of the game and then for good measure throw a Molotov ****tail into the manager's office in the shape of Sir Clive Woodward, hitherto the champion of the sport that is played with a funny shaped ball.

 

So, instead of trusting the manager with some of the cash to build a promotion team, instead give him £80,000 for Fuller and then saddle him with a rugby loving mole. No wonder Harry Redknapp soon scuttled back to his spiritual home. So then what? Ah yes George Burley - once highly thought off but now on the slippery slope and a man who in Lowe's own words "needed managing". A man who had left his two previous clubs in strange circumstances and who it was rumoured was never likely to chair any local temperance meetings in his spare time. Burley's poor management manifested itself after Lowe was cast adrift by Mike and the crew of the Bounty (so named after some "Wilde" promises of funds), so it would be unfair to blame Lowe completely but of course upon his return what did he do? He got rid of one of the most sensible managerial appointments this club has made in over a decade and appointed a man completely alien to English football who would soon find himself out of his depth.

 

Never mind thought Captain Lowe I can always give him a hand on the rudder with my vast knowledge of football. With Jan P looking increasingly likely to take a long walk off a short plank, some time soon, what will the good Captain do then? Blame himself? Not likely. No, more likely appoint another rabbit from a hat and the club will spiral ever quicker into oblivion. Captain Lowe owns less than 6% of Southampton FC and yet he is allowed to get away with premeditated shipwreck on a grand scale and still no one lifts a finger. Where is the man that first championed Rupert Lowe? Is he happy with what his prodigy has done? Is he still prepared to back him at the AGM on the 23rd December. Step forward Rear-Admiral Guy Askham, once Chairman of this club in happier, less complicated times. Admiral Askham has it in his power still to pull the plug on Captain's Lowe and rescue a sinking ship before it finally goes down, but will he? For the last few years he has been holding his telescope to his blind eye but even he must be aware that the lifeboats have been launched to no avail and the fate of the crew and the passengers is in the balance.

 

After 34years of supporting this great club I have never been so depressed at seeing Lowe and wilde ripping the fans and our club apart.

 

Askham has for once in his life to do the best thing for this football club and not for himself he has the power to remove Lowe

 

THIS FOOTBALL CLUB WILL NEVER BE UNITED WHILE HE IS ON THE BRIDGE

 

Well said mate couldn't agree more.

[jonah]

Doesn't he realise that instead of this cycle of despair we should be speculating to accumulate?

 

And the magic money fairies will be visiting the club when exactly? Does this qualify, against some pretty stiff competition I admit, as being the most stupid comment made on this forum? We have no money, we currently need to "make a profit" to pay back the overdraft, so how exactly do you think we can speculate? And where have you been for the last 2 years during Wilde and Crouch's "speculate to accumulate" roadtest?

 

As others have said on other threads, it is just mind-boggling what the average person left on this forum is like - it's a damning indictment of our fans, not to mention the care in the community program.

[St Landrew]

I agree with you but it's not a fair analogy - Bligh was a very good seaman who knew his stuff.

 

Oh come on, you can forgive the mistake. It's a very nicely put analogy, even if it is slightly inaccurate. I especially liked the Askham bit.

[saint1977]

And the magic money fairies will be visiting the club when exactly? Does this qualify, against some pretty stiff competition I admit, as being the most stupid comment made on this forum? We have no money, we currently need to "make a profit" to pay back the overdraft, so how exactly do you think we can speculate? And where have you been for the last 2 years during Wilde and Crouch's "speculate to accumulate" roadtest?

 

As others have said on other threads, it is just mind-boggling what the average person left on this forum is like - it's a damning indictment of our fans, not to mention the care in the community program.

 

I don't think that we should be spending money Jonah but it is clear to anyone that knows their football that Lowe has messed up yet another management appointment. Why we had to take such a silly gamble when the club was on it's knees is beyond me. We're not the only CCC club offloading it's big earners but we're the only one to have taken a brainless gamble like this. It's hard to enough to compete when you're having a firesale but to do it without good knowledge of this level of English football is absurd. If we do not beat Forest, Lowe should stick to his 6% shareholding, take a backseat and focus on WH Ireland. Even Andrew Cowen would be an improvement as he understands how to engage fans and the club's stakeholder's far better.

[SaintDonkey]

Without investment replacing Lowe would achieve nothing unless you honestly believe that some 15,000 odd people are boycotting Saint Mary's just because he's in charge.

 

My guess is that his departure would maybe see a couple of hundred people attend the next home game who otherwise wouldn't have done, and just maybe a couple of dozen of them might attend the game after that. When you consider the cost and upheaval of changing chairman I'm not exactly sure it's worth it.

[saint1977]

Without investment replacing Lowe would achieve nothing unless you honestly believe that some 15,000 odd people are boycotting Saint Mary's just because he's in charge.

 

My guess is that his departure would maybe see a couple of hundred people attend the next home game who otherwise wouldn't have done, and just maybe a couple of dozen of them might attend the game after that. When you consider the cost and upheaval of changing chairman I'm not exactly sure it's worth it.

 

I see this regularly posted on here and I'm not sure it's accurate. Put it this way, about 10-12 of my friends who were long-term STs even up to last season have stopped going. Midweek games are tricky for me but I get to Saturday home fixtures.

 

I'm just one fan and I know other fans who can tell similar stories. I think we'd be getting 18-20k without Lowe, even if Cowen was CEO and Rupert focused on sorting out WH Ireland.

[jonah]

Why we had to take such a silly gamble when the club was on it's knees is beyond me.

 

So I'm back to my original point that I can't believe people don't understand the financial position we're in. We are financially up sh!t creek - we need to generate cash. To spell it out without the PR, we have to make x millions to repay the bank overdraft as well as cutting back to spend within our means. How do we, as a CCC club, make millions?

 

Well, we can try to maximise the crowd. How do you do that? By winning games primarily, also by playing more attractive football. But we have no money to buy top players to guarantee those wins - facing facts, we aint going to win the league. So that leaves either playing journeymen and trying to achieve above our current level, or it means playing kids and trying to achieve above our level. Can we afford to pay journeymen like Stern John and Rasiak? No. Even if you think they would help us win more games, and personally I don't, we simply cannot afford it as we have to repay the overdraft immediately.

 

Secondly, we can repay millions by selling players. Shock horror, yes that's the most efficient way to pay off a lump sum. Now do you do that by selling a once-in-a-lifetime player like MLT and never have the opportunity to build again, or do you build an academy to provide a stream of income for the club? Errr, you build an academy. The fact is that we'll have to sell 2 or 3 of them over the next year or two unless we get lucky financially, but once we have re-balanced the books we won't *need* to sell them. The academy is a HUGE asset, and the PR regarding it is also important - we are known for the talent we produce, and the style we play already - both important aspects given we want to sell to Premiership teams, not CCC rivals.

 

We are not going to get crowds of 25,000-30,000 in the CCC. And it's nothing to do with Lowe - the crowds dropped under both Wilde and Crouch... it's not that simple. For the idealists who don't want to sell the academy players we bring through, I am sure RL doesn't *want* to sell them except that he knows we need to sell some *now* to provide a future. And before anyone accuses RL they need to look at how many academy players MW and LC sold whilst massively overspending on journeymen.

 

If we do not beat Forest, Lowe should stick to his 6% shareholding, take a backseat and focus on WH Ireland. Even Andrew Cowen would be an improvement as he understands how to engage fans and the club's stakeholder's far better.

 

Sorry, are you upset at how RL has "engaged" you, or do you want what is best for the club's future? It sounds to me like it's not the latter at all. If we don't beat Forest we'll still be clear of the relegation zone and the youngsters (that NP wouldn't play under the wonderful journeymen regime of last season's narrow escape) will have one more game under their belts. To be clear of relegation at Xmas is a good achievement for a team of youngsters hit by injuries to important players like Killer, Thomas and Holmes. They will get better.

 

The point is with this that it's a long term plan, the academy is an investment in appreciating assets. The idea of buying a bunch of journeymen and taking a punt on doing well is a perfect example of short-termism - purchasing a load of depreciating assets will only ever lead to losing money and owing more money... unless you get lucky. And that is (fortunately in a way) not an option for us anyway in our current financial state.

[saint1977]

So I'm back to my original point that I can't believe people don't understand the financial position we're in. We are financially up sh!t creek - we need to generate cash. To spell it out without the PR, we have to make x millions to repay the bank overdraft as well as cutting back to spend within our means. How do we, as a CCC club, make millions?

 

Well, we can try to maximise the crowd. How do you do that? By winning games primarily, also by playing more attractive football. But we have no money to buy top players to guarantee those wins - facing facts, we aint going to win the league. So that leaves either playing journeymen and trying to achieve above our current level, or it means playing kids and trying to achieve above our level. Can we afford to pay journeymen like Stern John and Rasiak? No. Even if you think they would help us win more games, and personally I don't, we simply cannot afford it as we have to repay the overdraft immediately.

 

Secondly, we can repay millions by selling players. Shock horror, yes that's the most efficient way to pay off a lump sum. Now do you do that by selling a once-in-a-lifetime player like MLT and never have the opportunity to build again, or do you build an academy to provide a stream of income for the club? Errr, you build an academy. The fact is that we'll have to sell 2 or 3 of them over the next year or two unless we get lucky financially, but once we have re-balanced the books we won't *need* to sell them. The academy is a HUGE asset, and the PR regarding it is also important - we are known for the talent we produce, and the style we play already - both important aspects given we want to sell to Premiership teams, not CCC rivals.

 

We are not going to get crowds of 25,000-30,000 in the CCC. And it's nothing to do with Lowe - the crowds dropped under both Wilde and Crouch... it's not that simple. For the idealists who don't want to sell the academy players we bring through, I am sure RL doesn't *want* to sell them except that he knows we need to sell some *now* to provide a future. And before anyone accuses RL they need to look at how many academy players MW and LC sold whilst massively overspending on journeymen.

 

 

 

Sorry, are you upset at how RL has "engaged" you, or do you want what is best for the club's future? It sounds to me like it's not the latter at all. If we don't beat Forest we'll still be clear of the relegation zone and the youngsters (that NP wouldn't play under the wonderful journeymen regime of last season's narrow escape) will have one more game under their belts. To be clear of relegation at Xmas is a good achievement for a team of youngsters hit by injuries to important players like Killer, Thomas and Holmes. They will get better.

 

The point is with this that it's a long term plan, the academy is an investment in appreciating assets. The idea of buying a bunch of journeymen and taking a punt on doing well is a perfect example of short-termism - purchasing a load of depreciating assets will only ever lead to losing money and owing more money... unless you get lucky. And that is (fortunately in a way) not an option for us anyway in our current financial state.

 

There are some good points in there Jonah but you have to appreciate the academy in itself is a big overhead - £4-6m p.a. This point tends to be missed but we need to produce a Bale or Theo most years just to break even. I'm not suggesting keeping the big earners but rather maximising what we have left in a system that is simple and suits the personnel. Can you honestly tell me Jonah, particularly at home, that we are doing that?

 

I'm not upset at Lowe, I am angry at Wilde, but I just don't think JP is working out and I don't think it was a risk worth taking. We are just above the drop zone now but we are relying on other teams being in equally dire financial straits as the squad we have on Feb 1 will be much weaker. Given our track-record on loan recruitment this season, I can't see us scoring the goals to stay up. Someone with better knowledge of the English game might have the contacts to get us that loan striker that keeps us our heads above water.

 

I don't think Lowe is right man to lead us forward but I wish him and JP well. If they fail and we go down, we are in administration and effectively League 2 with the penalty that follows. I'm not a stay-away and continue to spend money but I am entitled to an opinion and it happens to be different to those who are supporters of the current board.

[70's Mike]

where does it say we HAVE to pay back the overdraft or that we are being pressurised to repay it.

reduce it yes but repay it ?

[saint1977]

where does it say we HAVE to pay back the overdraft or that we are being pressurised to repay it.

reduce it yes but repay it ?

 

Good point - can anyone clarify?

[70's Mike]

Good point - can anyone clarify?

 

i just believe that when the half year figures are quoted early next year there will be a remarkable improvement with Rupert/Michael using it to justify their actions since May

[doggface]

On another matter (i can't start a thread) has anyone heard any whispers re takeover recently? I heard on saturday that Rupert Lowe has secured investment from an American firm which is due to be announced at the egm. The name shearer was mentioned again - We have been down this road a million times of course - this was via a close business associate of the dark lord. anyone heard anything on this??

[Saint Mary]

I am unable to get to the AGM this year through business commitments and its proximity to Xmas. If there are any shareholders on this site who are going could you ask the following question of David Jones.

 

David, you are the one constant in this club since 1989, and a board member since 1994. You are the Finance Director, Company Secretary and a qualified chartered accountant.

 

What advice have you given the Board in the past and how much responsibility will you, personally, take in relation to our current dire financial situation.

 

Why should anyone re-elect you to this Board at the AGM.

 

Thanks guys.

[saint1977]

On another matter (i can't start a thread) has anyone heard any whispers re takeover recently? I heard on saturday that Rupert Lowe has secured investment from an American firm which is due to be announced at the egm. The name shearer was mentioned again - We have been down this road a million times of course - this was via a close business associate of the dark lord. anyone heard anything on this??

 

Unlikely. Sadly it's only an AGM not an EGM but I just can't see it, particularly given the state of the US economy.

[saint1977]

I am unable to get to the AGM this year through business commitments and its proximity to Xmas. If there are any shareholders on this site who are going could you ask the following question of David Jones.

 

David, you are the one constant in this club since 1989, and a board member since 1994. You are the Finance Director, Company Secretary and a qualified chartered accountant.

 

What advice have you given the Board in the past and how much responsibility will you, personally, take in relation to our current dire financial situation.

 

Why should anyone re-elect you to this Board at the AGM.

 

Thanks guys.

 

Very good question, if anyone is a shareholder and is going, this would be a very good point to raise at the AGM. Let's see how he responds. He is very accountable IMO and I can see why some posters - for different reasons - get frustrated by the heavy focus on Lowe. I don't like Lowe but Jones clearly hasn't performed in his role and should he be allowed to remain in post?

[bridge too far]

Very good question, if anyone is a shareholder and is going, this would be a very good point to raise at the AGM. Let's see how he responds. He is very accountable IMO and I can see why some posters - for different reasons - get frustrated by the heavy focus on Lowe. I don't like Lowe but Jones clearly hasn't performed in his role and should he be allowed to remain in post?

 

I think I would disagree just a little bit. I'm not flying a flag for Jones but his job is to report on the financial situation as it is and probably come up with some options for appraisal. His office would also produce the annual accounts.

 

However, it would be the Board that voted on which option (if any) to adopt. He is, in effect, the messenger, IMO.

[jonah]

Very good question, if anyone is a shareholder and is going, this would be a very good point to raise at the AGM. Let's see how he responds. He is very accountable IMO and I can see why some posters - for different reasons - get frustrated by the heavy focus on Lowe. I don't like Lowe but Jones clearly hasn't performed in his role and should he be allowed to remain in post?

 

If anyone is going to ask that question, the very least they could do is get their facts straight so they don't look a complete numpty - David Jones came from Secure Retirement, so was only part of SFC since the reverse takeover in 1997.

 

I think it's great that fans suddenly want all these questions answered about board members after the completely reckless acceptance of the likes of Wilde, Dulieu, Hone, Hoos, Corbett and Trant over the previous 2 years - those Directors couldn't even spell the name of the club correctly on their manifesto FFS. Nothing like shutting the door after the horse has bolted eh!

[saint1977]

I think I would disagree just a little bit. I'm not flying a flag for Jones but his job is to report on the financial situation as it is and probably come up with some options for appraisal. His office would also produce the annual accounts.

 

However, it would be the Board that voted on which option (if any) to adopt. He is, in effect, the messenger, IMO.

 

Do see what you are saying but if various different SLH boards have ignored him, should we have someone in there instead with the clout and personality to stand up to Wilde/Crouch/Hone/Lowe/Askham and make an impact? I do agree with what you are saying in many ways, the Chairman takes the ultimate buck but Jones has been a board member for a long time, before Lowe was even at the club and Secure Retirement had to bail Askham out of a £3m overdraft. I'm not blaming Jones but I do question his long-term effectiveness as a board member.

[saint1977]

If anyone is going to ask that question, the very least they could do is get their facts straight so they don't look a complete numpty - David Jones came from Secure Retirement, so was only part of SFC since the reverse takeover in 1997.

 

I think it's great that fans suddenly want all these questions answered about board members after the completely reckless acceptance of the likes of Wilde, Dulieu, Hone, Hoos, Corbett and Trant over the previous 2 years - those Directors couldn't even spell the name of the club correctly on their manifesto FFS. Nothing like shutting the door after the horse has bolted eh!

 

The only reckless acceptance of Hone et al came from Mike Wilde Jonah as I'm sure you are well aware. Let's see if Mike Wilde wants to answer that question?

 

Thank you for the update on David's start date though.

[Gordon Mockles]

I think if Askham came out from the closet, I’d slam his head in the nearest filing cabinet (ironically, and preferably, the cabinet filled with his expenses claims, bonds, bank statements and share certificates). He’s another parasite of the club. He takes – it’s in his nature. He won’t ever give anything in return, other than some infection. If he cared, he would have helped out by now. Harsh, but fair.

 

Moving on, it’s another depressing weekend of football and another telling sign, another defeat, more delusion, more brave faces…how many more games do we need to realise? Who cares about performance, motivation, justification – we NEED RESULTS! Can we not learn by our mistakes?! FFS

 

Sorry to be negative as the facts (and suppositions) don’t make cheery reading (a bit like Alpine, sorry old boy!) but I gave the manager and management until Xmas to give my verdict and I’ve had enough.

 

I, personally, like Poortvliet. He seems a nice guy and his heart seems in the right place but we’re a football club, not a charity. Not many managers would put up with the sh*t he so clearly has to endure at St Mary’s and I have a degree of sympathy BUT it is Jan that agreed the contract, it was Jan that was desperate to manage in the English football leagues (so much so he bought himself – allegedly – out of his own contract) and it is Jan who is the manager of our club. In fairness, it was the wrong time to appoint him but Lowe has his own agenda, always has done.

 

I would personally bring in a British manager of some experience, who knows the leagues and is available. We have no more time to experiment. I’m sure Lowe with his astute knowledge of contracts could be of use to ensure we don’t pay out silly money and risk big pay off clauses. Maybe even a rolling contract, in the way we used Pearson. I’m sure Lowe utilized a low pay out, escape clause with Jan and Wotte.

 

Regardless of who is pulling the strings at Saints, Jan agreed to manage the club (whether he is a YES MAN or not) so it is Jan that must take the responsibility. In reality, all fault lie with the management for replacing Pearson with an always risky duo of no experience in the English league. If Jan has to put up with suggestions and tampering from Lowe (as a result of Hockaday, Prost or any other Lowe advisor) without the power of control, and the results are as poor as they are – you’ve got to question his motives as his own reputation is on the line. He should care enough to react, if that is the case. If our results are 100% result of Jan Poortvliet’s poor management (which I don’t believe for one minute), then he should step down. If he doesn’t, and is not sacked and we persist with this relegation run of results, then someone is pulling the strings and they *cough* won’t accept failure of their own, ill-fated master plan, then arrogance is leading us over the cliff egde! Other managers were given much less time with better results…mentioning no names *cough*

 

Whilst we have at times played some pretty football, the CCC league (as we all professed pre-season) isn’t just about neat passing, it’s about physicality, presence and pushing forward and getting GOALS (F*ck off Mc Goldrick every game too – he hasn’t got it or at least needs time out to compete for his place). Burley tried to play football, forgetting the defence, and look where that got us. I equate Jan to the ill-fated Spurs manager Christian Gross. Zurich, Grasshoppers anyone?! He even looks a bit similar! (well, both baldish). He was from a much lower standard (Swiss) league and not really suited to the massive step up. Sorry to say, I feel he shares certain similarities with Jan. Sad, as it can destroy a manager’s reputation over night. Not that I think that bother’s the management of SFC.

 

WORRYING!

 

 

N.B. I didn't want to start a individual thread on this, as it's harsh on Jan but something has to give! We need a manager that manages the club, the team! No-one else tampering. Yes, I do believe that happens currently.

[John]

 

The point is with this that it's a long term plan, the academy is an investment in appreciating assets.

 

The point is that Lowe was in charge when we were relegated. Lowe was in charge when we sold players and tried to return to the Prem with kids. The point is that he got us into this financial mess and I doubt anyone will now be able to get us out. The methods you suggest are predictable and in summary, mean that we can avoid the immediate threat of administration by flogging the few decent players with a market value. Excuse me for not jumping with joy....and before you ask, I am not going to offer any alternatives...it's too late for that. Administration is inevitable; the only reason we aren't there already is because the two poeple with the most to lose financially i.e. Lowe and Wilde; are in charge...funny that?