What would you do

[Gorgiesaint]

Why are you "gob smacked " at Lowe & Wide's return ???

 

Why Oh Why do people STILL think that Lowe & Wilde are "back" to further the cause of SAINTS FOOTBALL ...... THEY ARE NOT

 

They are back SOLELY to further the cause of Lowe & Wilde ... NOTHING ELSE

 

And do you seriously think they care on iota what is posted on here ?? Get Real .... Lowe only talks to Shareholders, us Customers are irelevant in his eyes.

 

Financial Investment in Saints ??? ... Forget it. Chances have happened in the past, and, one day, history will show that Lowe "vetoed" those, because, all he ever wants is to be Numero Uno, Top of the Heap, Unassailable. ....... Why should he want anyone coming in to Spoil the show ??

 

All Lowe is, and will continue, to do, is SELL SELL SELL anyone he can get money for, supposedely to satisfy the Bank. But, is that Good Sense ???

 

If anything decent is sold, nothing of consequence will be left, the Team will suffer even more, and plummet ever downwards, and at the end of the day, all that the "Firefighting" would have done is to delay the inevitable .......We will still not be breaking even, will have only paid off the Interest from our debt(s), and by then, WE WILL HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO SELL

 

Lowe is acting exactly like an Administrator would act, selling off what he can to raise money. But, if it were a REAL Administrator, there would be light at the end of that tunnel. In Administration, we WOULD be able to build from the ashes, because we would have got rid of the Askhams, Lowes, Wildes, and all the other Parasites that have had a stranglehold on OUR CLUB for YEARS, that have been instrumental in preventing our Club going forward.

 

Enough is Enough ( already) Get rid of Lowe & Wilde NOW

 

SaintRichmond - you've managed to contradict yourself within the same post!!

 

Administration is not the answer - unless you want L2 football because we'll get a 10 point penalty entering administration & 17 points on the way out. You may be right that Lowe wants to be number one, but I don't believe for one minute that he wants to be that at the wrong end of the CCC, or below that!! Until someone arrives with money to buy out Lowe, Crouch & Wilde we're stuck with Lowe - but at least he's now making some tough decisions which need to be made, shame these were not made 2 years ago.

 

Right now - we either take our chances with the youngsters or enter administration now (which virtually guarantees relegation).

 

One question to the floor - if Davies and Drew go, how will people react to Skacel & Euell if they get on the pitch, knowing the 'true cost' of their wages costing us selling 2 of 'better players'?

[SaintDonkey]

Or reduce the ticket price to the same as ST holders have already paid - ie £16 per game, thus eliminating the need for a refund....

 

Where's the ST benefit I hear you ask?

 

Guaranteed seat - even IF sold out.

Guaranteed seat where you want it.

No queuing for tickets.

No online malarky for tickets.

Priority tickets for away games and cup matches etc etc.....

 

Right, where's that rocket science book gone????

 

I suspect you underestimate the whinging capabilities of our fans

 

So let's say 8 quid off a ticket - we have about 10000 season ticket holders don't we? http://www.channel4.com/news/article.jsp?id=2357467 So that was about 9000 walk up and away fans last saturday - so that's a match day income loss of 72,000 quid.

 

At 16 quid a ticket that's 4500 extra fans we'd need to turn up to break even on the plan. But the plan isn't to break even - it's to raise enough money over a season so that we don't have to sell players. I know Davies is gone but let's just take him as an example - could your idea of stopped us having to sell him?

 

That's about 1.5 million (inc wages) over 23 games or about 65k a game - or another 4 thousand fans per match. So if lowered ticket prices could lure in another 8500 or so fans every match we might have just saved enough money to keep Andrew Davies.

 

So that demands an attendance of around 27.5k per match throughout the season. Even with reduced prices I have difficulty in seeing that happen. Certainly if I were Mr. Bank Manager I'd be saying "nice try Mr. Weston Super Saint, but you're still going to have to sell players".

[aintforever]

I think we all understand that cost cutting and player sales has to happen, but what Lowe doesn't seem to understand is that cost cutting to the extreme where relegation is pretty much a certainty is pointless - a false economy.

 

The only thing that matters is staying in this league, get relegated and it is administration regardless. When absolutely everything rides on us staying up it is worth being in the red if it gives us a fighting chance.

 

Lowe's attitude has ALWAYS been balance the books, worry about the quality of team later. A short sighted and simplistic outlook which will result in relegation.

[Saint Billy]

A serious problem we seem to have here is that, as a whole, Saints fans have turned into the most cynical and pessimistic fans in the country. I don't think the most creative minds in the world would be able to reverse that. Whether it's anybody's fault or whether it's just today's society that leads us to be cynical and almost solely interested in "what's in it for me" isn't really my place to say, nor is it really relevant, but I really think the club has a massive struggle on its hands to get people through the turnstiles. The economic downturn is certainly not helping matters, either.

 

It's all very well to lay some of the blame at the cynics and pessimists, but don't you think what has gone on at the club over the past few years has contributed to the fans state of mind.

 

It's the same as parenthood, if you have disfunctional parents you are going to have disfunctional kids.

[Cabrone]

It's all very well to lay some of the blame at the cynics and pessimists, but don't you think what has gone on at the club over the past few years has contributed to the fans state of mind.

 

Indeed.

 

I don't think that this is a knee jerk reaction for most fans. It's been brewing for years (nigh on a decade for me) and I would have thought that Lowe would have known this, then again this is Rupert Lowe we are talking about.

 

Why should anyone give someone who they consider to be totally inadequate any money atall? It's like throwing good money after bad, sooner or later the time comes when you say to yourself enough is enough.

 

In addition to this it's one of only two realistic weapons that most fans have (the other is to buy shares and vote him out) to get the message across, loud and clear.

 

It's a damn shame as this is my club but many fans will be wondering what's the point of paying a guy who they are sure will take us no-where?

 

I never boo the players and have backed all our managers to the hilt (I hated Lowe's managerial circus) as I believe in stability. However I have limits and Lowe broke them.

 

What Lowe needs to do is work tirelessly to find a successor and then resign at once.

[Thedelldays]

Indeed.

 

I don't think that this is a knee jerk reaction for most fans. It's been brewing for years (nigh on a decade for me) and I would have thought that Lowe would have known this, then again this is Rupert Lowe we are talking about.

 

Why should anyone give someone who they consider to be totally inadequate any money atall? It's like throwing good money after bad, sooner or later the time comes when you say to yourself enough is enough.

 

In addition to this it's one of only two realistic weapons that most fans have (the other is to buy shares and vote him out) to get the message across, loud and clear.

 

It's a damn shame as this is my club but many fans will be wondering what's the point of paying a guy who they are sure will take us no-where?

 

I never boo the players and have backed all our managers to the hilt (I hated Lowe's managerial circus) as I believe in stability. However I have limits and Lowe broke them.

 

What Lowe needs to do is work tirelessly to find a successor and then resign at once.

 

 

jesus...some think saints were some massive footballing giant...

on ruperts watch (like it or not) we got a new ground that took decades to pull off, we got some cracking players, WGS, cup final, europe....we were a million miles away from that in the immediate years before he came and staying as we did we would probably be in the CCC years before....

 

yes we went down and lowe screwed up royally...but is it SUCH A BLOODY SHOCK that a club the size of saints fell out of the top flight once every 30 years or so...

 

far bigger clubs have fallen further than us and will do in the future..

 

 

I think some need a reality check on our lot in football..

[Cabrone]

If you think Lowe is the long term way to go then keep on funding him.

 

I'll just stay away if thats OK with you.

[up and away]

I think we all understand that cost cutting and player sales has to happen, but what Lowe doesn't seem to understand is that cost cutting to the extreme where relegation is pretty much a certainty is pointless - a false economy.

 

The only thing that matters is staying in this league, get relegated and it is administration regardless. When absolutely everything rides on us staying up it is worth being in the red if it gives us a fighting chance.

 

Lowe's attitude has ALWAYS been balance the books, worry about the quality of team later. A short sighted and simplistic outlook which will result in relegation.

After everything that has happened and been made public, this has to encapsulate all the dumb posts out there at the present. You singularly fail to understand that if the club refuse to cut costs or sell players, that is it! There is no economy, not even a false one.

This short sighted and simplistic outlook of balancing the books! How the fook do you believe we got into this mess in the first place? We have ****ed against the wall getting on for £30M from player sales on your visionary stance and ignoring the books.

You only have to look at the talent we have at present within the youth and imagine how much better that could be if we had the money to compliment them with experienced pro’s in the right ratio. Norwich and Crystal Palace did this an age ago, but we were still keenly following your policy of a visionary stance and ignoring the books.

Then these creative ideas for increasing the revenue by reducing prices, absolutely priceless. Not long back we reduced the season ticket sales with this approach, only to watch our ticket revenue drop even further than the effect of the price cuts alone.

[aintforever]

After everything that has happened and been made public, this has to encapsulate all the dumb posts out there at the present. You singularly fail to understand that if the club refuse to cut costs or sell players, that is it! There is no economy, not even a false one.

This short sighted and simplistic outlook of balancing the books! How the fook do you believe we got into this mess in the first place? We have ****ed against the wall getting on for £30M from player sales on your visionary stance and ignoring the books.

You only have to look at the talent we have at present within the youth and imagine how much better that could be if we had the money to compliment them with experienced pro’s in the right ratio. Norwich and Crystal Palace did this an age ago, but we were still keenly following your policy of a visionary stance and ignoring the books.

Then these creative ideas for increasing the revenue by reducing prices, absolutely priceless. Not long back we reduced the season ticket sales with this approach, only to watch our ticket revenue drop even further than the effect of the price cuts alone.

 

I never said ignore the books, there is obviously cuts that have to be made but my point is that certain relegation will mean losing alot more money than a few hundred grand on wages. It's all about getting the balance right, if we get relegated the club is finished, certain admin. If keeping one player at an outlay of say 7k a week saves the club millions in the long run by keeping us up it is a right thing to do even though the books look worse in the short term - surely your brain can understand that?

 

If our finances were so desperate that we have to sell players or go into admin tomorrow why the hell would the bank let us gamble 1.5mill euros on a French kid? We have choices, simply balancing the books and ignoring the quality of the first team could mean losing much more in the long run.

[Saint Billy]

I never said ignore the books, there is obviously cuts that have to be made but my point is that certain relegation will mean losing alot more money than a few hundred grand on wages. It's all about getting the balance right, if we get relegated the club is finished, certain admin. If keeping one player at an outlay of say 7k a week saves the club millions in the long run by keeping us up it is a right thing to do even though the books look worse in the short term - surely your brain can understand that?

 

If our finances were so desperate that we have to sell players or go into admin tomorrow why the hell would the bank let us gamble 1.5mill euros on a French kid? We have choices, simply balancing the books and ignoring the quality of the first team could mean losing much more in the long run.

 

Sounds sensible to me, then again I suppose I must fall into Up and Away´s dumb category.

[WATERSIDEIFASAINT]

If I was Lowe I would except a half reasonable offer for my shares and bu**er off before my shares became worthless and my life became intolerable from very angry Saints fans.He could end up getting death threats etc from the lunatic fringe.

 

I would bring in frees and loans on lower wages realising we actually need a competitive team to avoid relegation.

 

I would take the advice from ex players and coaches that if we sell all the experienced players we would be royally screwed.

 

I would tell the bank I would redude costs over 2/3 years.Would sell our best 2/3 players over the next 2 seasons and then bring in 4/5 promising young players like Holmes,Scneiderlin and build our squad along with frees and loans who are willing to accept reasonable wages.I would keep some experience in the squad.

 

we have done enough cost cutting this season.Tell the bank that and call their bluff and tell them if they don't like it to put us into administration explaining if we don't have a competitive team we will be relegated and their debt would then be a greater risk.

 

we have now got Claus,II,Powell,Wright,Makin,Ostlund,Rasiak,Saga,Safri,Viafara off the wage bill so it must be vastly reduced!?Surely we have got rid of enough experienced mainly overpaid mercaneries.

[wightman35]

Unfortunately, when you are £30 million in the red (and still rising?) you do as your bank tells you. When told to SELL you can't argue. When the Club's income is a Pound and the outgoings are reduced to 19/6d, things might look up.

In my opinion we are reaping the results of well over a decade of Boardroom failure and self interest going back long before RL arrived.

[Fowllyd]

Unfortunately, when you are £30 million in the red (and still rising?) you do as your bank tells you. When told to SELL you can't argue. When the Club's income is a Pound and the outgoings are reduced to 19/6d, things might look up.

In my opinion we are reaping the results of well over a decade of Boardroom failure and self interest going back long before RL arrived.

 

Very Mr Micawber, I like that. But there's also the saying that if you owe your bank a few thousand then you have a problem, whereas if you owe them a few million then they have the problem - I think there's a lot of truth in that as well.

 

I'm sure the club has been in discussion with the bank as to how the finances are to be brought under control and so forth; however, if there is movement in the right direction it's hard to see that Barclays would simply allow us to go to the wall, as they'd then only get a small proportion of what they're owed. It's different with Norwich Union as far as I'm aware, as we've kept up to date with the payments on their loan.

 

Your last statement makes a lot of sense.

[Horley CTFC Saint]

1. Restructure the debt on the stadium

2. Stadium sponsorship

3. Put the best young players in the shopwindow....oh!

4. Loan signings for the first half of season and if we are out of the running by Christmas/January offload

[dubai_phil]

How about the after a couple of Bullfrogs new idea?

 

A simpler solution that has a lot of holes but a basic concept is that we are a PLC and we need new capital - sort of like the banks have done of late.

 

Wilde Lowe & Crouch worked together to hold a meeting to send an open letter to the Execs. Eventually, it worked

 

Wilde & Crouch made a power play to remove Lowe. It failed

 

Crouch made a power play for total control at the time of the AGM because of the division between Lowe & Wilde. It failed.

 

The "TAKEOVERS" have tended to struggle because who in their right mind would buy the shares for millions in a club that has been bleeding to death as a business for 3 years.

 

So, with Wilde & Lowe bringing a larger percentage of the share value together, the obvious answer is to hold a RIGHTS ISSUE with an investor, NOT a full-blown take-over.

 

A new investor can take up the rights putting money directly into the club. The shareholders retain a smaller percentage BUT they have the chance to sell out later OR to reap the profits of a recovery in years to come.

 

The "DEAL" with the new investor becomes a proxy of votes. Control passes, money goes STRAIGHT to the PLC and hence the club, NOT into their pockets, they cede control BUT they retain the opportunity to benefit in the longer term when the cub is stable and the share price rises.

 

Maybe Crouch and his old pals need to rethink and work with them.

 

Maybe it really IS all about egos and control and playing with the train-set, but with enough proxies we could take a 10 mil cash injection, the shareholders don't get to lose all their money and we could get new leadership....

???

[benjii]

1. Restructure the debt on the stadium

2. Stadium sponsorship

3. Put the best young players in the shopwindow....oh!

4. Loan signings for the first half of season and if we are out of the running by Christmas/January offload

 

1. - Not going to get a more favourable deal than the current one.

 

Wilde could pay this year's loan note payment with his fabled £2million. There's an idea!

[Totton Red]

Reduce the prices and you instantly get thousands of season ticket holders up in arms demanding a refund. Cue loads of indignant posts on here complaining and suggesting that all the season ticket holders should demand full refunds. Some bolshy bugger takes it to the small claims court and wins the right to a refund opening the floodgates. The club is obviously in no position to service these refunds and is forced into administration...

 

The simple idea are often the best, but if this one was to work it needed to have been carried out before the season tickets went on sale. It's certainly an option for next year but it's not viable for now.

 

For the moment the only possible plan is "try and get more bums on seats through playing exciting football that's a pleasure to watch - even if the results don't all go our way". And I would say on the basis of Saturday's performance that's what they're doing.

 

For those who do not turn up, they will know nothing about the exciting football. They will look at the league table to assess whether to attend or not. Always a great debate but will more attend through 4-3 losses or 1 nil wins? 'Come and watch exciting football' is not the most marketable headline unless you are a neutral.

[saint michael]

my opinion for what it's worth.

 

Whilst I understand that Lowe is continuing to attack and reduce costs because that's all it looks like he can do, it sadly is not the answer because there is little fat left to cut away, and like people have been suggesting that if you do this with a service led company then sooner or later you dont recover because you lose your customer base and any income you need to survive.

 

Whilst short term this may be the only choice to keep going, I dont think the answer is this, and if he does not have any other longer term plan or vision to turnaround the club financially then we truly are doomed and will see the cuts getting deeper and deeper.

 

We must either accept that we will continue to fall until we can sustain ourselves in performance terms aligned with our running costs or find the money to live the life at the level that we want to be. Very few high performing clubs in the premiership have a sustainable financial model.

 

So I dont know where this will end, but would welcome hearing the vision of the future outside of "we must cut costs". then I think I will be able to come to terms with our fate a little easier

[Weston Super Saint]

I suspect you underestimate the whinging capabilities of our fans

 

So let's say 8 quid off a ticket - we have about 10000 season ticket holders don't we? http://www.channel4.com/news/article.jsp?id=2357467 So that was about 9000 walk up and away fans last saturday - so that's a match day income loss of 72,000 quid.

 

At 16 quid a ticket that's 4500 extra fans we'd need to turn up to break even on the plan. But the plan isn't to break even - it's to raise enough money over a season so that we don't have to sell players. I know Davies is gone but let's just take him as an example - could your idea of stopped us having to sell him?

 

That's about 1.5 million (inc wages) over 23 games or about 65k a game - or another 4 thousand fans per match. So if lowered ticket prices could lure in another 8500 or so fans every match we might have just saved enough money to keep Andrew Davies.

 

So that demands an attendance of around 27.5k per match throughout the season. Even with reduced prices I have difficulty in seeing that happen. Certainly if I were Mr. Bank Manager I'd be saying "nice try Mr. Weston Super Saint, but you're still going to have to sell players".

 

But your forgetting the incremental sales.....

 

Let's say we get 4,500 extra fans and they spend on average another £7 (program, pint, shirt in the shop, whatever), that's an additional £31,500 per game....

[alpine_saint]

If I was Lowe I would except a half reasonable offer for my shares and bu**er off before my shares became worthless and my life became intolerable from very angry Saints fans.He could end up getting death threats etc from the lunatic fringe.

 

I would bring in frees and loans on lower wages realising we actually need a competitive team to avoid relegation.

 

I would take the advice from ex players and coaches that if we sell all the experienced players we would be royally screwed.

 

I would tell the bank I would redude costs over 2/3 years.Would sell our best 2/3 players over the next 2 seasons and then bring in 4/5 promising young players like Holmes,Scneiderlin and build our squad along with frees and loans who are willing to accept reasonable wages.I would keep some experience in the squad.

 

we have done enough cost cutting this season.Tell the bank that and call their bluff and tell them if they don't like it to put us into administration explaining if we don't have a competitive team we will be relegated and their debt would then be a greater risk.

 

we have now got Claus,II,Powell,Wright,Makin,Ostlund,Rasiak,Saga,Safri,Viafara off the wage bill so it must be vastly reduced!?Surely we have got rid of enough experienced mainly overpaid mercaneries.

 

Good post. I like the idea of pushing back against the bank.

[alpine_saint]

my opinion for what it's worth.

 

Whilst I understand that Lowe is continuing to attack and reduce costs because that's all it looks like he can do, it sadly is not the answer because there is little fat left to cut away, and like people have been suggesting that if you do this with a service led company then sooner or later you dont recover because you lose your customer base and any income you need to survive.

 

Whilst short term this may be the only choice to keep going, I dont think the answer is this, and if he does not have any other longer term plan or vision to turnaround the club financially then we truly are doomed and will see the cuts getting deeper and deeper.

 

We must either accept that we will continue to fall until we can sustain ourselves in performance terms aligned with our running costs or find the money to live the life at the level that we want to be. Very few high performing clubs in the premiership have a sustainable financial model.

 

So I dont know where this will end, but would welcome hearing the vision of the future outside of "we must cut costs". then I think I will be able to come to terms with our fate a little easier

 

Another excellent post.

 

What is going on currently has absolutely no resemblance to a sensible long-term plan. It is so short term, its going to work for all of 5 minutes..

[Micky]

jesus...some think saints were some massive footballing giant...

on ruperts watch (like it or not) we got a new ground that took decades to pull off, we got some cracking players, WGS, cup final, europe....we were a million miles away from that in the immediate years before he came and staying as we did we would probably be in the CCC years before....

 

yes we went down and lowe screwed up royally...but is it SUCH A BLOODY SHOCK that a club the size of saints fell out of the top flight once every 30 years or so...

 

far bigger clubs have fallen further than us and will do in the future..

 

 

I think some need a reality check on our lot in football..

 

 

Much as it pains me to say it - for once - I totally agree with you. When others start to realise that we are small fish in a big pond, perhaps our current plight will not come as such a surprise. Nobody has a devine right to be in the Premiership, we savoured the goodlife for 30 years - now we have to endure a little pain, and who knows, it may get even worse before it starts to get better.

[S4INT]

I think we all understand that cost cutting and player sales has to happen, but what Lowe doesn't seem to understand is that cost cutting to the extreme where relegation is pretty much a certainty is pointless - a false economy.

 

The only thing that matters is staying in this league, get relegated and it is administration regardless. When absolutely everything rides on us staying up it is worth being in the red if it gives us a fighting chance.

 

Lowe's attitude has ALWAYS been balance the books, worry about the quality of team later. A short sighted and simplistic outlook which will result in relegation.

 

Lowe is not an evil man, doing things to spite the fan base, anyone that thinks that is a damn fool. He's returned to a sinking ship and I feel safer with him at the helm because he doesn't care if the fans don't like him for making tough decisions. A little bit more openess with the fans and I could ask for nothing more, then again, maybe announcing that will make clubs start putting in even more ridiculous offers for our players / get the club negative press. If we stay out of administration then I'll think Lowe is brilliant as that is his job atm. if we stay up I'll think Jan and the fans and the young lot are brilliant.

 

The new look team can work, anyone who was at Birmingham will tell you that.

With no other viable alternative (administration would be the end of the world, it will be hard this season without a 10 point deduction!), why not play to our strengths (youth team), and give it a damn good try (whilst also playing nice football), two wins in a row would start the crowds coming back.

Additionally, this young team is more likely than anyone to be boosted by "fan power", so all I can say as a regularly attending season ticket holder in London is get down to the games if you can afford them and if you love this club.

I love this club so I'll see you at the next game

[offix]

Lowe is not an evil man, doing things to spite the fan base, anyone that thinks that is a damn fool.

 

I don't think for a moment that he is at all concerned with the fan base.

He is only concerned with his money. He's not even concerned with football. Which in his current position makes him evil as far as Saints are concerned.

 

The new look team can work, anyone who was at Birmingham will tell you that.

 

Working "hard" is not a guarantee of quality. Working hard does not keep a team in the CCC. I really like and appreciate the boys for working hard, but with a squad out of which all experience and all the biggest talents have been sold (some even to our direct competitors) they have been set up to fail by our misguided "fiscal prudence", which so many of you like to quote at every instance. Just one more reason while Ru**rt and his treacherous sidekick are indeed evil.

[Wopper]

Lowe & Wilde should sell up and f*ck off.

[stevegrant]

Working "hard" is not a guarantee of quality. Working hard does not keep a team in the CCC.

But I thought that was why we should have kept Pearson, as he'd got the team working hard...

[Gorgiesaint]

I never said ignore the books, there is obviously cuts that have to be made but my point is that certain relegation will mean losing alot more money than a few hundred grand on wages. It's all about getting the balance right, if we get relegated the club is finished, certain admin. If keeping one player at an outlay of say 7k a week saves the club millions in the long run by keeping us up it is a right thing to do even though the books look worse in the short term - surely your brain can understand that?

 

If our finances were so desperate that we have to sell players or go into admin tomorrow why the hell would the bank let us gamble 1.5mill euros on a French kid? We have choices, simply balancing the books and ignoring the quality of the first team could mean losing much more in the long run.

 

I suspect the bank allowed us to sign Schneiderlin on the basis of the players that we intended to let go during this transfer window. We've been able to get rid of some of the deadwood, but we still have a number of high earners within the club that the bank would have expected us to get rid of, Skacel & Euell spring to mind plus they may have expected income from the sale of Rasiak & Saga.

 

Of course, if you prefer, we could just try & spend money that we don't have and see how the bank reacts - just don't be surprised if then enter administration now! -10 points this season, and a -17 point start to life in L1 - that sounds like a great plan.

 

Yes it is short-termism, because thats all we can do at the moment. There is only one hand feeding us at the moment, and thats the bank - don't bite it. The costs are being cut, the only thing that the fans can do is get behind the team and support it at the turnstiles so our revenues increase. However, there are too many fans who are so anti-Lowe that it appears they would rather see the club die than it survive under Lowe (and I'm no fan of Lowe). If there is investment out there then we need it quick, but I would suggest that its not going to come until the club as a business is at the break-even point.

[JustMike]

i would sell the club

[Village Saint]

if you were the chairman of the club right now..

so far many have had a pop at lowe and wilde for various things..

 

but the truth is basically we are losing serious money and in danger of getting "very bad" if it not already..

 

personally, im gob smacked that lowe and wilde are even bothering at all but are still getting no end of abuse from certain sections of the fan base..

 

so, with all that...what would YOU do to save saints right now

 

First of all I would not announce to all and sundry that we are desparate for money quickly so they come in and take our best players for next to nothing. I accept that we might have had to sell Davies but not for a pittance. On today's prices he is worth twice what we got and probably 3 million. Also I would not lie to fans. The stuff on the OS and in the press release that was trotted out in today's Guardian about how because Svensson was back we could afford to let Davies go is an insult to fans' intelligence. Even we can work out that two centre backs is not enough for 46 games in the Championship. If proof was needed it shows Lowe will never never change.

[ooohTerryHurlock]

But how do you do that when any "offer" that is launched is generally only applicable to non season ticket holders?

 

I'm personally not bothered about these sort of deals, I'd rather see the stadium full than half-empty, regardless of whether someone's getting in for a tenner for a less attractive game whereas I've paid an average of £16 or whatever it is. However, I'm well aware and totally appreciate the fact that others DO have a problem with that sort of thing, and there really isn't an awful lot the club can do in terms of getting people into the ground that would actually provide any sort of tangible benefit to season ticket holders.

 

The only thing I can think of off the top of my head would be a "if a friend of yours buys tickets to two (or three maybe, depending on how the figures stack up) Championship games, you get a £5 Megastore voucher". That way, the club are getting about £40-50 in revenue for £5 "loss" which is only offsetting against the profit margin on the merchandise anyway.

 

That would n't even be a five pound loss as you would have to spend the money in te megastore! I think they just have to do whatever to get people in - the atmosphere was ****e on saturday - and the once the game is over the potential of the seat to generate income has gone. I don't know why the don't let STH bring a friend for a quid. YOu would surely pack the place out and takens on food and drinks would be up. Programmes sales and merchandise probably go up. Despite losing on saturday it was n't a bad game of football to watch so you would hopefully get a few people coming back -come again for a five? sort of thing - A lot of people have got out of the habit of going to football so you have to work extra hard to get them to come back. Not put up the firecell signs and close half tehe ground - these two could n't lead you to the bar in the queen vic let alone out of the mire we are in.

[alpine_saint]

If the club slashes ticket prices to increase attendance, it could always compensate narked ST holders by offering them free or discounted-even-further additional tickets for a game for friends or family, and allow the ST holder to change seat for that game to sit together.

 

It is somewhat bizarre in my opinion, that those who sneer at critics of the team and club on here using the "non-attendance" gambit are probably the very same ones that would sneer at discounted price measures being introduced by the club to increase attendances.

 

Proof, if every it were needed, that some ST holders use their ST as a sort of piissing-contest badge-of-honour that enables them to look down on their fellow fans