Saint Charlie Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 ...the day Gordon Strachan decided to leave. (Complete the sentence in your opinion. Humour welcomed) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponty Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 ...when Le Tiss decided his injury was too hard to overcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krissyboy31 Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 ....When Askham took over from Woodford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrollman no2 Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 When Lowe decided to put his tracksuit on and began training with the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alain Perrin Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 When blame became more important than the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulSaint Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 When The Premiership and Sky turned a great sport into Top Trumps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickG Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 hoddle left Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestSaint Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 ... the day Lowe appointed Wrigley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintDonkey Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 the day the Premiership split from the rest of the league Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painswick Saint Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 ...the day the board overuled Lowe not to re-appoint Hoddle as manager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CB Fry Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 ....When Askham took over from Woodford. Rubbish. The appointment of Wigley is where the demise began. What demise was there between Woodford handing over to Askham and before the appointment of Wigley? Show me the league finishes and tell me how it equates to a demise. If anything its a slight upward curve. We'd finished twelfth in the Prem only two league games (and six months) before the appointment of Wigley. Twelfth in the Prem is pretty bloody good, isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponty Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 When The Premiership and Sky turned a great sport into Top Trumps? Arguably, that would have worked out great for us had it happened 10 years earlier when we were a force in the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintRobbie Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 ...the day Gordon Strachan decided to leave. (Complete the sentence in your opinion. Humour welcomed) It began before that, with the reason WGS left... and he's about to resign Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sticksaint Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 Arguably, that would have worked out great for us had it happened 10 years earlier when we were a force in the league. Arguably it was bad for football per se and it doesn`t matter if it would have happened ten years earlier.Yes it would have been good for us but bad for football in general.Sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Charlie Posted 1 April, 2009 Author Share Posted 1 April, 2009 It began before that, with the reason WGS left... and he's about to resign Not kicking on after the Cup final season and buying some decent players was a very key moment. WGS wanted Saha and Malbranque, we got McCann (one of the worst signings ever) and Phillips. Cheap options when we had a chance to cement ourselves as a top half team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint_stevo Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 when the ITV Digital mess happened Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr X Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 If were talkin aboout reaching our lowest point i.e relegation and very likely admin..... its the day Lowe sacked pearson and appointed a lets face it unknown and un-qualified dutchman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitey Grandad Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 I was quite happy at the Dell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint_stevo Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 If were talkin aboout reaching our lowest point i.e relegation and very likely admin..... its the day Lowe sacked pearson and appointed a lets face it unknown and un-qualified dutchman Would have changed what? Still would not have 'ad a pot to pi33 in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 ...the appointment of Wigley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_saint Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 The selling of Wayne Bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Shango Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 when the ITV Digital mess happened What's that got to do with anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St Landrew Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 (edited) Arguably, that would have worked out great for us had it happened 10 years earlier when we were a force in the league. ...when the football league decided in 1988 [i think.. could be slightly earlier or later?] that for league matches [what else..?], all the gate receipts should go to the home team. Saints were still a force to be reckoned with in the late 1980's, but couldn't compete with clubs that could hold onto 30-40-50-60,000 people's money, when all they could manage was 22,000, and later 15,251. Hence the building of St Marys was forced upon the club because they hadn't acted sooner. All the ultimate failure has been brought upon the club because it hasn't been ambitious enough in the past, and too cheap in planning its future. And St Marys has now become the noose to hang it. EDIT: But recently, it was Wigley's appointment. This smash was totally avoidable, and we all know it. Edited 1 April, 2009 by St Landrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmel Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 When the FA decided shares owned by directors of clubs could be sold on the open market, for a personal profit. You can close this thread now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St Landrew Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 When the FA decided shares owned by directors of clubs could be sold on the open market, for a personal profit. You can close this thread now. I'm inclined to agree with you. I think we've covered every reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arizona Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 December 21st 2003. Southampton 3-0 Portsmouth - Dodd - Pahars - Beattie Saints players eat their Christmas dinner in a Champions League place, ahead of Liverpool. Saints then fall to 12th by the end of the season and 20th by the end of the next year. I think it would be inaccurate to say the decline started before or after that, from a footballing point of view anyway. I suspect some would argue the 'reverse takeover' was the actual start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nineteen Canteen Posted 1 April, 2009 Share Posted 1 April, 2009 When the lemmings decided to back Wilde's ride to the promised land of milk and honey. Before then Lowe had made some bad decisions and that cannot be denied and also he made some very good ones and they to must be acknowledged. However, I remain strongly of the opinion that had he not been forced to resign when Crouch decided to get into bed with Wilde then this mess we are into day would be nothing but a pipe dream for Stanley and the other vacuous individuals who pedal their prejudical bile without any reasoning. Lowe cannot be held responsible for selling off the family silver in the interim period and draining the club of its last penny. In fact it's a miracle he has kept us afloat this long and if he can leave this mess, if not created by Wilde and Crouch at least instigated by them, without a 10pt deduction then this may even be his finest hour against the odds. A fighting chance at least for Wotte and the team to have a chance of survival instead of just playing out our last breath of Championship football before a fight to stay in league 1. I wish him well and hope that the next chairman we appoint has the same strength of character and backbone to see through their policies and appreciate that running a club is not a popularity contest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nineteen Canteen Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 December 21st 2003. Southampton 3-0 Portsmouth - Dodd - Pahars - Beattie Saints players eat their Christmas dinner in a Champions League place, ahead of Liverpool. Saints then fall to 12th by the end of the season and 20th by the end of the next year. I think it would be inaccurate to say the decline started before or after that, from a footballing point of view anyway. I suspect some would argue the 'reverse takeover' was the actual start. Arizona I agree that period wasn't the best of times but at that stage the decline wasn't heading to where we are now and those events were not irreversible with time and patience. In fact its arrogant to suggest that a club of our size would be able to continue to punch above its weight nice though it was and for supporters to consider it a right. Relegation whether it came in 2004 could have called on our door many times in the preceding 27 years or it may have taken another 5, 10 or 20 years but it was always going to happen without a bottomless pit of cash. Rich businessmen and dodgy oligarchs have taken the joy out of supporting a team through developing skill, tenacity and determination to a path of glory. Money guarantees success and we simply didn't have enough regardless of disputable decisions. Relegation did not get us to this situation it was merely an unpleasant stop en route but the problem really started when somebody else decided to read the map to success and those in the 'car' with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nineteen Canteen Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 When the FA decided shares owned by directors of clubs could be sold on the open market, for a personal profit. You can close this thread now. True and McMenemy had the temerity to crawl out of the woodwork tonight for the cameras. Someone needs to advise him his teflon coating is beginning to where thin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Shango Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 Relegation whether it came in 2004 could have called on our door many times in the preceding 27 years or it may have taken another 5, 10 or 20 years but it was always going to happen without a bottomless pit of cash. Rich businessmen and dodgy oligarchs have taken the joy out of supporting a team through developing skill, tenacity and determination to a path of glory. Money guarantees success and we simply didn't have enough regardless of disputable decisions. What planet are you on? We went down because of Lowe's screw ups (The Sturrock/Wigley BS). There's no reason why we couldn't still be in the Prem if we were run better. We are no smaller than Bolton who are mid table or better every year. Fact is if we'd appointed a decent manager at the start of the season and kept him in charge the whole way through we would have survived. We didn't and your buddy Lowe took us down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nineteen Canteen Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 What planet are you on? We went down because of Lowe's screw ups (The Sturrock/Wigley BS). There's no reason why we couldn't still be in the Prem if we were run better. We are no smaller than Bolton who are mid table or better every year. Fact is if we'd appointed a decent manager at the start of the season and kept him in charge the whole way through we would have survived. We didn't and your buddy Lowe took us down. Same planet as you Papa but obviously with a much better view of the whole landscape. Suggest you come out of your hole and have a look around. How many years before 2004 did we come close to the drop? I don't dispute poor decisions were made that season but it's not as though the subsequent regime actually learned from them either. All hindsight is 20/20 but had we stuck with Lowe and held out for a more serious investor then we wouldn't be where we are now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmel Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 True and McMenemy had the temerity to crawl out of the woodwork tonight for the cameras. Someone needs to advise him his teflon coating is beginning to where thin. 19C we have polar views on the club and situtaion, but i am sat here numb regarding the future. I have no great affinity to Lawrie, with the exception of him being our most successful ever manager. My real gripe is that i truly belive that every mistake this club has made (That has contributed to our downfall) could have been avoided. I'm not sure you truly appreciate the mood of the city, when you live abroad, but whilst i hate the situation we are in, i do (To a certain extent) understand why some people are beginning to look forward........no matter where the starting place ends up to be. I dont want to fall out with other Saints fans and would always stand their corner normally, but we've had some **** times over the last few years and now is the time to look forward............no matter where that starting place is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gingeletiss Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 When Mr Lowe senior, chased Mrs Lowe senior, up the stairs, whilst whipping his trousers off.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
del boy Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 ...but now we put it behind us and move on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenridge Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 When The Premiership and Sky turned a great sport into Top Trumps? Absolutely. Orchestrated by that great visionary Graham Kelly. And let's not forget he was forced to resign along with our very own Keith Wiseman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Stripe Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 Started when player/coaches power got Sturrock sacked! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolo Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 The demise started when Michael Svensson got ****ed on that $hitty fratton park pitch in the warm up... I blame Portsmouth for everything!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halo Stickman Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 When Lowe’s signing of ‘Financial Prudence’ turned out to be a duffer both on and off the pitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMike Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 Arizona I agree that period wasn't the best of times but at that stage the decline wasn't heading to where we are now and those events were not irreversible with time and patience. In fact its arrogant to suggest that a club of our size would be able to continue to punch above its weight nice though it was and for supporters to consider it a right. Relegation whether it came in 2004 could have called on our door many times in the preceding 27 years or it may have taken another 5, 10 or 20 years but it was always going to happen without a bottomless pit of cash. Rich businessmen and dodgy oligarchs have taken the joy out of supporting a team through developing skill, tenacity and determination to a path of glory. Money guarantees success and we simply didn't have enough regardless of disputable decisions. Relegation did not get us to this situation it was merely an unpleasant stop en route but the problem really started when somebody else decided to read the map to success and those in the 'car' with him. No but it start the snow ball effect. Lowe made too many mistakes, and quite often didnt learn from them and made them again. Unforgiveable imo. Yes Wilde etc added to the "snow ball" and will definately shoulder some of the blame but the buck stops with one man and one man alone. Mr Lowe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Charlie Posted 2 April, 2009 Author Share Posted 2 April, 2009 When our matchday catering and radio station became the envy of other teams worldwide.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Charlie Posted 2 April, 2009 Author Share Posted 2 April, 2009 Well no because Sturrock did okay for a while. It started when Svensson broke his knee. We also had a very good CCC squad and 13m spent to get back up, but we (Burley) ****ed it up. But that's irrelevant. The demise will continue if we dwell on the past. Sturrock was a big step down from a manager of Strachan's class. We should have brought in someone with a proven Premiership track record. It was a poor appointment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madsent Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 December 21st 2003. Southampton 3-0 Portsmouth - Dodd - Pahars - Beattie Saints players eat their Christmas dinner in a Champions League place, ahead of Liverpool. Saints then fall to 12th by the end of the season and 20th by the end of the next year. I think it would be inaccurate to say the decline started before or after that, from a footballing point of view anyway. I suspect some would argue the 'reverse takeover' was the actual start. I completely agree with that. I think Gordon Strachan destabilised us. We had batches of good results in 03-04 that papered over the cracks that were showing in our hard-working but limited squad. When we won, it was often despite playing badly. We seldom played well and, as Norwich proved in their relegation season (1994-1995), a 3-0 win over your local rivals is not an indication of how good your team is. Strachan never looked up for it after the FA Cup Final and the tactical mistakes that made us look like a mouse being toyed with by a lazy cat. He got a medical prognosis that allowed him to leave Saints without anyone blaming him for going. Who has ever heard of a hip injury keeping a manager from doing his job ? Many managers have had heart surgery (think of Souness and Houllier) and returned in the same season. Strachan found an excuse and ran. The fact that he didn't have his intended surgery until the summer after he'd been Celtic manager for a season speaks volumes. Since Strachan left, we had a string of poor managers and the lack of quality in the squad was exposed when the fitness levels started to drop and the true quality in the side (Bridge, Beattie and Svensson) left or were unable to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott_saints Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 When we got rid of the saintettes cheerleading us before games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trousers Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 The demise began when......British banks loaned vast sums of money they didn't have to the American sub-prime market. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Bates Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 ...the day Gordon Strachan decided to leave. +1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpb Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 (edited) When Prutton missed the open goal against WBA or Higgenbottom scored the own goal against Middlesbrough or Crouch went for the goal instead of the corner flag against Everton or when we fell apart after Villa pulled a goal back... If any one of these had not happened then we would have got the extra two points to keep us in the top division. Edited 2 April, 2009 by rpb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Webby Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 Not kicking on after the Cup final season and buying some decent players was a very key moment. WGS wanted Saha and Malbranque, we got McCann (one of the worst signings ever) and Phillips. Cheap options when we had a chance to cement ourselves as a top half team.I was going to say "when the final whistle blew in the cup final", but, essentially, what you've said is what I mean. We didn't kick on from that. Lowe was too hesitant, and didn't see the opportunity. That sealed it for WGS. Having said that, I don't blame Lowe for everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greedyfly Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 When Neil McCann was given his 20th start on the left despite being the biggest donkey ever to 'play football' I went for the humour approach for those who seem to have had that part of there personality by-passed..That said I ****ing hated that useless tit (in a footballing sence, I am sure he was a very nice man otherwise). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St Landrew Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 ...the day Gordon Strachan decided to leave. Seriously, I thought the time of the demise starting, was the well debated under-ambitious post FA Cp Final season. It set the tone of what was to come. Of course, it was all utterly avoidable [that's the real tragedy] and Saints fans stood aghast as first Wayne Bridge left, and then the whole thing started to unravel at ever increasing speed. Wayne Bridge's departure meant Chris Marsden lost his playing partner, and Saints lost their very effective left side. Graeme Le Saux, although fine at LB, never gelled with CMFG, as he collected injuries. WGS left, and Saints became thier usual unambitious selves in their choice of Sturrock; who actually did quite well. But when he left due to the stress of managing a Premiership side [so they say], Saints became amazingly unambitious with the apparently permanent and astonishing appointment of Steve Wigley. Lowe said he always liked to give young talent a chance. Not in the Prem you don't, mate. Not if you want to prosper. I think that covers the main turning point in fortunes. Redknapp was just a sideshow, and just showed that he couldn't work miracles, and is just a competent manager, rather than someone special. I'll be interested to see the match attendances and investment once it's clear Lowe has no further connection with the club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr X Posted 2 April, 2009 Share Posted 2 April, 2009 Would have changed what? Still would not have 'ad a pot to pi33 in True, but we would have had somone better suited to getting the best out of mediocre players on a shoestring, we could have pushed on from bare survival last year, I for one was starting to believe pearson was exactly what sfc has needed for some time that last day with the pitch invasion and everything was the last time the spirit of southampton was seen, you could see how much it meant to everyone. I'm digging up old ground though apologies, whats done is done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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