Fitzhugh Fella Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 makes an interesting read http://plasticsaints.myfreeforum.org/recent_events_are_where_do_we_go_from_here__about8549.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkSFC Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 makes an interesting read http://plasticsaints.myfreeforum.org/recent_events_are_where_do_we_go_from_here__about8549.html Well worth a read....time for unity and pro-activeness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser Soze Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 Why doesn't he write on here anymore? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nineteen Canteen Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 makes an interesting read http://plasticsaints.myfreeforum.org/recent_events_are_where_do_we_go_from_here__about8549.html An interesting read but ulimately raises more questions than it answers but as a brief synopsis of history it's a good read. If I was to conclude anything from this it's simply the fact we need an absolutely clean slate. With no disrespect to anyone involved in the past from major shareholders, directors or respected fans we need a massive broom and no hangers on left on the periphery. We can only hope for a previously unconnected buyer with their own team to install. The meddling has to stop and without it transparency and unity are but pipe dreams and that is why I am so anti any further fan funded Saints groups as unfortunately there will always be those trying to seek some ego driven or political advantage from the situation. The less we say about previous directors the better but the same applies. In the end it's a depressing read from which no one comes out of it untarnished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorpie the sinner Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 An interesting read but ulimately raises more questions than it answers but as a brief synopsis of history it's a good read. If I was to conclude anything from this it's simply the fact we need an absolutely clean slate. With no disrespect to anyone involved in the past from major shareholders, directors or respected fans we need a massive broom and no hangers on left on the periphery. We can only hope for a previously unconnected buyer with their own team to install. The meddling has to stop and without it transparency and unity are but pipe dreams and that is why I am so anti any further fan funded Saints groups as unfortunately there will always be those trying to seek some ego driven or political advantage from the situation. The less we say about previous directors the better but the same applies. In the end it's a depressing read from which no one comes out of it untarnished. i think its the clean slate, we all need! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint lard Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 Why doesn't he write on here anymore? Possibly because he got his fingers burnt, well and truly. I believe he was posting snippets of info in good faith but he was seriously strung along and used by certain persons who shall remain nameless,unless someone else would like to do the honours. Hence he was ridiculed by many. All IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitzhugh Fella Posted 12 April, 2009 Author Share Posted 12 April, 2009 Possibly because he got his fingers burnt, well and truly. I believe he was posting snippets of info in good faith but he was seriously strung along and used by certain persons who shall remain nameless,unless someone else would like to do the honours. Hence he was ridiculed by many. All IMO. A fair and accurate synopsis. It's a shame because Lee's heart is certainly in the right place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aintforever Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 He was ridiculed because he pretended to be ITK when he was just passing on info he had been fed. Interesting to know that it was Corbett and Crouch spreading the bull**** about Allen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectisSaint Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 Interesting read, wish he could get rid of the awful Rodney Marsh google ad at the end :mad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjii Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 He was ridiculed because he pretended to be ITK when he was just passing on info he had been fed. Interesting to know that it was Corbett and Crouch spreading the bull**** about Allen. and Hone. And Saintlee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNT Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 He was ridiculed because he pretended to be ITK when he was just passing on info he had been fed. Interesting to know that it was Corbett and Crouch spreading the bull**** about Allen. Well im not sure of that as it was in the Evening standard to start with ? Having read this forum for a while some of the things mentioned by this saintlee, do not seem to add up that well either. At the time i read on another Saints forum that the whole Paul Allen affair in the papers was set up by Rupert Lowe. This accusation was backed up by the share price going through the roof and shares that where sold to some Jersey chap from Lowes dad where sold. I find all these so called takeovers around 2007 where set up to disrupt those in office by those who where pushed out the office. This character marc jackson certainly seem to of been on the wind up. Having recently viewed the bournemouth echo website photo gallery his appearance and company at a match certainly confirm he was walter mitty material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitzhugh Fella Posted 12 April, 2009 Author Share Posted 12 April, 2009 He was ridiculed because he pretended to be ITK when he was just passing on info he had been fed. Interesting to know that it was Corbett and Crouch spreading the bull**** about Allen. He got a lot of stuff from Lee Hoos, assumed it was genuine and passed on what he could to the forum without giving the game away. I don't think he took any perverse pleasure in being considered ITK -he's not that sort. The Allen affair had everyone at the club believing and for that we can blame Tom Mac who duped Crouch, Hone et al. Lee's a good bloke who got sucked in because he wanted (like most of us) to believe we were going places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Window Cleaner Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 where sold to some Jersey chap from Lowes dad where sold. l. Some Jersey chap being Tom Scott who has donated over £1000 to our fighting fund of late. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if Mr Scott ends up as owner of SFC in association with Mr Richards and Mr Withers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docker-p Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 An interesting read but ulimately raises more questions than it answers but as a brief synopsis of history it's a good read. If I was to conclude anything from this it's simply the fact we need an absolutely clean slate. With no disrespect to anyone involved in the past from major shareholders, directors or respected fans we need a massive broom and no hangers on left on the periphery. We can only hope for a previously unconnected buyer with their own team to install. The meddling has to stop and without it transparency and unity are but pipe dreams and that is why I am so anti any further fan funded Saints groups as unfortunately there will always be those trying to seek some ego driven or political advantage from the situation. The less we say about previous directors the better but the same applies. In the end it's a depressing read from which no one comes out of it untarnished. No we don't NC. We need Leon Crouch and deep down you know it. And in time you'll except that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Window Cleaner Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 No we don't NC. We need Leon Crouch and deep down you know it. And in time you'll except that. If there's one thing we don't need it's Leon Crouch. An influencable fool,always prepared to go with the tide and be Mr Popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottery st mary Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 Some Jersey chap being Tom Scott who has donated over £1000 to our fighting fund of late. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if Mr Scott ends up as owner of SFC in association with Mr Richards and Mr Withers. We certainly do not Lowe back through his boys Richards ans Withers.:mad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint lard Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 No we don't NC. We need Leon Crouch and deep down you know it. And in time you'll except that. No we bloody don't.IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrollman no2 Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 If there's one thing we don't need it's Leon Crouch. An influencable fool,always prepared to go with the tide and be Mr Popular. Crouch may have his faults,but at least he put his money where his mouth is and hes a fan. Thats a lot more than Lowe ever did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Window Cleaner Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 Crouch may have his faults,but at least he put his money where his mouth is and hes a fan. Thats a lot more than Lowe ever did. what money??? He bought some very overpriced shares, as far as I know it stop right there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrollman no2 Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 what money??? He bought some very overpriced shares, as far as I know it stop right there. Ted Bates statue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Window Cleaner Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 (edited) Ted Bates statue? What benefit does that bring to the club. Bates was an icon but if the original statue hadn't been f*cked up Crouch wouldn't have had to put his hand into his pocket more than anyone else. I remember Ted, deserves his statue but paying for it didn't benefit the club in our time. Edited 12 April, 2009 by Window Cleaner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint lard Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 Crouch may have his faults,but at least he put his money where his mouth is and hes a fan. Thats a lot more than Lowe ever did. Compared to Lowe he is streets better,yes. But as you rightly state he has his faults,and these faults will lead us directly to nowhere. He's an avid fan,thats great,thanks for all you have endevoured to do Mr Crouch but now we need clear heads,clean slate to move us forward. And don't tell me that the one up manship and bravado just to rattle Lowe won't be exploited at every opportunity,it will,then the blame game and war of words between the two will carry on,and on,and on...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Window Cleaner Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 We certainly do not Lowe back through his boys Richards ans Withers.:mad: Lowe will never return to SFC, take it as read. Mrs Lowe won't let it happen again. Cowen is a different matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrollman no2 Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 Paying for the statue with his own money was something Lowe would never had done.Maybe it didnt benefit the club directly,but it was a nice touch. Also Crouch bought shares using his own money,not money he took out of the club with share buybacks etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNT Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 If there's one thing we don't need it's Leon Crouch. An influencable fool,always prepared to go with the tide and be Mr Popular. Not sure how you can reach that assumption. Maybe its derived from seeing whats written on internet forums. If other directors contributed like he has done recently in the past then things would not be so bad. What does he have two corporate boxes and suite tables. Im sure a pre season with Pearson would of seen his credential sky rocket. I do often wonder what people base their views on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrollman no2 Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 Compared to Lowe he is streets better,yes. But as you rightly state he has his faults,and these faults will lead us directly to nowhere. He's an avid fan,thats great,thanks for all you have endevoured to do Mr Crouch but now we need clear heads,clean slate to move us forward. And don't tell me that the one up manship and bravado just to rattle Lowe won't be exploited at every opportunity,it will,then the blame game and war of words between the two will carry on,and on,and on...... Fair point and i think this is the way forward,although perhaps Crouch could be a minor shareholder or something like that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottery st mary Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 Lowe will never return to SFC, take it as read. Mrs Lowe won't let it happen again. Cowen is a different matter. Don't want Cowan Richards, Withers Windsor whatever or any of the plums who have sat and supported Rupert from day one...They have a lot to answer for....We DO NOT need Rupert or his backing chorus girls ENOUGH IS ENOUGH for Gods sake.....Windows pass the message on please.:smt086 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Window Cleaner Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 Not sure how you can reach that assumption. Maybe its derived from seeing whats written on internet forums. If other directors contributed like he has done recently in the past then things would not be so bad. What does he have two corporate boxes and suite tables. Im sure a pre season with Pearson would of seen his credential sky rocket. I do often wonder what people base their views on. 65p a share, it is Paul Allen, trying to hijack the club for free in July 2007, Gorman and Dodd, investment in 6 months every 6 months, do I need to go on ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Window Cleaner Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 Don't want Cowan Richards, Withers Windsor whatever or any of the plums who have sat and supported Rupert from day one...They have a lot to answer for....We DO NOT need Rupert or his backing chorus girls ENOUGH IS ENOUGH for Gods sake.....Windows pass the message on please.:smt086 Trouble is Ottery, beggars can't be choosers, the club needs a buyer and those men have what it takes-real money, not talking about it hypothetical Turkish billionaire money, real hard folding and the inclination to give it to Saints. Give me one Mike Richards instead of 346 Iranian billionaires any day.At least they'll come up with the swans, not like other pr@ts who just talk about it. I love it when so many people banter big money on this board, most of them don't have 2 halfpennies to rub together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint lard Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 Fair point and i think this is the way forward,although perhaps Crouch could be a minor shareholder or something like that? I can live with that,every board needs a fan of the club he/she is representing.IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Window Cleaner Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 I can live with that,every board needs a fan of the club he/she is representing.IMO. There will be no minor shareholders. It will probably be a 3 man consortium with 3 equal holdings.5 million each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
um pahars Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 There will be no minor shareholders. It will probably be a 3 man consortium with 3 equal holdings.5 million each. Here's hoping!!!!!!! But I fear it will be about £5million in total!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
up and away Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 He got a lot of stuff from Lee Hoos, assumed it was genuine and passed on what he could to the forum without giving the game away. I don't think he took any perverse pleasure in being considered ITK -he's not that sort. The Allen affair had everyone at the club believing and for that we can blame Tom Mac who duped Crouch, Hone et al. Lee's a good bloke who got sucked in because he wanted (like most of us) to believe we were going places. I don't argue that Lee is a good bloke and take the point regarding what people wanted to believe. You can blame TomM for initiating it, but believing it was stupendous act of gullibility. I kept repeating at the time to go and look at the evidence the Echo had to the opposite, something Richard Chorley never argued with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
70's Mike Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 I don't argue that Lee is a good bloke and take the point regarding what people wanted to believe. You can blame TomM for initiating it, but believing it was stupendous act of gullibility. I kept repeating at the time to go and look at the evidence the Echo had to the opposite, something Richard Chorley never argued with. Where is Richard these days? I have not heard or seen him recently? Maybe he has retired , now that Rupert appears to be gone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
um pahars Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 Where is Richard these days? I have not heard or seen him recently? Maybe he has retired , now that Rupert appears to be gone Not sure if he's been unbanned yet after the silver coins episode at the AGM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 what money??? He bought some very overpriced shares, as far as I know it stop right there. Ten grand this week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottery st mary Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 Trouble is Ottery, beggars can't be choosers, the club needs a buyer and those men have what it takes-real money, not talking about it hypothetical Turkish billionaire money, real hard folding and the inclination to give it to Saints. Give me one Mike Richards instead of 346 Iranian billionaires any day.At least they'll come up with the swans, not like other pr@ts who just talk about it. I love it when so many people banter big money on this board, most of them don't have 2 halfpennies to rub together. So none of these puppets have put their hand in the old bank balance to help Saints in time of crisis and now suddenly they have some dosh...Sounds too much like Ruperts bears to me.:mad:..At least Scott put his hand in his pocket big time the other day.:)Good on him..I think he is his own man but not likely to throw his money away..If he does I do hope he keeps it in the family and please God he does not entertain Rupes Michael or any of the other groupies......What the hell has Mr Richards been doing all this time when he could have saved administration...He hasn't got the big bucks by the sound of it.. and especially when Rupert, who never had any money even to save himself. Mind you Rupert was a big earner out of the Saints til the day he walked away.... Maybe good old Mike didn't like Rupert and Michael after all. Now, I will, like all of us fans accept what we are given...JUST don't allow Rupert or his cronies through the door...includes Askham. Fresh start, hopefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 makes an interesting read http://plasticsaints.myfreeforum.org/recent_events_are_where_do_we_go_from_here__about8549.html Sorry but I cannot read this although I do get the WEB PAGE can anybody help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 If there's one thing we don't need it's Leon Crouch. An influencable fool,always prepared to go with the tide and be Mr Popular. Totally agree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 It looks like things have finally come to a head, and the next few weeks will be interesting to say the least. I think that most of you who are reading this, share the same unfathomable and illogical love for this club that I do. It is an old friend who has been there for as long as you can remember, sometimes they surprise you, sometimes they cheer you up, sometimes they get you down, sometimes you fall out and don’t see each other for weeks on end, but they are always there. They are a constant in our lives that would ever be changed if they were taken abruptly from us. Before we concentrate on the now, it is worth reflecting on the events and decisions that steered us into the cul-de-sac we currently find ourselves in. The events listed below is how I saw things unfold from my perspective, I believe them to be accurate. Some of our supporters believe (and with good reason) the problems started years ago with the reverse takeover, others think moving from the Dell was a mistake. Speaking for myself, I was generally content through these periods as a supporter, I was delighted with the new stadium and I felt the increased capacity would be the catalyst for a long and secure top flight future. For me, this club has been in decline since the board did not share Gordon Strachan’s ambition after the cup final season. I firmly believe that WGS felt he needed just a little financial push beyond what we had previously invested in players/ wages to take us to the next level. A succession of poor managerial appointments followed WGS’s departure , and inevitably hurled us towards relegation. With a disinterested Redknapp in charge and publicly expressing annoyance (with reason) at having Clive Woodward constantly looking over his shoulder, we never quite had the fight or spirit that previous Saints teams of lesser ability had demonstrated to keep us from the dreaded drop.. But this never needed to be the disaster it eventually became. We never invested in our best opportunity to jump straight back out of the trap door and instead chose to “cut our cloth accordingly” Chants from the Northam of “You’ll never play here again” and “we’re only here for a season” would soon come back to haunt us… With the red faced one returning to his “spiritual home” the appointment of George Burly looked good on the face of it and things looked even rosier when Lowe’s regime was unceremoniously dumped by “New blood “shareholders, Wilde and (a somewhat reluctant) Crouch who installed a new Executive regime made up of ex Celtic and Fulham professionals Hone, Dulieu and Hoos and overseen by themselves. I, like many fell for the all singing and dancing manifesto despite warnings from a small section of the fanbase who saw the document for what it was, a glossy magazine full of teases and suppositions but sadly lacking any real strategy or indeed any real substance. This was an unfortunate period where many supporters were labelled lowe-lites and other such names, when many were just warning us to tread carefully. The dangling carrot of “investment” that swung in front of our collective noses proved not only bait for the supporters but also to the new Executive management who under instruction of Wilde mounted an expensive promotion campaign for the following season whilst being under the impression that any black holes that were soon to start growing alarmingly in the books, would be filled with the forthcoming new revenue … When it become clear to the PLC that the new revenue was not forthcoming any time soon, the PLC board confronted Michael Wilde over the issue, and the result was the resignation of the biggest shareholder from the PLC board (who according to a member of the PLC was unreachable for weeks on end after this event) Cracks were already starting to show behind the scenes as well, with public bickering between the football board which was run by Crouch, Mcmenemy and Corbett and the PLC board which was fronted by the previously mentioned Execs. The splits were soon to be opened wider with leaks from both sides finding their way into the press and fans message-boards, where I was to soon find myself digesting some incredulous information fed directly from board members of both sides of the divide offering what was often completely contradictory accounts of the same events! Further leaks came from both boards regarding Potential investors, the most notable was the infamous Paul Allen episode, the interest reached fever pitch amongst the fanbase, and with good reason as the rumours were fuelled directly by Crouch, Corbett and Hone who all had leaked snippets of the interest to supporters including myself, letting us believe for a while that our beloved club was about to be bought by one of the worlds most wealthiest men.. Tom Mcloughlin and Paul Gregg were the supposed deal breakers and the former in particular later proved to be an interference and distraction that the club could do well without and has been guilty of falsely raising the expectations of the supporters as part of his own agenda on several occasions. (something which admittedly some would also accuse me of, my defence to that allegation would be that I only ever intended to share information that was presented to me to the fans, with hindsight some of it was presented too excitably and with a naivety born out of believing these people who were running the club had it’s best interests at heart and would not use the supporters to score points of each other ) The resignation of Paul Thompson from the PLC board allowed an opening for the executives to take complete control of the boardroom by promoting Andy Oldknow to an executive PLC board position and relieving Crouch of his. The naivety shown by the shareholders(non-execs) to allow this to happen by not installing friendly board members was simply incredible. We were now in the ridiculous situation where the PLC was being run by a team of executives without any shareholder support! This stalemate was eventually ended when Crouch disposed of the Executive board (with the exception of Jones and Hoos) at the cost of their contracts being paid in full. A late decision to retain Hoos was forced upon Crouch when it became apparent that share trading would be suspended if the entire Executive team were removed in a clean sweep. Things on the pitch were rapidly declining as well after a spirited late promotion push which saw us lose to Derby on penalties in a play off semi final. Burly was soon to depart after a mediocre start to the next campaign was fuelled by growing rumours of drink related problems of the manager, and his eventual acceptance of the Scotland Job was seen as a relief within the boardroom as he had become a growing concern that they could not afford to pay-off. The instalment of Gorman and Saints legend Jason Dodd led to an increasingly alarming drop in form and the team soon hurtled towards another relegation battle which was halted at the 11th hour by the initially uninspiring, but quietly impressive Nigel Pearson. With the departure of the Execs, it was hoped that a greater unity would be found among the club owners but leaks to well meaning fans and to local papers continued. Michael Wilde slowly started to make a reappearance after a prolonged and very noticeable absence. He did this originally by communicating with me on the Saints forum under an alter-ego which he had started posting under. Commenting on various issues such as Jackson’s farm and his opinions of how Crouch was running the club, I had an early insight into his intentions of forming a partnership with Lowe when he sounded out his plans to me in a private message. The contents of which led me to contact some of the members of the Saints community I respect the most such as Duncan Holley, Ron Griffiths, Nick Illingsworth and Frank Cousins. A meeting was arranged (this became Save Our Saints which was not named by the group but by another forum member) Wilde asked us who we would like to see in control of the boardroom. We proposed to Wilde that in our opinion the best way forward would be to have all three major shareholders (Wilde,Lowe and Crouch) represented on the board of directors with a strong independent chairman such as Andrew Salz overseeing events. Wilde told us that it wouldn’t be possible to work with Crouch and that he had to be removed. Other Items such as Jackson’s farm were discussed and he also intimated that he believed extra funding could still be found overseas (either in Ireland or the middle-east) The meeting was quite amicable and he left us in no doubt that his intention was to side with Lowe to remove Crouch. The feedback we had been receiving from those close to Lowe suggested that Lowe was extremely wary of forming any kind of alliance with Wilde and it came as a complete shock when I was contacted via a 3rd party (close to Lowe) demanding to know if we had told Wilde that ‘the fans’ wanted him installed as chairman. A few phone-calls later soon confirmed that Wilde had told Lowe and Cowen that we wanted him as chairman. The exact words which came back from the Lowe camp was that Wilde was “Living in Wilde-y world” and they saw no benefit in discussing the issue further with him. So it came as even more of a surprise when a few days later it was announced that Lowe and Wilde had indeed teamed up and were to force an EGM to remove Crouch and the rest of the current incumbents. This deception and the willingness to use well meaning and respected members of the fan base as pawns in such a manner was too much for the majority of the SOS group who decided collectively that there was no point in arranging further meetings with the major shareholders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 This largely contributed to my absence from all involvement in the last year or so and I found myself with no respect left for anyone running the club or those opposing them, and utterly disillusioned with the whole thing. In my opinion, some parties were more guilty than others for instigating the breakdown I have described above, but to a lesser or greater extent, I now find all of them responsible. I realise that Crouch and Wilde were prepared to put their money where their mouth was, and have both lose significant parts of their respective fortunes, but the inability to work together and the long periods where one-upmanship was more important than doing the best for the club has been the catalyst for our current plight and not one of them is admonished of that in my eyes. This season has gone in the way that many of the more pragmatic supporters largely expected it would including the predicted fall in attendances and the increasing apathy (including myself) to all things SFC. So lets acknowledge everything that has happened, let us realise why we are where we are and now move on from that. Whoever you feel is the centre stage villain no longer matters, and the events of the last few years would have made a great script for a series of ‘dream team’, and in true ‘dream team’ fashion, hopefully none of the main characters will be in the show next season. Whinging about the events listed above is not a constructive use of our energies, what we need to focus on is where do we go from here?....... The events of the last two days should have come as now surprise, yet I feel a complete and utter jolt to the system and it has hit home that we may not just be playing 3rd tier football but could indeed face non-existence altogether. I fear that the football league will not let us escape with the “parent company” loophole. If SFC ltd was genuinely solvent and only made up a small section of the PLC we would have a case, but lets not fool ourselves, it’s a little too smoke and mirrors. Southampton Leisure Holdings is listed on the Stockmarket as “the operation of a Professional Football club”. To try to separate entities such as the club, the stadium and the academy as not being wholly dependent upon each other reeks of desperation. I sincerely hope I am wrong on this, but the League introduced a regulation stating that they could now change the ruling whenever they wanted, and this was clearly put in place to stop Clubs trying to avoid point deductions by finding loopholes. It may well be that we end up having the book thrown at us ala Leeds… I have watched the likes of Channon, Bally, Keegan, Shilton, The wallaces, Alan Shearer , Le tiss, marion and countless other great players down the years.. I have seen us turn over European champions, annihilate the best teams and biggest clubs in the Country, I have seen us play in three cup finals.. This old friend has brought us all so many happy memories that will live with us to our collective graves, we cannot let this be the end… But what can we possibly do to influence the situation?? Just a little quickly thought up brainstorming and please come up with ideas of your own, but here’s a few for starters… We have some very wealthy supporters, Salz, Goodenough, Davies, Frost etc spring to mind. Davies once said he would not let the club go under, can we make contact with him and gently remind him of that statement? We have to help the club get through to the end of the season. Can the catering company be contacted to allow 50% of bar/food profits for the remainder of the season to go into the clubs pocket? If so we can get to the ground early, buy food and drinks at the ground rather than a pub before. Anyone need a new scarf, shirt, jacket, coat or tracksuit? Please buy one from the club rather than in town. We can’t purchase season tickets for next year until the club is a viable business once more. Can we put that money into a fund (maybe administered by the Saints Trust) for the club that is secured against season ticket purchases next season should the club still exist? If it doesn’t we may all lose £2-300 but it might just be the difference. Could a petition be signed by supporters that they will boycott Barclays and Aviva unless they make favourable changes to the clubs debt structure? Maybe some of these ideas are viable, maybe some are not… I feel that we have to look at any way we can influence the situation collectively and petty differences which exist within the supporter base need to be put aside, they really don’t matter under the current circumstances. I know you all feel what I’m feeling, and hopefully someone will step up with the cash and the phoenix will rise out of the ashes, but the last two years has taught me that the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow always seems just out of reach. Can we really afford to sit back and wait to see if that happens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottery st mary Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 Totally agree Now there is a surprise john...Pom Poms and all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weston Saint Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 Sorry but I cannot read this although I do get the WEB PAGE can anybody help? I am an Administrator of Plastic Saints. Not sure why you get the web page but cannot read. Try going into http://plasticsaints.myfreeforum.org/ and search from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 (edited) I am an Administrator of Plastic Saints. Not sure why you get the web page but cannot read. Try going into http://plasticsaints.myfreeforum.org/ and search from there. Thanks working now in summary Lowe should have invested more with money from somewhere in 2003-2004 Wilde had ideas which could never be met. Crouch believed that investment was around the corner Hone etc earned a fair amount during there involvement which has led us to administration. Lets hope the next lot will be more realistic and we become successful again Edited 12 April, 2009 by John B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trousers Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 The Allen affair had everyone at the club believing and for that we can blame Tom Mac who duped Crouch, Hone et al. Why wasn't he investigated by the appropriate authorities for artificially inflating the share price? How can inventing an approach for a listed company by a multi-billionaire be anything but illegal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nineteen Canteen Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 No we don't NC. We need Leon Crouch and deep down you know it. And in time you'll except that. Leon Crouch's time has passed along with the rest. It would be an unmitigated disaster if he or any ex-director had a role in the future running of this club in the interests of unity and avoiding mistakes of the past. SaintLee's article IMO rams that point home more eloquently than I could. We can't afford gullible leaders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nineteen Canteen Posted 12 April, 2009 Share Posted 12 April, 2009 Crouch may have his faults,but at least he put his money where his mouth is and hes a fan. Thats a lot more than Lowe ever did. The amount he invested is small beer for a man who told us he wasn't worried about losing £1.9m in shares. Cost of a statue and £50k when it was too late is hardly something to get excited otherwise it was always offers with conditions IMO. Remember he was never slow to let us know he was 'investing', make a good mayor but football chairman? NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorpie the sinner Posted 13 April, 2009 Share Posted 13 April, 2009 Leon Crouch's time has passed along with the rest. It would be an unmitigated disaster if he or any ex-director had a role in the future running of this club in the interests of unity and avoiding mistakes of the past. SaintLee's article IMO rams that point home more eloquently than I could. We can't afford gullible leaders. We absolutely need a new broom categorically!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastleighSoulBoy Posted 13 April, 2009 Share Posted 13 April, 2009 There will be no minor shareholders. It will probably be a 3 man consortium with 3 equal holdings.5 million each. OK, so what happens when they differ on the direction they want to take in getting this club back to the PL? Two's company, three's a crowd. I'll be happy to see us out of the mire but I've had enough of 3 way boardroom squabbles and I do fear that could happen again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintRichmond Posted 13 April, 2009 Share Posted 13 April, 2009 Lowe will never return to SFC, take it as read. Mrs Lowe won't let it happen again. Cowen is a different matter. Many people thought that the First time .... I didn't, forecast his return, and got slated for it Nothing has changed, IMHO ... I am convinced he WILL be back, possibly heading up a Consortium, and based on his previous Two Tenures, that will mean even MORE grief The man is a nasty piece of work, bigoted, and egotistical, cares nothing about Football, and simply wants to sink the knife in even further Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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