Fitzhugh Fella

well done, nice sentiments.

an interesting story nonetheless! well done for buying those tickets by the way - a great and generous gesture Nick

Amen Whats your handicap by the way?

Excellent post Mark - I agree 100%.

Hang your head.... and I hear David Bull has decided to write - "the blame of 3 halves - the PLC years"!

When I rang up it was great. Kerry said "are you from the forum". I said yes and it was like we were old friends. This is what it used to be like in the days when supporting Saints felt like you were supporting a community too.

Saints = "a hobby" Nah Stu - its not a hobby mate, its a part of my life.

1. It will help swell the club coffers. 2. Find out what happened when Alistair Campbell "locked horns" with Rupert Lowe at St Marys and Turf Moor. Titans of the left and right! I hardly dare say this next bit but..... 3. God Forbid - if it is really our last ever home game it will be worth a few bob in the years to come.

Just booked 2 tickets (one adult and one child costs £30) and Kelly asked me to post that the ticket office shuts at 4 this afternoon but this scheme will be up and running again at 9am tomorrow morning.

Agree 100% - well done to all those involved in this.

Steve - a good honest post. I appreciate where you are coming from re Leon Crouch and I admit to blowing hot and cold too - especially over the last few months but like you said the bottom line is he has kept the club afloat over the last few weeks and for that - love or hate the man - he deserves credit where credit is due. Incidentally had an interesting meeting with Dave Bull and the Echo today re future publications and one of the topics raised was a book on "The PLC years". I for one would never contemplate it because as you know my opinion is too polarised, but throughout the PLC years David Bull has remained apart from the politics (I gave him a hard time over this) which makes him ideally placed (with all his contacts) to write the definitive story taking into account all sides. Watch this space.

No its not him but coincidentally I spoke to him last night and he is doing his bit - rest assured.

Just back from SMS after picking up two tickets that an exiled Saints fan had bought online without ever intending to go. It was his gesture to help out the club he loves. I shall now give the tickets to my wife and daughter and pay into the buckets to compensate the club. All true Saints fans who can afford it, should tomorrow either attend or at least buy a ticket to help the club out in it's darkest hour. Yes we have been sold short as supporters over the last few years and, it will all come out in the wash but I am told the next few days are critical and if there is any last minute hitches with the "consortiums" that are reported to be interested we could literally disappear overnight. As of 09:30 this morning 20,000 had been sold and I was told things were slow.

duly edited and apologies for sloppy spelling.

I think you will find the two consortiums may have discussed "merging". It would make perfect sense as it appears both "complement" each other and combined make a promising group with both funds and expertise, both of course we very much need.

The "stay awyay" fans have simply got to buy a ticket tomorrow.

Yea, I am no longer on his Xmas card list but like you said fair play to him as it sounds like he has quite literally kept this club afloat over these last desperate weeks. I also "hear" all he wants at the most is a backseat where he can enjoy being a fan.

No not really Nick. I just think a clean sweep preferable as there are many who don't like LM and some who will never accept LC. I don't think Leon covered himself with glory when he was Chairman but I have also maintained out of the 3 - he was for me by far "the lesser of 3 evils" candidate. I hear (not from Leon) from a good source that it is only LC's cheques that are keeping the club going at the present - for all his faults his generosity is saving our bacon and for that I am most grateful.

I would like to echo FC's sentiments here. I have no time for the Trust, believing they lost all credibility by their seeming inability to speak out over the last 2 or 3 years. I have little time for SISA believing them to be a busted flush. I have little time for Leon Crouch/Lawrie McMenemy/Mike Richards/Guy Askham sitting behind Mark Fry in the director's box (what gives them that right?) However one thing unites everyone above with everyone on here (excepting the odd troll) and that is we are all Saints fans. Whatever our politics, our religion, our race or sexuality we all want Southampton FC to continue. Can you simply imagine not having a football club to cheer or moan at. No more looking forward to Saturdays, no more hooking up with mates for a few pre-match beers, no more away days, no more stories, no more history, no more memories. Therefore, whore that I am when it comes down to supporting my team, I will climb into bed with anyone (see below) if it means something that has been most precious to me, ever since I attended my first match in 1963, keeps going. That includes Margaret Thatcher, Willie Walsh, Rupert Lowe and John Westwood if need be. It also includes Jonah, SoG, CB Fry, Manji and all the others on here I have crossed swords with in the past. We simply HAVE to put our prejudices to one side and, to save our club - unite behind whatever is out there. The alternative is too awful to contemplate.

Spot on

Do a helluva lot worse imo.

Every picture tells a story

Not the one I know of, although I gather he is still working on things.

At the season's conclusion! I gather a "leading player" has been away on holiday. I think for a deal to be concluded any prospective purchaser would need to know two things before progressing with any confidence. 1) what Division we are going to be in next year and 2) is it with or without a 10 point deduction. Personally I predict we will be relegated but I don't think we will suffer the -10. For those reasons I believe we are still a way from being rescued - certainly not "very close" to some sort of announcement that can put us out of our misery. Sorry. Also I am not ITK - anyone remotely likely to be "taking us over" by now have signed up to NDAs and quite correctly are not shoving info around. All my views are now based on 2 week old info and a hunch or two. Can't be any more honest than that.

Periphary (hope that is spelt right?)