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If Coppell is to make a success of this position, if,indeed, he does accept it, will he realise whose shoes he's about to fill? None other than that doyen of Directors of Football the nonpariel Rupert Lowe!

I am sorry to say I read through the best part of three pages of that, before wondering how sad my life had become. I was very close to joining in with a scathing comment of my own on the subject before realising it would have been extremely'sad' to do so. This is just to say thanks for letting me realise that others out there have the same view on those sorts of crap threads. And so to Fitz. F's post. I too am a fan of your posts in the main. Perhaps, as with me, your protagonist was aware all was not kosher with Pullis and his signing. I had it down to Rupert, but didn't know how or why. Your post, FF, laid the blame elsewhere, which didn't fit in with my preconceived idea, thus turning your post into the not so good as usual category. I certainly wasn't going to abuse you for the information, but am disappointed that a deal such as that, if true, could be struck and become enforceable even to new management. I suppose I'm trying to say that you can't please all the posters all the time, but don't give up on the rest of us for a little cyber abuse from a fellow poster, however galling.

I hold no particular brief for Pardew, however, a man of his experience is hardly goiong to be swayed by somke of the loonies on here asking for his sacking or telling him how to run a team like ours. I've been impressed by his signings to date and think we'll be in a better position by Xmas. Surely, after the absolute dross of the past few years a little time is going to be needed to sort this lot out to the point where most of us are happy. Note I said most of us, as some who post on here will never be content, no matter what the state of play.

When I saw the result and formation played in the Swindon defeat it did occur to me that previous games I've seen played with that formation,ie. one striker up forward, I was quite irate in that, how could anybody think you could win a game with that configuration? Later on, upon reflection; perhaps, just perhaps, Pardew does know a bit more about football than most of us and had put out a formation that possibly could salvage a point for us. The premise being that we do, at the moment, have a team sadly lacking in a few positions and a win away was beyond us. The reflection had me a little calmer in disposition. Just a thought.

Thanks for the reports, a few were informative, most were memodramatic doom and gloom, but thanks for the time spent contributing. The above report from Shurlock is easy to read and doesn't get into the theatricals that dominate the board today. Post of the day in my opinion. Thanks.

Do you mean weak mental appliction, or the bloke is a thicko? A thicko sicko perhaps, or would that be going too far? For goodness sake FF, tell it like it really is.

That pretty much sums up my opinion of the situation. Let's not forget, with the real information, or lack of it, to hand that's all it is, an opinion.

Does any real fan of English football want to see clubs like Portsmouth or Newcastle go under. We can all have a chuckle about it, but when it comes down to the bottom line, Newcastle go under and others will, as sure as night follows day. I'm aware noone has mentioned it going to this extreme, but when old established clubs as Pompey,Newcastle and Saints are in such sad decline, I fear for the future of the Pemier league.

It's easy to be wise after the event, but I will be anyway. I know this is showing my age, but I've seen in their formative years, Paine, Sydenham, Greavesy for Chelsea against Pompey at Fratton Park as a seventeen year old, George Best, Morgan of Man U and the only one not to look like a teenager being 'looked after', Duncan Edwards. Now there is a fair bit of precocius talent amongst those, a lot more than was on show with Saints last season. All of those aforementioned had minders/mentors and were developed into the players they later became. I remember Paine being developed by partnering him with Don Roper, brought back from Arsenal for the job. I can tell you now, as I could have told you when this silly idea of RLowe's was implemented, we had no T Paine,certainly no Don Roper. I know this is old hat, but the actions that took place over the years at Saints were heading us in one direction. We've now arrived, and far from being a rocket scientist,or Mystic Meg, if I could see it was wrong why couldn't the experts? Surely we are now allowed to make the point still, that those of you still defending Lowe's actions do tend to grate a little even at this late date. Having got that off my chest I will be moving on. I hope!

I don't know much about Adams as a manager, obviously nothing like the contributors on here. I thought I might glean some insight into his attributes. It would appear he has none. Is it my imagination, or has the general level of testosterone markedly increased since the intervention of a Swiss billionaire in this club's fortunes?

Agree with the sentiment, but wasn't he pushed out to be replaced by Terry Hurlock? What a stroke of genius that was!

Before reading this post is was thinking how up and down my thoughts have been. We're doomed one minute, next we have a billionaire owner, back down as we are keeping a mediocre (at best) Head Coach,next, he's gone and the wait to see who gets appointed keeps all on a knife edge and the divisions for and against raging. I might just not bother for the next few weeks until the season proper starts, I'm sure it would be better for my health.

There's a name from the past. I've often wondered what became of him, as he really impressed me playing for Perth Glory, must be six seven years ago. I recall him hitting a ball 45, 50 yards and putting so much back spin on it that it stopped deada couple of yards in from dead ball line. The opposing back turned and cantered back as he thought it was clearly going out of play, but the Perth winger sprinted after it and scored an easy goal. I read that he'd been perfecting it at training and I for one was very impressed with his skills. Didn't seem to go on with it after leaving Australia.

I feel so relieved and happy at the news, I even raised a laugh at this idiotic blather.

Now he's gone for good (hopefully), I'll be back to renewing the STs for this coming season. For the first time in many years, I feel more optimistic for our future. We will look back on this episode a few years down the line and count our blessings that all of this transpired. I agree wholeheartedly with these sentiments and can only hope that all fans rally behind the club in a singular aim, as hopefully, there will now be no reason not to do so.

An alternative view of R Fry's perceived skulduggery is that he rid Saints of millions in debt and more importantly of Rupert and Mike, all for the cost of ten points. Of course, that's if all runs smoothly from hereon in. Just an observation.

The law firm that is doing the business will be charging for their time, ie.hours,minutes. That should give even the slowest amongst us an inkling it will go to the 'wire'.

The punchline is " 'Nat King Cole', I won a jelly baby!" I always found it amusing, but it was a nothing sort of joke. Something to do with black holes? Well vaguely.

Please excuse me if this has already been posted, but I couldn't wade through 3 pages of this. May I ask the question burning in my mind? If I want partners to form a consortium to buy a football club, why then would I include a person of dubious talents and background, that has made a rather large spectacle of himself during a failed bid for another, much smaller, football club in the not too distant past?

Not in the Charlie Wayman era, but we had a goalkeeper some years after that he could have been mistaken for in his later years.

Thanks for the information. Perhaps I didn't make my point of view very well. I would be very surprised if the total amount of shipping movements in the port of Southampton is any where near what it was in the sixties. That is the case in most ports around the world. The reason being that vessels nowadays carry much more,both passengers and cargo,.. than they did then. The port was generally full in those days and obviously had no container port situated at the back end of nowhere, as it has now. So although you may be correct in your observation, I'm resonably confident that my original point is a fair reflection of Southampton in general.

I was in Southampton, August last year. Couldn't believe how sad the place looked. I can remember being taken shopping there after WW2. Above Bar,the place was literally a bomb site. It became, believe it or not, a clean modern city, for that period in time. Now it looks like downtown Pikeyville. And for all those of you that go on about cruise ships,it will never get back to the days of the 'Queens, the Castle boats, Southern Cross, Northern Star,Andes,Camito, Gulfito, Caronia, Ivernia, Saxonia and Mauritania and many other liners all sailing from a much busier port than nowadays. Southampton is not what it was and I only hope that things improve along with the fortunes of our football club.

Just musing aloud. If we get 16000 attendance average, nest season at 18 quid per head average, that's 288000 x 23=6.624 million for the year excepting addons, sponsors etc. Say a squad of 32? and all gate revenue to players would be an average of 207000 pounds per annum. Obviously some on more than others, but what exactly is the norm in 3rd division? Would any fans out there consider running the club as a business with that sort of income? Because if not, some of the ticket prices being bandied around won't get much of a player group. Or perhaps the general feeling is that we're entitled to subsidy from the owners.

With an extra large paper bag in place, it could easily become, do as you have been done to.

Then out spake brave Horatius, the Captain of the Gate, ' To every man upon this earth, death cometh soon or late'. Has very little to add to the moment, but thought I'd chuck it in, if for no other reason than I like it. Macaulay, by the way.