saint1977

I think it's a big risk by Derby and I hope Burton don't blow up and miss out on League status.

Spot on Mike. Wotton is an awful player and didn't express his frustrations at Plymouth particularly well but fair play to him for speaking up and giving a toss and having the balls to speak up. Pity that either Wotte or Rupert felt the need to pay him more than Plymouth had been. More wasted money, nice job lads.

Hardly Rudi's fault Mike Wilde and Mike's Execs were offering daft money in 2006. Would you take the same level job on 25% of the money? I would take quite a bit less if the organisation was in trouble but Rudi may get a better offer for his services this month. Says a lot about Wilde's ability to run a business.

Sssh! Sundance won't want his "cover" blown...

Superb post. There's few "tangible" assets for anyone to strip, unless they can put SMS as a physical entity in their swag-bag. Rupert did I'm sure come with the best of intentions but alas he's made a pigs ear of an already grave situation.

I'd have brought him in as player-coach instead of Gorre alongside JP and to help the kids by holding the ball up and giving Holmes a target to aim at and he'd certainly liven the place up! You're right in thinking that he'll go to a northern club with his family committments though.

The form Kelvin has been in, he's probably the most attractive player for other clubs. Not sure he'll be here by end of Jan. Watch the 6,7 and 8 goal hammerings regularly arrive away from home. Actually, we'd have lost 6 or 7-0 at home to Blackpool but for some wonder saves from Kelvin and him and Perry saved at least 3 certain goals V Man U.

Sadly John is already Bristol City property effectively until the end of the season when his contract with us is up. Would love to see Saga played, as Adrian points out he also holds the ball up which might give our harrassed back 4 a bit more organisational time in games but don't think it will happen.

Agreed, Rudi is 10 times more professional than Rupert or any of our boards since 2004 will ever be.

I recall how effective the red cards were against Branfoot at the Port Vale FA Cup game. White hankies would be useful. Either way, they are items that can go in the pocket easily and the stewards cannot stop them being raised. Whilst the primary focus should be Lowe, let's not forget about Mike Wilde either. 90 minutes solid of singing "Wilde is a Judas" and "Judas sort it out, Judas, Judas sort it out".

Difficult is not the word I would use Adrian, near-impossible (OK, that's 2 words) would be my summary. A wealthy, successful man would find this hard, Lowe has been successful outside of football in the past but he's small fry compared to many Chairman even in Non-League and he only owns 6%. These are tough times and raising finance is very hard so if you haven't got any to bring to the party (doesn't seem that Wilde has), you are royally stuffed. Unless he's bringing investors in, he cannot help SFC and as we're seeing from the Rudi situation and the increasing rumours that JP is fed up, his people management skills haven't improved either. I'd much prefer Andrew Cowen until we can find a CEO of Southampton Football Club calibre.

Bit wary of opening this particular can of worms but it does show that Rupert is totally unsuited to any sort of people management role. JP and Wotte should have been the people having the conversations with Rudi, if Lowe doesn't trust them to do it he shouldn't have recruited them in the first place. This is 100% Lowe's mess - Rudi is quite right to speak out and I urge the remaning senior players if they care about SFC's survival to do so as well and really finish off Rupert once and for all. As for Wilde - if you do happen to read this you are a disgrace for bringing this man back into our club.

Saints 0 Man U 5. I think we'll keep it tight for 30 mins but then leak 2 or before half-time and without more determined players around like Cork (now at Watford), I think the kids will collapse but Man U will ease off after 60 mins to stop it going over 6 or 7.

Quite right. Past glories does not make LM immune from criticism or scrutiny but only WGS since has even come close as a Saints manager. I first starting going to the Dell with my Father as a small child during LM's first spell and the first season I can recall was 83/84 - what a season too! Some posters on here are blinkered to the point of being brainwashed by loony agendas. The attempted re-writing of history by those allied to the present regime never ceases to amaze me!

Rupert - listen to people, even Mrs Lowe doesn't think you can get out of this one. Get Andrew Cowen to be Chair for the transition period and focus on the mess at WH Ireland. Andrew Cowen and the board are then free to replace JP with a proper manager who understands CCC/League 1. You are clearly under huge pressure and you cracked badly at the AGM - your show of "strength" backfired. MLT has spoken out against all of the major shareholders today but particularly yourself and even Jeff Stelling, a long-term ally of yours in better times, did as well. Guy Askham isn't going to live forever and you don't owe Wilde anything and Mike is taking you for a ride. For 6% of a bankrupt club that needs to reinvent itself totally or die in 2009, is it all worth it?

Interesting headlines on Cricinfo - wonder if Hugh Morris can sort this out after talking the team into going back to India. Seems KP may have offered an ultimatum. Moores was already on thin ice after poor results although the performances in India were quite an improvement. Not sure I'd have picked Vaughan to play but Moores did seem to go behind KP's back but that's the sort of politics people of limited ability play to get on. Moores is a counties boy much-loved by the ECB but KP's world currency is very high. Perhaps Vaughan could have been offered a consultancy role in WI but seems Vaughan thinks Moores is a snake as well. Personally I'd fire Moores now to give us good prep time ahead of the Ashes so we can get a coach in that understands international cricket. Preferably someone that drops Ian Bell.

Therein lies why we need wholesale change and why the major shareholders plus their lakeys are not interested in SFC's welfare. We need a respected figure ASAP and if it is Cowen and I think it could be, you'd like to think Wilde would see sense. For all the fuss about Lowe, he owns a poxy 6%. OK, Askham and associated rentboys prop that up to about 18-20% but it's still less than Wilde. Wilde could help unlock the short-term divisions if he could be bothered to use a phone or visit the UK.

Actually Cowen as Chairman and Lowe stepping out of SFC affairs on an active basis would be an improvement in the short-term at least. No shares even need to change hands for that, as long as Cowen could be talked into it given the basket case he'd inherit. I've met him and he does have the people skills to do it, unlike Rupert. Cowen could be a bridge to a new regime in the future that would be more palatable IMO.

Couldn't agree more. Still, as Mike has a log-on here perhaps he'd like to climb off of Rupert's lap and explain? COYR!

Well written post. Sale has indeed acted as another one of Lowe's rentboys rather as certain other journalists - Powell was one again in the Mail - have acted in a similar way for Venables and Redknapp. Your most telling point was on the "hapless local media" - The Echo is the worst local paper in England and believe me, I come across most of them around the country on a regular basis. If you get a 3rd in Media Studies and almost flunk your NUJ, The Echo is an alternative to flipping burgers and that was before the world downturn. Lawrie needs to keep his pressure up and MLT needs to keep popping away at the board as well. We need to do our bit and use all of the media outlets we have open to us as fans to turn up the heat as well as demonstrating at games.

Lowe's actions: - Undermine Nigel Pearson in April by denouncing his appointment via the Media with his rentboy Wilde. Just what we needed in a relegation fight. - Replace Pearson, who didn't win loads of games but got us solid and hard to beat - something we are miles away from now - with a non-league nomark of a manager, however good a player he may have been. Also, if Wotte wasn't good enough for Lowe in 2005, why now? - Wotton brought in as a good older head - that worked out well didn't it John? - Brought in lots of poor loan signings and the only decent one has now gone to Watford. One of them may go on to be successful for HMP. - Daft financial statement that didn't acknowledge the costly overheads Lowe built, not to mention the £8m splurge by his rentboy Mike. I'm no fan of Leon but easier to tell lies and blame him eh Rupert? - Disgraceful performance at the AGM. Now roundly condemned by MLT today. The fans are fermenting. Matchdays are about to become seriously uncomfortable for Lowe and Askham.

They are becoming a rare breed on this site. I'd put all the major shareholders plus Grandad Guy all in a dingy and send it out from Calshot in a Force 9 Gale.

Chris Zebroski would certainly be able to confirm that. Whoever signed him on more money than Plymouth were paying him should be fired, whether it was Wotte, JP or Lowe. Wotton is the slowest, most glacial player I've ever seen.

I'll avoid the Alpine debate and say that the Reading game was a better display. We still badly need a tall, organised, leg-breaking CB (preferably 2 as Lancashire is never going to be CCC standard) as Reading's crosses were travelling a lot further than they should have been and most of them should have been headed miles out. Every set-piece still looks like a goal for the opposition still. If Doyle had got a winner, I'd have been furious, the club MUST be able to spot we are as solid in the air as Aeroflot in the Soviet era. Pearce is raw but at least does attack the ball, as a Reading player he couldn't play though. We could also do with another organised CM, maybe not a leg-breaker but someone who can close the game down when needed - a Mahon type of QPR/Watford, not the greatest player but someone who can shield the back 4 and organise. Wotton was earmarked for this role but whoever bought him hadn't watched CCC football as Plymouth fans booed him off last season and we paid him more than they did! Also play Saga up-front if the Stern money keeps the bank quiet please.

Pretty accurate, I also think SMS is a tinderbox at present. Why doesn't McGoldrick put in that amount of effort every game though? Someone must have put a rocket up McG's behind. We have to defend crosses far better though and need much more height at the back. I haven't logged on to TSW for a few days but I overheard someone at the game say Wotton may be off. If so, this money should used to bring in an experienced organiser either at CB or CM who can close games out. We played far better yesterday but Reading are quite open and I have to say I still didn't fancy us to win with 10 mins to go.