saint1977

I agree with some of the points in the top half of your e-mail but some of the points made lower down I'm not really sure about and you did let yourself down a bit with the Skate reference. If people are going to boycott, they will boycott as a clear vote of no confidence in Askham (he is still pulling far too many strings for my liking), Lowe and Wilde. I go to games still but I can't say with the exception of Brum home, Ipswich home and Norwich home that I've enjoyed them much. Even in the Norwich game we should have been 2-0 or 3-0 down before Robertson's gem. Besides which, I don't think that makes me a better fan than the stay-aways, in fact I'm probably encouraging Wilde and Lowe to hang on. I say this as a fan of 25 years as well that has followed Saints around the UK but I just don't see a viable future even to January, let alone beyond the season end for this board and it's just a matter of time before Wilde and Lowe are put out of their misery and fingers crossed, potential buyers, the big-if being if there are any, will see a better last minute deal as SISU got with Coventry who were on their knees and minutes from administration. We could be picky at the time as SISU according to some fairly ITK posters on here offered us a less tasty deal and the 3 Amigos made their only joint stand. Now we are in the same situation and actually a bit worse. After all, you don't want to pay much for an insolvent business, regardless of the potential you see. I just find it so sad that 90% of the posters and that includes you Charlie (not Lowe's PR plants) were probably united 10 years ago as we struggled to get a new ground built and got by on 15k gates. Saints fans were really united but only a total change at the top IMO could bring that back, the existing options are too discredited. Now, we are split into 2 factions and at each other's throats on this board. What a sad state of affairs.

Indeed my old man put £5 on David scoring the first goal in 1979 at the League Cup Final at surprisingly generous odds (may have been 16-1 I think). Made him a nice win back then although he'd have swapped it for Saints beating Forest!

Thanks WS, you are certainly not going to be wrong in your analysis either. Trouble is, this could be a best-case scenario as well!

If player wants to go, in essence, yes you are right. It's a question of the price you can haggle for, something Lowe used to be good at - example Dean Richards. However, Lallana is a local (ish) lad and I've heard nowt about him or another local lad, Drew Surman wanting to go.

Ignore it - more Lowe PR and Spin, no-one cares frankly or takes it seriously, he is desperate. He is a deluded man as his empire dissolves in front of his very eyes. It's no substitute for 3 points at Reading which is what actually counts.

Spot on Um, Lowe's boys are now trying to blame the fans for running a business badly and making poor decisions on managers and coaching staff for the umpteenth time. The financial figures are going to make grim reading and may put a severe cloud under our ability to be a going concern. No amount of bluster will alter that.

Benaud was the King Cricket commentator.

Thing is though Weston, and you seem better informed than most on this site, how short is "short-term"? Given that the current board seem to have no strategy whatsoever for increasing income, if slashing costs isn't really working in the medium-term by itself, how long before the bank call time? Hate to think what happens then, I really do. If some people think Administration is an easier option, be careful what you wish for. League 1 and kicked out of SMS - doing a Rotherham would be a very gloomy scenario indeed but not impossible.

That's pretty much what Coventry were going to do and the SISU offer was accepted minutes before Cov were going to go in. I'd imagine that the board will delay it as long as possible but the Bank may take that decision out of Lowe/Askham/Wilde's hands. Certainly Rupert can't say "If anyone wants to buy the club they'll have to come up with £25m", it wasn't your club to start with Lowe and it certainly isn't now.

That sums it up - Lowe's building of the Staplewood White Elephant and the associated recruitment and severance costs that went with the personnel. It looks more like the People's Palace in Bucharest every day and is having a similar impact on SFC's future. Of course the SMS mortgage doesn't help but we do need a stadium to play in and we know the fanbase is big enough when we haven't got a hated board in place. Lowe is an idiot, why didn't he get Cowen involved who knows his limitations and has a better acumen than Rupert IMO to help out Wilde? At least if Rupert had taken a back seat it might not have divided the fans so fatally.

Spot on, I still go but just tend to watch the games quietly now and not really sing etc which is different for me as I've usually sat/stood in singing areas. I'd compare watching the side to visiting a sick relative that you once were close to but you don't really have anything in common with now.

Barclays will hoover up the money and Gasmi will need time to adjust - I believe that Gasmi WILL be Adam's replacement. I just feel sad though - another talented local lad sold on after just a few appearances. People who are knocking Adam on here should remember Alan Shearer in the late 80s - he was far from a prolific scorer in his early days, debut apart, but the fans and management could see his potential. Your last paragraph encapulates the problem well John - it's one thing selling Adam but the loans brought in have been of dreadful quality Alex Pearce and possibly Cork apart (we have a lot of them!) - who is responsible for bringing in them? It should be Wotte and I hope it's Wotte but I've a feeling it may not be...

Adam is one of the most, if not the, technically gifted players in the CCC and his type of player doesn't grow on trees in English football. We've got plenty of athletic grafters around but Adam plays with his head up and was superb last Saturday. If he goes for peanuts, that's our slim chances of staying up (and probably afloat) gone so be careful folks (particularly Mr Lowe).

Actually Micky Adams pre-knee injury was a very decent left-back, he was still a crowd favourite with a good dig on him afterwards but had lost a bit of pace and bite.

I normally agree with you St L on most things, particularly real ale, but not on this. LB has been a rich area for Saints, compare it to other clubs in the same period. David Peach, Mark Dennis, Derek Statham (would have been a England regular but for injury at WBA and Saints), Wayne Bridge (is an England regular), Gareth Bale (might be PL star for a long,long time) and we could be seeing Joseph Mills in the PL in years to come but it is unlikely to be with Saints! I vote for Wayne Bridge just about over Mark Dennis, Dennis was a better player than Bridge and should have had 50 England caps but his disciplinary record was shocking!

They have historically prospered in times of crisis -ie interwar or when mainstream parties lurch to the left or right from the centre ground. Thatcher killed the NF in the 80s and they had to rebuild from the football terraces because Thatcher was very much a neo-Con and they had no political space to occupy. Likewise, although New Labour didn't lurch to the Left, their rise concided with a big drop in activity and visibility from Far Left Extremist and Anarchist groups.

Perhaps the answer is to have 25k-30k gates (unlikely given the economy and VFM given that most of the players aren't not SFC calibre and many of them will never be tbh) and to really go for Wilde, Askham and Lowe in a concerted and concentrated way. Trouble is, you risk Newcastle syndrome where the outside world views us the fans as neanderthals and sponsors get twitchy. Perhaps though that's what it will take to force the Bank to do the right thing and sent Rupert and Mike and Guy packing and should there be credible interested parties before the point of administration, force a sale even if it puts Rupert and Mike badly out of pocket. Either way, the club hasn't been run properly since 2003 with or without Rupert in control and the fans are now put in an awful position. I'd be interested to find out if we owe HMRC significant money, they would be less understanding than the Bank and wouldn't give a toss about Rupert or Mike's investment.

How realistic is that though? CCC players may not be as gifted as those at PL level but they are still good enough to score one 30 yard monster a game given the opportunity. I feel sorry for Lancashire, James and others inc Gobern as they are blatantly needing 20 mins exposure from the bench and not to be all chucked in together. I feel particularly sorry for James having been clearly played out of position and having his confidence zapped. I just can't see a CCC level player in Lancashire but James does have ability and Gobern looks a good natural athlete.

Flowers was only a kid when he joined from a bankrupt Wolves. You could see he was a great shotstopper right away but developed into a fine keeper. I do remember him covering for an injured Shilton and he got a knee in the jaw and had to taken off - V Arsenal I think. Colin Clarke had always fancied himself as a goalkeeper - oh dear....

Classic! Years since I've seen that ad!

Playing raw, average kids (Lallana and Drew apart) is the way out of the CCC at the other end, the end that means Aldershot at home next year.

Thanks Murdoch, an interesting perspective. The distribution deal is a key aspect to highlight, clearly this is where Hampshire were struggling. That said, there are few pubs in Soton City Centre (only the Platform, JDWs, Duke of Wellington and the Alex, perhaps the Eagle) that would sell any ale, let alone a premium microbrew from Hampshire. Greene King and Fullers are not keen on guest ales although some of their pubs are permitted to have one or two and ditto Wadsworths' tied pubs.

MLT has traditionally backed Rupert so this is a big blow to Rupert's slim hopes of saving his status quo. About time the Echo (awful rag) and Radio Solent turned up the heat on Wilde and Lowe as well.

Problem is, he hasn't got any money to bring in players to adapt to that system. 7 goals is not nearly enough at home, particularly when he are playing the likes of Lancashire at the back who looks League 2 at very best. With Thomas out long-term, Perry and Svensson can't playe every game. Kelvin's been brilliant and has saved us from a few 5 and 6 goal hammerings but he can't do it game in, game out.

Perry to be fair was probably a bit hurt but strangely did have a ironic grin on his face according to my friend. Needless to say my friend DIDN'T want dropping at his front door just in case!