saint1977

He's quick I guess and Blackwell is more into developing players than Saints are at the moment. Dyer hasn't got much brain but he could be improved and at least has played some games @ CCC level unlike this other lad. So we've now got competing for 1 striker spot: - McG, Pekhart, John, BWP, this new lad, Lallana, White I've not even included Saga or Rasiak as they are on loan. Add this to the surplus of midfielders and shortage of defenders and doesn't it remind you of last year? What was the point of Wilde and Rupert coming back again, can their friends on this board remind us? I'm not a Crouch fan but he already had the cutbacks planned. He may not have fared any better but he wouldn't have fared any worse!

Agreed and I also agree with Dubai Phil and others that have made the same point. Portabog only plays 1-up so WTF did we take Pekhart as well as this lad that couldn't even get a game at Sheff Utd last season when Sheff Utd couldn't buy a goal and Beattie was injured up there. Another decision that doesn't make any sense. I'm no great fan of Dyer but couldn't we have exchanged him for someone useful like a full-back? FFS Saints, I don't think the club - regardless of whether it's been Lowe, Crouch, Wilde or the cleaner - has made a sensible or coherent decision for 4 years, from Sturrock, Wigley to present day. Crouch was equally rudderless and his appointment of Dudd summed it up - I mean, how many clubs make the same mistake on appointing caretakers 3 times in a decade? Whatever Burley was drinking, I think he left some behind in the dug out in his haste to take the Scots job and JP has been swigging from it - his decisions tactically and in signings are every bit as bad as George's although Burley to be fair did **** most of the parachute money up the wall.

He's either a Skate knob or a Lowe PR bloke - which he hotly denied when challenged by myself and other posters. Either way, the mods should have banned the ***t months ago. Best ignored really - which is funnily enough how I've set up my account with regard to Sun*****!

Agreed, it always used to be our strength and how we could succeed where bigger clubs failed - by getting the best of what we had and shrewd dealings in talented players that had gone slightly sour. How else could we have survived at the Dell on 15k gates for the best part of a decade? Poor manager, poor chairman, poor board.

Agreed JFP but whilst the "amigos" hold out for some mythical share price which no-one is going to pay for a bankrupt club, we remain in limbo and the club slowly dies as the board haven't got the (or any) clout to get the club some oxygen. I just feel that the club needs to hit the crunch point sooner rather than later and something has to give. Clearly, the vast majority of supporters do not have any confidence in the board and judging by the appointment of JP, the wasted money on Forecast and the closing of the Itchen corner (I could understand the other 3), we are right. Not that Crouch was much better and would also have had to cut costs but there doesn't seem to be a strategy (the youth strategy is a short-term fix despite the PR ********, the academy will be slashed in size later in the season) and I just have a feeling if we lose @ Donny that Rupert's axe will come out again.

More likely and if it is, we are heading for administration v.shortly IMO.

Don't disagree with putting Thomson but my point is, why was Dyer given a new contract and why have Rupert Lowe and Wilde wasted valuable money (again)? Isn't time that they took responsiblity, particularly Wilde, and resigned?

Crap. If so, why did Wilde and Lowe waste £8k p/wk when we are skint on a new 3 year contract? Not to mention Forecast as well. Just admit Rupert has fouled up yet again.

Wilde and Lowe out! What was the point of the new contract? If he can't get into this Saints side, the worst in living memory and certainly post-WW2, his wages don't justify a £200k or so transfer fee. That money could have been used elsewhere, not to mention the waste on Forecast as well. I've thought about this long and hard but I don't think I can go to SMS any more whilst Askham, Lowe and Wilde have a stake in SFC. I'm sorry if there's been any criticism from me in any way of those that have boycotted so far but I just feel that administration would even be a better option than these clowns and I never thought I'd say that. I won't support or watch anyone else but I just don't enjoy going to SMS anymore and the instability and infighting behind the scenes has got too much at last. I have enough of that at work! I think that a sub-10,000 gate for the Norwich gate would send a clear message to Wilde and co. that they need to go.

Good news on two fronts there, I've also got a feeling Hants may be in for signing Neil Dexter, the batter of SA origin who has left Kent although quite a few Div 1 counties are apparently after him.

Very good season considering the mess we were in though. Low scores all around the country - Yorks 80/6 at Hove and 15 wickets fell at Taunton.

Virgin are quality, flew from Heathrow to JFK in summer 2005 and it was very comfortable and good entertainment system. Do not under any circumstances fly with US Airways though!

LOL - nice one!

Agreed - with the exception of Scooby & Sundance we are SFC fans on this forum and all feeling equally pig-sick at years of boardroom inepitude. The fans should at least stick together, we're all that's left of SFC until we have new owners that want to restore at least some pride. Professor is welcome on this board.

Fair play for going and thanks for reporting back. Time we turned up the pressure on Wilde and Askham as holders the club's leading share proxies...

I've never won anything on the Lottery but if I won £100m I'd put pressure on Wilde and Askham to go and buy the club up with 24hrs to go before administration so more could be spent on the club and as little as possible to those that have put themselves before SFC. I'd also enjoy kicking Askham out of the building!

They also have a good, caring Chair in Delia who has the club's best interests at heart. Instead, we've got Guy Askham.

It's going to be a horrendous atmosphere if Lowe hasn't taken himself out of the public eye by then. I think many years of poor treatment of our supporters might come back and bite Askham, Richards and co, however small the numbers. Personally, I think Lowe will stay and sack JP instead and probably make Hockaday manager with loads of OS spin that no-one will read. If we don't get rid of Wilde and co. soon, this club will die anyway. Time to drive them out and bring back some of the Branfoot era spirit for us over 30s. As Norwich are the visitors - Come on Askham, let's be having you...

No need for an apology mate, none of us take any pleasure in this. Time for Rupert to really go this time though, you can't hide behind Wilde or Leon this time Rupert.

hmmmm The Saints Real Ale festival.... there's another one - that'd certainly get a few in! Rupert could always roast some ducks, wild hog or game freshly caught that morning. In fact, let's get the opposition manager plastered before the game - mind you, Delia's husband tried that with Burley when he was at Derby and Norwich still lost. Imagine that - a pint from a selection of local ales (although NOT Pompey's Glory by Oakleaf...), roasted fowl or game in a bun and a CCC ticket for £25 all in, wouldn't that be great on a crisp winter matchday? I could persaude a few stay-aways I know with that package! If only it could happen...actually I'm hungry now after that, think I'll have a pint with dinner!

Totally agree - the city has become a toilet and SCC take the blame for this. It needs investment as badly as the football club. What would happen if Skandia went? The last person would have to turn out the light. Is there anything that Soton makes or is distinctive for anymore? Such a shame, the city has so much potential but decades of zero ambition and infighting has taken it's toll. Don't even get me started on infrastructure!

Hit. Nail. Head. Top post and to the point.

The IOC want golf on board though. Even as a golfer myself I don't agree and I'm not sure that golf will be that keen bar the governing bodies who as ever (rather like the PL and the 39th game...) will see the money!

Not sure I agree with this in relation to Saints - we've never been fashionable and people still supported Liverpool pre-1992. The issue is that people go to football to escape workplace politics, dodgy dealings and wrangling - but in the last 4 years the focus has been off-the-field on those issues above and even long-standing fans are weary. The group we have lost IMO is 30-45 who have been through the Branfoot era etc and stayed loyal but Askham, Branfoot's mentor is still here and you do think "What has changed, what did our protests achieve?". They won't support other clubs but they want the old guard out for good and are suspicious of Mike Wilde. Yes, credit to Lowe, we were relatively successful 97-2003 but we pulled together to get SMS built, these concerns were still there even then. The whole idea was that SMS would move us on from the Askham era.

Quite likely although their big issue is under-decleration of gate reciepts and I know some of the clubs concerned - mostly L1 & L2 but one or two clubs that are now in the CCC have been at it with their previous boardrooms. Before anyone says anything, I am neither advocating this for SFC nor suggesting that the board are thinking about it!