CHAPEL END CHARLIE

Well said Saintjack , you put it far more eloquently than I ever could . The case for reform at the FL is a overwhelming one I feel , although fan opinion doesn't seem to count much in the game as our 'betters' lord it over us from on high . The fundamental absurdity of this regulation increase the more you think about it . Say for instance instead of narrowly failing on penalties in the 06/07 season Play-off semi finals we had won the game and subsequently gained promotion back to the Premier League (this could so easily had happened) - in this scenario our £7m 'overspend' would be magically transformed in a 'wise investment' and far from being punished for it we would actually have been rewarded with years of lucrative PL TV money. The only difference between this scenario and what actually occurred is that Leon Bloody Best missed a penalty kick :mad: (excuse the hyperbole) - you could cogently argue that in effect the game won't punish you for overspending per se , it punishes you for not overspending enough . If this principle were to be carried over into the criminal law bank robbing would be perfectly legal as long as you made a clean getaway !

I've got very little confidence in this guy . I'll credit him with getting us a good player in JPS and his squad selections seem sound enough on the whole but his all too obvious failure to inspire any sort of sustained fight against relegation from his players raises serious questions regarding his man management skills . The way the last board treated Nigel Pearson was a disgrace so I'd like to see any new board keep an open mind and give the guy a proper interview without a predetermined outcome . Seeking the opinions of the senior players and experienced football men in and around the club would also be of great value . On balance I still think we can do better but it would be premature rule out the possibility of MW keeping the job entirely .

In hindsight the points deduction has become a moot point anyway as far as this season is concerned , the team will almost certainly relegate us without the slightest assistance from the FL . Starting L1 on minus 10 points is obviously not welcome to put it mildly but this needn't prove a fatal handicap if we can find a new owner and prepare properly for next season . For what it's worth - in my non expert opinion - we certainly have an arguable case against this FL ruling in principle , but it remains to be seen if it'll ever get to court in pratice .

We've not ended up here because our players haven't run about enough , we are were we are (ignoring off the field matters for a moment) because many of them just weren't that good in the first place - or more succiently they lack the strength of character necessary to perform under pressure . Mark Wotte's apparent failure to get them up for it is also a significant factor .

The £7m was in effect mainly funded by the Walcott transfer to Arsenal and has in any case been more than compensated for by subsequent player sales . The heart of the matter (to cut a long story short) was that many of the players that £7m brought demanded long term and very expensive contracts which we couldn't get out of when we narrowly failed to gain promotion 2 seasons ago . Rather than being a unique case of SFC mismanagement this is a systematic problem in the Football League of clubs being driven by unconfined competitive market forces into overspending on players contracts . The same Football League that so readily comes down like a ton of bricks on struggling clubs might well more profitably spend its time tackling the root causes of the problem instead . I'll throw a few ideas into the ring : 1- FL clubs should be able to make players redundant if necessary just like any other workers in any other business . Alternatively introduce 'rolling contracts' for players as well as managers . 2- Some sort of wage cap to be introduced , probably based on a percentage of club income . 3- An end to the bonus culture in the game (Jason Euell's absurd £300k per season being a prime example) . 4- Replace the current Administration points deduction regulations with an mandatory 'FL Annual Audit' - the power to prevent clubs from overspending before they become bankrupt is surely better than punishing them after the event . 5- The directors of failed clubs to be banned from the game for at least 10 years - punish those responsible for mismanagement rather than the fans who aren't .

I reckon that fella had it coming .

If the rest of the team were half the men Kelvin Davis is we be at the other end of the table now - stay .

Get yourself down there if you can afford it , get yourself there if you can't , just be there because .......

Don't you understand nobody else believes this 'Pearson was too expensive' baloney ? :confused: NP was disposed of to make room for Rupert Lowe's predetermined choice of coach (Poortvleit) and this whole wages nonsense to just put forward as the flimsiest of pretexts to justify this egregious decision and mislead the more gullible members of our fanbase - obviously it worked .

To answer my own question there seems little doubt the players will get their money this month one way or another , if these examples are anything to go by anyway : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1165564/Union-pay-players-wages-Darlington-Stockport-Chester-Bournemouth-12-clubs-face-administration.html Thank god for that , I was worried about how the little darlings would keep the wolf from the door . ;-)

Is it not standard practice for the PFA to step in and pay players wages in this type of situation ? Would the Football League not take that as proof that the club was indeed effectively bankrupt ? As ever there are more questions than answers .

My 6 point plan : 1- Run the club as a proper business - it should be profitable in the medium term . 2- A professional CEO should be hired with a small management team under him/her . 3- The appointment of an able 1st team manager experienced in British football is key . 4- Treat all fans as a valued part of this enterprise - STH's in particular to be rewarded for their commitment . 5- Limits on signing players on expensive long term contracts - most players on no more than £3k p/w . 6- Flexible ticket pricing - aim to fill SMS if possible .

Well we're told by both the Administrator and Leon Crouch that's there's a real and immediate risk of the club folding before a new owner can be found . Perhaps they're both lying or exaggerating the seriousness of the situation , but not being able to examine the books myself it's my policy to believe what these apparently reputable people are saying until it's proven they're not acting in good faith . This is nothing to do with paying undeserving players wages per se - it's about the survival of the club . So if Wayne does think his contribution is not necessary he may well be wrong , fatally wrong .

One of Thatchers children are we WC ? Football is a business yes and players and fans are 'assets' & 'customers' of that business in a sense but the games so much more than just another trade isn't it ? Football has a place in our history , our society and most importantly in the hearts of it followers that places it above the mundane world of rigid commercial self interest and cold logic . This forum can be seen as proof positive of the emotional nature of supporting a football club and the important role it plays in ordinary peoples life's , we wouldn't be here now arguing about it if it were just a sportswear company would we . If you can't understand morally why a fabulously wealthy individual like Wayne Bridge for instance should make a relatively small contribution to help save the club he supported as a boy (the club that gave him his entry into the privileged lifestyle he now enjoys I might add) than there's probably little point in trying to explain it - suffice it to say most Saints fans on here will instinctively 'get it' without the slightest difficulty I hope and believe .

All businesses (football is most certainly a business as well as a sport) should make money , who could cogently argue otherwise ? In an perfect world my idea of a well run club would include a Chairman like Bill Kenwright of Everton who runs the club in a competent , stable and financially prudent manner coupled with a Manager like Arsene Wenger who spends his transfer budget responsibly & is actually quite happy to generate a profit when possible in the transfer market . Given the choice I would prefer to support a club like that rather than the Chelsea/Man Utd/Man City's of this world where any success is based on huge debt and/or outside finance . It goes without saying it's been quite a while since the Saints came anywhere near this model but you never know one day .......

This is why the Administrator set such a tight time limit on finding a new owner - it'll happen in the next month or so or not at all . Either way we'll know soon enough .

My musical hero Johnny Cash seems appropriate - to the tune of 'Hurt' What have we become My lovely club Everything thing we try seems to fail in the end And you can keep it all Our empire of grass We will let you down We will make you ...... hurt

Make it Tony Bennett and you've got my attention .... Better than some superannuated Jock with an enormous tartan clad arse anyway - or was Kenny Everett exaggerating ?

I'd have thought he had enough on his plate already dealing with that bloody Emu and being dead and all . Personaly I prefer the Chuckle Brothers anyway .

I'm more than happy to admit I was distinctly underwhelmed by Nigel Pearson's appointment and if I'm honest I knew next to nothing about him apart from having seen him on MOTD a few times (while he was temporary Newcastle Utd manager) . But I like to think I'll give anybody a fair go and he soon won me and 95% of other Saints fans round . If only messers Lowe & Wilde had been as fair and open minded as most of our fans we might well be better off now . I can only conclude our esteemed ex chairmen had obviously never read James Surowieckiwds book 'The Wisdom of Crowds' or indeed were familiar with the old adage - if it ain't broke don't fix it .

Newsflash.... mysterious black man seen leaving St Marys .

This has been on the Echo site all day but I'll post it as nobody else has : http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/

I haven't seen much of him since he left SFC and can pass no judgment on his current form , but for what it's worth - 'back in the day' - he looked an decent enough PL midfielder to me , at least he did actually seem to give a damn about the club which is more than I can say of some of today's squad .

I can't argue with that . Months ago someone posted on here that during one of our numerous home defeats this season the lads from the reserve team/academy were just sitting on the bench laughing and enjoying themselves apparently unconcerned by another dismal showing - this should tell you all you need to know about the typical modern footballer . I've said it before and make no apology for repeating myself - the academy needs to start selecting youngsters not just on their technical ability or physique but on their fighting spirit and strength of character as well .

Remember players that are out of contract have no transfer value -they're just released . It's going to be a buyers market this summer as clubs look to economise during the recession . None of our players have exactly covered themselves in glory this season & this will be reflected in their transfer value . So I'd say you've been a tad overoptimistic in your valuations , but I do like the positive thinking .