spyinthesky Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 I am no particular fan of Rupes but walking up to the ground today made me reflect what our position would be today if Rupert and Co had spunked our Premiership revenue on big money signings a la Pompey and not invested in the new Stadium and training facilities. If we had stayed at the Dell who knows where we would be now. Certainly not able to attract 24,000 fans for a cup tie against relatively modest (no disrespect intended) opposition. Southampton City Council should also be congratulated for overcoming the longstanding problem in finding a site. It still rankles with me that the residents of Stoneham, the politicians at Hampshire County Council and Eastleigh Borough Council had their spurious objections to the Stoneham site upheld. However, thanks to SCC, the stadium was built in the heart of the city and we have decent facilities. I had a good view today, was kept dry and saw some new talent develop. All good stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 I am no particular fan of Rupes but walking up to the ground today made me reflect what our position would be today if Rupert and Co had spunked our Premiership revenue on big money signings a la Pompey and not invested in the new Stadium and training facilities. If we had stayed at the Dell who knows where we would be now. Certainly not able to attract 24,000 fans for a cup tie against relatively modest (no disrespect intended) opposition. Southampton City Council should also be congratulated for overcoming the longstanding problem in finding a site. It still rankles with me that the residents of Stoneham, the politicians at Hampshire County Council and Eastleigh Borough Council had their spurious objections to the Stoneham site upheld. However, thanks to SCC, the stadium was built in the heart of the city and we have decent facilities. I had a good view today, was kept dry and saw some new talent develop. All good stuff. Was mainly the council. Rupert couldn't afford stone ham and council came to rescue. Rupert took us down two divisions and made shocking decisions bringing no money in and making himself pretty much a millionaire out of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldNick Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Was mainly the council. Rupert couldn't afford stone ham and council came to rescue. Rupert took us down two divisions and made shocking decisions bringing no money in and making himself pretty much a millionaire out of us. i think there were a lot of others who made more out of the club. At least Lowe etc kept their shares to the bitter end wheras some sold them as soon as they were given them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitzhugh Fella Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Rupert got bailed out by the council after putting all his eggs in the Stoneham basket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Rupert got bailed out by the council after putting all his eggs in the Stoneham basket. This. He couldn't afford it so he tried to put loads if retail development in the plans and it was thrown out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldNick Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Stone ham was in principle a decent spot, and for a business plan the better option. Now we are settled in SMS I'm pleased we did not get stone ham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyinthesky Posted 25 January, 2014 Author Share Posted 25 January, 2014 This. He couldn't afford it so he tried to put loads if retail development in the plans and it was thrown out. Don't think he can be criticised for trying to get the Stoneham site underpinned by retail. Decent business principle As I understand it the SCC provided the St Marys site FOC and Rupes/Andrew Cowans sorted out a £33m mortgage via Norwich Union Again credit where it is due However there were many downsides, including the laughable letter of support from the 'mystery' supporter at one of the last AGM's I would love to read a full resume of the Lowe years at some stage. Come on Duncan I think you should have a go before our collective memories fail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 (edited) Stone ham was in principle a decent spot, and for a business plan the better option. Now we are settled in SMS I'm pleased we did not get stone ham. It really wasn't. It'd have been one of those dreadful out of town stadiums that are a Pain to get, no pubs around and on a retail park surrounded by pizza huts and masive Boots shops. SMS is in the perfect spot. Edited 25 January, 2014 by Turkish I hate typing on iPads Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Without a Halo Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 It really wasn't. It'd have been one of those dreadful out of town stadiums that are a Pain to get, no pubs around and on a retail peak surrounded by pizza huts and masive Boots shops. SMS us rage perfect spot. Agreed, being within walking distance of the centres has so many advantages. Stoneham would have lost the club so much character! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitzhugh Fella Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Would love to write something and I am sure Lowe would be prepared to talk but not sure everyone would tell the whole truth. Plus am I objective enough? Manji would certainly say NO to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitzhugh Fella Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 It really wasn't. It'd have been one of those dreadful out of town stadiums that are a Pain to get, no pubs around and on a retail park surrounded by pizza huts and masive Boots shops. SMS is in the perfect spot. Spot on - it is in the correct place without a doubt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revolution saint Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Agree - Stoneham would have been a terrible location. I'm happy we're still relatively close to the city centre and I'm not sure we'd be getting quite the attendance figures based further away. I still miss the dell though - probably rose tinted glasses and all that but SMS doesn't have quite the same atmosphere. Terraces (or lack of) also has some bearing though. As for where we'd be if we hadn't moved? Relatively easy to answer - we'd have been relegated eventually once MLT retired and we'd have struggled even more. I'm pretty confident we wouldn't have secured Liebherr funding without the stadium - if you were looking to buy a football club then we were a an absolute bargain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9-3 Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Rupert Lowe got Saints to St Marys through massive borrowing. We never had any investment to sustain and repay the borrowing of St Marys. We got there being a premiership team but could not support being a premiership club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Munster Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 The rosy cheeked bastard took us down twice, hired a succession of clown managers (Gray, Wigley, the Dutch duo), got rid of a good young manager (NP) out of spite, never came close to finding us a buyer (and I don't think he wanted to), and to cap it off took us into administration a few days after the points carry over deadline. No thanks, begrudging or not, from me. C**t. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubai_phil Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 God bless Rupert. Without him (and the other "Execs") we would not have SMS and would not have had the incredible journey from L1 that Markus started us upon. Who knows what the next months/years hold........ (OK could have done without Jermaine Wright & Ryan Smith being sold as the new Messi but at least we had FUN and remembered how to WIN again) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miltonaggro Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 The rosy cheeked bastard took us down twice, hired a succession of clown managers (Gray, Wigley, the Dutch duo), got rid of a good young manager (NP) out of spite, never came close to finding us a buyer (and I don't think he wanted to), and to cap it off took us into administration a few days after the points carry over deadline. No thanks, begrudging or not, from me. C**t. Spot on HM and I heartily agree, clown before he got to Saints, found out at Saints, and found out ever since. A perfect example of an arrogant, myopic, opportunist! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grey Crab Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Was mainly the council. Rupert couldn't afford stone ham and council came to rescue. Rupert took us down two divisions and made shocking decisions bringing no money in and making himself pretty much a millionaire out of us. So it was the council that decided the club should buy a stadium rather than spend money on players? I didn't know about this - thanks Roger! What a bloody brilliant council we have. I bet other cities don't have such brilliant councils as ours that has the foresight and power to make decisions for the better of their local football clubs. Fair play to SCC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinjb Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 A wannabie visionary who instead was found wanting and lucked into certain fortuitous things. His cheap appointment of Strachan paid off handsomely, as did his lucking into the St Mary's site. A focus on the academy was sensible but he was so conservative with the first team that it defeated the point. This then translated to our eventual demise as in the Championship the business model failed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_saint Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 The rosy cheeked bastard took us down twice, hired a succession of clown managers (Gray, Wigley, the Dutch duo), got rid of a good young manager (NP) out of spite, never came close to finding us a buyer (and I don't think he wanted to), and to cap it off took us into administration a few days after the points carry over deadline. No thanks, begrudging or not, from me. C**t. Yup. Just about covers it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Warrior Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 I think some are. Being a tad disingenuous about Lowe and Cowan re Stoneham and SMS depending on who you want to believe I was part of the say yes to Stoneham group and the. Part of the group re SMS . I lobbied and gave impassioned speaches etc at the town hall re both sites . I think all those involved played a big part in getting SMS I took loads of ethnic communities to the dell to watch games and to understand that the game was now family orientated and was no longer the hooliganistic 1970 era Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotonjoe Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Met him in a restaurant recently. Decent bloke who spoke fondly and sensibly of saints. Was happy to shake him by the hand and share a glass of the good stuff with him for all that he did for the club. In time, his contribution should be officially recognised at SMS ; perhaps a lounge named in his honour or something. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGTL Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Thank god we never got Stoneham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinjb Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Met him in a restaurant recently. Decent bloke who spoke fondly and sensibly of saints. Was happy to shake him by the hand and share a glass of the good stuff with him for all that he did for the club. In time, his contribution should be officially recognised at SMS ; perhaps a lounge named in his honour or something. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk I would put that down as wishful thinking i'm afraid. I have no doubt he did what he genuinely thought was best for the club but ultimately he was a disaster. Under him we were only ever destined to go in one direction, so it came to pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cellone Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 I tend to think He was rewarded at the time so no need for belated gratitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 I would put that down as wishful thinking i'm afraid. I have no doubt he did what he genuinely thought was best for the club but ultimately he was a disaster. Under him we were only ever destined to go in one direction, so it came to pass. People weren't saying that when we finished 8th and got to the cup final. Lowe needs to take responsibly for the relegation from the championship but its fashionable to blame him for the relegation to l1 when it was our saviour Micheal Wilde who was to blame. Promised investment that never came, went sh*t or bust for promotion spending money we didn't have and ultimately left us is a mess. He got away with a lot of flack because everyone hated Lowe and he courted Keith Legg to get the fans onside who at the time would have taken anyone but Lowe.and he's Lowe did take a large salary out of the club, but it was a fraction of the wage Cortese took out even when we were a league one club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Kraken Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 People weren't saying that when we finished 8th and got to the cup final. Lowe needs to take responsibly for the relegation from the championship but its fashionable to blame him for the relegation to l1 when it was our saviour Micheal Wilde who was to blame. Promised investment that never came, went sh*t or bust for promotion spending money we didn't have and ultimately left us is a mess. He got away with a lot of flack because everyone hated Lowe and he courted Keith Legg to get the fans onside who at the time would have taken anyone but Lowe.and he's Lowe did take a large salary out of the club, but it was a fraction of the wage Cortese took out even when we were a league one club. This. Lowe was a complete c*ckle but he achieved an awful lot, including a Premier League finish that Cortese wasn't looking likely to surpass. It seems fashionable on here to decry that, but thems the facts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 This. Lowe was a complete c*ckle but he achieved an awful lot, including a Premier League finish that Cortese wasn't looking likely to surpass. It seems fashionable on here to decry that, but thems the facts. Ha great use of cockle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cellone Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Corts was being paid though as opposed to drawing a wage. Agree on the Wilde bit. Bloke hit his purple patch on charm whilst hitting a very dark patch in his taking over a club and finding or producing investment and a plan to make it great again phase of life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinjb Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 (edited) People weren't saying that when we finished 8th and got to the cup final. Lowe needs to take responsibly for the relegation from the championship but its fashionable to blame him for the relegation to l1 when it was our saviour Micheal Wilde who was to blame. Promised investment that never came, went sh*t or bust for promotion spending money we didn't have and ultimately left us is a mess. He got away with a lot of flack because everyone hated Lowe and he courted Keith Legg to get the fans onside who at the time would have taken anyone but Lowe.and he's Lowe did take a large salary out of the club, but it was a fraction of the wage Cortese took out even when we were a league one club. No, at the time he wasn't criticised. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I would rather look at the perspective now. All circumstances have their good and bad points, so rather then compare to other chairmen I will just take Lowe's in isolation here. His chairmanship was a time when good things were done but the potential was wasted.... that set in motion the process that nearly killed us but ironically also made us massively sale-able. Edited 25 January, 2014 by Colinjb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamsaint Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Of course all the previous owners/directors did a great job of getting us a new stadium. Not much time for Lowe at all, but under him we got a decent stadium , in a decent location for a very good price. He has to take the stick for managerial mess ups, he can take the credit for the Stadium, even if he had some luck along the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 (edited) No, at the time he wasn't criticised. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I would rather look at the perspective now. All circumstances have their good and bad points, so rather then compare to other chairmen I will just take Lowe's in isolation here. His chairmanship was a time when good things were done but the potential was wasted.... that set in motion the process that nearly killed us but ironically also made us massively sale-able. And your perspective now is that Lowe lead us to disaster. You can blame Lowe for relegation from the premier league but you can't blame him for being ousted by Wilde, how the fans were taken in by him, how he failed to get the investment he promised, how he spunked millions we didn't have up the wall and how he then invited Lowe back to clean up his mess, a clever tactic in hindsight as he no doubt knew Lowe would then get the blame for what followed and so it proved. But if you're going to claim he 'led us to disaster' the you also need to not forget he also led us to the verge of glory, a higher placed finish than Cortese will ever do without a billionaires credits card to play with. So if you're going to talk about perspective then get the facts right pal. The relegation in 2005 was down to him, but the disaster that followed wasn't plenty of clubs have been relegated to the championship and not been on the brink of going bust. Edited 25 January, 2014 by Turkish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Kraken Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 (edited) But if you're going to claim he 'led us to disaster' the you also need to not forget he also led us to the verge of glory, a higher placed finish than Cortese will ever do without a billionaires credits card to play. So if you're going to talk about perspective then get the facts right pal. Th relegation in 2005 was down to him, but the disaster that followed wasn't plenty of clubs have been relegated to the championship and not been on t brink of going bust. If you want to get people to admit to reality, this isn't the forum for it. The likes of some (Colin exudes the traits but poor old St Charlie represents those who are hit hardest by it) seem convinced we were on an unstoppable charge towards the Champions League and only the departure of Cortese has cost us that. The failure to admit that bad old Rupes did better than that is swept under the Swiss rug. Edited 25 January, 2014 by The Kraken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CB Fry Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Of course all the previous owners/directors did a great job of getting us a new stadium. Not much time for Lowe at all, but under him we got a decent stadium , in a decent location for a very good price. He has to take the stick for managerial mess ups, he can take the credit for the Stadium, even if he had some luck along the way. This. Various other club boards had guffed up stadium expansion/relocation plans for nigh on thirty years before Lowe actually got the job done. All mouth, no ground up to then. My, I can remember one club chief exec sending out a CD rom of a sexy new expanded stadium that turned out to be no more than pie in the sky. At least Lowe out the bricks and mortar where his mouth was and got the sod built on his watch. Which eventually led to our highest league finish in the Prem era - unlikely to be beaten this season - and not funded by a dead billionaire to boot. Credit where due indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 This. Various other club boards had guffed up stadium expansion/relocation plans for nigh on thirty years before Lowe actually got the job done. All mouth, no ground up to then. My, I can remember one club chief exec sending out a CD rom of a sexy new expanded stadium that turned out to be no more than pie in the sky. At least Lowe out the bricks and mortar where his mouth was and got the sod built on his watch. Which eventually led to our highest league finish in the Prem era - unlikely to be beaten this season - and not funded by a dead billionaire to boot. Credit where due indeed. Its a bloody shame as we've needed that bigger, expanded stadium since our league one days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinjb Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 (edited) If you want to get people to admit to reality, this isn't the forum for it. The likes of some (Colin exudes the traits but poor old St Charlie represents those who are hit hardest by it) seem convinced we were on an unstoppable charge towards the Champions League and only the departure of Cortese has cost us that. The failure to admit that bad old Rupes did better than that is swept under the Swiss rug. A bit rash Kraken. I have always been cynical of Cortese's ultimate ambition and rhetoric. He however did have a goal and the means to try and follow it, Rupert Lowe took premier league stability and grasped defeat from the jaws of possible (but not resultant) victory. I am also happy to say that Rupert did a lot of good, but he clearly had no idea of how to make the most of it. And Turkish, if you are going to paraphrase me at least do it accurately. I didn't say Rupert led us to disaster I said he ultimately was a disaster and that the potential he put in place was wasted. Edited 25 January, 2014 by Colinjb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buctootim Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Didn't Lowe sort out Staplewood too? A lot of the animosity towards him is misplaced imo - he simply came along at a time when football was changing from being a club to being a business. He didnt create that change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinjb Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Didn't Lowe sort out Staplewood too? A lot of the animosity towards him is misplaced imo - he simply came along at a time when football was changing from being a club to being a business. He didnt create that change. No, but he was someone who did treat us as purely a business. Using the academy as a foundation to sustain us finacially. A nice idea in theory but one which was ultimately self limiting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buctootim Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 A bit rash Kraken. I have always been cynical of the Cortese's ultimate ambition and rhetoric. He however did have a goal and the means to try and follow it, Rupert Lowe took premier league stability and grasped defeat from the jaws of possible (but not resultant) victory. I am also happy to say that Rupert did a lot of good, but he clearly had no idea of how to make the most of it. And Turkish, if you are going to paraphrase me at least do it accurately. I didn't say Rupert led us to disaster I said he ultimately was a disaster and that the potential he put in place was wasted. Thats just plain wrong. Lowe had a goal but had to rely on self generated income - which was a lot less than most of the clubs were were competing against. Cortese had someone else's chequebook and outspent all but the very top PL clubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingsbridge Saint Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Agree with the OP. Without Lowes vision it is arguable whether we would have the stadium, or the academy now. Would be really interested in reading an unbiased objective, professionally written summary of the Lowe years, without all the entrenched views, prejudices and rose tinted speccies too. I am sure there would be stuff in there that would surprise those with fixed views - both favourable and negative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinjb Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Thats just plain wrong. Lowe had a goal but had to rely on self generated income - which was a lot less than most of the clubs were were competing against. Cortese had someone else's chequebook and outspent all but the very top PL clubs. Buctootim. As I have just said Lowe was wanting to use the academy to financially support the club..... the self generated income. Lowe's goal was to simply be, that will never be a good plan in an environment that is by its very nature constantly evolving. As you say, it's less then the clubs we were competing against, it was self limiting. And the means to do it as far as Cortese was concerned was the Liebherr cheque-book, so we agree there. Without Cortese that cheque-book wouldn't have been initially available though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegrant Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Would be really interested in reading an unbiased objective, professionally written summary of the Lowe years, without all the entrenched views, prejudices and rose tinted speccies too. Yeah, good luck with that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buctootim Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Buctootim. As I have just said Lowe was wanting to use the academy to financially support the club..... the self generated income. Lowe's goal was to simply be, that will never be a good plan in an environment that is by its very nature constantly evolving. As you say, it's less then the clubs we were competing against, it was self limiting. And the means to do it as far as Cortese was concerned was the Liebherr cheque-book. You write as though Lowe turned down billionaires who were beating a path to our door in favour of relying on the academy whereas Cortese was super smart because he alone realised you could achieve more with big wads of someone else's money. That isn't what happened. Lowe sought investment for years, but at the time the PL hadn't yet got the big inflow of foreign investors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Kraken Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 I am also happy to say that Rupert did a lot of good, but he clearly had no idea of how to make the most of it. I'm genuinely intrigued what you mean by this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 No, but he was someone who did treat us as purely a business. Using the academy as a foundation to sustain us finacially. A nice idea in theory but one which was ultimately self limiting. And look what happens to the clubs that don't treat it as a business, ie spunking money they don't have. I bet fans of Leeds, Pompey and your very own Coventry wish theyd been run as a business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinjb Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 You write as though Lowe turned down billionaires who were beating a path to our door in favour of relying on the academy whereas Cortese was super smart because he alone realised you could achieve more with big wads of someone else's money. That isn't what happened. Lowe sought investment for years, but at the time the PL hadn't yet got the big inflow of foreign investors. Apologies if I give that impression. I of course do not know what was going on in Lowe's mind, if you are aware of any moves Lowe made to sell on the club or seek investment I would be intrigued to hear it. The fact is though that nothing came..... until Rupert Lowe (with Wilde's intermission) had seen us bankrupt at the foot of league one with dwindling crowds, revenue and unacceptable overdrafts. Only then did the infrastructue that Lowe pioneered make us truly appealing and for a song no less! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 A bit rash Kraken. I have always been cynical of Cortese's ultimate ambition and rhetoric. He however did have a goal and the means to try and follow it, Rupert Lowe took premier league stability and grasped defeat from the jaws of possible (but not resultant) victory. I am also happy to say that Rupert did a lot of good, but he clearly had no idea of how to make the most of it. And Turkish, if you are going to paraphrase me at least do it accurately. I didn't say Rupert led us to disaster I said he ultimately was a disaster and that the potential he put in place was wasted. He ultimately was because Wilde brought him in to clean up his mess. As I said, he was responsible for this first relegation but plenty of clubs of our size have been relegated and not gone into admin, however much you don't like to admit it, that wasn't lowes fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegrant Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 You write as though Lowe turned down billionaires who were beating a path to our door in favour of relying on the academy whereas Cortese was super smart because he alone realised you could achieve more with big wads of someone else's money. That isn't what happened. Lowe sought investment for years, but at the time the PL hadn't yet got the big inflow of foreign investors. Nor had the PL felt the benefit of the insane amount of cash available even to the team finishing bottom of the league through the broadcasting rights contracts. The parachute payments - which have always been significantly lower than the amount received for actually being in the PL - we received were £6.7m per year for two years. Pompey receive £10m this year, the FOURTH year since they dropped out of the top flight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinjb Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 And look what happens to the clubs that don't treat it as a business, ie spunking money they don't have. I bet fans of Leeds, Pompey and your very own Coventry wish theyd been run as a business. Coventry are still run as a business. The political nightmare that is SISU are another matter altogether, they are just playing poker over the Ricoh arena. As for 'my own' Coventry, f**k me you sad sod I havn't accumulated the amount of posts on here for a f**king laugh! Sport does require an amount of speculation to accumulate. There is a balance though, go too far you overspend, be too conservative you neglect the team. We went too far to the later, spending money on poor players and ending up with a large and ineffective squad (Van Damme, Jakobsson, Nillson, etc.) and humoured managerial experiments (Gray, Wigley, eventually Woodward) at terrible times. Lowe put into place the core elements needed to be a stable Premier League club, but he neglected the club's reason for existence and went for cheap options to sustain the business end. It was a pity, because as we are seeing now, the foundations were all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Munster Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 Met him in a restaurant recently. Decent bloke who spoke fondly and sensibly of saints. Was happy to shake him by the hand and share a glass of the good stuff with him for all that he did for the club. In time, his contribution should be officially recognised at SMS ; perhaps a lounge named in his honour or something. The Rupert Lounge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Sanchez Posted 25 January, 2014 Share Posted 25 January, 2014 No, but he was someone who did treat us as purely a business. Using the academy as a foundation to sustain us finacially. A nice idea in theory but one which was ultimately self limiting. As I believe we will see again if KL's stays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now