THE naming of Saints new stadium has been badly handled. The general understanding was that fans would be consulted and the most popular name would be chosen and linked with that of a sponsor.

However, it seems the SFC board has ridden roughshod over the wishes of everyone in favour of a financial deal.

The announcement was greeted with a huge groan and coupled with astonishment. "The Friends Provident Stadium" does NOT have a certain ring about it, it is hardly inspiring, and conveys no suggestion of identify or historical reference. What happens when we change sponsors Is the stadium going to have a new name every few years

I can appreciate the need for Saints to secure funding during the vital changeover period and initial seasons at the new ground, and obviously, the name was part of the deal that was done secretively to avoid any unseemly outcry before the agreement was signed.

However, the whole thing has been a public relations disaster that will not endear anyone to the club sponsors, in fact it may have the opposite effect of turning people against them.

It's not too late for all concerned to relent and allow the fans' choice to be included in the name, but I doubt that will happen. It looks as though we'll be stuck with one of the most boringly named venues in the whole of the country. All we can ask is that the media supports the fans and refers to the new ground only as St Marys. They will find this much simpler than quoting "The Friends Provident Stadium" which is a bit of a mouthful anyway, and if the nation's television, radio, and newspapers choose to ignore the sponsor's name what will Rupert Lowe do about it - send them all away

DAVE MARDEN, Midanbury, Southampton.

JUST when things seem to be looking up for Southampton Football Club, just when we can all see for ourselves the great progress being made on the new stadium, just when we can all maybe, just maybe, say that Mr Lowe isn't so bad after all, he goes and lands us fans with what surely will prove to be one of the most unpopular decisions in the history of the club.

The Friends Provident Stadium. I ask you; what sort of pathetic name is that I have been to many fans and local community meetings where Mr Lowe and Mr Cowen have spoken and they have assured us fans that they will take into consideration the history of the football club and also the location of the stadium when deciding on its new name.

Well money has, in my opinion put paid to all of that. It seems to me that the club has sold its fans short for the price of maybe a decent first division striker - £3 to £5 million.

And what will happen in five years time when the deal runs out Will someone else trot along with some money and change the name of the stadium again

I realise that football has changed a great deal in the last 10-15 years and that it is now very big commercially, but it also has and always will have a great tradition.

The Dell has been the home for Saints for the past 100 years or so and in many ways it will be sad to leave but we all know we must move on and I am looking forward to it very much. But we need the new stadium to have a name that will be fit for the next 100 years, not just until a better deal comes along when the stadium is up and running.

They say that bad news travels fast and when I was at the Middlesbrough game on Saturday, most of the talk was not of the game but mainly about the name of the new stadium and I know for sure that there were many more unhappy people in the Milton Road end than there were happy. I don't know what we can do about it, maybe it is out of our hands, but I urge all Saints fans to write a letter to the club (they will receive a copy of this) to let them know our feelings.

Surely we can only have a stadium to be proud of if the name of it isn't an embarrassment.

PAUL COLLETT, Kingsland, Southampton.

I LEARNED with horror and disgust that the new name of the Saints stadium was to be Friends Provident.

What on earth are the chairman and directors of the club thinking of. Clearly money and sponsorship has played its usual major role in shaping our national game but long after the current sponsors have left for yet more new business ventures it will be the football club and its future supporters who will have to bear the ignominy of such a crass misjudgement.

The club owes much to its followers and supporters who have lifted the team to its present state and position in the world's Premier League.

I doubt whether 'Friends Provident' would have leapt to many fans minds if they were asked to suggest a name for the new stadium.

Rupert Lowe could clearly not take the gamble if, say, St Mary's were the fans choice. I remember the Southampton public were invited to come up with a name for the city's Mayflower Theatre. Not so, it seems the city's football club.

I sincerely hope it is not too late to change the minds of Rupert Lowe and his directors if indeed they made the decision.

It seems logical to choose a more sensible and appropriate title, particularly as the Saints are now returning to their origins.

Surely 'oh when the Saints go marching in' will have more meaning if the supporter will now be able to actually see the church at St Mary's.

Whatever the outcome of the sad state of affairs I venture to suggest a way fans will simply refer to the new stadium as the 'Gasworks ground'.

ANGRY AND DISILLUSIONED EX SAINTS SUPPORTER, Bitterne, Southampton.

WHAT a let down. We'll have a great, brand new stadium which Saints fans will be proud of, and what is it called - The Friends Provident Stadium!

We had to pay a large increase in the price of season tickets for the new stadium, yet Saints fans were not consulted over the name.

There is more to football than just sponsorship money. I dread the thought of saying to someone - I'm going to the Friends Provident Stadium or pennants, mugs etc. If we're going to have a team and new ground to be proud of, let's have a decent name - like The St Mary's Stadium.

Cricket will have the Hampshire Rose Bowl and what will football have - The Friends Provident Stadium!

DESMOND MARTIN (season ticket holder), Portswood, Southampton.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.