They may have seen a picture of the head, but what about the rest of the statue? It's not just one part of it that's wrong, it's ALL wrong!

Also, how come this statue has cost so much more than other BETTER football statues around the country?

I feel sorry for the trust committee, but they had a duty of care for representing fellow fans who had donated money and they have to take responsibility for their failings.

This isn't a witchhunt, I think fans just want answers to some pretty straight forward questions

As far as I can gather Ian Brennan made the statue in sections & had the castings done separately. I think he should have done it Michael Angelo style, in one piece.... The Trust done a great job & worlked so hard to make this a realaty for the Saints fans & I think people should get of there case!! I feel sorry for them! it,s not the end of the world, just get it re-done?

But who agreed to sign off the maquette?

Still doesn't explain the faxt that the TBT Chairman saw the FINISHED article a week earlier and exclaimed
"Ian Brennan has done a tremendous job It is very rare I am lost for words but I saw the statue last week and it is awesome - a tremendous tribute to a great man." (Source www.tedbates.co.uk)

I thought he was much taller than that in real life?

It doesn't matter how they try to dress it up, this is just complete and utter incompetance of monstrous proportions (pardon the pun) on the part of the committee - god help us if these same people manage to get onto the club's board through their other little venture, the Saints Trust.

I think it looks great.

Isn't that Milan Mandaric?

They laughed at Picasso, they laughed at Dali and Rolf Harris but in years to come who knows what the art world will think of Ian Brennan?
Maybe they could commission him to do one of Rupert for the other end of the stadium with a jolly hockey stick in one hand and a lame duck in the other.

Unbelievable. A second-rate team and now a second-rate statue. What were they thinking of? We can't even honour our heroes properly. The laughs in PO4 must be hard enough to register on the Richter Scale.

Remember me? I played 53 minutes as a sub against Leeds in 1998, before being substituted myself. I may have been comically out of my depth, but if this is how you treat your legends, then maybe it's for the best that it didn't work out for me.

I studied art and sculpture for a year after leaving school. The statues of the 19th and 20th centuries were meant to be totally true to life, but we've moved on since then. It is only meant to be a representation of Ted with his best parts magnified. He helped Saints with good knowledge from his head and descriptive tactics with his arms and hands. So naturally these are cast larger. If the same was done to a statue of Manderic it would have enormous bulging pockets, whilst Redknapp would be cast in the mould of the Greek god Janus (not the one who plays for Spurs) and have two heads. So get real, a 21st Century statue is all about representation and not total anatomical accuracy. It was the heathen attitude to art exemlified in some of the replies that forced me to leave Art College and become a postman.

While I am well aware of the months of effort put in by the Trust committee, I'm not impressed by their over-the-top comments in this article - of course they have eaten and slept since the weekend, don't be silly. Dave Ford has totally undermined his credibility with his "awesome" comments which frankly do sound like a panicky and futile attempt to pull the wool over people's eyes.
The sculpture is a total and utter failure, no resemblance to Ted Bates whatsoever and laughably proportioned. It was far too expensive and appears to have been hideously botched at every stage from conception to completion. The project, if supervised at all, has been badly mismanaged and the Trust must take responsibility for failing to address the situation at a much earlier stage. The story is all over the national press and has become a national joke. Those responsible deserve the anger and ridicule of the supporters who contributed. What a sad and disgraceful episode.

In these days of the PC brigade gone mad, health and safety in football grounds and all that, shouldn't Ted be sitting down with his hands by his sides?

I just called to say I hate it!
The worst statue I have ever seen.

Posted by: iconic-arts.co.uk, Totton on Today
As far as I can gather Ian Brennan made the statue in sections & had the castings done separately. I think he should have done it Michael Angelo style, in one piece.... The Trust done a great job & worlked so hard to make this a realaty for the Saints fans & I think people should get of there case!! I feel sorry for them! it,s not the end of the world, just get it re-done?
As far as I can gather Ian Brennan made the statue in sections & had the castings done separately. I think he should have done it Michael Angelo style, in one piece.... The Trust done a great job & worlked so hard to make this a realaty for the Saints fans & I think people should get of there case!! I feel sorry for them! it,s not the end of the world, just get it re-done?

-----------------------------------------------

Lets hope your art is better than your spelling !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The statue was either unvailed late for comic relief or early for april fools day.Anyway it is great. Will the club shop be selling replicas. I want some.

I agree with all the adverse comments regarding the statue that was to be a lasting tribute to the memory of Ted Bates. Should anyone visit Grosvenor Place in Southampton there they would see a statue of Lord Mountbatten, a wonderful likeness to the great man. the sculptor was a local woman, perhaps not a football follower but someone who could capture the spirit and charisma of the man. We need someone who is completely in tune with the desires of the fans. If anyone is interested then I will willingly contact the sculptor and put any reasonable proposition to her that will redeem the name of Southampton Football Club, will mollify the fans and revere the name of Ted Bates.

John Coleman

Ian Newell wrote:
I studied art and sculpture for a year after leaving school. The statues of the 19th and 20th centuries were meant to be totally true to life, but we've moved on since then. It is only meant to be a representation of Ted with his best parts magnified. He helped Saints with good knowledge from his head and descriptive tactics with his arms and hands. So naturally these are cast larger. If the same was done to a statue of Manderic it would have enormous bulging pockets, whilst Redknapp would be cast in the mould of the Greek god Janus (not the one who plays for Spurs) and have two heads. So get real, a 21st Century statue is all about representation and not total anatomical accuracy. It was the heathen attitude to art exemlified in some of the replies that forced me to leave Art College and become a postman.

What?! I agree that representation in art can be appreciated for what it is trying to portray but are you serious about this in relation to this so called sculpture? What is the artist trying to represent here? Sorry, but my remembrances of Ted Bates are for his unstinting footballing contribution to Saints over more than 60 years. I therefore have no idea how a mis-shapen, badly proportioned, deflated ball holding characterisation of such embarrasing proportions in any way represents that achievement. A 'representation' of a person whilst still capturing the essence of the individual in the manner that, say, Churchill's statue in Parliament Sqaure in London does is artistically stimulating. Ted Bates's statue on the other hand is just plain incompetence. I suspect you may have gone to the same art college as this sculptor. And I further suspect he followed exactly the same career path!

It has to be said that the "Ted Bates Trust" comments - regarding the bloody awful "Toulouse Le Ted" statue insult to the "great Ted Bates" are far from satisfactory.

The so called chairman - Dave Ford needs to come down off his own particular podium - judging by his espousing.

Firstly he states quite clearly in previous quotes .... "I saw the statue a week ago it's awesome" etc and then appears - if the Echo (20.3.07) is to be believed to be changing tack. A spokesperson who must either be him or Janet Formby - for no others are mentioned - now say that the trust (WHO HAVE COMPLETELY FAILED TO MONITOR THE PROJECT PROPERLY in its various stages) were mislead by some pictures they saw. Mind you the particular picture now referred to, appears to have only been of a statue head.

Quite frankly Mr Ford - who has been known to champion his own credibility as a permanent fixture in the SAINTS contingent home and away and who apparently doesn't have much time for those of us who can only afford the home games - except for the occasional special away-day treat - has made himself look a complete chump who SHOULD do what most others in any form of public life do after the excrement hits the fan - and resign his current "Trust" position. Because you could drive an early sixties "Pompey Trolley Bus" through his totally flawed arguments.

There are plenty of others - thousands in fact - that care deeply for OUR (that means all of us) team. You could be forgiven for thinking, that these days, the various Trusts - OR the loyal band that regularly follow Saints away (bless 'em) were some kind of elite. In fact they are just "people" that decide for themselves that they want to travel country-wide EVERY weekend or midweek in support of their team and obviously either have the revenue to be able to do so - or choose to spend their hard earned (one assumes) cash that way. Others like myself will mostly - when Saints are away, attend non league - or alternatively work weekends at "local pitches" and sporting facilities. I also spent two solid years of my life writing my own published work of my life following Saints. The precious memories that Ted's sides gave me -the brilliance of traditional wingers Paine & Sydenham working in tandem for example - was outstanding - something that will never leave me.

In fact tandem is what needs to happen now to rectify this god awful mess. People - just for once - need to leave their egos behind -forget their petty squabbles with other, now marginalised Saints groups - (or just plain individuals like me) and act positively. Substitute the word tandem for team effort - or working together - and something CAN be done to rescue this mess and A NEW STATUE (OR ACTUALLY A BUST WAS "ALWAYS" TED'S WIFE'S PREFERENCE) OF TED BATES reborn. I only work about three quarter time these days in the day job - unsocial hours sometimes included - but I'd be happy to slip a few bob in a bucket if need be - to help "pick this thing up -dust this thing off - and start all over again tra la".

However I want to see the RIGHT PEOPLE calling the shots. People who can organise efficiently, people who can be properly relied upon to action things and monitor them - not just a load of waffle or fancy talk. I remember Jan Formby from my sixties school days. I've never found her anything more than a sincere and caring Saints fan above all. However the Trust people have dropped a clanger big-time - no excuses. Be big enough - hold your hands up - admit it - be done with it - move on - and above all play your part "big heart" fashion in putting this sorry business to rights. CHRIS NEWMAN.

yea ok it went a little wrong but do these people have to suffer for something that can be resolved!! think about people

Risible. Just risible. I know hands are difficult but really...

In all of this, I have yet to hear the conditions that were set down for Mr. Brennan. For example, did the commission specify the statue was to depict Bates in a buttoned double-breasted jacket with his hand raised? If so, that would be a vexing obstacle for any sculptor. If it wasn't, it was a very poor choice and should've been changed early on. Ultimately, the responsibility for this situation lay with the committee, as the more controversial aspects of the sculpture would've been evident in the earliest representations of it. I fail to see how Mr. Brennen can be faulted if he was repeatedly told he was giving the committee what it wanted (and surely representatives of the committee were regularly monitoring the development of something this costly, which also carried a large emotional investment of the fans). If the committee was incapable of making artistic judgments about the work (as it proceeded), it ought to have called on bona fide experts in the art field for advice. Mr. Brennen has been put in an untenable position due to the incompetence of those who gave him his initial instructions and presumably, approved his drawings and studies.

Specialised projects require specialised management! Who appointed the committee?

Michael Angelo?! Never mind his spelling ...