THE last four weeks have been very traumatic for everyone connected with S o u t h a m p t o n Football Club.

That’s the case whether they be full time employees or loyal supporters on the terraces.

As I stated last week, the administrator, Mark Fry, called me in to tell me the situation, which none of us could ever dreamt was so bad on the football finances side.

But people rallied round in the first instance with a magnificent 27,000- plus at the Charlton game and another big crowd for Crystal Palace.

In addition, Mike Osman came up with the idea of the ‘evening with’ and Mike Channon, Matt Le Tissier and myself gave up our time, as did Mike, for what turned out to be a wonderful evening of nostalgia and facts, as far as we knew them.

There were 500 people there, paying £20 which was their contribution to the club’s funds, and everyone had an enjoyable evening.

The total amount raised for the club on the night was £10,615.

The administrator has explained more than once that he was only called in to deal with the holding company’s problems as that had been put into administration.

The football club has been carrying on and the likes of Leon Crouch and myself have been trying to bring the facts to the attention of the regulars in the hospitality rooms and boxes at the games.

It’s all been with a view to the football club being able to carry on separately to the holding company.

When the Football League, at their meeting last month, addressed the topic of Saints’ holding company, it was decided to send in an independent inspector to look at the club finances.

To everyone’s horror, he reported back this week and Lord Mawhinney in his wisdom apparently sent the verdict to the club that ten points were to be deducted. Five minutes later he issued the same statement to the media.

While the club apparently are putting in an appeal, the vibes given out by his Lordship seem to be that it is a waste of time.

The decision was cruel, especially when to my knowledge Derby County did the same with their holding company but had no points deducted.

The timing of the announcement was disgraceful, coming two days before the club’s last home game with every effort being made to fill the ground to support the team to help them get the points which are definitely needed and to bring that extra finance in to keep the club operating on a day-to-day basis until Mark Fry is able to bring in a buyer.

I sincerely hope supporters who intended to walk up to the ground today have not been put off by the events of this week.

The club still needs you.

Who knows, six points from the last two games and a successful appeal might still mean the club is in the Championship next season.

But also it is imperative, no matter which division it is, and for whatever reason – whether it be football or administrative – that we still have Southampton FC in the fixture list next season.

Obviously in two weeks time the dust will have settled.

The situation hopefully will be clearer.

I have the same questions everyone else has and I am not part of the day to day running of the football club and haven’t been involved in any capacity since the end of last season.

But, like Leon Crouch, Mike Osman, Channon, Le Tiss and all the other players who I will be ringing to turn out for the charity game on May 17, we are desperate to do anything at all to make sure that the club can brush itself down and start all over again.

It has to be said the biggest decisions now will be made by you, the supporters.

If you turn up we know that you feel the same.

Forget personalities and who did what, SFC is bigger than any one person and has to be still in place come next season.

Then, fingers crossed, there is someone out there with enough money, passion and pride to take the club to better times.

Not back to where it belongs. No one has a divine right to be in any particular division.

But we know that this club can handle Championship football and the Premiership a lot better with its facilities and potential support than most of the other 92 clubs.