Stern John left Saints to reduce wage bill (From Daily Echo)

I am one of the loyal fans that have decided, in protest to Lowes unwelcome involvement with SFC, not to attend matches or spend any money with the club until he and Wilde resign.

I had a season ticket for 25 years but cannot stomach anymore of Lowes incompetence. There is a difference between running a business and making football decisions. Lowe has failed over a period of a decade to show he is nothing more than a accountant in a suit.

Even if investment is not forcoming, it is my opinion that we need to bring back someone like Keith Wiseman as chairman, so the fans can unite again behind the club and attend matches to support our local side.

If you are, or plan to boycott future games at the club for the above reason, please drop me an email at loweout@hotmail.co.u
k

Please just state the number of adults or children which would normally be part of you group attending SMS, who are now boycotting in protest.

I plan to use this petiton document as a demonstration to the board and shareholders or the bank on how Lowe/Wildes involvment is financially damaging the club. I also believe we need to protest outside the stadium before and after games, similar to the Branfoot era.

loweout@hotmail.co.u
k

This is total garbage and surely the incompetent Poortvliet should realise hes being hung out to dry by Lowe ?

If had to reduce the wage bill then why bring in Peckhart, Robertson, Gasmi, Pulis, Smith etc etc

Stern John has basically been sold come January because Rupert Lowe would rather take a couple of hundred grand now rather than nothin in May.

John is out of contract and Lowe has gambled that we have strikers that will score the goals !

AGM in December and Lowe and Wilde should quit. We then 'hope' something can be done to stop relegation.

Boycott merchandise and home games until Lowe/Wilde go.

This is false economy ie mrlowe&chums thinking as far as thier pockets this board are a disgrace they are sending boys to do mens jobs poor old Jan says we need experience the next day lowe cuts his wage bill!IT IS TIME TO STAND UP FOR YOUR CLUB NOT STAY AWAY!TELL LOWE HOW YOU FEEL IN ONE VOICE GIVE HIM AND THE BOARD BRANDFOOT TREATMENT DONT WAIT TILL ITS TO LATE

This once proud club is now a total disgrace, Stern John was the final straw. Lowe should be shot and wilde with him, Jan is clearly a good coach and i think he would make a fantastic academy director, however i am sorry to say he is not a championship manager and is out of his depth, we all know why he is there though - because lowe can minipulate him!!!!! Jan leave now before Lowe makes you the scapegoat!!

Nurse, it's time again for Mr Lowe's medication.

The above article is complete contradictions!

Jan I still think your not up to the job, and your out of your depth. Though if Lowe wishes to be clever in the wrong ways, and pull the carpet under your feet, and your just going to wag your tail like his pet dog, then you will only have yourself to blame.

This is total false economy, and ask a big question of what is Lowe real ambistions for the club? Yes he hides behind money and Wildes screw ups, but as things stands he is bringing this club down to it's knees and is quitely saying and doing nothing.Which in his case is sayin alot!

We deserve better than what the three amigos are dishing up, Lowe, Jan and wide of the mark Wilde. May be Lowe you can be Redcrap number two at spurs, please go?

I can't see who is going to score the goals apart from SJ..?

And why couldn't we guarantee a place in the 1st eleven, appearance fees..?

Doomed.

Come on you Saints fans:
What did John do for us at Sheff. Utd. -NOTHING.
What did he do before we gave him a second chance to revive a failing career - NOTHING.
Why pay him appearance money when he is never going to give us a return.
Since the start of the year, who has left us and made good elsewhere - NOBODY.
Why because the players brought into the club during the time Rupert was not in charge, was wasted money.
We have a team of young players, yes the will lose games, but the will win games too and I believe we wil stay in the CCC this year.
By the way before anyone asks, I be a supporter for 65years. I seen the good and the bad times over the years and believe me these are NOT the really bad years I've seen.

It's sad to see the affect that Lowe and Wilde's experiment is having on this club, fans are walking away in large numbers, and sadly some of them will be lost forever, the youngsters don't want do go and watch, and will also be lost to other clubs, what took 120+ years to build is being dismantled at an alarming rate, the damage will take years to rebuild, It's not the football that is the issue here, the fans will come for pride and passion, they won't turn out to watch the crazy professors and their experiments destroy what is left. It is time these two mad men walked out the door never to return, we can handle financial failure, what we can’t take is the lack respect they are giving to us fans and to this football club, “Total Football” Total farce more like.

I forgot to add to my initial article that whilst the Daily Echo continue to be a propaganda outlet for Wilde/Lowe. They at least could say the obvious in that.

Last para should be.......

"Saints have seen the arrival of several players in recent months and with that presumably wages/fees etc etc"

Satellite wrote:
Come on you Saints fans: What did John do for us at Sheff. Utd. -NOTHING. What did he do before we gave him a second chance to revive a failing career - NOTHING. Why pay him appearance money when he is never going to give us a return. Since the start of the year, who has left us and made good elsewhere - NOBODY. Why because the players brought into the club during the time Rupert was not in charge, was wasted money. We have a team of young players, yes the will lose games, but the will win games too and I believe we wil stay in the CCC this year. By the way before anyone asks, I be a supporter for 65years. I seen the good and the bad times over the years and believe me these are NOT the really bad years I've seen.

Who was the top Goal scorer at the club last season? Failing career you say...19 goals in 40 games for saints, that's no failure. Career Total App 367 Goals 144 - that look like a failure to you? who scored two of the goals in the last game of last season to keep us up? yes, your failure...

you asked who has left us this season that has made good elsewhere, did you miss Saga scoring in the champions league last week?

Why doesn't Lowe go the whole hog and just play schoolboy amateurs: think how much more wages he could save.... Lowe out.Boycott St Marys.

I have never been and out and out opposer of Rupert Lowe. I could see we were in the mire and his way seemed the only real answer to our financial problems particularly as we have a respected Andrew Cowen in there hopefully fighting for reality. However I have recently fallen off the fence having heard little bits from many and varied respected people with one thing in common, they all are firm supporters of Southampton Football Club.

My gut feeling is that Lowe has won. There is nothing we can do. Under his stewardship Southampton FC is dying a horrible death. OK it might have happened under the previous regime, who knows. I hear (second hand I might add) even some of our young players are getting disillusioned although that may be as much down to the team inability as a unit.

I am going again tomorrow evening but there is no buzz, no desire, just a numbness and realisation that I am watching the death throws of a once proud football club.

I can understand the stay aways. It is not helping our financial position but it has to send an important message to Lowe and his backers. Hand over the Stewardship to someone else. Lowe himself will never give in to his ideals. Wilde has to see his damaging role in this. He needs to set the domino's falling. Resignation from the plc is the only way in my opinion. Do it please and do it soon or the little value you have left in your shareholdings will soon be worthless.

This is total madness by the management to loan out a striker like Stern John but as another poster said it is definitely a ploy by Lowe/Wilde to get something for an out of contract player. Poor Portaloo didn't know how to play him in any case he is not a good sub needs to be playing from the start.
I have spent some time trying to persuade those stay away fans to support the team not too worry or even mention the curse of Lowe/Wilde. Now it looks like our fate is to be the team every CCC side rolls over for easy points. If we survive it will be among some of the greatest escapes ever.
I have a season ticket and only because of that will I continue to attend along with my friends.
As a life long fan for 55yrs plus I too have seen highs and lows as well. I cannot say this is the worst but it is very nearly. The only thing that made me smile was Harry escaping to Spurs he will need a miracle there.
A football club of our size should not be a PLC it should be reviewed asap but I can't see a benevolent buyer that can turn things around having the money to clear the mortgage debt without taking into account any other losses Saints are incurring.
Getting shot of Lowe/Wilde will not be easy especially with the country in a recession. Anyone want to put a survival points total up yet?
COYR

boycotting SMS is NOT the answer..

TURN UP AND SUPPORT THE TEAM PLEASE..

Many will cynically laugh at this piece and im sure that it will be pulled apart on various message boards, but for those that sit back and say "But what can fans do" they would do well to google the name Angie Rowe, ten years ago she stepped up to a microphone in front of 150 fellow supporters of her team and made a passioned plea, their club occupied 92nd place in the league, its debts were horrendous and it didnt even own its own stadium, being charged an exhorbitant rent by a previous owner of the club.

In her speech she said " We dont want pitch invasions, poster campaigns, hate mail anything like that, but there comes a point when you cant carry on saying I cant do anything about it , No, We can all do something if we try.

On that evening the Tigers Co-Operative Trust was formed, that Club was Hull City and they are the living embodiment of what supporters can do if they unite.

Or perhaps we can just all sit back and do nothing

YOU DONT HAVE TO BE A SUPPORTER OF LOWE TO BE A SUPPORTER OF SAINTS... OBVIOUSLY SOME PEOPLE ARE WEAK...

I gave up my season ticket this year and have refused to go to any games until Lowe is removed(again)!
Please join in before we end up in League one and no doubt will be replaced by Leicester with a great Manager - yet another of your brilliant decisions Rupert!!!

Weston Saint wrote:
I have never been and out and out opposer of Rupert Lowe. I could see we were in the mire and his way seemed the only real answer to our financial problems particularly as we have a respected Andrew Cowen in there hopefully fighting for reality. However I have recently fallen off the fence having heard little bits from many and varied respected people with one thing in common, they all are firm supporters of Southampton Football Club. My gut feeling is that Lowe has won. There is nothing we can do. Under his stewardship Southampton FC is dying a horrible death. OK it might have happened under the previous regime, who knows. I hear (second hand I might add) even some of our young players are getting disillusioned although that may be as much down to the team inability as a unit. I am going again tomorrow evening but there is no buzz, no desire, just a numbness and realisation that I am watching the death throws of a once proud football club. I can understand the stay aways. It is not helping our financial position but it has to send an important message to Lowe and his backers. Hand over the Stewardship to someone else. Lowe himself will never give in to his ideals. Wilde has to see his damaging role in this. He needs to set the domino's falling. Resignation from the plc is the only way in my opinion. Do it please and do it soon or the little value you have left in your shareholdings will soon be worthless.

Exactly!

For the first time in years I may not be making the 400 mile round trip to watch the Saints tomorrow evening.

I've missed evening home games in the past, but it was because of ill health, bad weather or the recent high fuel costs.

As a season ticket holder I'm sorry however, this time I'd rather not be there.

Oh! I couldn't give a curse for the likes of Wilde and Lowe, but I really can't accept that it's all their fault. And whilst I'm not totally convinced of the current manager's strategy, nonetheless, I do beleive if we can survive it will pay dividends later.

ejjackson is quite right to mention the Hull City experience and the case for a Supporters Trust is a sound solution, however such groupings are easily be misled and used by those with another agenda alltogether. Is that not the reason we're in our current state.

By the by, on this day (27 October) 1998 the Tigers were at the bottom of the old Third Division!

As a near-seventy year old, I don't think I can wait that long!

Saints where one one of the safest clubs in the top flight, RL has had ten years of bleeding the clubs profits, its time for him to go and the only way he will go (as i see it) is for all the fans to stay away.
Id love to see us stay up this season, but its not gonna happen under Rupert

ejjackson wrote:
Many will cynically laugh at this piece and im sure that it will be pulled apart on various message boards, but for those that sit back and say "But what can fans do" they would do well to google the name Angie Rowe, ten years ago she stepped up to a microphone in front of 150 fellow supporters of her team and made a passioned plea, their club occupied 92nd place in the league, its debts were horrendous and it didnt even own its own stadium, being charged an exhorbitant rent by a previous owner of the club. In her speech she said " We dont want pitch invasions, poster campaigns, hate mail anything like that, but there comes a point when you cant carry on saying I cant do anything about it , No, We can all do something if we try. On that evening the Tigers Co-Operative Trust was formed, that Club was Hull City and they are the living embodiment of what supporters can do if they unite. Or perhaps we can just all sit back and do nothing YOU DONT HAVE TO BE A SUPPORTER OF LOWE TO BE A SUPPORTER OF SAINTS... OBVIOUSLY SOME PEOPLE ARE WEAK...

You hit the nail on the head there! Thats the best post i've read on here for ages....unfortunatel
y, 50% of all saints fans are as loyal as Redknapp and as intelligent as posh spice so won't understand your post!I go there for the football, not the politics and boardroom rubbish! I still can't understand why the crowds dropped when we got relegated...don't people go there to watch saints, not the opposition? I'll watch the team regardless of which league we're in, or who's sat in the directors box!

Weston Saint, Listening to the commentary on Saturday afternoon I described the mood as 'like watching someone you love dying a slow painful death'.
I will be there tomorrow night supporting my team, because that's what they are my team and the young lads on the pitch need our support more than ever. There are some good players at the Club, they just need some help from a couple of experienced players.
The stay away fans are not hurting Lowe & Wilde they are just killing the Club quicker. It will be no use moaning when Southampton don't have a team to support anymore.
COYR's

Lets have some truth on this web-site, its not Rupert/Wilde thats stopping the Saints going forward,its the fickle whinging Saints fans.
Pompey have had their troubles over the years and had years of relegation, also Deacon as Chairman.
What did they do, they had 2/4000 away fans at matches that supported the team even when they were losing heavily and at home matches they sung until the final whistle.
What happened a Millionaire bought the club,the rest is history.
Why did Madric buy Pompey and not the Saints, because he could see a team with supporters and not a team with whingers for fans.
If you all want to get rid of Lowe/Wilde pack the home games and support the team at away games, win or lose.
Norwich was relegated at the same time as the Saints, what have their supporters done, they have bought every season ticket available, 23000, where are they in the league just above us, but they still turn up for every match.
A buyer will see the support the Saints would have and put his money into the club.
But any invester reading this web-site, would certain agree that you do not deserve a Premiership team.
Over the 65yrs I have supported the Saints, we have had good and bad times, the team needs support in the bad teams, not a lot of stay at home and whingers.
Quite honestly the whole club, team, crowd etc. would be better off if you all S** off to another club and stop your continual anti-Saints remarks on this site.

Satellite wrote:
Lets have some truth on this web-site, its not Rupert/Wilde thats stopping the Saints going forward,its the fickle whinging Saints fans. Pompey have had their troubles over the years and had years of relegation, also Deacon as Chairman. What did they do, they had 2/4000 away fans at matches that supported the team even when they were losing heavily and at home matches they sung until the final whistle. What happened a Millionaire bought the club,the rest is history. Why did Madric buy Pompey and not the Saints, because he could see a team with supporters and not a team with whingers for fans. If you all want to get rid of Lowe/Wilde pack the home games and support the team at away games, win or lose. Norwich was relegated at the same time as the Saints, what have their supporters done, they have bought every season ticket available, 23000, where are they in the league just above us, but they still turn up for every match. A buyer will see the support the Saints would have and put his money into the club. But any invester reading this web-site, would certain agree that you do not deserve a Premiership team. Over the 65yrs I have supported the Saints, we have had good and bad times, the team needs support in the bad teams, not a lot of stay at home and whingers. Quite honestly the whole club, team, crowd etc. would be better off if you all S** off to another club and stop your continual anti-Saints remarks on this site.

What a load of crap you write!

So it is your way or the high way? May be, just may be Saints fans have had enough at having the heart ripped out of their club, and you say we should just accept this and keep very very quite?

What crap you write about pompey too!

Bottom line, if and I know it is a big if at the moment. If we had a better run board, things could more than likely be much better than it is now. Is this too much to want. In life if your responsible for a bussiness, and you fail that bussinees. You would expect to pay the price.

Satellite, you're so right.

What would happen if Lowe thought to himself 'You know what, no one likes me and I'm just not up to the job. I'm going to sell my shares and have nothing to do with this club ever again.'

What happens then? I hardly think Richard Branson is likely to have a look and think 'Well that's a club that manages to get almost 15,000 people through the gates. They love their football down there and they'll make me feel like a god if I step in and turn things around. Quick, pass my cheque book.'

Satellite, in response to your remark --> "The team needs support, not a lot of stay at home and whingers.Quite honestly the whole club, team, crowd etc. would be better off if you all S** off to another club and stop your continual anti-Saints remarks on this site"

A couple of points:
1/ People are not slagging off the club, they are desparately sad at the way the club is being run. There's a big difference
2/ You speak as if the stay aways are a MINORITY. Try deducting 12,000 from 30,000 and work out whether the difference represents the minority.
3/ Asking the fans to spend their hard earned money in the current economic climate, given the way they have been continually insulted by Lowe and Wilde is akin to King Canute trying to stop the tide come in.

My thoughts are more in line with kdog who is at least trying to do something about the situation.

If you cant bare to support southampton, support through "Thick & Thin" then you should walk on and go back to your caves.

What makes this situation harder is people constatly slagging of this club and siscouraging the fans that keep pride and stand side by side with the young team- also of which this team is our Jewel and pride of southampton. If in the future we come out of this situation with our heads held high... it won be the "stay home'rs" we'll be thanking thats for sure.

The Bank is now calling the shots. Why? Because joker Crouch gambled money the club could not afford on high wages and mediocre players.

Without the cutbacks the club would now be finished. Actually, but for the misguided “fans” who are staying away and reducing the revenue stream still further Stern John might still be at SFC and not out on loan.

Lowe has made mistakes, the biggest was not persuading the spineless members of the Board to ignore the senseless baying “No to Hoddle” mob and reappointing him.

So if you were a “No to Hoddle” unpalatable as it might be you are culpable for the current mess, oh yes you are.

Ignore this drivel about protests and emailing some brainless idiot. The club needs the fans, forget Lowe, get behind the team. If Lowe walked out tomorrow what do you think the bank would do?

And by the way, potential investors do check out these message boards, reading the rubbish from most posters on here will do nothing but deter them.

COYR

saint_or_sinner, you say nobody slagging off the club, only the way it is run.
Fact I have read every annual financial statement of the PLc, NOWHERE, in those accounts shows Rupert Lowe 'milking' the club. This was put around for the fault of relegation. However,when we were in the Premiership how many times did we have a complete sell out per season. Did we at any time sell all the season tickets. So how come you are deducting 12000 from 30000.
If the Saints lose 2 or 3 matches 5000 stay away, if we win a couple of matches the crowd increases 5000, are these fans 'glory hunters'.
Certainly times are bad, but if I can visit the home games from Norfolk(nearly 475miles trip) I'm certain people living in Soton area can make the effort.
As I have said before Norwich have sold every season ticket each year since their relegation. They were one place below us in the league, but they went out and brought in a Reading striker on loan who has scored four goals in three matches. We cannot do this because the Saints fickle fans think they are doing something positive by staying away.So we lose revenue to pay wages.
Saint, writes that it is rubbish about pompey, but they were voted best fans 2/3 years running. He also writes that the club has had the heart ripped out by the Board. If there is not enough money coming in,(fans on seats), you cannot pay money out.
Nobody is asking you to keep quite, in fact I'm asking all of you to get down to the SMS and shout your heads off in support of these young players trying their best for you.

Satellite:

Couldn't put it better myself - wellsaid!

Satellite, I take my hat off to you - making the journey from Norwich to Southampton and I'n glad that you are keeping the faith. I live closer but have many calls on my time and I'm not particularly wealthy. My current feeling is that I get absolutely no enjoyment at St Marys and I am seriously unhappy about Lowe's effect on the club - more the decision making and the media prancing over the years than the finances. I have always said that he's an accountant, NOT a businessman otherwise he would stop performing experiments that no other club in the league seem to be doing. I'm sure that he could have left Pearson to 'wheel and deal' with a much reduced budget which would have kept more fans like me in attendance. It's a sad fact of life that although I still call myself a Saints fan, I feel disenfranchised from the club at present. If Lowe left, I would return immediately. That's the way I feel in all honesty. I guess the question is - how many fans think like me and should we NEVER return to the club?
Regards
saint_or_sinner

Satellite wrote:
saint_or_sinner, you say nobody slagging off the club, only the way it is run. Fact I have read every annual financial statement of the PLc, NOWHERE, in those accounts shows Rupert Lowe 'milking' the club. This was put around for the fault of relegation. However,when we were in the Premiership how many times did we have a complete sell out per season. Did we at any time sell all the season tickets. So how come you are deducting 12000 from 30000. If the Saints lose 2 or 3 matches 5000 stay away, if we win a couple of matches the crowd increases 5000, are these fans 'glory hunters'. Certainly times are bad, but if I can visit the home games from Norfolk(nearly 475miles trip) I'm certain people living in Soton area can make the effort. As I have said before Norwich have sold every season ticket each year since their relegation. They were one place below us in the league, but they went out and brought in a Reading striker on loan who has scored four goals in three matches. We cannot do this because the Saints fickle fans think they are doing something positive by staying away.So we lose revenue to pay wages. Saint, writes that it is rubbish about pompey, but they were voted best fans 2/3 years running. He also writes that the club has had the heart ripped out by the Board. If there is not enough money coming in,(fans on seats), you cannot pay money out. Nobody is asking you to keep quite, in fact I'm asking all of you to get down to the SMS and shout your heads off in support of these young players trying their best for you.

Sorry you'r just playing with words, and in the prem we had nearly a full house for most of the season. To use Norwich as a example, is possibly better example if you look at what the board there are doing, and that they are indeed trying to get back to the prem every season. The board give the fans a reason to buy their season tickets, and there in my lie the answer. The bussiness we are in is the entertainment and results bussiness, get either right fans will turn up.

As to pompey fans they were not voted the best, other than from themselves! They did take the most away though, and in the contexts of things this is simply they are living the high life now, after being starved for so long! See what happens after say 19 years in the prem!

Regards money coming, can't pay money out, this is a Lowe convenient statement at the moment. May be you should be asking what is the board doing to bring in the fans in the first place? Also your statement here annoys me and many others, as it is a goldfish bowl statement on a very little window of what has been many years of demise, NOT JUST THIS SEASON! Many season Saints fans have been there in numbers and in voice, when really they had excuses not to be. Saints fans are die hard, and may be you should respect that, and realise if a Saint fan turns away, then there is differently something wrong, hence my statement of the heart being ripped out.

Question also, and may be I feel you are being taken in here. Do you think all these young players are trying there best for me. Well no! Some might be, but most are using this club as a shop window at best and at least a chance to play football and earn a living. That is football players for you. What they need and upset Saints fans is experiance beside them and guidence. They may be trying if you want to belief, though results are showing, something a miss. Harsh but true, you get no points for efforts in patches, results get points on the board and it is as simple as that. You will not get it by just turning up, handing over your money, and shouting at the team to will them to make it. that is so romantic and not realistic!

Having only been following saints for a shorter time than alot of you , moving hre and suppoting the local team! I think the saints support is really good but wont be treated like idiots! Lowe is gambling with the team, hoping that the kids keep them up which may not happen!! I think if Lowe went then the next home gate would be at least 22000 instead of 15000!! Alot of money with all the extra income alsofrom programs food etc!! I have nothing against lLowe myself but its obvious whats happening! Saints have a good fanbase, they would get alot more than say Birmingham who only had 17000 for there home game and they are top!! Hope better times are coming!!

Someone needs to go on Dragons Den and try persuade them to give SFC some cash! Maybe Rupert should do it!!!!

Why doesn't everyone just stick to football and leave the business, finance and politics out of it because most of you clearly don't have a clue what you are talking about anyway, and obviously don't have any experience of corporate governance either. None of us knows what goes on inside the club, not the dynamics, the relationships, the thinking or the imperatives, yet every time some idiot here or in the Ugly Inside makes some speculative comment blaming Lowe, everyone else takes it on board as though it is common knowledge! So now this completely invented picture is created about how the club is run and you are all talking as though it is absolutely true! So come on then, produce some proof. How can Lowe be "lining his pockets"? - this is a PLC! Haven;t you even figured that out yet? And where is the logic in deliberately taking a company down the pan where the only person to benefit is the official receiver? All shareholders lose if that happens - Lowe owns quite a few shares so he would be shooting himself in the head, never mind the foot. Whether he is a good chairman or not rest assured he wants success as much as any of you do yet some of the garbage theories being put forward about Lowe just show that you should stick to watching EastEnders because reality is clearly too hard and too grown up for you.

Andy Locks Heath wrote:
Why doesn't everyone just stick to football and leave the business, finance and politics out of it because most of you clearly don't have a clue what you are talking about anyway, and obviously don't have any experience of corporate governance either. None of us knows what goes on inside the club, not the dynamics, the relationships, the thinking or the imperatives, yet every time some idiot here or in the Ugly Inside makes some speculative comment blaming Lowe, everyone else takes it on board as though it is common knowledge! So now this completely invented picture is created about how the club is run and you are all talking as though it is absolutely true! So come on then, produce some proof. How can Lowe be "lining his pockets"? - this is a PLC! Haven;t you even figured that out yet? And where is the logic in deliberately taking a company down the pan where the only person to benefit is the official receiver? All shareholders lose if that happens - Lowe owns quite a few shares so he would be shooting himself in the head, never mind the foot. Whether he is a good chairman or not rest assured he wants success as much as any of you do yet some of the garbage theories being put forward about Lowe just show that you should stick to watching EastEnders because reality is clearly too hard and too grown up for you.

Good post ! What do you think will happen if nothing changes then??? I dont have any experience in corperate govenance etc i know but cant you see this is a GAMBLE with a young team which may send them down, not good business!

Andy from Locks Heath
There are not many posters claiming that Lowe has his hand in the till or that he does not want success for Saints. The concern is the decisions that have been made in the name of the club over the last few years.Effectively, Southampton has been run as a football experiment by someone with a strong personality but no deep understanding of the Industry.
Talking of corporate governance, the definition is "the set of processes, customs, policies, laws and institutions affecting the way a corporation is directed, administered or controlled. Corporate governance also includes the relationships among the many stakeholders involved and the goals for which the corporation is governed. The principal stakeholders are the shareholders, management and the board of directors. Other stakeholders include employees, suppliers, customers, banks and other lenders, regulators, the environment and the community at large.

Corporate governance is a multi-faceted subject. An important theme of corporate governance is to ensure the accountability of certain individuals in an organization through mechanisms that try to reduce or eliminate the principal-agent problem

I think it might be quite intersting to look at SFC with an in depth focus on corporate governance. I'm not so sure about the stakeholder management side of things AND principal agent situation regarding Lowe and Wilde - Anyway, back to EastEnders
Saint_or_sinner

Satellite and Andy from Locks Heath the point is this;

Rupert Lowe's background is in old peoples homes that was his core business background before seeing an opportunity to get in to the footy business where Sky TV money was just about to take this industry into the realms of hollywood in terms of salaries and money sloshing around the top end of the game.

Ok so Lowe didn't know much about football, (he is a self confessed hockey and rugger follower) but overnight managed to head up a multi-million pound empire with a brand loyalty that most companies would kill for.

It was inevitable that Lowe would make mistakes, we all do, thats life. However, it is how we learn from those mistakes that make us what we are.

10 managers in as many years is hardly good business sense in any industry but in football it's suicidal.

He used company funds (£4m i believe) to shore up the share price....why couldn't he have invested that on the pitch?

He also used Company funds to pursue a personal libel action against a journalist and then gave the winnings away!

Most obscenely, in my opinion, he wouldn't use club funds to honour the man without whom he wouldn't have had a club to ruin in the first place. Ted Bates was a legend for Saints and should have been honoured by the club he served so well, but Lowe wouldn't and wanted the fans to pay for the statue to honour such a bgreat man, how cheap is that!

He continues to treat us fans with contempt labelling us a the "lunatic fringe" because we have the temerity to question his stewardship of this once proud club.

He continues to ask us to support another one of his stupid experiments in wholly relying on youth in a league where grown men struggle to survive and then charge us top money for the privilige.

What we are being asked to turn up and support in unswerving passion is kids who's careers are going to be ruined because Lowe thinks its right......and of course cheap.

Well I for one no longer recognised the club I started supporting in the 60's I feel more remote from it now than at any other time.

I feel angry that one man's vision and views have taken us systematically backwards and we are destined for League 1 or administration or both.

Why should people pay to be entertained and continually feel ripped off when walking away from St. Mary's.

Continued attendance is only endorsing Lowe's vision and I for one will not do so any longer.

Lowes Nemisis wrote:
Satellite and Andy from Locks Heath the point is this; Rupert Lowe's background is in old peoples homes that was his core business background before seeing an opportunity to get in to the footy business where Sky TV money was just about to take this industry into the realms of hollywood in terms of salaries and money sloshing around the top end of the game. Ok so Lowe didn't know much about football, (he is a self confessed hockey and rugger follower) but overnight managed to head up a multi-million pound empire with a brand loyalty that most companies would kill for. It was inevitable that Lowe would make mistakes, we all do, thats life. However, it is how we learn from those mistakes that make us what we are. 10 managers in as many years is hardly good business sense in any industry but in football it's suicidal. He used company funds (£4m i believe) to shore up the share price....why couldn't he have invested that on the pitch? He also used Company funds to pursue a personal libel action against a journalist and then gave the winnings away! Most obscenely, in my opinion, he wouldn't use club funds to honour the man without whom he wouldn't have had a club to ruin in the first place. Ted Bates was a legend for Saints and should have been honoured by the club he served so well, but Lowe wouldn't and wanted the fans to pay for the statue to honour such a bgreat man, how cheap is that! He continues to treat us fans with contempt labelling us a the "lunatic fringe" because we have the temerity to question his stewardship of this once proud club. He continues to ask us to support another one of his stupid experiments in wholly relying on youth in a league where grown men struggle to survive and then charge us top money for the privilige. What we are being asked to turn up and support in unswerving passion is kids who's careers are going to be ruined because Lowe thinks its right......and of course cheap. Well I for one no longer recognised the club I started supporting in the 60's I feel more remote from it now than at any other time. I feel angry that one man's vision and views have taken us systematically backwards and we are destined for League 1 or administration or both. Why should people pay to be entertained and continually feel ripped off when walking away from St. Mary's. Continued attendance is only endorsing Lowe's vision and I for one will not do so any longer.

Brilliant post!

Said it better than I did!!

Intersting talk about Rupert's experiments. Clive Woodward was brought in to improve the team.
It was Harry that didn't like Woodward and rubbished everything he did. Harry knew best because he'd been in football all his life. You can't teach Harry anything.

In fact Harry was so good, when he relegated us, it wasn't his fault. Must have been Woodward's.

A lot of the things Woodward brought in are still being used today. There has been a few changes in management and at the board since then so they've had plenty of chances to change things. They are still used because they are good and beneficial.

There were a lot of supporters too that ridiculed Woodward. Just like there's a lot who ridicule Jan and although I wouldn't equate Jan with Clive Woodward, they were / are both
being undermined by people who think that they know best.

Sometimes you have to try something different. The traditional way has got us where exactly? Yes we can plod on doing what we always have done and disapear into oblivion or try something different but if we do try something different, at least give the team the support it deserves. If all we get is whinging we will never get success and sucess is the only way to get rid of Rupert.

If Saints have no money in the bank then Lowe should be borrowing to bring in new players, £40 million should be enough to get us back to the premiership.

I'm a true fan and will not support the team until Lowe quits.

chris 1991.you ought to keep of the wacky backy bud. how the hell is being successful goin to remove lowelife and co.he,d lap it up cos thats the sort of man he is.how i saved sfc.get real get organised and dont waste time and money going.boycott the place every single one of us then finally he might finally get the message.if he doesnt then we all know that he doesnt give atoss about sfc or you and i but only his own ego.

why do it rupert?
why?

look wot stern john done for us last season agaisnt sheff utd he saved are behinds. if he didnt score those goals who else would of?
marek saganowski - NO!
bradley wrightphillips - NO!
david mcgoldrick - NO!

they say we got rid of him due to financial problems once agen - NO!
because its going to cost the club in the long run away.

just another qesution before i finish.
why did we let rupert lowe back in?
why?

"Jan Poortvliet is HOPING the next Saints transfers will be players coming in rather than going out after the massive disappointment of Stern John’s departure last week."

jan hopes for the best but as he is not pulling the strings himself is in the dark, just like us fans!

Lowes Nemisis,
May I remind you it was Ted Bates who brought Rupert Lowe into the club as Chairman.
I have also, as stated before, copies of all the financial accounts of the PLc and certainly cannot find where Company money was used to prop up the share price.
If you fill unhappy supporting the Saints o'k, don't go anymore and stop posting diatribe on this site which is certainly not true.
You may happiness supporting some other team.

At the end of the day I have removed the little financial support I can offer to the Lowe regime.

I have set up "New Regime Fund" and it stands at £34, because in theory I could have gone tomorrow night. It will increase on Saturday - as I'm not going to Preston either. I'd rather stay away completely than see the boys get kicked to death at Preston.

I compare it to football violence in the 70's. It would be like putting the family centre in a scrap with the Stretford End!

Uniting the fans has to be the way forward, but the stay aways won't support Lowe; those who go can't accept that. Fighting amongst ourselves at Swansea shows how opinionated we can all be in the heat of the battle.

Common sense must prevail. I have not withdrawn my support for the club...my funding is reserved for when the bank steps in to demand a new structure...the money is not safe under Lowe with relegation looming. Safe is probably not the word - but it will not be used to see the club advance. As for saving the club by coughing up now...disenchanted ST holders should go back to the club on mass and enquire about a refund...trade description act. The product is not fit for purpose at this level!

Mass hysteria would ensue if 2000 season ticket holders contacted David Luker and asked about a refund! No one has to physically go through with it...but watch the old sphincters twitch in the board room.

So what about it?
Many ST holders are moaning about the quality, and wishing they hadn't coughed up the money in advance of knowing what was going to happen. Show the board what you think.

You are the life blood of the club - show them you are by flexing your financial muscle on mass.

For those who want to contact Mr Luker his e-mail address I believe is dluker@saintsfc.co.u
k

The problem all fans have is one of trust...can we believe the Trust? Would you want self appointed Saints fan Nick Illingsworth or Richard Chorley representing "YOU"? We need a figure head to unite us who appeals to all fans...what about Matt Le Tissier? or Francis Benali? Saints through and through, no agendas and not in it for self promotion.

Come on Matt come out of the shadows and give us the figure head we need, with respect from the fans and the footballing world we can get this cancer out of our club. It hurts you more very week - how much more can you take?

Mutiny? No just a short, sharp shock to the man who thinks he is invincible.

Satellite wrote:
Lowes Nemisis, May I remind you it was Ted Bates who brought Rupert Lowe into the club as Chairman. I have also, as stated before, copies of all the financial accounts of the PLc and certainly cannot find where Company money was used to prop up the share price. If you fill unhappy supporting the Saints o'k, don't go anymore and stop posting diatribe on this site which is certainly not true. You may happiness supporting some other team.

Excuse me it was not Ted Bates who brought Lowe in. It was Guy Askham.

Please stop telling fans to go and support another team!

Another thing Lowe has achieved, and that is fan divide, and your adding to it!

Some of the posts disagreeing with me make a lot of good points so at I'm more than happy to shake hands with Saint and Lowes nemesis even though I side with Satelite, Rob and Chris - at least we've managed to raise the bar. Saint made the excellent observation that this is now an entertainment business, not just a spectator sport - in other words people demand success - you don't pay to go to the theatre to see dross, now it's the same with football. To be fair though if we want to criticise the performance of the team or of Lowe the first thing is to stop using the benefit of hindsight. I've been saying for a few years that we should make more use of the youth talent - so now that we are and it's not working I'll stand up and say that I thought at the time it was a brilliant new plan, and not just blame the subsequent decline on Lowe. But I'm guessing that the wage bill has to be trimmed on the orders of the bank which is why the biggest earners go first. This is the only aspect in which Lowe influences team selection - he doesn't pick the team, he doesn't dictate the tactics and he certainly isn't dragging SFC down because he likes hockey not football!

there`s lots of intelligent and insightful comments on here tonight regarding the plight of our beloved club,ultimately though ,we`re in the sh**e.This has happened through a combination of poor decision making,bad luck and most importantly..under-p
erforming players.I`ll be there tomorrow night with my 8 year old lad and the other 13/14000 fans,and if things go wrong i`ll howl in disgruntlement at lowe,portvleit the players etc along with everyone else,but then again the eternal optimist in me hopes that the boysh(jan) put in a performance win the game and all of this will be irrelevent until our next defeat.cmon ladies and gents on here,this stuff happens to football clubs and its happening to us and the reality is theres bugger all we can do about it ,but stay loyal to the hapless players and hope they can turn it around,unlikely i know,but as much as i dislike lowe,or disagree with portvliets tactics im sure they want to succeed,its human nature afterall,and the best chance of that happening is if 25000 saints fans get behind the team.

knuckle dragger wrote:
If Saints have no money in the bank then Lowe should be borrowing to bring in new players, £40 million should be enough to get us back to the premiership.

I'm a true fan and will not support the team until Lowe quits.

Knuckle dragger by name and nature. Who on earth do you think is going to loan SFC £40 million with a fan base of around 15,000 and dwindling. How will the club service the debt?

How pathetic that so called fans want to see their team relegated. And Lowe and Wilde will still own it. What do you do then? Boycott SMS until your team is relegated to the fourth division?

By and large, Southampton will get the club it deserves at a level it deserves as measured by the size of the crowd. At the moment, with third division crowds, we may be heading for the third division. Last year the stayaways left it until the last game to turn up and support the team. This year that may be far too late. You either turn up and support your team or stay away and deny it funds, hoping they loose and get relegated, hoping, probably in vain, that somehow that will get Lowe and Wilde to walk away. There are only fans and fair-weather fans – take your pick.

i'm getting fed up with the words"high wage earners" club has no money" if thats the case why did we spend £1.25m on a unproven midfilder in schneiderlin? this kind of cash could have got us 2 decent centre halves, and kept stern john, the only player saints have that can hold the ball, and score from anywhere.
lowe & wilde have broken this club for their own greed. lowe really doesn't care what happens to saints, he has his own agenda..
if these 2 are still here next season, then ,i am not a high wage earner, and i have no money to spend on renewing my season ticket.

Are you having a laugh Jan? Are you on acid or something?

LOWE OUT.

"Jan Poortvliet is hoping the next Saints transfers will be players coming in rather than going out"

Clearly on Acid.

LOWE OUT LOWE OUT LOWE OUT

lorriep wrote:
i'm getting fed up with the words"high wage earners" club has no money" if thats the case why did we spend £1.25m on a unproven midfilder in schneiderlin? this kind of cash could have got us 2 decent centre halves, and kept stern john, the only player saints have that can hold the ball, and score from anywhere.
lowe & wilde have broken this club for their own greed. lowe really doesn't care what happens to saints, he has his own agenda..
if these 2 are still here next season, then ,i am not a high wage earner, and i have no money to spend on renewing my season ticket.

You're doing it again aren't you? What "greed" from Lowe and Wilde? What the f**k are you talking about? Greed is Stern John doing what all footballers do (in case you hadn't noticed) of claiming a transfer was against their wishes which is done so they don't lose their share of the transfer fee - duh. In what way does the club's current position benefit Lowe or anyone else connected with the club? This is clearly all beyond you, so stick to 4-4-2.

Chris1991 wrote:
Intersting talk about Rupert's experiments. Clive Woodward was brought in to improve the team. It was Harry that didn't like Woodward and rubbished everything he did. Harry knew best because he'd been in football all his life. You can't teach Harry anything. In fact Harry was so good, when he relegated us, it wasn't his fault. Must have been Woodward's. A lot of the things Woodward brought in are still being used today. There has been a few changes in management and at the board since then so they've had plenty of chances to change things. They are still used because they are good and beneficial. There were a lot of supporters too that ridiculed Woodward. Just like there's a lot who ridicule Jan and although I wouldn't equate Jan with Clive Woodward, they were / are both being undermined by people who think that they know best. Sometimes you have to try something different. The traditional way has got us where exactly? Yes we can plod on doing what we always have done and disapear into oblivion or try something different but if we do try something different, at least give the team the support it deserves. If all we get is whinging we will never get success and sucess is the only way to get rid of Rupert.

Chris, you ask where the traditional way of doing things got us. How about the top flight for 27 years, plus trips to Wembley and European football.
Where did the new methods get us, which you state we are still using get us?
Coca Cola Championship league and potentially next season Division 1.

Not all change is for the good. Sometimes the old ways of doing things are still the best ways.
I haven't noticed any improvement in the number of players staying fit. If anything we seem to have more and more players out with knee injuries of hamstring strains each season.

According to the Bristol Evening News, SJ comments are 'not a hard decesion ot make'.

So either the Echo are being slack or telling porkies, or the propaganda machine spouting more bile...

Andy Locks Heath wrote:
Some of the posts disagreeing with me make a lot of good points so at I'm more than happy to shake hands with Saint and Lowes nemesis even though I side with Satelite, Rob and Chris - at least we've managed to raise the bar. Saint made the excellent observation that this is now an entertainment business, not just a spectator sport - in other words people demand success - you don't pay to go to the theatre to see dross, now it's the same with football. To be fair though if we want to criticise the performance of the team or of Lowe the first thing is to stop using the benefit of hindsight. I've been saying for a few years that we should make more use of the youth talent - so now that we are and it's not working I'll stand up and say that I thought at the time it was a brilliant new plan, and not just blame the subsequent decline on Lowe. But I'm guessing that the wage bill has to be trimmed on the orders of the bank which is why the biggest earners go first. This is the only aspect in which Lowe influences team selection - he doesn't pick the team, he doesn't dictate the tactics and he certainly isn't dragging SFC down because he likes hockey not football!

Fair play Andy!

One little point in your post. You say Lowe dose not pick the team, but actually in some way he dose. He has directed a youth policy, and we can agrue the wrongs and rights of this. But he has determined our season from the off, which no one can deny is a big gamble.

I for one, and many other Saints fans wanted youth to be given a chance. Though not all at once. If a young man past his driving test at say 16, you would not give him a job of driving a HGV the next day? That dose not mean he can't, though after experiance and guidence by others. They need experiance around them on the park to learn and develope.

I have accepted alot from Lowe down the years, and indeed meet him. He controls the purse string some what too tight, and banks could learn from him. Though he gets it so wrong else where, and dose not learn. He has I am a chairman of a football club, don't question me attitude to life. He is also a businessman and yet you can argue he is failing here dramatically. When the reverse takeover happen, it was sold to us that this would put us in the stockmarket, to generate more income for the club to progress. This has clearly not happen!

With all this and more I could tell. I think my love for the club and my pride of supporting a proper club, not a so called very easy to do big club, is alot harder for youngester than it should be now! My son is nearly three, and thank god he is loving supporting Saints and the badge, and he has the inner strenght I know to continue and not be swayed by others ridicules. Which is what is happening in the football public domain now, and it hurts. This why it angers me when anyone implys that they are a better fan and that may be another should support another team.

So when Lowe pushes out a player who came here with something to offer after selling our striker at the same time. A player who has scored the goals to keep us up single handed A player who dose not want to move. A player who will score more goals than any other in our side, given the games. Well this I am affraid is false economy in the long run, and has broken the camels back with many Saints fans!