Weather
Could land be Southampton FC's saviour from Football League punishment? (From Daily Echo)
When news happens, text SDE and your photos or videos to 80360. Or contact us by email and phone.
Could land be Southampton FC's saviour from Football League punishment?
8:10am Friday 3rd April 2009
Saints will argue that Southampton Leisure Holdings is a separate entity from Southampton Football Club as they bid to beat a ten-point deduction.
In what has been a rapidly changing scenario, it appears the Football League board will definitely discuss Saints’ situation at their meeting on Tuesday after it was confirmed that the club’s parent company was in administration.
Initially it appeared that, because the rules state a points deduction only applies to football clubs in administration and not holding companies of a football club, Saints would escape any sanction.
However, there has been widespread anger from other clubs in the Football League at Saints possibly avoiding the deduction.
Of Saints’ Championship relegation rivals, Barnsley have been the most vocal in their criticism of any potential dodging of the deduction.
But several others, such as Plymouth and Nottingham Forest, are said to be monitoring the situation.
Southampton Leisure Holdings administrator Mark Fry will argue that the holding company is a separate entity from the football club and therefore shouldn’t face a deduction.
He said: “There is a legal position which I’m not prepared to comment on at this meeting.
“I certainly don’t want to put any situation into jeopardy so all I can say is there is a distinct difference in law between the holding company and the operating company.”
When pushed, he admitted that the assets of Southampton Leisure Holdings are mainly football related .
But, perhaps crucially, not the Jackson’s Farm land which he believes gives the holding company a development arm to it.
Jackson’s Farm was the land donated to the club by former club president John Corbett, the late father of ex-Saints football club board director Mary.
Full story in today's Daily Echo.
More News stories
- Saints v MK Dons
- Saints' MK Dons clash is a sell out
- Big guns missing for MK Dons
- Does Saints boss deserve to have pressure piled on?
- Saints on brink of Wembley final
- Cortese puts Pardew under pressure
- My husband was a Saints Wembley hero
- Lallana: we ran out of ideas
- Pardew hits out at Saints quality
- Ex-Saints star arrested
Your Say YourEcho
Rudd Gillett, Saffhampton says...
9:08am Fri 3 Apr 09
Linesman, Fareham says...
9:38am Fri 3 Apr 09
If the latter, will that be closed for the remaining matches? Have the staff been sacked?
SFC4EVA, Southampton says...
9:47am Fri 3 Apr 09
Rudd Gillett wrote:You forget Crouch spending money we did not have to try and get us out of the championship. It failed so we were pushed deeper into debt.
We will get the points deduction no doubt. We will be relegated due to 2 men RL and MW. No one else is to blame, it is all their fault, the Football League is an "old boys network". You can be sure that the likes of Barnsley and Notts Forest will have some old duffers pulling the strings on Saints trap door!
Snopper, Leybourne, Kent says...
9:58am Fri 3 Apr 09
StDave, Southampton says...
10:23am Fri 3 Apr 09
Rudd Gillett wrote:So you think there is no blame attached to the people who allowed our wage bill to soar to 80% of our turnover when Lowe and Wilde weren't on the board. Unbelievable!!!
We will get the points deduction no doubt. We will be relegated due to 2 men RL and MW. No one else is to blame, it is all their fault, the Football League is an "old boys network". You can be sure that the likes of Barnsley and Notts Forest will have some old duffers pulling the strings on Saints trap door!
OwenTheSaint, Durley says...
10:26am Fri 3 Apr 09
Snopper wrote:Well said, most sensible comment I've read all week.
Seems to me there`s little satisfaction to be gained from dishonour. I would rather we were respected in League One than detested for the desperate measures now being pursued.
SFC4EVA, Southampton says...
10:31am Fri 3 Apr 09
Snopper wrote:Do you really think that all these other clubs wouldn't try to avoid the point deduction one way or another if they could?
Seems to me there`s little satisfaction to be gained from dishonour. I would rather we were respected in League One than detested for the desperate measures now being pursued.
I think they probably would given the chance!
Lehman Bros Banker, Docklands says...
10:39am Fri 3 Apr 09
You have been to football what Sir Fred Goodwin was to banking, a pompous self deluded wrongly opinionated parasite who as the ugly and red face of capitalism ultimately destroyed shareholder value and the business you were charged with leading.
History will state that you were the worst disaster to be associated with the great city of Southampton since the Titanic.
And what you knew about football, man management, motivation and customer relations may one day be recorded in the thinnest book in the world.
Nurse it's time for Mr Lowe's medication, but don't bother just turn off his life support system. He's no good to us, he never was.
allsaintsnocurves, Southampton says...
10:50am Fri 3 Apr 09
Solent Saint, Lee on the Solent says...
11:16am Fri 3 Apr 09
lunalovegood, says...
11:19am Fri 3 Apr 09
allsaintsnocurves wrote:I'd take that in preference to not having a club at all.
we will get points deducted but it will not be this season. We will start next season whatever division with minus 10 points!
Hercules Grytpype-Thynne, Southampton says...
11:51am Fri 3 Apr 09
bunneymen, southampton says...
11:51am Fri 3 Apr 09
juan101, says...
11:53am Fri 3 Apr 09
Snopper wrote:Agree totally. Look at the case of Luton who took a 20 point deduction, followed by another 10 points because the football club had used agents in the pay of the holding company. There is an obvious relationship between the holding company and the football side and, for this reason, it seems that a 10 point deduction will come Southampton's way. If they don't get a deduction several clubs are going to be very, very angry. Luton, Bournemouth, Rotherham, Darlo, Leeds etc. Saints have to take the puinishment and start rebuilding. This way they will maintain their self-respect in the football world.
Seems to me there`s little satisfaction to be gained from dishonour. I would rather we were respected in League One than detested for the desperate measures now being pursued.
juan101, says...
11:57am Fri 3 Apr 09
Interserie, Southampton says...
11:59am Fri 3 Apr 09
If SFC does not fulfil all of its remaining Championship fixtures you can kiss goodbye to anything above the Wessex League. I am not being alarmist, this has already happened to Aldershot and to Newport County who both had debts a fraction of those being discussed here.
Couldn't happen to SFC. Don't you believe it. The banks and other creditors pulled the plug and it took 15 years to get the new Aldershot club back to the League. be warned there are worse things than a 10-point deduction !!!
newthm, Southampton says...
2:55pm Fri 3 Apr 09
Firstly, no club = no points deduction necessary.
Secondly, has everyone forgotten Derby and West Ham in recent seasons???? Both clubs Parent Companys went into admin and neither club were hit with a deduction.
Jesus_02, Freemantle says...
6:07pm Fri 3 Apr 09
SFC4EVA wrote:you forget that crouch wasnt chairman at the tome the money was spent?
Rudd Gillett wrote: We will get the points deduction no doubt. We will be relegated due to 2 men RL and MW. No one else is to blame, it is all their fault, the Football League is an "old boys network". You can be sure that the likes of Barnsley and Notts Forest will have some old duffers pulling the strings on Saints trap door!You forget Crouch spending money we did not have to try and get us out of the championship. It failed so we were pushed deeper into debt.
Can you please get your nose out of Ruperts extremities and smell reality. The man has owned and destroyed Saints, the stadium that he is so proud of was delivered on such terms that it has strangles any chance of life that saints had. Now get back in your box
SF76, says...
6:47pm Fri 3 Apr 09
Snopper wrote:Sod the moral high ground. I'm alright Jack is the attitude from me.
Seems to me there`s little satisfaction to be gained from dishonour. I would rather we were respected in League One than detested for the desperate measures now being pursued.
Traceyf, Southampton says...
7:29pm Fri 3 Apr 09
juan101 wrote:Yes, Lowe has lost the money he had tied up in Saints. No, Lowe will not be banned from being a director of any other company as he did nothing legally wrong.
Just a question. Presuambly Lowe has lost the money he put into shares but is that it? Can he just walk away and that's it? Nothing else? Will he be banned from being a director of other companies?
Saints to use Jackson's Farm to escape points deduction?
The Daily Echo - First for Southampton FC News | Keep checking this website for the latest Saints news
Local Advertisers
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
Charlie George's Lawnmower, Soton says...
8:47am Fri 3 Apr 09
I'm no legal expert, but I'd say that would be tough to defend!
Or are the Echo clutching at straws regarding guessing at the situation instead of reporting facts?
Have the Echo been ringing round the many well known Rich Saints fans and asking them if they will be helping the club out or forming a consortium?
Surely that's what the fans and Echo readers want to read about now???