Southampton FC players prepared to wait for wages (From Daily Echo)
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Southampton FC players prepared to wait for wages
3:10pm Friday 29th May 2009 in
-
- By Adam Leitch » Chief Sports Writer
MARK Wotte insists Saints’ players have agreed to remain patient in waiting for their wages to be paid.
The head coach had the unenviable task of phoning round the squad, many of who are on holiday, to tell them the news that they would not be receiving their wages for May yesterday.
Administrator Mark Fry addressed the rest of the staff at St Mary’s and gave them the same message – asking for a bit of goodwill to give him some extra time to sell the club and save it from extinction.
Wotte said there was an encouraging response from his players even though many of the younger members of the squad are paid far more modestly than those at the top end of the scale.
He said: “I rang all the players and explained the situation – that everybody’s working very hard to get the wages paid and hopefully we can do it.
“Everybody was understanding of the situation.
“I asked the players to be patient for a couple of days and hopefully we’ll have better news on Monday.
“Everybody is worried and not very happy but the majority of the players showed understanding and are hoping for better news.”
If a buyer cannot be found in the next few days, Fry will have to seriously consider other options.
One of those may well be a fire sale of players.
There is plenty of interest in some of Saints’ young stars and there would be no shortage of takers – particularly as to get the money in to the club quickly it would probably mean selling them at reduced prices.
However, this is one problem that Wotte does not fear.
“Everybody knows we are trying to sell players and reach a deal with investors and new buyers which could be done quickly, hopefully,” he said.
“The fact we haven’t found a buyer yet is affecting our position.
“I can accept the fact we have to lose one, two or three players because of the situation we are in.
“We are going down to League One and there is interest from Premier League or Championship clubs and we have to be realistic.
“But we are strong in negotiations and hopefully we can stay that way.
“I am not afraid that I will lose half my squad because of this situation.
“I am an optimist by nature so I said to the players give the club and the administrator at least until Monday.”
Comments(30)
greystonesben
says...
8:33am Fri 29 May 09
I dont think any of the players are in a position to kick off about it. Im surprised yet still none of the senior players who got us in this mess have agreed to donate or sacrifice a week, or two's salary to the cause!
allsaintsnocurves
says...
9:38am Fri 29 May 09
Little P
says...
10:10am Fri 29 May 09
liquidshokk
says...
10:13am Fri 29 May 09
doogle1983
says...
10:17am Fri 29 May 09
i kow Fry has to do his job but this is just stupid now!
greystonesben
says...
10:33am Fri 29 May 09
The above is an extract of the article which was posted first thing on Wednesday morning.
I am led to believe that the Echo spoke with MF on Tuesday night and he indicated that he would be announcing a preferred bidder "within 48 hours" or as above, "by the end of tomorrow" which lets presume he means tomorrow being Thursday (48 hours = weds + thurs).
So, yet again MF issues a deadline which has gone and past. Why does this idiot keep doing it?!
MF OUT! Get a bloody administrator in who knows what he is doing and works to deadline!
hampshirehawk
says...
10:49am Fri 29 May 09
greystonesben wrote:How is it that Southampton cannot afford the wages when according to them it is Southampton Leisure Holdings that are in administration?
"Mark Fry also revealed to the Daily Echo last night that he hopes to announce a preferred bidder by the end of tomorrow"
The above is an extract of the article which was posted first thing on Wednesday morning.
I am led to believe that the Echo spoke with MF on Tuesday night and he indicated that he would be announcing a preferred bidder "within 48 hours" or as above, "by the end of tomorrow" which lets presume he means tomorrow being Thursday (48 hours = weds + thurs).
So, yet again MF issues a deadline which has gone and past. Why does this idiot keep doing it?!
MF OUT! Get a bloody administrator in who knows what he is doing and works to deadline!
This proves that the claim they were not "inextricably linked" made to the Football League was not true and explains why they did not appeal against the 10 point deduction.
I just hope the Football League do not deduct more points for trying to pull the wool over their eyes.
G3orgem
says...
11:21am Fri 29 May 09
greystonesben
says...
11:43am Fri 29 May 09
hampshirehawk wrote:I think we all realised that, but if there was a loop hole that the League failed to close, surely it was wise to try and use it?
greystonesben wrote: "Mark Fry also revealed to the Daily Echo last night that he hopes to announce a preferred bidder by the end of tomorrow" The above is an extract of the article which was posted first thing on Wednesday morning. I am led to believe that the Echo spoke with MF on Tuesday night and he indicated that he would be announcing a preferred bidder "within 48 hours" or as above, "by the end of tomorrow" which lets presume he means tomorrow being Thursday (48 hours = weds + thurs). So, yet again MF issues a deadline which has gone and past. Why does this idiot keep doing it?! MF OUT! Get a bloody administrator in who knows what he is doing and works to deadline!How is it that Southampton cannot afford the wages when according to them it is Southampton Leisure Holdings that are in administration? This proves that the claim they were not "inextricably linked" made to the Football League was not true and explains why they did not appeal against the 10 point deduction. I just hope the Football League do not deduct more points for trying to pull the wool over their eyes.
It wasnt pulling the wool over their eyes, it was picking up on a mistake they made, but yeah, I hope they dont deduct more points too!
greystonesben
says...
11:43am Fri 29 May 09
G3orgem wrote:Shouldnt you be under a bridge?
The quicker Lowe comes back and saves this club the better, LOWE=GOD
Measaint
says...
11:44am Fri 29 May 09
G3orgem wrote:go see the doc, he will give you something for it
The quicker Lowe comes back and saves this club the better, LOWE=GOD
DorsetSaint
says...
11:53am Fri 29 May 09
PFA would step in for the players but its not just about the players , its about the girls in the ticket office and all the other staff such as groundsmen, that arn't being paid and they won't be on inflated wages.
And yes p**pey is easy to sell. its owned by one guy, its in the prem with all the kudos that goes with it whereas SFC is part of SLH and the admin have to satisfy the creditors, what is unsure is this £15M figure, does this include the stadium as I thought Barclays was £6M , or is there other debt hidden away ? in which case either Aviva are doing a good deal taking £9M for the stadium or the reason no deal is done is theres a need to finance £15M and still pay the mortgage on £24M.
Hercules Grytpype-Thynne
says...
11:55am Fri 29 May 09
wattstyrant1
says...
11:57am Fri 29 May 09
perhaps the players could donate some dosh to those who work at the stadium cleaning boots, mowing the pitch etc enabling them to play football.
Hercules Grytpype-Thynne
says...
11:58am Fri 29 May 09
G3orgem wrote:Some people made things happen others knew what was happening and then there are those who haven't a clue what happened and this stupid fool fits in the last category.
The quicker Lowe comes back and saves this club the better, LOWE=GOD
sainthog7
says...
12:04pm Fri 29 May 09
mastershot100
says...
12:15pm Fri 29 May 09
Mr.Fry the salesman says"Its a clockwork model.Would you like to see it run?I am about to have it wound up"
East End Saint
says...
12:18pm Fri 29 May 09
Saint Rob
says...
12:35pm Fri 29 May 09
Costa Baz
says...
12:43pm Fri 29 May 09
Saint Rob wrote:Cue the jokes about cuckoo land.
Just seen on Sky Sport News and on the botton strip had breaking news involving our beloved Saints. The administrators have confirmed that they are in the final stages of negotiations with a number of parties. The presenters o there said that one of the bidders is from Switzerland. Come on echo find out more about this
Hercules Grytpype-Thynne
says...
12:53pm Fri 29 May 09
Fred_In_Brizzle
says...
12:57pm Fri 29 May 09
Saint Rob wrote:The Sky story is just a rehash of what MF announced yesterday that he's close to exclusivity with one group.
Just seen on Sky Sport News and on the botton strip had breaking news involving our beloved Saints. The administrators have confirmed that they are in the final stages of negotiations with a number of parties. The presenters o there said that one of the bidders is from Switzerland. Come on echo find out more about this
Its on the Skysports website now.
deadly666
says...
1:08pm Fri 29 May 09
just been looking on wikipedia at paul tisdale...and then steve basham - it says basham is rejoining saints - seriously...
thought we couldnt sign players?
deadly666
says...
1:13pm Fri 29 May 09
G3orgem wrote:i agree
The quicker Lowe comes back and saves this club the better, LOWE=GOD
just kidding
loweout
says...
1:29pm Fri 29 May 09
D!CK
aliscan66
says...
1:40pm Fri 29 May 09
just about says it all at the moment..trying to stay away from any news in the hope that when i turn on the t.v. i will have a nice surprise and cause for celebration!
stoney79
says...
2:41pm Fri 29 May 09
So he goes, the club doesn't go directly back up again, Wilde & Crouch OUT!
Lowe comes back the club, it is already broke, so the fans stop going to the match ('coz that's really going to help, less money - clearly what Saints needed, Doh!!!)
Now, we have an administrator - a business man, legally required to get the best deal for the CREDITORS, (not the morons who used to go down to St Mary's when Saints were in the Prem) doing his best to keep the club going, and we have Fry OUT!
Can't you just let these people go their jobs, you were fine before you kicked out Lowe - okay relegated but still a football team, keep going and there will be nothing left of St Mary's but two rusty unused goal posts and a gas storage facility - and it'll serve you right you bunch of whining, arrogant, has-beens.
Nobody ‘disserves’ a league football club in their town, plenty of people don’t have one, certainly not a Premiership standard team, face it 15 – 18 thousand fans, 20 on a good day is NOT enough to fund promotion back to the Prem.
Lowe’s ‘financial planning’ the tight reign he had on spending and player wages whilst he was chairman is the only thing that allowed the club to carry on for this long – the fans obviously couldn’t be trusted to be loyal and continue going to the matches in sufficient numbers to keep the levels of cash flow needed to sustain the club.
So to all you ‘Saints Fans’ who recon its Lowes fault for not spending to stay in the Prem, look at Leeds – you could still easily have gone down and you’d have gone bust long ago if it wasn’t for the cash reserves from the 1st Lowe period.
If the current situation is anybody’s fault it’s the fans for not supporting their club financially since they got relegated, you only ever get what you pay for
richard sennatt no2
says...
2:59pm Fri 29 May 09
Jason D
says...
3:17pm Fri 29 May 09
stoney79 wrote:Not sure everything you say is correct, but you make some valid points.
Why are the Saints fans getting all grumpy about Mr Fry? He is doing his job, for feks sake! Are Saints 'supporters' are all the same? Most successful period the clubs recent history ends, must be the chairman 'Lowe Out' (couldn't just be football could it, Leeds, Manchester City, Notts Forrest, all bigger clubs relegated from the Prem).
So he goes, the club doesn't go directly back up again, Wilde & Crouch OUT!
Lowe comes back the club, it is already broke, so the fans stop going to the match ('coz that's really going to help, less money - clearly what Saints needed, Doh!!!)
Now, we have an administrator - a business man, legally required to get the best deal for the CREDITORS, (not the morons who used to go down to St Mary's when Saints were in the Prem) doing his best to keep the club going, and we have Fry OUT!
Can't you just let these people go their jobs, you were fine before you kicked out Lowe - okay relegated but still a football team, keep going and there will be nothing left of St Mary's but two rusty unused goal posts and a gas storage facility - and it'll serve you right you bunch of whining, arrogant, has-beens.
Nobody ‘disserves’ a league football club in their town, plenty of people don’t have one, certainly not a Premiership standard team, face it 15 – 18 thousand fans, 20 on a good day is NOT enough to fund promotion back to the Prem.
Lowe’s ‘financial planning’ the tight reign he had on spending and player wages whilst he was chairman is the only thing that allowed the club to carry on for this long – the fans obviously couldn’t be trusted to be loyal and continue going to the matches in sufficient numbers to keep the levels of cash flow needed to sustain the club.
So to all you ‘Saints Fans’ who recon its Lowes fault for not spending to stay in the Prem, look at Leeds – you could still easily have gone down and you’d have gone bust long ago if it wasn’t for the cash reserves from the 1st Lowe period.
If the current situation is anybody’s fault it’s the fans for not supporting their club financially since they got relegated, you only ever get what you pay for
There's no question that the doubt over whether the fans will stick with Saints during the tough times will be playing on any serious investor's mind following last season.
I know we'll say it was all the Lowe protest stuff, but I don't think this has been a vintage year for anyone, not least the fans.
Unless we get off to an amazing start I can't see us attracting anything like the regular following of the likes of Man City and Leeds in League 1 and that's the difference.
I've also seen people mentioning fans buying the club themselves, but I don't see the passion or organisation of the Saints fan base to achieve this.
People seem content to sit around moaning, waiting for things to happen and asking why someone else isn't doing this or that to save the club.
No sign of a proper organised and united front to do something about it though.
That said, I can understand the apathy based on the communication of the club over recent seasons and the efforts of the players and the board.
The idea of throwing money into a pit blindfolded with no idea where it's going or whether it's actually really needed isn't that appealing...
Which might explain why people aren't rushing to buy us.
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Charlie George's Lawnmower says...
8:23am Fri 29 May 09
Why arn't the PFA paying our players wages anyway? That's happened a number of times at other clubs when they were in trouble.
I feel very sorry for the day to day staff at the club who do a good job but have been let down by players, managers and most of all, directors.