NEWS FROM OTHER WEBSITES

Saints are on ‘brink of oblivion’ explains board member
By Del Killjoy Saturday 28 Feb 2009 14:01:00

Speaking to the Daily Echo in response to criticisms from Keith Wiseman last weekend, Mike Richards, a member of the Saints board, has admitted that the football club are on “the brink of oblivion” and has sought to explain why, defending both himself and fellow board members in the process.
As part of his detailed explanation, Richards does not so much stick up for Plc Chairman Rupert Lowe as point out that there is no viable alternative. And his explanation concerns itself more with exonerating blame and underlying the need to just get on with things than talking positively about what is being done at the moment to sort things out.

In many ways it is a well written piece, but one that raises more questions than answers. And it begins very pointedly by dealing with the subject of blame:

“Rupert blames Harry for relegation and Leon for the financial mess, Michael blames Leon, Leon and Lawrie blame Rupert for everything and Mr Wiseman seems to blame everyone except himself. So who is to blame for the club being in ‘potentially its worse position in more than 50 years?’ I certainly accept my share.

“Anyone who has been a Director for 16 of those years has to be in part responsible and I am sure during that period I made many mistakes. If he was here, I am sure Guy Askham would agree that, during his 35 years on the Board he also made many mistakes.”

This seems reasonable enough, as Richards then goes on to support some of his better decisions.

“One thing I know that Guy, and to a lesser extent I, did get right, with others, during our time on the Board was maintaining the financial stability of the club although, as fans, it was often very hard to agree to sell or not to buy much needed players.”
And after denying the importance of blame, he then goes on to explain the board’s structure for the club’s financial collapse and provides an interesting revelation about Rupert Lowe’s great youth project:
“The drastic decline of the club’s finances in the last two years is the driver of the team we now have on the pitch. The ‘youth policy’ was born of necessity not design.”
So what do the board intend to do to save the club?

“At this particular time it is not important who is to blame for what and it can certainly be shared by us all. Now, for Saints’ sake, can we all shut up about it and get behind what is left of our club to get us back from the brink of oblivion.”

Getting behind “what is left of our club” is something most fans will certainly be prepared to do when it comes to the players and the efforts that they appear to be making at the moment to stave off relegation, but if Mr Richards thinks his statement will rally supporters behind the board, then that strikes me as more than a little naïve.
Boardroom politics looks set to run and run over the next few months. So let’s hope the players can do their bit, while we the supporters do ours, so these guys don’t push us all into oblivion before they can sort themselves out.
Isn’t it about time we stopped talking about blame and people started taking responsibility?

'Too much said by too few' Wilde tells us
By Rob Casey Tuesday 03 Mar 2009 11:25:00

Southampton Football Club Chairman, Michael Wilde is continuing to promote his suggestion of a Fans’ Parliament, claiming that communication between fans and the board has seemingly broken down. Well, he’s not wrong there, but many of us are waiting to discover whether this talking shop will actually have any influence on boardroom decisions, or more likely act as a means for the “too few” to continue to say “too much” in a more formal setting, as an act of attempted appeasement.

In theory, it’s hard to disagree with the sentiments put forward by Mr Wilde, and his suggestions are certainly to be welcomed by those of us who feel ignored by those in control of our beloved club. However, it’s equally hard not to be cynical about whether there is anything in this idea to genuinely benefit us as supporters. Will we actually be listened to, or just simply heard?

“The whole point of communication is to have it as a two-way system. One thing I’ve been very conscious of is that there’s been too much said by too few people to a certain extent and I wanted to get a system set up which would be much more embracing of a wider range of support,” Wilde told BBC Radio Solent.
“In terms of having a greater say, I think for the man in the street, if you like, they need to have a greater ability to participate in what the club is doing. It’s not talking about having a fan on the board, it is a mechanism through which we can have a two-way communication with fans in a structured and constructive way. And that’s really what the aim is.
“The other point about the parliament is it will represent a wide variety of types of supporter, so that it’s a very inclusive type of arrangement and is not restricted to the existing fans clubs. Of course they will be included, but only as part of a broader spectrum of representation.”

Wilde cited the example of Wolves, who were in a similar position to Saints both in football terms and financially, as a club who have operated a successful Fans’ Parliament.
“It’s tried and it’s tested. There’s a format to adopt and I think it would be ideal for the situation that we’re currently in.”

Obviously, one look at the league table will tell you that Wolves are in far better shape at the moment, but how much of this can really be put down to this initiative? Is it really a cause, or merely a correlation? Either way, Mr Wilde has a lot to do to win the support of Saints fans, as he acknowledged:
“There’s certainly a lot of work to do in terms of building bridges with supporters.”

Perhaps this work will never be fully completed until his partner-in-c#### Rupert Lowe is gone from the club for good. However, in the meantime, “We have board approval for this initiative already,” so it looks like the idea could be a goer, despite the general cynicism it has attracted from twice shy fans so far.
Have we got anything to lose by supporting Mr Wilde’s proposal though?

After Thursday 26th March any club that goes into administration will have points deducted next season. With this in mind, the Saints board are likely to be very concerned about the club’s future, with Southampton odds on to get relegated according to every major bookmaker in the country.

Relegation into League One would make administration a distinct likelihood, if not a probability. And starting next season with a points deduction to boot would further cripple the club.

But no fan would want to see this happen when our future is still in our hands. After all, if we win our game in hand, we could be out of the bottom three, and safe!

Depending on who you ask, it would either be a very brave man or a very foolish one (I suspect the latter would be the most popular answer) to push Saints into administration right now. However, it is certainly a gamble not to, even if it’s the right gamble to take.

Therefore, we can probably expect this deadline to come and go with little word from the men in charge. But let’s be under no illusions. This puts even more pressure on the team.

We simply HAVE to survive now, or the club will be in freefall.

With a couple of good results and a few poor ones from our relegation competition we could easily survive.Our improved crowd gates could both help the team and our creditors to remain positive.

From the Times Online...

Financial woes at Southampton Football Club jeopardise listed parent
Helen Power and Gary Jacob
Southampton Football Club's listed parent company was teetering on the brink of administration last night after the club failed to agree an extension of its overdraft with Barclays Bank.

Shares in the AIM-listed Southampton Leisure Holdings will be suspended this morning and Begbies Traynor, the accountancy firm, is standing by to step in as administrator of the troubled club, which has struggled since it was relegated from the Premier League in 2005.

It is heavily indebted after spending more than £30 million on a 30,000-seat stadium four years ago.

Rupert Lowe, its colourful executive chairman, is well known in the City as a former Deutsche Bank banker and the present chairman of WH Ireland, the stockbroker. However, Mr Lowe's return to the club last May after a well-publicised falling-out with Michael Wilde, its chairman, has failed to arrest the decline of the club.

Related Links
Barclays says joining APS is too costly
Southampton board face EGM request Barclays, which is being advised on talks with Southampton by DLA Piper, the law firm, declined to comment.

However, sources close to the situation said that the board of the club would convene this morning to make the final arrangements to put the club's parent company into administration, with the business expected to apply to a court for an order within the week.

It is understood that then the heavily indebted club will have until the end of the summer to find a buyer or face bankruptcy itself.

Southampton has a £4 million overdraft with Barclays, which it has exceeded, and it also owes Norwich Union about £24 million for its stadium.

It is understood that Barclays declined to extend Southampton's loan or invest equity on the grounds that it was not commercially viable.

However, it is hoped that moves to put the club's parent company, rather than the club itself, into administration will save it from having points docked by the Coca-Cola Championship.

The club received two years of parachute payments, totalling about £13 million, to cope with the reduction in income after relegation; however, inevitably, it was forced to sell its best young players, including Theo Walcott, the England winger, to Arsenal, and Gareth Bale, the Wales defender, to Tottenham Hotspur.

Last year, Southampton avoided relegation to the third tier of English football on the last day of the season, although it faces a similar battle again, sitting second from the bottom of the Championship.

That at least will work if someone can come in with some cash.

Apparently there are three groups of supporters now trying to set up a save the club fund. Two are talking together and could join forces as their aims are closely matching. Both sets have been in touch with the admistrators who have asked them to keep in touch. It appears that the aim is to end up with a set-up similar to Barcelona. I for one would love it to take off. I think it could be a good idea to open a thread to let us discuss alternative ways to save the club if there is enough of us prepared to chat.

From the Blackpool Gazette... ...

Published Date: 15 April 2009
We take a look around the papers for the latest news from Portsmouth, Southampton, Wolves, Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Southampton may sell their St Mary's home to the local council and lease it back at a reduced rate. (The Sun)

It is an option that could allow our club to continue. However I would choose it as a last resort. The council would want to use it as often as possible to earn capital and could weaken us by lowering the standard of the amenities on offer. Imagine catering by the very cheapest option.Thanks but no thanx.

From the Echo website...

Mystery surrounding new Southampton Football Company Ltd
10:12am Saturday 18th April 2009

MYSTERY surrounds a business set up in the name of Southampton Football Company Ltd, which has an ex-professional player as its only director.

Rumours abound that the business, which was only incorporated earlier this month, some seven days after Southampton Leisure Holdings PLC went into administration, could be a springboard to launch a bid for the club.

It’s only registered director is Rufus Brevett, who is a former QPR and West Ham defender, who owns all 100 of the company's registered share capital, valued at a total of £100.

The SFC Ltd name potentially is mere coincidence but Brevett, now 39, has previously been linked with groups aiming to take over League 1 clubs Swindon and Tranmere – a fact that’s fuelled the speculation.

The Daily Echo yesterday visited the company’s registered address at 2 Old Bath Street, Newbury – a plush building on a thriving street on the edge of the town – and is the home of accountancy firm Ross Brooke.

Among other accountancy business, Ross Brooke advise companies on potential mergers and acquisitions.

They say they can “identify potential targets for M&A, screen targets for suitability, prepare a negotiating strategy, raise the necessary capital, develop an integration plan, optimise the tax and financial position of the combined enterprise.”

In the summer of 2007, Brevett, was appointed Swindon’s sporting director to provide a link between then boss Paul Sturrock and the board.

Around that time, Best Holdings SGPS, a Portuguese investment company, announced they were taking control of Swindon only to pull out few months later.

The Daily Echo has attempted to contact Mr Brevett but has so far been unable to speak to him.

RB has had too many false dawns for me to become even slightly interested. Always seems to be able to blow plenty of hot air but with no end product. Much the same as his football career.

The more I read about that Rufus Brevett company the less I like it.

Harry speaks up on the Express website...

Harry Redknapp believes Southampton would be a sound investment for anyone stepping in to rescue the troubled club.

Saints administrator Mark Fry says two parties are showing “serious interest”, but Redknapp is not thought to be planning any move himself.

He managed Saints for a year and was at the helm when they tumbled out of the Premier League.

Now they will be in League One next season – but only if they can find a buyer within the next couple of weeks to stop them going out of existence.

Redknapp, now managing Tottenham, is not surprised the club have slipped, but genuinely hopes someone will take the risk. “The situation is sad, but I could see it happening,” he said.

“They are a good club and one that someone should buy now. It’s a great buy for somebody. They’re up for sale and they’re not expensive. They have a great fan base, a great stadium and a good training ground.

“You need a serious money man.

“Once you are down there it’s all about having good players. You sell your best players and that leaves you with average players.”

Lawrie McMenemy, another former Saints boss, said: “We deserve to be at the other end of the Championship, or even higher.

“But you have no divine rights. You go where your efforts get you. But we will come again.”

Could Pompey be in trouble? Some people think it's all over and others are saying deal will be done in next three days, but



Distortion of the polls by Portsmouth fans? Perhaps, but Southampton's plight into League One football is enough to make most Saints fans blush. So you can read into that poll how you will, but let's take a break and look at our neighbours down the road, who are in a spot of bother themselves. I like to call the remainder of this piece 'the monday feel good' Portsmouth have surpassed the 11th of July date for the completion of due dilligence as expressed by Storrie and Al-Fahim's proposed dates to the mass media. Why has this happened? One word, Johnson. The sale of Glen Johnson is one that changes the face of the value of the club and presumably Al-Fahim has weighed that into consideration and talks between the faux Dr. and Gaydamak could be fraying over the proposed asking price for the club. Why the sale of Johnson was sewn up before this deal was completed remains a mystery but it could potentially put the hitch on the deal and with Gaydamak keen to offload Peter Crouch to further balance the books, it seems an action likely of a man who is not prepared to sell the club at Al-Fahim's revised asking price.

The Portsmouth contingency must be jangling with nerves about the status of this takeover deal, as anything other than completion of the deal will end in the remainder of asset stripping and throwing Portsmouth's Premier League future on the roulette wheel. What also makes me believe this takeover deal not going through is the fact Portsmouth's transfer activity all stems over from Africa. Aaron Mokoena is Portsmouth first signing, they are tussling for M'Bami and Chimbonda two players looking at being involved in the African Nations Cup. Throw all of the above with news breaking in The Mirror that Paul Hart will be given the full time managers position, it would seem the most embarassing takeover to no takeover could be at Portsmouth. Time will certainly tell.

Found this today...

The appointment of Alan Pardew is one that outsiders can observe with great interest.

Southampton fans are delighted and whilst, as usual, there are doubters in the pack, they are fewer in number than when George Burley was appointed. Charlton fans are convinced he’s useless, as he failed to return any buoyancy to their sinking ship. West Ham fans on the whole have great praise for him, despite wanting him gone in their promotion season before he delivered the goods.

Then there’s what Talksport came up with. The company that spouts nothing but tripe, which re-employed the disgraced Rodney Marsh, said it was terrible that such a good English manager had to go to the third tier to find employment, at a club with negative points. Isn’t it also terrible that ‘top’ pundits have to join a third-rate radio talk show that is famous for being awful?

Back to the main point, and Alan Pardew is an exciting appointment. Rumours of Gordon Strachan coming back were so far wide of the mark it could have been a Lee Molyneux cross. The ultimate fear of a return for Dennis Wise didn’t come to fruition, thankfully, and other names such as Port Vale’s Micky Adams or Exeter’s former Saint Paul Tisdale never really caught the imagination of the average Saint. Alan Pardew was a name that not many had thought of – if any at all – and it was a delight to see such a great welcome for him before the pre-season tie with Ajax. Shame the team lost 4–1.

Pre-season hasn’t been the best of times, with stories coming from the training ground of Pardrew in utter disbelief at the lack of on-pitch intelligence and then a poor set of results in friendly matches against the likes of Salisbury, Farnborough Town and other such giants. A 3–0 win over Hearts in Pardew’s first game barking orders from the touchline however has put a smile on many a Saints fan’s face.

Add to this the fact that administration, now long gone, may have done more damage than meets the eye. Pre-season needs to be an uneventful time, where a clear plan is followed to ensure players are nurtured back to fitness and are fully prepared as new faces come in. Southampton are starting at least two weeks behind the rest of League One, as players hardly turned up, not knowing for sure there would be a club to play for.

Basically, pre-season has been anything but uneventful on the south coast for those in red and white. This hasn’t put off the faithful though, as season ticket sales have shot past last year’s mark and then some, and the opening day of the season against Millwall looks set to be a big one.

Overcoming a ten point deficit on a decent squad following on from a successful pre-season is tough for anyone, but Southampton still have half a team of kids and the other of veterans. Stern John is rumoured to be off, and Grzegorz Rasiak will no doubt follow. Adam Lallana has changed his tune and will stay for at least another year, which is a positive, given he looks set to play a big part next in 09/10.

Fans want success, as ever, and will most likely look for a play-off push, similar to what Leeds achieved under Dennis Wise, Gus Poyet and later Gary McAllister following their points deduction. This season realistically should be spent forming a tight squad, adding a few names here and there, but finishing as high as possible as to attract better players next season for an automatic promotion spot.

All of this could be rubbish however. Pardew could have an absolute nightmare like at Charlton and we could go down to League Two. Oh well. That’s why we watch football!

SaintMike wrote:Found this today...

The appointment of Alan Pardew is one that outsiders can observe with great interest.

Southampton fans are delighted and whilst, as usual, there are doubters in the pack, they are fewer in number than when George Burley was appointed. Charlton fans are convinced he’s useless, as he failed to return any buoyancy to their sinking ship. West Ham fans on the whole have great praise for him, despite wanting him gone in their promotion season before he delivered the goods.

Then there’s what Talksport came up with. The company that spouts nothing but tripe, which re-employed the disgraced Rodney Marsh, said it was terrible that such a good English manager had to go to the third tier to find employment, at a club with negative points. Isn’t it also terrible that ‘top’ pundits have to join a third-rate radio talk show that is famous for being awful?

Back to the main point, and Alan Pardew is an exciting appointment. Rumours of Gordon Strachan coming back were so far wide of the mark it could have been a Lee Molyneux cross. The ultimate fear of a return for Dennis Wise didn’t come to fruition, thankfully, and other names such as Port Vale’s Micky Adams or Exeter’s former Saint Paul Tisdale never really caught the imagination of the average Saint. Alan Pardew was a name that not many had thought of – if any at all – and it was a delight to see such a great welcome for him before the pre-season tie with Ajax. Shame the team lost 4–1.

Pre-season hasn’t been the best of times, with stories coming from the training ground of Pardrew in utter disbelief at the lack of on-pitch intelligence and then a poor set of results in friendly matches against the likes of Salisbury, Farnborough Town and other such giants. A 3–0 win over Hearts in Pardew’s first game barking orders from the touchline however has put a smile on many a Saints fan’s face.

Add to this the fact that administration, now long gone, may have done more damage than meets the eye. Pre-season needs to be an uneventful time, where a clear plan is followed to ensure players are nurtured back to fitness and are fully prepared as new faces come in. Southampton are starting at least two weeks behind the rest of League One, as players hardly turned up, not knowing for sure there would be a club to play for.

Basically, pre-season has been anything but uneventful on the south coast for those in red and white. This hasn’t put off the faithful though, as season ticket sales have shot past last year’s mark and then some, and the opening day of the season against Millwall looks set to be a big one.

Overcoming a ten point deficit on a decent squad following on from a successful pre-season is tough for anyone, but Southampton still have half a team of kids and the other of veterans. Stern John is rumoured to be off, and Grzegorz Rasiak will no doubt follow. Adam Lallana has changed his tune and will stay for at least another year, which is a positive, given he looks set to play a big part next in 09/10.

Fans want success, as ever, and will most likely look for a play-off push, similar to what Leeds achieved under Dennis Wise, Gus Poyet and later Gary McAllister following their points deduction. This season realistically should be spent forming a tight squad, adding a few names here and there, but finishing as high as possible as to attract better players next season for an automatic promotion spot.

All of this could be rubbish however. Pardew could have an absolute nightmare like at Charlton and we could go down to League Two. Oh well. That’s why we watch football!

this makes very sensible reading lets just hope the last paragraph is wrong

BBC are showing all the goals of the lower leagues after MOTD on Saturdays. They will also be showing from2 to 5 minutes of each game within 48 hours on the internet. Makes our tv package seem even more expensive.

Heard in a couple of places that Pompey take over is in trouble. Sky sports news has mentioned it as has the Portsmouth News newspaper.

SFC Forever wrote:Heard in a couple of places that Pompey take over is in trouble. Sky sports news has mentioned it as has the Portsmouth News newspaper.

Yesterday Pompey chief Peter Storie said there would be no more sales. But:

News of the World and The People say Hull are to make a move for David Nugent. Value is £4m.

Sunday Star say Silvain Distin is off to Sunderland for £5m.

The Sunday Mirror say the takeover at Fratton Park has been given a completion deadline of 7 days.

Mail on Line say David James is to quit Pompey at the end of the month if the takeover does not happen. Puts the Niemi signing into perspective.

Goal.com say Mark Viduka is set to join Pompey but is holding out fro a two year deal

Sky say Pompey are after Lee Naylor

And another player who is not awarethat Portsmouth arenot selling: According to Sky Sports Portsmouth defender Martin Cranie looks set to be the latest player to quit Fratton Park this summer with reports indicating that he is close to joining Coventry City.

According to skysports.com the Sky Blues have agreed an undisclosed fee with Pompey.

Daily Telegraph
David James could be latest casualty at Portsmouth's 'Fawlty Towers'
Portsmouth goalkeeper David James could be the latest player on his way out of Fratton Park after being disillusioned over the proposed takeover by Sulaiman Al Fahim. James is understood to be increasingly uncomfortable at the possibility of the club going into administration and former manager Harry Redknapp is monitoring the situation with a view to luring the England goalkeeper to Tottenham. Owner Alexandre Gaydamak says he won’t put any more money into the club, having already provided £13 million. The club faces a Sep 12 deadline to repay or refinance bank loans worth £44 million.

Following Portsmouth's opening day defeat to Fulham, manager Paul Hart said: "I try to keep players informed of what’s going on. But I can only give answers to the questions I know the answers to... it’s getting a bit like Fawlty Towers."

Daily Express:
WOULD THE LAST ONE TO LEAVE POMPEY PLEASE SWITCH OFF THE LIGHTS
The Daily Express also report that David James is likely to be the next high-profile player to leave Portsmouth. Sylvain Distin is also linked with the exit door, with both players concerned about the boardroom turmoil at the club.

From Architects Journal:
The future of Herzog and de Meuron’s ambitious proposals for Portsmouth Football Club look as grim as that of the team. Pundits are predicting the cash-strapped outfit will be relegated - while the stadium proposals look set to remain on the drawing board until 2018 at the earliest.

ESPN say Pompey’s attempts to bring Amr Zaki to England have failed after a bid was rejected by his club, Zamalek.

Spurs hopes of landing David James in a straight swap deal with Carlo Cudicini hit the buffers when the Italian said he did not want to join the Blue few (and getting fewer if TV pictures are to be believed.).

According to the Mirror, Tottenham also made an enquiry to take Portsmouth’s Croatian midfielder Niko Kranjcar on loan, but Sky Sports say Kranjcar is on the verge of a £2.5million move to White Hart Lane and has passed a medical.

Teletext says Portsmouth have taken Hassan Yebda on a season-long loan from Benfica and Sky Sports say Portsmouth are close to signing Aston Villa full-back Nicky Shorey on a season-long loan deal.

Nicola Cortese has banned the Daily Echo from St Mary's.

The Echo wanted to run a story RE the Staplewood Development as it was already in the public domain (this forum, BBC, Sky), however Cortese wished to keep it underwraps.

The Echo decided to print what information they had.

The following day the bomb was dropped, Cortese decided to ban the Echo from covering Saints unless a meeting could be arranged. This didn't happen.

The Echo were also banned from taking pictures of the annual Christmas visit by Saints players to Southampton General Hospital.

The Echo say how Lowe would never have done this and..............

"When this tiff will end I cannot say. But of one thing I am certain. That if a certain Mr Lowe finds the time while writing his lists to Santa to read this article he will manage a deep chuckle."

With the last 3 words being............
"Merry Christmas, Rupert".

Buy the Echo today, page 16.

Hmm choice, Echo happy and Lowe in charge or Echo miffed and Markus/Nicola in control. Doesnt take much to think about does it.