have you got the rope ready for Rupert yet ?????

As an Oldham fan living on the Isle of Wight I am really looking forward to a quick trip from Cowes to St Mary's next season......... That is assuming you have not gone bust and exited the league.

I have some great mates who are Saints fans and look back with fondness to that night at the Dell, The Littlewood Cup Quarter Final, when Andy Ritchie equalised in the 4th minute of injury time. It was a great train ride back top Portsmouth to catch the ferry to Ryde listening to Saints fans telling me they were going to beat us at Boundary Park and that we were lucky sighhh... Just as we were lucky to batter Arsenal and then demolish West Ham 6-0 in the semi final. Not forgetting beating Everton and Aston Villa the same season.....I heard the whines about the added time that we got at the Dell but then as everyone knows.. The games isnt over till the fianl whistle.

A few seasons ago I went to St Marys and watched a drab 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace .. I have never seen so many supporters show so much hatred to their chairman. All these little squares of paper came out en masse stating ''LOWE OUT'' and of course in time he went.As well he should have!!

So many supporters of other clubs that I meet when going to watch my beloved Oldham just cannot believe that Lowe was ever allowed to come back!!!!! Trust me if Sam Corney did a hatchet job at Oldham like Lowe has done at St Marys then he would have ended up swimming in the Rochdale Canal with concrete boots on.

Well thanks in good part to Mr Lowe you are destined for pastures new. Many of your decent players will jump ship (And Im not talking the Hythe Ferry here) You will find ajustment to Div 1 not that easy and we will all raise our game when we play you. A possible visit to Rochdale or Darlington will not be an easy trip for your team or your fans and trust me there are many good teams in Div 1 that will take points from you. As for Oldham Athletic well we have had a change of management and your old friend Joe Royal will, I am sure be still in charge next season and I personally will look forward to visiting St Marys and taking my grandson to his first latics game.

To think that Pompey could be TWO divisions higher than you next season and that if you beat them in a cup match it would be seen as a ''Giant Killing'' ... Really takes some sinking in.

Now I have had my few ribs at you Saints fans but on a very serious note.... I and many many supporters from different clubs really feel for you and your present situation. From being an established top flight team you have become a team grasping for points to stay in the top two divsions and with a real danger of folding ...All thanks to Rupert the bear. How on Earth did this all come to pass? - Saints fans deserve so much more and your loyalty to the club while commendable has to have its breaking point -

You have a great set of supporters and when you shout for your team its a great atmosphere - Time to make a stand Saints fans though. maybe at the next home game get those 'Lowe Out' stickers out, put them on your backs and turn your backs to the pitch.

IF you dont get bust and you go down to Div 1 then I am sorry but my gut feeling is that you will go into freefall.....In a few seasons time you could have a derby game you dont want...Southampton Vs Havant & Waterloovile........................

What a fantastic post from a new member.....thanks for that mate!!

It has been noted as a contender for our Post of the Month at the end of April.

Excellent post. Please feel free to stay and bring your imput to us. We also hope to be playing in the same league next season

Dad wants to see him off the Ichen bridge

Well it did come to pass and much more too.... I think its sad that you will start your season -10pts because after all its the shenanigans in the boardroom that have created the mess your in - Although lets be honest you have been pretty dire on the pitch too.

To a neutral it just seems incredible the whole thing, Everything seems to have gone pear shaped since you left the Dell. I am sure you are fed up with hearing that you are a small club so the fall from the top flight was inevitable. I dont buy that garbage cliche talk one bit. Are you telling me that your a smaller club than Portsmouth, Hull City, Wigan Athletic, ? Are you smaller than Preston North End, Ipswich Town, Peterborough United? Need I go on? - You know the answer.

If I had been to outer space for several years and come back and seen Saints in the position you are in now I would want some REAL answers. There seems to be more ducking and diving going on than there is in the Labour Party. Some one or some group are fully responsible for this disaster that you are in the middle of. Somewhere along the line this board or whoever is responsible should have to account via a public enquiry with regards to the so called strategic business management that has been employed over the last 10 years or so.

OK Southampton were never one of the big four - Although to be fair you rattled them enough times. You were though a comfortable middler in the top flight. !0th to 13th at one time seemed to have the Saints name already on it before the season started, then you would chuck in the odd cup run just to let Fergie, Wenger and the Russian there was a fly in the ointment on the South Coast.

I look forward to visiting St Marys next season and you will be good for Championship One. I can't help thinking though, that there was a momment in time when if some one had just said ''NO'' or ''We are not going to do that'' then I wouldnt have Southampton on my fixture list next season.........