WHILE ROME BURNS...

Strange as it may seem I can just about imagine that there are some people whose interest in the affairs of Southampton Football Club may be, how shall I say, minimal? Fair enough, but I would just ask that you spare a thought for long standing supporters like me (over 60 years now since I first saw the Saints play) who have become totally disillusioned with results on the pitch and now totally fed up with events in the boardroom.

The gentlemen pictured above are, left to right, Rupert Lowe (6% shareholding,) Michael Wilde (16%) and Leon Crouch (10%.) They are the major shareholders in the holding company, Southampton Leidure Holdings PLC and their shares dwarf the 1,000 which I bought years ago - not as a financial investment but as an emotional one. I have not been disappointed with my investment - the value of the shares has plummetted to about 20p each (I bought mine for 39p and at one time they were as high as 68p) and I have certainly had my emotional money`s worth having sufferred the range of emotions from the FA Cup Final to, now, almost certain relegation to the third tier of English football. A roller coaster ride indeed.

Of the three shown above, Lowe is also Chairman and Chief Executive and is so devoted to his twin responsibilities that he has failed to appear recently and will be on holiday in Scotland, doubtless duck-shooting, when the Saints `entertain` Swansea at home this coming Saturday. Pity he won`t be there, as a mass demonstration is planned by fed up fans who are demanding positive action to rescue the situation before the bank pulls the plug. Michael Wilde, the largest shareholder, has simply gone missing. He left 15 minutes before the end of the last home game, when we lost to the mighty Doncaster Rovers....and hasn`t been seeen since.


Which leaves Leon Crouch - former Chairman ousted by Lowe last year after just a few months in the chair, during which time he had the foresight to appoint Nigel Pearson as Manager. Lowe`s first job back in the chair was to sack Pearson. Guess what - Leicester City with Pearson in charge are 12 points clear in the automatic promotion slot and will pass Saints on the stairs as we go down - if we last that long.

I`ve got some time for Crouch. He`s a real fan who puts his money where his mouth is - he paid for the Ted Bates statue out of his own pocket and he paid the wages of players like Andrew Davies who were instrumental in keeping us up last year. And now, Crouch has made the other two an offer they can`t refuse - "I`ll put £2million of my money into the club if you two will do the same, which will write off the overdraft and keep us from going bust." Lowe and Wilde have not taken up the offer, I suspect because, unlike Crouch, they are more concerned with their money than they are the club. Which is a pity because before too long, there won`t be a club to worry about. And we all lose.