Contrasting fortunes of Southampton and Coventry after SISU bids
1:20pm Thursday 3rd November 2011
IT’S a look at what might have been for Saints.
As the league leaders travel to the Midlands to take on third bottom Coventry at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday, Saints fans will get a glimpse of how different life might have been.
It was just over five years ago that London based hedge fund SISU tabled an offer to buy Saints but, having got nowhere with it, completed a deal for Coventry.
For several years it seemed as though it was Saints who were the club on the back foot, suffering boardroom disputes, relegation and administration while the Sky Blues harboured hopes of a Premier League return.
But now, having been rescued by Markus Liebherr, it is Saints who are riding high again whilst Coventry are on something of a downward spiral.
They are saddled with debt, were looking at the prospect of administration themselves not long ago and the fans have been protesting against their owners.
There is one familiar face amongst it all.
Former Southampton PLC chairman Ken Dulieu, pictured left, who resigned after the SISU bid for Saints fell through, is now chairman at Coventry.
For Saints fans, who had to endure the Coventry celebrations when the sides met at the Ricoh Arena in the first match after their SISU deal went through, it will be a day for reflection on a crazy period for the club that is now consigned to history.
im telling the truth when i say that we have looked under 99% of planet earths stones and rocks....there has to be a loan signing under at least one of them!
Saothampton are not riding high because of loyal fans or the manager............ it is for one reason only ............... it is because who bought the club on the cheap when they were in big shit , so maybe the same could happen to us and admin and being relegated might just be a blessing in disguise
Saothampton are not riding high because of loyal fans or the manager............ it is for one reason only ............... it is because who bought the club on the cheap when they were in big shit , so maybe the same could happen to us and admin and being relegated might just be a blessing in disguise
Or you know, we could sink like a stone. No-one really knows. It's easy to say "how much worse can it get?" Until it gets a lot worse. People seem to think that admin is a magic bullet for our problems, but our biggest (only?) debtor is SISU themselves, so they'd have to accept any deal the administrator cooked up, and could very well just tell us to fuck off and wind us up. Especially if they think that if we sell off everything we own we could make them more.
It's more complex than that. Fan base is a key to success in the lower leagues - they had 30,000 in a game against Exeter - imagine us even getting half that. They had Pardew who was determined to prove people wrong and a serious investor who spent wisely.
The fan base is critical and we do not have it and really for many many years never have.
It's more complex than that. Fan base is a key to success in the lower leagues - they had 30,000 in a game against Exeter - imagine us even getting half that. They had Pardew who was determined to prove people wrong and a serious investor who spent wisely.
The fan base is critical and we do not have it and really for many many years never have.
I said not to make a mistake.... this is a false statemant as Southampton v Exeter was a vastly reduced entry fee as the two clubs sponsered by Flybe at the time and was special price.