• Nigel Adkins has been given the Tranmere job on a permanent basis signing until the end of the 25/26 season. Continue the discussion here.

Rovers vs Saints

Saints

Member
Joined
5 Mar 2010
Messages
2
Just want to reply to a few points about Saints and administration.

Personally, I think relegation from the Prem to League One in the space of 4 years was enough "long term hardship" for the club. Previous to our takeover a lot of good people lost their job at the club and fans were treated with utter contempt by idiots like Rupert Lowe. So, from my point of view, we suffered as a club.

Regarding the general gist of "getting away with Administration" we did get the points deduction (which the football league were on very flimsy ground about legally, but in order to make the takeover go smoothly, the new owner reluctantly accepted the deduction).

Saints were forced into administration by Barclays bank due to an overdraft of about £5m. Compare that to the huge amounts owed by other clubs. The new owner paid off the overdraft in full and paid around £13m up front of the £20m outstanding on the Stadium Loan to clear that. Saints owed only around £0.5m to HRMC, which was paid off in full also.

So, our new owner, Mr Liebherr has now made the club debt free. I understand he deposited an amount of money into the club's accounts (not as a loan, or as shares or any other dodge, but as cash) for transfers and running costs. Obviously, with now 13,000 season ticket holders and crowds up to 30,000 on three occasions already this season, the club can generate quite a bit more operating cash than most teams in League one.

Thankfully, after a nightmare few years, the club is on the up again. I wouldn't want to wish administration on my worst enemy (which I guess means Pompey, although in their case, compare the way the prem is bending over backwards to them, compared to the Football League putting the boot into any club that gets into problems).

Personally, I'm just happy to have a settled, well run club again. Whether we spend more than other clubs is up to the chairman, it's his money and he appears here for the long term (he's also funding a £2.5m new building at our training ground). We are very lucky to have him.

As for the match on Saturday. Saints have found it hard work away from home on less than perfect pitches. the longer the game goes without Saints scoring, the better your chances of getting a result. If Saints score early, then our forwards and attacking midfielders can do some serious damage as Walsall and Huddersfield found out.
 

SFC

Member
Joined
5 Mar 2010
Messages
1
Agree with Saints above - we paid our debts once a wealthy owner came in - as he says that was extremely good fortune for us. Some of the tyre kickers lining up to buy us certainly wouldn't have enabled us to progress as rapidly as we have done.

We certainly weren't one of the boom or bust teams that spent way beyond their means like Pompey or Leeds. We unfortunately fell out of the Prem and after a couple of years trying to get back fell foul of the economic climate and Norwich Union wanting some of their money back forcing us into admin and selling loads of our better players. Yes the previous Chairman was a tit and the guys that ousted him gambled a little and we got burned for it.

Where I can see people having issues with us is the fact we got this billionaire owner in who is investing his own dosh to get us promoted - that does seem unfair but then football unfortunately is like that now... the Prem is an obvious example.

Anyway - hoping for a good game tomorrow - best of luck!
 

Saints

Member
Joined
5 Mar 2010
Messages
2
PR machine or the facts?

If you are beholden of the more information about what happened to Saints, then please share it.
 
Joined
22 Sep 2005
Messages
1,401
Player
Johnny Morrissey
Nobody wants to see the death of a football club, at the end of the day we're all football fans. I have a bit of a soft spot for the Saints as my best friend went to university there, I like St Mary's and of course because of the 2001, 3-0 down, 4-3 up game!

They went into admin, dropped 2 divisions, surely that's punishment enough. Remember, we're hardly flush with money ourselves and this could happen to Tranmere, and there's not as much interest from millionaires in TRFC than they would be for Southampton.

Enjoy today's game. May the best team win (as long as it's Rovers).

ps. nice to see some away fans joining in on the forums.
 

SonkORLY?

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Joined
8 Sep 2008
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1,916
Player
Eddy Sonko
Good read, thanks.
 
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