Rupert Lowe : definition of Rupert Lowe and synonyms of Rupert Lowe (English) 2 References Biography Rupert Lowe was educated at Radley College and Reading University before gaining a reputation working in the city for companies such as Morgan Grenfell and Deutsche Bank . He was also a board member of the London International Financial Futures Exchange . He founded Secure Retirements, a quoted care home provider, with Andrew Cowen , the former Southampton F.C. Vice Chairman. Southampton Football Club In the mid-1990s, the Saints board were looking to float the club on the London Stock Exchange , a long and costly procedure. Therefore they attempted a ' reverse takeover ' as a way to reduce costs. They needed to find a company that had already floated and take it over while effectively being taken over themselves. Lowe's Secure Retirements, which ran Nursing homes , was a perfect candidate. The resultant group was renamed Southampton Leisure Holdings PLC. [2] After the deal was completed, Lowe became chairman of the football club. This was despite him being an avid rugby union watcher and hockey player, who had only seen his first professional football game six months previously. Fans' groups were initially undecided about Lowe.

He had vast business expertise, a vital trait for any chairman of a football club, but he also knew hardly anything about the game. Soon after the takeover, Graeme Souness and Lawrie McMenemy left the club, citing 'difficulties' with the new owners. This came as a huge shock to many fans and to the local press, who regarded McMenemy as 'Mr. Southampton'. Lowe, however, did much to improve his image in the eyes of Saints' fans and the media. He guided the club from their old stadium into the St Mary's Stadium and the club continued to follow a long-standing policy of selling players to clubs for high prices. Dean Richards , who was sold to Tottenham Hotspur for £8 million, and Kevin Davies , who was sold to Blackburn Rovers for £7 million, are good examples. Davies was subsequently bought back by Southampton for a much smaller fee. James Beattie joined the club for £1 million from Blackburn Rovers , enjoyed great form at Southampton, and later joined Everton for £6 million. His timing of managerial decisions were somewhat alarming and inconsistent, however, as there were eight managers during his tenure, a very high turnover rate.

Dave Jones was forced out when faced with a criminal investigation, even though Jones was later exonerated of all charges. Jones' replacement, Glenn Hoddle , left to join Tottenham Hotspur in 2001. Lowe then appointed a talented coach, Stuart Gray , but Gray was swiftly replaced by Gordon Strachan after a disastrous start to the 2001-02 season. In 2003, Saints went on to reach the FA Cup Final and qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time in nearly 20 years. In the following season they were lying fourth in the league at Christmas , but it soon emerged that Gordon Strachan was refusing to extend his contract citing "personal reasons". Lowe and the board took the decision to replace him with Paul Sturrock before the end of the season. Sturrock himself left the club by " mutual consent " within six months of being appointed. Lowe seemingly made the same mistake as he did with Stuart Gray by employing a good coach ( Steve Wigley ), who seemed to lack the steely will needed for a manager of any business.

Like the appointment of Gray three years earlier, Lowe appeared to be taking a huge gamble by employing another untested coach, and allegedly exploited his own influence by indulging himself more and more in team affairs, including the much documented " Delgado Affair". The appointment of Wigley also broke Premiership rules requiring all managers to have the relevant coaching qualifications. With the team's form deteriorating, Lowe sacked Wigley in November of the same year. Wigley was replaced, to much furore, by former Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp . The appointment of an experienced manager in Redknapp led to expectations that results would improve, but they were actually worse in the second half of the season than in the first, and the club was relegated to the Championship . With relegation, a 50% wage cut was imposed on most players and staff, after a mediocre start to the new season, Redknapp resigned as manager citing personal reasons and a wish for a break from football, but he quickly re-joined Southampton's rivals Portsmouth .

George Burley was appointed as manager in December 2005, while former England rugby union coach Sir Clive Woodward , who had been brought into the club only a year beforehand, was promoted to the senior position of Director of Football . Although supporters approved of bringing in new techniques that had worked in other sports, this move was once again seen by many fans as gambling the club's status with another experiment. The club were unable to mount a push for promotion back to the Premiership. On 30 June 2006, Lowe resigned under huge pressure from club supporters, including the newly formed Saints Trust , following the club's failure to win promotion back to the Premiership. Michael Wilde , a new investor in Southampton Leisure Holdings PLC, led a new team of directors in taking over the club. In July 2008, Lowe returned as Southampton Leisure Holdings plc Chairman. At an AGM on 23 December 2008, Lowe received several calls to resign from former Chairman Leon Crouch and from fans and shareholders at the meeting. Also, 30 silver coins were thrown in the direction of Lowe by fan Richard Chorley (who was thrown out of the meeting).

Since his return, protests have taken place against his role at the club . On 2 April 2009, Southampton Leisure Holdings PLC was put into administration, resulting in Lowe's resignation from the board. [1] Football powerbroker Lowe has served as a member of the Football Association Board as a Premier League representative and as an FA Councillor. Political career Lowe stood for election as the Referendum Party candidate for Cotswold to the House of Commons in the 1997 general election . References Rupert Lowe - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki More info on Rupert Lowe Wikis Advertisements Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Related top topics Encyclopedia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Rupert James Graham Lowe is a British businessman, who was the chairman of Southampton Football Club from 1996 to 2006.

He regained his power in May 2008, teaming up with Michael Wilde, who had previously forced Lowe out, becoming chairman of the club's parent company, Southampton Leisure Holdings PLC , before resigning on 2 April 2009 after the company was placed into administration. [1] Contents 2 References Biography Rupert Lowe was educated at Radley College and Reading University before gaining a reputation working in the city for companies such as Morgan Grenfell and Deutsche Bank . He was also a board member of the London International Financial Futures Exchange . He founded Secure Retirements, a quoted care home provider, with Andrew Cowen, the former Southampton F.C. Vice Chairman. Advertisements Southampton Football Club In the mid-1990s, the Saints board were looking to float the club on the London Stock Exchange , a long and costly procedure. Therefore they attempted a ' reverse takeover ' as a way to reduce costs. They needed to find a company that had already floated and take it over while effectively being taken over themselves. Lowe's Secure Retirements, which ran retirement homes, was a perfect candidate. The resultant group was renamed Southampton Leisure Holdings PLC . [2] After the deal was completed, Lowe became chairman of the football club.

This was despite him being an avid rugby union watcher and hockey player, who had only seen his first professional football game six months previously. Fans' groups were initially undecided about Lowe. He had vast business expertise, a vital trait for any chairman of a football club, but he also knew hardly anything about the game. Soon after the takeover, Graeme Souness and Lawrie McMenemy left the club, citing 'difficulties' with the new owners. This came as a huge shock to many fans and to the local press, who regarded McMenemy as 'Mr. Southampton'. Lowe, however, did much to improve his image in the eyes of Saints' fans and the media. He guided the club from their old stadium into the St Mary's Stadium and the club continued to follow a long-standing policy of selling players to clubs for high prices. Dean Richards , who was sold to Tottenham Hotspur for £8 million, and Kevin Davies , who was sold to Blackburn Rovers for £7 million, are good examples. Davies was subsequently bought back by Southampton for a much smaller fee. James Beattie joined the club for £1 million from Blackburn Rovers , enjoyed great form at Southampton, and later joined Everton for £6 million.

His timing of managerial decisions were somewhat alarming and inconsistent, however, as there were eight managers during his tenure, a very high turnover rate. Dave Jones was forced out when faced with a criminal investigation, even though Jones was later exonerated of all charges. Jones' replacement, Glenn Hoddle , left to join Tottenham Hotspur in 2001. Lowe then appointed a talented coach, Stuart Gray , but Gray was swiftly replaced by Gordon Strachan after a disastrous start to the 2001-02 season. In 2003, Saints went on to reach the FA Cup Final and qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time in nearly 20 years. In the following season they were lying fourth in the league at Christmas , but it soon emerged that Gordon Strachan was refusing to extend his contract citing "personal reasons". Lowe and the board took the decision to replace him with Paul Sturrock before the end of the season. Sturrock himself left the club by "mutual consent" within six months of being appointed.

Lowe seemingly made the same mistake as he did with Stuart Gray by employing a good coach ( Steve Wigley ), who seemed to lack the steely will needed for a manager of any business. Like the appointment of Gray three years earlier, Lowe appeared to be taking a huge gamble by employing another untested coach, and allegedly exploited his own influence by indulging himself more and more in team affairs, including the much documented " Delgado Affair". The appointment of Wigley also broke Premiership rules requiring all managers to have the relevant coaching qualifications. With the team's form deteriorating, Lowe sacked Wigley in November of the same year. Wigley was replaced, to much furore, by former Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp . The appointment of an experienced manager in Redknapp led to expectations that results would improve, but they were actually worse in the second half of the season than in the first, and the club was relegated to the Championship . With relegation, a 50% wage cut was imposed on most players and staff, but Lowe continued on a salary of £406,513 that had made him one of the highest-paid chairmen in the Premier League.

[3] After a mediocre start to the new season, Redknapp resigned as manager citing personal reasons and a wish for a break from football, but he quickly re-joined Southampton's rivals Portsmouth . George Burley was appointed as manager in December 2005, while former England rugby union coach Sir Clive Woodward , who had been brought into the club only a year beforehand, was promoted to the senior position of Director of Football . Although supporters approved of bringing in new techniques that had worked in other sports, this move was once again seen by many fans as gambling the club's status with another experiment. The club were unable to mount a push for promotion back to the Premiership. On 30 June 2006, Lowe resigned under huge pressure from club supporters, including the newly formed Saints Trust, following the club's failure to win promotion back to the Premiership. Michael Wilde , a new investor in Southampton Leisure Holdings PLC , led a new team of directors in taking over the club. In July 2008, Lowe returned as Southampton Leisure Holdings plc Chairman. At an AGM on 23 December 2008, Lowe received several calls to resign from former Chairman Leon Crouch and from fans and shareholders at the meeting.

Also, 30 silver coins were thrown in the direction of Lowe by fan Richard Chorley (who was thrown out of the meeting). Since his return, protests have taken place against his role at the club . On 2 April, Southampton Leisure Holdings PLC was put into administration, resulting in Lowe's resignation from the board. [1] Football powerbroker Lowe has served as a member of the Football Association Board as a Premier League representative and as an FA Councillor. Political career Lowe stood for election as the Referendum Party candidate for Cotswold to the House of Commons in the 1997 general election . References Markus Liebherr's Takeover to Transform Southampton? Tweet Matt Oldfield Could things finally be looking up for Southampton Football Club after four years of turmoil and relegation? With the club slipping ever faster into administration and closure following several unsuccessful bids, Swiss investor Markus Liebherr has saved the club with a last-minute takeover deal. The Saints are safe for now and Liebherr has promised both immediate and long-term investment. However, is it all too late for a club which spent 27 years in the top flight of English football?

The Saints will start next season in League One with a ten-point deduction due to their parent company going bust. Promotion rests almost entirely upon the highly successful youth academy which has produced and nurtured talents such as Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale and Kenwyne Jones in recent years, and using whatever money is available wisely. Few talented youngsters remain at the club and it could well be an uphill struggle for Liebherr and the new Southampton manager. Can the club be saved and more importantly, how have Southampton ended up in this unenviable position? Former chairman Rupert Lowe has rightly taken much of the blame for the club’s decline. Lowe was chairman between 1996 and 2006 and then returned as chairman of the club’s parent company in 2008 before resigning earlier this year when Southampton entered administration. Lowe has never been a popular figure at St Mary’s Stadium, due to his supposed lack of interest in football, what was seen by many as poor decision-making, and a lack of investment. The key turning point in the fortunes of the club came when Gordon Strachan, one of Southampton’s most successful managers of all time, refused to extend his contract due to ‘personal reasons’.

Many believed that Lowe was indeed the reason, a belief that was backed up by the chairman’s decision to replace Strachan with Paul Sturrock before the season had ended. Strachan had taken the Saints to the FA Cup final and fourth place in the Premiership at Christmas. Sturrock could not compete, leaving by mutual consent after six months and his replacement, untested coach Steve Wigley, fared even worse. Lowe became more and more involved in the day-to-day running of the club, which coincided with a period of rapid decline. With Southampton facing relegation, Lowe appointed Harry Redknapp, former manager of local rivals Portsmouth, to steer the Saints to safety. However, with a poor set of players, Redknapp was not quite able to save Southampton and they suffered relegation for the first time in nearly 30 years. The resources at Redknapp’s disposal had been poor; Lowe always favoured a policy of selling the club’s best players, but the profit rarely seemed to serve squad strengthening. Things seemed to go from bad to worse after relegation from the Premier League.

With the way the ‘parachute’ support system works, Southampton should have worked as hard as they could to gain promotion within the first two years, as clubs such as Birmingham and West Bromwich Albion do successfully. Lowe and the club should have been spending money, but instead cutbacks were made left, right and centre. Lowe himself, however, according to a report in the Guardian, remained on £406,513 a year, which the year before had made him one of the highest-paid chairmen in the Premier League. Walcott and Bale were soon sold but Southampton fans did not see the transfer money being spent on new players. Instead, the Saints seemed to rely more and more on their youth system, cheap, veteran professionals and unknown foreign imports. In their first season in the Championship, Southampton flirted with relegation before finishing in 12th, as they struggled to cope both on and off the pitch. Lowe was forced to resign at the end of the 2005/06 campaign and at first things did improve under new chairman Leon Crouch. The playoffs were reached in 2007, but Southampton were beaten in the semi-final by Derby on penalties.

To avoid financial ruin, the club had to gain promotion next time; with the two seasons of financial support over, Southampton were in great danger. Key players were loaned out to save wages and George Burley, the impressive Scottish boss, was replaced by a series of unsuccessful managers. The appointment of Jan Poortvelt, a disciple of the Dutch total football school, was the beginning of the end. Southampton played well in defeat but lacked the clinical edge and the toughness needed in the Championship. In 2008, Saints narrowly avoided relegation; in 2009, the club succumbed. League One beckoned. So what hope does the new takeover bring to a club decimated by the last four years? With a ten-point deficit, Southampton would have struggled to gain immediate promotion even if key players Andrew Surman and David McGoldrick hadn’t been sold, to Wolves and Nottingham Forest respectively. Without them, and with Adam Lallana likely to leave soon, the squad looks threadbare and inexperienced. However, Liebherr’s takeover does provide the club with at least short-term security and the Swiss businessman seems determined to restore them to their former position. As Liebherr himself said, there are still many plus points for Southampton.

The Saints have a rich history, a good fanbase, a very strong youth system and a wonderful stadium. All is not lost, but there is plenty of work to be done. This work began with a new contract for West Ham-bound goalkeeper Kelvin Davis and a P45 for manager Mark Wotte. Liebherr looks intent on rebuilding the club from the ground upwards and the initial signs are good. Next, Southampton must find a manager with experience of lower league football and build a squad suitable of challenging for promotion. Hopefully the takeover has made some money available and it is crucial that the money is spent on players who know League One football. The Saints are not a bad footballing side but they lack grit and confidence. Rather than a tactician or an inexperienced coach, Southampton need a motivator to get the best out of a group of players who need galvanising. With the right manager, ten points could be no obstacle to a return to the Championship. In 2008, Leeds United still made the League One playoffs despite a 15-point deduction, so Southampton must feel they have a chance if they are strong and united on and off the pitch. For Liebherr and Southampton the hard work starts now.

Related Articles: Rupert Lowe | georgeweahscousin georgeweahscousin georgeweahscousin Leave a comment After relentless pursuing of Saints and Ex-Saints on twitter, I managed to get one of my favourites! Former Saints striker Egil Østenstad wowed the Dell between 1996 and 1999, scoring some great goals and being part of that famous 6-3 victory over Manchester United in which he bagged a hat-trick (he doesn’t care what the dubious goals panel says, he’s got the match ball!). So here it is 20 questions with Egil Østenstad! Egil Østenstad. 109 Saints appearances. 33 Saints goals. 1. Best Saints Memory? ‘Among a lot of great ones; staying in the Premier League in my first season after being in desperate trouble. Great feeling. Also being voted Player of the season that same season, and scoring in front of the The Kop on my first visit to Anfield.’ 2. Worst Saints memory? ‘Not being able to sort out a new and longer contract with Rupert Lowe.’ 3. Favourite Manager?

‘I will always be very grateful towards Graeme Souness for giving my the chance to come to Southampton and the Premier League. At Southampton, in his eyes, I never did anything wrong. At Blackburn I never did anything right…’ 4. Least favourite Manager? ‘Even though results were decent I thought Dave Jones had an old school approach to the game and a managerial outlook that I found difficult to like.’ 5. Most talented team mate? ‘Le Tiss was the biggest British talent of his generation when it comes to pure football. His willingness to make the most out of his talent is a different story. Eyal Berkovic was a joy to play with.’ 6. Biggest prankster in the dressing room? ‘Jim Magilton. Busy man…’ 7. The Dell or St. Mary’s? ‘For me The Dell. I only played against Southampton at St Mary’s.’ 8. Which member of the current team impresses you most? ‘Adam Lallana. Not just because of his ability. More so because of his attitude, loyalty and being a great ambassador for Saints.’ 9. Hardest team mate? ‘Ulrich van Gobbel. Monster…’ 10.

Any Fratton Park abuse while playing for other clubs? ‘Loads whilst playing for Blackburn. Quite enjoyed that and scored the winning goal (0-1) on my first visit there. Great stuff!’ 11. Derby Day memories? ‘Portsmouth were nearly as bad then as they are now when I was there.’ 12. Toughest opponent? ‘Martin Keown.’ 13. Favourite Away Ground? ‘Anfield.’ 14. Favourite Saints kit? ’97/98 season Home shirt.’ 15. Ever had a Benali curry? ‘Loads. Very good actually!’ 16. Best friends from Saints days? ‘I appreciate the fact that I have met and occasionally spoken to Jason Dodd, Le Tiss, Franny Benali, Jim Magilton and Gordon Watson in the last years. I sometimes speak to Claus Lundekvam. It was a good group of players when I was there.’ 17. Money in football. Gone too far or great for the game? ‘Too far. I really hope the rules of financial fair play will have the desired effect. Football is turning into too much of a toy for the wrong reasons.’ 18.

Pace or skill? ‘Average pace and average skill…’ 19. Where will Saints finish this season? ‘Top 10. Which is a great achievement!’ 20. And finally, you are stranded on Hayling Island (Portsmouth) what luxury item would you like to keep you sane? ‘Access to Spotify…’ ….and a bonus question just for you as we have the same taste in music. 21. What song do you think best fits the Saints experience? ‘Smells like teen spirit…’ Many thanks to Egil for taking the time to answer these questions! Chris georgeweahscousin 1 Comment Saints fans can be forgiven for saying that they don’t owe much to former chairman Rupert Lowe, but on the 27th June 2008, Lowe made one of his wisest decisions. Lowe agreed to pay a small fee (with possible rises to £1.2 million) to RC Strasbourg for 18 year old French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin. Although the name may have been alien to fans in English football, Schneiderlin was a young man turning the heads of several clubs.

From the Alsace region of northern France, one of the smallest, and more famed for it’s skiers than it’s footballers, Schneiderlin was already making a presence on the international scene having represented France at every level up to U18 when Saints came calling. This was after countryman Georges Prost’s time at Saints, but you can’t help but think that the legendary French youth development coach may have had a hand it. With Chelsea and Arsenal both interested in Schneiderlin it eventually came down to a straight choice. Premier League Portsmouth or Championship Southampton, thankfully for us, Morgan chose club size, potential and facilities over temporary league superiority and joined Saints when perhaps they were at their lowest ebb. Schneiderl-in To say it was a risky move for both the club and Schneiderlin would be an understatement. With the club in a difficult period financially and having just survived a Championship relegation battle on the final day of the season, this might not have been the best place for a young foreigner to take the next step in his career. 2008/09 was an even more difficult season.

Off the field Saints were unravelling and on the pitch the amount of playing time Schneiderlin was getting in the first team would be a telling tale as to the quality on offer. In what was a very poor side, Schneiderlin, being young, in a foreign country and far from the finished article looked seriously exposed. Saints finished second from bottom and the fans weren’t sold on their new French midfielder. The strength of feeling can be seen in a thread from the most populated Saints internet forum ‘Saintsweb’ – ‘Schneiderlin – The biggest waste of cash ever?’ narrowly beating English lower league plodder Paul Wotton as the best option for central midfield. I won’t lie, I also thought Schneiderlin was poor and not cut out to take part in a League One campaign. The phrase ‘lightweight French ponce’ was said to me by a friend and I can’t say I disagreed. If we are being fair though that was a hideously poor Saints team, and Schneiderlin would have done well to shine in it. Rupert Lowe’s disastrous Dutch experiment with Jan Poortvliet at the helm, coupled with bad financial decisions meant that this was a difficult time to be a Southampton player.

For many Schneiderlin was a write off, a waste of money and not good enough. Saints had had a brief upturn under Mark Wotte, and the former Saints coach had this to say about Schneiderlin ‘Intelligent player great basic skills,cool composed passer,perfect sitting and passing midfielder,could be a bit more dominant’. ‘Quand on a le droit de se tromper impunément, on est toujours sûr de réussir.’ The 2009/10 season was the start of Saints new dawn, and the same could be said for Schneiderlin. As Saints lived through an uncertain summer in administration it might have been a good time for Morgan Schneiderlin to make his escape, but whether it was down to a lack of interest (everyone was for sale) or a lack of enthusiasm on Morgan’s part the Frenchman was still a Saints player when the club was rescued by Markus Liebherr. Under new boss Alan Pardew Saints looked a much better prospect and Schneiderlin started to show his worth.

In a season that ended with a trophy (sadly Schneiderlin missed the Johnstones Paint Trophy final with a hamstring injury) and Saints just missing out on the playoffs despite a -10 point penalty, it was clear the club was embarking on a bright new period, and Schneiderlin was very much a part of it. The fans had started to see a different side of the player as his confidence started to blossom, both the good and the bad. As well as showing a calmness on the ball, so associated with the continental players, he also showed his combative side, losing his temper and picking up bookings and being sent off twice. If fans weren’t sold on him at this point. The subsequent two seasons would complete his turnaround. Flourishing under Nigel Adkins, while the club continuously changed personell around him to plan for the Championship, Schneiderlin was a mainstay. As Saints pushed for promotion Schneiderlin was coming into his own in central midfield and was becoming one of the most vocal and passionate Saints players, often leading the chat in the pre-match huddle. Saints made an impressive return to the Championship with Schneiderlin now one of the first names on the teamsheet playing in a defensive midfield role alongside Jack Cork.

He had earned himself a new contract in the summer and now Saints fans were celebrating his stay rather than bemoaning it. Saints made it back to back promotions and the Premier League beckoned. Schneider-win. Morgan celebrates with team mates as Saints secure promotion against Coventry. The Premier League has been the great leveller for many a player that has been ‘rated’ in the lower leagues. Saints were now three years into a five year plan to build a side to compete in the Premier League and Schneiderlin was still very much a part of that. Like his other top division shy teammates from the lesser tier era Jack Cork, Jose Fonte, Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert he hasn’t failed to impress. The Frenchman, now an old stager and part of the furniture at St. Mary’s has been fantastic, mixing it up with some of the best in the world. Having perhaps been Saints best kept secret while his team mates are linked with moves elsewhere, people have started to sit up and take notice. His progress since 2008 has been almost immeasurable, and it is hard to imagine Saints lining up without Schneiderlin in that anchor role between defence and attack, they would certainly be the weaker for it.

The French often have a philosophical way with words, and when Eric Cantona described French captain Didier Deschamps as ‘nothing more than a water carrier’, Deschamps rightly retorted that ‘every team needs water carriers’ and that is undoubtedly true. To compare Schneiderlin to Deschamps would be frivolous at this stage of his career, but he certainly adds that sense of calm and consistency to Saints midfield. Breaking up play, taking control of the ball and moving it on productively. If I can be so bold, I would say that Schneiderlin is 50% Deschamps in style, and 50% that of another successful countryman Claude Makélélé. Again perhaps I am being a little over zealous but to date this season Schneiderlin has made 162 tackles and interceptions, more than any other player in Europe’s top 5 leagues. Couple that with an 85% pass success rate you can see that this is a man in control of midfield, despite facing the best there is.

Having become a key player for Saints, and a man that the media and pundits are starting to talk about, it seems crazy that he is just 23 years old, and has already amassed 172 first team appearances for the club. Schneiderlin celebrates his goal against Manchester United It has been an up and down relationship between Morgan and Saints, who has suffered the recent lows and enjoyed the recent highs. He is now very much a part of Saints folklore. He has blossomed at the club and grown as the club has grown, and alongside Kelvin Davis is all that is left of the dark days of 2008. The sky really is the limit now for Morgan, and I for one would not be surprised to see Didier Deschamps give him a chance in his revamped French squad, he would certainly have deserved it. As Saints are now in another exciting new era, Schneiderlin epitomises everything that ‘The Southampton Way’ is about, young, talented and growing from an 18 year old rough around the edges to leading the first team out as captain against the European champions.

With Mauricio Pochettino coming in as head coach and renowned in Spain for working with and improving young players it will be interesting to see how good Schneiderlin can become. He himself was quoted this week saying about the new setup “I believe he will make us better players. He has a lot of new ideas.”. Schneiderlin wearing the captain’s armband as he beats Ramires. The shared journey of Southampton and Schneiderlin is hopefully far from over. Saints are insistent that they are no longer a club who develops talent then moves them on for a profit. Statistically he is currently one of the best defensive midfield players in the Premier League. That £1.2 million isn’t looking too bad now is it…. Chris georgeweahscousin 11 Comments As Pompey got what was in my opinion, a fantastic result for them in the courtrooms of London yesterday, there was a certain case of mixed feelings from the fans on both sides of Hampshire. Pompey could have left their administration hearing yesterday, either facing a winding up order on Monday or yet again in the hands of Balram Chanrai’s financial puppet Andrew Andronikou, but they didn’t.

The judge’s decision to appoint an independent administrator can only be good news, and a spell in administration and a ten point deduction has to have been the best possible outcome. The reaction from fans was as expected. The sensible skates knew they had come out bruised but breathing, others were still bemoaning the points deduction (which fans of Leeds, Bournemouth and Luton may be thinking was actually very lenient). On the red side of Hampshire it was a mixture of mockery and in my opinion misplaced disappointment. I am a Saints fan, and by default I want Pompey as a football club to suffer in every way imaginable, but to want them to die is incomprehensible to me. A true sadist wants to see the infliction of pain not death. In an ideal world, this bout of administration will see them slide into League One and footballing obscurity. But to disappear completely? No thanks. Derby Day. Nothing quite like it. In my relatively short time as a fan of Saints, I am on the cusp of seeing a full 360 circle in fortunes of my two “local” professional clubs. Isn’t that the beauty of rivalry? I have taken as much stick as I have given out.

I have seen us within touching distance of the top and at rock bottom, likewise I have seen both of these situations for our poor relations down the road, and often when one is experiencing the ultimate highs, the other is having their major lows. I have argued passionately with Pompey fans I consider friends and I have laughed and joked with them over a beer about the often ridiculous goings on at our respective loves. Don’t get me wrong, it took me all of about 30 seconds after the administration announcement to text my skate mates “Now you have been in administration three times, do you get to keep it?” In fact I was pretty proud of myself that I managed to avoid the ridiculously overused:- Sunny in [Insert Home Town], -10 in [Insert recently placed into admin Rival] Where would we be without this? No matter how much success either club has, no matter what trophies they win or how many times they are relegated. Two things will remain constant for both. The fans and each other. We will still hate them, and they will still hate us.

We may be a far cry from 1939 and the Pompey players parading the FA Cup at the Dell to rapturous applause, but I would like to think we haven’t reached such depths of hatred that either group of fans would hope to never see the other again. Besides there is a very thin line between hate and love. Due to our recent ascendancy it is perhaps easy to forget that we have been in this position ourselves, and while it might not have been to the level of destruction that has happened at Fratton over the past couple of years, it also came down to the financial mis-dealings of dodgy owners. The problem in these situation is, that the fans will always be the victims, for us it was at the hands of an upper class English hockey fan, while for Pompey it has come at the hands of a string of mysterious foreigners. Either way in no way were any of these people fans of the clubs themselves and the situation both clubs found themselves in could easily happen to anyone.

Saints and Pompey are enemies but they are enemies with a mutual interest, like a bickering married couple who were once in love but lost their way and now have irreconcilable differences, neither quite able to shake the other one off. Mainly because they don’t really want to. Each flirting with other women (Bournemouth, Brighton etc.) but never quite getting that same undeniable high you get in each others presence. When routine bites hard, georgeweahscousin Leave a comment Just before Saints went down 3-2 to Leicester at the King Power Stadium at the end of August I looked at the ex-Saints among their squad (check it out here ), playing staff wise not a lot has changed. Matt Oakley has had a loan spell with Exeter City, while Matt Mills has been a regular as the Foxes who have been in indifferent form. It was perhaps this indifferent form that saw manager Sven Goran Eriksson leave the club by mutual consent at the end of October. This saw the return of another ex-Saint to Leicester, in the shape of former boss Nigel Pearson.

Nigel Pearson Pearson joined Saints in February 2008 after the side had suffered poor form under the caretakership of John Gorman following George Burely’s defection to the Scottish national team. Coming in off the back of just one full time managerial role at Carlisle United in the late nineties, many fans were sceptical about his appointment. He arrived at St. Mary’s when the job was somewhat of a poisoned chalice. Saints were 18th in the Championship and the soon-to-be well publicised financial issues were bubbling under behind the scenes. The former England U-21 coach got off to a shaky start, not winning in his first five games, although only one of those (his first in charge) ended in defeat. His first victory, came rather ironically, at home to Leicester City. Stern John scoring an acrobatic volley from Mario Licka’s flick to get a precious three points against their fellow strugglers. Pearson the Saint. Saints would only go on to win twice more that season, but the supporters were encouraged by the battling performances that Pearson’s rejuvenated men were putting in.

Saints went into the final day of the 2007/08 season in 22nd place, and staring relegation to League One in the face. Needing to both win at home to Sheffield United (who could grab themselves a play off place) and hope that at least one other above them slipped up. Saints came from behind to lead 2-1 before being pegged back again, but it was Stern John who converted the winner and Leicester’s stalemate at Stoke meant Pearson had escaped the drop. After a truly dreadful season, Saints fans were optimistic that with a transfer window at his disposal, and the encouraging performances at the end of 2008 that Pearson would be capable of building a decent side at St. Mary’s. That wasn’t to be though and at the end of May that year Rupert Lowe sacked Pearson and replaced him with Dutchman Jan Poortvliet, a move that would be proved to be both purely financial and ultimately disastrous. Pearson was appointed manager of Leicester City and led them to the League One title, while Saints car crash couple of seasons spiralled out of control. Stern John celebrates THAT goal. Saints welcome back Pearson to St.

Mary’s, now in his second spell at Leicester City on Monday night. Chris 4Gamblers Club Southampton History Foundation and Southern League Southampton were founded at St. Mary’s Church, on 21 November 1885 by members of the St. Mary’s Church of England Young Men’s Association. Chart of yearly table positions of Southampton in the Football League. St. Mary’s Y.M.A., as they were usually referred to in the local press, played most of their early games on The Common where games were frequently interrupted by pedestrians insistent on exercising their right to roam. More important matches, such as cup games, were played either at the County Cricket Ground in Northlands Road or the Antelope Cricket Ground in St Mary’s Road. The club was originally known as St. Mary’s Young Men’s Association F.C. (usually abbreviated to “St. Mary’s Y.M.A.”) and then became simply St. Mary’s F.C. in 1887–88, before adopting the name Southampton St. Mary’s when the club joined the Southern League in 1894. After winning the Southern League title in 1896–97, the club became a limited company and was renamed Southampton F.C.

Southampton won the Southern League championship for three years running between 1897 and 1899 and again in 1901, 1903 and 1904. During this time, they moved to a newly built £10,000 stadium called The Dell, to the North-West of the city centre in 1898. Although they would spend the next 103 years there, the future was far from certain in those early days and the club had to rent the premises first before they could stump up the cash to buy the stadium in the early part of the 20th century. The club reached the first of their four FA Cup Finals in 1900. On that day they went down 4–0 to Bury and two years later they would suffer a similar fate at the hands of Sheffield United as they were beaten 2–1 in a replay of the 1902 final. Joining the Football League After the First World War, Saints joined the newly formed Football League Third Division in 1920 which split into South and North sections a year later.

The 1921–22 season ended in triumph with promotion and marked the beginning of a 31-year stay in the Second Division. The 1922–23 season was a unique “Even Season” – 14 wins, 14 draws, 14 defeats for a total of 42 points, or one point per game. Goals For and Against were also equal and the team finished in mid-table. In 1925 and 1927, they reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, losing 2–0 and 2–1 to Sheffield United and Arsenal respectively. Saints were briefly forced to switch home matches to the ground of their local rivals Portsmouth at Fratton Park during the Second World War when a bomb landed on The Dell pitch in November 1940, leaving an 18-foot crater which damaged an underground culvert and flooded the pitch.

Promotion was narrowly missed in 1947–48 when they finished in third place, a feat repeated the following season (despite having an eight-point lead with eight games to play) whilst in 1949–50 they were to be denied promotion by 0.06 of a goal, missing out on second place to Sheffield United. In the 1948–49 and 1949–50 seasons, Charlie Wayman rattled in a total of 56 goals. Then relegation in 1953 sent Saints sliding back into Division 3 (South). It took until 1960 for Saints to regain Second Division status with Derek Reeves plundering 39 of the champions’ 106 league goals. On 27 April 1963 a crowd of 68,000 at Villa Park saw them lose 1–0 to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final. Reaching the First Division and cup win In 1966 when Ted Bates’ team were promoted to the First Division as runners-up, with Martin Chivers scoring 30 of Saints’ 85 league goals.

For the following campaign Ron Davies arrived to score 43 goals in his first season. Saints stayed among the elite for eight years, with the highest finishing position being seventh place in 1968–69 and again in 1970–71. These finishes were high enough for them to qualify for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969–70 (going out in Round 3 to Newcastle United) and its successor, the UEFA Cup in 1971–72, when they went out in the First Round to Athletic Bilbao. In December 1973, Bates stood down to be replaced by his assistant Lawrie McMenemy. The Saints were one of the first victims of the new three-down relegation system in 1974. Under McMenemy’s management, Saints started to rebuild in the Second Division, capturing players such as Peter Osgood, Jim McCalliog, Jim Steele and Peter Rodrigues (captain) and in 1976, Southampton reached the FA Cup Final, playing Manchester United at Wembley, and beat much-fancied United 1–0 with a goal from Bobby Stokes.

The following season, they played in Europe again in the Cup Winners’ Cup, reaching Round 3 where they lost 2–3 on aggregate to Anderlecht. Return to First Division In 1977–78, captained by Alan Ball, Saints finished runners-up in the Second Division (behind Bolton Wanderers) and returned to the First Division. They finished comfortably in 14th place in their first season back in the top flight. The following season they returned to Wembley in the final of the League Cup where they acquitted themselves well, losing 3–2 to Nottingham Forest. In 1980, McMenemy made his biggest signing, capturing the European Footballer of the Year Kevin Keegan.

Although Keegan’s Southampton career only lasted two years, Saints fielded an attractive side also containing Alan Ball, prolific goal-scorer Ted MacDougall, (who still holds the record for the largest number of goals in an FA Cup game – nine – for Bournemouth against Margate in an 11–0 win), MacDougall’s strike partner at Bournemouth and Norwich Phil Boyer, club stalwart Mick Channon and Charlie George and in 1980–81 they scored 76 goals, finishing in sixth place, then their highest league finish. The following season, Kevin Keegan helped lift the club to the top of the First Division. Southampton led the league for over two months, taking top spot on 30 January 1982 and staying there (apart from one week) until 3 April 1982. But in a disappointing end to the season, in which Keegan was hampered by a back injury, Southampton won only two of their last nine games and finished seventh. The winners of a wide-open title race were Keegan’s old club Liverpool, who were crowned champions on the final day of the season.

Keegan scored 26 of Southampton’s 72 goals that season, but was then sold to Newcastle United. Southampton continued to progress under McMenemy’s stewardship, and with a team containing Peter Shilton (the England national football team goalkeeper), Nick Holmes, David Armstrong, striker Steve Moran and quick winger Danny Wallace reached their highest ever league finish as runners-up in 1983–84(three points behind the champions Liverpool) as well as reaching the semi-final of the FA Cup losing 1–0 to Everton at Highbury Stadium. McMenemy then added experienced midfielder Jimmy Case to his ranks. They finished fifth the following year, but as a result of the Heysel Disaster all English clubs were banned from European competition: had it not been for this, then Southampton would have again qualified for the UEFA Cup. McMenemy left at the end of the 1984–85 season to be succeeded by Chris Nicholl, who was sacked after six years in charge despite preserving the club’s top flight status. He was replaced by Ian Branfoot, who until the end of the 1990–91 season had been assistant manager to Steve Coppell at Crystal Palace.

By this stage a key player in the Southampton line-up was Guernsey-born attacking midfielder/striker Matthew Le Tissier, who broke into the first team in the 1986–87 season. He was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990 and later made eight appearances for the England team – he finally retired in 2002 at the age of 33. Another exciting young player to break into the Southampton team just after Le Tissier was Alan Shearer, who at the age of 17 scored a hat-trick against Arsenal in a league match in April 1988. Shearer was a first team regular by 1990, and stayed with Southampton until July 1992, when he was sold to Blackburn Rovers for a national record of more than £3million. He then became the most expensive footballer in the world when Blackburn sold him to Newcastle United for £15million in 1996. He also scored 30 times for the England team.

Southampton in the Premier League Southampton were founding members of the Premier League in 1992–93, but spent most of the next 10 seasons struggling against relegation. In 1995–96. Southampton finished 17th with 38 league points, avoiding relegation on goal difference. Two important wins during the final weeks of the season did much to ensure that Saints and not Manchester City would achieve Premiership survival. First came a 3–1 home win over eventual double winners Manchester United, then came a 1–0 away win over relegated Bolton Wanderers. Former Liverpool and Rangers manager Graeme Souness, was brought in, signing foreign players such as Egil Østenstad and Eyal Berkovic. The highlight of the season was a 6–3 win over Manchester United at The Dell in October, when both his signings scored twice. However, he had to deal with criticism over the Ali Dia debacle. He resigned after just one season in charge, being replaced by Dave Jones who had won promotion to Division One with Stockport County as well as reaching the League Cup semi-finals.

In 1998–99 as they were rooted to the bottom of the table for much of the first half of the season, but again avoided relegation on the last day of the season after a late run of good results, helped by the intervention of Latvian Marian Pahars and old hero Le Tissier (The so-called “Great Escape”). In 1999, Southampton were given the go-ahead to build a new 32,000-seat stadium in the St Mary’s area of the city, after playing in the Dell since 1898. The stadium had been converted to an all-seater format earlier in the decade, but had a capacity of less than 16,000 and was unsuitable for further expansion. During the 1999–00 season, Dave Jones quit as Southampton manager to concentrate on a court case after he was accused of abusing children at the children’s home where he had worked during the 1980s. The accusations were later proved to be groundless but it was too late to save Jones’s career as Southampton manager and he was succeeded by ex-England team manager Glenn Hoddle.

He helped keep Southampton well clear of the Premier League drop zone but having received an offer he moved to Tottenham Hotspur just before the end of the 2000–01 season. He was replaced by first-team coach Stuart Gray, who oversaw the relocation to the St Mary’s Stadium for the 2001–02 season. At the end of the 2000–01 season, in the last competitive match at The Dell, Matthew Le Tissier came on late to score the last ever league goal at the old stadium with a half volley on the turn in a 3–2 win against Arsenal. Gray was sacked after a poor start to the following season, and he was replaced by ex-Coventry City manager Gordon Strachan, who steered Southampton to safety and a secure 11th-place finish. In 2002–03, Southampton finished eighth in the league and finished runners-up in the FA Cup to Arsenal (after losing 1–0 at the Millennium Stadium), thanks in no small part to the metamorphosis of James Beattie, who fired home 24 goals, 23 in the league.

Strachan resigned in March 2004 and within eight months, two different managers – Paul Sturrock and Steve Wigley – had come and gone. Chairman Rupert Lowe risked the ire of Saints fans when he appointed Harry Redknapp as manager on 8 December 2004, just after his resignation at South Coast rivals Portsmouth. He brought in a number of new signings, including his son Jamie in the attempt to survive relegation. Southampton were relegated from the Premier League on the last day of the season, ending 27 successive seasons of top flight football for the club. Their relegation was ironically confirmed by a 2–1 home defeat to Manchester United, who had been on the receiving end of many upsets by Southampton over the years, namely in the 1976 FA Cup final and since then on a number of occasions in the league, as well as inflicting a heavy defeat on them in a November 1986 League Cup tie which cost United manager Ron Atkinson his job. Lowe and Southampton continued to make headlines after former England Rugby World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward joined the club—eventually being appointed Technical Director in June 2005.

Outside the top flight On 24 November 2005, Portsmouth manager Alain Perrin, the man who himself replaced Harry Redknapp at Southampton’s arch-rivals, was sacked by chairman Milan Mandarić. Redknapp walked out on Southampton on 3 December 2005 and rejoined Portsmouth on 7 December 2005. After three matches under caretaker manager Dave Bassett and assistant Dennis Wise, George Burley was unveiled as the club’s new head coach on 23 December to work alongside Clive Woodward, who was promoted from Performance Director to Director of Football. In the wake of calls for him to step down, Lowe eventually resigned on 30 June 2006, a few days before an Extraordinary general meeting that was predicted to see him removed from the club’s board. He was replaced as Chairman by Jersey-based businessman Michael Wilde who had become the club’s major shareholder. During the 2006–07 season, the board set about trying to secure new investment in the club. However, on 26 February 2007, it was announced that Michael Wilde would step down as chairman of the football club on 28 February.

On 2 March, it was announced that Leon Crouch would take the role of “acting Chairman” until the end of that season, when the Board would reassess the situation. Crouch was reportedly fired on 21 July 2007. On 22 October 2007, it was announced the club’s p.l.c. board had received a takeover bid from an unknown investor which would purchase 55% of the shares in the company. Two days later, a London-based hedge fund, SISU Capital, was named as the potential new owner. The self-described “special situations investment fund management company” has previously attempted to gain control of Derby County and Manchester City; former footballer Ray Ranson was involved with both bids, and SISU intended to nominate him for a place on the Southampton board.However, on 14 December it was confirmed that SISU had completed a takeover of Coventry City, effectively ending their interest in Southampton.

The day before a proposed EGM to reinstate Lowe along with Wilde was to take place, the remaining board room members bar David Jones resigned, allowing Lowe and Wilde to return; Wilde as Chairman of Southampton Football Club and Rupert Lowe as Chairman of Southampton Leisure Holdings p.l.c. At one point during the 2005–06 season, Southampton were in real danger of a second successive relegation. But their form improved during the final weeks of the season and they finished a secure twelfth. SOUTHAMPTON, UNITED KINGDOM – MAY 06: Leon Best of Southampton celebrates scoring a goal during the Coca-Cola Championship match between Southampton and Southend United at St Marys Stadium on May 6, 2007 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Leon Best Southampton players form a huddle before kicking off against Derby in 2007 The good form which secured Southampton’s Championship status in 2005–06 was carried through to the start of the 2006–07 season, and the turn of the year saw the team in fourth place in the table. The new board of directors had spent a club record £6 million on transfers.

Polish strikers Grzegorz Rasiak and Marek Saganowski and 17-year-old left back Gareth Bale all had great runs in form. Southampton finished in sixth place, the last play-off position. They lost the home leg of their playoff semi-final to Derby County, and on 15 May achieved parity on aggregate but lost on penalties in a thrilling encounter. In the 2007–08 season, George Burley revealed that players such as Gareth Bale and Kenwyne Jones had to be sold to stop the club going into administration and that not achieving promotion put the club in serious financial difficulty. Burley left the club in January 2008 to take over as Scotland manager. Initially Jason Dodd and John Gorman took charge of Southampton. But in February, Southampton appointed Nigel Pearson as manager. Under Pearson’s management Southampton narrowly avoided the drop by beating Sheffield United 3–2 on the final day of the season. Although Pearson kept the Saints up, the Southampton board did not renew his contract, because of financial constraints. By now, Michael Wilde and Rupert Lowe had replaced Leon Crouch as chairmen, and the new board brought in the relatively unknown Dutchman Jan Poortvliet as manager.

The Club’s financial troubles continued to mount, resulting in more players being sold or loaned out to lower the wage bill and parts of St Mary’s were closed off to reduce costs. On 23 January 2009, Poortvliet resigned with the club one from bottom in the Championship, with Mark Wotte taking over managerial duties. On 23 April 2009, Southampton were handed a 10-point deduction, following their parent company going into administration. This deduction ensured that Southampton were relegated from the Football League Championship and played the 2009–10 season in League One.[14] After failure to beat Burnley in the penultimate game of the season on 25 April 2009, which ended in a 2–2 draw, Southampton confirmed their relegation from the Championship to League One. This also meant that they started in the third tier of English football for the first time in 50 years with minus 10 points, within six years of being FA Cup runners-up, UEFA Cup participants and the eighth placed team in the Premier League.

By the end of May 2009, the club was unable to meet its staff wages commitments, and asked employees to work unpaid as a gesture of goodwill. Despite his statement opposing the sanctions a month earlier, administrator Mark Fry warned that the club now faced imminent bankruptcy unless a buyer was found. The following day, the Matt Le Tissier-backed Pinnacle consortium paid a non-refundable fee of £500,000 to gain “exclusivity” for 21 days, which meant that the employees at the club could be paid. That period of exclusivity lapsed on 19 June without a deal being completed as the Football League refused to give the necessary approval of the proposed take-over unless Pinnacle waived any right to appeal against the ten-point deduction. The decision was confirmed by a meeting of the Football League Board on 21 June On 26 June 2009, administrator Mark Fry made a statement in which he said he had negotiations with two other groups of investors. He also confirmed that no group had an exclusivity deal and potential buyers will have to move straight away to purchase the club.

This was followed by a statement from the Pinnacle group that they would accept the ten point penalty enforced by the Football League in order that the takeover of the club may be completed. On 30 June 2009, it was reported that the Le Tissier-backed Pinnacle Consortium had withdrawn their offer for the club. They “up-turned tables” after a mystery overseas consortium announced that they were close to a deal after lawyers were in negotiations for the club. On 8 July 2009, the administrators confirmed that the club had been sold to a buyer “owned and controlled by Markus Liebherr”.On 9 July 2009, Mark Wotte was sacked as Head Coach. On 17 July 2009, the club confirmed the appointment of Alan Pardew as the new First Team Manager. The Saints made their first big signing under Liebherr, striker Rickie Lambert who was purchased on 10 August 2009 from fellow League One side Bristol Rovers. Liebherr also brought in Italian businessman Nicola Cortese to look after the club’s business interests on his behalf.

On 28 March 2010, Southampton won their first trophy since 1976 when they defeated Carlisle United 4–1 at Wembley, to claim the Football League Trophy.Southampton finished the season in 7th place, 7 points from the last play-off position. In celebration of the club’s 125th anniversary a new home shirt was unveiled on 10 June 2010. The design was based on the original St. Mary’s Y.M.A. kit used in 1885 and featured the new anniversary crest as well being without a sponsor’s logo. The away kit was released a short time later. This kit had a black shirt, black shorts (both with red trim) and red socks (with black trim). As with the home kit the away kit contained no main shirt sponsor and new crest. It was announced on 11 August 2010 that Markus Liebherr had died; however the club’s future had been assured and planned for before Liebherr’s death.On 30 August 2010, Alan Pardew was sacked as first team manager.

Dean Wilkins was installed as caretaker manager for a three-game period while the club started its search for a new manager. On 12 September, Nigel Adkins was announced as the new Southampton manager, joining from Scunthorpe United. Southampton achieved promotion to the Championship on 7 May 2011 with a 3–1 victory over Walsall. On return to the Championship, Southampton made a strong start to the season, winning their first four league games for the first time in their history (this also established a club record of 10 consecutive league victories following a successful spell at the end of the previous League One season). Southampton soon secured their best start to a season for 75 years when they beat Nottingham Forest 3–2 at home, then beat Birmingham City 4–1 at home to go top of the league and extend their winning run at St Mary’s to 13 league games, setting a new club record. On 13 April, Southampton lost 3–1 at home to fellow-challengers for promotion Reading in a match which effectively decided the Championship title. This was the Saints’ first home defeat in the league since mid-January.

The team however confirmed promotion to the Premier League with a 4–0 defeat of relegated Coventry, with goals from Adam Lallana, Billy Sharp, Jos Hooiveld, and José Fonte. The game set a record attendance at St Mary’s Stadium, of 32,363 fans. Rickie Lambert finished the season as the Championship’s top goalscorer with 27 league goals, his third ‘Golden Boot’ in four seasons. He also won the Championship Player of the Year award. Return to the Premier League On 10 June 2012, Southampton completed the £7 million signing of Burnley striker Jay Rodriguez, breaking the club’s record transfer fee spent on a single player, previously £4 million for Rory Delap, who transferred from Derby County in 2001. This record was then broken by the £12 million signing of Uruguayan forward Gastón Ramírez from Bologna on transfer deadline day, one of a clutch of eight new signings for the team before the window closed.

Early in the season, Adkins was sacked and replaced by Argentinian coach Mauricio Pochettino.After his arrival, Southampton recorded some impressive results, with home wins against Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, although they suffered one of their biggest defeats after losing 6–1 away to Arsenal. Southampton finished the season in 14th place, four places above the relegation zone, with 41 points. On 11 July 2013, in preparation for next season, the club’s transfer fee record was again broken with the purchase of Victor Wanyama from Celtic for a reported fee of £12.5 million. A month later, on 18 August 2013, the club’s transfer fee record was broken a fourth time in two years with the purchase of Daniel Osvaldo from Roma for a reported fee of £15 million. The Saints also signed Croatian centre-back Dejan Lovren from Lyon for a fee reported to be in the region of £8.5 million. Southampton ended their season in eighth place, with 56 points.

Koeman (front left) as manager Pochettino departed the club in the close season for Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur. The club subsequently appointed Ronald Koeman as his replacement on 16 June 2014, signing a three-year deal. The former Feyenoord boss was joined by his brother Erwin as assistant manager. At the end of the 2013–14 season, Southampton made a number of high-profile sales – including Rickie Lambert, captain Adam Lallana, and Lovren to Liverpool for estimated fees of £4 million, £25 million, and £20 million respectively, left-back Luke Shaw to Manchester United for a club record fee in the region of £27 million, and right-back Calum Chambers joined Arsenal for approximately £16 million.

On 8 July 2014, the Saints made their first signing of the season in Serbian midfielder Dušan Tadić, who joined for a reported £10.9 million from Dutch side Twente.Tadić was followed by Italian striker Graziano Pellè, who signed from Feyenoord on 12 July.At the end of July, Southampton signed Chelsea left-back Ryan Bertrand on a season-long loan (with an option to buy for £10 million at the end of the season). In August, Southampton signed Fraser Forster for £10 million from Celtic. Southampton added Romania international defender Florin Gardoș (£6 million) as well as Irish striker Shane Long from Hull City for £12 million. Southampton also signed Senegalese winger Sadio Mané from Red Bull Salzburg for £10 million and Belgium defender Toby Alderweireld on a season-long loan from Atlético Madrid.

The club earned several new accolades in the 2014–15 season, with a record 8–0 victory over Sunderland in October 2014, and their first league victory since 1988 at Old Trafford against Manchester United in January 2015, after Dušan Tadić scored the only goal of the game. In their final home game of the season, a 6–1 victory against Aston Villa, Sadio Mané scored three goals in the space of 176 seconds, making it the fastest hat trick in the history of the Premier League.The club finished seventh, their highest ever Premier League rank, with 60 points.The club qualified for the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League following Aston Villa’s 4–0 defeat to Arsenal in the 2015 FA Cup Final, as Arsenal had already secured a place in the UEFA Champions League.

Despite securing 3–0 and 2–0 victories home and away respectively against Vitesse in the Europa League, the club failed to make it past the playoff stage after a 1–1 draw and 1–0 loss home and away respectively to Midtjylland, which resulted in 2–1 goal aggregate and consequential elimination. Over the next transfer window, Southampton sold Nathaniel Clyne to Liverpool for an estimated £12.5 million, and Morgan Schneiderlin to Manchester United for an estimated £27 million. Both Manchester United and Chelsea offered £30 million bids for Sadio Mané, but Koeman insisted that he was not for sale,and Mane himself expressed desire to stay with Southampton. The club signed Dutch centre back Virgil van Dijk for an estimated £13 million, as well as right back Cuco Martina and Spanish defender Oriol Romeu. Steven Caulker and Maarten Stekelenburg were signed on loan from QPR and Fulham, respectively. On 2 December 2015, the club endured their biggest defeat in three years after losing 6–1 to Liverpool at home in the quarter finals of the Football League Cup.

Fraser Forster, who had been absent since March 2015 due to injury, returned to the main squad in a home game against Watford on 13 January 2016, which ended in a 2–0 victory. The club later signed striker Charlie Austin for £4 million, who debuted in an away game against Manchester United, scoring the only goal of the game at the 87 minute mark to secure Southampton a back to back league victory at Old Trafford, an accolade last achieved in 1969. About Us We have started up the project with the main target to supply you with up-to-date stats and current news about sports and casino world, so you can while away some of your free time with Us instead of surfing a great number of pages online. 4Gamblers is a vast area where you may come and find all actual and interesting data about your favorite leagues, teams and types of sports. Today you can find everything in a single spot called 4gamblers.club.

Tag Cloud Southampton's parent company goes into administration - Telegraph Southampton Southampton's parent company goes into administration The Football League is braced for a backlash from many of their clubs after it emerged they may be powerless to deduct points from Southampton, whose parent company has gone into administration. By Jeremy Wilson 12:30PM BST 02 Apr 2009 Shares in Southampton Leisure Holdings were suspended on Wednesday ahead of a formal announcement on Thursday, but Saints believe they can avoid a 10-point penalty because it is the parent company rather than the club that is going into administration. The Football League have confirmed their rules support that interpretation, although a meeting of the board will be held on Tuesday to decide on any sanctions. Other clubs, particularly those involved in the Championship relegation battle with the Saints, are likely to point out that Southampton Leisure Holdings has been the vehicle for the club's major football transactions.

However, while the apparent loophole is likely to spark a wider debate regarding the status of holding and parent companies, a Football League spokesman said: "The league rules are very specific, it has to be the club which goes into administration for points to be deducted." Southampton Leisure Holdings have fallen into financial difficulty for a combination of reasons, including a wage bill that spiralled to 81 per cent of the dwindling turnover following relegation from the Premier League in 2005. The need to service a loan for St Mary's Stadium has also placed an added strain on finances, as have falling crowds and the loss of parachute payments. Related Articles Football's worst kits 31 Mar 2009 According to the last accounts, the company's net debt stood at £27.5 million, of which £4.5 million was an overdraft from Barclays Bank. The remaining £23 million essentially related to the loan on the building of St Mary's. Business rescue firm Begbies Traynor will step in as the administrator and will hold a press conference today. "It's now about keeping Southampton FC alive – this is the only way it could be done," said Rupert Lowe, who returned as the parent company's chairman last year.

Lowe, Saints chairman Michael Wilde and director Andrew Cowen have resigned from the company with immediate effect, although a statement from SLH said the club is "unaffected by these insolvency proceedings". Charlton have continued to plan for League One by placing up to 25 members of their staff at risk of redundancy. The move comes as part of efforts to cut costs ahead of the dramatically-reduced income they will have next season, with the end of the Addicks’ two years of parachute payments following relegation from the Premier League in 2007. Phil Parkinson’s side are 14 points adrift of safety with just seven games remaining. Charlton plc chairman Derek Chappell said: “The loss of the final parachute payment from the Premier League at the end of this season, along with our current situation of facing relegation from the Championship, will reduce our revenue by at least £10million. “As a result of this substantial cut in income, the plc board are finalising the 2009-10 budget, with a view to a dramatic reduction in the overall cost of running the business.”

Question: From which English football club did Rupert Lowe resign when the club was placed into administration in 2009?
Answer: SOUTHAMPTON