Printer-friendly pageWednesday, September 27, 2006
I cannot stress hard enough that I need your, the members, views on The Saints Trust. There will be a fan on the Board and this can be nothing but good news. The people involved with the Saints Trust should be congratulated for all the hard work they have put in and what they have achieved in a relatively short period of time.
WHAT IS THE FUTURE
What are my thoughts? First off I think our affiliation to any Southampton related club is an AGM matter. That does not mean we have to wait until next May, as we could call an EGM
I find the message from David Luker of Saints' Supporte Services to be contradictory. The opening paragraph says that there will be no change in the direct current relationship we have with the Club, but later on states that the Supporters Direct will only back one body per club, this being the Saints Trust.
Again David says that our LSSC supporters will not have to pay twice, but hints that an affiliation cost may apply.
It seems that some 1800 members of the Saints Trust are needed to legally begin the voting structure to put a fan on the Board and our affiliation will move this process along quicker. I know that a number of individuals in the LSSC have joined the Trust and initial thinking says that this would be sufficient rather than having all our members join in a block.
The London Saints have enjoyed 28 years of independence and have had the clout to bring up the Board and player to functions in London. We have also invited other Saints fans, as those who were amongst 400 and more at the Players Evening in the Goat House some seven years ago will testify. More recently the evening with Lawrie McMenemy was a great coup for the London Saints and will be remembered for quite awhile. Just look where the great man is now!
As you will gather, I have doubts about affiliating at this moment in time and I do not think we should be bounced into this – there are questions that need to be resolved. I am about to write to Michael Wilde to invite him to an evening in London in the same manner that Rupert Lowe gave up his time to come and see us. We shall see.
There is no doubt that we should work alongside the Saints Trust. It has to be a two way thing and I have no doubt that it will be. I do not know if Michael Wilde will continue the Supporters Forums, but this was a good way to air your views with other fans. And dare I say it but the evenings the London Saints have with the Club were even better to air your views because it was on a smaller, more individual basis.
IMPORTANT: I am sure that others hold different views and I need to hear them please. Please try and make an effort to e-mail, telephone or see me at a match to make your views known. They could be important to the future of the London Saints. Contact details are in the Members Area.
PROGRAMME CORNER
On a lighter more jovial note, I could not help but compare the comparative sizes of the programmes at Derby and Ipswich. Size matters so they say but I wonder what size Derby think our pockets are. Derby’s programme was an incredible 11 and three quarter inches by 8 and a half. Ridiculous. Ipswich’s programme size was a neat and compact 8 and a half inches by 5 and a half. Much more manageable and the best content programme that I have seen to date this season.
Stiill, I suppose anything is better than those newspaper programmes of many years ago!
ON THE PITCH
September is upon us already and a new Championship season is well underway. Writing these notes between the Ipswich and the Crystal Palace games, you will understand the roller coaster emotions that Saints will take you through this season.
It may sound obvious but to get out of this division Saints need more of that killer instinct.
Following on from the disappointing home game with Preston and then the Ipswich game, Saints failed to take control of the games and win them after taking the lead. How different the Palace game was. They started the second half of the Palace game exactly as they had done so 45 minutes earlier. Saints saw more of the ball than Palace, took control, played it around a bit and showed their superior fitness. In other words they killed the game – that killer instinct. It must be maintained.
