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Crouch and Richards are united for Saints

5:50am Saturday 4th April 2009


FORMER boardroom rivals Leon Crouch and Mike Richards will put the past behind them today in a bid to ensure a brighter future for the club.

Ex-football club board chairman Crouch and Rupert Lowe’s long-time board supporter Richards are planning to personally visit all hospitality suites and corporate boxes before this afternoon’s crucial home clash with fellow Championship rivals Charlton.

They will also be delivering a letter signed by them both asking for financial donations to a newly formed appeal fund.

Crouch and Dell legend Francis Benali are then planning to address the thousands of supporters in the stands via a microphone on the pitch prior to the start of the match.

“I will be speaking as the acting head of a newly formed supporters group,” said Crouch.

“By going round with Mike Richards we will be showing that we are willing to put the past behind us and concentrate on the future.

“We want to help raise money to ensure the club can complete the season.

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“We have to put the past behind us – it’s a new beginning now.

“The fans should be united again and we can all try and do what we can to save this great club.

“It’s sad what has happened this week but I urge all supporters to rally round.

“I am sure the stadium will be packed out for the Charlton match and there will be a great atmosphere.

“The fans will be the 12th man."

Full story in today's Daily Echo


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Your Say YourHampshire

oldtimesaint, says...
7:00am Sat 4 Apr 09

I am very happy to make a contribution but we are being asked to make the payments to 'Southampton Football Club Limited'. It is very possible that the club will also be put into administration, particularly if the ten points are still deducted. These funds need to be ring fenced so that they are protected from the administrator.

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maybush saint, maybush says...
8:21am Sat 4 Apr 09

Well said old time saint. We need to be absolutly sure that the money will be used to protect the club for the rest of the season. I have heard that there are "several interested parties" who want to buy the club anyone know who?
come on you stay aways now is the time to show which of you are true fans and fill the stadium and support the team.
SAVE OUR SAINTS!!

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saintpeter48, southampton says...
8:30am Sat 4 Apr 09

i'll gladly make a donation as long as it goes nowhere near lowes pockets or is swallowed up by administrators. COME ON YOU SAINTS!

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martin van tuyl, poole says...
8:31am Sat 4 Apr 09

I dare say Crouch has the club at heart (unlike Lowe) but would it not be better to make a clean break? Would a complete clear out not pave the way to a new beginning? I firmly believe the demiese of our club can be blamed on one man and one man only but Crouch isn't all together innocent. If I had my way, I'd go for a whole new set up and appoint an English manager (how about Nicky Holmes?. Would I donate money to the club? As someone who has been at SMS week in week out and as someone who travels away with the Saints I don't have to prove my loyalty. I just wish the fans were taken so seriously 6 seasons ago. OK, I'll donate some money. COYR!

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steveyot, Harefield says...
8:40am Sat 4 Apr 09

My cheque is written out but we do need guarantees that the money is ringfenced to keeping the club alive.

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Bigrich1980, ERIMI says...
8:48am Sat 4 Apr 09

I see on the bbc gossip pages today that the club are trying to negotiate with Norwich Union about writing off the debt of the stadium - maybe we could name the stadium after them or something. Fans must get their insurance with NU or something lol

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suttonsaint, Cheam says...
8:53am Sat 4 Apr 09

Bigrich1980 wrote:
I see on the bbc gossip pages today that the club are trying to negotiate with Norwich Union about writing off the debt of the stadium - maybe we could name the stadium after them or something. Fans must get their insurance with NU or something lol
So will it be the
NU St Marys Stadium?

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adgerb, Frome says...
9:10am Sat 4 Apr 09

suttonsaint wrote:
Bigrich1980 wrote:
I see on the bbc gossip pages today that the club are trying to negotiate with Norwich Union about writing off the debt of the stadium - maybe we could name the stadium after them or something. Fans must get their insurance with NU or something lol
So will it be the
NU St Marys Stadium?
No, I think it would become the Aviva Stadium. That could give us a new song

"We're off to cheer the Sunny Saints
Aviva St Marys" etc.etc To the Words of Eviva Espana OK perhaps not

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milton road, cambridge says...
9:15am Sat 4 Apr 09

I believe that whatever the past and I have been scathing of Crouch and Lowe in the past, out of the two I have never doubted Crouch as sincerely loyal, whatever his faults.
We need a known figurehead for something like this, he has stepped up to the plate. There is a huge amount of work in this and most of all he strikes me as honest and with the club's best interests at heart. I am sure that he has thought these things through properly.Things are financially very tight at the moment but my cheque will be there. This club has given me wonderful times over the years, a few heart breaking ones as well mind you.

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UTS, says...
9:27am Sat 4 Apr 09

Richards is a judas traitor.

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milton road, cambridge says...
9:38am Sat 4 Apr 09

The parent company could be a very good investment for someone.
If I understand things correctly. Norwich Union would probably accept in the region of just under ten million. There is Barclays loan. So for around sixteen million. You would get the whole thing. St Mary's, Staplewood and Jackson's farm.
as long as I am not naive in my thinking that it could be that easy.
That is a good deal in anyone's book.
There are such things as consortium's and I would think this is being looked into.
Am I also right in saying that the ground cannot be used as anything else other than for sport or entertainment. It cannot be demolished for development the council will never allow it. Plus the fact it is a contaminated site because of the old gasworks?
The council need to be there for the club now. In 1976 when we won the F.A. cup we were promised a new ground by the council. It never happened and whilst Saints were one of the biggest clubs in England for a decade, without the ground to sustain it, we eventually fell away.

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WindsorSaint, Windsor says...
10:17am Sat 4 Apr 09

I have to work today so can't make the game, but have just bought a couple of shirts from the online store - every little helps!

Would definitely make a donation once there are ring fencing guarantees in place.

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milton road, cambridge says...
10:30am Sat 4 Apr 09

So now we have donations not being made thanks to oldtime Saint.I am sure that these business men have thought of this. To hesitate in making donations now is to be lost and lost forever.

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milton road, cambridge says...
10:58am Sat 4 Apr 09

I have reported oldtime saints comments not through offence but the need to clarify this issue very quickly.I understand his concern, yet to hesitate is to be lost. It would have been a point worth making direct to the echo rather than on the internet, which could cause the club more damage. They would have looked into it. Anyway hopefully that should be quickly remedied. No offence meant oldtime saint

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oldtimesaint, says...
11:10am Sat 4 Apr 09

no problem....I will make a contribution myself, I just want to make sure that it stays in the coffers of the club and doesnt end up in the hands of the administrator. Remember the administrators sole responsibility is to maximise the return for the creditors of the holding company and only look after the club to the extent that they can maintain some value in order to sell it to the highest bidder.

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Golacsrightfoot, Southampton says...
12:27pm Sat 4 Apr 09

I don't really want Crouch involved, he did enough damage financially in his last stint at the club

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Traceyf, Southampton says...
3:19pm Sat 4 Apr 09

UTS wrote:
Richards is a judas traitor.
Are you saying Richards should not be joining with your man Crouch then?

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Dutch Saints Fan, 's-Heerenberg/Holland says...
4:44pm Sat 4 Apr 09

Thanx guys,
it's now 1-3 for the Latics.
THANX for ruining again my weekend.
You spoiled brats !!

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Barcelona Saint, Barcelona says...
5:22pm Sat 4 Apr 09

Get lost Crouch!! Get lost Richards. Get lost anyone formerly associated with the club!
Great, another loss again today, completely useless!

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jaspm7, Totton says...
10:51pm Sat 4 Apr 09

When are you lot going to sober-up, and stop looking for logic to your arguments.
Football is like any other dodgy, cash-rich business. People do things for a variety of agendas:-
Money
Self-Esteem
Jealousy
Pride
Commitment
Revenge

Also, people lie. About their motives, tax returns, past successes and failures. They make allies when they are in a corner, and different allies when they are on a winning streak.
Joe public can try all he wants to unravel the situation, but his time would be much better spent looking after himself and his family

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The Grey Mystery, Shirley says...
3:32pm Sun 5 Apr 09

i will not donate until i see these two pictured with their cheques in the echo

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The Grey Mystery, Shirley says...
3:34pm Sun 5 Apr 09

dont trust richards any ex rupert supporter means trouble for saints and their fans

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Comments are closed on this article.

Leon Crouch MIKE RICHARDS: Long-standing Saints director has broken his silence to back Rupert Lowe.</

Leon Crouch

Mike Richards





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