9:15am Thursday 9th July 2009
SAINTS Independent Supporters Association chairman Mike O’Callaghan is thanking the Lord after Saints’ takeover saga finally came to an end.
"My first two thoughts are ‘hallelujah’ and thank god the soap opera is over," he smiled.
"This has been one soap opera and a half and I would rather not have to go through that again.
"It’s been an emotional roller-coaster but it’s been one with more lows than highs.
"I am really happy we have got a man coming to the club who has got a nice wedge in his back pocket."
While he said he didn’t know too much about Saints’ wealthy new owner Markus Liebherr, O’Callaghan was just happy that he had the money available to back up his wish to buy the club.
"The Pinnacle Group were talking the talk but they couldn’t walk the walk while the Swiss didn’t say too much publicly," he said.
"But they were men of actions and actions speak louder than words."
O’Callaghan first wish under Saints new ownership is to see manager Mark Wotte handed the money to bring in new players.
"The money is in the bank now for Mark Wotte to go and recruit some players that will get us nearer to the top of this division ASAP," he said.
And O’Callaghan will certainly be encouraged by the new owners pledge to "re-engage with the fans and the local community" and his belief that "we cannot succeed without their backing."
"Okay, thank you for saving the club but there is no club if there are not any fans," he said.
"So I hope the new owners will listen to the fans unlike Rupert Lowe," he said.
Saints Trust chairman Nick Illingsworth was equally relieved that a new owner for the club has been found and it’s future secured.
"Never has a football club the size of Saints in recent history really had to stare into the precipice," he said.
"We would do well to look at that and realise how close we were to falling in and there being no Southampton Football Club.
"I honestly feel we have got as good an owner coming in as we could have hoped for.
"This guy, from all accounts, seems to be a sensible and considered business-like person."
Illingsworth said he would like to see the club’s new owner set out a long-term plan for the club.
"What I want to see them do is come in and do a professional job," he said.
"I want to see an organised strategy and a long-term plan, not a short-term one.
"This close to the start of the season it’s very difficult to come in and make major changes."
He added: "Hopefully what we will see now is people going to the games with smiles on their faces again.
"It would be surprising if absolutely everyone flocked back and we saw 32,000 at St Mary’s.
"But if the new owners can see a core base of 20,000 supporters to build on then that’s immediately going to encourage them in their future planning.
"It’s all down to the supporters now and showing that we’re grateful to Markus Liebherr for coming in and saving the club and that we’re going to show that gratitude by supporting the club ourselves."
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