The Saints Trust have made an appeal for supporters to get behind the team.

 As the largest body of Saints supporters, it can be said that the Saints Trust has a membership with a broad range of opinions. It is, of course, true that those opinions vary from supporter to supporter; however, the one thing that all have in common is that they all want the best for Southampton Football Club. That, of course, can be also said for every man, woman and child that has followed the Club; however, perhaps another thing that they all have in common is that most Saints supporters haven’t quite grasped the severity of the situation that the Club finds itself in nor how vital the fans are in this situation.

It is with this in mind that the Saints Trust issues a heartfelt plea to everyone who considers themselves a supporter of Southampton Football Club. This is not condoning or condemning Rupert Lowe or indeed any Board member past or presen. The Trust represents its members' views and supports the Club not individuals; it wants to unite supporters not divide them into separate camps. At this moment in time, the Club finds itself in a position that doesn’t offer it much choice and, for this reason, we have to be united behind the Club not engaging in political infighting.

As supporters we have to put the past behind us; we must of course never forget it but, and it’s a big BUT, we cannot change the past, we can only change the future.

At the moment, that future doesn’t look too bright; attendances are slipping drastically at St Mary’s and the truth is that, whilst the average gate remains below the break even figure of 17,000, the club’s debt increases and, with every increase, it brings the inevitability that players will have to be sold in the January transfer window which, in turn, is a step closer to relegation.

So why are supporters staying away? The credit crunch is obviously one reason however, if we take a look at those clubs who were in the championship last year and like us are still there and are suffering a drop in attendances, the average decrease is 6%. If we take this as the credit crunch factor then 20% of Saints supporters are staying away because of other reasons, mainly disenchantment with the way the club has or is being run.

Over recent weeks the Trust has conducted its own vox pop’s into why the fans are staying away and, although results are of course a factor, the name of Rupert Lowe pops up time and time again, often with the statement “ It’s our club not Lowe’s”.
The Trust of course agrees with this point of view, in so much as every football club truly belongs to the fans, but in today’s modern game that is fast changing and supporters can either sit idly by or do something about it.

What can the supporters do to help Southampton Football Club? To be blunt, they need to start supporting the team again and turning up in numbers. We supporters need to start showing that the Club does indeed belong to the fans and that without them it wouldn’t exist. At this moment in time, it’s a question of survival both financially and on the pitch and the fans can play a big part in both.

The question of Rupert Lowe and his standing at the club is not for this moment in time. Supporters have to put their reasons for non attendance behind them and help the club in its hour of need and no Saints supporter should be in any doubt that this club is in its most dire hour for over half a century. In two years the club will have been in existence for 125 years. If gates do not rise above the break even figure, there is a reasonable chance that it will not make that anniversary, at least not in its present form.

It is time for the supporters to rise up and back the club, and ensure that the legacy built for us by previous generations of Sotonians is not lost by this one. There should only be one clear and ultimate goal for the rest of this season, that is survival. The Club is bigger than one man or body of men. Those that cite Lowe as the reason for staying away at this trying time are at odds with that fact. It’s a chicken and egg situation at present; the fans are staying away until they see signs of recovery yet that recovery cannot start to happen until the fans start coming back. Something has to break the circle and it needs to start with the supporters.

If supporters can see that they can genuinely make a difference then hopefully they will do what they are able The 5,000 missing fans this season are the difference between the club being able to compete or struggle; if they returned, it would equate to an extra £100,000 income per game but, more importantly for the team, it would provide vital cash that could enable them to perhaps get some experienced players in on loan.

With this in mind, the Saints Trust calls on every Saints supporter to make every possible effort to attend this Saturday’s game against Watford. If the Club are to have the continued support of the bank, they need to show that, as a business, they are an ongoing concern; to do that they need to be trading profitably and the best way to do that is if they can show that the supporters are still behind them.

It would be a pipe dream to think that the supporters will return en masse. Confidence in the club and the way that its being run can only return gradually. Four years ago, Saints had 30,000 supporters per game, every game, now it is less than half that. Only a fraction of these missing thousands need to come back to keep the club solvent and afloat. Many returned for the final game of last season but one game a year isn’t enough.
Each and every supporter needs to ask themselves a difficult question and that question is "Do I care more about Southampton Football Club surviving than I do about the factor that is keeping me away?"

If the answer is Yes! then please support your Club on Saturday and subsequent Saturdays. If the answer is NO!, then I genuinely fear for the future of this Club.

Photo: Action Images

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