When you heard the news of Markus Liebherr's passing? I was devastated. Never thought the death of an owner of my club could bring a tear to my eye, but it did. We should remember how lucky we were to have someone like Markus invest in us both financially and seemingly on a personal level too. The turn-around at this club since his investment has been incredible - and is still tangible in the form of Cortese. Those gut-wrenching moments spent after the news had broken show how much he meant to our club in the short space of time he was involved... please log in to view this image please log in to view this image (Apologies for the waffling/rambling)
Incredible man. I wish he was here to see all this. RIP Sir, you'll never know how grateful we all are.
I hope Liebherr song becomes a club song that is sung for decades to come. Anyone go to the stadium and leave a message in the book? There was a big queue when I went down, which was nice to see. This also reminds me, even if it is something that comes towards the end of the summer, of the Liebherr tournament. Something to look forward to, see the flag again and hopefully win the cup/trophy. Hopefully there is a better crowd this year too.
I just love the man. Every time I see his picture and that smile I want to give him a hug and tell him he is Southampton FC's greatest ever hero and we are all so very grateful. Thinking about our feelings for the great man just imagine how the Pompey fans will feel when/if a benefactor steps in and saves their club.
I was horrified, truly devastated. Went down to the stadium, signed the book and got Liebherr 62 printed on my shirt. I know they're little things but it was just a sign of my gratitude.
At the time my response was pretty selfish to be honest. I just thought, "Oh god, here we go again. More bad news for Saints, are we cursed or what?" The respect and gratitude for what he did came later. I think we owe a debt not just to Marcus but to the surviving Liebherr clan who have let the dream continue.
I went on holiday to the Lake District that summer and I climbed Jakes Rake. I decided to wear my long sleeved vintage replica shirt for the climb (I don't ever usually wear Saints stuff other than to a match) in his memory. Silly really, but it just felt appropriate.
I first checked the old BBC 606, and I saw a thread from Pompey fans so originally thought it was WUMming so I chose to ignore it I then found, to my horror, he had actually passed away, and it felt like someone close to me had gone - I was gutted, our saviour was no longer here I the had a visit from Schneiderlin is the goal king, and we went out for a game of football in his honour
Anytime we sing the Marcus Leibherr song it makes me incredibly proud how respectful of him we all are.
I remember when he first appeared coming down the steps of the Itchen Stand [that photograph is from then] and I turned to a mate and said... He's not a well man. It was still a shock when I'd heard he'd died, but a part of me was almost expecting it. I still felt numb, and very sad for the man, because he had not lived long enough to see what the long term fruits of his investment would turn out to be. It felt very poignant later when I read the story of the Watch. He struck me as a loyal and caring bloke. I'm really glad that the League One Saints team could give him such a wonderful day at Wembley, and stamp in his mind that Southampton FC and Saints fans were worth the bother.
I was in an art gallerly in New York. My dad on the phone to his mum hed just told me we beat Bournmouth so was over the moon. Then his mum told him the news thought it was a sick joke at first. I remember walking round in a daze, I know I never knew the man so to feel real grief would be over the top. But it definitly rocked me I guess he gave me the gift of supporting the team I love. The one tinge from this season is the feeling that 'Markus should be here'.
It was about an hour before I had to go and play football. I spurned our white kit to wear a saints one and vowed to score a goal in his memory (stupid and pointless I know) what I actually did is stand on the pitch feeling numb. I didn't do a single thing in that game. The only thing I achieved is to curb the overwhelming urge to turn in to Joey Barton. The most difficult thing, to this day, is that every time saints achieve something, it is forever tinged with sadness that the great man didn't get to see it. Great thread by the way Jake, even if you have just ruined a perfectly good day.
I got a text from another Saints fan simply saying: "Markus Liebherr has died - absolutely gutted" I went straight for the OS and there it was... ...I had spaghetti and meatballs for tea but kind of lost my appetite to be honest.
I was eating my dinner and likewise, lost my appetite. Didn't really know what to do or say, because no one around where I live knows about Saints, and it didn't seem like anyone knew who he was, so I just sat and watched Sky Sports News with a pit in my stomach. It's a weird feeling when you don't know the person, and yet they've done so much for you.
