Ralph Krueger interviews (16/08/17)

I like the sound of your hooter.!

 

There is always a moment that you become a fan of a team. I took my son to a match....her father bought a club and she inherited it. I don't see how that means that she cannot be a fan like me. In both instances, the introduction to the club was an accident. I became interested in football through my father....see the similarity. Katharina has tried to do her best for Saints...she could have sold it soon after inheriting it as she did her father's other businesses, but didn't because, as she said, her father talked of nothing else but Saints for the last year of his life. However, on a business level, now was the time to cash in....keeping 20% could make sense financially or be because she wants to ease the transition and can't quite let go. Ralph has talked of her emotional attachment. All we can do is hope it works out...desperation meant that we would have supped with the devil the last time a billionaire bought us...now we are getting picky because we have something to lose. Gao has money to lose, so we have to trust that KL has made the right decision.

 

Going back a few years when Kat's Dad bought the club, we were all so grateful that someone had actually saved the club and were not too fussy as to his credentials.
A lot of fans were sceptical even then and we were having similar conversations as we are having now. To be fair none of us really know the real intentions of the new owners. We are hearing the right noises from them and the current board.
Lets face it we have all known or suspected that Kat would sell at the right moment for her, since her fathers death.
While in my heart I too am suspicious as to why the Chinese have bought our club and suspect it is a way of getting a lot of money out of China. For the moment though, all we can do is to just be positive in our thoughts and hope our suspicions are wrong. It really is another wait and see season for Saints.
Strewth we should be used to it by now...........

 

Katharina was painted in right wing newspapers as some evil thing come to dispose of Southampton FC as soon as she could. Just to chill us further, we saw unflattering photos such as this [there were worse as well, along with the awful articles]

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As it turned out, she was just an innocent woman with no known previous interest in football, who took her father's project and made it her own. The reality is that she became this...

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...and pretty much universally appreciated by SFC supporters. Hardly the evil thing she was painted as being. What she helped bring about was intended to be for the best interests of Southampton FC. Now she has helped bring about another step along the way. I'm sure it has been taken with the best of intentions, and I don't blame her for a second for profiting from it. She's earned it. Not only that, but she has retained 20% of the club. She's not saying goodbye, but just taking a back seat.

 

^^^^ this

 

Ms Liebherr was at the game today, but not sure I saw Mr Gao?

 

Ms Gao?

 

Ah, was she there? That'll do then!

 

On the match thread there is a reported sighting.

 

I saw a Chinese man, but not enough to recognise him.

 

T'was me - I sit next to hospitality in the Itchen - saw Les at halftime going in and he kissed the cheek a Chinese girl who was smartly dressed sitting in the Director's box. I'm sure it was Nelly. He seemed to be saying "that was good, glad you bought us"

 

Pay all that money and your reward is being kissed by Les.