I think as Saints fans we all feel some sympathy for a "fallen giant" having been there ourselves, and Spanish side Real Oviedo in particular seem to draw a number of comparisons. They have a similarly sized stadium and support and have played in La Liga for the majority of their history, they also blame their decline to the third tier on mismanagement and financial problems. However, where we had our big-money takeover, theirs fell through, and they continue to struggle in the third tier with financial issues and the constant threat of liquidation hanging over their heads. This article is a good read - http://inbedwithmaradona.com/journal/2011/4/4/real-oviedo-and-the-passion-of-asturias.html I know this isn't strictly related to the Saints, but I think we can really empathise and appreciate how different the situation could be if Markus hadn't rescued us. Also, it's pretty inspiring how dedicated the Oviedo fans are in spite of all their problems. Side note: they make for a good challenge on Football Manager as well.
Interesting Article and just proves how off the field problems filter to on the field. Fortunately at Saints we only suffered a few years of a power struggle at the club, which Oviedo still seem to be enduring. Oviedo also use the Spanish Membership system(a la Barcelona) to help raise funds for the club. I don't know how serious it was, but I remember Leibherr offering 10% ownership to the Saints trust or some sort of supporters group to allow them to have a say at the club. A rough thought in my head would be £100 annual fee to be a member of the Saints trust, giving you a vote and a voice to raise any concerns or ideas with the Southampton board. Individual perks for joining could be free subscription to the match day programme or Saints player, discount at the shop, free cup competition ticket etc etc, but the money raised through this scheme could help keep season ticket prices lower without losing the club much needed revenue
Don't remember the offer, but not sure NC would go for it. However, he does have those meetings with selected season ticket holders, so perhaps he wants to consult or inform on an informal basis.
It is sad to see any club struggle financially to the point of risking the future of the club. globally there must be tighter financial regulations on clubs.
If there is any sort of fans ownership, it has to be a meaningful stake (at least 51%). 10% would be nothing more than a gesture.
I agree with this but how on earth would anything ever be decided quickly enough for decisions to be effective. For something like the trust(a trust) to be able to make the decisions it would need to have people in authority with a minimum tenancy in such a position. Voting for people could be a very time consuming affair and those put in place would certainly get a lot of abuse when things went wrong.
I think that this has been the trouble with Barcelona in the past and their elected presidents. Because of the short tenure (2 years i think) The presidents decisions are normally for a short term gain and not the long term vision. The managers are chopped and changed as each president tries to make his mark. If it was not for the long term appointment of Cryuff as a technical director of football style role and his academy development, we might not be looking at them as an example of how to run a club. I do think it would be good for English football as a whole to give a fans trust some ownership of clubs to make sure owners have an accountability. 10% is not enough to stop chairman from making important decisions, but it should be enough to stop them treating clubs with neglect
Truth is when ever you try and do things by commitee.......no matter how well meaning. Major decisions concerning the future sometimes take an age to be decided because of different Ideas and preferences. By the time something is agreed more often than not the full benefit of making an early decision is lost. It is exactly the same in regards to the political situation in this country. We vote one party in who in the main spend the next couple of terms undoing what the previous party put into place. Then they are kicked out and the new party end up doing the same!! A vicious circle.
It is said that the best form of government is a benevolent dictatorship...sadly as soon as you become a dictator with no checks and balances you usually become a tyrant.
