IT was claimed Mark Fry had 24 days to save the Saints after the club’s parent company entered voluntary administration at the beginning of April.

Over 80 days later, he is still working to sell it to a new owner.

So as always with Saints, it seems, things have not exactly run according to plan.

As I write, the 2009/10 fixtures have been published, the players are back in full pre season training, and friendlies have been arranged.

All that’s missing is a new owner, new directors, a probable new manager and any new backroom staff appointments he wants to make.

Put all that in place, sell around 10,000 season tickets, and away we go!

If only it was that easy ...

Trying to make sense of all the information and speculation coming out from various bodies is never easy when you’re writing about Southampton FC.

Inevitably, much of the detail of the many behind the scenes meetings held over the last few months will almost certainly never be known.

Supporters, therefore, are left in the dark much more than they would like with regards to their club’s future.

Pinnacle’s Tony Lynam remains in a confident mood, but then he always has been radiating positivity with regards to his public comments to the Echo.

Lynam met with some members of the office staff at St Mary’s a few weeks ago, and yesterday he was at Staplewood to meet head coach Mark Wotte and the players.

In addition, Le Tissier has twice met Wotte in recent weeks.

You can only presume Lynam told the players not to worry, that everything will be sorted out sooner rather than later.

Bearing all that in mind, it appears Pinnacle are deadly serious about their takeover.

Fry must also be confident, otherwise surely Lynam wouldn’t have been allowed – for the first time – to post a statement on Saints’ official website yesterday afternoon.

When Lynam says the deadlock with the Football League over their points deduction appeal is not a dealbreaker, we have to believe him.

So why has the deal not gone through, then?

Saints should be given the chance to appeal, of course they should.

But fans are more keen to see the takeover go through first and foremost than they are about an appeal.

The supporters have been dealt so many body blows in recent years that they are finding it hard to remain as positive as Lynam publicly is.

They will only believe the takeover has gone through when they see it, and you can’t argue with that view either.

The Football League’s stance casts the organisation in a bad light, that is obvious.

They haven’t yet given Saints their licence to play in 2009/10, but they included the club in the fixtures when they were published last week.

Obviously they never saw any of this coming.

But there is a precedent to their behaviour – last summer they told Bournemouth they had no appeal against a 17-point penalty.

The Cherries probably didn’t like it, but they got on with it.

Pinnacle must do the same as time is of the essence.

Not only do Saints risk losing reigning player of the year Kelvin Davis if a takeover is not completed soon, but other players are also out of contract come next week.

We’ve already had the bizarre story of Davis taking a training session for the goalkeepers as previous coach Keith Grainger is working at Southampton docks in order to earn some money following the expiry of his full-time contract.

It’s not just current players that could be lost; potential new recruits might also be forced to sign for other clubs if no-one is in place at St Mary’s to offer deals.

Initial discussions have taken place with agents in recent weeks regarding players who might want to sign for Saints.

Those players won’t wait for too long.

It’s also unfair on Wotte to keep him hanging on, his future up in the air too. If Pinnacle don’t see a role for him, fine – but he deserves to know his fate in order to make alternative plans.

Also, the June wagebill has to be paid later this week.

Former football board chairman Leon Crouch contributed towards April’s wages while Pinnacle’s non refundable deposit covered June’s salaries.

Crouch has denied speculation linking him with a board role under Pinnacle if the takeover goes through, but he couldn’t deny he was at Le Tissier’s house last week at the same time Kevin Keegan was.

The New Forest businessman won’t even tell close associates if he is involved with Pinnacle in any way, heightening speculation that he is.

Though his popularity among the fans far exceeds that of Lowe and Wilde’s, should Crouch return to the board some supporters won’t be too pleased.

A total clean sweep of the past is what some believe must happen at St Mary’s. That past involves Crouch, though he has done more than most to ensure the club has a future too.

Despite their exclusivity ending last Friday, Pinnacle remain in pole position to complete a deal.

A bid by a consortium involving Marc Jackson and Stuart Green was on Fry’s table before Pinnacle stated their intentions.

But the administrator prefers the Pinnacle bid, and Fry had previously extended deadlines to enable Lynam to win the exclusivity period at the end of May.

Fry is not keen on the way the Jackson consortium’s deal is structured, as it involves staggered payments based on promotions.

It also does not involve Le Tissier, a man who can do no wrong in the supporters’ eyes and whose idolatory status at Saints will only increase if the club returns to former glories under Pinnacle’s ownership.

For his part, Fry must be growing as impatient as the fans.

Clubs have been in administration far longer than Saints have, but I’m sure he never contemplated still being here as we head towards July.

In that respect, he’s joined by the rest of us as well ...