"George Burley was absolutely right recently when he said: "Southampton FC comes first, whoever is chairman, whoever is on the board, whoever is manager.

"It is important that everyone is working on the same direction."

That is an unarguable proposition and one to which particularly careful attention should be paid at the present time.

Only four months ago the club was at as low an ebb as I can ever recall in the best part of 50 years.

A series of nightmare performances on the pitch were the culmination of several years of deterioration in the quality of the squad that had us sliding towards the unthinkable possibility of further relegation.

In addition, a constantly revolving door for managers, training staff and players coupled with bizarre and transitory appointments to key positions in the club at ludicrous expense had given us an unenviable reputation as a near laughing stock in the football world as a whole; a far cry from the respect in which we were once held.

There was almost universal discontent among committed supporters (not a lunatic fringe), and the business community in the city, upon whom the club is so reliant for match day income for boxes and suites.

There was also the complete absence of any possibility of further investment in a club perceived to be going nowhere very fast indeed.

This critical situation had been recognised in the boardroom, but not by the chairman or those who were clearly going to support him however bad things got.

The structure of the shareholdings in the club meant that swift change was unlikely without the involvement of fresh faces with the financial clout to ensure they were listened to.

The major shareholdings acquired by Michael Wilde and then Leon Crouch have changed the structure of the club for the foreseeable future and this can only be for the better. Their investment must now be reflected in the way in which power is held on the board.

There was no other way forward; fierce internal disapproval of the way the club was heading got nowhere at all and was simply regarded by the chairman as getting in the way of his grand vision for the club, which was in my view leading only to disaster.

It would only have been a matter of a short time before he would have sought to remove from the board anyone who disagreed with him, and he openly made that clear.

Anyone who felt that a smooth transition of power could be negotiated simply did not understand the personalities involved.

Trying to oppose the chairman in the boardroom was like standing in the path of a 30-ton runaway truck.

There has been during the last few weeks a desperate clinging to office by the chairman and his supporters on the board.

The colossal expenditure of club funds, for which there was so much better use, on propping up a small clique in the face of an overwhelming desire in the city for fundamental change has been nothing short of disgraceful.

There are a number of people who should feel ashamed of the methods they have supported.

The bizarre offerings of the club website and radio station in support of the status quo must embarrass those involved. And the compulsory wheeling out of club employees with no choice in the matter but to praise the chairman are seen by the public only with amusement.

No-one is listening anymore.

The last days of any regime like this are always messy; paranoia develops that everyone is out to get you (perhaps they are).

There is a greater refusal to even acknowledge that anything is wrong and how many people are in opposition.

For the chairman to say as he did last week "we are doing things on the pitch that people haven't dreamed about" (unfortunately not referring to football) and to refer to the widespread support for change as simply being "a few people with negative thoughts" shows how far away from reality the current majority on the board is.

The current number of season ticket renewals (obviously a taboo subject for the club's propaganda machine) shows the grim reality of how support has ebbed away and it will only be restored when there is change.

The comprehensive action plan put forward by Michael Wilde points the way to a better future for the club in a number of different ways and deserves full support.

It sensibly does not promise instant success and it would have been foolish to do so; there is a lot of ground to make up for the events of the last few years.

The proposals should appeal to shareholders who have an important responsibility on July 3rd at the EGM.

But they also appeal to the many fans and all those who identify themselves with the club and who have been disillusioned and despairing in recent years.

Indeed, walking around the city daily, as I do, it is very difficult to find anyone who does not fall into that category.

Change is not always easy, but in this case it is essential.

It is certainly the only hope of new investment in the club and the endorsement of Michael Wilde's proposals by such a senior and respected City figure (and devoted fan) as Gavyn is a strong indicator of that.

Even a significant possibility of investment is a considerable advance on the position over the last decade.

It is so important an issue that it should persuade a number of people who have hitherto supported the chairman to change sides.

They have always insisted that they would do so if there was a real prospect of such investment.

The fact that the cheque is not actually on the table yet does not alter the fact that there is a far greater prospect of new investment than there has been for many years.

Change must not be feared.

Whilst there will inevitably be new executive faces, the overall proposed team on the club boards includes many individuals steeped in the history of the club and with a clear understanding of what it is that gave it the reputation it once had, which must be restored speedily before it is too late.

Indeed, this is not a hostile external takeover at all; it is an internal revolution led by people from within the Club Family', including box holders, who have seen the unacceptable decline with their own eyes and want to do something about it.

They must be given that chance."

Keith Wiseman