SOUTHAMPTON Football Club was welcoming the start of a new era today after Rupert Lowe sensationally quit Saints.

As exclusively revealed yesterday by the Daily Echo, the former chairman bowed to pressure and walked away after what he described as ten "interesting" years at the helm.

Lowe's position and that of his board members had become virtually untenable after major shareholder Leon Crouch finally announced he was pledging his support to Michael Wilde's plans for a takeover.

It follows months of unrest at the south coast club that had led to an EGM being called for Monday which has now been cancelled to determine who would be in charge.

After a day of tense waiting and false starts, Lowe eventually announced his resignation shortly after 5pm before he met with staff at St Mary's to say his farewells.

At a press conference at the stadium last night, Lowe said he had wanted to fight on but airing Saints' dirty linen in public was not in the best interest of the club.

New chairman Michael Wilde said: "Clearly we have a great deal to do, particularly in the pre-season period. We have set out how we mean to manage this great club in an open and accessible way.

"We will commence an immediate review of each aspect of the business and will be speaking urgently to George Burley to establish the resources he needs in both the short and medium term."

FOR THE VERY BEST COVERAGE ON THE RUPERT LOWE RESIGNATION, INCLUDING AN EXCLUSIVE BEHIND THE SCENES BREAKDOWN OF HOW EVERYTHING CAME TO A DRAMATIC HEAD ON FRIDAY EVENING AFTER A DAY OF TENSE TALKS IN LONDON, THEN READ TODAY'S DAILY ECHO