SAINTS chairman Leon Crouch has criticised Rupert Lowe and Michael Wilde's "appalling timing" after they called for power to be handed over to them on May 6.

As reported in yesterday's Daily Echo, the two former Saints supremos are due to contact the club's PLC board and offer them the chance to avoid an EGM if they agree to stand down on that date.

Crouch would not be drawn on whether the proposal would be accepted.

But with Lowe and Wilde representing more than 46 per cent of Southampton Leisure Holdings' shares, the current board would seem to have little choice, as they would not win an EGM vote.

However, Crouch has expressed his displeasure that the duo's proposal became public knowledge at such a crucial stage of the season.

"Once again this is appalling timing which does not help our situation ahead of a very important game at home to Burnley," he said.

"We were disappointed to hear of this proposal through the media, not least because we have asked Rupert Lowe and Michael Wilde for a formal plan of how they aim to take the club forward and we have yet to receive a response.

"We do not want to conduct our business through the media and risk taking the focus away from the team and what the manager is trying to achieve."

For full story see today's Daily Echo.