THE Daily Echo can today reveal that it has been told none of Saints’ players volunteered to take a pay cut after the club’s holding company, Southampton Leisure Holdings, went into administration.

While fans were asked to dip into their pockets to save the cash-strapped club and keep it alive until a buyer was found, management was too frightened to ask them to take a cut for fear of damaging team morale during the critical relegation battle.

Now many of the first team squad are having their wages ‘substantially’ reduced as a result of the fall into League One – a result of contract clauses inserted by former PLC chairman Rupert Lowe should the team suffer relegation.

The cuts will be welcomed by supporters, many of whom have made donations to the Save Our Saints campaign.

Head coach Mark Wotte is also affected by the cut, as are even lower paid young players and cash signings such as Morgan Schneiderlin. However, it is understood that the cut does not apply to every player as many contracts not handled by Lowe do not have a relegation clause included.

Some fans have vented their anger that some of the higher paid members of the squad did not take a wage deferral while the club were struggling.

Daily Echo: See today's paper for more on this story