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Rupert Lowe is the current Chairman of Southampton F.C., a UK football club. He also sits on the F.A.'s Executive Board as a non-executive director.
Lowe is an unusual chairman for a football club to have, as he had no previous knowledge of football, in fact he plays hockey in his spare time, and had practically no links with the city of Southampton. But in the mid-1990s, the Saints board were looking to float the club on the Stock Market, a long and costly procedure. So instead they attempted a 'Reverse Takeover', they needed to find a company that had already floated and take it over while effectively being taken over themselves. Lowe's Secure Retirements, old peoples homes, was a perfect prospect and he became chairman.
This complicated and at times farcical state of affairs left the fans, the media and even the club staff completely bemused as to who was in charge.
Many fans were furious when it was revealed in the media that the outgoing board had issued old stock to themselves before the takeover and the departing Chairman, Guy Askham was reported to have made millions in one day.
Fans groups were initially undecided about Lowe, he brought with him vast business expertise, a vital trait for any chairman of a football club but he also knew hardly anything about the game, a severe setback for a man in charge of arguably the biggest football club in Hampshire.
Graeme Souness, Manager and Lawrie McMenemy, Director of Football left the club citing 'difficulties' with the new owners, it came as a huge shock to many fans and to the local press who regarded McMenemy as 'Mr. Southampton'. However, since then Lowe has done much to improve his image in the eyes of Saints fans and the media with themove to St. Mary's going well and the successful policy of selling players to clubs for over-the-top prices. Dean Richards for £8 million is a good example. For this, Lowe's financial astuteness is not to be underestimated to the ungoing success of Southampton F.C.
Lowe also stood for election as the Referendum Party candidate for Cotswold to Parliament in the UK General Election, 1997.
On 23 August 2004, manager Paul Sturrock parted company with the club by 'mutual consent' after a supposedly poor run of form (6 wins in 13 games).
It is said that Lowe is keen on the idea of bringing back Glenn Hoddle, the former manager of Southampton who allegedly abandoned the club to take over the vacant manager role at Tottenham Hotspur.
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