Woodward wades into 'gutless' Saints critics

Sir Clive Woodward, no stranger to rucking and mauling, came out swinging for a second day in succession yesterday to defend Southampton's chairman, Rupert Lowe, and accuse four club directors of "disgraceful" behaviour in the ongoing power struggle at St Mary's.

Lowe's position has been thrown into doubt by the recent acquisition of 18 per cent of Southampton's shares by a local property tycoon, Michael Wilde, and the subsequent purchase this week of another 9.8 per cent by an engineering magnate, Leon Crouch.

Wilde has kept his counsel on how he envisages the club should be taken forward but Crouch lambasted Sir Clive earlier this week. He said he could not understand why Southampton "pays £750,000 a year on someone who knows nothing about football. He doesn't bring value to the club at all," adding: "His skills are meant to be in rugby, but if you look at the Lions tour, it was diabolical, considering the amount of money that was spent on it. Maybe he has lost his touch."

Sir Clive, who led the England rugby team to World Cup victory in 2003, responded to that outburst by branding Crouch "gutless" and "a bully".

He said: "Some of his 'facts' are blatant lies. I have given him the chance to retract them but he won't front them up. He should now put up or shut up. I have never met this guy and yet these quotes have gone around the country and dragged my name back into the spotlight.

"My salary has been reported at £750,000 - I only wish it was! It is not even near half that. I want him to come out and meet me and see what I do and then make informed comment. But for him to spout off like this when he has not returned my calls and not come here is something I am not prepared to accept. It is a gutless thing to do."

Speaking yesterday via Southampton's website, Sir Clive turned his attention to the directors who have sold most of their shares to Wilde, accusing them of destabilising the club.

"I am going on the front foot now. There is a split on the board and I am going to name them," he said. "There are some fantastic people on [the board], including Rupert Lowe. But unfortunately the way Brian Hunt, Keith Wiseman, Ian Gordon and Paul Thompson have conducted themselves is disgraceful.

"It is just not acceptable behaviour. If they have an ounce of decency they should stand down and try and get themselves re-elected.

"I think Rupert Lowe should stay. I think he is doing a top job for the club. He has not had the backing of the board, some of whom have gone behind his back and undermined the whole situation. And for the record, I am not a mate of Rupert Lowe. He brought me here to do a job and that has not changed."

Lowe, who offered to resign after Southampton were relegated last year but had that offer declined, has no intention of stepping down voluntarily now. He believes the current coaching and development regime of George Burley and Sir Clive - who are working together happily, both having been installed by Lowe - means the building blocks are in place for a promotion push next season. Lowe has recently purchased another 100,000 shares to take his own stake to 6.69 per cent.

A spokesman for Crouch declined to clarify his intentions, saying, somewhat bizarrely: "It's newsworthy and contentious and we're not looking to get into a war of words, so no comment."