Markus Liebherr (1948 - 2010)

R.I.P.

Markus Liebherr came into the lives of Saints fans suddenly and departed in much the same way. In the summer of 2009 the club was in serious trouble and threatened with going out of business. The club needed to be saved and we needed a person or group to come forward and save it. We had a group of time wasters called Pinnacle who looked promising at one stage and always in the background we had the almost mythical ‘Swiss consortium’ but no one knew who they were. As Pinnacle faded away, the Swiss came to the fore and the name Liebherr was first mentioned amongst the Saints faithful. A quick Google threw the crane company at you which made sense a bit, due to their presence in Southampton Docks. As time went on, the identity of the particular Liebherr involved became known. Markus had been involved with the family business but had left to set up his own Mali group of companies. He was our man.

No one knew much about him and not many of us know much more now and you know what ?... we don’t need to. In the celebrity and wealth obsessed world that we live in, isn’t it nice to find a man who has made his money the right way, who wasn’t interested in the media or the limelight but wanted to own a football club and do some good with it, for the benefit and enjoyment of himself of course but mainly for the benefit and enjoyment of the supporters… that’s you and I. Given his personal wealth, he probably could have chosen just about anyone but he chose us. For that decision, like him or not, you have to thank Nicola Cortese who presented this fractured football club to Markus as an opportunity. Without Nicola, there would have been no Markus.

As I said, we don’t need to know anything about Markus aside from knowing that he saved the club. Not only that but he put it on the right path and in the right way, using the knowledge that he gained in becoming successful in his chosen field. He also, very obviously, enjoyed what the club gave him. I’ll always remember the camera – here’s a man worth billions who could hire the best photographer in the world if he wanted to – but there he was at Wembley, taking photos himself with a pocket camera like I was doing myself. When we won the JPT, the happiness it gave him was clear for all to see and we should be very thankful that we won that competition because it probably gave Markus one of the best days of his life. Sadly, if we win anything else, he won’t be there to see it but what’s tragic is that 62 is no age to go. Nicola Cortese said a while ago, words to the effect that Markus wanted a change of lifestyle and hence the purchase of the club. I guess it was Markus’ plan to spend less time working and more time following the Saints and shaping our future.

Let’s not underestimate his contribution here – the club could have gone out of existence which would have had massive repercussions on the city itself so he’s really has touched the lives of everyone who lives and works in the city, as well supporters of the club. As well as having been incredibly successful in business, more importantly he also appears to have been extremely likeable and normal, which you can pick up in any interview given by anyone who knew him. I don’t know why but it always made me smile whenever he was in the ground and you saw him on the big screen. Mind you, I sit directly opposite the Directors Box and you could always pick him out anyway. He had that presence.

We’ll miss him and we were lucky to have him. Rest In Peace big man.