Southampton chief executive Lee Hoos has become the first member of the board to resign ahead of Rupert Lowe's anticipated return to St Mary's.Hoos is one of the board members Lowe and fellow former chairman Michael Wilde want to remove along with current chief Leon Crouch and directors Patrick Trant and Keith Wiseman.

Crouch, Trant and Wiseman are expected to follow suit before Friday's EGM, which was requested by Lowe and Wilde last month.

Hoos, who was ironically brought to the club by Wilde in 2006 after he had ousted Lowe from the boardroom, said in a statement: "I am very grateful for having had the opportunity to serve the company and Southampton Football Club.

"SFC is a great club and I can now only hope that everyone - fans, shareholders and employees - can put past differences behind them to unite and take this club forward again."

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