POLICE in the UK are investigating a death threat made against Islander and Southampton FC chairman Michael Wilde.

The chilling note was sent to the Jersey Evening Post as the beleaguered club face the ignominious prospect of relegation to League One. It read: ‘Tell him if he steps in St Mary’s Stadium or indeed Southampton we will kill him.’ The anonymous message was sent by someone using the name ‘lunatic fringe’ using the e-mail name ’realsfc’

It is not the first time that the chairman has been targeted by hateful fans. Just days before the e-mail was received by the JEP last week and passed on to the States police, it is believed that a granite rock was hurled through a window at Mr Wilde’s Island home. It is not known whether the two incidents are linked. In May 2008 glue was squirted into the locks at his offices in Winchester, making it impossible for staff to get in or out of the building.

Some diehard Southampton fans blame Mr Wilde (56), a 1(1)k millionaire Jersey resident, for the former Premiership club’s descent into the relegation zone at the bottom of the Championship, the second tier of British football.

Pictured: Southampton Football Club chairman Michael Wilde