Only 27% of those who responded to the Talking Point poll agreed the Spice Girls were washed up without Geri Halliwell while 73% predicted bigger and better things for Sporty, Scary, Posh and Baby.

Charmaine Chan, from the United States, wrote: "Geri or no Geri, the Spices will continue on fine without her. I do feel sad about Geri's departure from the group, but life goes on and it's Geri's decision whether to leave or not."

The Spice Girls plan to soldier on without Geri

Brian Leonard, one of the group's fans from Azerbaijan, insisted the band was not finished and added: "With the four remaining, there is more than enough Spice to go around!"

Andira Landreth, in the United States, said: "Ginger is not the lead singer. I think the girls will survive without her!"

'Keep on making money'

Martin Seidl, from Austria, insisted they would go on: "The Spice Girls have become a brand name for impulsiveness which does in fact sell very good - so they're gonna keep on singing, touring and making good cash."

Dick Heim, in the US, suggested finding a "look-alike replacement" for Geri.

He said: "The music and dance routines could be learned easily in a few days and there are hundreds of girls in the UK ready to assume this lucrative task."

Marcus Jones, from Britain, said: "The Spice Girls performed great without Geri on the National Lottery Show and at two concerts. They can still keep going with the help of the fans' support."

'Things will be hard'

Ana Carolina de Sousa Silva, in Brazil, said the foursome would survive and added: "Of course things will be hard, they will have to talk to the managers about money and so on, but their songs are still playing and they'll continue palying as long as there's somebody on the streets singing 'If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends'.

She said people in Brazil were sad Geri had left but urged the band to 'Never give up on the good times'.

But Chris Sherman, in Canada, believed it was the beginning of the end. He said: "When I think of Girl Power, Geri is the first one who comes to mind. She was the driving force behind the Fab Five. They can't go on with out her."

'Split was inevitable'

Owen Vaughan, in Britain, had a cynical view: "As they were put together by the music industry anyway and weren't real friends, a split was inevitable. They had no real talent anyway, and didn't play any instruments, so they weren't a 'band' either. Good riddance."

Pete Schavemaker, in the Netherlands, compared Geri with Diana Ross and said it would be the end for the "1990s Supremes".

Danielle Vallee, from Canada, said although Geri was the band's "weakest link" musically she brought a spark to the group which would be missed.

She said: "The loss of an original band member and friend is a huge blow to the morale of the Spice Girls. Considering the shock of adapting to life without Geri, plus the many legal and financial headaches brought on by the split, survival for the remaining four Spice Girls is, unfortunately, unlikely."

Ian Turner, from the UK, drew comparisons with the British all-boy band Take That: "They tried to 'battle on' without Robbie Williams and split not long after. Geri's departure must have sown the seeds of doubt in the other girls' minds."