St Louis

Stick it in the form 😊

Some really interesting feedback already in this thread, so thank you. It is a voluntary position which is fulfilled around the day job, so apologies that I cant just come on here or social channels and respond directly to every post. The good news is that the FAB Feedback Form is now live on the club website, so supporters can share their views directly with the Fan Advisory Board (nobody at Southampton FC will see any of the feedback, it comes directly to us): https://www.southamptonfc.com/fab-feedback Suggestions, concerns and positive feedback are all welcome - whether about ticketing, matchday experience, communication, merchandise or anything else you’d like us to raise with the club. We will be using this as our central source for collating feedback (trying to collect from multiple places: social media, forums, chat down the pub, etc would be tricky to manage and use), so by collecting it in one place, we can start to recognise themes, which we can then take into meetings with the club. We hope that this will help shape our discussions and priorities in future meetings, so please get involved 🙂 Enjoy the game tonight! 🤞

Sounds a great idea to me... definitely 'added to the agenda' for the next discussion ☀️

I come in peace 😁.... The first meeting was held on the 30th Sept (there will be 4 a year) and it came just 2 weeks after we were formed and 1 week after roles were assigned. So to be transparent, many of the agenda points were carried over from the previous groups last meeting. The meeting was 2 hours, and the first hour was predominantly an introduction to how things work and also an intro to the individuals in attendance. Many of the senior execs from the club were in attendance and they naturally wanted to discuss some of the points around their roles (ticketing, safety, commercial, etc). It's important to say that the FAB is anything but a mouthpiece for the club, we are not club employees (even on a voluntary basis) and they want us to manage things 100% independently and bring the topics to them that the fanbase want to discuss, and absolutely do not choose what we discuss. Bubble/Safety: The heads of operations, ticketing and security naturally wanted to talk about the Pompey bubble as the game was coming up. As you can see in the minutes it was asked 'if its really necessary as there hasnt been trouble in a while' and it definitely wasnt being pushed by all of the FAB that its a good thing, so it was challenged. But from a policing and club POV you can see why they (and their Pompey counterparts) feel its been a success. FWIW, personally I did raise that I dont like it and that I havent been to Fratton since and that it's lost some of its atmosphere because of the bubble. But I also understand that some fans prefer it and that the club executive who is responsible for fan safety has done their job in making it safer, and why they feel it's likely to continue. But we felt it would be a good idea to reiterate to the fans as to the reasons why they do it. They then discussed safety and policing around other games and how they assess risk, and Boro was brought up as a game that they will look at a little differently this season (understandably) but it was never raised that a bubble or anything out of the ordinary is needed for those fixtures (I can see people already trying to suggest that online), but just that they will likely have more stewards/policing for example and work with Boro in how best to manage it if they feel there is added risk. It was also asked how it's been going with the Family section being next to the away fans. It was just a question in the natural flow of a conversation, and as the minutes state, it was mitigated that all is good and no plans to change that. Some in the room felt (and had had wider feedback from fans) that it took away from the atmosphere by having families/kids so close to the away support and how good it was previously in the Itchen corner and at The Dell, to have a more vociferous group by the away section. Just because a topic gets discussed, it doesnt mean the FAB as a group are necessarily For or Against it. For example, the FAB werent pushing for the Pompey bubble, asking for added security for Boro or asking for the family section to be moved, they are just agenda points that were discussed, with all views shared, from us as individuals and from the senior execs at the club. Just on a few other points from the minutes.... Water Stations: The club discussed how the stadium is 25 years old now and needs some improvements (even to things like the plumbing!) and it was discussed about adding more water stations in concourses, and someone raised that when they do that, maybe dont put another one right between the toilet entrance and exits, as its impossible to use when the toilet queues are around at halftime. It was just a natural conversation, and a valid point, not something that was seen as a priority by any means. But everything discussed will get added to minutes. Shirt Sales/Sizes: We heard from the CRO around shirt sales, and how the 3rd shirt has sold out, but Home and Away shirts are still available, and a FAB member asked if more Women's sizes could be made available too, as never enough available. It wasnt that deep, just someone's personal POV, and I think we will see things like that also discussed and noted in minutes. Stadium Tour: The club feel it would be useful for us to see all stands/concourses of the stadium (not just the area we regularly sit) to better understand the layout and logistics, and how things might differ in each stand. Things were being discussed, that I didnt even know existed in other areas for example. Level 1 Launch Invite: I assume that was just a joke, as wasnt discussed or raised. Trust me, the new FAB fully appreciate that improvements need to be made and that it just didnt work previously and wider fans weren't consulted well enough or considered (the club wholeheartedly agreed). We want to be more visible and we want to bring more feedback. It wasn't a group of nodding heads in the meeting, it was really constructive, and I'm really excited to see what we can bring to the table and what positive changes can be made in future, based on supporter feedback. So I would ask that you give us a bit of a chance and a run-up to the next one (late Nov / early Dec), where we will have time to source feedback from the wider fanbase for future agenda points to discuss (we have lots of plans in place for that). I've been working with the club in getting a feedback form added to the club website where we can collect the thoughts and concerns of the fans, and we can then collate that, look for themes and take some of it forward into meetings. Personally, I've already attended EFL/FSA meetings and discussed ticket pricing, etc and was able to hear what other clubs do and how we can be more competitive and what initiatives their FAB groups have initiated. We are also discussing having a drop-in hub at the stadium for some games, so we can chat in-person to the wider fanbase and collect more feedback to share with the club. We honestly dont want this to be about just those of us on the board, we genuinely want to represent the entire fanbase as best we can. I will share the central feedback form on here as soon as its live, and all I can do is ask that anyone who has any thoughts or feedback that they genuinely want discussed, to fill out the form. We have hundreds of thousands of fans, so we want to be able to identify common themes and then take them into meetings. The biggest thing we need to get right is gathering views beyond the people sitting around that table. I have also messaged @stevegrant on here to ask if we can have a Thread dedicated to FAB discussions and where we can share the form to gather your feedback, and I can share some of the things that are happening and being implemented, etc. So hopefully I can then give the SaintsWeb more of a voice in our meetings.

That's where ChatGPT comes in useful 😁 The FA wanted a substantially tougher punishment, and Eckert’s lawyers successfully argued for a much lighter outcome. But he wasn’t cleared: he admitted all three charges. The panel’s favourable view of his evidence and remorse was central, alongside the argument that an immediate ban would further punish Saints and its supporters. Stage Punishment FA’s proposed starting point At least nine months banned, before reductions FA’s requested final punishment At least three months banned from all football activity, plus a fine Panel’s starting point 16-week ban and £75,000 fine After mitigation Ban reduced to nine weeks After credit for admitting the charges Ban reduced to six weeks, fine reduced to £28,000 Final outcome Six-week ban fully suspended until 30 June 2028, £28,000 fine and reprimands So he serves no immediate ban. The suspended ban can be activated if he commits another rules breach involving observing another club’s training or using information from such observation. It isn’t triggered by just any unrelated misconduct. His representation was Paul Harris KC and Natalie Nguyen, instructed by Centrefield LLP. Their key successes were: The panel accepted that he didn’t know the observations breached the rules or were considered morally wrong, based partly on his previous experience in Germany and Italy. That reduced his culpability; it didn’t excuse the breaches. It rejected the FA’s attempt to hold him personally responsible for the pressure junior staff felt. It rejected the suggestion that these incidents proved a systematic, organised spying operation. It accepted substantial mitigation, particularly his genuine remorse. Crucially, it suspended the ban because removing Saints’ head coach would effectively impose another punishment on the club, supporters and stakeholders, after the play-off expulsion and four-point deduction. The interesting snippets A striking difference between panels: the earlier EFL proceedings were unimpressed with aspects of his evidence. This panel found him exceptionally impressive, particularly when giving evidence in person. His credibility plainly mattered. The FA called no live witnesses. Eckert was the only person to give live evidence, although the panel had extensive written evidence and earlier transcripts. Where accounts conflicted, that helped his lawyers challenge allegations based on what others had been told. Staff really did feel pressure. The panel accepted that, including fears linked to a previous analyst’s dismissal. It simply found insufficient evidence to attribute that pressure personally to Eckert. The Middlesbrough preparation meeting lasted around eight hours. He said the request about Hackney took only minutes within it. The earlier appeal ruling said the Ipswich footage allowed Saints to predict the exact starting XI. This panel made clear that whether information was useful didn’t reduce the seriousness of the offences. Saints disclosed the Oxford and Ipswich incidents themselves during the investigation prompted by Middlesbrough. The “he’ll lose his job” argument was fairly firmly rebuffed. The panel said the owner’s public comments were ambiguous and the club hadn’t supplied definitive evidence that it would dismiss him.

The FA's proposed starting point was actually at least a 9 month ban! 😡 We also owe a Paul Harris KC a beer, as he was in our corner for this case. He’s part of Manchester City’s legal team defending the Premier League financial charges and also led City’s successful 2020 appeal against UEFA’s Champions League ban. PDF of The case for 'The FA v Tonda' is here: https://www.thefa.com/news/2026/oct/07/tonda-eckert-update-071026

Thank You! I'm really pleased, and looking forward to getting started 👊

What a win last night, a much better performance and great to see things click again. With only 24 hours left to vote for your FAB candidates, I just wanted to give this thread a little bump 🙏🏼 I dont live in Southampton, so I dont have a huge pool of Saints fan mates to call upon to canvass for votes (like others probably do), and as this is just a numbers game now of who gets the most votes, gets elected. I'm hoping that I can get some support from within these walls. I've been on SaintsWeb for 20 years (and the Saints Forum before that) and, if I'm lucky enough to get elected, I'd genuinely like to use this place as one of my regular ways of listening to supporters. I'm not going to suggest I can get everything we want changed, but I can promise to listen, and make sure the views from here aren't ignored. So if you (or any friends/family) haven't voted yet, please do, and if you're still undecided in the Non-Season Ticket Holder category, I'd massively appreciate your vote 🍺 - https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/fan-advisory-board-fab-elections-2026 Basically, I'd love to be SaintsWeb's eyes and ears in the room. Thanks to everyone who's already voted for me, I genuinely really appreciate it ❤️🤍

Again, having not even been elected, I dont know exactly how things will work yet. I also dont know why the FAB seems to have been so invisible historically, but it is one of the reasons I wanted to get involved. I even stated that in my interview. I raised the point that many of us fans have been sceptical of the FAB and Saints Voice, as they've seemed a closed shop with little visibility, and we had no idea what they were really for, other than maybe a box-ticking exercise to appease the FSA. If its something the club is open to, then again I'd reiterate that I feel better communication is needed between the fans and the club (both ways) on certain decisions. If we have permission to be active in looking for feedback, then I'd love to be able to post on here (and other platforms) to actively seek thoughts and opinions. Why wouldn't that be useful to the club (and for me) to add value to the FAB? I'm not sure how it could work if there are only 8 voices being heard all season from the entire fanbase. My background is in sales and marketing, so I understand better than most, the importance of listening to all stakeholders (in this scenario - the wider fanbase and the club) and not just being laser-focussed on your own thoughts/ideas, and those closest to you (often small groups of nodding heads around a table).

We haven't even been elected yet, let alone started any role. So I dont know whether these kind of things will even be up for debate within the FAB. And nothing will be changed for this season of course, and I assume we will be two divisions apart for the 27/28 season 😉 But personally... Yes, I oppose the enforcement of the bubble travel (it's a good/safer option for those who want it though, but it should be optional in my opinion). I used to go to the Fratton away games, but stopped as soon as the bubbles started. So if these are the sort of topics to be discussed, and I got elected, and they wanted my feedback on it... then yes, I would absolutely raise my opposition and also stress that I know that's the general feeling amongst Saints fans who I speak to. The premise of the FAB, is for it to be a 2-way channel of honest communication, so I would also be interested to hear more detail from within the club, as to why the decision has been made.

Well I guess this is my Saints Web anonymity gone 😆 I’ve felt and read a lot of the (understandable) criticisms on here regarding previous FAB/Saints Voice groups, so thought ‘why not give it a go’ and try and be a voice for the ‘regular’ fan. I’ve been a fan since Junior Saint at The Dell in the 80’s, season ticket holder and member ever since, away games and European tours with mates (regularly) and family (occasionally) 👍🏼 I don’t use social media much (unless you count here), so not sure how much chance I’ll have, as it’s all about numbers and canvassing for votes, and I think some others have a big ‘following’. But I’d love to do it and think I could add real value and an under-represented voice to the board, so if any on here are stumped on your ‘non season ticket holder’ category vote, it would be massively appreciated over here 🍺 Good luck to any others from here who have applied!

🙋🏻‍♂️

Some of the candidates might be a bit closer to (our online) home, and with ears to the ground, would LOVE to be a voice for the Saints Web 😉❤️

What’s the best free VPN to use on desktop?

Didn't think we'd be above West Ham & Burnley after 3 games. With the best GD in the division too! Millwall hadnt conceded before today, good day at the office 👍