Miltonaggro

I've heard a rumour that covert construction is underway to build a stand on top of one of the gas holders which can be raised (gassed up) depending on ticket sales. When we get to the Champions League both gas holders will have stands and the Northam will be converted to terracing and renamed the Kortese Kop. Don't shoot the messenger...

Indeed it is David. Sad as Moran was a great player for Saints in the early 80s, anything around the box and it was in the back of the net - little dynamo. I was there for this one, typical of the player - http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=j5-ZPTbRAGg&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dj5-ZPTbRAGg

Liverpool away...

He can be their top summer target as long as its in late July after he's signed his 5year contract wih the £28M release clause...

Interesting story with Moran if my memory serves me correctly. Called up to the England team to play Scotland in 1984, but pulled out as he was best man at his brother's wedding same day as the match. Crocked soon after and never called up again after that. His replacement in the England squad that day...Gary Lineker...

He would have a better chance of regenerating Maggie Thatcher than awakening the sleeping midget that is Reading football club...

Would be perfect IMO, if the side needs something it's a seam of top class experience to inspire and bring on the youngsters - who better than an ex Saints, Chelsea and England full-back to mentor Shaw...

Would only swap it for our traditional crest, with the roses - the link shows the progression: http://kassiesa.nl/uefa/clubs/html/Southampton-FC.html

Nice work Tim, thanks for that. my first match was 1977 as a nipper so you must have a few years on me, but I clearly remember the tail end of the 70s culture at the Dell, which had a very different feeling to the early 80s. One abiding later memory is the Brighton away match in 1986 when thousands of Saints turned up and were given a corner and one whole side (uncovered terrace) at the Goldstone Ground - for some reason all the old faces were there, and the Brighton fans and the local constabularly had no idea how to deal with it. The key thing is that all of this was 30-40 years ago, so social history...

Cheers, I will let him know, needs cheering up after their recent managerial appointment.

Yes, that rings a bell Gemm, Chelsea and Leeds were always quite innovative. At that time I was further east, as in an eastern suburb of Soton. These days they would be more likely to find Chelsea 'fans' in the Forest and meet up for a 'pub lunch'. A common mistake to make is to think that threads such as these glorify football violence / hooliganism call it what you will. The thing is, as a number of posters have made very clear, it was ubiquitous, part and parcel of the game through the 70s and up to Heysel and Hillsborough. Of course, you could choose to avoid it, but you couldn't ignore it. This was true also, of life in general - at certain gigs, on picket lines, at the Top Rank, or in the city centre (for wearing the wrong clothes or liking the wrong music) you were often fair game. Much of the trouble was linked to youth culture and for a lot of kids it was a frightening and thrilling escape - any 'violence' for most was minor and transient (which is something I see in my working life now). These days we don't have youth culture, we have surveillance and consumerism...

Many thanks Fitzhugh, will tune in with pride to celebrate the life of a Saints superstar...

Agree with this, very class conscious and also a lot of fun, but excluded a large contingent of the general paying public. Found a piece written by said Leeds mate promoting said book, which is about his experiences, but given we are the same age are generic despite the 250 mile gap - tribal back then, right of passage and all that - here if original poster / anyone's interested: http://sabotagetimes.com/fashion-style/wish-you-were-here-memories-of-the-leeds-casual-scene/

Like all large port towns there was always an ability to surprise the 'Hollywood' clubs. As a kid in the 70s it could be quite a daunting experience, and a case of shrinking behind a large mush in a donkey jacket and / or being a mini Alan Wells. The eighties were much more stylised, with the archetype 'football hooligan' going from Neanderthal to devious Mod. There were some ding dongs at the Dell and some fun away games, also some surprise hidings (an away game at Stoke springs to mind) and police brutality (Leeds was good for that). A good friend of mine who served time for football violence offences was notorious with Leeds in the 80s and recently brought out a book, mostly based on old photographs taken at away days. I mentioned to him at the launch, how young and not particuarly 'casual' (well dressed) they looked, all late forties early fifties now - at the time we all though we were the mutt's. So, yes, Saints did have a 'firm' often supplemented by local hard cases, but mainly youngsters buggering about, just like every other city club...

Interesting statistic with Bridge is that he won 15 caps for England whilst with Saints between 2002-2003, and thereafter only 21 further caps when with Chelsea (and finally Man City) between 2004-2009. So had he stayed with Saints he would probably have got 50 plus caps ;-)

When asked about his successes as an international manager, Platini once said that you must always pick players on form, nothing to do with their age or club (at the time this statement was used to discuss Jimmy Case breaking into the England side whilst with Saints). In the past England used to do this, the 1966 World Cup Squad consisted of players from Leicester, Fulham, Everton, Man U, Leeds, West Ham, Spurs, Sheff W, Chelsea, Liverpool, Wolves, Saints and Arsenal, and the semi final squad of 1990, players from Forest, Derby, Rangers, Man U, Marseille, Spurs, Liverpool, QPR, Chelsea, Aston Villa, and Wolves - perhaps this should be pointed out to the myopic marketing mullahs that run the FA and tell Roy who he is allowed to pick...

Good summary.

Hear, hear! On the earlier incarnations all the insults were directed towards the Pompey visitors and occasionally the moderators (both subgroups who could look after themselves), the recent trend of flaming and wind up identities is a pain in the a*se. At least us old timers have opinions on Saints, usually optimistic too ;-)

Who'd have thought it back in the day, silk scarf tied to wrist, that we would be pining for the previous incarnation of an Internet message board! Justified though...

Mustard!...

For balance, has anyone met Guy Whittingham in Poundland lately, and found him to be a complete c*nt!...

This is sometimes known as a public outing! Lol...

To be honest the bell-end looked dedicated in the Premier League with all the tattoos and antics, imagine how dedicated he will look when they are in the f*cking Conference - World Super Fan!...

Good point, their maximum gate in the Premiership was around 18000, we'll have to pick up the other 2000 from the Bognor Brighton contingent to fill the stadium...

Get the **** in...