Wurzel

We already have one, but he's even better at right back.

Or as the song goes, Ee-I-Ee-I-Ee-I-O .....

You should see them surpass it next week. Unless you are terminally ill, if so I sincerely apologise

Re moving of the away fans. IIRC a big residential development is planned for the old gas works site on the Britannia/Northam Rd corner. I'm sure it's just coincidence that council/police are suddenly a bit more amenable to away fans and thier coaches being moved to the industrial estate end of the ground.

My post was really aimed at the ", want to be near the away fans" in general, you were just the unfortunate one I quoted. But here's a dilemma for you. Away fans moved to the opposite end. Peanut butter marmite spread on buttered toast is to be made available only from kiosks in the new Northam. What then? 🤣

Can you explain that to the rest of us in more detail? You're in "the Northam". How does being next to the away fans create atmosphere? Apart from the 2 or 3 rows nearest you no-one can see you so you're hardly creating any atmosphere between you. Sit somewhere else in the ground and you'll see that away fans "banter" - apart from those 2 or 3 rows nearest you - is always aimed towards the Itchen North because they can hear them, see them and actually know they are there. Do you feel like you intimidate them into silence by goading them across a divide of barriers, nets and stewards? Believe me, again except for a few seats nearest you, you have no effect whatsoever Try one game sat in the Chapel blocks 16/17 area. Directly facing the away end. You'll realise how much noise the away fans actually make because they are facing you and the sound is projected directly towards you. Where you sit you never really get the full effect of the away noise because you're facing the same way.With most away followings it's louder then "the Northam" ever gets mainly because they are all congregated in the same place. Now imagine having that noise doubled in our favour because everyone making it is stood together facing the same way. (think JPT semi v MK Dons) And finally wouldn't "the atmoshphere" that you so enjoy be better if it was aimed at encouraging the team and totally ignoring the away fans?

Not quite. His fame is so great that Ross Kemp himself once stated that he looks like Turkish

This. Said it so many times in the past, but slow songs, and/or one with a sustained long note at some stage are the only ones that ever spread around a ground, simply because they can. As you say, it gives other blocks a chance to latch onto to the tune as well as understanmd the words to know where they are in the song when it first reaches them. OWTSGMI (slow) and We're by far the greatest team and the only two (plus COYR and Yellows which are hardly songs but they're slow) that ever seem to spread round the ground at SMS for that very reason. Off the top of my head, just a few from random songs from other clubs, YNWA, Allez Allez, Bubbles, Delilah, Blaydon Races, too many to mention by ManUre away support, Marching on together, PUP (sorry), Don't take me home. All seem to spread around whatever grounds they are sung at because they are at a speed where all parts of the ground can work out what is beein sung once they hear it and join in at the correct speed. Ultra fast clappy songs are fine for a small section but they're never going to spread around the ground.

As a very infrequent attendee nowadays due to work it's probably easy for me to say, but I can't believe that situation that you felt the need to move was allowed to develop. What happened to the "good old days" when the older generation made it pretty clear to the "nippers" where the boundaries lay, whether it was down your local or in your section of the ground. A quick but firm "cut that crap out or don't come back" said the right way😉 was usually enough.

Not sure how accurate the details in the UI story linked above are, but I was told about 3 weeks ago by a club employee* to look out for a big anouncement stadium/crowd wise by the end of the year as they are actively looking at many options to help increase the atmosphere at SMS. He gave no more details other than they are hoping a safe standing area can be included. *Not claiming ITK status as don't know him personally to go back and ask for more, so doubt I qualify for CoT membership 🤣

I've said it all along, it was only a matter of time. Fair play to them, they lasted it out till Xmas.

Has ANY player ever taken so much abuse for so long as he did? Certainly remember him getting subbed in one game because the crowd had got to him. But then that was back in the days when we our home crowd was capable of a bit of hostility.

Embarrassment? We'll get nowhere with that attitude. If no-one joins in you do it again ...and again ....and again if necessary until the f*ckers do join in.

For those over 50 looking for a retro chant his name fits the Ruben Agboola chant perfectly. Easy to remember, repetitive and doesn't lend itself to moronic clapping. For the youngsters, it's the opening bars of THIS

If it's any consolation, it comes to us all in the end. And going off on a tangent, don't get me started on modern "Music" and ripped jeans. 🤬

Oh I agree, and even more satisfying when we break the run, but the players can't afford to have that mindset.

Repeat after me ...

Is this fear of good results still not being good enough common amongst all fans or is it unique to Saints after several years of disappointment and a downward spiral. They nearly caught us out. So what, they didn't. On just ss many occasions we nearly caught them out but didn't. Yet so many only see the we could have let more in part and never balance it with we could have scored more. We won. We're top of the form guide over 8 games ( long enough not to be a fluke). Drop the negativity and the fear and enjoy it. 😀

If only we could have scenes like that, I could get excited about going to matches again. Is that Rangers at Dundee last night? What brought all that on for a routine League game?

Graham Roberts definitely and I think his sister Kathy(?) also became a top ladies player in her day, must have been some good footballing genes passed down in that family. Surpised to see he only had 6 England caps, I thought he was more regular at International level than that. Another one that we didn't think would make the grade but I guess every club does gets it wrong sometimes.

Even Have I Got News For You used the Liverpool VAR story as a question last night, then went on to totally taking the piss by deliberately announcing the score wrong at the end and then playing audio of production staff argue out what to do about it (including the now infamous "Delay delay delay" as the credits rolled 🤣

9 times out of 10 I agree with your interpretations of applications of the rules but you're seeing that one wrong. The second picture makes it clearer, the white patch on JB's sleeve gives away which arm is which, his left arm goes under the Stoke guys armpit and is across his stomach. The left arm you see hanging verically in fron of the grey shirt is the Stoke guy's arm, unless JB isd triple jointed. It's difinitely a two armed hug. Whether it was iniated by the forwarddeliberately slowing his run so JB hads no option but to collide with him and was holding on to try and prevent a fall is another matter that can't be seen in stills.

Including after the final whistle. What was going on there? Always think a mass brawl - for brawl read handbags - is a good thing for increasing team spirit.

Christ I know, I know refs have started adding on minutes for time wasting, and our build up play is slow but is it really that bad?

You clearly don't know my wife. With a username like yours you might get away with it, for me that would be treated with at best a contemptuous "what are you after?", at worst an outright refusal. However, thinking about it "I'm taking the car this evening, won't be back until around 2am (stupid kick off times over there), you can come with me or stay on your own in this small sleepy village where you know nobody, don't know your way around, and don't speak a word of the local language" might just work. 🤣