ericb

We won one league game in 2018, and only 5 the whole season, our record at St James Park (and in the North East in general) is atrocious. I'd say he's not a broken record, he's actually very likely to be right.

So basically all of our normal travelling support have got tickets then, as we usually get between 2,500-3,000. So the rest are up for grabs for those that don’t really travel away much. Big test of how good our fan base is now, if we shift those given our current form I’ll be impressed. My guess is we sell maybe 1,000 more. Especially if we don’t get something in the Newcastle game. Also any of those complaining they can’t get tickets to other away games, now is your time to put up or shut up. Tickets for this should be easy to get for most and the club are running the bingo buses, so no excuse not to go really. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And the thing is when our fans do show some backbone and go after opposition players (liverpool), the manager (most games) or the board then you get people complaining about them doing it and social media being full of crap about don't boo the team, don't abuse opposition players etc. Honestly compared to at the Dell when the crowd DID turn around games, Newcastle at home 1-0 down and won 3-1 (amongst others), and the opposition players used to get so much abuse they'd react to the crowd (David James letting in goals because of abuse from the Archers, Viera spitting into the old East stand and many other players not wanting to take corners). Sometimes i look around St Mary's now and see people with bags of knitting or handing out sweets and cakes from tupperware containers. People seem to want to sit in silence and at best clap along to OWTS (for the 100th time). I'm not even asking people to sing all the time, just make some f*cking noise. At the Dell the older lot would still berate the away team in their own way. Who else remembers the players walking down by the usually respectful west stand and watching players, and sometimes our managers, get verbal from people in their 70s+? Because i sure do (Ian Branfoot springs instantly to mind). Even in league one and the championship we had more bite than this, and i don't buy into the fact Saints fans are soft, it's just the premier league that does it. One good thing about relegation is that we can clear a bunch of these people out get our soul back as a club again. Think about who's going to be scared of coming to St Mary's? The away fans have their tickets subsidised to £20, the Itchen North has been given over to day trippers and tourists and the more passionate element threatened with bans for standing. The Northam has more women and children than i can ever remember (yeah i know you're not allowed to say that has an impact on atmosphere but it's true) and also there's this weird new thing where so many lads are now taking their girlfriends to games instead of going with their mates, take all those things into a account and it's hardly a surprise that atmosphere there has waned in the Northam. The Kingsland/Northam corner still does it every now and again, but they're so far removed from the away fans or pitch it doesn't drown out the first or inspire the later, and the rest of the ground is like a day out for the local librarians groups. Before people start too i don't expect everyone to stand and sing (and i know the Dell was perfect every game), the older generation have done their time and i'll always respect them for that, but we seem to have lost the natural progressions you had at a ground like the Dell. Back then you'd start in the family stand or similar, graduate to the Archers/Milton and a few would head over to under the East. As people got older they'd filter out to the West stand or the West/East stand upper and let a new generation of youngsters take their spots. At St Mary's we have no young groups of lads coming through, and when we did they got banned, targeted by the police and some of our precious supporters on places like this and social media had a go at them. Then there's the Chapel... The wings being quiet i can understand, but the Chapel? That one baffles me, even after the Milton was made all seater it still made noise when it had to, the Chapel pretty much lives up to it's name most of the time. And then to add to that we have the weird new obsession with being on your phone (seriously put it away for 90mins, it's really not that f*cking hard) or even weirder kids that hold up signs for away players shirts!? Anyway, maybe it's all linked to my dismay at modern football, and maybe football just isn't the sport for me anymore and i should leave it to those that want a nice quiet day out like at the tennis (in the past i'd have said cricket, but cricket fans make more noise than top flight football fans these days).

The problem with playing home games at the moment is that our fans are far too f*cking soft and soppy so we can't create a hostile atmosphere at St Mary's, like someone on the Ugly said what i wouldn't give for 15k who'd be on the back of the away team all game and getting behind the saints like we had at the Dell. Instead we get three stands happy to sit in silence whilst we capitulate before they leave early to "beat the traffic".

Usually be the same for me but i'm doing there and back in one day because i'm a f*cking idiot

Anyone else wondering why the f*ck they're going up to this?

You really don't understand football do you? Or nuanced sentences either for that matter, since if you did you'd understand that it's not about them wanting others not to sing, more them not singing themselves. Anyway don't you have something else to do, like correcting children for calling snow men men when they don't have genitals?

Probably p*ss a few on here off with this but i'm kind of glad they've not put a bunch of free coaches on as that'll put off the "sit down and don't sing" brigade that would use the bingo buses if they were free.

The Elm park game in the cup that should never have been played was probably the coldest. After that the Leeds away in the late 90s/early 00's, can't remember the exact year but it was Carlton Palmers first game back there, was a midweek and we only took about 300. Don't even remember the score to be fair, just remember it being freezing f*cking cold, a large section of the Leeds fans making monkey noises at Carlton Palmer and some of their scrotes chucking rocks at us on the way back to the car (which wouldn't start as it was too f*cking cold). Also remember Highfield Road being bloody freezing on the time i went there, but mainly because the away end acted like one massive wind tunnel

4,600 tickets? No easy route up there. Even at £20 a ticket and if the club put on free coach travel (wouldn't be surprised if they did that) then it'll still make general sale. Just hope that doesn't damage the atmosphere to be honest since our larger allocation atmospheres are normally f*cking woeful, and i'd guess a fair few will travel with their eye on getting a ticket if we get to a semi final at Wembley.

Only gone up slightly from what i've seen, there's still tickets there for about £66, admittedly it's not the £40 return that i found on the day we went through but still not a massive jump.

How many f*cking games do they need to put on TV?? This season has been an absolute joke for moved fixtures (even if the Arsenal one works in my favour) and i've missed more home games this season than i think i have in the last the 20 years because of it. I genuinely think i'm at the point where i'm more likely to renew my season ticket if we get relegated than if we stay up. Perhaps the only thing that means i hold onto it is for away games, i've built up enough points now where i know i'm in the top 1% for aways so am guaranteed tickets for any game and i'd lose that if i lost the season ticket. But given the amount of money it costs it's becoming harder and harder to justify given the amount of games moved for TV which mean i can't attend. In previous seasons at best it was probably about 5 or so a season, this season i'd estimate that's closer to 8-10 (not including away games). The whole thing just leaves a bad taste in my mouth given i've done well over 30 years of watching the Saints (and i doubt i'm alone in this). Add in the new winter break and is it any surprise so many of us are so deeply ****ed off with Premier League football, i read a great description of it the other day (i can't remember where). Football used to be a sport televised for those that can't make it. Now it's a TV show, filmed in front of a live audience.

I'd be very surprised if the police take that risk, most travelling fans aim to get up there as early as they can to make pubs before a game and i'd guess that if the Skate knew we were there that day there'd be a certain element of theirs who'd definitely travel at the right time to make sure they met us (and likewise a few of ours that made sure they stuck around after) To be honest it doesn't matter if they take 500-1000 there's going to be a few on their side and our side who'd be going already who'd definitely fancy saying hello to each other, there's enough examples in the past of this happening to know it'd be attempted (Covent Garden for one). Anyway i'm fairly sure it won't be saturday and still have my money on the Monday night, only way i can see that changing would be if Spurs and Swansea both go out as then the remaining game is a shoe in for monday as it won't affect the internationals as much

yup in this line here http://www.thefa.com/news/2018/feb/17/fa-cup-quarter-final-draw-170218 The 19th is the monday and has been specifically called out, which means there will be a game on the monday. Also history shows us that they want a game a day for tv.

I don't get why people are saying they want saturday or sunday, those spots are now full. The FA have said there's going to be a game Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday and there's only two slots left. Personally i think Monday is pretty much nailed on to be honest.

What a f*cking joke that is from the FA, train prices go up every day and that'll leave us with 9 days to book travel so it's going to be over a ton for trains most likely. I f*cking hate how little consideration they give to travelling fans.

Yup that's true but we're probably the smallest amount of players participating that'd need that, partly due to us not being as good as we were and also the opposition. If someone is playing on Monday night (which seems likely) then someone will need that special dispensation, across the games ours is probably the one with the least International players in it.

A lot of the services go through Crewe as well, so you'd be look at potential clash points at London, Crewe and Manchester, and no doubt some from both sides would go looking for it too. Also the whole thing about our kick off being earlier means nothing, who goes on the train to an away day and arrives just in time for the game? I know that i'm always looking to get there early enough to get into the pubs before and i doubt i'm abnormal. Also post game i'd assume most Saints and Skates will probably drink in Manchester as it's much better for pubs and the train will leave from there. Anyway that's all by the by as i'm fairly sure it'll be Monday. Monday is probably the worst day for it from our perspective as it means time off work both Monday and Tuesday as there'd be no trains back on the Monday night. Not of course that TV would give a sh*t about that, travelling fans aren't particularly important to them. Rationale behind it being monday is that Wigan play midweek, Wednesday night, so that rules out a game two days later on the Friday. Saturday lunchtime will be saved for one of the big clubs as it gets some of the biggest viewing figures, my guess there would be Chelsea/Leicester, also the Skates playing in Oldham that day will come into the decision. Sunday 4pm will almost certainly go to United as they're the biggest TV pull and we can't do the early kick off on Sunday as there's a Marathon in Wigan that morning. That leaves the Monday evening game. Unless they decide to do a late saturday kick off, but i'd be surprised personally if the police would be happy to have Saints, Pompey and Brighton all in Manchester on the same day.

Cup win of course, our trophy haul is dismal for a club our size and any fan under 40 won't have seen us win anything other than the JPT. Also i'm sick to the back teeth of the Premier League "match day experience" and would actually enjoy the games and day out more in the Championship.

Most people i've seen on social media are assuming we'll lost it to be honest

Don't you go getting our hopes up!

Ryan Bertand is another that needs to take a long look at himself as does Tadic. No doubt that Fonte acted the pr*ck behind the scenes (bursting into board meetings etc.) but he wasn't one of those that openly laughed in Puel's face during teamtalks and ignored what he said on the pitch. To be honest i'm not hugely impressed in what i know about this group of players, alright there's some honest pro's and decent people in there, Stephen Davis, Shane Long, McQueen, Austin, Romeu, but there's also a lot of uppity little d*cks with very little respect, and even less understanding about normal people (one of the stories i heard about a non playing member of staff and their conversation about not getting a payrise with a player shocked me in the players ignorance). I guess that's what happens when you're told you're a demigod from the age of 13/14 and given your own routes through the ground to keep you apart from normal people (though apparently that's now been changed under Gao).

So you don't know about it and you'll choose to disbelieve it anyway?? Jesus some of our fans our stupid.

Not really sure why people are thinking that those that are feeling done with the game in the top flight has anything to do with us losing? Nearly everyone i've read here has said they've been there through the sh*t, Branfoot, the relegation battles in the 90s, relegation to the championship and league one, yet didn't leave. As far as i'm concerned the malaise is down to Premier League football, the absolute corruption of our game at the top level, the destruction of terrace culture, the sanitising of sport, the insidious money that corrupts everything, the constant changing in times for TV, the hype, the Americanisation of the sport and the "branding and sale" of it to an overseas market only interested in the big clubs. Yeah Saints are sh*t at the moment, but lets be honest it's hardly the first time and won't be the last, and whilst i want us to win i don't want to walk away because they're sh*t, i feel like walking away because i despise what top flight football has become. Oh and for what it's worth it's not just the English league that makes me hate it, just look across the continent. Bayern 18 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, PSG 11 points clear at the top of ligue one. Both oil backed teams making a joke of their leagues. Then add in Celtic, Barcelona, Real, Juventus, the Milan Clubs etc. the gap in competition in almost every league is huge, the days of clubs competing is virtually over thanks to the Champions League money. Even in minor leagues like the Cypriot league the cancer that is the Champions League has destroyed their competition. As far as i can figure the only thing that's going to save football is going to be a European "Super" League, with no promotion or relegation. Let the greedy b*stards and plastic fans f*ck off to that, it'll give our leagues time to re-invent and give us real competition and soul again. I'm in no doubts that a European Super League would ultimately fail and i think that's what would have to happen to give us our game back.

I think he probably would've been, but it would've been much harder for the club to do it and they'd have had to have got it right with the next appointment to justify doing it (though with European football it's quite possible we'd have got our first choice in Tuchel). At the end of the day, and as many of us keep repeating, it was the fact that he lost the dressing room (and lost it badly) that lost him his job. Not the fans, not the style of play, not anything else. A large section of the players were in open revolt, they weren't listening to him and were mocking him openly in the dressing room. That made his position untenable and he had to leave. All the rest of the cr*p people post is just standard Saints Web rubbish based in no foundation at all. In particular the stuff about the fans is utter b*llocks, if us booing or complaining about a manager made the slightest difference then Pellegrino wouldn't be here still. The only (and it's slight) thing that made a difference from fans was the drop off in the season ticket renewals, that scared the club as it was finances. Hence why with Pellegrino i keep saying if you want to force them to make a change vote with your wallet.