I moved to Southampton when I was seven years old, my dad was already 62 years old but had been a decent player in his time. He would never admit to being a 'fan' of any club, but deep down loved watching Best - Greaves and Paine.
Reluctantly after being lovingly encouraged by my ever-enthusiastic mum, knowing how thrilled I'd be, dad took me to two games. The matches were pompers away in the promo year and Spurs home the first year up. My mum, bless her, also took me to see Wolves and Leeds (Bremner made her amused for some reason).
...You guessed it I was hooked. A family friend 'Uncle Leo' then took me to several games and by the time the Newport County cup game came along a year or two later I didn't miss a home game for numerous years.
That little stadium packed to rafters, we had good hard working players with a couple of magnificent stars. Chivers oozed class, Paine was quite superb, a fledgling Channon was exciting to watch and in Ron Davies we felt we had the greatest thing to grace a field, a superman amongst mere mortals. A player that could outjump Jackie Charlton, Mike England, Ian Ure or any other defender by a clear foot and half. Then deliver a powerful, downward head harder than most players could kick a ball into the bottom corner breaking Banks, Stepney, Bonetti or Jennings heart.
Let's face it Southampton Football Club became family, I seemed to care about them as much. It didn't matter if I could only afford the half a crown to stand on the Milton or if I paid the six and six to be under the East Stand enclosure with Uncle Leo's nipper Wayne, they were everything to us and let's face it, they appreciated that and we meant a lot to them.
We were on the up, Saints and us fans were establishing ourselves in the upper echelons of what was even in those days, the best league in the World. The chanting and 'terrace culture' grew, like many other contemporaries I was caught up in all of that. It was in the blood, but Saints were always the priority. When the tragedy of relegation happened in '74, despite winning at Goodison 0-3 we knew we were an established club and would return shortly. I mean we had Ossie and the 'Wiltshire Windmill', who was now one of Europe's most talented, exciting and deadly strikers.
So '75 was kind of disappointing and a shade shocking too, but we had so many laughs supporting SFC that season. Despite being poor in the league I seem to recall beating the Cup Holders (West Ham), champions (Derby) and the doing the double over the Scottish champs (Glasgow Rangers) around then. Though we stayed down for a couple more seasons the subsequent two years were also great years to be a Saint - the Cup - Europe and then the inevitable promotion despite losing Channon.
The first year up was awesome, a fantastic late come back at Elland Road then Wembley again. Shortly after big Lawrie started to weave his magic. Far more than re-establishing ourselves we became used to being a dominant top level factor, in this the 'modern' era.
During all this time we had left our bile-spitting, sub-standard neighbours pompee so far behind us that they no longer of any relevance whatsoever. This made the Saints 'family's' life just so much sweeter. Next we had the Keegan years and then the pinnacle for me - the Mark 'Psycho' Dennis inspired season of 'so-nearly'...1983-4 (with the onus on the '84 part). We were awesome, we killed Liverpool at the Dell, could beat anyone - literally anyone - put in front of us, at home there was an intimidating atmosphere and we travelled really well, with a large and loud following. Okay we all know that we were pipped in two competitions, however, we had fantastic memories and as much as we loved the Genius Frank Worthington, we were basically, a goalscoring centre-forward short of being double winners and I'll go to my grave believing that.
Worthy went - Big Joe came. Mac went - Nichol came. Williams went - Case came, but Saints were still a top level force. Then this willowing Channel Islander showed up, developed and Saints again had a Godlike figure to match or surpass Big Ron Davies and nothing bad could happen to us, because when it started too Matty would don his cape, summon his super-human skills and banish the bad guys from Manchester, Liverpool and London. Not only would he do that, but he'd do it with Southampton panache, class, cavalier spirit and most importantly humble integrity. Our chosen son is still to this day not only the city's most beloved adoptee, but also welcomed with open arms in any club anywhere on the planet...can the same be said for other so called icons such as Hoddle, Hughes, Cantona and Gazza?
We left our beloved temple and moved to our shiny, new home and duly went off to another cup final and Europe, all the same what was happening in the background. Were our precious finances being carefully planned and handled as we had taken for granted for decades? Did the club still love us as much as Johnny Sydenham, Jim Steele, Stevie Moran and Matty loved us? Were the players even relating to us any more? Were we still their family as much as we thought they were our's?
Meanwhile the unconscionable, the rise of those red-headed, step-children 17 miles Southeast of us...money, promotion, hired guns and let's face it growing success. When was the downward turning point? Losing at fartton..maybe even more significantly Killer being injured just before? I don't know but we hit a slippery slope after and the star and crescent ascended.
Relegation, accelerated by the awful decision to hire 'Awwy....misery ever since. A lot of us give to club - to our players, which some of us have continued to consider 'familylike' and they haven't given us much back huh? Poor club management, coaching, tactics, business strategy, mistakes and sub standard performance on and off the field. My son asks me would I put up with that from a friend, a relationship, a vendor - supplier or business, another family member or even him? I don't have a positive answer...
So now I find myself after 44 years of love feeling empty, brutally disappointed, let down and frustrated. That frustration magnified by events down the road. My lovely girlfriend, a rookie by Southampton supporting experience standards wrote in her latest diatribe 'Can things become any worse being a supporter of Southampton Football (Soccer) Club? We haven't a pot to pee in, can't even be sold for cents on the dollar and down the road our bitter rivals Portsmouth have been acquired by an Arabic billionaire and now have ECL aspirations.'
I totally realize that I haven't suffered as much as some of you admirable lot closer to the 'train-wreck'. Also accept apologies, normally much more upbeat. I am tired and spent, trying to make things happen from over here....I lost two close family members to long, drawn out deaths...and guess what it almost feels like waiting for that inevitable funeral again - it's heartbreaking FFS
Please add your tale - hopefully with 'happier endings'.
You the fans are the greatest thing Saints have ever had and I am so fortunate to count so many as friends/family!!
