The why of Southampton FC

By and large this thread nails what the club's getting wrong. They would learn far more from taking on board the gist here than through a hundred surveys.

With that said there does seem to be one significant element of hypocrisy. Wherein the club's berated for forgetting it's community status, yet also criticised for demonstrating and extolling social values.

Like it or not, Southampton's a diverse city, and football isn't just for white men. I don't see that the club having an awareness of the local makeup really detracts from the footballing element in any way.

If we're ringfencing football then who are we saying it's being ringfenced for? Are we equating those of other faiths, LGBT fans etc. to being casuals or tourists? Saying that those people aren't already present within our hardcore support?

Many are quick to pick up on the supposed failings of minority groups to integrate, yet also criticise attempts to facilitate such integration. Which is a shame, and gives rise to something of a paradox.

I don't see any value in failing to welcome anybody that wishes to support us. Our hardcore support of tomorrow - the ones ultimately holding the same ethos as shown in this thread - will come from the Southampton city of today.

Written here, you'd think that the majority of our marketing output was aimed at minority groups. When really it's a tiny percentage, with other output perhaps having a general vibe of "all are welcome".

TL;DR, I think the thread raises important points about the club's lack of identity and lack of identifiability, but can't equate that with them welcoming all. It's not virtue signalling to be inclusionary.

By and large this thread nails what the club's getting wrong. They would learn far more from taking on board the gist here than through a hundred surveys.

 

With that said there does seem to be one significant element of hypocrisy. Wherein the club's berated for forgetting it's community status, yet also criticised for demonstrating and extolling social values.

 

Like it or not, Southampton's a diverse city, and football isn't just for white men. I don't see that the club having an awareness of the local makeup really detracts from the footballing element in any way.

 

If we're ringfencing football then who are we saying it's being ringfenced for? Are we equating those of other faiths, LGBT fans etc. to being casuals or tourists? Saying that those people aren't already present within our hardcore support?

 

Many are quick to pick up on the supposed failings of minority groups to integrate, yet also criticise attempts to facilitate such integration. Which is a shame, and gives rise to something of a paradox.

 

I don't see any value in failing to welcome anybody that wishes to support us. Our hardcore support of tomorrow - the ones ultimately holding the same ethos as shown in this thread - will come from the Southampton city of today.

 

Written here, you'd think that the majority of our marketing output was aimed at minority groups. When really it's a tiny percentage, with other output perhaps having a general vibe of "all are welcome".

 

TL;DR, I think the thread raises important points about the club's lack of identity and lack of identifiability, but can't equate that with them welcoming all. It's not virtue signalling to be inclusionary.

Great post; very eloquent as usual Ant.

Again you don't get it, it's not about being good or bad, it's about our club having an identity, we don't have one at the moment. All we are known for these days is the club that sold all their best players.

I understand your message but disagree with your inference that we don't punch above our weight today and that somehow by losing this means we've lost our identity.

I also disagree that all we are known for is the club that sold. Many football fans also still know us as the 76 FA cup winners, the team that came second in the old first division in 83 -84.

However I do feel that English football, not just Saints, is changing its identity by going global, but that this affects some teams (Man U etc.) more dramatically than others (here I include Saints). Bringing in Gao as owner has definitely tilted our hat towards trying to join the global bandwagon and I'm not so comfortable about where this will take us.

Don't know why but this feels like the right place to put this, saw it on social media today and it gave me a laugh

http://www.quiz-maker.com/Q2NO32R

There are times between games when I fully agree with the OP. The club is basically an international football side based in Southampton, The Premier league just an international league based in England. Hell, I haven’t even lived in Southampton for over 45 years and have no relatives that do. For various reasons, too numerous to mention, matchdays aren’t as good as they used to be. I sometimes even nearly convince myself that the result doesn’t matter that much anymore. However, once at the game the same old feelings just overcome you. The joy at Chelsea, the final whistle New Year’s Day, the raw emotion at those moments is still there.

Football, bloody hell.

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Don't know why but this feels like the right place to put this, saw it on social media today and it gave me a laugh

 

http://www.quiz-maker.com/Q2NO32R

You may be surprised to hear that’s what I got too.

Although I did it again with some fake answers in and it said I was a VLogger and not welcome

Well....I got that too.

You may be surprised to hear that’s what I got too.

 

Although I did it again with some fake answers in and it said I was a VLogger and not welcome

Chapel Kop massive here, don't know how to do the pictures but this is what it said

"Been there done that, now you're retired and want to watch the game in peace. Happy to clap along to a few songs, or join in Oh When The Saints, but the days of standing and belting it out are long behind you."