Have we finally lost the chip on our shoulder?

[wimbornesaint]

The general feeling I get is that we are happy with another season in L1.

 

For so long we had the "we are too big to be in this league" posts. It is great that we have come to terms with our position, especially after the events this time last year.

 

What was the moment for you when you accepted our place in the league hierarchy as our true position?

 

1) Achieving 0 points

2) Putting winning runs together

3) Achieving cup success

4) Trying for the playoffs

5) ....

[brmbrm]

Errrr...... no.

 

I am ACCEPTING of another year in division 3, but still hope we can get up this year.

 

i don't think this is our "true position". we are here because of Lowe's Legacy plus the fact we started the season without a squad worthy of division 4. So I do not accept for one minute it is our "true position". Plus also we are playing better than many teams in division 2, so on "merit" we wouldn't be here.

 

But here we are. Hopefully go up after this years play offs, although part of me wants to go up as champions, and that would mean next year. You can stay in Wimborne and division 3, but not for me, thanks very much.

[wimbornesaint]

Errrr...... no.

 

I am ACCEPTING of another year in division 3, but still hope we can get up this year.

 

i don't think this is our "true position". we are here because of Lowe's Legacy plus the fact we started the season without a squad worthy of division 4. So I do not accept for one minute it is our "true position". Plus also we are playing better than many teams in division 2, so on "merit" we wouldn't be here.

 

But here we are. Hopefully go up after this years play offs, although part of me wants to go up as champions, and that would mean next year. You can stay in Wimborne and division 3, but not for me, thanks very much.

 

I think you missed my point, I am not saying I am happy where we are, of course I want us to be in the next highest league! I was commenting on how far we have actually come since last summer.

[View From The Top]

It feels like Saints again, if that makes sense?

[Saint]

It is our true position, as it is performances on the pitch that have landed us in this league. Regardless of people who shall not be named being blamed for us being here, we are here legitimately. I know full well that we will be out of this league soon, and that we are a bigger club historically than most of the teams here.

 

The only way we wouldn't be here legitimately would be in a situation such as Juventus'. As to being happy. Yes, I am happy with where we are at the moment. If we were in a similar position in a years time then that would not be so good. Our target for this season was consolidation, and we have more than achieved that and got some silverware in the process.

[SNSUN]

I don't think we'll make the play-offs this season, losing to Tranmere and Swindon recently got me thinking that. Had we won those two, we'd be six points better off and dead certs to make the play offs. We lost, so we won't.

 

I am looking forward to another season in League One, but we need almost all "ups" and very few, if no, "downs". We need to iron out the mistakes next season such as losing to Brighton and concentrating too much on the cups, and we'll go up. The CCC is where I want us to be - I don't even care about the Premiership. If we get to the CCC and get stuck there for a few years, it won't be of concern to me, although of course Liebherr and Cortese wouldn't agree!

 

If we do make the play-offs this season and go up? I'll propose to my other half.

[TopGun]

If we don't make the play-offs, I would expect us to pish over L1 next year with the resources available.

 

I don't want chips but caviar!

[the mick channon windmill]

Our downward spiral of the last 6 years or so has resulted in us being in league 1 but lets be honest we are way too big for this league and thats not arrogance its a fact. The same can be said about a few other teams in this league so whilst we find ourselves here due to a number of bad decisions by our previous chairman over the years we certainly dont belong here.

 

Personally I think this season has been quite fun visiting new grounds and could stomach another season in this league if it comes to it but want us back in the premier league asap.

 

Southampton is a premier league club in terms of stadium, fanbase, history, training facilities etc and now we are builing a squad fit for the premier league again. We will soon be back where we belong this is just a temporary and very sad period in the history of this great and very proud football club

[Pilchards]

 

If we do make the play-offs this season and go up? I'll propose to my other half.

 

Does he like Saints too?

 

;-)

 

Seriously though, proposing to you lady because you have the footy feel good factor will not make her supa special...

Delay it until the summer and take the lady somewhere special and propose as she will be well made up.

[Professor]

For most of the 1990s Saints did not feel like a 'proper' Prem side, struggling with gates of 15,000 at The Dell, expecting to do well every season and being disapointed year after year as we just avoided relegation. The SMS was the great hope, and we had the occasional flirtation with mid-table, but even the cup final seemed like a fraud as we got there from a run of easy draws and never really competed against the Gooners, whilst the SMS proved our downfall due to the costs once we dropped down to the Championship.

The relegation in 2005 was almost inevitable. Although just one more goal to convert any home draw into a win in the 2004/05 season would have kept the team up, the drop was coming sooner or later.

We did OK for a while in the CCC but the fact is that the debt was like a lead weight made even worse by the incompetent management under Wilde and Crouch. Even now, I cannot understand why Lowe came back, given the state the finances were in, and the personal villification that he always received from the fans. I don't blame him for the administration, or for trying to avoid it, because as we all know, many clubs in that state go out of business altogether. If Lowe had kept out of it, Wilde and Crouch would have taken the club down the plug hole anyway and there is absolutely no way of knowing if the club would have survived. As it was, we were incredibly lucky to catch Cortese's eye, and Marcus' money. We are now just below the level we should be at, but we are not a natural Prem side, despite all the years we were up there. The challange is to become that, not a yo-yo club but a real prem side, so for me the chip on the shoulder went a long time ago, if it was ever there. I'm proud of my team, and taking more pleasure in being a Saints fan than I have done for probably 20 years.

[Stud mark of doom]

The relegation in 2005 was almost inevitable. Although just one more goal to convert any home draw into a win in the 2004/05 season would have kept the team up, the drop was coming sooner or later.

 

Not sure I agree with this - we were well established and the move to St Mary's cemented this. We hadn't finished below 12th in the previous seasons since moving to the new stadium - and that was 14 points above the relegation zone and after having been 4th during the season.

[dune]

I won't be satisfied until we're back in the top flight.

[70's Mike]

For most of the 1990s Saints did not feel like a 'proper' Prem side, struggling with gates of 15,000 at The Dell, expecting to do well every season and being disapointed year after year as we just avoided relegation. The SMS was the great hope, and we had the occasional flirtation with mid-table, but even the cup final seemed like a fraud as we got there from a run of easy draws and never really competed against the Gooners, whilst the SMS proved our downfall due to the costs once we dropped down to the Championship.

The relegation in 2005 was almost inevitable. Although just one more goal to convert any home draw into a win in the 2004/05 season would have kept the team up, the drop was coming sooner or later.

We did OK for a while in the CCC but the fact is that the debt was like a lead weight made even worse by the incompetent management under Wilde and Crouch. Even now, I cannot understand why Lowe came back, given the state the finances were in, and the personal villification that he always received from the fans. I don't blame him for the administration, or for trying to avoid it, because as we all know, many clubs in that state go out of business altogether. If Lowe had kept out of it, Wilde and Crouch would have taken the club down the plug hole anyway and there is absolutely no way of knowing if the club would have survived. As it was, we were incredibly lucky to catch Cortese's eye, and Marcus' money. We are now just below the level we should be at, but we are not a natural Prem side, despite all the years we were up there. The challange is to become that, not a yo-yo club but a real prem side, so for me the chip on the shoulder went a long time ago, if it was ever there. I'm proud of my team, and taking more pleasure in being a Saints fan than I have done for probably 20 years.

 

disagree with your first sentence , how does feeling like a "proper prem side" feel?

 

other than about 6 clubs ALL premiership sides first aim is to avoid relegation but like you i am proud of my club, difference appears to be i have always been proud of my club.

for me it is the best season in 7 years not 20

[ten hours ahead]

We were a premiership side for 27 years on the trot. We were never a yo yo side. Hopefully we will be back again in a few years time and the last 5 or so years will seem like a blip in our history.

[SaintRobbie]

It feels like Saints again, if that makes sense?

 

Agreed. Hope, ambition, no debt and heroes to cheer on. We're making exactly the right progress for this stage in our rebuild under a decent manager and better still a decent Boardroom.

 

[CB Fry]

disagree with your first sentence , how does feeling like a "proper prem side" feel?

 

other than about 6 clubs ALL premiership sides first aim is to avoid relegation but like you i am proud of my club, difference appears to be i have always been proud of my club.

for me it is the best season in 7 years not 20

 

 

It feels like you are not destined for a season of struggle to stay in the division in August.

 

That's what it felt like through out the entire 1990's (funnily enough it pretty much coincides with MLT's tenure).

 

It went away (for me) at the start of Hoddle's season when it felt we were well placed for mid table. The feeling came back at the start of Sturrock's when staying up would have been fine.

 

Feeling like a proper prem side feels like you belong there. Bolton, Blackburn, Fulham and Birmingham will go into next season feeling like "proper prem sides".

[sadoldgit]

We have no divine right to be in any division and are currently a Div 1 (3) club - hopefully soonish to be a CCC club again. So long as the club give it their best shot we shouldn't complain where we are and just be thankful there is still a club to support. If and when we get to the Premiership the plastic fans will come out of the woodwork again..oh joy...

[SNSUN]

Does he like Saints too?

 

;-)

 

Seriously though, proposing to you lady because you have the footy feel good factor will not make her supa special...

Delay it until the summer and take the lady somewhere special and propose as she will be well made up.

 

I was going to propose to her anyway this year most likely, but this would accelerate the issue. She's a Norwich fan, so she'll have something to celebrate of her own...