Mr X Posted 13 February, 2009 Share Posted 13 February, 2009 Never thought I'd say but it seems all parties involved with sfc have accepted we are going down.............. the fans have the players have the ex-players have Woote has Lowe has (he is already planning for it) the pundits have the bookies have the share holders have the bank has So together we are at least united on one thing all firmly tongue in cheek of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFC Forever Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 Seems like it is only the fanbase that shows concern though, worse luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alain Perrin Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 In-fighting amongst the fans is one of many causes of it. IMHO a large number of our fans have forgotten we support the same team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr X Posted 14 February, 2009 Author Share Posted 14 February, 2009 Apologies for posting this it was meant as some light hearted relief but its probably not a good road to go down, mods feel free to delete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aintforever Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 If we don't win against Bristol City and results go against us then it is pretty much nailed on. Then we wont have to bother getting behind the team and we can focus on getting rid of Lowe and Wilde. The one small good thing about going into admin will be watching those ****ers lose every penny they had in the club. Lowe has well and truely screwed us over this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draino76 Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 One thing though; this is a damn fine forum for a league 1 club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr X Posted 14 February, 2009 Author Share Posted 14 February, 2009 In-fighting amongst the fans is one of many causes of it. IMHO a large number of our fans have forgotten we support the same team. Do you mean on matchdays? or on the forum? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micky Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 One thing though; this is a damn fine forum for a league 1 club. Agreed it is. However, in line with consumer demand, will the forums yearly subscription be reduced to reflect the decline in interest due to relegation. Or will they take their lead from the club for season ticket prices and (allegedly) try to raise the price...??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponty Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 The price will rise with inflation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponty Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 I don't actually know the plans btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitey Grandad Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 In-fighting amongst the fans is one of many causes of it. IMHO a large number of our fans have forgotten we support the same team. How on earth do you come to that conclusion? Surely bad management must come at the top of the list? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micky Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 How on earth do you come to that conclusion? Surely bad management must come at the top of the list? To be fair - he did say one of the many causes - he did not say that it was the primary cause. I have to say that I would agree to a certain extent, when fans are not united behind the management and team it's bound to have a detrimental effect on the support, and therefore, the team during matchdays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFC Forever Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 Quote: Originally Posted by Alain Perrin In-fighting amongst the fans is one of many causes of it. IMHO a large number of our fans have forgotten we support the same team. If we had a team that we could support we would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harvey Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 In-fighting amongst the fans is one of many causes of it. IMHO a large number of our fans have forgotten we support the same team. Are you of a stable mind ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFC Forever Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 From the games that I have seen the fans support the team. Some with noise and some sat quietly in their chairs waiting for something to excite them. After the march from the bargate the lunatic fringe as we have been dubbed, cheered with good heart as the team yet again let the opposition win. That game actually had one of the best atmosphere's I have seen this season. So don't try pushing the blame away from the parasite at the helm and onto us the fans. Unless of course you are talking about your good self. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micky Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 From the games that I have seen the fans support the team. Some with noise and some sat quietly in their chairs waiting for something to excite them. After the march from the bargate the lunatic fringe as we have been dubbed, cheered with good heart as the team yet again let the opposition win. That game actually had one of the best atmosphere's I have seen this season. So don't try pushing the blame away from the parasite at the helm and onto us the fans. Unless of course you are talking about your good self. Nobody, nobody, nobody has even intimated that the fans are solely to blame - nobody. However, when things like this (our club) go wrong it is very easy to point the finger and blame one individual. Tell you what - let's blame Lowe - easy target - big as a barn door - so easy to hit. Can't be my fault - I'm only a fan, nothing to do with me at all. Typical blame culture I'm afraid. Tell you what - the fans will all want to be part of it when we are winning again - everybody will want a slice of SFC, remember where you were in '74 and more recently in '03, remember when MLT scored the final goal at the Dell, etc. Yet now it's all gone belly up, you want to distance yourself from any culpability whatsoever. No one person is solely to blame for our current plight, the blame must be shared collectively, and as far as I am concerned that includes the fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Under Weststand Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 Nobody, nobody, nobody has even intimated that the fans are solely to blame - nobody. However, when things like this (our club) go wrong it is very easy to point the finger and blame one individual. Tell you what - let's blame Lowe - easy target - big as a barn door - so easy to hit. Can't be my fault - I'm only a fan, nothing to do with me at all. Typical blame culture I'm afraid. Tell you what - the fans will all want to be part of it when we are winning again - everybody will want a slice of SFC, remember where you were in '74 and more recently in '03, remember when MLT scored the final goal at the Dell, etc. Yet now it's all gone belly up, you want to distance yourself from any culpability whatsoever. No one person is solely to blame for our current plight, the blame must be shared collectively, and as far as I am concerned that includes the fans. Sorry Micky but the fans are the life blood of the club they are not responsible for the actions of the board's (note I say boards). I have in the past pay'ed my money through several season tickets & pay on the day before I moved up north for family reasons, I continue to suport the club from a distance Buying shirts/merchandise. Now maybe you can blame me for moving away from the area (18 years ago) But the ultimate responsability for the state we find ourselves in, Is NOT down to the fans, its wholey down to the Board/boards decisions in the recent past. I still feel total disheartened by what I see happening at what was once a great example of a family club disintegrating before our eyes, and its easy to blame individuals, but these individuals have been let run riot by other board members. I just don't see other than the Glen Hoddle Incident (which I happend to agree with at the time WRONGLY so as time has proved IMHO) where the fans can be made culpable. Again that is a board decision & if the Board believed Hoddle was right and they bowed to popularism then they made the wrong decision again. That is what you get at the top as a chairman you get to make the desision's if they prove right then your a hero get them wrong you get a second chance Maybe, Don't learn from the mistake's & make bigger one's then expext a bit of flak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offix Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 Those damn pesky fans. Their "infighting" is taking us down! Alain Perrin, you are a complete joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micky Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 Sorry Micky but the fans are the life blood of the club they are not responsible for the actions of the board's (note I say boards). I have in the past pay'ed my money through several season tickets & pay on the day before I moved up north for family reasons, I continue to suport the club from a distance Buying shirts/merchandise. Now maybe you can blame me for moving away from the area (18 years ago) But the ultimate responsability for the state we find ourselves in, Is NOT down to the fans, its wholey down to the Board/boards decisions in the recent past. I still feel total disheartened by what I see happening at what was once a great example of a family club disintegrating before our eyes, and its easy to blame individuals, but these individuals have been let run riot by other board members. I just don't see other than the Glen Hoddle Incident (which I happend to agree with at the time WRONGLY so as time has proved IMHO) where the fans can be made culpable. Again that is a board decision & if the Board believed Hoddle was right and they bowed to popularism then they made the wrong decision again. That is what you get at the top as a chairman you get to make the desision's if they prove right then your a hero get them wrong you get a second chance Maybe, Don't learn from the mistake's & make bigger one's then expext a bit of flak. UW I agree with you - the fans are the life blood of SFC (and all other clubs for that matter). 'Blame' is perhaps not the correct term to be using here, 'responsibility' is probably more apt. Don't get me wrong, I am not for one moment suggesting that the fans are solely responsible for our current plight, but neither do I think that we can just absolve ourselves of all responsibility. You only have to look at this forum to see that we are far from united as a fanbase. We have the plastics that have basically deserted the club and see fit only to attend the 'glamour' matches such as Sheffield and Manchester United respectively. You can argue all you want about quality, but the fact remains that had those fans stuck by us during the poor times, we may have been able to afford a better playing squad. We may not have had to offload our established strikers to other clubs. We then have those fans that are now refusing to attend SMS in the hope that this will drive the board from their positions and see a takeover achieved. Then there are the die hard fans that continue to support the team irrespective of who is in charge, but are probably seen by the 'stay away fans' as doing more harm than good, but who probably think the same of those fans. Meanwhile, we currently have fans demonstrating (as is their right) during matchdays - does this have a positive effect upon the players - I know not, but I would hazard a guess that it does not, although it will probably demonstrate the depth of feeling for the club. Coupled to all of this we have had fans fighting between themselves, we had the infamous 'spat' involving fans and Kelvin Davis last season, and just a few days ago we had fans getting involved with players whilst in Southampton city centre. All of these things can only have a negative effect upon both the club and the players. So I am not saying that the fans are totally resonsible - far from it. But we are obvioulsy not a united fanbase, and as a consequence the team are not getting our best support - therefore should we not shoulder our fair share of responsibility? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
del boy Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 We will fight them on the beaches.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan The Flames Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 In-fighting amongst the fans is one of many causes of it. IMHO a large number of our fans have forgotten we support the same team. I assume you will be accepting your share of the blame then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_saint Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 In-fighting amongst the fans is one of many causes of it. IMHO a large number of our fans have forgotten we support the same team. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wild-saint Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 UW I agree with you - the fans are the life blood of SFC (and all other clubs for that matter). 'Blame' is perhaps not the correct term to be using here, 'responsibility' is probably more apt. Don't get me wrong, I am not for one moment suggesting that the fans are solely responsible for our current plight, but neither do I think that we can just absolve ourselves of all responsibility. You only have to look at this forum to see that we are far from united as a fanbase. We have the plastics that have basically deserted the club and see fit only to attend the 'glamour' matches such as Sheffield and Manchester United respectively. You can argue all you want about quality, but the fact remains that had those fans stuck by us during the poor times, we may have been able to afford a better playing squad. We may not have had to offload our established strikers to other clubs. We then have those fans that are now refusing to attend SMS in the hope that this will drive the board from their positions and see a takeover achieved. Then there are the die hard fans that continue to support the team irrespective of who is in charge, but are probably seen by the 'stay away fans' as doing more harm than good, but who probably think the same of those fans. Meanwhile, we currently have fans demonstrating (as is their right) during matchdays - does this have a positive effect upon the players - I know not, but I would hazard a guess that it does not, although it will probably demonstrate the depth of feeling for the club. Coupled to all of this we have had fans fighting between themselves, we had the infamous 'spat' involving fans and Kelvin Davis last season, and just a few days ago we had fans getting involved with players whilst in Southampton city centre. All of these things can only have a negative effect upon both the club and the players. So I am not saying that the fans are totally resonsible - far from it. But we are obvioulsy not a united fanbase, and as a consequence the team are not getting our best support - therefore should we not shoulder our fair share of responsibility? hear effing hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint_bert Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 The price will rise with inflation. Lowe !!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint_bert Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 In-fighting amongst the fans is one of many causes of it. IMHO a large number of our fans have forgotten we support the same team. oh dear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 Nobody, nobody, nobody has even intimated that the fans are solely to blame - nobody. However, when things like this (our club) go wrong it is very easy to point the finger and blame one individual. Tell you what - let's blame Lowe - easy target - big as a barn door - so easy to hit. Can't be my fault - I'm only a fan, nothing to do with me at all. Typical blame culture I'm afraid. Tell you what - the fans will all want to be part of it when we are winning again - everybody will want a slice of SFC, remember where you were in '74 and more recently in '03, remember when MLT scored the final goal at the Dell, etc. Yet now it's all gone belly up, you want to distance yourself from any culpability whatsoever. No one person is solely to blame for our current plight, the blame must be shared collectively, and as far as I am concerned that includes the fans. 74? Pr plant IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
70's Mike Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 i a am probably a mug but i have not yet accepted relegation , i refuse to let Rupert and his gang deprive me of HOPE. The day that spark goes out is the day i stop going to games after 47 years of support. After saying that i will be on the march next week because i still believe the decision to let lowe into this club in 97 was wrong and flawed. I am getting to the point where i prefer Crouch and Administration ( if the luvvies are to be believed ?) with a british set up , playing with guts and thunder, than this "go sideways" and call it good football experiment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildgoose Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 74? Pr plant IMO I was waiting for someone to pick up on the year! ;-) I can't remember what I was doing in '74 but I can remember the Cup Final year with absolute clarity! The PR plant bit made me smile...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
70's Mike Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 74 was the year we got relegated from the first division , first club, if my memory is right, to go down as the third bottom team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHAPEL END CHARLIE Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 Nobody, nobody, nobody has even intimated that the fans are solely to blame - nobody. However, when things like this (our club) go wrong it is very easy to point the finger and blame one individual. Tell you what - let's blame Lowe - easy target - big as a barn door - so easy to hit. Can't be my fault - I'm only a fan, nothing to do with me at all. Typical blame culture I'm afraid. Tell you what - the fans will all want to be part of it when we are winning again - everybody will want a slice of SFC, remember where you were in '74 and more recently in '03, remember when MLT scored the final goal at the Dell, etc. Yet now it's all gone belly up, you want to distance yourself from any culpability whatsoever. No one person is solely to blame for our current plight, the blame must be shared collectively, and as far as I am concerned that includes the fans. I actually agree with you to a point , no one person (not even Rupert) is to blame entirely for our plight , but please explain specifically what is it that Saints fans have done or failed to do that has resulted in the clubs long term decline ? It's all very well talking in generalities about "the blame must be shared" but if you're going to make that statement you better justify it . As far as I can see the support inside St Marys has been remarkably good in the main , especially when you remember just how depressingly infrequent home wins have become over the last two seasons and the sheer ineptitude of the club's management . For my money there is only one thing wrong with Saints fans - there's just not enough of us . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alain Perrin Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 I haven't accepted relegation yet, shame on you if you have. There's a fine balance between being realistic and being defeatist, and I think a lot on this board have the balance wrong. Yes I think the fan's divisions / obsession with the board are one of MANY causes of our current plight. Let me give you an example. When all the fans eyes are on the Northam because a fight is breaking out / a banner is being unfurled / a sit down/standing up incident, or eyes are focused on a plane flying above with a fluttering message behind it, are they focused on the game? No. What if just one of the players gets distracted by that for a second or two? Just a quick glance, here or there - rather than 100% focus. I can't believe they don't notice what's going on and that that doesn't have at least a small impact. The fans rejected Hoddle, helped bring Wilde to power the first time round - all things which have helped cause our current situation. Lowe has driven the car into the ditch, a large percentage down to his driving, but part (only part) of the reason was that he was swerving to avoid roadblocks we erected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
70's Mike Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 I haven't accepted relegation yet, shame on you if you have. There's a fine balance between being realistic and being defeatist, and I think a lot on this board have the balance wrong. Yes I think the fan's divisions / obsession with the board are one of MANY causes of our current plight. Let me give you an example. When all the fans eyes are on the Northam because a fight is breaking out / a banner is being unfurled / a sit down/standing up incident, or eyes are focused on a plane flying above with a fluttering message behind it, are they focused on the game? No. What if just one of the players gets distracted by that for a second or two? Just a quick glance, here or there - rather than 100% focus. I can't believe they don't notice what's going on and that that doesn't have at least a small impact. The fans rejected Hoddle, helped bring Wilde to power the first time round - all things which have helped cause our current situation. Lowe has driven the car into the ditch, a large percentage down to his driving, but part (only part) of the reason was that he was swerving to avoid roadblocks we erected. problem is he was never fit to drive in the first place Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintRichmond Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 Nobody, nobody, nobody has even intimated that the fans are solely to blame - nobody. However, when things like this (our club) go wrong it is very easy to point the finger and blame one individual. Tell you what - let's blame Lowe - easy target - big as a barn door - so easy to hit. Can't be my fault - I'm only a fan, nothing to do with me at all. Typical blame culture I'm afraid. Tell you what - the fans will all want to be part of it when we are winning again - everybody will want a slice of SFC, remember where you were in '74 and more recently in '03, remember when MLT scored the final goal at the Dell, etc. Yet now it's all gone belly up, you want to distance yourself from any culpability whatsoever. No one person is solely to blame for our current plight, the blame must be shared collectively, and as far as I am concerned that includes the fans.[/QUOTE] YOU ARE HAVING A LAUGH, RIGHT ????? COLLECTIVELY ??? Whose decision were these ??? A) To get rid of Pearson, after he had kept us up, united most fans, and instilled some "grit" in the Team B) To go with very good but untried at CCC level YOUTH players C) To get rid of Experienced Goalscorers D) To appoint an untried Dutch Duo, who had no experience in UK Football E) To (try) to adopt a pretty pretty Total Football concept, which simply does not work in the CCC Answer ......RUPERT LOWE's So, How the hell can the blame be shared Collectively, when it is just ONE man's Egotistical Madness that has put Saints where they are today ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norm Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 i a am probably a mug but i have not yet accepted relegation ' date='[/b'] i refuse to let Rupert and his gang deprive me of HOPE. The day that spark goes out is the day i stop going to games after 47 years of support. After saying that i will be on the march next week because i still believe the decision to let lowe into this club in 97 was wrong and flawed. I am getting to the point where i prefer Crouch and Administration ( if the luvvies are to be believed ?) with a british set up , playing with guts and thunder, than this "go sideways" and call it good football experiment No, not a mug! Just someone, just like me, hoping for the best. I forecast we win today 0-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aintforever Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 UW I agree with you - the fans are the life blood of SFC (and all other clubs for that matter). 'Blame' is perhaps not the correct term to be using here, 'responsibility' is probably more apt. Don't get me wrong, I am not for one moment suggesting that the fans are solely responsible for our current plight, but neither do I think that we can just absolve ourselves of all responsibility. You only have to look at this forum to see that we are far from united as a fanbase. We have the plastics that have basically deserted the club and see fit only to attend the 'glamour' matches such as Sheffield and Manchester United respectively. You can argue all you want about quality, but the fact remains that had those fans stuck by us during the poor times, we may have been able to afford a better playing squad. We may not have had to offload our established strikers to other clubs. We then have those fans that are now refusing to attend SMS in the hope that this will drive the board from their positions and see a takeover achieved. Then there are the die hard fans that continue to support the team irrespective of who is in charge, but are probably seen by the 'stay away fans' as doing more harm than good, but who probably think the same of those fans. Meanwhile, we currently have fans demonstrating (as is their right) during matchdays - does this have a positive effect upon the players - I know not, but I would hazard a guess that it does not, although it will probably demonstrate the depth of feeling for the club. Coupled to all of this we have had fans fighting between themselves, we had the infamous 'spat' involving fans and Kelvin Davis last season, and just a few days ago we had fans getting involved with players whilst in Southampton city centre. All of these things can only have a negative effect upon both the club and the players. So I am not saying that the fans are totally resonsible - far from it. But we are obvioulsy not a united fanbase, and as a consequence the team are not getting our best support - therefore should we not shoulder our fair share of responsibility? What a load of ******, everything you mention is a consequence of a badley managed football team not the cause. Football fans will always behave in the same way in those circumastances at any club in the country - you are balming the clubs demise on the nature of football supporters - what a load of crap. Saints fans have behaved way better than many other would had their club been on the receiving end of Lowe's bizarre experiments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldNick Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 we are not going down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamsaint Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 I haven't accepted relegation yet, shame on you if you have. There's a fine balance between being realistic and being defeatist, and I think a lot on this board have the balance wrong. Yes I think the fan's divisions / obsession with the board are one of MANY causes of our current plight. Let me give you an example. When all the fans eyes are on the Northam because a fight is breaking out / a banner is being unfurled / a sit down/standing up incident, or eyes are focused on a plane flying above with a fluttering message behind it, are they focused on the game? No. What if just one of the players gets distracted by that for a second or two? Just a quick glance, here or there - rather than 100% focus. I can't believe they don't notice what's going on and that that doesn't have at least a small impact. The fans rejected Hoddle, helped bring Wilde to power the first time round - all things which have helped cause our current situation. Lowe has driven the car into the ditch, a large percentage down to his driving, but part (only part) of the reason was that he was swerving to avoid roadblocks we erected. the infighting over hoddle was a problem. BUT there have been plenty of opportunities to make good decisions since then which we have failed to do EG Keeping Nigel Pearson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graffito Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 Nobody, nobody, nobody has even intimated that the fans are solely to blame - nobody. However, when things like this (our club) go wrong it is very easy to point the finger and blame one individual. Tell you what - let's blame Lowe - easy target - big as a barn door - so easy to hit. Can't be my fault - I'm only a fan, nothing to do with me at all. Typical blame culture I'm afraid. Tell you what - the fans will all want to be part of it when we are winning again - everybody will want a slice of SFC, remember where you were in '74 and more recently in '03, remember when MLT scored the final goal at the Dell, etc. Yet now it's all gone belly up, you want to distance yourself from any culpability whatsoever. No one person is solely to blame for our current plight, the blame must be shared collectively, and as far as I am concerned that includes the fans. Mickey, I agree that no one person is responsible for the club's predicament, the others running the club over several years share blame with Lowe. But you can't blame the fans. We have no control over the running of the club and little influence (except if we stop going en masse - a high risk strategy). As you say, the fans are the lifeblood of the club. It's about time the club realised that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHAPEL END CHARLIE Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 (edited) I haven't accepted relegation yet, shame on you if you have. There's a fine balance between being realistic and being defeatist, and I think a lot on this board have the balance wrong. Yes I think the fan's divisions / obsession with the board are one of MANY causes of our current plight. Let me give you an example. When all the fans eyes are on the Northam because a fight is breaking out / a banner is being unfurled / a sit down/standing up incident, or eyes are focused on a plane flying above with a fluttering message behind it, are they focused on the game? No. Any competent professional footballer should be able to concentrate on the game during the game surely . What if just one of the players gets distracted by that for a second or two? Just a quick glance, here or there - rather than 100% focus. I can't believe they don't notice what's going on and that that doesn't have at least a small impact. So small an impact we can safely discount it IMO - I'd take a dim view of a player using that as an excuse for a poor performance . The fans rejected Hoddle, helped bring Wilde to power the first time round - all things which have helped cause our current situation. Many but not all fans did not want Hoddle back , but the ensuing Sturrock/Wigley/relegation fiasco is all Rupert's work . Wilde ousted Lowe in furtherance of his own ambitions I'd say , but it's true we may well have encouraged him however . Lowe has driven the car into the ditch, a large percentage down to his driving, but part (only part) of the reason was that he was swerving to avoid roadblocks we erected. Try using that on a copper . The captain of the ship is always fully responsible and answerable for it's safety , if I might stretch the analogy to breaking point we are where we are because of incompetence on the bridge - not in the engine-room . Edited 14 February, 2009 by CHAPEL END CHARLIE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eelpie Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 In-fighting amongst the fans is one of many causes of it. IMHO a large number of our fans have forgotten we support the same team. Rupert blames the fans shocker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eelpie Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 85.7% is not quite everyone. And some of us still believe in miracles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowballs2 Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 In-fighting amongst the fans is one of many causes of it. IMHO a large number of our fans have forgotten we support the same team. So its the fans fault again...what utter rollocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintRobbie Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 (edited) In-fighting amongst the fans is one of many causes of it. IMHO a large number of our fans have forgotten we support the same team. I disagree. The vast majority of the fans are united against Lowe and Wilde. Of that I have absolutely no doubt. I havent seen this messageboard so united in the key issue over the support of the strategic leadership of this club for years. The last time Lowe led us down did not see the fans as united as this time. So I fundamentally disagree with that. Problem is - toothless fan leadership from those who have been seduced by the Wilde's and Club over the years. Shame this unity isnt being exploited. Mr X may be right... BUT I HATE THIS THREAD. I HATE IT THAT A SPORTS CLUB OF SUCH HISTORY THAT HAS MEANT SO MUCH TO GENERATIONS OF PEOPLE IN SOUTHAMPTON IS BEING ALLOWED TO DIE - ROLLING OVER AND ACCEPTING DEFEAT IS NOT AN OPTION FOR AN ELITE SPORTS CLUB. We can stay up. We just need a chairman and manager who can induce confidence and FIGHT. We need certain fans to call for Lowe's head NOW and stop rolling over and sucking up for their privileges within the club. We need fans to protest harder than before. We CAN stay up. But, not under the current toothless, clueless and unsupported leadership. Edited 14 February, 2009 by SaintRobbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calvin Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 It is true in what you are saying. I have personally accepted that we have no chance of staying up. The worst realistic scenario would be admin after going into League one. Thankfully the club isn't that bad as some of you think, in terms of debt we are just about holding on. Rupert did indeed use the suicide strategy but a strategy which may have saved us from admin. The amount of players he got off our wage bill is quite impressive. Our young players are cheap, meaning that the business can not die yet. some other clubs in this division are actually in much worse debt than Saints! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Garrett Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 I disagree. The vast majority of the fans are united against Lowe and Wilde. Of that I have absolutely no doubt. I havent seen this messageboard so united in the key issue over the support of the strategic leadership of this club for years. The last time Lowe led us down did not see the fans as united as this time. So I fundamentally disagree with that. Problem is - toothless fan leadership from those who have been seduced by the Wilde's and Club over the years. Shame this unity isnt being exploited. Trouble is Robbie, that there are many ex-fans out there, me included, who really don't give a stuff anymore. It's worn us down. I don't go to games anymore, don't even listen on the radio, not bothered whether we win or lose. I don't think I can even be arsed to protest. Cheers Mike, cheers Rupert. I'm even getting bored of this forum. You only have to look at someone's username and you can pretty much guess what they are going to post (me included, I hasten to add). Time for a sabbatical I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldNick Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 It is true in what you are saying. I have personally accepted that we have no chance of staying up. !Calvin how can you think that.This time last season we were about 7 points clear of relegation and other teams caught us.IF we could muster a couple of back to back wins then things will look different again.Wotte has been instilling into the players minds 'back to back, back to back' so they get it into their heads a positive.I expect we will get the posts saying the players think they have to stand back to back. There are 15? games left, we have many points to play for and a run will put us back into the scrap to go up the table.If at 5 tonight we are 7 points adrift and then next saturday 9 points adrift then i might change my mind of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldNick Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 Trouble is Robbie, that there are many ex-fans out there, me included, who really don't give a stuff anymore. It's worn us down. I don't go to games anymore, don't even listen on the radio, not bothered whether we win or lose. I don't think I can even be arsed to protest. Cheers Mike, cheers Rupert. I'm even getting bored of this forum. You only have to look at someone's username and you can pretty much guess what they are going to post (me included, I hasten to add). Time for a sabbatical I think.Wade if we go down and the chairman is gone would you contemplate coming back? Or is it down to the division we are playing as well.It is not a trick question Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calvin Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 (edited) Calvin how can you think that.This time last season we were about 7 points clear of relegation and other teams caught us.IF we could muster a couple of back to back wins then things will look different again.Wotte has been instilling into the players minds 'back to back, back to back' so they get it into their heads a positive.I expect we will get the posts saying the players think they have to stand back to back. There are 15? games left, we have many points to play for and a run will put us back into the scrap to go up the table.If at 5 tonight we are 7 points adrift and then next saturday 9 points adrift then i might change my mind of course. But look at the current squad we have now compared to last time we were near to going down. I really do not believe that Saints can stay up. First off, we have a very inexperienced squad with no ideas, whe it comes to playing first team competitive football. and a club which is being badly managed by Lowe. The youngsters have lost ability and faith in themselves and the club. Even Wotte is really gritting his teeth thinking "we are going down" but he is trying to be as positive as possible, rather than realistic. It's fair enough about him being positive though. That is all he can do! I really want us to stay up but I just can't see it happening mate. Edited 14 February, 2009 by Calvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lets B Avenue Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 Calvin how can you think that.This time last season we were about 7 points clear of relegation and other teams caught us.IF we could muster a couple of back to back wins then things will look different again.Wotte has been instilling into the players minds 'back to back, back to back' so they get it into their heads a positive.I expect we will get the posts saying the players think they have to stand back to back. There are 15? games left, we have many points to play for and a run will put us back into the scrap to go up the table.If at 5 tonight we are 7 points adrift and then next saturday 9 points adrift then i might change my mind of course. Be prepared to change your mind then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughieslastminutegoal Posted 14 February, 2009 Share Posted 14 February, 2009 UW I agree with you - the fans are the life blood of SFC (and all other clubs for that matter). 'Blame' is perhaps not the correct term to be using here, 'responsibility' is probably more apt. Don't get me wrong, I am not for one moment suggesting that the fans are solely responsible for our current plight, but neither do I think that we can just absolve ourselves of all responsibility. You only have to look at this forum to see that we are far from united as a fanbase. We have the plastics that have basically deserted the club and see fit only to attend the 'glamour' matches such as Sheffield and Manchester United respectively. You can argue all you want about quality, but the fact remains that had those fans stuck by us during the poor times, we may have been able to afford a better playing squad. We may not have had to offload our established strikers to other clubs. We then have those fans that are now refusing to attend SMS in the hope that this will drive the board from their positions and see a takeover achieved. Then there are the die hard fans that continue to support the team irrespective of who is in charge, but are probably seen by the 'stay away fans' as doing more harm than good, but who probably think the same of those fans. Meanwhile, we currently have fans demonstrating (as is their right) during matchdays - does this have a positive effect upon the players - I know not, but I would hazard a guess that it does not, although it will probably demonstrate the depth of feeling for the club. Coupled to all of this we have had fans fighting between themselves, we had the infamous 'spat' involving fans and Kelvin Davis last season, and just a few days ago we had fans getting involved with players whilst in Southampton city centre. All of these things can only have a negative effect upon both the club and the players. So I am not saying that the fans are totally resonsible - far from it. But we are obvioulsy not a united fanbase, and as a consequence the team are not getting our best support - therefore should we not shoulder our fair share of responsibility? We are no different to any other set of fans thoughought the division. This kind of thing is just par for the course in professional football. Professional sportsmen have to live with a bit of abuse from a minority of fans at any club. There will always be the hero player and the one or two who always have some fans on their backs, no matter how well the side is playing. IMO any club in a relegation fight has to show guts and some determination to keep the fans on their side. We know that more than most, because we had to live through that season after season in the prem. So if a fan base like ours can become as demoralised as we are, and as resigned to relegation as we seem to be, it is other factors that have brought us to this point, NOT fickleness on our part. For me the spirit of SFC was personified by a) bottle - Franny Benali was the epitome of it, and b) some skill - Matt le Tiss the outstanding example when the chips were down. That's what we were brought up on. Lets face it, by way of analogy, under the current regime, Le Tiss would be out on loan, and Franny would have given way to a 12 year old midfielder nonentity. That's why we are f*kked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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