Are any clubs fans any different?

[Saint Billy]

Noticed that several posters have blamed the fans at sfc for the clubs demise over the last few months or even years.

 

One poster yesterday mentioned that when Leicester were relegated last year there were no anti Mandaric protests or witch hunts.

 

Which leads me to an interesting question, Are saints fans different to other clubs supporters?, Are we a bunch of whinging moaning idiots? or would any other clubs fans reacted in the same way as us over the last few years if they had gone through the exact same scenario?

[benjii]

We're absolutely fine.

 

I can't believe the amount of people willing to lay into the fans. Look at some of the crummy little clubs in the Premier League. Southampton is a relatively small city with approx 230,000 people.

 

When we have a resonable product at a resonable price, our gate is usually around or over 10% of the city's population. When we are in the Prem it is higher than that.

 

Compare this with a club like Birmingham City, Hull, Middlesbrough, Cardiff.... etc

 

If any of those were in our position they'd get about 10,000, and there's plenty more you can add to that (such as the Blue Few).

 

Our away support is also good considering the aggregate distance we have to travel.

 

We have good support.

 

Fact.

[rocknrollman no2]

An interesting question.

I think if another club had suffered as much as we have with Lowe in charge,then maybe their fans wouldve been just as vocal and as passionate.

In fact i think us Saints fans have been very patient with those in charge.

Can you imagine clubs like Man U,Arsenal or even Newcastle putting up with someone like Lowe for so long?

[Saint Billy]

We're absolutely fine.

 

I can't believe the amount of people willing to lay into the fans. Look at some of the crummy little clubs in the Premier League. Southampton is a relatively small city with approx 230,000 people.

 

When we have a resonable product at a resonable price, our gate is usually around or over 10% of the city's population. When we are in the Prem it is higher than that.

 

Compare this with a club like Birmingham City, Hull, Middlesbrough, Cardiff.... etc

 

If any of those were in our position they'd get about 10,000, and there's plenty more you can add to that (such as the Blue Few).

 

Our away support is also good considering the aggregate distance we have to travel.

 

We have good support.

 

Fact.

 

Agreed 100%. I just cannot understand why some on here think that our fans respond differently. ie Lowe out etc.

[Shandy_Top_89]

My problem when it comes to fans isnt the attendance, as customers we have the right to not attend when the product is so unbelievably dire, pretty much similar to going to a michelin star restaurant and being served mould on a plate. But i do believe that the fans allowed Michael Wilde to start playing ego pinball with his fellow directors, which turned Lowe from a financially responsible individual (although very poor staff manager), into what he is prone to be now. But to me its down to a bunch of factors; fans reaction to relegation (letting Wilde near the chair), Wildes little games with the directors and the finances (Wilde to me is the centre of this mess) and Lowes poor staff management.

[Saint Billy]

Another interesting question, sorry feeling a little downbeat tonight.

 

Would we revel in Pompeys demise if they were in the same boat?. I am hearing the -10 joke all over the place including a skate fan on Talk Sport, the presenters found it very amusing.

[CB Fry]

An interesting question.

I think if another club had suffered as much as we have with Lowe in charge,then maybe their fans wouldve been just as vocal and as passionate.

In fact i think us Saints fans have been very patient with those in charge.

Can you imagine clubs like Man U,Arsenal or even Newcastle putting up with someone like Lowe for so long?

 

 

This cuts to the heart of the problem.

 

We haven't "suffered" that much. Have a look at the long view, have a look at season after season after season in the top flight.

 

Yep, five years of misery, but we did even get a play off season in that time as well.

 

But plenty of other clubs our size have suffered as much as we have.

 

Yep, our current plight is a tragedy, but its fallen other clubs and we've had higher highs in the last twenty years than almost every other professional club in the country.

 

That said, this is nothing that makes us different - all clubs fans think they are more hard done by than any other.

Edited 24 April, 2009 by CB Fry

[revolution saint]

My problem when it comes to fans isnt the attendance, as customers we have the right to not attend when the product is so unbelievably dire, pretty much similar to going to a michelin star restaurant and being served mould on a plate. But i do believe that the fans allowed Michael Wilde to start playing ego pinball with his fellow directors, which turned Lowe from a financially responsible individual (although very poor staff manager), into what he is prone to be now. But to me its down to a bunch of factors; fans reaction to relegation (letting Wilde near the chair), Wildes little games with the directors and the finances (Wilde to me is the centre of this mess) and Lowes poor staff management.

 

How exactly did the ordinary fan allow Michael Wilde to do anything? He may have had popular support but that support equalled zero influence on Lowe or anyone else.

 

Someone produced an interesting stat that saints fans had witnessed fewer wins than any other club over the past ten years - I doubt that's changed much. That's why people get annoyed - because, to use business parlance, we have the worst product in the football league. I'd suggest any club with this record would have a majority of disillusioned fans.

[Saint Billy]

How exactly did the ordinary fan allow Michael Wilde to do anything? He may have had popular support but that support equalled zero influence on Lowe or anyone else.

 

Someone produced an interesting stat that saints fans had witnessed fewer wins than any other club over the past ten years - I doubt that's changed much. That's why people get annoyed - because, to use business parlance, we have the worst product in the football league. I'd suggest any club with this record would have a majority of disillusioned fans.

 

Exactly!

[dubai_phil]

Noticed that several posters have blamed the fans at sfc for the clubs demise over the last few months or even years.

 

One poster yesterday mentioned that when Leicester were relegated last year there were no anti Mandaric protests or witch hunts.

 

Which leads me to an interesting question, Are saints fans different to other clubs supporters?, Are we a bunch of whinging moaning idiots? or would any other clubs fans reacted in the same way as us over the last few years if they had gone through the exact same scenario?

 

I am sure we once had a thread about this

 

Saints fans historically have always moaned. I remember hearing people moan at Mick Channon because he always fell over

Moaning at Alan Ball because he was too old and too slow

Moaning at Frannie Benali because he couldn't actually pass the ball to anyone on our team

Or this season - DMG

 

Does that make Saints fans any different from others?

IMHO no it doesn't. It was one of the first things I noticed when I became an expat, it seems to be programmed into people when we live in Blighty but when you leave...

Even over here we see that same tendency in "newbies" writing letters to the local rag. moaning in the pub.

It's only when you spend a long time away you realise what the Aussies were on about for so many years = Whingeing Poms

 

So no, we're no different. We've had more to moan about that some, but it's a National pastime and TBH part of our real heritage so long may it continue

 

Now STOP fookin whingeing!

[Amesbury Saint]

Moaning at Frannie Benali because he couldn't actually pass the ball to anyone on our team

 

 

!

 

I remember signing Frannie for England at the Dell.

 

If we had a back four of FB's this season we would have been ok.

[dubai_phil]

I remember signing Frannie for England at the Dell.

 

If we had a back four of FB's this season we would have been ok.

 

Quite

 

didn't stop people moaning about him

 

Mr Distribution was his nickname under the West Stand centre - as in "Oh God don't give it to...."

Rapidly followed by "told you so"....

[Amesbury Saint]

Quite

 

didn't stop people moaning about him

 

Mr Distribution was his nickname under the West Stand centre - as in "Oh God don't give it to...."

Rapidly followed by "told you so"....

 

but if he did not get the ball he got the man (plus a yellow / red card!)

[revolution saint]

I remember signing Frannie for England at the Dell.

 

If we had a back four of FB's this season we would have been ok.

 

Frannie was a proper cult hero - not the most gifted but effective and 100% committed. I always thought he was a bit of a poor man's Des Walker. When he was used as a man marker in a back three he was fantastic and he marked both Cantona and Rush out of games at the Dell.

[Daren W]

Noticed that several posters have blamed the fans at sfc for the clubs demise over the last few months or even years.

 

One poster yesterday mentioned that when Leicester were relegated last year there were no anti Mandaric protests or witch hunts.

 

Which leads me to an interesting question, Are saints fans different to other clubs supporters?, Are we a bunch of whinging moaning idiots? or would any other clubs fans reacted in the same way as us over the last few years if they had gone through the exact same scenario?

 

Easy answer is that the ones who criticise the fans tend to be the ones who either...

 

a) Were pro Lowe and used the fans as a convenient scapgoat for years of incompetence from the board.

 

It's rather like RBS blaming their customers for their banks demise or Woolworths blaming the customers for theirs. If you treat your "customers" with enough contempt then you'll reap what you sow...

 

or

 

b) Were the ones who sat in silence and said nothing whilst this club was being run into the ground and now turn on their fellow fans to hide the fact they, in any group, are as culpable as anyone for the club's demise.

 

If you say nothing when things are obviously going wrong then in my opnion you lose the right to start slinging mud...

 

 

I personally think the fans of this club are pretty damn amazing, especially when you look at what we've put up with over the last four years. People on here have been droning on about Pompey's "amazing support", completely forgetting that during the mid eighties they were getting crowsd belwo 10,000 in the Championship/old 1st division. We'd get that for a ****ehouse carling cup game against Crewe ffs...

 

We've put upwith enough for crying out loud, the fans are the last peopleto blame for all of this mess...

[SoccerMom]

One poster yesterday mentioned that when Leicester were relegated last year there were no anti Mandaric protests or witch hunts.

 

Which leads me to an interesting question, Are saints fans different to other clubs supporters?, Are we a bunch of whinging moaning idiots? or would any other clubs fans reacted in the same way as us over the last few years if they had gone through the exact same scenario?

 

Yes, but they did ditch Holloway, and then brought in Pearson - so you can't say that no one took the blame.

 

What makes us 'special', IMHO, is that we've had to put up with things happening at the club that are blatantly wrong to even those of us who can't claim vast knowledge of how football, as an industry if not a game, works. Bizarre experiments at critical times - which might have been 'brilliant' but which most thought were completely foolhardy; vast sums of money being spent on peripheral stuff and unnecessary tiers of business management; and all the while the fundamentals of keeping a squad well-trained and well-managed going begging. It seemed everyone and his dog knew that we were headed for disaster and also knew the reasons why, but since those at the top were inextricably linked with those reasons, there was nothing that could be done about it.

 

We've been spectators at a slow-motion train wreck. And I tend to think that the majority in the football community rather pities us Saints fans, as it realises how bewildering it all has been.

 

And FWIW, I think that most of us know that the squad was perfectly good enough not to go down - to a man, we've seen individual brilliant performances from all of them. Even Schneiderlin, who looked on the money when he first came pre-season, and Lallana, who I saw gift Saga a dozen sitters in the last reserves game last season (not one of which he converted, ahem). But what undoubted talent they have is useless in a demoralised, poorly prepared and poorly managed side.