OwenTheSaints

Can anyone say what we are trying to achieve as a club? All this talk of being on track and a 10 year plan - what kind of plan includes a second relegation in 3 seasons? Where’s the motivation for the players, and the fans, to get promoted to the Premier League next season, if we don’t even TRY to be competitive when we get there? Like what are we doing here? Martin *might* be well placed to bring us back up next year but to what end? We’ll just be in the same position as now (but minus ramsdale, harwood-bellis, downes etc) and potentially breaking our own lowest points record. To then just repeat the cycle? For what it’s worth, I don’t believe we were ready for promotion. We were dire at the beginning and end of the season (pre-playoffs) and our coveted unbeaten run came at a time when the top teams had pulled away and we didn’t have the pressure (and it included plentiful draws against Huddersfield, Watford…) We know the squad has weaknesses and the stubborn/dull tactics are easily countered in the Prem, but why the blind acceptance that this is our level and just part of the process? If no shots on target against a team that hasn’t kept a clean sheet since February and no wins this season doesn’t cause any concern, then there’s no reason for anyone to bother, be it manager, players, fans… Please, can someone explain what our thinking is as a club?

My recollection is that The Athletic mentioned the extensions at around the same time we lost 5-2 to Spurs at home at the start of last season, where neither Stephens or McCarthy covered themselves in glory. People were being very critical on social media and posting an announcement at that time would have been met by a torrent of abuse. Of course, we then found good form but by then the moment had passed. I may be completely wrong but this was always the reason I assumed nothing was announced officially.

Hear me out on this one. I know it’s all hypothetical, it’s a situation we can’t do anything about and I hope everyone is safe, well and coping okay. A lot was said about our incredible form during Project Restart and the start of this season. It was claimed the absence of fans meant we could build up from the back, recycle the ball and choose our moments, without a toxic, impatient, nervous atmosphere screaming at our defence to ‘get it forward’. Well now that our form has declined to a record breaking run of league losses, I’m wondering if that has also been a result of the absence of fans? For many of us, our last live football was Saints vs Newcastle, over 11 months ago. When Djenepo got sent off, it was felt in the ground that the wrong decision had been made, sparking the greatest atmosphere St Mary’s had seen in years – that 15 minute straight rendition of ‘Pompey Get Battered’ was the best atmosphere I’ve experienced since the cup final. Ultimately, we lost, but a (supposed) injustice had brought unanimous support and had even gotten the Chapel rocking. I bring this up because we have faced so many actual injustices over the past couple of weeks. The Djenepo decision was, in the end, the right one, once we’d got home and viewed it – and yet us fans responded with such passion – imagine how we’d be reacting to the calls of the past couple of weeks… We have a situation in which the players and Ralph are just having to merely accept these shocking decisions, or risk punishment. They have no one to fight their corner, to back them up. But without this becoming a debate on how influential VAR is becoming in the absence of fans, which I think is a slightly different argument, I’m more interested in how the players would react with a riled up fanbase behind them. You can see it’s demoralising, having perfectly good goals ruled out, getting a man wrongly sent off, the inconsistencies of the penalties today, and they’re only human, they do lose heart. After Wolves’ penalty, and especially after ours wasn’t given for an identical offence, our heads dropped and there was no reaction. We can be quick to say that’s not a good enough attitude, it’s not, and maybe we are using decisions to mask another poor performance. But I don’t think we lose that game with fans in the ground. Or Villa. Brave thing to say, given our reputation for getting on players’ backs and being responsible for shattered confidence in the past, but I think we would no longer be on 29 points had we have been there the past few weeks. As much as Ralph can try and encourage from the side lines, he’s feeling as helpless as the players. I think we all wish we were in the stands, cheering the players on and letting the referees and VAR know what we think of them. I like to think we now know the potential of these players, and wouldn’t immediately get on their backs after making a mistake. I feel like we understand our way of playing more, the importance of patience and possession. So I like to think as a fanbase we’d be more unified and supportive, encouraging these players to reach the heights they did when we were sitting top of the league and scoring for fun. That’s what the squad needs now. Support and encouragement. Someone who’s got their back. Someone to pick them up when they’ve been knocked down. That’s our role as fans, the twelfth man, and it’s so frustrating not being able to influence and play our part in our team’s success (also a reason why I worry an FA Cup win might feel hollow). Maybe I’m wrong. Like I say, we still ended up losing the Newcastle game despite a rocking atmosphere, and maybe the crowd only livened up because we knew it would be our last time at St Mary’s for the foreseeable. Maybe we would quickly revert to being a negative fanbase, jumping on mistakes, breeding nervousness and getting in the players’ heads more than the decisions. (Mind you, we certainly have needed shouts of ‘Get it forward!’ when chasing a game in injury time, especially with a man advantage… just a bit of urgency, get it up the pitch, a Plan B, that extra burst of energy that’s radiated from our voices.) There’s only so much we could have done, and the squad have had to face a lot, from decisions to injuries. And at the end of the day, everyone is in the same situation. But, I like to think that, with the fans right behind them, the players would be fired up by the injustices, rather than feebly accepting them and using them as an excuse, with little response. Bring on the day we’re back in the stands.

Would have posted this on my thread but that was locked, so for anyone interested, here’s the link to my raw, unedited, honest, emotional response to Friday night. Saints 0-9 Leicester: Zero Fox Given https://owenthesaintsblog.wordpress.com/2019/10/27/saints-0-9-leicester-zero-fox-given/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We’ve had 15 wins in 61 home games, and 15 wins in 61 away games too. We’ve only scored 4 more goals at home in this time than we have away. More worryingly is this season, after 4 home games, we have conceded a third of the amount of goals and lost HALF the amount of games we did at St Mary’s in the entirety of last season. The average scoreline at St Mary’s since the start of 16/17 has been: 1.1 - 1.43 This season it is currently: 1 - 2.5 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[emoji837] England V Kosovo ⚪️ Sheffield Utd Away [emoji837] On the March Debut ⚪️ I cause a Twitter meltdown [emoji837] Bournemouth Preview Busy one this week! [emoji56] Sheffield Utd 0-1 Saints: Blades of Glory https://owenthesaintsblog.wordpress.com/2019/09/18/sheffield-utd-0-1-saints-blades-of-glory/ Thank you for all the comments on this thread in the past 24 hours. I have read them all and will take them onboard. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you Trousers! [emoji4] Aha urban myth Turkish, I admit it came across that way but I was near the front of the stand, stood in the torrential rain we played in. Think people mistook the rain water for tears! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Did I ever imagine there’d be a day where Southampton FC post a video on their YouTube channel, in which I interview Mark ‘The Beast’ Labett off The Chase? Funnily enough, no. Hope you all enjoy my On the March debut! [emoji837]⚪️ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Delighted to announce I am covering some matches for Southampton FC’s On the March series this season! My trip to Sheffield will be on the club’s official YouTube channel and social medias next week! [emoji56][emoji837]⚪️ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[emoji736] Pompey Vs Saints [emoji736] European Transfer Window [emoji736] Man U [emoji736] Season So Far It’s all covered in my latest post! [emoji56][emoji837]⚪️ Saints 1-1 Man United: Great Dane https://owenthesaintsblog.wordpress.com/2019/09/03/saints-1-1-man-united-great-dane/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

After 4 games, Saints are yet to score in the first half. What is behind our slow starts? Fulham 0-1 Saints: Ful Steam Ahead? https://owenthesaintsblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/28/fulham-0-1-saints-ful-steam-ahead/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Has a week of positives for Saints indicated that the future may be bright once more? [emoji56][emoji837]⚪️ Brighton 0-2 Saints: It’s Magic You Know, Boufal and Moussa Djenepo https://owenthesaintsblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/26/brighton-0-2-saints-its-magic-you-know-boufal-and-moussa-djenepo/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Was I right to leave the ground feeling encouraged despite missed chances, defensive errors and a loss? Saints 1-2 Liverpool: A Missed Opportunity (Literally) https://owenthesaintsblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/18/saints-1-2-liverpool-a-missed-opportunity-literally/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[emoji837] Weather? ⚪️ First Game Syndrome? [emoji837] Burnley? ⚪️ Missing Danny Rohl? [emoji837] Losing Højbjerg to Illness? ⚪️ Our Defence? [emoji837] Away Support? Just what was at fault for our capitulation at Burnley? Burnley 3-0 Saints: A Perfect Storm? https://owenthesaintsblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/12/burnley-3-0-saints-a-perfect-storm/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

‪‘Who are LD Sports?’ ‬ ‪Matt Le Tiss answered this question and provided many more Saints insights in an enjoyable evening at The Concorde Club last night. See what he had to say here: ‬ https://owenthesaintsblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/09/football-chat-with-matt-le-tiss-the-concorde-club/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk