EFM

Same as. Well except he would be my FIRST name on any Saints team sheet. CHANNON CHANNON CHANNON CHANNON

Funnily/sadly enough, today was the first time I have ever said to anyone I wish I had been brought up to support a different club. After nearly 40 years a fan. But it's just not conceivable is it. And along with a fxxk load of misery they have brought me many of the happiest days of my life. The 76 Cup Final being THE happiest day of my life (not sure whether that is a sad reflection of my life?) and unlikely to be surpassed. SFC is in my blood and always will be. However, I converted my nephew to Saints many years ago and in his late 20s he moved up to Grimsby with his girlfriend from up there. He had a son who he dressed in a Saints top from about 6 months old and is now about 10. His son asked him the other week if he could support Grimsby as Saints were ****e and everyone at school took the pxss! Now I have always detested those kids who do for the glory teams but swapping Saints for..........Grimsby? :-(

I know this may be sacrilege, because David Armstrong was undoubtedly one of our best purely left-sided midfielders, but when you think who hasn't made the first team on the right and central there are many better players than him. For this long winded reason I will nominate Marian (in a very attacking line up!)

No, it hasn't cleared that up at all, it's a complete contradiction. So according to your calculations 15,000 "loyals" means administration but 27,000 means extra revenue and better times. Fine. So why do YOU want to slag off the returning fans and even sing pathetic songs against our own red n white (instead of supporting the team at 0-1 down) when those are the very fans fans you complain about for not turning up? You can't have it both ways? Do you want more supporters and income or do you like to think of yourself as some elite "super" fan and any additional supporters aren't welcome?

How come I have never hear regular away fans ever going on about the part-timers who only turn up for a bus ride trip to SMS but can't be arsed to travel away every fortnight? Maybe some of those who think they are the only 15,000 "special" "real" supporters could explain what it is that makes them not go to away games too? Because it's only about 2% to 5% who do regularly? Are you saying that you have other commitments or that it is too expensive or that you can't be bothered with the journey or that you've other ways to spend your time or better things to do or what? Interested to see how we narrow down those "real" fans now. Perhaps we only have 500 then? Perhaps they should take the **** when you home game only fans turn up for a big important away game? If there could be anything more depressing (football wise) than today's game it is those who don't even want other Saints' fans to be there so you can rave on about how you are the only proper fans and slag them. You must be dying for the time when this club goes into obscurity and there's 50 of you watching. Big big pat on the back for you - you're the ********. Genuine respect to those who do go regulalry and would prefer to see as many Saints fans there as possible.

Fantastic! Please don't anyone call those returning Saints fans "plastics" just because the tickets are cheap - they wouldn't shell out even £15 if they weren't true fans. I really hope the team can put on a performance to entice a lot of them back more regularly and that the atmosphere is amazing. I'm sure someone has done all the calculations but surely this is better than 15,000 at full price? Even if it doesn't produce much more revenue it will be a huge boost to the players (and peripheral sales).

Because some of us dislike them intensely and get tremendous pleasure from their misfortunes. Get over it.

Sorry, that strange word "andogonoring" was meant to be "and ignoring".

With my finger poised over the mute button at all times I watched the Fish/Geordies game and very satisfying it was to. Whilst in "laughing at Pxmpey andiognoring our own shxt" mood I decided to have a flick through some of their fans forums to see their reaction. Well we may consider ourselves a miserable bunch of moaners but I couldn't believe THEM. The FA Cup holders, 8th in the Prem and having played in Europe this season for the first time ever you would think they'd be ecstatic but the main gist of most their posts were: a) Adams is out of his depth and must go. He is clueless tactically etc etc. b) Their main aim for this season must be survival. c) Their support ain't what it used to be. All familiar themes to us but not when we were 8h in the Premiership! See, we aren't as fickle as some would make us out to be! Not compared to THEM anyway :-) Ps David James is rapidly becoming my choice for Prem player of the season.

Damn fine idea. I know none of us can ignore the subject/man, but it gets boring in every thread.

Call me a naive old fool but it may have something to do with losing 2 games badly since last weekend on top of a pretty disasterous season already. The game we drew last weekend was at home against the team who have shipped the most away goals in the division but we couldn't win that (or indeed any but one of the other 11 homes games). That's just the last 8 days! Yeah, why the negativity? It's a good damn question and one that has now surely left many of us feeling foolish and pondering our stupity when all looks rosy really. I suppose the prospect of more of the same, even the flogging of a few of our better players, relegation and administration may be a contributive factor too but, now you've raised the point, I can't for the life of me think of a good answer. Why the negativity folks? COME ON?

God, this is going to get messy as we progress on to the other positions! Terry Paine for this one though.

If they were a betting fan, for example, they'd be doing pretty well this season? Besides which we have lost every game when I have predicted a win so I'll go for 3-1 Burnley* and, like all the others non-fans predicting a loss, hope that I'm proved wrong. (*Obviously blasphemy in your holy book.)

Not happy with Guy Whittingham being the "pundit" but they seem to be impressed with us so far. I wasn't quite clear when our fans were singing "shoot the Pxmpey scum" how their commentator said all the noise we could hear was from Wednesday fans and god knows where they are sat because he said they couldn't even see a Southampton fan? Are they at the back of the away section facing backwards? Other than that I'm not counting any chickens but it sounds like we are well on top. Please carry on from there lads

I asked myself before I eagerly looked at this thread just how many posts before one of the super fans who complains about low attendances would be furious that the damn pesky others might turn up - you know Saints foreva, those lifelong bastards who don't turn up every week now but really don't fill you with anger rather than egotistical masturbational fantasies that you are one of the "great supporters". I hadn't anticpicated it would be under 10 posts but you managed it! Well done. 1) Am I right that you would be far far happier that we still only got 15,000 for the Cup game confirming how no-one else loves Saints like you? 2) How will these additional Saints people spoil your enjoyment. "God help us" - so do you want Saints fans to attend or not? You don't do you? You really, sadly, truly would prefer it if attendances didn't improve as it would make you special. 3) Were you one of those who complained when every one with SFC in their hearts turned up at the last game of the season to roar the the team in the mose depsperate time that I can remember. I suppose the phenominal atmosphere and the unrehearsed pitch invasion and the overwhelming joy were all from people who don't really support Sints like you. 4) Even given all the above I thought even the likes of you might be a lttle bit happy that a big crowd and possible tv money might be great news for the club? Obviously not. You are way more tragic than anyone else who doesn't go regularly at the moment for whatever reason because you actually like it like that! Admit it, you do don't you? Wonderous fan I admire you delusion that you are so special and yet stand amazed at your utter hypocrisy of complaining about poor attendances and then being like a ****ed off like a schoolboy that someone else has discovered the cult band that only you knew about and ruined it. If the clubs interests were really in your heart you'd be delighted we might make a bit of money from this and maybe hang on to a player or two? But I suspect that you might be happy if things got worse so you could boast that you are in an even lessened bunch of die-hards. You've actually got less principles and good will towards the club than any stay away IMO. You're so special.....................

Totally agree. If Saga's wages are say £10k a week that is only 800 extra tickets that need to be sold per each home game to cover it? If Saga is even a partial success with a few goals and therefore better results how many more are his goals going to add to gates if we start winning at home? More than 800. And if he saves us from relegation and crowds dropping to maybe 10,000 it seems like the tiniest gamble to bring him back with the worst outcome being that we don't do any worse on the scoring front than we do now.

Hehehe! St Landrew, I know you have been so patient in explaining time and again the credentials we are looking for (i.e. quality over popularity/commitment etc) and now you find yourself in the same dilemma :-) I will go for Dave Watson and Jimmy Steele and I genuinely do not know whether the latter is because of his quality of whether it's because, by christ do you love a committed defender like that in your team.

3 very good pubs down Stoney Street, opposite Borough Market! The Market Porter being the best of all I agree but they wouldn't let any of us with colours in last year as a warning. Can't remember the name of the Youngs pub in the middle of the three but I can rarely drag the rest out of the The Southwark anyway on previous attempts. Then 20 mins (?) to Charlton on train from London Bridge which is only a few minutes away. A mid-trip cultural stop off at Maize Hill has also been favoured by some in the past I understand.

I take your point Badger but I don't think there is any way around the age division though? We've done 2 "relatively" easy positions but when it comes to the midfield and strikers gawd knows! I've never seen O'Brien or Reeves for example but then plenty on here won't have seen Channon or Davies. I suppose we all have to vote from what we've seen and, to a lesser degree, what we've been told by our parents/granparents. I don't necessarily agree with the poll results either but fair play to whoever started the idea as it stops us all moping and think about the greatest times and players we have all seen whether recently or in the past. Rest assured my choices will nearly all come from my most devoted and passionate years in my teens. I'm sure there will be a Pahars against Channon debate at some point and us oldies will be in uproar to mention the same two in the same breath but the thread is cheering me up just thinking back to happier days my friend :-)

I think that's a bit of a silly example to roll out for the outcome of a season of 38 games. Had Crouch not been there we would probably have been dead and buried well before ONE incident in ONE minute of a game.

I'm totally with you there Teddy. I think we've had some great ones there (Peach, Bridge and Bale for a start obviously) but Stevie Mills was just utter class in everything he did. Were it not for the tragic circumstances I have no doubts he would have been amongst the all time legends and a regular England international. I suppose he can't win because of the shortness of his career but for me he was the best left back I've ever seen in a Saints shirt.

Lovely sentiments and heartwarming words. I know it's not the most appropriate "tune" but it could work as a chant to the (example name only!) Georgie Burley's red n white army! Not remotely original of me at all but: Saints fans are born........NOT manufactured We do not choose...........we are chosen Don't understand?...........it don't matter Here we are...................no explanation Actually that is ****** in retrospect. I'll get my coat..............:-(

Personally I thought we would get absolutely annihilated and have always thought BWP was a waste of space! What a great way to be proved wrong! Radio Royals (whatever) were astounded at how good we were and couldn't remember a time (including their long spell in the Premiership LOL) when an away side had come and attacked them like that. Now did that arrogant twxt of a Reading fan ("Winchester") join as full member and if so can you full members bombard him with PMs please.

Thank you for saying that cambsaint. This has turned into another of never ending "I'm a better fan than you" threads. It doesn't matter whether you've followed SFC through thick and thin for 30, 40, 50 years or more - if you're not going at the moment (it doesn't matter why apparently) you're not considered a proper fan. By this logic of the only true supporters we'd still be getting 15,000 a week were we to end up in the Blue Square but I think some of them would have dropped away by then? I wonder what those who go to away games most weeks (like I did when able) think of the part time supporters who can only be arsed to travel half an hour to SMS once a fortnight?

However did they think up those clever names to all their stands anyway?