JackanorySFC

Cheap as chips for 23 home games that, kids practically free too. Love how the early bird discount is in no way whatsoever timed to finish up on the last day of their financial year!

Absolute ****ing scum! What role do the women in their community play in this? In "traditional" British communities like the one I live in to be involved with something this sick would see your own Mum turn on you. Seems as long as the victim is white these Asian/ British Asian lads have carte blanche to crack on without fear of reprisals from their own community, or even worse (going by the numbers involved in these cases) get more of their mates/ cousins/ male family members to join in. Fair play to The Times for exposing the Rotherham cover up, seems to be the thin end of the wedge. Dirty nonces deserve every year the judge sentences them to.

I see the lunatics are again talking about running Fratton around 90 degrees and rebuilding that way to 35k - 40k (their obsession with having a bigger capacity than us never fails to amuse me). Surely since Tescos land locked them this is no longer an option? Can anyone confirm this? Also, since when did they start referring to it as "the Old Girl" ala European Giants Juventus, aka the Old Lady? Literally never heard that before a year or so ago, it's even worse than the media fawning over West Ham leaving the Boleyn Ground (that no one ever referred to it prior to 2010) FFS

He actually says then add's . There is no way they can afford that without a takeover/ external investment. This deal is do or die for them...

Happy enough with that, will be renewing. Up the Saints!

Their home support one of the worst in the league, Everton just as bad. Our home support is definitely top 10 in the league IMO. Away (like all clubs) they are much better, we ripped off the Lambert and Schneiderlin songs from them so they have some decent stuff. Nowhere near as varied as United, by miles the best in the League (West Ham excellent this season, City and Chelsea always loud - you would be following teams that good though).

The Sinatra song is horrendous. I honestly can't believe they are carrying on with it? Like multiple others above have said I've yet to meet another fan that slightly likes it, everyone hates it and around me the groans/ shouts of "FFS shut that **** up" are getting louder every game. As Angelman says though, the only way the atmosphere will actively be improved is to install safe standing and incentivise the "lost" age group of 18 - 25 year olds to get ST's and leave it to them to do the rest. Really would like to see Southampton FC take a lead on this, seems a "tap in" on a PR front, no one in their right mind that has looked at evidence around it would be against it, even the Spirit of Shakily group are behind it. More people in the ground, lower some costs (and make a big deal out of it like Dortmund etc do with their €150 ST's - albeit only a few of them) = better atmosphere and a happier (younger) support base.

Really? Seen them home & away plenty of times and obviously watched them on the TV in league, cup and Europe and never, ever noticed them singing it more than twice a game? Might just be me being exceptionally unlucky? Just to reiterate, I can't abide that "Fields of Anfield Road" (Anthenary)/ "Liverpool, Liverpool" stuff but credit where it's due, they pretty much invented terrace singing in the 60's and their (away) support is knowledgable and they don't go in for ripping off every other clubs songs. We ripped off their Torres song for Lambert and their "we are the Liverpool, la la la la la" for Morgan. FFS the only decent song we've come up with in years is the Cedric song but that'll never get going as it's more than 4 words and/ or hasn't been done to death by another club's fans for their own player on a train/ in a beer soaked concourse and appeared all over social media! Let's be honest, even the Gabbiadini "song" everyone gushes about above was only sung as the decent Gabbiadini songs going around before were clearly too complicated for our Cup Final fans so we resorted to that cliche Germany 2006 7 nation ****ing army tune that has been sung to death for everyone from Van Persie to Gaston Ramires... zzzzzz. Just to add the scousers home support is diabolical (except for big games) and their courting of overseas/ tourist fans is everything I hate in football, however genuine scousers hate it 100x more than I/ we can imagine.

Glad you mentioned this. Scousers only sing YNWA at the very beginning and end of a match, makes it 100x more powerful/ poignant. I get bored of their victim mentality but hugely respect their football knowledge. In my opinion. Most of our support can't be arsed to learn the words of songs with more than 4 words and when there's the slightest lull you'll get someone doing another "I waaannnaaaa beeeee, iiinnnn thaaaa numbaaaaa". Look I get it's "our" song but personally I find it tedious after the 36th time in a match. Could be worse, could be the skate ****'s "na na na..." led by a weirdo wrapped in teddy bears! Whatever, great day, we did our bit. Despite what I've said above I got behind every syllable of every song, cup final innit. Most around me were quiet and didn't say a word and filmed it all instead. Each to their own though I suppose. Thought the phone light thing was a load of "look at us" bull**** TBH. Seems every game needs a minute of applause/ moment of public grief these days. What on earth has lighting a load of mobile phones got to do with Marcus? Sing his name and thank him the old fashioned way. No that's not a cool/ popular thing to say but it's how I feel. Don't blame the Mancs for mocking it (honestly if I didn't know why we were doing it, why would they?), their match going support is old school and finds that sort of thing pretty laughable probably.

Only way that will ever happen is if the club (along with others) successfully lobbied for safe standing and then converted the Chapel with incentivised prices for 18-25 year olds (a "forgotten" group in terms of concessions IMO). Of all the good things our club does it puzzles me why we don't push this along with other clubs? It would make a huge difference to match going fans (but literally and on a PR level in the same way Dortmund etc have a hand full of 100euro season tickets everyone goes on about) and improve atmosphere in the Premier Leagues increasingly sterile stadia. I disagree with the OP regarding our support, I'm sorry but 25+ renditions of OWTSGMI was beyond ****ing boring. Our "song sheet" is feeble.

Is it just me that cringes whenever we sing this against them? After the game if we've won, got the 3 points and life is good yes, by all means (zero points for originality but hey all good), however there's a reason United love singing it themselves, it's because 9 times out of 10 they end up throwing the song back at clubs like us when they get their inevitable late winner/ equaliser - also the song just reinforces everyone's obsession with them. They love it! Whitey - You're a top bloke and as big a Saints fan as pretty much anyone on here, however no way can I agree that people can/ do make as much noise sat down as stood up. Also broadcasters would absolutely hate a stale, 100% sat down Premier league. Imagine Spurs v Chelsea with 40k fans sat down politely singing "Glory glory Tottenham Hotspur" instead of the absolute bear pit it actually is? At St Marys the loudest away support is always 100% stood (West Ham for me being the loudest this season), clubs like Hull that have a load sat down nowhere near as loud. For me the atmosphere yesterday was good in parts, I was directly behind the goal and obviously everyone there was stood and up for it, however let's be honest the constant OWTSGMI every 5 minutes (or less) is ****ing boring. Should be sung 2/ 3 times per game tops, loses impact completely otherwise.

Great to see scarfs & flags being sold from all sorts of market stalls at various point in and around the City, from Hedge End to Totton. Flags up on various building sites etc. Now work is pretty much done for the week my flag is hanging from the front of the house, be good to see scenes around the City like we did pre Cardiff! Get ya flags out fellas! Up the Saints!

Everyone to Trafalgar Sq, crates of beer etc etc

What's La Rat won? Worst by far of all the defectors for me, another 3 years there simply means a better chance of finishing his career cash rich but medal free. That'll suit him as he's clearly an empty shell of a human with zero integrity so trophies/ glory an alien concept to him. Also helps us to get points off them when he inevitably melts playing us. "You know me Jamie, I'm a Bournemouth lad through and through" FFS. Ripped jeans wearing ****.

At Cardiff in 2003 I was probably a similar age to you and went ticketless (with a budget of £300) and couldn't pick one up but watched in a boozer with 100+ similar Saints. Would expect us to take a fair few hundred without tickets, United will bring a few thousand ticketless (which makes it more expensive for you unfortunately). You'll have a top day whatever happens. Obviously keep an eye out on the #saintsfc twitter feed on the day to see if any spares are going, you may get lucky. Good effort and up the Saints!

Yep, prefer Borough High St boozers to the one's right on the Market (unless they open early fro the workers when a pre midday pint is on order). Good to see a few decent Saints that know the score will be in the area. Whelk, I've lived/ worked in London for nearly 10 years, know a tourist gaff from a local gem my friend ;-) As for the Globe, hmm. The Mancs will no doubt be there early doors (I imagine they'll bring a few thousand without tickets whereas we'll bring a few hundred), however as others have said this isn't their first rodeo so no doubt have decent enough local knowledge to avoid a standard 'spoons like the Globe

London Bridge for us. Proper boozers there including a few that open early doors for Borough Market workers, no face paint/ foam hands and on the Jubilee Line so easy to head up to Wembley with a change at Baker St for the Met line or just stay on the stopping service. Worst case scenario (staying on the JL) is 30 minutes on the tube. Probably watch the Spurs vs Stoke game (13:30 KO) then make our way up when that's done. As someone above said, staying south of the river definitely a better bet for the more discerning pre match drinker.

I like your style, "loose lips sink ships"

Anyone travelling by train with any savvy should get their missus to drive them/ get a taxi to Botley (or if want to save 5 minutes in the car/ 3 min on the train, Hedge End). Trains will be way quieter and don't take much longer. The lack of trains before Central means getting into that place will be like Millbronx Tesco on Black Friday! Personally my group and I are avoiding all that nonsense and going up Saturday, all dayer, stay in a Hotel, wake up and grab a decent brekky in Borough then get straight back on it avoiding the general Wembley area until the very last minute. The thought of horrible chain boozers packed with hordes of face painted day trippers, foam hands and 1hr wait for a plastic pint of Carlsberg is pretty grim. Decent beer in decent boozers in a tucked away part of town with good mates then into the ground and get behind the lads. Bliss. Up the Saints!

Good luck is all I'll say fella. Waterloo will be ****ing chaos win or lose (not checked the Sunday return timetable yet but hopefully they will at least extend all trains to 10 carriages). Lose and the trains home could get nasty in all honesty (there are police stat's to back this up based on England being knocked out of major tournaments after people have been boozing all day as well as my memories of Southampton City centre turning into fight club in '03), win and the trains will be just as hectic just a LOT happier! Not sure how you can plan it really?

Yep, remember going up to Cardiff with £300 cash for a ticket and trying to buy off anyone that would listen, unsuccessfully, then watching it in the PoW pub with 100+ others (God knows how many were dotted around Cardiff without tickets watching in other boozers?). I didn't have a membership that season and despite going to every round of the Cup home and away I couldn't get a ticket, only to see people I went to School with that barely liked football having tickets. Basically the system has always been a bit s***. Remember getting back to Southampton and it being one of the punchiest nights I've ever seen (a City full of people boozing all day and not getting the result they wanted). Carnage.

The way this has been handles is a complete shambles. We sold 55,000 (easily) for the JPT Final (with Cortese fuming he couldn't get the extra 10k and offered to pay for the stewarding). Lowe said SFC had over 100k applications for tickets for the '03 final (happy to be corrected on that, going by memory). Right now how big is the pool of people that have actually been able to buy tickets from our allocation of 31,461? 22,000 ST holders + supporters that have been to 3+ games and own a membership. Obviously there are plenty of fans spread over the various home games we play BUT not that much. How many different fans have gone through the gates at SMS this season? Honestly I'd hazard a (generous) guess at 44,000 (double the ST number), those that have been to 3+ games would be even lower, meaning in terms of % of take up it's actually pretty good. I've had 4 mates buy today as they weren't aware they were eligible with 3 games until I gave them a nudge (not everyone comes on here/ the official site). God knows what our older non internet fans make of it? However, and this is my ****ing point. We should have got this done ASAP after the Liverpool game to make the most of the feel good factor and generate "Cup fever". ST holders (first come first served, no messing, 48hr window tops), then a far more aggressive sales window that took away fans into consideration. The membership scheme has been a disgrace and feels cheap to me (we aren't talking big money in the scheme of things here are we?), we could have sold every ticket in a week easily. I say the above as a season ticket holder that was able to buy in the first phase.

Get one tomorrow (a bird in the hand etc etc), and offer to exchange/ squeeze him in if everyone's stood if you're lucky enough to get one for your lad.

Even better, drive 5 minutes further East and get on at the people's Republic of Botley! Guaranteed a decent seat (treat yourself and lump the guard an extra fiver for first class via the SWT weekend upgrade offer) as have a feeling Hedge End will be packed (Botley has a bigger platform so tonnes of room). Frankly travelling from Central any time after 8am will be chaos. Pity anyone having to get on at Winchester as well! Personally we're going to give that a miss and doing a Hostel in Borough the night before and night of the game.

All the Mancs will be stood. Both tiers. They will make a huge racket, anyone that actually attends games knows United have the best away support in the country and plenty of experience of Wembley so will have the best boozers well covered early doors. Loads without tickets expected to attend as typically plenty of them jib in. Their end will be rocking, we need to be bang up for it, both tiers. No doubt at any slight lull in the atmosphere someone will start "OH WHEN THE SAINTS...." for the 14th time in that half. I'll do my bit, get steaming and be as loud as possible. Hope everyone else tries to do the same! Up the Saints!