Gigersaint

Hmmm... 77% Lush, Not quite a Drunkard it appears

Noticing how many people have tattoos of their football club on them I wondered how many of you have a Saints tattoo. It was something I considered several years ago to add to the few I already have but to this day I still haven’t got one myself. Further to the usual negative comments you hear of having a tattoo, it is always football club ones that appear the most taboo, main comments usually being because of where you have them, how well the tattooist can do them, and trouble that can be found because of them. Does it matter where on the body it is? Can a local tattooist really do them that badly? And do they really attract the unwanted attention of trouble from rival fans when you’re out of the local area or on holiday abroad when your tattoo is on display?? For those with a Saints tattoo, where on your body do have it, what design do you have and how big is it, where did you get it done, and are you happy with it and has it ever caused you any grief, home, abroad or otherwise? Would be interested to hear other peoples views who don’t have tattoos either.

I used to make a well with my mash and pour gravy in middle to see how much I could eat before it poured down the side or burst through the wall as it got thinner.

But I didn't have one either... It was my friends, we just swapped bikes for a trip to the shops to get sweets.

Chipper was entry level to the Chopper. From what I recall the Boxer was the smallest, mid size was the Striker and the Grifter was the big boys bike, all of which came along later in the 70's. Smashed me face in the road and lost the top row of my teeth after going over the handlebars of a Raleigh Chopper down Spencer Road in Thornhill was I was a kid... it hurt a lot.

Up until the early-mid 80’s while at school I’d never taken much notice of Portsmouth FC. I had no like or dis-like for them, having lived under the protected shroud of Southampton in my youth, to me, Portsmouth were a seaside town, a funfair team in a lower division that were several distant miles away further down the coast. After attending a few games at The Dell in my early teens and when I started looking for pocket money work in Southampton, I would from time to time see a Pompey supporter here and there but again not take much notice as I hadn’t really encountered them a great deal before, however I had become more aware of the name ‘Scummer’ after a cup game we won in ‘84 and although I had never been called it directly, I didn’t really like hearing it as a put down remark of us. In the late 80’s I had a bar job at Meon Valley, several PFC players used to frequent the Golf Bar but still I didn’t dislike them although I used to ignore the clicky fingers of some of these guys who demanded instant service. A couple of years later when I started a new job in Fareham in 1991, on my first day at tea break a group of lads were discussing the weekend football. Being slightly naïve I asked if they had been to the Saints game, to which I received a less than welcome response and was then asked if I was a Scummer. This was my first welcome to the friendly but spiteful banter side of our rivalry, and it troubled me. In the weeks after I discovered I was the lone Southampton supporter in my shift, surrounded by Pompey with a token few Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool fans. I realised with most I could give a bit back but there were a few who would just glare at me and never speak…ever, which at the time I didn’t understand and thought that I’d not had the opportunity to speak to them before. This is when I discovered the darker side of our rivalry. I was given a warning by one of my Pompey supporting colleagues that some of them weren’t happy about a Scummer working among them. I knew the guys he was talking about and thought that it couldn’t be that stupid… surely? Putting up with enough from the spiteful remarks from the friendlier contingent was enough but with this too I was really starting to dis-like Pompey fans. A short time after I was promoted along with a Pompey supporting colleague who I got along well with, however there were a few staff who would never respond, look at me, or do anything I asked but would for my colleague. When the problem was eventually addressed it was purely because I was a Southampton supporter, nothing more, nothing less. I approached each individually only to receive some vile abuse, as they confirmed that they hated me because I was a Scummer, and they would never work, talk or be told what to do by a Scummer. After trying to address this with my Pompey supporting boss who had actually promoted me, he said it was the nature of the job and that as a Scummer I had to expect that from them which did nothing to help. This only increased my dislike of them more and I started to hate this mindless minority of Pompey fans, it was pathetic. I eventually moved within the company to a nice cosy office shared with 2 other colleagues, one who didn’t like football and the other who thankfully supported Sheffield Utd and I had some respite at last. A short time after this and after some banter with Pompey fans at work I went to the Alan Knight Testimonial, this was my first experience of rivalry at a local derby. I decided against colours especially as I was taking my Girlfriends younger brother and his mate. It didn’t start too bad but to have the whole of Fratton Park pointing at our end shouting Scummers, Scummers even before KO even was a bit daunting. After beating them 5-1 and despite Pompey fielding 12 players in the 2nd half I soon discovered getting out of Fratton Park was not going to be as easy as it was getting in. A large number of Pompey fans ran onto the pitch in front of us and around the Milton Rd end spilling their abuse with pointed fingers, but after some police support and entertainment from Dave Beasant and with the Police pushing the Pompey rage back we were let out after what seemed like hours, my opinion of Pompey fans lowered further realising they hated us with a passion I’d not seen before and from my experience at work, many, without any justifiable reason other than us being from Southampton. If not for a decent few, I would be close to describing my feelings toward Pompey as hatred, in most part for being so pathetic about the rivalry. This was increased more so by one of my Arsenal supporting work colleagues taking his 7 year old Saints supporting nephew to Pompey shopping for toys. Although it shouldn’t be wrong to take a 7 year old child into Pompey wearing a Saints shirt this shouldn’t mean it is ok for a 30 year old something thug in a Pompey shirt to smack his elbow down onto his head for wearing it as he passed by and laughing about it whilst mouthing “Scummer of the future”. In more recent times, a good number of Pompey supporters I know of were wishing for our demise at the end of last season and the early part of the summer, hoping we would fold and were celebrating before what seemed inevitable. This completed my dislike to a level close to hate, but after the experience I have had over the years from Pompey supporters mine is still nowhere near close to how I've seen majority numbers of Pompey supporters hating us with such pent up anger. I know a few Pompey supporters that I’m good friends with and of course I don’t dislike them but it seems they are very much in a minority and for that reason alone I hope they survive as a club so we can still have the friendly banter as we do now, they are the true Pompey fans and deserve to see Pompey each week, as for the rest… they don’t even deserve a club to support. I never used to have any dis-like toward Pompey, the majority of some of that clubs most pathetic and detestable fans over the last 25 years made my mind up for me. Sorry, this post was so much shorter in my head.:-#

The F##king Archers... when I used to stay with my Grandparents during the holidays when I was a kid they would always tune into this show. There was nothing worse than having to sit through that crap when it was raining outside and I couldn't go out and had to stay in the sitting room with a book or a comic while that played out in the background. Arragh... now got the theme tune stuck in my head too!! :mad: I'd forgotten about it until this thread.

That is something I hadn't thought about, judging by previous ideas the USA have put forward... maybe it's a good thing afterall.

I remember one of the tannoy substituions having a really long pause and a bit of a stutter about it, but must admit I didn't notice the announcer almost say Wimbledon. It makes a bit more sense now... he must of realised his error in the "Oh-No" second... the second between making a mistake and then realising it, hence the delay and a bit of a stutter.

Quite true, although I've not watched Ice Hockey in the USA, I have watched it in Canada and seen the Toronto Maple Leafs at their old stadium at Maple Leaf Gardens before they moved to the Air Canada stadium and would one day like to go over in the summer to watch the Blue Jays at the Sky Dome, each part and parcel of a sport played in the same leagues with the USA. Not something I've slagged off but have enjoyed attending or have wanted to attend all the same. I've seen quite a few posters on here that have also recently enjoyed the NFL game at Wembley. So if we are able to take to their sports, and on a national scale such as the NFL for example why is it difficult for the USA to take to Football on the same scale? Further to the requests that were apparently made to FIFA for USA 94, wasn't there other requests made to the MLS early on that the USA wanted to liven games up with ideas such as scoring zones? I don't recall it including a 6 or 18 yard box but instead a semi circle emulating from Goal with 3 different zones 10 or so yards apart in which points were awarded for a goal depending on the zone from where it was scored from? It was reading this article that reminded me of a few things in the past that the USA wanted to change to make football more playable in their Country, all of which were turned down by FIFA or were dismissed as completely unworkable. If this was widely publicised back then and was favoured in the USA is this maybe a reason they can't take the game over there in its current format now and why they maybe want something extra to cheer? I don't understand myself and is why I put this topic up for discussion for thoughts by others.

Have a look at "Hand made beds" based in Millbrook I think... I WANT another one. They make the comfiest beds I have ever slept in and otherwise. I lost the bed in my Divorce several years ago as my Ex wanted to keep it... they were that good if that is anything to go by. Whether her new bloke she is now married has kept up to the standards she expected in the same said bed is another matter.

Rasiak must be a glutton for punishment with things looking so familiar for him at the moment. #-o

I must admit when I read the article I was incensed and couldn't understand how the game could be so mis-read, and if this is how the North American media report on a game of football then maybe they need to employ a few reporters who actually do know how to report on a game.

Looking around the web as I do most evenings looking at different football related sites I stumbled across this article from The Weekly Standard in the USA. http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000%5C000%5C012%5C384qgmke.asp?pg=1 This maybe the view of one or two American reporters, but surely this cannot be how most Americans view one of their fastest growing sports? Page 1 is bad enough, but gets worse on page 2! I have never been able to understand how a game that has so much popularity around the world is so over looked or dis-regarded in North America. Football is surely one of the most talked about, conversation breaking sports in the world but still struggles to captivate what appears to be the majority of North America. I understand that Beckham in addition to joining LA Galaxy wanted to raise the profile of Football in the States but again this has been to no avail as it was with World Cup for USA 94. (I'm sure I didn't imagine it... but didn't they request 4 Quarters, or 3 Thirds from FIFA instead of a half time so they could squeeze in more advertising?) What can the citizens of the USA be missing in football that the rest of us in the world aren't?

When Pompey fans chant "Who are ya, Who are ya" at visiting fans, do the visiting fans respond with "Who Owns ya, Who owns ya" :confused:

Superb... Why didn't Anelka get sent off... he clearly didn't even get the ball. Poor old O'Neil getting a nasty scraze on his elbow.

I can't remember the details exactly or where I saw it, but someone mentioned carrier bag goodies issued to fans in the past, future? I don't know if it was a complaint or an idea... but the thought all the same was touched upon. A lot of companies do this at exhibitions as a marketing campaign to get others interested on a giveaway that can cost relatively little. As long as the content is good and there is a little something for everyone these can be a good thing.

I wonder if that means someone else is using it but sitting elsewhere in an empty seat!!! ...or maybe one day you'll find someone sitting in your seat with your original season ticket should we sell out anytime this season.:smt014 Although I understand the latter is probably unlikely.

I forgot about this spat Wenger had, and that it was Pardew, what a bad loser Wenger can be. I vaguely remember thinking that at the time too. I don't know if there was a bit of previous history between the two as I can't remember that either but throughout a season you often see Managers giving it the "Get in there" celebration on the touchline... including Wenger sometimes too. Martin O'Neil when at Leicester is always one that sticks in my mind, although he seems so much more serious these days. I love seeing Managers getting behind the team and showing their spirit when they score goals unlike the opposite end of the scale where Rafa Benitez can't even muster a smile beating Man Utd in the biggest game of the football calander... miserable sod. :smt075

Going to get a half Season ticket for the Mrs now, will save me trips to St Marys during work lunchtimes to get matchday tickets especially as she has come to every home game so far this season bar one when one of my stepsons went with me. I've always been wary of buying additional matchday tickets online and getting them through the post... I regularly get letters through my door where my other post has been elsewhere first with someones hand writing on it telling the postal service so, even though my address is correct on the envelope!!

I've got a Season ticket with only 1 spare seat next to me, but so far my Mrs has been coming to every game too which I've had to get matchday ticket for and the seat next to me on two occaisons so far hasn't been available. This hasn't been a problem though, the ticket office are helpful and if you are happy to move somewhere else for that particular game they will issue you tickets together and retain your Season ticket until after the game.

Saints played well today and made MK Dons look second best all over the pitch. Even when they took the lead through what looked like a dubious free kick I still had confidence we were going to get something from the game. After Antonio and Connolly came on 10 minutes into the 2nd half it was clear we were going to get something from the game and so happy we did. It's great to see players coming off the bench and adding to our game nowadays helping to score goals rather than taking something away from our play and conceding. For a few posters on here who thought Saints were booed off at half time, they weren't. The boo's were aimed at Easter who looked to have fooled the referee in giving the free kick which resulted in their goal, not sure if it was a foul from Jaidi but looked dubious from where we were. Saints were down the tunnel when majority of boo's rang out against the MK Dons.

I'm hoping we can turn them over, predicting a 2-1 win for Saints, Lambert on scoresheet again with MK Dons getting one late on.

Sounds like a scam to me. I've been a Sky subscriber for years and I've never had a call from them requesting this type of information.