yorkie

According to Echo Twitter 9-mins ago it was fairly even with half chances for both sides!

Is this about the reputation of "The Club" or the fact we are still living in the 1980's? Last season most of the away days I went on were a good laugh - even Tranmere managed to raise a smile due to people getting very heated at a Pompey fan! Pitch invasions aside by the 10-year old - what else did we do wrong? We have a drink in a pub usually with the locals, we have banter the the OB walking to the ground, and I have never seen any trouble at the bars before or at HT. The only problem is usually Stu blocking the way to the bar with his 4-pints he has to drink in the 20-min interval! If that isn't bad enough he still tries to get 3-pies down his neck too! Really though we do have some "oiks" that go away with the club - not really there for the football. Just want to get drunk, be totally obnoxious, and spoil most peoples days out with lots of swearing, spitting and agressive behaviour to fellow fans! Call me an old fart - but my day out at an away game will never change even if the club don't sell me a ticket with Saints fans - I'll go and sit with the homies!

What's all the fuss about? The badge has a licence and a copyright - hence in theory this (or any other) forum could also be asked to remove it from the site. As for the season ticket issue....I think this is just about having a go at Nick Illingsworth isn't it? I mean he is a fan who loves the club and runs heads up a band that alledgedly represents the majorityof fans! The fact he published a fanzine, get's on TV and gives interviews in The Echo about the club in an uncontrolled way surely endears him to the owners and employees of Southampton Football Club. Fortunately I don't wish to be seen as "the greatest fan ever" or want to be accepted by the media or the club as Mr.Southampton. However I would hazard a guess if Mr.Illingsworth was a professional (say a doctor or barrister) and worth a few quid, had contacts and generally offered the club something he would be welcomed with open arms. There is an old saying "You reap what you sow" - and perhaps some chickens are coming home to roost! Anyway how's the representation on the board going for The Trust?

UNSTOPPABLE - that would just be fantastic!

What a dire afternoon spent on tinternet trying to glean anything of the game in Sutton! It's pathetic - how many millions worth of talent out there? Of course all our stars will pick it up come the day the real competition starts - it's that easy! I'm beginning to struggle to get excited after another friendly...is that we are being friendly? I hope and pray for a miracle come 12.15 on 7th August against our bitter south coast rivals Plymouth! They'll be calling us "Scummers" next!

I'm sure it's spealt "fizzickally"

Sounds like a great warm up! Rather worried that we still have no Adam starting, Puncheon injured and now Dickson! Let's hope they can be fit for the Plymouth game! I guess the new "sash" is going to gain some credit for todays start...Davis didn't recognise his own player - Jaidi!

I believe there will be no satisfaction in achieving less than 90-points. I agree a minimum of 2-points per game plus we may drop the odd point away from home - but we should rip teams apart at SMS. If we drop points at home we want shooting - sure everyone ups their game, and puts 10-men behind the ball, but if we want it that badly we should win all our home games! I'd love to go unbeaten in the League One next season - couldn't care less about Cups - don't we have to play 2-rounds to get to the 3rd? Accept for a big SMS pay day against Pompey in one of the competitioins I don't want to win any of them! The club management will be focused - you can guarantee Mr. Cortese will have a wall chart of where he thinks we should finish - and I bet it is a straight line from 0-100 points starting on 7th August and finishing on the last day of the season. I bet everytime there is a dip under that line Pardew will be summond to explain the drop blow the line. Automatic promotion this year will be anything above 84-points - anything else is a bonus. I want more silverware so Champions it must be - Cortese wants more success and coming second doesn't count.

I must smile having read all that...I just have no interest in what they think! We are just fans of a club a few miles up the road that has a history. There are a few fans who are arrogant and expect us just to turn up against teams like Bournemouth and win. I'm too old in the tooth to worry about the fact we could lose to them - second game of the season in the cup would be fine! Pardew to put out a weakened squad for that game as we want to concentrate on the league. Let them have bragging rights for a few weeks until we repay them with respect fielding the first team! I remember places like Mansfield - teams we should have steam rollered but lost. Games last season against the likes of Tranmere...well the players didn't look interested. I think this year there will be a new focus - a new drive! There won't be Championship journeymen out there but a solid defence, a battling midfield and hungry strike force. Not saying we will walk this league second time of asking, but we start on a level playing field without -10 points. So if any Bornemouth fans read this...you may be top of League 1 on the BBC League 1 table - enjoy it as when the fun starts our fate will be to rise whilst I would be surprised if you maintain that status for long!

Bart failed a fitness test at the weekend and was signing for Sporting Braga - so much for his willingness to stay!

Song for next season (1970's World Cup reference) "PERU, it's just like watching PERU!" One for us oldies!!!

Any one for polo? I guess we (the fans) will be the laughing stock of League 1 next season. "I say jolly hockey sticks The Saints are in town!" Still who cares - a one off shirt for The Champions!

I suppose like many the biggest one for me was the last ever game at The Dell when Matty scored the winner. It was a very emotional day for me anyway. I left home in the early hours and arrived in Southampton without a ticket. Got talking with some mates who tried to tap Matt Oakley for a ticket for me. Didn't get in and stayed in the car park until HT when everyone was ejected so the smokers in the West Stand could have a fag. Ambled into Milton Road, and started talking with a steward. The young lad disappeared for a few minutes and came back and let me in to a spare seat usually used by the stewards. It was everything I expected and for MLT to score when he did just sent me over the top. Even now I still get a lump in my throat just thinking about it. Nothing has ever come close to that moment, although Cardiff came very close. Sometimes there are just no explanations for "that" moment when it catches you out...I think next season may have a moment or two to savour with a lumpy moment.

This is a very strange thread to be contributing on however I feel an urge to add my reasons. I've been going for 43-years man and boy - and I still get as excited now as I did then. For me it's all about the belonging - the SFC family! Games at The Dell & SMS, plus the grounds I have visited all have special memories that will live with me forever. In the good old days it ws about the "being one of the lads" - then it changes into enjoying the day out whatever the result and meet friends. It's a massive social thing for me and a chance for me to relax from work.

Seems like the majority of Bournemouth fans are just ordinary football fans - like most Saints fans. Have a loyalty to their club first - and can mix in home and away bars without a fight breaking out! I just get the feeling the Bournemouth fans I have met have a massive chip on their shoulders - and are frightened of talking to Saints fans for fear of having their heads kicked in! Honestly it doesn't happen - ask Yeovil fans!

I'll be honest with you Stu - I have no interest i your toilet habits, but blimey you seem to be a bit stuck in the 1980's. Perhaps you watch "The Firm" again tonight and glory in the adolescent/pubescent mockney scrapping. I can tell you whilst the films may glorify the events, many do not remember those days with such fondness. Still I can remember being carried away on the wave of youthful promise of being one of a gang following my club home and away - the youthfulness is something of a wish now, and carried away I probably should be... I personally threads like this have no place on a football forum - sure a topic for the lounge perhaps, but not the main forum about the games/club/players. "Hark at the old fart!" I can hear many of you say...but it just aint Saintly!

We do have some mongs on this forum...honestly 7-pages of utter shyte commencing with the first post. I bet if Stu wrote about going to the bog - somehow it would extend to 7-pages! One thing for certain - football related violence is still alive and kicking on the saints forum. What a sad little club we are to have such fans!

I'd rather have the "Spurs Loanee" who chinned him in training and had a great game at SMS in the Cup.

Not before the playoffs for sure! I'm looking forward to Peterborough away - and Huddersfield as I don't think they will go up! Sheffield Wednesday away is always a good one too - I think they are coming down. Hartlepool, Oldham, Walsall, Tranmere, and least not forget the three south coast derbies at Brighton, Bournemouth and Plymouth! I really think next season will rock with the away fans doing more the image of our club than those oiks who try to create hostilities around SMS after games! I know we have a few who travel - but I think if they step out of line next season, some of the older fans may just react and put them in their place. Timothy Taylor's Landlord Bitter - have you tried Sam Smith's Old Brewery Bitter - still only £1-80 pint around these parts (cheaper if you shop around!)

Nothing positive to say this morning - still feeling very dispondent. Really it should be a celebration of how far we have come in 12-months - but somehow it's hard to see it that way. Morgan missing (self inflicted like Prutton's) is an obvious place to start, and the poor officials who appeared to be less than even handed. Not one for clutching at straws this morning, but the fat lady has started her chorus of "You're not going up this year" and her voice fades away with a big baratone singing "Champions". Next season will be one of extreme expectation - everyone in the division will be out to frustrate us, and if we do not manage to start with a couple of wins the pressure will be on from week 3. Why do we get so emotional about such things? I guess that's why football and your club is something more than just a game. I emerged from the computer room last night, made my way downstairs and sat next to the wife. She said absolutely nothing, then my 20-year old daughter pipes up "Oh bless, look he's really upset - they didn't win then!" I'm still hurting this morning!

Strange that everyone on here can have different opinions! Ha-ha isn't that what forums are all about? My take on it is - we have to rely upon others failing - but to take advantage we must keep winning. We somehow are still in it despite the recent loss to Swindon - perhaps that has given us focus. 78-points will be good enough for the play-offs with our goal difference. Can you see Saints winning another 4 on the bounce - even if 3 are at home? I don't think in 40+ years of following Saints I have ever seen us win 8-games on the bounce - but then again I have never watches a team so hungry aas this lot. One game at a time and tick the boxes down to 78-points. It may be all over by the Southend game - but who cares what a great season straight after Administration!

No doubt about it - evry game is a big game until the end of the season. At this stage our fate is not in our hands - however come next week we will know one way or another where we stand. Wishful thinking could see us 2-points behind Huddersfield with 2 to play...after all they don't travel very well. I'd love to be there tomorrow night but I can't - funds and holidays gone for this year. For the play off legs (if we make it) may have to pull a sickie...

Great result - still hope springs eternal! Huddersfield only need one win and twop draws to stop us if we win our remaining games - too close to call. What do they have 1 at home and two away? Could be closer than a rabbi's razor - please shine down on the Saints!

Still 20 mins to go for Millwall to turn it around - have faith! Must be dire though if both teams are that bad!! Come on Millwall pull your fingers out!

Think Oldham are far from out of it loking at stats on BBC... Come on Oldham get the equaliser FFS - then go and get a winner!