Stay away fans

[saintwarwick]

crowds are down at other clubs and has one poster said its got nothing to do with lowe,even if he went it would make no difference to the attendances,its just a excuse.we are down to our hardcore ,the rest will start returning if we are winning games.i have enjoyed the games this season compared to the rubbish we had last season.

 

Good post and completely agree.

[um pahars]

like it or not, the fans have the perfect right to attend or not according to their own private reasons, whetever they be.

 

Exactly.

 

Regardless of who is to blame, what is to blame etc etc etc, we have to face the plain simple fact that attendances are massively down (and no amount of whingeing on these boards will turn it around).

 

The simplest way to get the crowds back is by winning (and preferably winning and enetertaining when playing home games).

 

However, current performances at home might suggest that this might prove problematic.

 

So is there any other way of getting the crowds back in whilst we're still struggling (and not winning)??????

 

A new board comprising none of the charlatans who have been involved with us this past decade would at least be able to issue a rallying call for support from all those who hold any affection for the club, making it plain that if they wish the club they love to survive, they can play their part in helping it happen by filling the stadium every week.

 

So maybe there is, but would it really work????

 

Would a new board, free of the charlatans and vested interests galvanise the fans and perhaps engender some community spirit, some sense of togetherness???

 

Would they be able to get together with the local media and ask us to support this new regime that come with no baggage and get crowds to rise with a sense of "we're all in this together".

 

Or would people still be more influenced by results on the pitch???

 

The current incumbents probably either feel that it would be beneath their dignity and demeaning to make such a rallying call, or probably more accurately they know that it would be met by derision, as those who could make the difference have already voted with their feet, having no desire to dig Lowe and Wilde out of the sh*t.

 

Wilde tried it in his Echo interview, but I agree with your second assertion in that I don't think either Wilde or Lowe can engender that spirit. They both have too much history to be able to stand up and say "rally behind me/us".

[View From The Top]

I support Saints, not the ****ing chairman

 

Unfortunately, the club is in a mess.

It's not because we have Lowe, it's because we have too many nobbers as supporters, and you are one of them my friend

 

Yeh, really cr@p fan me, afterall I only did a 400 mile round trip yesterday on my Jack, shelled out for tickets for etc and rewarded how? Certainly not by the team, made up of youngsters so obviously out of their depth it's scary. That's three times this season I've made the effort. More effort than many I'd wager.

 

So it's fans like me, who have shelled out for 40 years who are to blame for the demise of SFC? Anyone who reaches a conclusion like that is obviously a few IQ points below a moron.

 

The blame is to be laid squarley at the bunch of c u n t s that run our once proud club and they can now f u c k right off as far as I'm concerned.

 

You continue paying your money and propping up these w a n k e r s as you fit right in with them.

[View From The Top]

Good post and completely agree.

 

You'll all be waiting a bloody long time but just keep your heads buried in the sand and pretend everything is OK.

 

F o o k i n g morons deserve this abortion of a club as it is.

[VectisSaint]

When the team is struggling then you realise just how many real fans a club has. In the case of SFC about 14,000. If those that do not go because the want to see a team win every week then ***k off and support Chelsea,or manure or Arsenal. It just goes to show how many crappy fans this club has had over the years, good times bad times , a real fan never loses faith just money.

Another so-called fan who just does not understand. Its not a case of wanting to see the team win wvery week, its a case of just getting more and more fed up with going to see a team that you know have little hope fo winning. True supporters don't just feck off and support another team. When you hve Saints in your blood and have supported them for 40+ years you don't just go and support someone else, but you do exercise your right not to go as often as you may have done in the past. Simple really. Its not about winning every game, but it is about having the wherewithall to win at home more often than not. Winning = bums on seats, simple fact, understand it and you will understand why we are in the predicament we are in. Understand it and realise that something needs to be done to sort it and you will start to see light at the end of the tunnel. Accept it and just continue to attend games like a sheep and nothing will improve. This is not a pro-boycott post, nothng of the sort, just common sense that you need to do whatever it takes to win games at home, whatever the style. Take a look at Leicester's attendances in League One, in a stadium that is a carbon copy of our own. 21-23k for their first 3 games. WINNING.

[rocknrollman no2]

All those on here who are slagging off those fans who dont think its worth spending their hard earned money watching a group of kids get pushed off the ball,try going out around Southampton and ask people what they think about our team.

I will wager that the average response will be negative.

Now my friends and i are all still going to the games,but we have all said that none of us will renew our STs if things dont improve.

Like a lot of fans before me,i have had enough of false hopes and blind loyalty,while those at the top continue to drag this club down.The price i have to pay for three STs just isnt worth it.

Now if that makes me a lesser fan according to some on here,then i will have to live with that.

[Snowballs2]

I support Saints, not the ****ing chairman

 

Unfortunately, the club is in a mess.

It's not because we have Lowe, it's because we have too many nobbers as supporters, and you are one of them my friend

 

 

Ahh the emotional blackmail of...I am a better fan than you...perhaps you don't have a problem with money that a lot of people do now...perhaps you can afford to throw good money away watching a sterile bunch of kids playing football with little hope of winning coached by a total football coach who has no experience of English football along with his young team.

[saintjay77]

You'll all be waiting a bloody long time but just keep your heads buried in the sand and pretend everything is OK.

 

F o o k i n g morons deserve this abortion of a club as it is.

 

I dont think anyone has there head burried in the sand. (or at least very few do) And I for one dont think that everything is OK. But I also havnt seen anyone come up with an alternative answer to our problems.

 

We have no money and no-one realistically looking to invest.

 

We are playing a team that wants to play for us and everyone else is free to go.

 

Our gates are getting smaller each week and wont change unless the team start winning.

 

Lowe will be here if he is in charge or not and that in its self will always cause problems off the pitch but wont change unless my 1st point changes.

 

I would love the current set up to turn things round and do well but I would also love for some money to come into the club and get in the experience that is missing from this set up.

 

has anyone got any suggestions on how to achieve this? Or shall we just continue to slate what is trying to be done without having a realistic argument on a fix?

[qwertySFC]

There is no option but to carry on as is.......but there is also no way the paying public will shell out every fortnight to be bored........more and more will drift away if a 0 - 0 draw against Barnsley is the sum of the effort.........its all right some die hard supporters castigating the posters who are now staying away, but its the inevitable result of market forces..........winning breeds bigger crowds.........losing forces them to spend their money elsewhere..........at the moment those who stay away are saying......." Thank goodness I didn't bother going there today!!".............until they think they are missing entertaining football, the crowd will continue to dwindle...........not good!!

 

Spot on reply. Going to a game is about the whole experience , the anticpation , the few beers with mates , the excitment of watching a decent game , singing ...unfortunatly at SMS the whole football day experience is so dull now .. Now wonder we are 18,000 down on attendances in the last few years. It is now all about blind faith in the team ..... no matter what the result ....Personally , the away game experience for me now is what feeds my need for watching Saints...

[solentstars]

I dont think anyone has there head burried in the sand. (or at least very few do) And I for one dont think that everything is OK. But I also havnt seen anyone come up with an alternative answer to our problems.

 

We have no money and no-one realistically looking to invest.

 

We are playing a team that wants to play for us and everyone else is free to go.

 

Our gates are getting smaller each week and wont change unless the team start winning.

 

Lowe will be here if he is in charge or not and that in its self will always cause problems off the pitch but wont change unless my 1st point changes.

 

I would love the current set up to turn things round and do well but I would also love for some money to come into the club and get in the experience that is missing from this set up.

 

has anyone got any suggestions on how to achieve this? Or shall we just continue to slate what is trying to be done without having a realistic argument on a fix?

good post but we have so many negative posters, most of them want to abuse fellow posters rather then say anything constructive,

[Amesbury Saint]

I am still going although I suspect I will go to less matches this season than last.

 

Whilst I hate the thought of adminstration, the only bright side would be that Lowe and Wilde lose the value of their shares.

 

However, I would not like the club, fans, other shareholders and small businesses to lose out.

[Mole]

Wilde tried it in his Echo interview, but I agree with your second assertion in that I don't think either Wilde or Lowe can engender that spirit. They both have too much history to be able to stand up and say "rally behind me/us".

 

Exactly - i'd just laugh and continue not going.

 

Fans have had enough of Lowe and Wilde and basically don't give a toss what they say or do anymore.

[saints4lifegb]

Well, I and my two sons are at last bowing out we will still follow saints,but cannot watch the demise of a great football club.I can honestly say that I could hardly raise a shout yesterday,because there was nothiing to shout about.I take my hat off to the northam. those supporters are second to none.I will miss sat afternoons but until things change we will not be purchasing anymore season tickets.

[Thorpe-le-Saint]

This is all turning a bit 'super fan' for my liking. It's a good 400 mile round trip for me to go to home games, and I've been to two this season. Now, should I be hounded out for going to away games which are closer? No! Plus I don't think I or anyone else who lives away from Southampton should! Now I'm going to Doncaster next week, Coventry the week after and Swansea on October 25th, which are all costing me roughly the same as a home match would and it will be a MUCH BETTER atmosphere/day out. There are some serious children on this thread who are determined to portray themselves as 'super fans' as they have ST's. I had a ST last season while I was back home, and I don't think myself and others like me should be ripped to shreds because we have chosen to move away from the metropolis that is Southampton.

[puff the magic dragon]

What about the stayaway fans on TSW?

 

This place is dead compared to how it was before the charging was brought in.

[Snowballs2]

This is all turning a bit 'super fan' for my liking. It's a good 400 mile round trip for me to go to home games, and I've been to two this season. Now, should I be hounded out for going to away games which are closer? No! Plus I don't think I or anyone else who lives away from Southampton should! Now I'm going to Doncaster next week, Coventry the week after and Swansea on October 25th, which are all costing me roughly the same as a home match would and it will be a MUCH BETTER atmosphere/day out. There are some serious children on this thread who are determined to portray themselves as 'super fans' as they have ST's. I had a ST last season while I was back home, and I don't think myself and others like me should be ripped to shreds because we have chosen to move away from the metropolis that is Southampton.

 

 

 

Amen to that...however you will always have some uber fans who do not class us as real supporters, living in Cheshire as I do now, I have the same problem that you have...distance and cost

[Wade Garrett]

To be honest, I'm boycotting games because of the return of Lowe and Wilde. The only time I've ever done this before was towards the end of the Branfoot era.

 

Hopefully we'll have the same result.

[Frank's cousin]

Each to their own I suppose. Its our hard earned coin, so we spend it as we see fit. There is alot to be said for the simple fact that success breeds success - we win - we climb, we entertain and the crowds will swell whoever is in the boardroom.

 

And, there is nothing wrong with protest if thats your opinion.... the question I have is does it actually work? Ther are some that will argue that the eventual financial collapse will bring about ownership change as the shareprice collapses - but this is a bit of a misconception IMHO.

 

At present we have a club that is worth just under 8mil with approx 32 mil of debt - should the shareprice collapse as a result of increased debt and no longer solvently trading, someone might pick up the club for a song, but would still need to effectly strike a deal with all the creditors if the club is to continue trading, let alone 'invest' in the playing squad.... so the actual outlay for anyone coming in and 'improving' the financial situation is not going to be that different. And who is going to do that right now in the current financial climate?

 

Lets also be honest about the 'Lowe experiment' - its the cheap option and right now its the ONLY option we simply cant afford the 'experienced CCC players' who would blend seemlessly with the kids and set us up for an easy ride to the top. We are delude if we think we can when the club is still losing money. The onlyway we can change that is 32000 every week at the ground, which will provide a modest war chest from which to buy that experience and I am sure Jan would do exactly that... hes not stupid, but is towing the line and tryinmg to motivate the kids that this way is through choice, rather than necessity - which in my book is far better than the Redflaps 'demotivating we are skint' idiocy.... and no one can doubt that we are not at least trying to play attractive football.

 

But we have a stand off betwen fans and club - lack of success means many stay away, Lowe and Wilde mean some stay away - success will bring many back, as to the lowe protests, well they might with some success, but as more come back their absence becomes less important - but for this success we need time and money and the ONLY way weare getting more green back is through the turnstiles so its a viscious circle that only we can break....

 

...so I have to focus on the one good thing in all this mess. The way the kids are playing.

[SaintRichmond]

To turn this club into the Crewe Alexandra of the south

 

 

You mean a Rail Terminus ???????

[Wade Garrett]

Each to their own I suppose. Its our hard earned coin, so we spend it as we see fit. There is alot to be said for the simple fact that success breeds success - we win - we climb, we entertain and the crowds will swell whoever is in the boardroom.

 

And, there is nothing wrong with protest if thats your opinion.... the question I have is does it actually work? Ther are some that will argue that the eventual financial collapse will bring about ownership change as the shareprice collapses - but this is a bit of a misconception IMHO.

 

At present we have a club that is worth just under 8mil with approx 32 mil of debt - should the shareprice collapse as a result of increased debt and no longer solvently trading, someone might pick up the club for a song, but would still need to effectly strike a deal with all the creditors if the club is to continue trading, let alone 'invest' in the playing squad.... so the actual outlay for anyone coming in and 'improving' the financial situation is not going to be that different. And who is going to do that right now in the current financial climate?

 

Lets also be honest about the 'Lowe experiment' - its the cheap option and right now its the ONLY option we simply cant afford the 'experienced CCC players' who would blend seemlessly with the kids and set us up for an easy ride to the top. We are delude if we think we can when the club is still losing money. The onlyway we can change that is 32000 every week at the ground, which will provide a modest war chest from which to buy that experience and I am sure Jan would do exactly that... hes not stupid, but is towing the line and tryinmg to motivate the kids that this way is through choice, rather than necessity - which in my book is far better than the Redflaps 'demotivating we are skint' idiocy.... and no one can doubt that we are not at least trying to play attractive football.

 

But we have a stand off betwen fans and club - lack of success means many stay away, Lowe and Wilde mean some stay away - success will bring many back, as to the lowe protests, well they might with some success, but as more come back their absence becomes less important - but for this success we need time and money and the ONLY way weare getting more green back is through the turnstiles so its a viscious circle that only we can break....

 

...so I have to focus on the one good thing in all this mess. The way the kids are playing.

 

You are joking....

[OldNick]

You are joking....

I think he is not, and generally the kds are playing the proper way but have not the cutting edge when we get to the box

[rpb]

You are joking....

 

No WG, FC is not joking. They play some impressive stuff and are worth watching and supporting - it's the results that are lacking but hopefully they will come as they learn their trade.

[SaintRichmond]

When the Chairman starts calling 'customers' the lunatic fringge you can't expect them to continue to support the business. It's hugely insulting and a lot of fans simply won't put up with it. On top of that, his business plan (playing kids) is flawed on so many levels that fans simply won't be prepared to support it.

 

 

 

The "damage" to our Club was done over a period of time LONG BEFORE we "customers" have (now) opted not to go

 

It was done mainly by Lowe himself, with all his "I am always right and never wrong" attitude. For over Ten years he failed to bring in any Investment into SFC, in times that had a far better economical climate than at present.

That fact SHOULD have illustrated to most people, that, in reality, he had NO intention of getting people in to overthrow his own little personnal Empire, as that would have meant relinquishing his Numero Uno spot.

 

We DO have some very talented young players, but Lowe's stupid insistance that they alone could keep us ticking over was and is foolhardy in it's concept

 

We ARE most likely playing some of the BEST Football in the CCC, but what Lowe and Poortvliet fail to either acknowledge or understand is that "football" or "total football" with youngsters will not work in the CCC. All other teams possess great big defenders, who are street wise enough to knock the "pretty pretty" playmakers to one side.tt ewere far more

 

In some respects, we are playing delightful Football worthy of the Prem .... but we are NOT in the Prem. To suceed, or stay alive in the CCC we have to play CCC type football. It may not be attractive to watch, but it would get RESULTS

 

A lot of Fans are disallusioned with SFC, but, IMHO, most are fed up with Lowe, NOT the Team.

To gauge how bad it is, I would say this. Even under Branfoot, us Supporters cheered Saints on. The apathy shown to Saints can now be traced back 100% to the minute Lowe and Judas Wilde returned, IMHO

 

They will destroy our Club before long, but as their return was nothing to do wit Football, they won't give a damn

 

Since his return, Lowe has been acting more like an Administrator than a so called Chairman ...... so the quicker he steps aside and lets a real one do the job, the better.

 

Do it now, whilst we will still have a chance of staying in the CCC

[Torrent Of Abuse]

Didn't we go through all this cr*p a few years back? Didn't we have thousands of fans saying they'd never come back while Lowe was in charge? And then he got kicked out and... the thousands still stayed away.

 

Will everyone come back when we're still poor but with a different chairman? Will they come back when we go into administration? Or will they only come back when we find a rich backer? Perhaps some kind of arms dealer?

 

Jesus...

[Snowballs2]

Didn't we go through all this cr*p a few years back? Didn't we have thousands of fans saying they'd never come back while Lowe was in charge? And then he got kicked out and... the thousands still stayed away.

 

Will everyone come back when we're still poor but with a different chairman? Will they come back when we go into administration? Or will they only come back when we find a rich backer? Perhaps some kind of arms dealer?

 

Jesus...

 

 

No Jesus was transferred a while ago, he will not be back!

[SaintRichmond]

Another so-called fan who just does not understand. Its not a case of wanting to see the team win wvery week, its a case of just getting more and more fed up with going to see a team that you know have little hope fo winning. True supporters don't just feck off and support another team. When you hve Saints in your blood and have supported them for 40+ years you don't just go and support someone else, but you do exercise your right not to go as often as you may have done in the past. Simple really. Its not about winning every game, but it is about having the wherewithall to win at home more often than not. Winning = bums on seats, simple fact, understand it and you will understand why we are in the predicament we are in. Understand it and realise that something needs to be done to sort it and you will start to see light at the end of the tunnel. Accept it and just continue to attend games like a sheep and nothing will improve. This is not a pro-boycott post, nothng of the sort, just common sense that you need to do whatever it takes to win games at home, whatever the style. Take a look at Leicester's attendances in League One, in a stadium that is a carbon copy of our own. 21-23k for their first 3 games. WINNING.

 

 

Yes, they are WINNING ........ possibly because they have a Manager who has sussed out how to utilise his Squad to play the type of Football necessary to get Promotion from Div 1 ..........

 

........ wish I could remember his name, I'd suggest it to Rupert

 

 

I bet Mandaric couldn't believe his luck

[Whitey Grandad]

No WG, FC is not joking. They play some impressive stuff and are worth watching and supporting - it's the results that are lacking but hopefully they will come as they learn their trade.

There appears to be two completely different opinions about the style of play. One group thinks that we are playing fantastic football and just need a killer touch up front, the other that it is lightweight and ineffective and getting worse. From my point of view, what I saw last Saturday was one of the feeblest, boring, depressing performances that I have ever paid to watch. Yet some others thought it was a good game. We can't both be right - or wrong. I think that there is a dimension missing in our game, call it physical presence, athleticism, power, I just think that we look a little 'thin'.

[saintjay77]

The "damage" to our Club was done over a period of time LONG BEFORE we "customers" have (now) opted not to go

 

It was done mainly by Lowe himself, with all his "I am always right and never wrong" attitude. For over Ten years he failed to bring in any Investment into SFC, in times that had a far better economical climate than at present.

That fact SHOULD have illustrated to most people, that, in reality, he had NO intention of getting people in to overthrow his own little personnal Empire, as that would have meant relinquishing his Numero Uno spot.

 

We DO have some very talented young players, but Lowe's stupid insistance that they alone could keep us ticking over was and is foolhardy in it's concept

 

We ARE most likely playing some of the BEST Football in the CCC, but what Lowe and Poortvliet fail to either acknowledge or understand is that "football" or "total football" with youngsters will not work in the CCC. All other teams possess great big defenders, who are street wise enough to knock the "pretty pretty" playmakers to one side.tt ewere far more

 

In some respects, we are playing delightful Football worthy of the Prem .... but we are NOT in the Prem. To suceed, or stay alive in the CCC we have to play CCC type football. It may not be attractive to watch, but it would get RESULTS

 

A lot of Fans are disallusioned with SFC, but, IMHO, most are fed up with Lowe, NOT the Team.

To gauge how bad it is, I would say this. Even under Branfoot, us Supporters cheered Saints on. The apathy shown to Saints can now be traced back 100% to the minute Lowe and Judas Wilde returned, IMHO

 

They will destroy our Club before long, but as their return was nothing to do wit Football, they won't give a damn

 

Since his return, Lowe has been acting more like an Administrator than a so called Chairman ...... so the quicker he steps aside and lets a real one do the job, the better.

 

Do it now, whilst we will still have a chance of staying in the CCC

 

So how did WBA get up last season? Was is playing the type of football that Derby did the year before or was it passing attacking football with the ball on the ground and skillfull players?

 

And I just dont get your last point at all. We are in the bottom 3 and are struggling to pick up any points yet you want us to go into administration now while we still have a chance of staying in the CCC????? How many points would we be deducted? How many of our best players would be gone in Jan? and for nothing like there probable value.

 

If Lowe is acting like an administrator now its because we dont have the funds at the club to do anything different. At least doing it this way we can be at least a little bit more chosey on price for players and we can do it without the points deduction that would definatly put us into League 1.

[saintjay77]

Yes, they are WINNING ........ possibly because they have a Manager who has sussed out how to utilise his Squad to play the type of Football necessary to get Promotion from Div 1 ..........

 

........ wish I could remember his name, I'd suggest it to Rupert

 

 

I bet Mandaric couldn't believe his luck

 

.......If .......Rupert .......would .......hear .......your .......suggestion .......he .......would .......probably .......think .......you .......have .......a .......stutter

[Wade Garrett]

No WG, FC is not joking. They play some impressive stuff and are worth watching and supporting - it's the results that are lacking but hopefully they will come as they learn their trade.

 

I'm not knocking the nippers. They are giving it their all, but they just aren't good enough for this league, and collectively won't be for at least a couple of years. Precious time we just haven't got.

[Whitey Grandad]

Re-evaluate to what? For the millionth time, I don't see any great aspect of choice.

 

If we slip down to 11-12k then no-one can have any complaints if we go down and struggle in league 1. That'll just be our level with support like that. I thought the support was awful on saturday, and I can't especially blame those there. It was a game to get excited about, but with the fans a bit lost in a more than half empty stadium, and practically zero away fans, there was no atmosphere.

 

it's sad that we're a club with so many fans that need guaranteed performance and wins to consider paying to see their club. if it's just about money, fine, tickets are too much in football today. but if you have the money and time you should be there supporting. it's not the theatre ffs, it's not guaranteed entertainment whoever you watch, that's why it's called "supporting" rather than watching. you don't support a film or play do you. stay away if you must but if you're just going to come back when things improve i'd recommend a rich premiership club as you'll get more enjoyment out of it from what it sounds.

I see where you're coming from, but to extend your analogy it's like paying top price for a West-End show and finding that all the stars have been replaced by understudies. If the management continues with the same policy then the crowds will dwindle.

[saintjay77]

I see where you're coming from, but to extend your analogy it's like paying top price for a West-End show and finding that all the stars have been replaced by understudies. If the management continues with the same policy then the crowds will dwindle.

 

Surly that depends on weather the understudies can give a better performance than the so called stars?

[Whitey Grandad]

Surly that depends on weather the understudies can give a better performance than the so called stars?

I think that we can see the results of that. Of course, the understudies may one day be stars in their own rights but in the meantime the punters have taken their hard-earned dosh elsewhere.

[saintjay77]

I think that we can see the results of that. Of course, the understudies may one day be stars in their own rights but in the meantime the punters have taken their hard-earned dosh elsewhere.

 

I think the 1st few games we did Ok and many argued that there was more in this team in 1 game then last years team in a whole season.

 

But its all well and good playing nice passing football but when our problem defence last season is still the same problem with different personell this year the mood of the fans will be of no hope and therefor not much will to spend there dosh at the club.

 

I mean 0-0 is a clean sheet but Barnsley hardly had an attack for us to deal with and when they finally did we didnt deal with it, we had to rely on there player missing the goal!!!

 

If we kept clean sheets and in a confincing fasion that would at least give hope to the fans that we may nik a result because we are hard to beat.

 

No good having a team that might score 5 when we have a defence that will let in 6