Will promotion to hte Prem be all that??

[Kingsland Red]

To the OP I would say that watching Saints in the Premiership was great for many years.

Firstly because, obviously, we were looking to win but secondly seeing quality opposition which meant if we were not winning at least we were losing to recognisable quality players.

This was not the case in defeats against teams like Brentford, Rochdale or Bristol City.

[paulwantsapint]

I have loved last 3 years of winning more than we have either lost or drawn

I know we won't have the same number of wins in prem but no disrespect beating man utd, man city, arsenal, Liverpool, spurs, Chelsea will be more fun than beating dagenham & redbridge or southend

 

Realistically we would be playing for high mid table & a good cup run

[colehillsaint]

I should think for many it comes down to whether you follow Saints home or away. Away, your club of hardcore support is going to get watered down by the more casual fan out for the spectacle, and you may be looking at 2 or 3 wins a season. But at home the city is back on the map, the stadium is full, and you see us sometimes beating teams with some of the best players around.

[sotonian]

from a personal point of view, being over 50, been supporting saints forever, my favourite time as a saints fan was the McMenemy years, the rise from the second division, the fa cup, promotion then on to signing the European footballer of the year & runners up in 84, after that a general decline, with a few high spots in the strachan era, relegation to league one hurt a lot at the time, but turned out to be the turning point for saints, the last 3 years have been fantastic, we are on the rise, if we get promoted, i feel the prem will suit us, i can see a top half finish.

 

Basically being a football fan is a roller-coaster experience, if we dont get promotion this time round, i wont lose any sleep, i like this league and im confident we will get promoted next year,

 

this is a good time to be a saints fan, enjoy the moment

[RobM]

I should think for many it comes down to whether you follow Saints home or away. Away, your club of hardcore support is going to get watered down by the more casual fan out for the spectacle, and you may be looking at 2 or 3 wins a season. But at home the city is back on the map, the stadium is full, and you see us sometimes beating teams with some of the best players around.

 

Surely the opposite is true? Away from St.Marys the same old 'hardcore' supporters will be there, the plastics wont be. Perhaps a few new faces, but mostly the same as this season. At St.Marys though, you'll be sat around Premiership football fans just as much as Saints fans.

 

I don't see this is a big deal, it just means you need to pay out for a season ticket if you're the sort who gets upset when they can't buy a ticket, or you need to get in quickly (it's first come, first served after all).

[SW5 SAINT]

Personally I am not bothered about being in the Holy Grail that is the 'Premier League'. I do however want to win the Championship title as we have never won this division and for a club of our size that is something that needs to be put right.

 

There is also the fact we finished 2nd in League 1 last year but we were by far the best team in the division and had we have not been playing catch up Brighton would have choked if we could have exerted some pressure.

 

This, if some one offered us the chance to win the championship and go straight back down or finish second and remain up, I would take the Championship.

[Window Cleaner]

This, if some one offered us the chance to win the championship and go straight back down or finish second and remain up, I would take the Championship.

 

Be all you can be

[colehillsaint]

I don't see this is a big deal, it just means you need to pay out for a season ticket if you're the sort who gets upset when they can't buy a ticket, or you need to get in quickly (it's first come, first served after all).

 

I fall in the former group. But I can see that you are right about loyal support not getting tickets, which will really p1ss people off. On the other hand I remain to be convinced that we would routinely sell out in the prem now. People are quite hard pressed. I am very surprised we haven't got more in lately tbh.

 

The big factor with away support must be seeing fewer wins surely.

 

I want us to go up. In time we will otherwise turn to dross.

[paulsfc]

I really don't think the prem is all that. However, as others have said, we need to go to keep hold of our better players, invest more in the academy and keep hold of the best ones that come through and most importantly we need the £££'s in the prem to do all this whilst being financially stable. I hope that we would follow Swansea's pattern of playing good football and being positive in our outlook rather than doing what at least half the teams do - try to eek out 40 points, bank the money and do the same the next season. We won't win the prem but maybe in 5 years, and with a bit of good fortune (i.e one of the big clubs financially imploding!), we could challenge for a champs league place. I would be happy with mid table obscurity for a few years as long as we gave both cups a right good go. They are both there for the taking as virtually every team prioritises the league.

[doddisalegend]

I think you've missed a bit of the point... we need to be in the Prem to keep our quality players, and we need to be in the Prem to be able to hold onto those who might, might - help us actually achieve something...

 

Like we did last time? being in the PL never stopped our best players leaving before (Le God excepted). All clubs need the PLs money but personally think to many people get caught up in the sky marketing of the PL.

[los_saint]

Promotion to the prem will be ****ing awesome. Staying in the CCC wouldn't be as good.

 

HTH.

[St.Jeweller]

Markus didn't buy this club to see us sit in mid table of the championship or there abouts,he wanted us to succeed as winners and achieve that premiership goal,i remember shedding a tear as i slopped down the terraces as i left St Mary's after that narrow defeat to Man U which cost us our premiership status thinking what would my late father think of this after 27years of top flight football,it's been a long journey having to play the likjes of Swindon and Yeovil so bring on that first defeat back in the Prem i for one cannot wait,COYR!!!!!!

[colehillsaint]

Markus didn't buy this club to see us sit in mid table of the championship or there abouts,he wanted us to succeed as winners and achieve that premiership goal,i remember shedding a tear as i slopped down the terraces as i left St Mary's after that narrow defeat to Man U which cost us our premiership status thinking what would my late father think of this after 27years of top flight football,it's been a long journey having to play the likjes of Swindon and Yeovil so bring on that first defeat back in the Prem i for one cannot wait,COYR!!!!!!

 

Yeah, godammit ;-)

[The9]

Let's face it, getting to the Prem is going to be a damn sight more fun than being in it again once the first season has worn off, unless we suddenly find ourselves pushing for a European place.

 

Then again we might "do a Derby" and then we'd be constantly in fear of promotion, which would also be a bit crap.

[The9]

Like we did last time? being in the PL never stopped our best players leaving before (Le God excepted). All clubs need the PLs money but personally think to many people get caught up in the sky marketing of the PL.

 

Last time we weren't part of an ownership legacy worth £2.5bn. Although we also didn't have to deal with the new financial regulations.

[Joey-deacons-left-nut]

Can't see the point of being in the premiership... We can't win it.... Or we can look forward to is a good cup run...the last 3 years have been the most fun I've had as a saints fan in 30 odd years!

[Thedelldays]

Sorry I must have missed something...what have they actually achieved? This is the difference between the Champ/league 1 and the PL apparently in the PL mid table safety and endless years of being safe is an achievement becuase in reality the PL is a closed shop only realisticly winnable by a handful of teams. The last few seasons I've actually been able to look at saints and think yeah we could win this league that ain't ever going to happen in the PL. Next season (if we make it) we will be back to getting all excited about not being relegated or finishing mid table rather than actually winning anything that's the truth for 80% of PL teams. People banging on about you don't play football to come second are right in the PL you play to come 8th or 9th and then pass it off as achievement.

 

Having said all that clubs need the cash cow that is the PL if you ain't at the top table you get scraps and not many clubs can survive on those.

 

as is the NPC really

[The9]

as is the NPC really

 

That isn't true at all.

 

Saints had no Championship pedigree at all in July, and we're top. There are maybe 5 teams in this League who had no chance of winning it pre-season, Peterborough, Barnsley and Doncaster obviously springing to mind, along with Coventry when they weren't taken over. Pretty much anyone else could have been up there challenging, and almost everyone in the top 15 has already played in the Prem.

 

Where are Leicester, heavily tipped pre-season ? All of the teams that are ACTUALLY above them must be considered as feasibly having being title contenders too, even if people didn't realise it at the time.

 

Equally, there's no massive financial difference or self-perpetuating Champions League money driving a gap between the top teams and the rest, and you don't have to spend £30m on 10 players to have the remotest chance of breaking into the elite in the Championship either.

[shurlock]

as is the NPC really

 

Not really.

[dune]

The Premier League is where you want to be. If you're not there and you're a championship club you are failing.

[Thedelldays]

Not really.

well yeah

just you think coventry had a chance...or big spending saints/west ham

[The9]

well yeah

just you think coventry had a chance...or big spending saints/west ham

 

One of the bottom three not having a chance to win it doesn't mean the rest of the league will pitch up to Upton Park or St Mary's expecting a 5 goal thrashing half of the time.

 

And Saints weren't exactly "big spending".

[The9]

The Premier League is where you want to be. If you're not there and you're a championship club you are failing.

 

That's probably true due to the cost of player wages, it doesn't mean the Prem is as much fun as the lower leagues though. Pretty sure everyone enjoys winning more than losing, and it's not very likely we'll be matching the last two years' success next year.

[Thedelldays]

That's probably true due to the cost of player wages, it doesn't mean the Prem is as much fun as the lower leagues though. Pretty sure everyone enjoys winning more than losing, and it's not very likely we'll be matching the last two years' success next year.

well, never had "much fun" in 2009

[The Kraken]

well yeah

just you think coventry had a chance...or big spending saints/west ham

 

One national newspaper had Saints tipped to finish the league lower mid table.

 

The NPC is much, much more open that the PL. West Ham were tipped by pretty much everybody to literally run away with the title but have found it a bit harder than that. Reading could easily win the league but wouldn't have been in too many bookies top 3 predictions.

[Thedelldays]

One of the bottom three not having a chance to win it doesn't mean the rest of the league will pitch up to Upton Park or St Mary's expecting a 5 goal thrashing half of the time.

 

And Saints weren't exactly "big spending".

well, compared to about 20 other teams...we are really.

just take cork for example, burnley had no chance when we came calling with our "wages"

i wonder how many other teams have spent as much as us this season in wages, fees, development etc etc...very very few I would guess

[Ohio Saint]

So, for some people here, the perfect season each year would be to finish third in the CCC, then lose the play off final? Every year? I honestly just don't understand this at all.

[shurlock]

well yeah

just you think coventry had a chance...or big spending saints/west ham

 

To quote Nige, there are 17/18 clubs with a chance each season. And I dont think he included Coventry when he said that.

No doubt there were/are preseason mind games in that statement. And yes you'll always get the odd Newcastle or West Ham in the NPC and the parachute payments benefit a few; but it really is a league where a bit momentum can go along way.

 

Relatively speaking, the teams that try to buy success -W Ham/Leicester this season- don't spend as much as the big spenders in the Prem; and unlike the Man Citys and Chelseas of this world, NPC teams can't keep funding a promotion/title push season in and season out. WHU faces quite a hard landing if it doesnt go up this season.

[dune]

That's probably true due to the cost of player wages, it doesn't mean the Prem is as much fun as the lower leagues though. Pretty sure everyone enjoys winning more than losing, and it's not very likely we'll be matching the last two years' success next year.

 

The Prem is more fun. Think of the weekenders you've got in Liverpool, Manchester, London etc. Yes we'll lose more games, but that makes winning more special. I always enjoyed our relegation battles and was happy with us staying up. We are not a big club so being in the top flight and staying up is success and something to be proud of.

[david in sweden]

every player (and manager for that matter) surely wants to play football at the highest level they can .....and if that means mid-table in the Prem. instead of top of the Npc - then so be it. There are some poor sides at the bottom end of the Prem. and if Swansea and Norwich can survive - then so too should we.

[sperm_john]

if we go up, think we will surprise people ...much like we have done this year, call me mad

[toe_punt]

Who knows?

 

Ask Swansea and Norwich fans, I'm sure most of them will say that they've had bloody good fun this year.

 

Lucky you were here to post this.

I completely missed Dubai Phil's identical post three or four posts up.

[Frank's cousin]

Exactly.

 

I'd say if anything, in the last few years the gap between the top of the championship and the bottom half of the premiership has greatly reduced. It used to be light years apart, but it's very close now.

 

Look at the dross up there. Blackburn, Wigan, West Brom aren't that great - an average player like Keith Andrew's is now scoring up there. Norwich and Swansea pushing as high up as they are is a great sign for us and I have no doubts that we'll sensibly build on the team as we did this year.

 

No doubts we'll get some maniacs moaning that we need to spend £30m to stand a chance and that we need 11 new players - but that simply isn't true anymore. Having a team and a collective group of players is more than money can ever buy and it would be tragic to destroy that with an influx of 'mega bucks' stars. Let's do it the proper way and laugh at the likes of QPR who go about it the completely wrong way.

 

Think this is driven by panic - the panic to ensure survival sees the mediochre/lower half clubs tend to focus on a more negative game with older 'expwerienced' pros - they tend to be risk averse regards younger more exciting players o even having 2up front! Its a vicious circle - they buy the 'names with experience' on bigger wages and then they are desperate to survive because of the size of the contracts they have signed up for. If they can they sell on these same players to the newy promoted clubs !

 

I want saints to WIN and win well, so promotion should ALWAYS be the aim. But any ambition needs to be matched with realism. We need to accept that its going to be tough and get used to losing/drawing, more than we win for at least a couple of seasons whilst we add slowly and sensibly to the the squad - as we see, half the battle is confidence and unity and a well integrated squad - the whole sale changes tend to mean the 1st 3 months are spent bedding players in by which time its a tough catch up (look at leacister this year, or QPR etc) - will it be as much fun? well losing is never fun, but as long as Nige still strives to entertain, rather than going down the 'panic' route, it should be.

 

I think what may change a little is that teh pressure will be off a little - from a fans perspective anyway. Although not part of the plan (and rightly so) relegation, would not seem such an 'end of the world' moment, in that we have been there and done that!

 

Tickets, pricing? NOt going to be easy to get right and I hope no one jumps on the clubs back immediately if tickets aint £5 at match - ambition costs. Why is it that so many fans of so many clubs always feel it should be the owners who fund it? It needs to be balanced. I think we can expect the £30-£35 average, I'm affraid, and yes that will price some out the market - that's life sadly - plenty of things I cant afford etc... I know football is different, but we will suddenly be doubling most players wages, yes we will have teh TV revenues (if promoted) but it still al needs paying for... at teh end of the day, if we demand and get cheap tickets, we would have to accept a cheaper and less competitive squad, no right or wrongs here, just a sad case of reality.

[brmbrm]

Some other negatives:

- totally random kick-off times

- fewer games

 

Some other positives:

- lots more publicity in papers and on TV etc = lots more saints-related stuff

- don't get there = don't get promoted = a season of failure in Championship

 

So maybe get promoted, gete relegated quick then go for promotion again. Hmmm, doesn't really sound right, does it?

[Gingeletiss]

Some other negatives:

- totally random kick-off times

- fewer games

 

Some other positives:

- lots more publicity in papers and on TV etc = lots more saints-related stuff

- don't get there = don't get promoted = a season of failure in Championship

 

So maybe get promoted, gete relegated quick then go for promotion again. Hmmm, doesn't really sound right, does it?

 

Plus seven on the bench!

[benjii]

It's a good time to be promoted as the quality in the Prem is probably the worst it's ever been.

[Glasgow_Saint]

If we go up and hate it, just come back down again and have another laugh/good time

[Glasgow_Saint]

It's a good time to be promoted as the quality in the Prem is probably the worst it's ever been.

 

Very true

[sandwichsaint]

Some other negatives:

- totally random kick-off times

- fewer games

 

Some other positives:

- lots more publicity in papers and on TV etc = lots more saints-related stuff

- don't get there = don't get promoted = a season of failure in Championship

 

So maybe get promoted, gete relegated quick then go for promotion again. Hmmm, doesn't really sound right, does it?

 

Could we physically get 'lots more publicity'?

 

The last two years barely a week seems to go by without a decent Saints feature somewhere in the broadcast or print media.

Chuck in the number of times we will have been on Sky this year (did I see somebody post 9 times somewhere the other day?).

We are often the lead match or have a mini-feature on the FL show.

We have to wade through pages of this stuff everyday - Saints player also needs a real commitment if anybody wants to watch everything on there.

There's also pages of stuff on the OS.

(Forgot .... going to games as well!)

 

I'm not sure we need 'more' media coverage?

 

I struggle to keep up with half of it now and I quite like where we are positioned - we come over as smart, professional, well run, and actually look like a proper football club; if that means we are also under a few people's radar then that's no problem either.

[Wycombe Saint]

I always enjoyed the premiership years for one thing mainly. Most of my family and friends support the top level teams (mainly Tottenham and Man Utd.) 9 times out of 10 Saints would be beaten and the usual stick would be aimed my way, with my only fight back being "well you must have expected to win!" However there was always that great feeling on the odd occasion when we beat them! I would be loarding it over them for the rest of the season no matter where we finished.

 

Plus that one season when we finished above Spurs was amazing. My cousin has never lived that down.

[martel]

Interesting point from Football Focus yesterday. Both Norwich and Swansea were unfancied to stay up as they haven't spent bucketloads like QPR but if fact they've done well building sensibly on the promotion side. The fact is most Prem teams aren't any better than the best in the Championship. Hope we follow that model.

 

Good post and have to agree, their is nothing between the top ten championship sides and the bottom ten premiership, I feel we could hold our own with our current squad, with the addition of 3 may be four players we could do really well; my only note of caution would be, that if promoted and we have a good first season then it is the second season in the premiership to be wary of, for example Ipswich, Reading, Bolton (there first time) etc.

[positivepete]

Good post and have to agree, their is nothing between the top ten championship sides and the bottom ten premiership, I feel we could hold our own with our current squad, with the addition of 3 may be four players we could do really well; my only note of caution would be, that if promoted and we have a good first season then it is the second season in the premiership to be wary of, for example Ipswich, Reading, Bolton (there first time) etc.

 

Went to Anfield yesterday, and frankly it would not take much for us to match either Liverpool or Stoke on yesterday's showing. Neither could keep possession, and neither put as much pressure on the ball as some of our opponents this season.

[david in sweden]

if we go up, think we will surprise people ...much like we have done this year, call me mad

 

No I won't , I'm inclined to think the same myself.

Don't see us hitting the top six straight away ( even with new signings), but do expect to give a good account of ourselves.

[OttawaSaint]

I think promotion is a necessary evil. If we go up, we do our best, and get the cash to strengthen and develop whatever league we end up in the year after...

[bender]

I'm not sure we'll be one of the teams going straight back down. We've got enough class and financial backing. You have to look at Stoke, WBA, Swansea, Norwich etc etc. Our team will be stregthened and we will be playing better football albeit against better football teams, but that makes for better entertainment. You'll be seeing players at SMS that you regularly see on the tellybox. In the past weve beaten the big sides at home on regular occasions.

 

If we go up, we'll be there for the long haul and the experience on match days will be far better. The best bit of course will be at half time when the HT scores come over the loud speaker system "Crawley 3 Portsmouth 0"

[Golden Balls]

I honestly dont get these comments about not wanting to be in the prem.

 

It generally seems it's becuase we will lose more. But to not be in the Prem we will have to lose more. The only difference is that we'd be losing in the Championship rather than the Premier League. Would you rather sit around mid table in the Championship becuase we 'could' win it....but then you wouldn't want to as it means we go up. Strange.

 

I'd love to see us up there. Slogging it with the big boys, causing the odd shock and going on genuine cup runs. We can never ever move forward as a club if we never go up.

[fez]

The key to success - and enjoyment - in the Prem will be team spirit, which can overcome a lot of technical shortcomings in football. Of course we'll have to buy a few new players in the summer if we go up but we must keep as many of the present lot as possible. Too many new players will destroy that spirit and take time to bed in - and by then we might be having no fun in the relegation slots. In other words follow the Norwich and Swansea examples, not QPR.

[Thedelldays]

get the double done on us by bristol city or man city..

 

 

tough choice

[Whitey Grandad]

I don't mind the PL but I hate the stupid kickoff times.

[ericb]

The problem with the premiership is what it does to fan culture. At the moment we're loving it because we're winning a lot of games, taking good away attendances and having some cracking atmospheres. It's more like the old football experience and i guess many of us of certain age prefer that to the hyped up "jester hatted" dross that's dished out by sky/the prem.

 

Of course there's better players on show, more chance of real success and international coverage. But to achieve that for us as a club we have to sell our soul a bit.

 

I'm of the opinion that our time in the lower leagues has helped this club massively, gone are the football tourists (not that i don't want to see st mary's packed of course), and there's much fewer of the hangers on and facepainted muppets that only turn up for a few games a season.

 

Instead our support is now made up of a lot of people that really ****ing appreciate it. Dredging away in league one, hell even coming close to not having a club, has hardened us as fans i think and really made us into a club with a soul again.

 

That's not to say there aren't clubs in the premiership that aren't like that, Spurs spring to mind straight away, but think of the those that have got recent success and ask yourself the question, are Man City or Chelsea really the clubs they once were? Or have they lost a large chunk of what made them in the chase for success.

 

It's actually pretty interesting looking at the Lee thread since if we are ever to get more successful think how much more of that we'll have. I mean of course i'm proud to have many new and foreign fans come to the ground. I've personally taken a multitude of nationalities, some have become big fans (one of whom came to Fratton with me this season) but i personally don't want to see people in India, Japan or even the home counties supporting saints because we win (highly unlikely i know).

 

Call me old fashioned but i think a club is a representation of the city, pride in southampton, that's why i'd love to see more Polish etc at St Mary's because they're as much a part of southampton now as anyone else. But i don't want us to sell our soul down the river just for some fleeting success.

 

[/rant]