Will promotion to hte Prem be all that??

[dubai_phil]

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]

Great post.

 

From down here I think something like 18 "foreigners" have gone to see Saints play, some were taken by employees on an "event" (Guess who influenced their choice of venue), a couple I have taken to SMS & one to Derby Away (London Saints won't forget him in a hurry)

 

I know 3 of them still ask me regularly "How are WE" doing, one who is currently trying to get his family out of Damascus has got Al Jazeera so he can see the games and still has his shirt from the day framed on the wall in his office.

 

They aren't die hard "uber fans" of course, but they "Care" about us. For them it sure is nothing to do with "Winning Only" their trips to see us touched something (what DID you guys do on that damned train ride back that day?)

 

One Arab businessman in Bahrain still asks about Saints - we played a mid season friendly over there way back in the mid 90's and I sent him along (with his family) and he got most of the team's autographs (his MLT one arrived via me many years later).

 

None of them will do a "Oh my God Wembley Cup Final MUST fly" just to see the Saints, but I do know that if they were in England during the season on business and we happened to be near them, they would all want to go and see us.

 

This time round as you say eric, I just think we are more of a "Club" now. They should never take the seat of a loyal die hard goes every week fan but it would be good if we get to 45,000 seats so they and their like would have that chance to feel SMS and have them go home and spread the word again.

 

Emiratis wearing Lallana Shirts instead of Messi. Oh yes, that would be nice hell, we may even get more than 8 of us down the pub here for a televised game!

 

 

 

(with thanks to StL)

[brmbrm]

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.

 

I'm currently in NZ, and most of the mdeia works along the lines "if it ain't the premiership it ain't football". Yes, i hate that attitude, and have hated it from my non-league supporting days as well. Plus the national papers, rightly or (probably) wrongly, have heaps fof space per prem team compared to the space per CCC team, let alone L1 or L2.

[The9]

Many said the same last year.

 

Questions over whether lambert would do it at this level, Deano not being good enough, Frazer not good enough....and so on.

 

You state that Norwich and Swansea show what we can do.....they've kept 80% of the side from the championship. Why can't we do the same?

 

Do not expect lots of new players if we make it, 3 or 4 maximum to add to the squad. That's all I expect, anyone expecting more are being a bit harsh on the current group and will end up being disappointed.

 

They haven't. They've both replaced 5 or 6 starters since Jan 2011. I our case that means adding another 4 at least.

[The9]

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.

 

Tranmere, Rochdale, Oldham, Brentford and Leyton Orient would like a word.

[The9]

Did people not enjoy the three decades up to 2005 then???

 

Up to the point when we got relegated from the Prem, Saints had lost more matches than ANY of the other 91 Prem/FL clubs.

 

Winning games is a good thing and makes me happy. I can go to visit the places big clubs play in when I'm watching small clubs too. What I really want is Saints to win matches in the Prem, and then win matches in Europe, and then win the World Club championship, preferably whilst turning themselves into a global phenomenon that everyone loves and without selling out its soul, sacrificing itself to the Gods of money, or attracting glory hunters or people who only claim they're fans when we've won stuff. Some of those things just ain't gonna happen without others being compromised.

 

I quite like being good at a not-tippy top level, Premier League football is mostly plastic and annoying, and so full of hype and vacuous behaviour that it is really difficult to like being part of it.

 

As an example, people are glad-handing football fans for having basic decency in the wake (not literally, thankfully) of a player nearly dying on the pitch. Big whoop - did we really sink so far that we didn't expect it ?

[The9]

Can't wait to pay extortionate amounts and sit around the new happy clappers that will start going to away games. Our support has improved so much since we've been in the lower leagues, if we went up it'd be boring again and we'd sit at most places like we did last time we were in the Prem.

 

I doubt we'll suddenly develop thousands of new away fans outside of matches against "glamour clubs" in Liverpool, Manchester and London. Home fans, yes, for the first season anyway we'll get a jump in attendances unless the prices are also hiked ridiculously.

 

It's actually the cost of transport not the cost of tickets that I'm finding more influential on my away attendance.

[The9]

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

 

Steve Grant posted something a few days ago to the effect of Saints being on tv 11 times this season compared to 9 for Wigan.

[Frank's cousin]

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.[/rant]

 

Thing is though this really just depends on your generation - how many years do you go back for the 'old' football experience - remember before the late 60s, early 70s' there were always plenty of kids - rattles, scarves what have you - the modern day equivilant is teh Jesters hat and family sections - It was only the cultural tribal hooli shift of the 70s and 80s that made football the more male dominated experience some of a certain age look back on with fondness - you could argue that the 'clensing' of football through high ticket prices, all seater stadia and kids in jester's hats was really just wrestling football back from the sad state it was in during the 70s and 80s - naturally if 'those were the glory days of youth', its easy to see why so many hark back to this is the 'real experience'. Dont mock teh Jesters hats too much - these kids will be tomorrows loyal fans - would you rather they were still behind steel cages, feeling uncomfortable or threatened on the walk home?

 

The issue of affordability is more of a concern though as this does mean that SMS will once again see a shift to a more affluent 'prem only fan' - all adding to the clubs coffers, and happens at every club. Its not so much 'new' fans I have a problem with, but the the fact that the pricing does impact on many that go through bad times and lower league as well as top tier.

[Whitey Grandad]

Steve Grant posted something a few days ago to the effect of Saints being on tv 11 times this season compared to 9 for Wigan.

 

Fair 'nuff. We do have a 46-game season though. I suppose it's the european competitions that screw everything up.

[alidiasagent]

Promotion would certainly give us a better idea of the owners future intent, will they invest and make a solid play at staying in the division, or will they look to flip the club for profit and move on. I'm aware we have a plan that aims to take us to the CL (nothing wrong with wild, wild ambition) .. but hopefully making our way back up will give us a better indication on the clubs future. However it pans out the infrastructure investment is a really positive sign, personally I'd love to see us back in the Prem!

[Lord Duckhunter]

It's great to travel to games in expectation rather than hope, but the Premiership is the place to be.

 

I've enjoyed this season, but my nipper cant remember the Premiership days,so would love it for him and other nippers. It would be great for people like Lambert, Lallana, and not forgetting Kelvin who turned down West Ham to stay with us.

 

Would be great for all involved with the takeover as well, NC and ML's family.

[SuperMikey]

I think if we want our club to be taken seriously and respected, we need to be in the Prem. I love the Football League, but ultimately if we want to be successful then we have to achieve things in the Prem.

 

Personally I think the key to our success is to make Nigel our David Moyes. I hope he's with us for another 8 years at least.

[doddisalegend]

I think if we want our club to be taken seriously and respected, we need to be in the Prem. I love the Football League, but ultimately if we want to be successful then we have to achieve things in the Prem.

 

Personally I think the key to our success is to make Nigel our David Moyes. I hope he's with us for another 8 years at least.

 

What like Wigan or Bolton? I have to ask myself which clubs I respect more the likes of Hartlepool or Carlisle who carry on despite getting next to nothing from the football gravy boat with fans who go to surpport a team that is neither glamourus or likely to ever be very succsessful footballing wise or a team like Man city or Liverpool with hordes of glory fans and constant supply of big money who seem intent on filling Englands top league with overpaid foreigners (and a few overpaid englishmen to boot).

[Whitey Grandad]

What like Wigan or Bolton? I have to ask myself which clubs I respect more the likes of Hartlepool or Carlisle who carry on despite getting next to nothing from the football gravy boat with fans who go to surpport a team that is neither glamourus or likely to ever be very succsessful footballing wise or a team like Man city or Liverpool with hordes of glory fans and constant supply of big money who seem intent on filling Englands top league with overpaid foreigners (and a few overpaid englishmen to boot).

 

No, like Southampton FC. We were always respected.

[doddisalegend]

No, like Southampton FC. We were always respected.

 

I think you have liked and respected mixed up we were liked in the PL becuase everyone thought we were an easy 6pts and we had Matty. I doubt many clubs respected us anymore than most of our fans respected Yeovil in league 1.

[Whitey Grandad]

I think you have liked and respected mixed up we were liked in the PL becuase everyone thought we were an easy 6pts and we had Matty. I doubt many clubs respected us anymore than most of our fans respected Yeovil in league 1.

 

I remember people saying that they liked Southampton because we played good football, and of course they all liked Sir Matthew. Perhaps they were were too polite to say we were a soft touch in my presence.

[doddisalegend]

I remember people saying that they liked Southampton because we played good football, and of course they all liked Sir Matthew. Perhaps they were were too polite to say we were a soft touch in my presence.

 

People always liked us in the PL no doubt. One of the wierd things about being in league 1 was suddendly finding out that fans of teams like Brentford and Colchester all seemed to hate us. I reckon (proper football rivals aside) teams are liked/disliked by other teams based on how much of a threat they are. Hence in the PL everyone likes us in the champ it's 50/50 in league one everyone seemed to hate us.

[offix]

While promotion is what we play for, it also scares the crap out of me.

 

The possibility that we'll initially be fighting just to stay up there doesn't really appeal, and the possibility of relegation again makes me cry just thinking about it.

We will need some significant strengthening of the squad. I trust NA and Cortese that they will bring in re-enforcements, but with that comes the danger of getting players in for whom it is all about the money and less about the club. Call me a sentimental old fool, but I would rather see an average player with a heart for the club than some "galactico" who is only at SFC until some other club offers more money.

 

We are going to have to put a lot of trust in the management team's ability to create a good 3-5 year plan that will allow us in the first few seasons to survive in the Prem, and after that getting us European football and possibly a title. It would be a daunting task, but given the success of our previous 5 year plan, and management's ability to stick to that plan, I think SFC can do it.

 

Red And White Forever!