Foreboding or Excitement?

[dune]

This is the attitude to have!

 

[patred44]

This is the attitude to have!

 

 

 

 

you ole bugger you:rolleyes:

 

YOU KNOW I'M NAY BRITISH

 

[dune]

The Dunkirk attitude...glorious in defeat..

 

The perfect illustration of the British attitude. Turn a defeat/a bad situation into a positive/glorious victory, and then regroup and strike back. That is what is needed now, not all this lilly livered socialist defeatism and self pity.

[Cabrone]

I'm really enjoying this, the uncertainty is what makes sport so great and makes the winning all the more sweeter.

 

Posh is the pivotal fixture now, a decent win there, say 3-0 and we'll do it IMO regardless of the result at Boro (as long as we're not slaughtered and that isn't going to happen).

 

Can't see Wham scoring a tonne at Brizzle and Leicester so beat Posh and the best Wham can do is go into the final game level on points with us with a similar GD.

 

That means at worst it will be a shoot out and they will have Hull whilst we have Cov.

 

My money would be on us hammering Cov a lot more than they can hammer Hull (just don't remind me of how that BHA shower performed there yesterday - embarrassing).

 

Job done...........and that assumes Wham will get 3 wins which is far from certain.

 

I guess it helps that I don't give a monkey's about being in the prem anyway so I'm pretty relaxed about the whole thing.

[dune]

Ian Douglas Smith - the Greatest Statesman of the 20th Century would not have wilted at a time like this. Neither should we FFS.

 

[video=youtube;84-g9_SJse0]

[Whitey Grandad]

I'm really enjoying this, the uncertainty is what makes sport so great and makes the winning all the more sweeter.

 

Posh is the pivotal fixture now, a decent win there, say 3-0 and we'll do it IMO regardless of the result at Boro (as long as we're not slaughtered and that isn't going to happen).

 

Can't see Wham scoring a tonne at Brizzle and Leicester so beat Posh and the best Wham can do is go into the final game level on points with us with a similar GD.

 

That means at worst it will be a shoot out and they will have Hull whilst we have Cov.

 

My money would be on us hammering Cov a lot more than they can hammer Hull (just don't remind me of how that BHA shower performed there yesterday - embarrassing).

 

Job done...........and that assumes Wham will get 3 wins which is far from certain.

 

I guess it helps that I don't give a monkey's about being in the prem anyway so I'm pretty relaxed about the whole thing.

 

I suppose that's the way that I feel about it. I'm desperate for promotion but the thought of actually being in the premiership isn't very attractive.

[dune]

[Crab Lungs]

Apart from a couple of pointless, half-baked attempts at correlations with our situation and that of the British Empire, I'm glad I opened up now, despite it being considered "lily livered" by some.

 

To which, anyway, I'd counter "On the contrary - I'm just saying what I'm feeling right now".

 

However, it's been great to read so many different perspectives and whilst it's some comfort to know I'm not the only one with a knotted stomach, it's also heartening to hear so many positive and balanced views of the situation. It's certainly given me a brighter outlook than I had yesterday now I've taken other, more cheery opinions into account.

 

On another note, if Brighton didn't throw that game then that is probably one of the most diabolical footballing "performances" ever. If you haven't seen their game versus Wham, I'd urge you to watch the highlights. Staggering.

[dune]

[hamster]

Good post crablungs, I often veer away from the longer posts but yours was like one of those brilliant opening paragraphs (plural) of a decent book.

 

For me personally, we are chasing Reading. Period.

[dune]

A message for the hysterical sops.

 

[dune]

Replace Maggie with Nicky, Replace the Socialists with Lowe, Wilde et al.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7noHkLaZ5VI

[SteveBish]

I have to say good post crab i believe we'll know better on tuesday night, i do think we will win at Peterborough and i have to say the result at Bristol is not now so much a forgone conclusion remember yesterday they got a draw away at Birmingham and a win for them on Tuesday could almost have them stay up so i wouldn't be supprised if they get a draw.

Which will mean we will only need 2 draws at that point if we win at Peterborough, also for West Ham away at Leicester is really not an easy game, yes everything could go really wrong but it could also be absolutely fine. I am a little nervous but i'm not quite doom and gloom just yet its still in our hands.

[Suomi Saint]

The nerves are affecting Saints fans all over the world. However, it's only a game right? What would you rather see next season.....a dogfight against relegation or a swathe of superb wins? Of course we all hope for promotion, but the PL is pretty dull compared to the Championship in reality. There are 3 separate leagues within a league in the Prem...and the bottom 2 are pretty dross imho. Notwithstanding this, we will prevail and go up - I'm sure of that. If we don't, then it's more wins and greater entertainment next season. Tuesday's match is a must-win. If we lose, then it's the play-offs for sure.

[SW11_Saint]

Good post CL, and I think you sum up most fans feelings at the moment.

 

This morning I am very much 'glass half full' again. The players will be hurting just as much as us after Friday and will feel aggrieved at not getting a result. I expect a professional display at Peterborough (a la Palace), and a win there. Nigel will have them all very focussed I am sure. Let's not forget how well we played Friday, despite the result.

 

Also, you never know, West Ham, and maybe even Reading may slip up on Tuesday, in which case the table feel very different again.

 

Keep the faith, we are going up. COYS!

[Dalek2003]

Seriously, I expected to finish around 17th so anything above is better than expected !

[Barry the Badger]

Yesterday it was forboding following the defeat. But today, I'm just bloody excited about heading up to Peterborough on Tuesday.

 

Whatever happens it's going to be exciting and that's what it should all be about. It would've been great to have a comfortable gap and nothing to play for, but this tension will provide quite a buzz.

[Maggie May]

If we don't go up next season will be difficult and will probably be the one we were supposed to have this season. Not getting promoted this year after being in the top two will be a significant phsycological blow from which we may never recover from. I've written off any chance of winning the play offs so it's promotion or bust.

[shurlock]

Bit of both but the time having to wait is a killer.

[Dalek2003]

If we don't go up next season will be difficult and will probably be the one we were supposed to have this season. Not getting promoted this year after being in the top two will be a significant phsycological blow from which we may never recover from. I've written off any chance of winning the play offs so it's promotion or bust.

 

I would say that we stand a good chance in the play offs !

[hamster]

If we don't go up next season will be difficult and will probably be the one we were supposed to have this season. Not getting promoted this year after being in the top two will be a significant phsycological blow from which we may never recover from. I've written off any chance of winning the play offs so it's promotion or bust.

 

Especially without our top players and the manager poached. NC may decide to cash in and run too. We will be promoted anyway so moot point imho.

[RedArmy]

We lost to a team that completely deserve to win the league, and suddenly our season is over? Get a grip FFS.

 

We have 3 games left. Starting with 2 away games, here's a little stat for the bi-polar nappy wearers;

 

Last 6 away games - P6 W5 D0 L1 F11 A5 (4 clean sheets)

 

Win these two away games and the pressure on West Ham to win at Leicester on the Monday will be huge, if they flinch it's game over.

[Tom & Gerry]

I hate football. It happens nearly every April. There are normal people out there enjoying the Spring sunshine with not a care in the world and I'm as grumpy as hell. I apologise now to my friends and family for the mood swings they will have to put up with for the next 2 weeks. I know that life goes on and this has to be better than where we were 3 years ago but 2 Sundays from now I will be either crying with joy or utterly gutted.

[Barry the Badger]

I hate football. It happens nearly every April. There are normal people out there enjoying the Spring sunshine with not a care in the world and I'm as grumpy as hell. I apologise now to my friends and family for the mood swings they will have to put up with for the next 2 weeks.

 

I love football. It happens nearly every April. There are normal people out here going about their ordinary lives with nothing exciting happening and I'm buzzing as hell. I apologise now to my friends and family for the fact I can't talk about anything else for the next 2 weeks.

[John B]

Foreboding as the last few games have shown unless we buy nearly a new team we are going to struggle in the PL next season

 

I think we need a whole new back four plus goalie what we have are OK for back up

[Barry the Badger]

Foreboding as the last few games have shown unless we buy nearly a new team we are going to struggle in the PL next season

 

 

Rubbish. Knee jerk rubbish.

[Whitey Grandad]

I hate football. It happens nearly every April. There are normal people out there enjoying the Spring sunshine with not a care in the world and I'm as grumpy as hell. I apologise now to my friends and family for the mood swings they will have to put up with for the next 2 weeks. I know that life goes on and this has to be better than where we were 3 years ago but 2 Sundays from now I will be either crying with joy or utterly gutted.

 

I love football. It happens nearly every April. There are normal people out here going about their ordinary lives with nothing exciting happening and I'm buzzing as hell. I apologise now to my friends and family for the fact I can't talk about anything else for the next 2 weeks.

 

I know it's hard to believe but there are people who couldn't give a toss about the next few results. I'm not sure if I envy them, or not. Where ignorance is bliss 'tis folly to be wise.

[Raging Bull]

Defo excitement, this is what footballs all about.

[Ashley Grute]

I am totally obsessed with football at the moment, think about possible results all the time! Keep looking on here and KUMB and just cant wait for Tues night. My wife is due in 3 weeks and I seem to be more focused on Saints! And I am desperate for the skates to go down as I work in a sports department at a college in Pompey surrounded by skate staff and students!

[Eddie Lizzard]

Just take one game at a time. The last few games have shown us how our perspective can change. Enjoy it. It's better than going into admin and being relegated like three years ago! The pressure at the top is nowhere near as bad as when you're struggling to survive.

[Reggie Dunlop]

What a difference a week makes, following the draw with the blue few which we did not play well and felt like a defeat to us all

the lads picked themselves up and put in a professional display against palace.

The Reading game we played well and the result did not go for us and this would make anyone have a knee jerk reaction and

cause doubt.

 

There are 3 games to go and I have no doubt that the team will be prepared and be in the right frame of mind that this is not

over, there may still be some twists and turns before the season is over for the 3 teams involved or on the other hand it may be

decided already and it is as we are.

 

When looking at the fixtures that we have left can anyone actually say that the other 2 will get maximum points and that we will not or a variation that would mean us not going up, a betting person would not gamble on the matches that are left as there are

no certainties in this world.

 

Like Nigel says one game at a time, next up Peterborough and if we come away with 3 points the doubts will be removed and wewill be back on track, if we get 1 point there may still be doubters but it will still mean it is in our hands, Middlesborough will be

tough but it is far from a unwinnable game.

 

Yeah West Ham are rattling goals in left right and centre at the moment and have closed the GD to within -3 of us but that's still 3 better for us.

 

We all get nervous and like CL has said, but the negativity if it carries on will rub off on others and serve no purpose, have faith we can do this.

[Special K]

Apart from a couple of pointless, half-baked attempts at correlations with our situation and that of the British Empire, I'm glad I opened up now, despite it being considered "lily livered" by some.

 

To which, anyway, I'd counter "On the contrary - I'm just saying what I'm feeling right now".

 

However, it's been great to read so many different perspectives and whilst it's some comfort to know I'm not the only one with a knotted stomach, it's also heartening to hear so many positive and balanced views of the situation. It's certainly given me a brighter outlook than I had yesterday now I've taken other, more cheery opinions into account.

 

On another note, if Brighton didn't throw that game then that is probably one of the most diabolical footballing "performances" ever. If you haven't seen their game versus Wham, I'd urge you to watch the highlights. Staggering.

 

Sorry if i sounded a bit OTT with my earlier post, i'd had a couple of sherberts last night!

 

But just got fed up with the wrist slitters after Friday. Personally this is the best I could have hoped for for this season - Top two with 3 to go, All to play for (no mid table mediocrity), chasing and being chased, if we fail we make the play offs anyway. How can anyone feel negative about that??!?

[Dr Who?]

Excitment without a doubt. I am loving it, and even though I have been studying remaining fixtures, I have not managed to call much that has happened in this time.

 

This is what football is all about, and I have said it a million times before, if you cannot enjoy it now you never will! COYR.

[jasonb]

We'll be promoted at Middlesbrough.. I've been saying it for weeks.. I'm going up there because I believe it so much...

 

B E L I E V E !!

 

Out on the P I S S in Newcastle on Saturday night come what may!! See you there

[SW11_Saint]

We'll be promoted at Middlesbrough.. I've been saying it for weeks.. I'm going up there because I believe it so much...

 

B E L I E V E !!

 

Out on the P I S S in Newcastle on Saturday night come what may!! See you there

We are too. Gonna paint The Toon red (& white)!

[alpine_saint]

LOL.

 

Dune is so stuck in a timewarp.

 

 

If you want to know what defines the British nowadays mate, I suggest you recall some of the following :

 

The Royal Navy surrending to a poxy Iranian gun-boat in the Gulf and allowing themselves to be televised spilling the beans about everything

 

How the US Navy turns its historical ships into museums and memorials where as HMS Invincible has recently been photographed with her front half being chopped to pieces in Turkey and it came out at the weekend that a 20-year campaign to save HMS Plymouth has failed

 

The lines of hearses going through Wootton Basset as our dead sons are brought back from the most pointless adventure in British Military History.

 

Self-pitying mawkishness over Diana, Mwamba, Hillsborough, and arguably RMS Titanic

 

Simon Cowell, Bruce Forsyth and Big Brother utterly destroying a vibrant "pop" culture and killing quality TV production

 

 

The Britain you obsess over is gone, and I hope that Saints dont play with a modern-day British spirit tomorrow, we'll get hammered and the team will refuse to take responsibility for their poor performance, blaming others, wet leaves on the line, Health and Safety or the wrong type of snow...

[Halo Stickman]

Whilst nervousness and anxiety are natural emotions, people must find the courage to eliminate them. One of the few certainties in football is that fearful players - and fans - do not perform at their best. Fear has no place at SFC over the next two weeks. Forget the past, forget the future, focus on the present. Don't concern ourselves with things we can't control, concentrate on things we can.

 

Stay positive. We are Southampton Football Club. We're better than our remaining opponents; the league table confirms this. We can - and will - out-perform them both on and off the pitch.

 

Everyone at the club has worked extremely hard to give us this opportunity to carve ourselves a place in Southampton folklore. Let those of us without fear march shoulder to shoulder into the history books. For the sake of our club, let those of us crippled by fear remain at home.

[jasonb]

We're better than our remaining opponents; the league table confirms this.

 

An excellent post Mr Stickman and the above excerpt I felt worthy of highlighting ! Bravo ! See you in the trenches... 3 game season now folks COYR!!!!!! Well up for this

[martel]

If we don't win Tues we can still get automatic promotion even if West Ham win all their games.

 

If we don't get auto promotion we have a good chance of a trip to Wembley and promotion.

 

If we don't get promotion this year we will probably go up next year or the year after.

 

The Premier League is overhyped, expensive with more Sunday kick-offs and defeats against c*nts like Man utd anyway.

 

Whatever happens, we can still continue to laugh at pompey.

 

I have to agree, good positive post, the glass is half full.

[saintbob40]

Sleep deprivation seems to be becoming a bit of an issue. I wake up at around 3 am and then end up playing the various results/scenarios through in my head. I then try to count sheep but they then all start jumping into big fat Sam's mouth and it all gets a bit freaky.......at least 4 points from the next two games should help though!

[S-Clarke]

Sleep deprivation seems to be becoming a bit of an issue. I wake up at around 3 am and then end up playing the various results/scenarios through in my head. I then try to count sheep but they then all start jumping into big fat Sam's mouth and it all gets a bit freaky.......at least 4 points from the next two games should help though!

 

I'm not that bad yet!

 

But it's a case of who blinks next....one of us will slip up in the next 3 games, but I don’t have the foggiest as to who that will be.

 

As someone said on another thread things are so tight, that by this time on Wednesday morning we could be all but promoted, or we could be sat 3rd with a hell of a lot to do. (although I'd be very suprised if that's the case)

 

Although the GD advantage has gone, there is still a slight advantage, so WHU still have to make it up (and so do Reading tbf) and I can see us putting a few past Coventry on the last day.

 

I just have a feeling that we will be promoted live on sky, of all places, and that will once and for all put this sky ''hoodoo' myth to bed.

 

Getting promoted at home is great, but the feeling of doing it away live on TV would be much greater - especially at Boro's ground.

[alpine_saint]

Whilst nervousness and anxiety are natural emotions, people must find the courage to eliminate them. One of the few certainties in football is that fearful players - and fans - do not perform at their best. Fear has no place at SFC over the next two weeks. Forget the past, forget the future, focus on the present. Don't concern ourselves with things we can't control, concentrate on things we can.

 

Stay positive. We are Southampton Football Club. We're better than our remaining opponents; the league table confirms this. We can - and will - out-perform them both on and off the pitch.

 

Everyone at the club has worked extremely hard to give us this opportunity to carve ourselves a place in Southampton folklore. Let those of us without fear march shoulder to shoulder into the history books. For the sake of our club, let those of us crippled by fear remain at home.

 

Which is why we lost to Blackpool, Reading, Bristol City, Doncaster, Leicester, Cardiff - even though we were top.

 

The table means nothing, and means even less on a tight run-in like this.

[S-Clarke]

Which is why we lost to Blackpool, Reading, Bristol City, Doncaster, Leicester, Cardiff - even though we were top.

 

The table means nothing, and means even less on a tight run-in like this.

 

Would agree with that, at this stage with everyone fighting for something the table means zilch - it's who has the drive and motivation to get over the line. Sometimes a little bit of extra quality does the job, but quite often you find very little between teams at this stage of the season.

 

That's why WHU away at Bristol City is going to be a very tricky task for them.

 

If we win and they don't, it's curtains.

[sotonjoe]

We're probably two decent wins away from the Prem. That is bloody exciting.

[alpine_saint]

We're probably two decent wins away from the Prem. That is bloody exciting.

 

Of course it is. Its just that those who are feeling less positive about it (and apparently should be banned for our troubles) are wondering about the likelihoods. Personally I reckon we are facing our toughest week of the season now, simply because of the backdrop we go into these games on, not because of the opposition per se.

[Halo Stickman]

Which is why we lost to Blackpool, Reading, Bristol City, Doncaster, Leicester, Cardiff - even though we were top.

 

The table means nothing, and means even less on a tight run-in like this.

 

If we'd taken your negative mindset into every match we'd have lost to a damn sight more teams than that:rolleyes:

[S-Clarke]

Of course it is. Its just that those who are feeling less positive about it (and apparently should be banned for our troubles) are wondering about the likelihoods. Personally I reckon we are facing our toughest week of the season now, simply because of the backdrop we go into these games on, not because of the opposition per se.

 

I'd still say West Ham have their toughest week of the season, they know that they cannot slip up at all. They're away at a scrapping and decent Bristol City team, and then away to a very handy Lecister city team who seem to play better when the pressure is off for some reason.

 

They still have to catch us, and although the pressure has increased on us somewhat, anyone below would swap with us going into this week.

[Thedelldays]

Which is why we lost to Blackpool, Reading, Bristol City, Doncaster, Leicester, Cardiff - even though we were top.

 

The table means nothing, and means even less on a tight run-in like this.

 

you are a LUNATIC

[St_Tel49]

Unfortunately, I'm the former. We're not even playing until Tuesday but my stomach is doing cycles right about now.

 

I'm normally quite a positive Saint - I've pretty much looked on the bright side of everything but at the moment I feel absolutely dreadful. Nervy, anxious, scared... running through all the possible permutations in my mind what might happen.

 

In one round of Championship fixtures my whole viewpoint has been turned upside down. I've gone from quietly confident to rather worrisome all in the space of 24 hours.

 

The one small consolation is that it's in our hands still but even that dredges up an overwhelming sense of internal foreboding and outwardly anxiousness. I want clarity of thought but at this moment in time, I cannot help but go over some of the most recent games and injustices.

 

The Norris' equaliser and the thought of the horrible club down the road revelling after playing a part in the unravelling of our season... the excellent performance punctuated by three sucker punches yesterday evening.

 

The doom-like thought of being top 2 all season and slipping out on the last day. It's dreadful to even think like that, but I am.

 

And it replays over, and over, and over in mind.

 

I have this horrible sense of foreboding now. The fixture list looked so differently yesterday. What I considered a favourable run-in now looks like a mountainous task. Worse still, I look at our rivals and consider their chances far more than ours.

 

I don't believe their game(s) are any easier, that's for sure but what I do consider is that momentum and belief has made an almighty shift. Confidence is important in football and at the business end of the season when things need to get done it's so important.

 

Psychologically, this weekend has been damaging - perhaps the most damaging this season. There is now almost no margin for error. West Ham will be going **** and bust and having almost accepted the realisation of the playoffs they have credible chance of catching us. They can play with more freedom, more vigour, more tenacity.

 

Can we?

 

The thing that worries me the most is the psychological impact. We're not chasing, we're being chased and we're a step away from being caught. Do we have what it takes to keep our nerve or will we cave in under the huge pressure which has, despite what people might say, been heaped upon us?

 

I don't subscribe to anyone who considers us as bottlers. We didn't bottle it last season and we've previous of coming through when the going get's tough. The question is... can we do it again?

 

I'd like to think so but I'm bloody nervous. Bloody, bastardly, horribly nervous.

 

Anyway, that's just me personally. I don't want to be negative so therefore I'd like to ask you all what you're feeling, deep down. Confident? Excited? Nervous?

 

How are you coping with it? Are you just rolling with the punches or are there any more like me who are slightly more... worried?

I feel exactly as you do. My worry is that if we concede the automatic place then we will not go up at all. The record of third placed teams getting promoted is very poor and there is no doubt that we have lost momentum - momentum that is hard to get going again. We must win the last 3 games - no ifs and buts.

[jasonb]

We are too. Gonna paint The Toon red (& white)!

 

Never been out up there before despite spending a year in Boro doing my MSc.. .you know where we should head in the evening when back form Boro??? Assume red n white stripes won't be a good idea in Newcastle city centre too?