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Are we not better off in a lower league?


sotonian

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I preferred life in the Championship; last season, and even when we were a bit sh*t in the seasons prior to relegation. League 1 was a step too far, although good at the time to see some good old clubs and proper away days. I've been put off by the Premier League, its not why I go and support my team, its built for the casual armchair fan. Lack of 3pm kick offs, no real competition (the league is sewn up by 2 or 3 teams every year), and the aim of the game is survival where finishing tenth is a huge achievement. No thanks.

 

Unfortunately my ideal situation isn't possible; playing in the Championship, winning (or reaching the playoffs), then turning down the opportunity of promotion. Call it what you want; lacking ambition or whatever; the bulk of supporting Saints happens for me with meeting for lunch in the pub and watching a Saturday 3pm ko. Everything else in between is just filler. I'd prefer to be in a league where we can compete; where finishing 12th isn't seen as an amazing achievement. Where being in 9th, 10th place you're still fighting for a tangible reward. Best league in England as far as I'm concerned, because on any given day any one team can turn over any one other team.

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I am finding myself not caring as much this season as I did last year. I'm not hopeful of our chances of staying up this year, and it all seems a bit weird.

 

Despite being a season ticket holder for 10 years now, this is probably the least excited I've been about a season for a long time, in big part because we'll never be able to compete with the big boys.

 

Last season was great, as it was completely unexpected - a huge part of the praise for last season should go to Adkins. Feel a bit sorry for the chap this season.

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I don't really understand the gloom and doom. We're losing and yes that isn't fun but we've had two promotions in two years a fantastic achievement and if we o straight down I'm still very happy with the progress made. I'll be miserable when we inevitably lose Rickie and Adam after going down though.

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I preferred life in the Championship; last season, and even when we were a bit sh*t in the seasons prior to relegation. League 1 was a step too far, although good at the time to see some good old clubs and proper away days. I've been put off by the Premier League, its not why I go and support my team, its built for the casual armchair fan. Lack of 3pm kick offs, no real competition (the league is sewn up by 2 or 3 teams every year), and the aim of the game is survival where finishing tenth is a huge achievement. No thanks.

 

Unfortunately my ideal situation isn't possible; playing in the Championship, winning (or reaching the playoffs), then turning down the opportunity of promotion. Call it what you want; lacking ambition or whatever; the bulk of supporting Saints happens for me with meeting for lunch in the pub and watching a Saturday 3pm ko. Everything else in between is just filler. I'd prefer to be in a league where we can compete; where finishing 12th isn't seen as an amazing achievement. Where being in 9th, 10th place you're still fighting for a tangible reward. Best league in England as far as I'm concerned, because on any given day any one team can turn over any one other team.

 

This ^^

 

I think the championship is better for fans.....I think the PL is better for players and chairmen

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I am finding myself not caring as much this season as I did last year. I'm not hopeful of our chances of staying up this year, and it all seems a bit weird.

Despite being a season ticket holder for 10 years now, this is probably the least excited I've been about a season for a long time, in big part because we'll never be able to compete with the big boys.

 

Last season was great, as it was completely unexpected - a huge part of the praise for last season should go to Adkins. Feel a bit sorry for the chap this season.

 

This to^^^

 

Gave up my ST this season...find myself less bothered as a result...

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Ive really enjoyed the last 3 years. The prospect of promotion to the Premier League was amazing!

 

But now we're here, its pretty ****. Plastic fans, Sunday at 3pm kickoffs..... No hope of winning anything.

 

I'd rather be a Middlesborough fan right now. Far more fun and excitement

 

Agreed. Well, all bar the Middlesborough part ;).

 

Enjoyed the competitive nature of the championship. We finished second, but took no points off of the likes of Bristol City, and got a right good pounding away at Brighton, just to illustrate

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Was having this conversation with my dad last weekend at West Ham. It was a lot more fun going to away games expecting to get atleast a draw and having a good chance of coming away with a point. It's got to the point in this league, where a draw is a great result, and a win away is beyond your wildest dreams. Great to be back in the prem but seems a lot more stale than what I remember. Also the atmosphere in the home games and all away games has been pretty poor. Who would have thought a team who were 4-1 up at half time would sit in silence all game, and Everton who I always thought their fans were really good, sat in silence all game. And West Ham, who I'm told have the best fans in the league constantly by West Ham supporting mates, barely make a noise even when they were winning...This season has been all a bit.....'MEHHH'.

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This season is sh*t. All my worst fears about the PL have come true. Sterile, demotivating, soul-less, money obsessed.

 

I like the idea of winning the NPC, or coming second, or winning the playoffs, then "declining" promotion.

 

I am starting to hope the Euro Super League finally takes off one day, then the big 4-6 can f**k off and the rest of us can scrap for honours again.

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No, obviously not.

 

The aim is to achieve as high as possible.

 

Players, as professionals will want to play at the highest stage, against the best possible opponents. Surely as fans we should want the same?

 

The Premier League is amongst the best, if not THE BEST, league on the planet.

 

Yes, by and large it is the same teams challenging at the top, but this is much worse elsewhere. In terms of competitiveness, if you compare the EPL to La Liga, Real Madrid (1st) finished 44 pts ahead of Atletico in 5th, whilst in the EPL 44 pts was the difference between Man City in 1st & Stoke City, in 14th.

 

Yes it's hard to adjust from being favourites every week like we have been the past 2/3 years, but I would certainly be a small fish in one of the biggest ponds on the plant, than be favourite against teams like Rochdale & Carlisle week in week out. It will be tougher, and we will get beat a lot more. But look at the players we are coming up against. Tevez, Aguero, Silva, United needed Scholes to turn the game & a Van Persie hat-trick to turn us over, Podolski, Jelavic, Fellaini - these are some of the best players on the planet.

 

How people can't see how Saints are going to fair worse against this standard of players than we have become accustomed to over the past 7 years is totally beyond me.

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This season is sh*t. All my worst fears about the PL have come true. Sterile, demotivating, soul-less, money obsessed.

 

I like the idea of winning the NPC, or coming second, or winning the playoffs, then "declining" promotion.

 

I am starting to hope the Euro Super League finally takes off one day, then the big 4-6 can f**k off and the rest of us can scrap for honours again.

 

I really don't understand this stance?

 

Surely you want to support a team that can pit itself against the best the world has to offer on a regular basis?

 

Is that not what professional sport is all about? The best competing against the best?

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No, obviously not.

 

The aim is to achieve as high as possible.

 

Players, as professionals will want to play at the highest stage, against the best possible opponents. Surely as fans we should want the same?

 

That may be your opinion; in which case its best to express it as such as others have done. Rather than assuming on behalf of all other Saints fans.

 

The Premier League is amongst the best, if not THE BEST, league on the planet.

 

The Sky myth. Outside of the top 7 or 8 clubs I find the Premier League to be fairly average. Sunderland v West Brom; Stoke v Wigan; Reading v Norwich; Fulham v QPR. Not all that inspiring to me.

 

Yes, by and large it is the same teams challenging at the top, but this is much worse elsewhere. In terms of competitiveness, if you compare the EPL to La Liga, Real Madrid (1st) finished 44 pts ahead of Atletico in 5th, whilst in the EPL 44 pts was the difference between Man City in 1st & Stoke City, in 14th.

 

Yes it's hard to adjust from being favourites every week like we have been the past 2/3 years, but I would certainly be a small fish in one of the biggest ponds on the plant, than be favourite against teams like Rochdale & Carlisle week in week out. It will be tougher, and we will get beat a lot more. But look at the players we are coming up against. Tevez, Aguero, Silva, United needed Scholes to turn the game & a Van Persie hat-trick to turn us over, Podolski, Jelavic, Fellaini - these are some of the best players on the planet.

 

I don't go to watch Saints to take pleasure from the visiting players. I go to watch a competitive game of football, and hopefully a Saints win. Seeing Robin van Persie lord it around the pitch makes little difference to my enjoyment of the game.

 

How people can't see how Saints are going to fair worse against this standard of players than we have become accustomed to over the past 7 years is totally beyond me.

 

It's no surprise; at least I'm sure for a lot of people it isn't. I predicted at the start of the summer that I wasn't particularly looking forward to the Premier League and would miss our lower league journey. That our results have been poor has been not been a shock at all, and mine (and seemingly a few others) find more from football than chasing the Premier League dream. To each their own; but for me, this it not it.

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I really don't understand this stance?

 

Surely you want to support a team that can pit itself against the best the world has to offer on a regular basis?

 

Is that not what professional sport is all about? The best competing against the best?

 

Depends what you want from supporting saints I can turn on the tv most days in the week and see top players playing if that's what I wanted........ I don't. I want to go and watch saints play a good competitive game of football, ideally winning more than losing, with my kids, on a saturday afternoon (or the odd tuesday night), as cheaply as possible. The PL really doesn't cater for someone like me.

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I really don't understand this stance?

 

Surely you want to support a team that can pit itself against the best the world has to offer on a regular basis?

 

Is that not what professional sport is all about? The best competing against the best?

 

With that attitude, no-one would support non-league sides. Ever.

 

That would be a thoroughly depressing scenario.

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With that attitude, no-one would support non-league sides. Ever.

 

That would be a thoroughly depressing scenario.

 

Indeed.

 

I have frequently spoken on here of how I enjoy watching my childrens teams (U-9 and U-14) play more than watching most pro-games nowadays. I want to watch an exciting, eventful game. Not necessary quality, not necessary sh*t-loads of money behind it.

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I preferred life in the Championship; last season, and even when we were a bit sh*t in the seasons prior to relegation. League 1 was a step too far, although good at the time to see some good old clubs and proper away days. I've been put off by the Premier League, its not why I go and support my team, its built for the casual armchair fan. Lack of 3pm kick offs, no real competition (the league is sewn up by 2 or 3 teams every year), and the aim of the game is survival where finishing tenth is a huge achievement. No thanks.

 

Unfortunately my ideal situation isn't possible; playing in the Championship, winning (or reaching the playoffs), then turning down the opportunity of promotion. Call it what you want; lacking ambition or whatever; the bulk of supporting Saints happens for me with meeting for lunch in the pub and watching a Saturday 3pm ko. Everything else in between is just filler. I'd prefer to be in a league where we can compete; where finishing 12th isn't seen as an amazing achievement. Where being in 9th, 10th place you're still fighting for a tangible reward. Best league in England as far as I'm concerned, because on any given day any one team can turn over any one other team.

 

This

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Christ we are a depressing bunch aren't we. I'm happy where we are at present. Yes we have had two fantastic seasons, all we need now is a succesful relegation battle to complete a hatrick of great seasons.

 

I still think we have better things to come.

 

I do agree about the Championship though. It really is a fantastic league. It deserves much more coverage than it gets ie. better highlights. The fans are much more real than the prawn sandwich bunch of the Prem.

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so the question is :

Do you want us to play in a " poor-mans league..." (full of up-and-coming boys and journeymen-footballers who are past their prime).. and win all the time?

 

....OR.... have our best players play against " some of the best players in Europe" .and a few who are even world-class? ..... and see how they make out?

 

For anyone with ambition, the answer is obvious ...if you just want to follow " winning teams " in lower leagues all the time....try Tranmere or Leicester.

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I love the nPC, I hated League One. Being in the nPC there's always that chance of a slide into League One. Being in the Premier League there's a chance of a slide into the nPC. but I'd rather be in the Prem fighting against relegation (but not being too disheartened if we go down) than have that chance of slipping from the Championship. Financially it also makes sense to be in this league, even if we do get spanked most weeks, playing against some of the best players in the world is a fantastic learning curve for the players, even if relegation does ultimately follow. A few more Villa results would nice, a few fewer Arsenal or West Ham results would also be nice.

 

We'll get a few more wins for sure, and then strengthen the obvious areas in January. Whether that's with Adkins in charge or someone else, so be it. We'll still at the dawn of this new season and we've only played perhaps two other teams that will be with us battling relegation at the end of the season, and we beat one of them.

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I really don't understand this stance?

 

Surely you want to support a team that can pit itself against the best the world has to offer on a regular basis?

 

Is that not what professional sport is all about? The best competing against the best?

 

You're probably right, if I were a professional sportsman, sadly I never made it out of the Junior leagues, so that makes me someone that goes to a match to be entertained. To be honest I'm not enjoying it a great deal at the moment, and I don't really get entertained by van Persie scoring a hatrick, Fellani making us look like mugs & our defence being ripped to shreds every week.

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I loved L1 (the last season) and the Championship, it was a fantastic period to be a Saints fan. I think that was because we were playing good football and winning though, not because of the league we were in. If things turn around in the Premiership I'm sure we will enjoy it just as much.

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It was always going to be an anti-climax this season, barring several miracle results. Nearly pulled a couple off, but it wasn't to be.

 

The Premiership isn't what I remembered it to be, and probably won't be again after experiencing the mental highs and lows of the last few years.

Edited by Jack
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The truth is that 97% of all PL matches are mind-numbingly boring as there is nothing at stake for anybody except 3 clubs whilst about another 12 spend their lives going up and down like a fiddler's elbow so nobody gives a tit who's in the league and who isn't anymore.

 

'Fair Play' may help but don't hold your breath. Greatest league in the world? Yur avin a laff ain't ya?

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No. We're in the top flight because we deserve to be and despite losing most games I still really enjoy it. If we were in the lower leagues we'd be wanting to get back up here because that's the whole point. The alternative is ending up like Ipswich and slowing sliding down. **** that. I like seeing our team compete against the best and being in one of the biggest leagues in the world. Just enjoy the ride.

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The last 3 years have been brilliant for going to matches but here we are back in the so called "Big Time" and all the old in-fighting has started again (Already). If you judge it on "Pub talk" bragging rights then it is great to be back among the elite, but if you want a good day out with the mates and going home happy then give me the Championship anyday.I really don't like the Premer league but that is my personal opinion. I gave up my season ticket this year after 22 years and really not missing it too much but I will be Southampton til I die!! Unbelievable how many so called supporters in Salisbury suddenly re-appeared when we got promoted and how many of those have hidden the shirts away already!! We have achieved in 3 years more than I ever thought was possible. If it's progress you want then I don't see too much to moan at IMO but then some people will never be happy.

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I am proud that I support Saints and I'm proud we are in the PL and the coverage that goes with it. I love the fact that while a lot of my mates support PL teams I can converse with them about our games more than when we were in the Npc or League one. However it is gutting when we keep loosing and for that reason I'm not enjoying it nowhere near as much as the journey there. I don't want to suffer another relegation so I personally want us to stay up and play in this League however overrated it most certainly is.

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Other than for the money the Prem brings into the club I would much prefer to see us compete in the Championship, it is a league where every game is a good contest very hard to predict results similar size clubs with similar budgets more games & footy at 3pm on a Saturday what is not to like?

 

I would love to see us really compete in the prem but you cannot not see past 3 clubs for the title the gap is so large I can't see us getting to that level.I would like to see us do a West Brom bounce between the divisions & be financialy secure that would do for me

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My wife's family are all Birmingham City fans and my sister-in-law was extremely upbeat when they lost to Blackpool in the play-off semis last May. She said the same as Kraken - having bounced back and forth between the prem and the championship a few times in recent seasons, the championship's much more enjoyable for most people. You get more games, for a start. The pricing's better. The league's more competitive. You play on a Saturday and midweek for a lot of the season. I put it down to covering up her misery at the time, but I'm starting to think she was telling the truth.

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I'm loving it! We're on tv a lot more so I don't have to go all the way to St.Mary's and the televised games have all been pretty sweet! Both the 3-2s against the Manchesters were really exciting, and the Villa game second half I got to stick it to the fat brummies down the pub. No complaints!

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My wife's family are all Birmingham City fans and my sister-in-law was extremely upbeat when they lost to Blackpool in the play-off semis last May. She said the same as Kraken - having bounced back and forth between the prem and the championship a few times in recent seasons, the championship's much more enjoyable for most people. You get more games, for a start. The pricing's better. The league's more competitive. You play on a Saturday and midweek for a lot of the season. I put it down to covering up her misery at the time, but I'm starting to think she was telling the truth.

 

I bet they are over joyed this season

 

Being rubbish in the NPC is far worse than this

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This opinion boils down to us losing every week. If we were winning quite a lot at this level, I'm sure we'd love this even more.

 

It's natural to prefer somewhere where you are more successful, but I still believe we need to be here (and to stay here) to really progress as a club. Sometimes you have to ride the **** to get through to the good times, and we sure did have to do that over the last few years.

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We're not the only supporters who found Championship football far more enjoyable. Time has come for the creation of the Phoenix League, spoken of some 10 years ago. The past 3 years I enjoyed my football more than I have since the days when Ted Bates was in charge. It really is tragic that a decent man like Nigel Adkins ends up being rewarded for all his hard graft by life in the Premier League

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so, we, everyone is happy to go down....providing, someone...maybe god himself, can guarantee we win nearly every week....?

 

This is exactly it, as I said above the only reason people say it was enjoyable is because we may win alot, and did in the last few seasons. Simple as that.

 

I can tell you it wasn't' bloody well enjoyable when we lost 5-0 to Wednesday and Hull. One of the worst seasons of my life.

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so, we, everyone is happy to go down....providing, someone...maybe god himself, can guarantee we win nearly every week....?

 

Not necessarily. As I said in my original post, I enjoyed the Championship in the season we just stayed up. The season following that; well, less so because of the obvious financial issues and general boycotting of Lowe. Success isn't the only reason people prefer Champo football you know.

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This is exactly it, as I said above the only reason people say it was enjoyable is because we may win alot, and did in the last few seasons. Simple as that.

 

I can tell you it wasn't' bloody well enjoyable when we lost 5-0 to Wednesday and Hull. One of the worst seasons of my life.

 

Not simple as that at all; in fact well wide of the mark.

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Not necessarily. As I said in my original post, I enjoyed the Championship in the season we just stayed up. The season following that; well, less so because of the obvious financial issues and general boycotting of Lowe. Success isn't the only reason people prefer Champo football you know.

but that was all pretty short lived....the whole time away from the prem was pretty short lived...eventful and just under half was with a billioniare owner and saints winning most weeks...

 

imagine being a burnley...or coventry.....or peterbro..or barnsley and those clubs with little hope and say they "cant compete" with the likes of saints and other premier league clubs with premier league set ups with money to spend/parachute money etc......that wont be fun doing that 10 years on the bounce with little or no deviation from being just bog standard 14th in the NPC

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