This Forum

[Lord Duckhunter]

The real fans are out in the real world. Everyone who over reacts on here or some other form of social media is just a numpty with no place to state their opinions in the real world.

 

Every fan I know knows that the club has been poorly manged since the summer. Its not wrist slitting or being negative its a simple and blindingly obvious fact. Just scroll back to the summer threads and its the general opinion on here then.

 

And simply put, its the tactics and inability to attack effectively. On top of that we have a board that rip up and unsettle the team/management every summer - be it to pocket some cash or because of ego's at the top.

 

Regardless. The clubs ambition has been undermined since Poch and Cortese left. Every key staff member or player from that era has been removed from the club after Fonte. Thats fine when you bring success in like Koeman, but its clear now that that appointment was more luck than skill.

 

I don't want to dislike Puel, but these players are clearly good enough and we never look like scoring. You can say he should be backed (and in fairness he hasn't been)... But he is either happy with what he has (and is out of his depth), or he is a yes man. That should worry us more, because it means he'll keep his job and that the board have no intention of spending money.

 

Sorry, had a few too many . This was the post the above related to.

 

 

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[Fitzhugh Fella]

So you start a discussion about reasonable behaviour ect on the forum, but within a page label me a WUM because I don't happen to share your opinion of the manager?

 

 

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I don't think you do it on purpose but I was just pointing out your continual positivity (i.e. Saying we will win next week) winds people up as much as the habitual "moaners". You probably are not on a wind up but that is how some perceive you.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

Saint86 .

 

In one sentence you claim "real fans " don't over react , but then follow this with complete over reaction of where we are. You're also trying to blur the lines between opinion and fact . The board don't "rip up and unsettle the team/management every summer" and they certainly don't pocket the cash. As for your assumption that it's ego driven, well if that's not an over reaction I don't know what is. I suggest that before posting that " real fans " don't over react you cease to be a drama queen first.

 

There you go, you call him a drama queen because his view differs from you? He has his opinion you have yours why the need to insult him?

[Fan The Flames]

There you go, you call him a drama queen because his view differs from you? He has his opinion you have yours why the need to insult him?

 

Seriously, drama queen is not insulting. Your op is being diluted if you are going to point out minor things like this.

 

I agree that people should come to this forum with a bit more of an open mindset and a bit more respect but if we are going to get people calling foul for the smallest thing then this forum will go down hill very quickly.

[whelk]

In general the bedwetter sort is more meek and less alpha male and less likely to hurl insults as will also not welcome confrontation. Being all weedy and that

[jasonb]

The fact that there are forum celebrities is a concern, mostly for them.

 

Some posters are posting at an alarming rate. I do worry they are not getting enough vitamin D. Although I suppose they could be outside on wifi.

 

I am still in favour of random forum name generators. Although some posting styles would be 'outed' almost instantly. I think this tells you all you need to know really.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

Agree with most of what's been said one here. This place used to be brilliant, it had a golden era when there were loads and loads of brilliant threads full of interesting views, genuine ITKers, hilarious wit and informed debate. Ones that stand out are when it was claimed that Guly had a clause in his contract that meant if he was fit he had to play a minimum of 15 minutes a game. One of the greatest debates were around stadium expansion these went on for years, Sadly we don't have any more. Who could forget franks cousins drunken Sunday night rants, this place has been going downhill for years, Sue whistle has even stopped mentioning Italy on every post. No wonder the good posters have stopped posting and you can see why!

 

This post wins the internet. Great work as always!

[Fitzhugh Fella]

Seriously, drama queen is not insulting. Your op is being diluted if you are going to point out minor things like this.

 

I agree that people should come to this forum with a bit more of an open mindset and a bit more respect but if we are going to get people calling foul for the smallest thing then this forum will go down hill very quickly.

 

 

Yea but there is no need for it because it then escalates. You wouldn't call someone in a pub you didn't know a drama queen (esp if he was big). I agree it's not the worse insult in the world but it was fairly ironic considering the thread.

[eurosaint]

For the sake of perspective, when I discuss forum behaviour with non Saints friends it seems that the others are just the same ! From Man U to Reading (and beyond) you'll find Alpine_blue, Dalek.red and Heisentoffee !

It seems that the net brings out the warrior behind the keyboard - just look at Twitter, tells you everything

[Winnersaint]

You wouldn't call someone in a pub you didn't know a drama queen (esp if he was big). I agree it's not the worse insult in the world but it was fairly ironic considering the thread.

 

In an ideal world that's how people ought to conduct themselves online, by not saying something on here that they wouldn't say to someones's face. It is the same for all social media, unfortunately that will never be the case. Things have changed over the last ten years, some of it for the better and some of it for the worst because of social media. However it's got the momentum of a juggernaut in those ten years and unfortunately the opportunity for changing online attitudes and behaviours has long since passed. It is what it is, all we can do is rely on individuals to self-regulate or in worst cases be 'moderated' effectively.

[sadoldgit]

I didn't renew my membership and don't post very often here nowadays. The negativity and misery that has grown over the years despite the fact that we are a well run club and have had a great 7 years is really depressing. Yes mistakes have been made but mistakes are made at every club. Sometimes you get away with them. Sometimes you don't. I find it hard to believe that people who have followed the club for a long time don't see that we are far better off than we were several years ago. Dropping down to the Championship then Div 1, administration, now those were things to get upset about. This used to be a dreadful place to visit when we lose but now it is just as dreadful if we draw. We beat Liverpool the other day in a cup semi final but you wouldn't know it judging by some of the posts on here! I am in the 51st year of following this club and in all that time we have only won one major competition. Seriously, what do people expect? We are not Manchester United. We are Southampton, a medium sized club who sometimes punch above our weight. The club has a business model that mostly works well for a club of our size. We are looking for sustainable steady growth and again, have maintained that position. If there is a levelling of this season it is not the end of the world. We finished 6th last year yet still people were calling for Koeman to be sacked. Crazy. I am not a happy clapper. I don't like the fact that we have lost 4 league games on the bounce but slagging off Reed and Puel isn't going to change things. It is not as if they are deliberately going out of their way to lose matches. I go into every Saints game hoping for the best but fearing the worst. I don't expect us to win every game but there are some here who seem to take it personally when we lose. At the end of the day it is just a game of football. If you cant find any joy in following this club, then why do it? That is what I cant fathom about the likes of Alpine and Batman. They seem to get their jollies by revelling in the negatives. It is so, so bloody depressing!

[Pass the Dutchie]

Some people manage to find the joy even in the bad days. Some people manage to find a worry even on the good days. Each perspective is yours to choose freely, but I can guess which people enjoy their lives better.

 

No matter how long you've been following the club, no matter how often you go see a game, no matter how much you feel like you've 'invested' in the club: it's an entertainment business, with the emphasis more and more on the 'business' part. It's nothing personal, and there's no reason to make it personal.

[Whitey Grandad]

In which case it is not an opinion. An opinion has to do with something that cannot be proved true or false. See my post #55

 

Thanks HamSa, that is the basis of my statement, in my opinion

[dronskisaint]

I didn't renew my membership and don't post very often here nowadays. The negativity and misery that has grown over the years despite the fact that we are a well run club and have had a great 7 years is really depressing. Yes mistakes have been made but mistakes are made at every club. Sometimes you get away with them. Sometimes you don't. I find it hard to believe that people who have followed the club for a long time don't see that we are far better off than we were several years ago. Dropping down to the Championship then Div 1, administration, now those were things to get upset about. This used to be a dreadful place to visit when we lose but now it is just as dreadful if we draw. We beat Liverpool the other day in a cup semi final but you wouldn't know it judging by some of the posts on here! I am in the 51st year of following this club and in all that time we have only won one major competition. Seriously, what do people expect? We are not Manchester United. We are Southampton, a medium sized club who sometimes punch above our weight. The club has a business model that mostly works well for a club of our size. We are looking for sustainable steady growth and again, have maintained that position. If there is a levelling of this season it is not the end of the world. We finished 6th last year yet still people were calling for Koeman to be sacked. Crazy. I am not a happy clapper. I don't like the fact that we have lost 4 league games on the bounce but slagging off Reed and Puel isn't going to change things. It is not as if they are deliberately going out of their way to lose matches. I go into every Saints game hoping for the best but fearing the worst. I don't expect us to win every game but there are some here who seem to take it personally when we lose. At the end of the day it is just a game of football. If you cant find any joy in following this club, then why do it? That is what I cant fathom about the likes of Alpine and Batman. They seem to get their jollies by revelling in the negatives. It is so, so bloody depressing!

 

Logical and well-reasoned post with which, from an almost identical length of time of having supported Saints, I agree with. It's called perspective.

[Charlie Wayman]

Some people manage to find the joy even in the bad days. Some people manage to find a worry even on the good days. Each perspective is yours to choose freely, but I can guess which people enjoy their lives better.

 

No matter how long you've been following the club, no matter how often you go see a game, no matter how much you feel like you've 'invested' in the club: it's an entertainment business, with the emphasis more and more on the 'business' part. It's nothing personal, and there's no reason to make it personal.

 

Noble sentiments indeed. I'm not so sure that football is "an entertainment business".

 

T'was never thus when we were young lads on the terraces up behind the goal up at Milton Road, it was a case of just going up there to see our stars close up in the flesh and our team win, nothing else mattered. We couldn't tell you anything about the opposition or their players unless they were really famous like Stan Matthews, Tom Finney or Nat Lofthouse in fact we were oblivious to there being another team on the pitch be it Gillingham or Manchester United. Then we'd go home and replay the match on Subbuteo except this time Saints would win 7-0 as they deserved to preserve their place at the top of the League. It wasn't about entertainment it was about just being there and seeing our heroes who by and large didn't let us down and stayed with us until they hung up their boots.

[Heisenberg]

Only on this forum does wanting more, hoping for more and keen to win a trophy get translated into being "negative"

 

I understand that some will be happy just to have a club and accept that we are mid table club with mid table ambitions (win some lose some ect) and I don’t criticize this outlook. However some of us simply want more and don’t want to settle for mediocrity. That’s not being negative, that’s ambition and hope.

 

I am equally ambitious in my personal life - and simply demand and want more for my life, settling for the normal isn’t on my agenda. Guess that translates now to SFC, we had our dip and we are back - don’t dwell on past failures, look for a bright exciting future. We have a brilliant opportunity; my worry is that Everton are going to steal it while we watch and sit comfortable in 8-15th place.

[thorpie the sinner]

I didn't renew my membership and don't post very often here nowadays. The negativity and misery that has grown over the years despite the fact that we are a well run club and have had a great 7 years is really depressing. Yes mistakes have been made but mistakes are made at every club. Sometimes you get away with them. Sometimes you don't. I find it hard to believe that people who have followed the club for a long time don't see that we are far better off than we were several years ago. Dropping down to the Championship then Div 1, administration, now those were things to get upset about. This used to be a dreadful place to visit when we lose but now it is just as dreadful if we draw. We beat Liverpool the other day in a cup semi final but you wouldn't know it judging by some of the posts on here! I am in the 51st year of following this club and in all that time we have only won one major competition. Seriously, what do people expect? We are not Manchester United. We are Southampton, a medium sized club who sometimes punch above our weight. The club has a business model that mostly works well for a club of our size. We are looking for sustainable steady growth and again, have maintained that position. If there is a levelling of this season it is not the end of the world. We finished 6th last year yet still people were calling for Koeman to be sacked. Crazy. I am not a happy clapper. I don't like the fact that we have lost 4 league games on the bounce but slagging off Reed and Puel isn't going to change things. It is not as if they are deliberately going out of their way to lose matches. I go into every Saints game hoping for the best but fearing the worst. I don't expect us to win every game but there are some here who seem to take it personally when we lose. At the end of the day it is just a game of football. If you cant find any joy in following this club, then why do it? That is what I cant fathom about the likes of Alpine and Batman. They seem to get their jollies by revelling in the negatives. It is so, so bloody depressing!

 

well reasoned, very similar to my thoughts

[Micky]

I didn't renew my membership and don't post very often here nowadays. The negativity and misery that has grown over the years despite the fact that we are a well run club and have had a great 7 years is really depressing. Yes mistakes have been made but mistakes are made at every club. Sometimes you get away with them. Sometimes you don't. I find it hard to believe that people who have followed the club for a long time don't see that we are far better off than we were several years ago. Dropping down to the Championship then Div 1, administration, now those were things to get upset about. This used to be a dreadful place to visit when we lose but now it is just as dreadful if we draw. We beat Liverpool the other day in a cup semi final but you wouldn't know it judging by some of the posts on here! I am in the 51st year of following this club and in all that time we have only won one major competition. Seriously, what do people expect? We are not Manchester United. We are Southampton, a medium sized club who sometimes punch above our weight. The club has a business model that mostly works well for a club of our size. We are looking for sustainable steady growth and again, have maintained that position. If there is a levelling of this season it is not the end of the world. We finished 6th last year yet still people were calling for Koeman to be sacked. Crazy. I am not a happy clapper. I don't like the fact that we have lost 4 league games on the bounce but slagging off Reed and Puel isn't going to change things. It is not as if they are deliberately going out of their way to lose matches. I go into every Saints game hoping for the best but fearing the worst. I don't expect us to win every game but there are some here who seem to take it personally when we lose. At the end of the day it is just a game of football. If you cant find any joy in following this club, then why do it? That is what I cant fathom about the likes of Alpine and Batman. They seem to get their jollies by revelling in the negatives. It is so, so bloody depressing!

 

This, this and thrice this.

 

Not followed for quite so long, but well into 40 years, and as you have said - it's all about perspective. As for this place, well I renewed my subscription last year - but rarely post very much. However, I do spend quite a lot of time lurking just for the laughs really. The match threads are very funny, it generally only takes the first couple of minutes before the usual negativity descends, "he's sh yte, he's crap, he should be sacked" - it really is very funny. I cannot believe how quickly or easily some of our fans actually give up on the team - it's frightening. Because of the run that we are currently on - the post match meltdown threads I also find bloody hilarious - really I wouldn't let some of our on-line fans cross the road without assistance

 

Can you imagine actually going to a game with Batman, Glasgow, Dalek or Alpine - they'd probably start whinging before kick off. I'm sorry but they just come across as people who are totally ignorant of lifes small challenges. I reckon if Alpine burned his Sunday morning toast it would constitute a crisis and he would call the fire brigade for help.

 

All of that said - there are still some good contributors here, who tend to stick to the facts and post reasoned opinion; always look out for the likes of Chez, Doddisalegend, Wes Tender and a few others, who give good match opinion / previews without getting drawn into the negative rhetoric of others. So in essence, it's not all bad, but I fear the negativity far outweighs the rich pickings.

[derry]

See, now that's one that gets my goat - the notion that someone's opinion is worth less because they don't (or can't) go to matches.

 

I'll happily grant you that some perspectives can only be gleaned by "being there", but there's nobody on this forum who didn't change their mind about something after getting home from the match and seeing it on TV.

 

While I'd love to be at the game, I honestly think that I had a better perspective on most events from my armchair than I would have had if I'd been sitting at the ground and drawing conclusions from 50-100 yards away.

 

Watching things from home doesn't legitimize my opinion but it sure as hell doesn't delegitimize it either.

 

I have a season ticket and go to all home matches. The one advantage of being there is seeing what the camera doesn't see, the overall picture and what players are doing off the ball which gives me a view, both good and bad, on certain player's play that if I only watched on TV I wouldn't see.. When it comes to issues involving the ball the camera and the replays give a view that cannot be replicated at the ground. One look and it's over, be distracted and you've missed it. Using replays the camera misses nothing. The more important the issue the more time it gets.

[red&white56]

Only on this forum does wanting more, hoping for more and keen to win a trophy get translated into being "negative"

 

I understand that some will be happy just to have a club and accept that we are mid table club with mid table ambitions (win some lose some ect) and I don’t criticize this outlook. However some of us simply want more and don’t want to settle for mediocrity. That’s not being negative, that’s ambition and hope.

 

..........................................................

 

Just because some of us (and that includes me) are happy to have a club that can maintain a mid-table place in the EPL doesn't automatically mean that we don't have ambition. I want more for Saints but unless I can take over the club and invest several hundred million I can't actually achieve that ambition myself. I don't think expressing ambition is negative BUT without a touch of reality, humility linked in it can appear ultra-negative to some of us as it just seems like moaning.

[kitch]

If you think this forum is bad, you want to see the bed-wetters on social media. Saints fans on Facebook - replying to stuff the club or various news sites have posted - nothing short of embarrassing. Half the ****ers can't even spell!

[sadoldgit]

Only on this forum does wanting more, hoping for more and keen to win a trophy get translated into being "negative"

 

I understand that some will be happy just to have a club and accept that we are mid table club with mid table ambitions (win some lose some ect) and I don’t criticize this outlook. However some of us simply want more and don’t want to settle for mediocrity. That’s not being negative, that’s ambition and hope.

 

I am equally ambitious in my personal life - and simply demand and want more for my life, settling for the normal isn’t on my agenda. Guess that translates now to SFC, we had our dip and we are back - don’t dwell on past failures, look for a bright exciting future. We have a brilliant opportunity; my worry is that Everton are going to steal it while we watch and sit comfortable in 8-15th place.

 

It is perfectly possible to want more, hope for more and be keen to win a trophy without resorting to slagging off the owner/CEO/manager/players every five minutes. At one point the owners weight was called into question. Sorry but that is beyond ridiculous and is indefensible. Perhaps if those dubbed wrist slitters or bed wetters would like to post with constructive comments/critisisms instead of the usual calls to sack people or to slag people off then maybe there would be less of a divide on here.

[Lord Duckhunter]

Yea but there is no need for it because it then escalates. You wouldn't call someone in a pub you didn't know a drama queen (esp if he was big). I agree it's not the worse insult in the world but it was fairly ironic considering the thread.

 

If somebody came into the pub and started saying the board were pocketing transfer cash, were running the club into the ground because of their ego and that the club was totally mismanaged all season , then yes I would call them a drama queen .

 

 

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[Lord Duckhunter]

I don't think you do it on purpose but I was just pointing out your continual positivity (i.e. Saying we will win next week) winds people up as much as the habitual "moaners". You probably are not on a wind up but that is how some perceive you.

 

I don't recall saying we will win next week, said its possible , which of course it is. If saying I think it's possible to win, posting that I think Puel is doing a good job given the players he's got, saying I think Reed has done a superb job the past few years, winds people up, it's them with the issue not me. The day I stop posting my opinion because it winds people up is the day I'll jack posting in. These are my views , why shouldn't I post them

 

 

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[LeBizzier69]

Perhaps the forum members could all club together, hire out one of the suites at the ground, have a few beers, and then all embrace in a group hug. Maybe then we could all move forward.

[benjii]

I invariably find that strangers who insist on talking to me on an unsolicited basis in the pub (or any other place, for that matter) are lacking in wit and self-awareness and generally collosal bores. The exception to this is those women who choose to do so, who are invariably fit and nubile.

 

Anyway, my point is that, "would you say that to a stranger?", is not a useful yardstick.

 

It's a chat forum and if someone is being a big fanny then it's quite appropriate to tell them what a fanny they are.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

I don't recall saying we will win next week, said its possible , which of course it is. If saying I think it's possible to win, posting that I think Puel is doing a good job given the players he's got, saying I think Reed has done a superb job the past few years, winds people up, it's them with the issue not me. The day I stop posting my opinion because it winds people up is the day I'll jack posting in. These are my views , why shouldn't I post them

 

 

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Because on a match thread you post basically the same message every 10 minutes. To me it looks like you are on a one man propaganda mission. It's like Dalek going on about relegation all the time, both irritate.

[stthrobber]

I don't post here, or read Saintslist these days Dunc, but what you are describing is the world of social media in a nutshell.

 

In fact you can trace this kind of pos/neg posting behaviour back to our demise after the FA Cup Final. I don't need to go into the Lowe/Wilde posts all those years ago, but you're not reporting a new phenomenon.

 

You can see it everywhere now i.e. brexit/remain, left wing liberal elite/right wing extremist, Democrat/Republican. For every one person with a leaning towards one, there will be vitriol coming back. It seems to be the way of the world.

 

As far as Saints are concerned, I'm not convinced that Puel can improve or get the best out of players consistently. For every Liverpool performance there seems to be three or four utterly dull and clueless performances with no cutting edge.

 

For all his fine words, we see the same kinds of performance repeated over and over again.

 

I do still think the club is well run, but Puel seems to be taking the team backwards like most of their passing.

 

I won't throw any vitriol in the direction of anyone who thinks Puel is right for the club, nor anyone who wants him out. It's actually not that important. I want us to do well, but I don't get worked up about it any more.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

I don't post here, or read Saintslist these days Dunc, but what you are describing is the world of social media in a nutshell.

 

In fact you can trace this kind of pos/neg posting behaviour back to our demise after the FA Cup Final. I don't need to go into the Lowe/Wilde posts all those years ago, but you're not reporting a new phenomenon.

 

You can see it everywhere now i.e. brexit/remain, left wing liberal elite/right wing extremist, Democrat/Republican. For every one person with a leaning towards one, there will be vitriol coming back. It seems to be the way of the world.

 

As far as Saints are concerned, I'm not convinced that Puel can improve or get the best out of players consistently. For every Liverpool performance there seems to be three or four utterly dull and clueless performances with no cutting edge.

 

For all his fine words, we see the same kinds of performance repeated over and over again.

 

I do still think the club is well run, but Puel seems to be taking the team backwards like most of their passing.

 

I won't throw any vitriol in the direction of anyone who thinks Puel is right for the club, nor anyone who wants him out. It's actually not that important. I want us to do well, but I don't get worked up about it any more.

 

Good to hear from you Rich

[stthrobber]

Good to hear from you Rich

 

Thanks mate. I may not be very active in the Saints world these days, but I'm still here. Just [emoji3]

[whelk]

Perhaps the forum members could all club together, hire out one of the suites at the ground, have a few beers, and then all embrace in a group hug. Maybe then we could all move forward.

 

What a first trip to St Mary's for Batman and Glasgow?

[Forester]

Because on a match thread you post basically the same message every 10 minutes. To me it looks like you are on a one man propaganda mission. It's like Dalek going on about relegation all the time, both irritate.

You seem a bit conflicted Futzhugh. You chose to start a thread moaning about people attacking others. Now you are leading the charge old boy!

[Turkish]

Personally I don't think the historian will ever be happy. He moaned when Lowe was here, he moaned throughout Corteses tenure and he's whinged all the time since. He hates this forum and everyone on here, he hates the way the club is run, doesn't like most of the players, seems not to like many fanshe described our League cup semi final as the greatest threat to our season!!! This is the bloke that I'm pretty sure when he's not organising industrial strikes in making a decent bit of coin writing books about a club he appears to detest from top to bottom.

[eurosaint]

I didn't renew my membership and don't post very often here nowadays. The negativity and misery that has grown over the years despite the fact that we are a well run club and have had a great 7 years is really depressing. Yes mistakes have been made but mistakes are made at every club. Sometimes you get away with them. Sometimes you don't. I find it hard to believe that people who have followed the club for a long time don't see that we are far better off than we were several years ago. Dropping down to the Championship then Div 1, administration, now those were things to get upset about. This used to be a dreadful place to visit when we lose but now it is just as dreadful if we draw. We beat Liverpool the other day in a cup semi final but you wouldn't know it judging by some of the posts on here! I am in the 51st year of following this club and in all that time we have only won one major competition. Seriously, what do people expect? We are not Manchester United. We are Southampton, a medium sized club who sometimes punch above our weight. The club has a business model that mostly works well for a club of our size. We are looking for sustainable steady growth and again, have maintained that position. If there is a levelling of this season it is not the end of the world. We finished 6th last year yet still people were calling for Koeman to be sacked. Crazy. I am not a happy clapper. I don't like the fact that we have lost 4 league games on the bounce but slagging off Reed and Puel isn't going to change things. It is not as if they are deliberately going out of their way to lose matches. I go into every Saints game hoping for the best but fearing the worst. I don't expect us to win every game but there are some here who seem to take it personally when we lose. At the end of the day it is just a game of football. If you cant find any joy in following this club, then why do it? That is what I cant fathom about the likes of Alpine and Batman. They seem to get their jollies by revelling in the negatives. It is so, so bloody depressing!

 

Great post !

[eurosaint]

Only on this forum does wanting more, hoping for more and keen to win a trophy get translated into being "negative"

 

I understand that some will be happy just to have a club and accept that we are mid table club with mid table ambitions (win some lose some ect) and I don’t criticize this outlook. However some of us simply want more and don’t want to settle for mediocrity. That’s not being negative, that’s ambition and hope.

 

I am equally ambitious in my personal life - and simply demand and want more for my life, settling for the normal isn’t on my agenda. Guess that translates now to SFC, we had our dip and we are back - don’t dwell on past failures, look for a bright exciting future. We have a brilliant opportunity; my worry is that Everton are going to steal it while we watch and sit comfortable in 8-15th place.

 

IMO being ambitious does not entail being constantly critical !

In my business experience, the best way to improve under-performers was to encourage, support, coach and cajole NOT to nitpick, criticise, slag them off and threaten the sack !

All companies experience ups and downs and tend to show their strength and quality when working together during the difficult times. I believe that no team/group can function effectively if individuals are being constantly undermined, unity is the key and this will be much more easily achieved in an atmosphere of optimism and togetherness ! Inflammatory behaviour (as witnessed regularly on here) does not help in the slightest !

Whilst I realise that this is a discussion forum and expect both negative and positive views (perfectly healthy) the non-stop vitriol from some posters drags the discussion to a lower level and does not improve the debate !

So my point is that you can be both ambitious and hopeful without resorting to denigrating anyone in authority in and around our club, instead support at all levels will be more beneficial to all !

Ps. well done on expressing your regret for the LOL Puel comment, it shows that you have some humility !

[alpine_saint]

I didn't renew my membership and don't post very often here nowadays. The negativity and misery that has grown over the years despite the fact that we are a well run club and have had a great 7 years is really depressing. Yes mistakes have been made but mistakes are made at every club. Sometimes you get away with them. Sometimes you don't. I find it hard to believe that people who have followed the club for a long time don't see that we are far better off than we were several years ago. Dropping down to the Championship then Div 1, administration, now those were things to get upset about. This used to be a dreadful place to visit when we lose but now it is just as dreadful if we draw. We beat Liverpool the other day in a cup semi final but you wouldn't know it judging by some of the posts on here! I am in the 51st year of following this club and in all that time we have only won one major competition. Seriously, what do people expect? We are not Manchester United. We are Southampton, a medium sized club who sometimes punch above our weight. The club has a business model that mostly works well for a club of our size. We are looking for sustainable steady growth and again, have maintained that position. If there is a levelling of this season it is not the end of the world. We finished 6th last year yet still people were calling for Koeman to be sacked. Crazy. I am not a happy clapper. I don't like the fact that we have lost 4 league games on the bounce but slagging off Reed and Puel isn't going to change things. It is not as if they are deliberately going out of their way to lose matches. I go into every Saints game hoping for the best but fearing the worst. I don't expect us to win every game but there are some here who seem to take it personally when we lose. At the end of the day it is just a game of football. If you cant find any joy in following this club, then why do it? That is what I cant fathom about the likes of Alpine and Batman. They seem to get their jollies by revelling in the negatives. It is so, so bloody depressing!

 

The same "we're poor little Southampton", zero ambition and obsessive name-dropping I've come to expect from you over the years. The only thing missing from your usual posts was the "Lowe was not so bad, just misunderstood" dogma...

 

We were on the cusp of something special, then Markus passed away, his disinterested daughter took over, a very hungry chief exec was kicked out and its been downhill ever since, sporadically propped up by selling off the family silver. and getting lucky with a fraction of the proceeeds. Now its caught up with us. That makes me sad and frustrated. Saints games are utterly predictable now. And the clappers know it which is why their vitriol has got significantly worse in recent times.

[shurlock]

The same "we're poor little Southampton", zero ambition and obsessive name-dropping I've come to expect from you over the years. The only thing missing from your usual posts was the "Lowe was not so bad, just misunderstood" dogma...

 

We were on the cusp of something special, then Markus passed away, his disinterested daughter took over, a very hungry chief exec was kicked out and its been downhill ever since, sporadically propped up by selling off the family silver. and getting lucky with a fraction of the proceeeds. Now its caught up with us. That makes me sad and frustrated. Saints games are utterly predictable now. And the clappers know it which is why their vitriol has got significantly worse in recent times.

 

The club should take a leaf out of your book. I doubt your cupboard is ever bare.

[ErwinK1961]

The same "we're poor little Southampton", zero ambition and obsessive name-dropping I've come to expect from you over the years. The only thing missing from your usual posts was the "Lowe was not so bad, just misunderstood" dogma...

 

We were on the cusp of something special, then Markus passed away, his disinterested daughter took over, a very hungry chief exec was kicked out and its been downhill ever since, sporadically propped up by selling off the family silver. and getting lucky with a fraction of the proceeeds. Now its caught up with us. That makes me sad and frustrated. Saints games are utterly predictable now. And the clappers know it which is why their vitriol has got significantly worse in recent times.

 

Funny that, I seem to remember us improving in the seasons that followed? Who knows, maybe I dreamt it.

[alpine_saint]

Funny that, I seem to remember us improving in the seasons that followed? Who knows, maybe I dreamt it.

 

Based on flogging the family silver, only that trick has now run its course..

[John B]

The same "we're poor little Southampton", zero ambition and obsessive name-dropping I've come to expect from you over the years. The only thing missing from your usual posts was the "Lowe was not so bad, just misunderstood" dogma...

 

We were on the cusp of something special, then Markus passed away, his disinterested daughter took over, a very hungry chief exec was kicked out and its been downhill ever since, sporadically propped up by selling off the family silver. and getting lucky with a fraction of the proceeeds. Now its caught up with us. That makes me sad and frustrated. Saints games are utterly predictable now. And the clappers know it which is why their vitriol has got significantly worse in recent times.

 

We were on a cusp of something special when Markus died what an earth does that mean seems the rantings of a delusional fan dont you realise that football success is built on getting in large amounts revenue most of the top clubs earn three times as much SFC.

 

Yes Cortese was fired as he was spending too much and not increasing revenues but since his departure this has been reversed and the club is on a sound financial footing and has been pretty successful to boot the last three years have been probably one of the most successful in the clubs history.

 

We have never won anything whilst in the top division of Englisf football and I dont really see why this will ever change it is financial muscle which counts and we dont have that against the top big city clubs but we did when we were up against the town clubs in League 1

 

 

What do you want the club to spend millions of money which is not yours to become financially unstable it is just not going to happen it is financially irresponsible

[sadoldgit]

The same "we're poor little Southampton", zero ambition and obsessive name-dropping I've come to expect from you over the years. The only thing missing from your usual posts was the "Lowe was not so bad, just misunderstood" dogma...

 

We were on the cusp of something special, then Markus passed away, his disinterested daughter took over, a very hungry chief exec was kicked out and its been downhill ever since, sporadically propped up by selling off the family silver. and getting lucky with a fraction of the proceeeds. Now its caught up with us. That makes me sad and frustrated. Saints games are utterly predictable now. And the clappers know it which is why their vitriol has got significantly worse in recent times.

 

You have been "sad and frustrated" every season since you started posting. Why pretend that this season is any different?

[alpine_saint]

We were on a cusp of something special when Markus died what an earth does that mean seems the rantings of a delusional fan dont you realise that football success is built on getting in large amounts revenue most of the top clubs earn three times as much SFC.

 

Yes Cortese was fired as he was spending too much and not increasing revenues but since his departure this has been reversed and the club is on a sound financial footing and has been pretty successful to boot the last three years have been probably one of the most successful in the clubs history.

 

We have never won anything whilst in the top division of Englisf football and I dont really see why this will ever change it is financial muscle which counts and we dont have that against the top big city clubs but we did when we were up against the town clubs in League 1

 

 

What do you want the club to spend millions of money which is not yours to become financially unstable it is just not going to happen it is financially irresponsible

 

If youi say so, pal. All comes to nothing if we get relegated.

 

As soon as we lose EPL TV revenue all that pretty book balancing will soon come undone.

 

Or maybe we cut all salaries by 50% and expect the same level of motivation....

[alpine_saint]

You have been "sad and frustrated" every season since you started posting. Why pretend that this season is any different?

 

Whatever SOGGY. One post left...

 

Make your jibe a good'un...

[Depressed of Shirley]

I think the forum would be better balanced and less vindictive if people who don't put a single penny in to the club stopped asking our owner to spend all the money she has to try and get the team to 4th in the PL.

 

I also think that if those that keep making accusations about "lining their pockets" etc, should read up on Sunderland, and how see how bad running a football club can get if you don't have any financial discipline when making transfers and appointing managers.

[Mallagroth]

I think the forum would be better balanced and less vindictive if people who don't put a single penny in to the club stopped asking our owner to spend all the money she has to try and get the team to 4th in the PL.

 

I also think that if those that keep making accusations about "lining their pockets" etc, should read up on Sunderland, and how see how bad running a football club can get if you don't have any financial discipline when making transfers and appointing managers.

 

 

1) People are paying money to the club to watch games (fair bit more than a penny).

 

2) No one is asking her to spend all the money 'she' has. They are asking the executives to spend the resources of Southampton FC (the business entity) in a constructive way that honors its nature as a sports team in a competitive competition.

 

3) 4th should not be the aim. To be the best Saints can possibly be should be the aim. To win every competition they enter should be the aim.

 

4) No one wants the club to go bust. That's just stupid. What people want is to see the club spend the money earned from transfers and from the humongous new TV revenue deals on continuing to build positively. When they see that Bournemouth and West Brom have managed to be ambitious and rise above us without breaking the bank, when we were on the verge of cementing Top 8 status, it makes the executives intentions for the club seem suspicious, especially when a lot of cynical PR statements, player unrest and staff turnover issues are becoming ever more prevalent.

 

5)When the average layman knows that the club would be ****ed without a striker before the season began, and the executives on fine salaries have still not addressed the issue 6 months down the line, you're going to find a lot of people questioning their confidence in steering a club that individual supporters have invested thousands of pounds of their own money in over the last 10 years.

 

As for forum, some people don't understand the differences between argument, discussion, and insults. It is true of people in the real world too of course. They are the people who if you discuss something just keep raising their voice and you wonder why the **** they are getting so worked up about over such a simple and non important topic, that they can often be completely uninformed about. These people are not arguing their point they are not listening to the words at all on either side they are trying to simply 'win' to protect their own fragile confidence. It always seems to be people with low self esteem who are the most aggressive and quick to argue loudly in my experience so I would guess same applies on here.

Edited 17 January, 2017 by Mallagroth

[Depressed of Shirley]

1) People are paying money to the club to watch games (fair bit more than a penny).

 

2) No one is asking her to spend all the money 'she' has. They are asking the executives to spend the resources of Southampton FC (the business entity) in a constructive way that honors its nature as a sports team in a competitive competition.

 

3) 4th should not be the aim. To be the best Saints can possibly be should be the aim. To win every competition they enter should be the aim.

 

4) No one wants the club to go bust. That's just stupid. What people want is to see the club spend the money earned from transfers and from the humongous new TV revenue deals on continuing to build positively. When they see that Bournemouth and West Brom have managed to be ambitious and rise above us without breaking the bank, when we were on the verge of cementing Top 8 status, it makes the executives intentions for the club seem suspicious, especially when a lot of cynical PR statements, player unrest and staff turnover issues are becoming ever more prevalent.

 

5)When the average layman knows that the club would be ****ed without a striker before the season began, and the executives on fine salaries have still not addressed the issue 6 months down the line, you're going to find a lot of people questioning their confidence in steering a club that individual supporters have invested thousands of pounds of their own money in over the last 10 years.

 

 

Thanks for the reply, although the fact that it was aimed at a certain individual was lost on you.

 

I agree a fair bit with what you are saying, but as has been said many times before the accounts show that we are spending what we receive. We spend it on facilities, wages, contract extensions, staff etc. It is all spent to improve the club from a sporting perspective, its just that this year it appears not to have worked in the way that they thought. You might also consider that all the funds received were not spent this summer because the players we wanted weren't available, or that we were unsure of how the new management team would perform, and therefore didn't want to spend all the available cash in one go.

 

I agree that the club should aspire to be the best they possibly can be, that has been exactly what the last 7 years have been about.

 

Re Bournemouth and West Brom,I will wait to the end of the season before being jealous of them, but exactly which players have they signed in the last 18 months that we should have bought to improve?

 

I don't think anyone at the club, or its fans, could have seen what a complete waste of time our strike force has been, and would guess that they assumed Long, JayRod, Tadic would score more than they have done up to now. I am sure they are now looking for someone, but the Sunderland situation is as a direct result of panic buying forwards and midfielders every year, and then letting them leave on free transfers when they prove to be no use at all. Some posters on here don't care who we buy, as long as we buy, and that not only annoys me, but also leads to financial ruin further down the line.

 

The average layman is a layman because he does not understand how elite level sport works. Many people "in the pub", said we would struggle this year without a new striker, they also said it the previous two years as well, and were wrong. They may be right this year, but based on the amount of drivel I hear from supporters around me on match days, I would argue that 99% of Saints fans don't have the first idea about what we need, or who we should buy, or what is going on at the club.

 

I have invested much time, effort and money in following the club for over 40 years, and can assure you that the current club set up, players and performances are far above what has been served up in the past, its just the fans have got worse.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

Personally I don't think the historian will ever be happy. He moaned when Lowe was here, he moaned throughout Corteses tenure and he's whinged all the time since. He hates this forum and everyone on here, he hates the way the club is run, doesn't like most of the players, seems not to like many fanshe described our League cup semi final as the greatest threat to our season!!! This is the bloke that I'm pretty sure when he's not organising industrial strikes in making a decent bit of coin writing books about a club he appears to detest from top to bottom.

 

Congratulations! When I wrote the OP on Sunday morning I said it would flush a few people out and although it took 134 posts I am not surprised that the person who made the most unpleasant reply was you. I don't know why you keep on about me being a historian, perhaps you are jealous but just to put the record straight for future generations who stumble on this Forum one day, most of what you sneeringly wrote is factually untrue. But if it helps you think you are funny then so be it.

[Hamilton Saint]

The same "we're poor little Southampton", zero ambition and obsessive name-dropping I've come to expect from you over the years. The only thing missing from your usual posts was the "Lowe was not so bad, just misunderstood" dogma...

 

We were on the cusp of something special, then Markus passed away, his disinterested daughter took over, a very hungry chief exec was kicked out and its been downhill ever since, sporadically propped up by selling off the family silver. and getting lucky with a fraction of the proceeeds. Now its caught up with us. That makes me sad and frustrated. Saints games are utterly predictable now. And the clappers know it which is why their vitriol has got significantly worse in recent times.

 

"... downhill ever since?" Some opinions just fly in the face of obvious facts.

 

August, 2010: Markus Liebherr died, when Saints were in League One

2010/2011 season: Saints promoted to the Championship

2011/2012 season: Saints promoted to Premier league

2012/2013 season: Saints hire M. Pochettino and finish 14th

2013/2014 season: Saints finish 8th

2014/2015 season: Saints hire R. Koeman and finish 7th

2015/2016 season: Saints finish 6th

 

That's measurable progress each and every year, over six years. Isn't that uphill ever since?

[eurosaint]

"... downhill ever since?" Some opinions just fly in the face of obvious facts.

 

August, 2010: Markus Liebherr died, when Saints were in League One

2010/2011 season: Saints promoted to the Championship

2011/2012 season: Saints promoted to Premier league

2012/2013 season: Saints hire M. Pochettino and finish 14th

2013/2014 season: Saints finish 8th

2014/2015 season: Saints hire R. Koeman and finish 7th

2015/2016 season: Saints finish 6th

 

That's measurable progress each and every year, over six years. Isn't that uphill ever since?

 

Please don't allow the facts to interfere with Alpine's agenda !

That's not how things work around here, being miserable has been turned into an art form

[Bearsy]

Personally I don't think the historian will ever be happy. He moaned when Lowe was here, he moaned throughout Corteses tenure and he's whinged all the time since. He hates this forum and everyone on here, he hates the way the club is run, doesn't like most of the players, seems not to like many fans he described our League cup semi final as the greatest threat to our season!!! This is the bloke that I'm pretty sure when he's not organising industrial strikes in making a decent bit of coin writing books about a club he appears to detest from top to bottom.

 

Tough gig, writing the SFC histories IMO, and deserves more Respect. There is a certain market for this kind of stuff of course, I think they call it "Misery Lit", but the genre is mostly about how authors used to get fiddled with as a kid, or locked in cupboards and what not. They target this bilge to women of a certain age, who buy the books in two for one offers at Tesco, and discuss them with Sandy over a latte at Costa, next Thursday. But they're hardly likely to take an interest in whether Stoneham Common would've been a better site for Southampton's Football Stadium, or how much Bruce Grobelaar earned throwing them in his own net vs Spurs in the 1995 FA Cup Fifth Round replay. Then one thinks of literary fiction, and i.e. the collected works of Thomas Hardy, and Sylvia Plath, and whoever else, but while I am a firm admirer of FF's prose, it's hard to picture it making a University Syllabus in 2082, or whenever. That he persists in these activities, despite the clear commercial disadvantages, is why many of us consider Fitzhugh a Forum Hero, deserving more of Banner Status, than Twitter abuses.

 

The History of Southampton Football Club by Fitzhugh Fella

 

Chapter 1: 1885-1975

Mostly Awful

 

Chapter 2: 1976 - The Trophy Years

Won FA Cup

 

Chapter 3: 1977-2017

Awful

 

You see? Try and drag that into 80,000 words. Not so easy is it, Smart Arse?