My email to the club concerningpre-game music and atmosphere

[The Cat]

Personally I'm all for Pantera's "****ing Hostile" to be played before every game but I realise my musical tastes aren't everyone else's so what ever they play some people will be unhappy....

 

I'd use the opening to Reign In Blood right up until just after Tom Araya lets out that blood curdling scream and then mix in your Pantera. That would get everyone going.

[Supersubpuckett]

I seem to remember in the mid 00's the team came out to a slightly up-tempo version of OWTS - even that was better than the My Way rubbish

[BoscombeScummer]

It could always be worse.....

 

 

Does sound like it's awful though.

[RedWillie]

Bring back the Romsey marching cadet band all dressed as chickens. Sorted.

[doddisalegend]

It could always be worse.....

 

 

Does sound like it's awful though.

 

What the actual f u c k is that .... though I do quite fancy the lady singing the song

[doddisalegend]

Maybe we could have the Smiths "Heaven knows I'm miserable now" before every game seems like an anthem saints fans could relate to

 

I was happy in the haze of a league one race

But heaven knows I'm miserable now

 

I was looking for a club, and then I found a club

And heaven knows I'm miserable now

 

In my life

Why do I give valuable time

To players who don't care if they leave or stay?

 

Liverpool fans pass me by

And heaven knows I'm miserable now

 

I was looking for a club, and then I found a club

And heaven knows I'm miserable now

 

In my life

Oh, why do I give valuable time

To footballers who don't care if I live or die?

 

What Kenzie asked of me at the end of the day

Caligula would have blushed

 

"Oh, you've been at the club too long" Les said

And so the players naturally fled

 

In my life

Why do I smile

At scousers who I'd much rather kick in the eye?

 

I was happy in the haze of a league one race

But heaven knows I'm miserable now

 

"Oh, you've been at the club too long" Les said

so the players naturally fled

 

In my life

Oh, why do I give valuable time

To footballers who don't care if I live or die?

 

 

[Daft Kerplunk]

Things move on...but not to everyone's taste. The music at the match is not too loud as far as I'm concerned, it's great and could even be louder. It is definitely not as loud as a concert. Not even close. Live music is quite a lot louder than St. Mary's will ever be...apart from when that ex Take That dancer performs there of course

 

As for the Saints Way song, it was created by the players because they wanted to give something to the fans to sing. Does that not say something to our fanbase or is everyone so slow on the uptake? For one thing, it shows they feel part of our club which should be celebrated quite frankly. Also, maybe they want us to make more noise. I'm going to make a very easy guess and suggest the players want us to be louder, more vocal and intimidiating during matches. It might help their performance or keep them going, let them know who they are playing for or that we Saints fans actually give a sh!t.

 

Wembley was amazing. Colourful and noisy, albeit only with one song but I bet the players absolutely loved it and want it more like that every week.

[scotty]

Skids 'Saints are Coming' followed by the Pistols 'My Way' would be a great improvement.

 

......Gentlemen, we have a winner.

[ErwinK1961]

Maybe we could have the Smiths "Heaven knows I'm miserable now" before every game seems like an anthem saints fans could relate to

 

I was happy in the haze of a league one race

But heaven knows I'm miserable now

 

I was looking for a club, and then I found a club

And heaven knows I'm miserable now

 

In my life

Why do I give valuable time

To players who don't care if they leave or stay?

 

Liverpool fans pass me by

And heaven knows I'm miserable now

 

I was looking for a club, and then I found a club

And heaven knows I'm miserable now

 

In my life

Oh, why do I give valuable time

To footballers who don't care if I live or die?

 

What Kenzie asked of me at the end of the day

Caligula would have blushed

 

"Oh, you've been at the club too long" Les said

And so the players naturally fled

 

In my life

Why do I smile

At scousers who I'd much rather kick in the eye?

 

I was happy in the haze of a league one race

But heaven knows I'm miserable now

 

"Oh, you've been at the club too long" Les said

so the players naturally fled

 

In my life

Oh, why do I give valuable time

To footballers who don't care if I live or die?

 

 

 

well played sir.

[angelman]

I think if the Smiths played their depressing droning rubbish, I would need to check into the Priory for a week.

[Miltonaggro]

Out to Yakety Sax, the Benny Hill theme (local colour). Off at half time to the Laurel and Hardy Cuckoo theme. Off at full time, The End, The Doors.

 

Sorted...

[adrian lord]

I think if the Smiths played their depressing droning rubbish, I would need to check into the Priory for a week.

 

Philistine.

[doddisalegend]

Philistine.

 

 

1970s prog rock band?

[Lets B Avenue]

1970s prog rock band?

 

Nah. They were energy tablets.

 

"Fortifies the over 40's" was the ad campaign.

[Bartosz Bialkowski]

I actually like the song!! Its good.

 

Tradition has to start somewhere. Get over yourselves ya bunch of fannys

[angelman]

Philistine.

 

Taste.

[ericb]

Nah, they turn out a few others and don't sing YNWA during games, other than at the end and if they're 3-0 down or something. Liverpool away fans aren't as good as Utd, Chelsea etc but beat ours I think.

 

Absolute b*llocks, Liverpool at home are probably bottom three in the league, United and Arsenal worse, it's a ground full of ipad tourists and daytrippers. Even away from home they're not that great these days.

 

The media hype around them really annoys me, no doubt they were great back in the day but for a long time they're utterly terrible, in fact last season at St Mary's they had a group of tourists from the far east in the away end taking pictures on ipads during the game. Utter embarrassment to what was a great support back in the day.

[Charlie Wayman]

Hello,

 

Some points to establish credibility

 

I've been attending home games since 1985 when I was 10 years old.

My daughter plays for Southampton Girls Development Squad

I'm a musician (see below for relevance)

 

Like many, i miss the the Dell, but times move on and we needed to move house. I get it.

 

However, a couple of things have changed in the last 10 years which are not for the best. I really hope that you reply to this, but more than that I hope it makes a difference.

If you have even a few mails like this one then you should take notice because most people would not take the time to write.

 

Issue are:

 

1. The loudness of the tannoy. It got louder this season. Its hard to hear the person next to me now. Ok if I was having to shout because of the noisy fans....but its because of the music loudness.

 

2. At the Dell, the singing of fans before the match was fantastic. Now this is impossible. Even if you turn the tannoy down, The music is played right up to kick-off, the fans cant compete. Its a football match, not a concert. After the player warm-up the music should stop, allowing 10 mins for the fans to 'warm-up' and for the players to stand in the tunnel and hear the fans singing and be greeted by loud cheers as opposed to what they come out to now, which brings me onto...

 

3. That song.The one that we've started playing directly before kick-off. The one that sounds like a bad Frank Sinatra impersonator singing 'We are Southampton!' in an 'American trying to sound like an englishman' type way. Its awful. Really awful. Please ditch this song'. Its embarrassing.

 

If none of the above change I will stop going to matches eventually. It might take another 10 or 20 years but if at 42 I'm feeling isolated, by the time I'm 60 I will not want to be at St Mary's.

 

I realise if we implement all 3 of my suggestions above, we would not be in keeping with other premiership football clubs.

 

But isn't that the point?

'We are Southampton'

We should do it the Southampton way!

 

Probably best if you quit now then as most fans go there to watch a football match not to take part in an adolescent "talent" contest. I like the fact that the PA system drowns out the moronic "we hate Pompey" routine.

[benjii]

As much as a tiny handful of fans try to make out that it is, that Woolston Ferry song is not a thing and never will be.

 

Mainly because it's a pile of sh it. But also because its about something that even when it existed 40 years ago was irrelevant to half the city.

 

But it gets sung by a handful of self-satisfied sorts with an air of "we remember printed fanzines" smugness.

 

That song is basically the football chant equivalent of smug men with beards loudly speaking in Cornish in a pub in Truro because they are trying to "preserve the language".

 

[rooney]

Mr Woo was good.

[Bourne Valley Saint]

I went to the FA Cup Final in 1976 and the one three weeks ago. The atmosphere in the ground between the two sets of fans in 1976 before the kick-off was fantastic. Three weeks ago it was impossible to tell if anyone was singing as the PA was screaming out music right up to kick off. Why do we have to have such a racquet? Do the people in charge of these venues think we are incapable of creating an atmosphere?

[bazza]

This. Great atmosphere builder, why did they stop using it?

 

No idea, madness. That new song is dreadful.

[mrfahaji]

Personally I'm all for Pantera's "****ing Hostile" to be played before every game but I realise my musical tastes aren't everyone else's so what ever they play some people will be unhappy....

 

I'd prefer "Mouth for War"!

 

"The Saints are Coming" was pretty perfect given the words and the feel of the song, and I'll always be a stickler for Queen's "One Vision" given that it was the song when I was growing up watching us at the Dell - also a song with a great build up, and the players nearly always timed their run out to when the guitar kicked in!

 

Ah, nostalgia.

[Chez]

I'll be your saint by Adorable is not only the perfect tune for the job, its also a bloody great song by a brilliant band.

 

 

You are welcome.

[jasonb]

I'd prefer "Mouth for War"!

 

"The Saints are Coming" was pretty perfect given the words and the feel of the song, and I'll always be a stickler for Queen's "One Vision" given that it was the song when I was growing up watching us at the Dell - also a song with a great build up, and the players nearly always timed their run out to when the guitar kicked in!

 

Ah, nostalgia.

 

I had a dream ages ago that we invited The Skids down to play in the centre circle at the last game of the season as part of the build-up to kick off.

 

For that briefest of moments Saints would be the coolest team in the world.

[Zed]

There's no singing before kick-off as the music is screaming up to the point of walking out of the tunnel, and half the ground is empty until about 5 minutes before then.

 

3 sides of the stadium are silent the majority of the game anyway. Or sometimes they clap to the tune of the singing from the Northam/Itchen North/Kingsland North. And the Northam feel the need to sing about Pompey every 3 or 4 songs.

 

The PA system was inaudible before, in fact you could only ever hear it in the loos which was a health and safety disaster waiting to happen. It's good they've improved it.

[doddisalegend]

Yes the idea the PA system is drowning out some sort of pre match atmosphere of 1000s of saints fan singing lustily is pretty far fetched. The only fans singing before kick off at SMS are the away fans who all got there early. Half the home singing sections at SMS are still stumbling in from the Pub 5 minutes after kick off. If anything the loud PA system does an excellent job of drowning out the away fans before kick off.