20 Years ago today

[100%Red&White]

We took over Selhurst Park and stayed up with a 2 goal victory.

 

 

Fantastic day.

 

Where did that 20 years go?

[OldNick]

Amzing day, we were opposite the away section in with the home fans. Although there didnt seem many home fans as you will see when we scored. Thanks for posting

[Harry Faz]

Remember it well - I was at Northlands Road watching the Cricket ......most of the crowd were listening to saints on their radios ......and a massive cheer went up when goals were scored , and full time .....Cricketers looked puzzled !

[spyinthesky]

Shirts were a bit baggy!!

[alehouseboys]

Bit of a nightmare trying to get a bevvy before the game, every pub rammed within a 2 mile radius of the ground. I think it was 10,000 officially crammed onto the Arthur Waite terrace but Saints fans hoovered up a big chunk of the home seats too, they were in every stand. Must have been 15,000+ there.

 

Massive win that day but we actually stayed up courtesy of 2-goal Pahars v Everton a week later at the Dell. Another top day for the memories!

[ericb]

One of those days where it felt like everywhere you went in london after the game there were Saints fans, remember stepping out of Covent Garden station and immediately hearing Oh When The Saints, and the tube was full of people in Fez hats for Kachloul.

 

I'm not going to lie i loved those relegation battles, different era i know but they just felt far more exciting than now.

[alehouseboys]

One of those days where it felt like everywhere you went in london after the game there were Saints fans, remember stepping out of Covent Garden station and immediately hearing Oh When The Saints, and the tube was full of people in Fez hats for Kachloul.

 

I'm not going to lie i loved those relegation battles, different era i know but they just felt far more exciting than now.

 

Those end-of-season relegation battles have given some of us our best days out supporting this club. When we stayed up.

 

Perversely, my favourite times have probably been in the lower leagues in the 70s and more recently, better away days, winning the cup and, of course, promotions.

[ericb]

Those end-of-season relegation battles have given some of us our best days out supporting this club. When we stayed up.

 

Perversely, my favourite times have probably been in the lower leagues in the 70s and more recently, better away days, winning the cup and, of course, promotions.

 

The thing with those relegation battles for me was that the fans felt united and got behind the team far more, these days it feels like a lot of our support go to games expecting to be entertained and if it doesn't happen they boo them or leave early.

 

Also the atmosphere was a million times better to what it is now, we had a variety of songs, not just OWTS, Fathers Gun and (currently) the Hojbjerg one, and all the sides of the Dell would join in when our backs were against the wall.

 

Away from home too our support was head and shoulders above what it is now, we'd make a racket all game (often with fewer numbers too) and there were far less of the replica shirt wearing oddballs, couples and people who want to sit at games.

 

Anyway like i said times have changed and i can't see them changing back sadly, well not unless we go down anyway.

[hypochondriac]

The thing with those relegation battles for me was that the fans felt united and got behind the team far more, these days it feels like a lot of our support go to games expecting to be entertained and if it doesn't happen they boo them or leave early.

 

Also the atmosphere was a million times better to what it is now, we had a variety of songs, not just OWTS, Fathers Gun and (currently) the Hojbjerg one, and all the sides of the Dell would join in when our backs were against the wall.

 

Away from home too our support was head and shoulders above what it is now, we'd make a racket all game (often with fewer numbers too) and there were far less of the replica shirt wearing oddballs, couples and people who want to sit at games.

 

Anyway like i said times have changed and i can't see them changing back sadly, well not unless we go down anyway.

Whilst I agree to an extent, I also think the players were a lot closer to the fans back then and had a lot more heart and passion which inspired the fans. The performances under pellegrino especially were an absolute disgrace and had we experienced similar I think you would see really poor atmospheres as well

[saint1977]

The thing with those relegation battles for me was that the fans felt united and got behind the team far more, these days it feels like a lot of our support go to games expecting to be entertained and if it doesn't happen they boo them or leave early.

 

Also the atmosphere was a million times better to what it is now, we had a variety of songs, not just OWTS, Fathers Gun and (currently) the Hojbjerg one, and all the sides of the Dell would join in when our backs were against the wall.

 

Away from home too our support was head and shoulders above what it is now, we'd make a racket all game (often with fewer numbers too) and there were far less of the replica shirt wearing oddballs, couples and people who want to sit at games.

 

Anyway like i said times have changed and i can't see them changing back sadly, well not unless we go down anyway.

 

Was a great day out, didn’t realise until I saw MOTD that night that the first goal was off Beattie’s shoulder not a glancing header as it looked from the Arthur Waite. Shame about Mills’s late free kick for Charlton otherwise we’d have secured safety there and then. The huge bonus was relegated Forest fighting like tigers to win at Blackburn. No way it was only 10000 Saints fans, gate was 24k and no way were there more Dons than SFC. The goals alone underlined that.

 

Can see what you are saying Eric and agree on the better connection between players and fans then. However, The Dell was so much smaller than other top flight grounds and there was no Russian investor like Bournemouth. So Saints mid to late 90s were always up against it so there was a sense of fighting the odds. Also, with SMS on the horizon and with no investor, if we went down that season I’m not sure we would have moved to a new 32000 seat stadium so soon. We also had players like Franny and MLT who were the last of an era.

 

I also went to plenty of games under Adkins, Poch and Koeman where we made a right racket. Even some of the games under Puel away from home and the cup run still created an atmosphere although the home games were awful to endure which isn’t fun when you are travelling long distances to games. Reed knocked the stuffing out of all of us - fans, players, club staff - through a grim determination to play dull, appalling, FA manual football. Either that, or he was ill. Ross was his little sidekick. Pellegrino was the worst season I’ve ever seen bar Swansea, worse than Branfoot and half of this season was dreadful pre Ralph.

 

Bet the atmosphere picks up if the improvement continues with upbeat football under RH and then the next manager. It will take a few years to clear out Les’s appalling and costly blunders.

[washsaint]

Blimey - was that really 20 years ago? Unbelieveable!

 

I remember walking down the streets around Selhurst and the whole area was taken over by Saints fans. I could barely speak for about a week after and, aside from the MLT Norwich 5-4 away day, remains one of my fondest memories seeing Saints.

 

I had completely forgotten about the Kachoul fez's though!

[Patrick Bateman]

Those end-of-season relegation battles have given some of us our best days out supporting this club. When we stayed up.

 

Perversely, my favourite times have probably been in the lower leagues in the 70s and more recently, better away days, winning the cup and, of course, promotions.

 

Weirdly I agree with this. The 'great escape' of 98/99 was a genuinely decent season in the second half - great days out. 'Delhurst' and the final match against Everton were superb.

 

Can't believe it was 20 years ago though FFS.