Would you care if we got relegated?

[Appy]

Not really, Che Adams might score in the championship.

[skintsaint]

It’d be interesting to see what happens if it did. It’s great for top teams now where they win every week. But the likes of Chelsea, man united and arsenal would all be near the bottom of the table in any European super league with their current teams. How enthusiastic would their fans be after seeing them team being smashed week in week out only winning a handful of times a season.

 

The majority will just jump ship and support Barca, Bayern etc.

[doddisalegend]

Of course I'd care becuase surely no one enjoys watching their team get relegated?

 

But it wouldn't really change anything I'd most likely still get a ST and just adjust to watching us in a lower league I'd love it when win and hate it when we lose just like now.

 

In the end your team is your team and you'd support them as much in the Wessex league as you would the PL.

 

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[Saint Billy]

We would have to improve the squad for the Championship.

[Baird of the land]

I certainly wouldn't be gambling with the finances in January to avoid it.

[derry]

Firstly No. Secondly we are paying so much in salaries to players in and out of the club that any we wanted to keep would have to be disposed of. Without the Tv money we are going to go down the pan, it's bad enough now with it. Our buying has been appalling. That together with high wages and long contracts mean we have to stay in the Premier League to survive long enough to see all the dross gone and rebuild.

[mrfahaji]

Not really, Che Adams might score in the championship.

 

Reminds me of 2005. I was at Uni, and after our relegation a friend commented, somewhat encouragingly, "Brett Ormerod will be amazing in the Championship!" I looked at him, unimpressed, and replied with "Every cloud..."

 

(he wasn't even right)

[scott_saints]

This happens every season in recent times. People start convincing themselves that they don't care about relegation. The celebrations when we stay up suggest that most of these people don't want to go down.

[Saint Keith]

if we go down it will 2005 all over again. this owner clearly isnt going to put any money in, the club has to be self sustaining. in the championship thats going to mean a very big adjustment, and dont assume it stops with us just going down the championship level either. plenty of examples of clubs falling further than that

[Dark Munster]

if we go down it will 2005 all over again. this owner clearly isnt going to put any money in, the club has to be self sustaining. in the championship thats going to mean a very big adjustment, and dont assume it stops with us just going down the championship level either. plenty of examples of clubs falling further than that

It'll be worse than 2005, it'll be a financial disaster. And most likely no new Markus to save us. Anyone who thinks relegation would be a chance to clear out the dross and build from scratch is deluded. We'll lose all the semi-decent players, and be left with the overpaid crap until their wages put us into administration. After that any decent young players coming through will be snapped up in nanoseconds (remember Bale and Walcott?)

[Saint IQ]

It would be a disaster to get relegated especially with so many shi te players with years left on their contract, would not mind as much if we had a decent owner and if these players contracts were up or only one year left.

 

One great thing about being relegated would be St Mary's match day experience for myself, more % of people singing less % on there mobile phones and no horrible half and half scarves in the stadium!

 

I don't even want to go to St Mary's anymore with the atmosphere as it is.

[ericb]

This happens every season in recent times. People start convincing themselves that they don't care about relegation. The celebrations when we stay up suggest that most of these people don't want to go down.

 

Think you’re missing the nub though. Most of us want saints to do as well as possible but despise the premier league and the sanitisation of our support and changes the premier league causes.

 

Personally I couldn’t give a **** about relegation other than the fact people I know would lose their jobs.

 

In fact I’d guess once we’d got over the bump going down would cause I’d enjoy it more than I do now.

 

But I’d never want to risk people’s livelihoods.

 

 

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[DuncanRG]

To some it sounds nice in theory, but even if we did well the odd loss to Championship teams would be worse than losing to Premier League teams.

[Stud mark of doom]

Yep sort of agree. There doesn't seem much point in football these days.

 

I think we should get this on one of those huge posters outstanding de the ground.

[musesaint]

I like to console myself by thinking ‘the darkest hour is before the dawn ‘. Then I wake up and realise that we really are screwed. Dodgy owner with no money coupled with underperforming, overrated and overpaid players. It’s only a matter of time before the gathering sh**te finally hits the fan.

[mrfahaji]

To some it sounds nice in theory, but even if we did well the odd loss to Championship teams would be worse than losing to Premier League teams.

 

Why? Because losing to Brentford is more humiliating than losing to West Ham? Personally I don't see the difference. If anything it's not as bad because smaller clubs have less annoying fans/media to endure.

 

Two reasons I would be bothered by relegation - one is that we could end up in a financial mess and go down again, the other that it's much harder to stream games I'm not attending.

[Toussaint]

On one level, no. I haven't enjoyed watching Saints since Koeman left. I could kick myself for buying season tickets this year as its a struggle to make myself go. There appear to be more real clubs with real fans in the Championship which I would enjoy watching more.

 

The issue I have with relegation it could be a cliff edge for us, we are such a poor side and set up in general I don't think we would set the championship alight, we could end up like Pompey. We cannot rely on some knight in shining armour to come and rescue us a second time. I'd prefer it if we were rescued now in some way, and not take the Russian roulette relegation option to make things improve.

[Nordic Saint]

I repeat. YES, I bloody well would. I think those fans who want to see us relegated are mostly those who started watching us in either the late 1950s or the late 2000s, and think of us as a small club which doesn't belong in the top flight.

 

My first Saints game was in 1963. I remember the absolute joy of being one of the 15,000 Saints fans that night at Leyton Orient in 1966 when Terry Paine's goal ensured that we would be playing in the top flight for the first time in our history. Now, it is a source of pride to me and many other Saints' fans that this is our 43rd season in the top tier, during which we have seen 10 seasons of European football, while Pompey, who in the 50s were thought of as the big club, were only ever there for 33 years, only had 1 season in Europe and are now down in the third tier.

 

Whatever we were in the 1950s or in 2010, we are now firmly established as one of the 12-14 biggest clubs in the country, based on our average gates and all other stats regarding size of fan base.

 

We shouldn't give up easily what we have fought so hard to achieve.

[Bad Wolf]

I don't WANT to get relegated. I'd rather stay up, of course however if we were relegated there would be positives. Like I said, they don't outweigh the negatives however they do exist.

[Nordic Saint]

I don't WANT to get relegated. I'd rather stay up, of course however if we were relegated there would be positives. Like I said, they don't outweigh the negatives however they do exist.

 

One season in the Championship, and only one, would be worth it if we won it, and came straight back up again with a trophy. One thing we are short of is silverware. but, realistically, the chances of it working out that well are slim. We are perennial runners-up (6 times in the league and 5 times in cups). Stoke, the club our last manager, Hughes, came here from, currently sit bottom of the table and who's to say that wouldn't happen to us too?

[Dellman]

We got lucky as **** with Markus wanting to buy the club.

 

Yes that's true but people forget that it was NC who persuaded him to invest in us. We need another NC as well as another Markus

[SW5 SAINT]

Yes that's true but people forget that it was NC who persuaded him to invest in us. We need another NC as well as another Markus

 

NC was just about the best thing ever to happen to Southampton F.C.......

[Saint_clark]

I repeat. YES, I bloody well would. I think those fans who want to see us relegated are mostly those who started watching us in either the late 1950s or the late 2000s, and think of us as a small club which doesn't belong in the top flight.

 

My first Saints game was in 1963. I remember the absolute joy of being one of the 15,000 Saints fans that night at Leyton Orient in 1966 when Terry Paine's goal ensured that we would be playing in the top flight for the first time in our history. Now, it is a source of pride to me and many other Saints' fans that this is our 43rd season in the top tier, during which we have seen 10 seasons of European football, while Pompey, who in the 50s were thought of as the big club, were only ever there for 33 years, only had 1 season in Europe and are now down in the third tier.

 

Whatever we were in the 1950s or in 2010, we are now firmly established as one of the 12-14 biggest clubs in the country, based on our average gates and all other stats regarding size of fan base.

 

We shouldn't give up easily what we have fought so hard to achieve.

 

Being one of the top 12, 14 clubs isn't achieving anything mate.

[Hamilton Saint]

Of course. Any sane fan would want their team in the top division. You want to support a winning team, not watch your team lose all the time.

 

I remember the excitement of finally getting into the First Division, back in 1966.

 

Besides, this year I can now watch every game of the season on TV. From my perspective, things would change dramatically for the worse, if we went down.

[Nordic Saint]

Being one of the top 12, 14 clubs isn't achieving anything mate.

 

That is just where we rank in terms of number of fans and it's a hell of a lot better than not even being in the top 20. It gives us the spring base from which to get into Europe, which we have done in 10 of those 43 seasons and a better chance to get into cup finals and actually win a major trophy (yes, I know what we did in '76 and I was there but the vast majority of cup finalists are top flight teams).

 

Our best finish in the top flight? 2nd. Our best finish in the 2nd tier? 2nd. We have had 13 top 8 finishes in the top flight and 17 in the 2nd tier.

 

There is no evidence that we are any more likely to win things in the 2nd tier than we are in the 1st.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

I have to say, I'm close to not caring anymore...there is very little joy for me in football anymore - it's probably why I end up spending my time winding up chumps in the Lounge.

 

It's just very difficult with football in its current guise, and especially under our current ownership, to instill any sort of joy in me, let alone the commitment that supporting a football team should require.

 

I dunno...

[verlaine1979]

Eh, does anyone actually consider winning the Championship as silverware?

[doddisalegend]

Eh, does anyone actually consider winning the Championship as silverware?

Winning anything is silverware especially for club like ours which has won very little.

 

I was 1 when when we won the FA cup so I have the JPT and despite the scorn people like to pour on it, these days, it's still one of my favourite days as a saints fan ever.

 

We aren't Man U or Liverpool so winning anything should be a big deal to us not looked down upon as not worthy like we are some sort of hot ****.

 

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[nta786]

Why would people think it is easier to reorganise ourselves without the PL money if we go down? Why go down when the ultimate goal in the Championship is to get promoted to where we already are?!?!

 

I agree though that some benefits include perhaps cheaper ticket prices/Saturday 3pms and the ‘louder’ fans in but going down doesn’t bring any additional good if anything- and hits our local economy too.

 

This whole argument only comes out when we’re ****- the quicker people learn that being in the PL is about troughs and peaks the better- we are having our little recession right now just hope it doesn’t turn into a heavy depression.

[doddisalegend]

Why would people think it is easier to reorganise ourselves without the PL money if we go down? Why go down when the ultimate goal in the Championship is to get promoted to where we already are?!?!

 

I agree though that some benefits include perhaps cheaper ticket prices/Saturday 3pms and the ‘louder’ fans in but going down doesn’t bring any additional good if anything- and hits our local economy too.

 

This whole argument only comes out when we’re ****- the quicker people learn that being in the PL is about troughs and peaks the better- we are having our little recession right now just hope it doesn’t turn into a heavy depression.

 

Well if we got promoted again that would mean we have had a great season winning most weeks. I'd certainly take a season of being the best in a league and getting promoted than being **** every week and staying up by the skin of our teeth like the last couple of seasons...problem is you can't guarantee that we'd be any good in the champ either.

 

At the end of the day it doesn't matter what league you're in if your team is **** (and ours is) its hard to enjoy it. the other problem is in the PL a "Peak" means finishing 7th (ooohh) literally the only sporting occasion were finishing 7th is considered a massive achievement at least in the championship winning the league is an actual possibility.

[Nordic Saint]

Well if we got promoted again that would mean we have had a great season winning most weeks. I'd certainly take a season of being the best in a league and getting promoted than being **** every week and staying up by the skin of our teeth like the last couple of seasons...problem is you can't guarantee that we'd be any good in the champ either.

 

At the end of the day it doesn't matter what league you're in if your team is **** (and ours is) its hard to enjoy it. the other problem is in the PL a "Peak" means finishing 7th (ooohh) literally the only sporting occasion were finishing 7th is considered a massive achievement at least in the championship winning the league is an actual possibility.

 

We finished 6th as recently as 2016, above both Liverpool and Chelsea. A similar sized club to ours, Leicester, won the league then and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League the following season and they have a good chance of getting into the Champions League again. I don't buy this, let's give up because it's too hard line. Teams rise and fall. It wasn't that long ago that Fulham and Middlesborough reached European finals while Man City were in the third tier just 20 years ago.

[doddisalegend]

We finished 6th as recently as 2016, above both Liverpool and Chelsea. A similar sized club to ours, Leicester, won the league then and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League the following season and they have a good chance of getting into the Champions League again. I don't buy this, let's give up because it's too hard line. Teams rise and fall. It wasn't that long ago that Fulham and Middlesborough reached European finals while Man City were in the third tier just 20 years ago.

 

You can always find exceptions to the rules but anyone who doesn't think the top six of the PL isn't a closed shop is pretty deluded.

[SW5 SAINT]

Eh, does anyone actually consider winning the Championship as silverware?

 

Most definitely, it’s probably the only trophy Southampton have a chance of ever winning. Or maybe League 1......

[verlaine1979]

For most clubs you're a couple of wins from it seeming like a good season and a couple of losses from endless doom.

 

This is definitely true, which is why the start of the season is worrying.

 

Sure. we're not in the relegation zone yet, and we have played some tough teams. But on the performances so far across both defence and attack, I'd say we're definitely within the margin of error where we could easily lose those two or three games that typically make all the difference and go down.

[benjii]

I think the point is that there is very little prospect of sustained improvement under the current ownership and leadership of the club. The idea that we are going to finish 6th any time soon is fanciful.

 

The likes of Leicester, West Ham, Everton, even Bournemouth, blow us away financially.

 

It’s possible that big clubs have a mess season and open the door. Maybe Man U and Spurs are doing that this season, but it won’t be us stepping through it.

 

The way I see it:

 

- we stay up under current ownership with a team that rarely plays well over 90 minutes, rarely wins and isn’t much fun to watch, under the watch of disconnected and skint owners with no credible strategy, paying stupid prices in a stadium full of soulless, quiet, phone waving gimps, and seeing much the same at most away games

 

or

 

- clear out some of the dross on the pitch, in the offices and in the stands, play some proper footy teams at decent old footy grounds, have more matches, have a laugh, cheaper tickets.

[Secret Site Agent]

I fell in love with the game and Saints again when we were in league 1 and I took my daughter so she could see saints before they no longer existed. That did all change, as we know, and coming back up we had some good times, and enjoyed it.

 

Now, if we go down, at least we'll be able to go into the season and think we could win this league, or come top three. Here, if we make it into next season in the premier is all we can hope for.

[shurlock]

Christ, a tough start to the season and played a lot of good sides, not in the relegation zone and people give up.

 

It's definitely worse being bang average than awful, because people forget what it was like when you were awful and pretend this is the worst they've seen. We're in most games, we'll win a few, probably be lower mid table and lose a lot too. It's frustrating but there we go. I'd rather not throw that away and destroy the club because we aren't in the top 6 or 8.

 

Watford probably won't go down. Everton won't remain as rubbish. Same every season, teams have good and bad patches. Ultimately Sheffield United and Norwich probably will go. For most clubs you're a couple of wins from it seeming like a good season and a couple of losses from endless doom.

 

Where’s the fighting talk gone big man? Namely how the teams of Pellegrino and Hughes were on a par with those of Poch and Koeman but had been horribly let down by poor management. All it needed was a decent manager to unlock the potential and talent in the squad. Some might think that with risible and disproven views like that, you would look in the mirror and show a bit more humility rather than find another opportunity to criticise our fans.

[Morse]

Yes that's true but people forget that it was NC who persuaded him to invest in us. We need another NC as well as another Markus

 

Good to see the Clotese myth is still alive and kicking.

[Morse]

Whether we mind relegation or not, I think we better get use to the idea. You can get away with having a sub standard squad only for so long and I fear our time is running out. On the plus side there will be clauses regarding relegation into the player contracts which means the dross we cant sell should be easier to shift

[thesaint sfc]

Football clubs are businesses. Saints has been run very poorly for the past few years. We have an owner who is not investing into the club so these mistakes will without a doubt cost us dearly. We can't spend our way out of our current situation. We will get relegated - whether it be this season, next season, or the season after. We can't sell the garbage that we've got for the price we bought it for. We're screwed. I think the best thing that can happen to us is that we get relegated, get rid of the garbage and then rebuild. The alternative is to scrape by staying in the Prem for the next few seasons until it inevitably happens.

 

 

As an aside, for me I've never enjoyed supporting saints more than when we were in League 1 fighting our way back up. Just disappointing that all the work that Markus did for our club is now in vain.

[Dalek2003]

Football clubs are businesses. Saints has been run very poorly for the past few years. We have an owner who is not investing into the club so these mistakes will without a doubt cost us dearly. We can't spend our way out of our current situation. We will get relegated - whether it be this season, next season, or the season after. We can't sell the garbage that we've got for the price we bought it for. We're screwed. I think the best thing that can happen to us is that we get relegated, get rid of the garbage and then rebuild. The alternative is to scrape by staying in the Prem for the next few seasons until it inevitably happens.

 

 

As an aside, for me I've never enjoyed supporting saints more than when we were in League 1 fighting our way back up. Just disappointing that all the work that Markus did for our club is now in vain.

 

Alternatively you could argue we have been run very well in recent years. Minimum outlay and staying up means the money keeps rolling in!

 

As long as we stay up, I am sure that is all that matters. I said once before if our owner was offered a guaranteed 17th for the next 10 years with little financial risk, the deal would be made.

 

It is is risky, but our ambition is to stay up, nothing more and nothing less.

[adrian lord]

Really enjoyed League One and the Championship, far more than the Prem.

 

That isn't the same as not caring about being relegated though.

[Dark Munster]

I think the best thing that can happen to us is that we get relegated, get rid of the garbage and then rebuild. The alternative is to scrape by staying in the Prem for the next few seasons until it inevitably happens.

 

[Manuel]

Mixed feelings. Enjoyed the Northam in L1 and Championship and have some of my best memories of Saints in those times...but we were winning most of the time and signing good and interesting players.

 

That said, being 2nd under Koeman for much of the season a few years ago was something else.

 

For now I think we're better off surviving in the prem, enjoying the occasional season when we can crack the top 10, embarrass a few of the top 4 and throw in a cup run or two.

[Saint Fan CaM]

There are two specific issues in my mind...

1. Do I want us to go down? ....NO - be very careful of what you wish for.

2. Do I want to retain the season ticket I waited 3/4 of my life for or save £750/year and join the growing number of armchair fans? ...JURY’S OUT!

 

Thing is, like many I have most enjoyed the Lambert/Pelle years because it didn’t matter who we played, there was always a feeling we could win - even against the league darlings. Always hope. And because of this, there was passion...all around SMS.

 

Now, over a succession of very poor strategic and managerial decisions starting arguably with the sacking of Cortese, that passion has been diluted to a point where many just don’t care. Yes, the corporate nimbies buying their half and half scarves have taken over. You can argue over the root cause all day and never agree an answer, but one fact exists now - the club has become a sterile version of the one that got promoted to the Championship.

 

I would say there is only one possible saviour right now...Ralph. Both in motivating the players but more importantly, in playing the best players in their best suited positions. Choose a consistent starting 11 and only change for injury. The next home game is massive - he needs to win it for the supporters and to bring back just a little of that passion.

[Victor]

Bi like Brexit - I didn't vote for it but we've been on the edge of coming out for the last 3 years that I'm fed up with it so just do it, get it over with and we can all get on with it and start planning again and enjoying life.

[Bolokov]

Christ, a tough start to the season and played a lot of good sides, not in the relegation zone and people give up.

 

It's definitely worse being bang average than awful, because people forget what it was like when you were awful and pretend this is the worst they've seen. We're in most games, we'll win a few, probably be lower mid table and lose a lot too. It's frustrating but there we go. I'd rather not throw that away and destroy the club because we aren't in the top 6 or 8.

 

Watford probably won't go down. Everton won't remain as rubbish. Same every season, teams have good and bad patches. Ultimately Sheffield United and Norwich probably will go. For most clubs you're a couple of wins from it seeming like a good season and a couple of losses from endless doom.

 

Nice to see some actual sense being spoken on here. I despise people on here talking about wanting us to get relegated. The short sightedness of those is just unbelievable.

[benjii]

Nice to see some actual sense being spoken on here. I despise people on here talking about wanting us to get relegated. The short sightedness of those is just unbelievable.

 

I can understand why people who live in remote countries wouldn’t want us to get relegated.....

[mrfahaji]

Bi like Brexit - I didn't vote for it but we've been on the edge of coming out for the last 3 years that I'm fed up with it so just do it, get it over with and we can all get on with it and start planning again and enjoying life.

 

Go down, suffer a financial crisis, go down again, don't get saved by someone like Markus, spend years languishing in the third tier or maybe worse, or even go bust.

 

Yep, I think your Brexit analogy could be quite accurate.

[Special K]

Why the **** would anyone in their right mind want the Club to get relegated? ****ing losers.