It pushed my buttons

[OldNick]

On sunday I was out and saw a family group. They are aquaintences rather than friends.The grandson of about 14 was wearing a Liverpool shirt. The grandfather quickly told me he had put on £100 for us to be relegated (hes a supposed Saints fan) and excused himself by saying that if he did so we wouldnt go down.But he had just been bragging that he did so in our relegation season and had bet at I think he said 50-1.

That was bad enough but then I overheard him in conversation about saints in general and the grandson piped up I hope Saints do go down.

Well a kid born in Southampton wishing for the local team to be relegated got me going, and so I butted into their conversation and asked him how many times he'd been to Anfield.

Never was his reply. Realising that I had heard the conversation it was backtracking time and of course the grandparents etc said that he didnt mean it.

I dont understand the mentality of the kids thoughts, whats wrong with people?

[Johnny Shearer]

It is sad when local people dont even give a fig about their local club. However I'm sure the lad will come to his senses and find a place for Saints sooner or later.

[alpine_saint]

Since the European Championship all I've been getting from my 7 year-old, who has ever Saints home kit for the last 3 cycles, and has been to SMS many times, is that "Saints are shiiit, I'm going to support Manyoo from now on because Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are so good".

 

I've told him he either supports Saints, or his local team here FC Austria Kaernten (he was born out here anyway), or he's been to his last game.......

[alpine_saint]

I dont understand the mentality of the kids thoughts, whats wrong with people?

 

 

It's a peer-pressure/insecurity thing.

 

A friend of my mums used to do fostering back in the 80s. She once told me EVERY boy she fostered was a Liverpool fan.

[Scummer]

Since the European Championship all I've been getting from my 7 year-old, who has ever Saints home kit for the last 3 cycles, and has been to SMS many times, is that "Saints are shiiit, I'm going to support Manyoo from now on because Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are so good".

 

I've told him he either supports Saints, or his local team here FC Austria Kaernten (he was born out here anyway), or he's been to his last game.......

 

Fair play. I'm dreading what will happen when my 18 month old gets into football, I think I'd rather he became a glory hunter than supported Portsmouth.

[OldNick]

Since the European Championship all I've been getting from my 7 year-old, who has ever Saints home kit for the last 3 cycles, and has been to SMS many times, is that "Saints are shiiit, I'm going to support Manyoo from now on because Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are so good".

 

I've told him he either supports Saints, or his local team here FC Austria Kaernten (he was born out here anyway), or he's been to his last game.......

Well done Alpine.

[Master Bates]

My nephews the same, he's a c**t

[Scudamore]

TBF the 14 year old is obviously not the sort of person we need supporting Saints...i hope you put a hex on him...

[broncoboy]

You cant blame the kid. They wish to associate themselves with success.

 

Blame the authorities and Sky who have turned football attendance into something that is done on the sofa rather than in a ground. Not so many parents can afford to take their kids to live football

 

It is the cost of failure that Saints fans have to pay and the same reason you see all those Pompey shirts now

 

We are doomed to invisibility in the football world.

 

In a generation there will only be two divisons. Premiership and Champions League the rest will conference style teams

 

This is the true cost of our board members of all persuasions who bought into a club with no resources to fund the growth of the club in an envrionment where sustained success depends on investment.

 

There is no way we can mount a challenge on promotion without money never mind survive in the Premiership. We will not be able to hold on to any young player without the ability to pay comparable wages.

 

 

Sad but true

 

Our board ******s one and all

[OldNick]

You cant blame the kid. They wish to associate themselves with success.

 

Blame the authorities and Sky who have turned football attendance into something that is done on the sofa rather than in a ground. Not so many parents can afford to take their kids to live football

 

It is the cost of failure that Saints fans have to pay and the same reason you see all those Pompey shirts now

 

We are doomed to invisibility in the football world.

 

In a generation there will only be two divisons. Premiership and Champions League the rest will conference style teams

 

This is the true cost of our board members of all persuasions who bought into a club with no resources to fund the growth of the club in an envrionment where sustained success depends on investment.

 

There is no way we can mount a challenge on promotion without money never mind survive in the Premiership. We will not be able to hold on to any young player without the ability to pay comparable wages.

 

 

Sad but true

 

Our board ******s one and all

The wearing of a Liverpool shirt and born in Southampton did not set me off, it was the 'I hope Saints go down' that got me boiling.

[JHsaintsfan]

Ha Ha

Benfits of living near S****horpe - my one year old boy will be called a glory hunter for supporting Saints (I hope)

[DT]

My son is coming up to two quite shortly so I am not expecting him to be a fan of Saints, given the new regime; I'm expecting him to be in the starting line-up.

[Giordano]

My two kids are 5 and 10. In fact my ten year old helped out with the live broadcast of saints brum we did on saturday.

 

Anyhow ive taken them to overseas friendly tours,to st marys and to local pre-season friendlies as well.

 

I obviously would love it if they became dyed in the wool saints through and through - but im not going to force them - i seen too much of that....... My emphasis when with them talking about the matter has never been on winning or what a great team saints are. Its always about how the term "southampton football club" and having fun, singing, having fun, its ok if you are male female a child or a pensioner you are always the same as any other saints fan, having fun, its exciting, its fun, you can smile when you say you are a saints fan because it means you are a very special and rare person......... are synonymous.

 

I think that saints fans as kids who "get" that will never wear a liverpool shirt or chelsea because "they win" or "have better players".

 

For saints fans its NEVER, EVER, EVER been about that. In a footballing environment in which it seems increasingly clear that there can only ever be one or two "winners" from the same group of 4 it makes sense for us to continue to carve out our niche as a club with a wider set of values than that.

[Scudamore]

You cant blame the kid. They wish to associate themselves with success.

 

Blame the authorities and Sky who have turned football attendance into something that is done on the sofa rather than in a ground. Not so many parents can afford to take their kids to live football

 

It is the cost of failure that Saints fans have to pay and the same reason you see all those Pompey shirts now

 

We are doomed to invisibility in the football world.

 

In a generation there will only be two divisons. Premiership and Champions League the rest will conference style teams

 

This is the true cost of our board members of all persuasions who bought into a club with no resources to fund the growth of the club in an envrionment where sustained success depends on investment.

 

There is no way we can mount a challenge on promotion without money never mind survive in the Premiership. We will not be able to hold on to any young player without the ability to pay comparable wages.

 

 

Sad but true

 

Our board ******s one and all

 

It's all Rupert Lowe's fault that there are glory hunter. Rapists and murderers too...

[ottery st mary]

My two girls are Saints fans with shirts photos etc and have met many of the players after games at St Marys. This I thought would continue forever but the oldest girl still talks about getting a blue and white hooped shirt because of Surman. I have promised her that he will be staying but she is not convinced. But at least the younger one is ok for now as she supports Lallana and he is here for at least this year...hang on what have I just heard..

[lordswoodsaints]

i have 4 boys and they all support saints,well one of them is only 3 weeks old but he will be educated in the ways of the red and white army.

it is easy to be a manu or liverpool fan,to be a saints fan is very difficult at times but i wouldnt change it for the world and i wouldnt let my kids ever forget where they come from.

i have family who are scousers that still live in liverpool (something which is hard to imagine :-)) and they dont look too kindly on non scousers supporting their team or woolybacks as they like to call them.

mercenary glory hunters imo.

Edited 20 August, 2008 by lordswoodsaints

[James_O_Mac]

My Dads an Everton fan having been born in the area, I was born in Kent and have lived here since I was 4. First team I supported was Saints, its strange, I seem to remember the majority of kids at school being Saints fans..started supporting when Lundekvam joined, and it was quite sentimental to see his testemonial.

 

Football has changed, fans are more fickle, the money is greater and the standards and ambitions are higher.

[Leigh Leicester Saint]

Supporting Saints is in my family's blood, my Dad was a saints fan, as was his dad, and so on and so on but I really worry if my son will carry on the tradition and come with me to Saints games and support the club. He is only 14 months old at the moment but by the time he gets to the age where I can take him with me to matches Southampton football club could have fallen so far that his intrest in the team will be hard to spark.

I hate to see glory hunters who state love for a club but have never seem them play live and hold no really connection to the club other than they win all the time.

[paris]

Take a look on the OS at the Fun Day pics you'll see some young lads with Saints shirts on should cheer some of you up...

[Bartosz Bialkowski]

This drives me mad. Everytime I hear the excuse "Saints are sh1t though" as a valid reason for not following the local team I simply respond with...

 

"If everyone thought like you, only 4 or 5 teams in England would have any fans"

 

or

 

"Do you follow England in the world cup? Well follow Southampton in the league then"

 

or

 

"Your a ****"

[paris]

Correction a lot of young supporters with Saints shirts on..

[ottery st mary]

Supporting Saints is in my family's blood, my Dad was a saints fan, as was his dad, and so on and so on but I really worry if my son will carry on the tradition and come with me to Saints games and support the club. He is only 14 months old at the moment but by the time he gets to the age where I can take him with me to matches Southampton football club could have fallen so far that his intrest in the team will be hard to spark.

I hate to see glory hunters who state love for a club but have never seem them play live and hold no really connection to the club other than they win all the time.

 

By the time your lad is old enough I can see Hinckley Utd v Saints and therefore you and your lad will not have too far to travel. (I could not think of any other non league nearer you) Then again Leicester could be down there with us.

[Leigh Leicester Saint]

By the time your lad is old enough I can see Hinckley Utd v Saints and therefore you and your lad will not have too far to travel. (I could not think of any other non league nearer you) Then again Leicester could be down there with us.

 

That is what worries me!! If we keep sinking who knows where we will end.

Although I was born and raised in Southampton my son was born in Leicester so if he does not pick up the Saints bug I hope he follows Leicester as it is his local team - still sure I will get him hooked on Saints like everyone else in my family though - you dont pick being a Saint you are born one!

[angelman]

mentioned this before. years back (prob early 80s or late 70s) I was in my local sports shop in New Milton and there wasn't a single local shirt (ie SFC or AFCB). Just Liverpool, Arsenal and Everton (I think).

 

About time that the club actually sold itself properly. Possibly too late now but it should have been something that was a major part of sales when we were in the Prem. For example there was a competition in Thailand for a pair of tickets for a ManU game (presumably inc flights!) and they had over 5 million entrants.

 

On a different note, was getting my nipper dressed this morning and really couldn't put on the "sweat shirt" that his mother has bought. Nice red, but on it is says "Skate Champions" and under that "1976"

[Kadeem Hardison]

Since the European Championship all I've been getting from my 7 year-old, who has ever Saints home kit for the last 3 cycles, and has been to SMS many times, is that "Saints are shiiit...'

 

Where on earth did he get an attitude like that from? Kids, eh.

[itchen]

Pleased to say my son (12) supports Saints and has never shown any sign of glory hunting. My nephews back in London also support their local team (Charlton) when I suppose they could quite easily have switched to Chelsea.

 

I can't see how you can "support" a team you are only likely to see on the TV. You may like the way Man U play or enjoy laughing at Newcastle but I don't see how that makes you a supporter in any meaningful sense. I'd like to blame Sky but I remember back in the seventies there used to "Leeds supporters" all over South East London. Shame.

[saint1977]

Pleased to say my son (12) supports Saints and has never shown any sign of glory hunting. My nephews back in London also support their local team (Charlton) when I suppose they could quite easily have switched to Chelsea.

 

I can't see how you can "support" a team you are only likely to see on the TV. You may like the way Man U play or enjoy laughing at Newcastle but I don't see how that makes you a supporter in any meaningful sense. I'd like to blame Sky but I remember back in the seventies there used to "Leeds supporters" all over South East London. Shame.

 

Spot on, it's always happened. Even when Saints were at their peak in the 80s, there were still kids with Liverpool shirts on. Heck, when I was a secondary school around 1990ish, there was even a lad in my year with a West Germany shirt on who was supporting them over England (English lad). A Bayern fan also congratulated a Man U fan after England beat the Germans 5-1 in Munich and he was astonished when the Man U fan (probably from Farnham) said "I support Argentina mate".

[revolution saint]

I actually think it's less satisfying being a glory hunter. I know everyone thinks it's an easy option but just how much connection does a glory hunter have with his (or her club)? They're constantly heckled by people like us and deep down they know they can't compete with true lifelong commitment. You don't chose your local team, you just become a supporter without really realising it.

 

The other thing that's a bonus is the reduced expectation levels (well for some of us anyway). If I go to a game and we play OK and win then I'm happy and it doesn't matter who we're playing. Big club supporters are so used to winning that inevitably they take it for granted. Sure they'll be disappointed if they lose but when they win? Well they don't get the lows often enough to appreciate the heights. I get the impression for a lot of them that if they don't win silverware then the season has been a bad one. Imagine that! Coming second or losing in a final and not enjoying it.

 

I pity them.

[Pip87]

I've told him he either supports Saints, or his local team here FC Austria Kaernten (he was born out here anyway), or he's been to his last game.......

 

...and people have started wondering why young people reaching adulthood aren't able to think for themselves and have to get their parents to sort everything out and make all their decisions for them.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7570127.stm

[Saint Without a Halo]

It is standard peer pressure no kids like to be associated with a crisis club as they get teased at school remorselessly. It is a matter of confidence and although most will say things to avoid being teased secretely they still have a soft spot for the team!

 

We shouldnt blame the kids! What we need to do is get behind the team and urge them on as success has many followers!

[saintkiptanui]

Peer pressure my arse, if you've got anything about you then you support who you want, I spent my school days telling glory boys how it was, get a f*ckin backbone and to the parents you should be shot if you let your kids support one of the big 4 if you're a saints fan from southampton.

[Pip87]

It is standard peer pressure no kids like to be associated with a crisis club as they get teased at school remorselessly. It is a matter of confidence and although most will say things to avoid being teased secretely they still have a soft spot for the team!

 

We shouldnt blame the kids! What we need to do is get behind the team and urge them on as success has many followers!

 

Totally agree! Leave them to it and they'll all end up on the right side eventually

[saintwarwick]

When I was at school (late sixties/early seventies) a lot of my mates were Leeds fans and tried to convert me but I held out. I had already seen Saints play and they were the only team for me. When my daughter showed signs of interest in football and Man Ure especially I had to educate her in her ways and thankfully she saw sense. I started to buy her Saints tops to make sure she did not sway She asked me why I supported the Saints and I explained about following your local team (I was born in Southampton) and not being a glory hunter. She then immediately asked for a Munster (Germany) top as that is where she was born! I thought fair play, I will get one but she was only joking. She has been to SMS on several occasions with me and she enjoys it even when we are crap.

[L1Minus10]

It's a horrible thing when you know that if your kid asks you who he/she should support... all you've got to recommend Saints by is that they're the local team. There is no other ****ing reason right now.... My son is 4 and I started going to The Dell when I was 6 so i figure I've got 2 years for Ssints to be half decent again.... the clock is ticking.... quickly.

[Windmill Arm 2]

On sunday I was out and saw a family group. They are aquaintences rather than friends.The grandson of about 14 was wearing a Liverpool shirt. The grandfather quickly told me he had put on £100 for us to be relegated (hes a supposed Saints fan) and excused himself by saying that if he did so we wouldnt go down.But he had just been bragging that he did so in our relegation season and had bet at I think he said 50-1.

That was bad enough but then I overheard him in conversation about saints in general and the grandson piped up I hope Saints do go down.

Well a kid born in Southampton wishing for the local team to be relegated got me going, and so I butted into their conversation and asked him how many times he'd been to Anfield.

Never was his reply. Realising that I had heard the conversation it was backtracking time and of course the grandparents etc said that he didnt mean it.

I dont understand the mentality of the kids thoughts, whats wrong with people?

 

 

To be fair, if a stranger butted in on my conversation, I'd have told him to sod off.

[Glasgow_Saint]

To be fair, if a stranger butted in on my conversation, I'd have told him to sod off.

 

You never change Mr Match Fred!!

 

p.s pay your £5 cheap-"skate" lol!!

Edited 20 August, 2008 by Glasgow_Saint

[aintforever]

Kids are w****rs

[the scud]

Some kid was wearing a liverpool shirt and hat away against Exeter

[JHsaintsfan]

Spot on, it's always happened. Even when Saints were at their peak in the 80s, there were still kids with Liverpool shirts on. Heck, when I was a secondary school around 1990ish, there was even a lad in my year with a West Germany shirt on who was supporting them over England (English lad). A Bayern fan also congratulated a Man U fan after England beat the Germans 5-1 in Munich and he was astonished when the Man U fan (probably from Farnham) said "I support Argentina mate".

 

Oy - I'm from Farnham!! .... although you're probably right about the plastic fans - there were only three Southampton fans at my school, but trying to buy a shirt etc was a nightmare unless you travelled to Southampton.

[saintwarwick]

Oy - I'm from Farnham!! .... although you're probably right about the plastic fans - there were only three Southampton fans at my school, but trying to buy a shirt etc was a nightmare unless you travelled to Southampton.

 

Wasn't always like that, when I lived in London in the nineties I could get my shirts locally no problem, I even brought my daughters first shirt in 1996/7 in London.

[Wiltshire Saint]

On sunday I was out and saw a family group. They are aquaintences rather than friends.The grandson of about 14 was wearing a Liverpool shirt. The grandfather quickly told me he had put on £100 for us to be relegated (hes a supposed Saints fan) and excused himself by saying that if he did so we wouldnt go down.But he had just been bragging that he did so in our relegation season and had bet at I think he said 50-1.

That was bad enough but then I overheard him in conversation about saints in general and the grandson piped up I hope Saints do go down.

Well a kid born in Southampton wishing for the local team to be relegated got me going, and so I butted into their conversation and asked him how many times he'd been to Anfield.

Never was his reply. Realising that I had heard the conversation it was backtracking time and of course the grandparents etc said that he didnt mean it.

I dont understand the mentality of the kids thoughts, whats wrong with people?

 

 

This is astonishing. I cannot believe that people would say this sort of stuff. I am sickened and feel faint. How dare people place bets against Southampton? People born in this city betting against Southampton? I never thought I would live to see the day. And a boy, a young local boy, supporting Liverpool? When did this start happening? I'm not surprised you butted into the conversation. If I was sat there and had heard the sort of things he was saying I think I may have hit the little turd. Disrespectful little tit and daft old sod of a grandad. I would have belted the pair of them. There are many things in this world that push my buttons and make me mad, but local people not supporting their local team is the worst of all of them. I also hate it when local people move away and stop being local. Who do they think they are? Moving out to non local places and probably still slating Saints. I'm glad for you that these people are not your friends and merely aquaintences, though I would suggest either never speaking to them again or taking their photo and putting it up here so we can all see these scum.

[scooby]

Since the European Championship all I've been getting from my 7 year-old, who has ever Saints home kit for the last 3 cycles, and has been to SMS many times, is that "Saints are shiiit, I'm going to support Manyoo from now on because Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are so good".

 

That you have a 7-year-old punk using such foul language openly is no surprise to me at all.

[Totton Red]

That you have a 7-year-old punk using such foul language openly is no surprise to me at all.

 

that old class thing.....very ingenuous!

[Saintandy666]

That you have a 7-year-old punk using such foul language openly is no surprise to me at all.

 

A bit of a low blow and a bit irrelevent to be honest. The point is there. Children, people my age and younger just can't be arsed with all this anymore and are switching to the bigger clubs, I've seen it first hand and it is a big problem facing the club in the future, or we are going to end up dying a quiet slow death so shhhhhh with the personal swipes and keep it relevent.

 

Edit : it's also the pressure to conform, you get so much stick at school for being a saints fan. It's much a easier ride saying you support chelsea or whatever.

Edited 20 August, 2008 by Saintandy666

[OldNick]

This is astonishing. I cannot believe that people would say this sort of stuff. I am sickened and feel faint. How dare people place bets against Southampton? People born in this city betting against Southampton? I never thought I would live to see the day. And a boy, a young local boy, supporting Liverpool? When did this start happening? I'm not surprised you butted into the conversation. If I was sat there and had heard the sort of things he was saying I think I may have hit the little turd. Disrespectful little tit and daft old sod of a grandad. I would have belted the pair of them. There are many things in this world that push my buttons and make me mad, but local people not supporting their local team is the worst of all of them. I also hate it when local people move away and stop being local. Who do they think they are? Moving out to non local places and probably still slating Saints. I'm glad for you that these people are not your friends and merely aquaintences, though I would suggest either never speaking to them again or taking their photo and putting it up here so we can all see these scum.

It takes all kinds.I am a loyal person and proud of where I come from, to see people brought up in the city and then wish its representative football team fail sickens me.

I was with a Reading fan born and bred and he also found it distasteful. i suppose I should have gone and abused some staff in a shop to vent my frustrations.

[Glasgow_Saint]

This is astonishing. I cannot believe that people would say this sort of stuff. I am sickened and feel faint. How dare people place bets against Southampton? People born in this city betting against Southampton? I never thought I would live to see the day. And a boy, a young local boy, supporting Liverpool? When did this start happening? I'm not surprised you butted into the conversation. If I was sat there and had heard the sort of things he was saying I think I may have hit the little turd. Disrespectful little tit and daft old sod of a grandad. I would have belted the pair of them. There are many things in this world that push my buttons and make me mad, but local people not supporting their local team is the worst of all of them. I also hate it when local people move away and stop being local. Who do they think they are? Moving out to non local places and probably still slating Saints. I'm glad for you that these people are not your friends and merely aquaintences, though I would suggest either never speaking to them again or taking their photo and putting it up here so we can all see these scum.

 

 

Good idea - name & shame em in the 'local' Echo

[Glasgow_Saint]

It takes all kinds.I am a loyal person and proud of where I come from, to see people brought up in the city and then wish its representative football team fail sickens me.

I was with a Reading fan born and bred and he also found it distasteful. i suppose I should have gone and abused some staff in a shop to vent my frustrations.

 

I find mindless vandalism on parked cars, bus stops & shop windows very therapeutic

[NickG]

Since the European Championship all I've been getting from my 7 year-old, who has ever Saints home kit for the last 3 cycles, and has been to SMS many times, is that "Saints are shiiit, I'm going to support Manyoo from now on because Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are so good".

 

I've told him he either supports Saints, or his local team here FC Austria Kaernten (he was born out here anyway), or he's been to his last game.......

 

sad but common. I may admire Brazil but would only ever have England as my team - the same goes for Saints -its not a choice thing!

 

By the way -still think Rooney is over-rated!

[debbiemc]

We have gained one child supporter this season. I'm Southampton born and bred but was living in Kent when my eldest son was born. We were there until he was seven. Unfortunately he got it into his head that he wanted to support Liverpool (our local team was Gillingham so you can understand why he showed no interest there). However, we moved back to Southampton four years ago and and slowly he came round to my way of thinking and he now has a season ticket with me!

[Wiltshire Saint]

It takes all kinds.I am a loyal person and proud of where I come from, to see people brought up in the city and then wish its representative football team fail sickens me.

I was with a Reading fan born and bred and he also found it distasteful. i suppose I should have gone and abused some staff in a shop to vent my frustrations.

 

 

I was agreeing with you. I am a loyal local person and hearing that Southampton born and local people want their local team to fail makes me mad. I am as mad as a lorry. I am also slightly concerned that you are talking to a Reading fan. Reading people are not local people.