Since things have been so miserable recently I thought it'd be nice to reminisce about better times and forget that this season is even a thing. Interested to hear what people's top 5 games are this century and ideally with some reasoning too. Sure there'll be some recurring ones for everyone but hopefully we get a few more obscure ones too. For what it's worth I'm only going to include games where I actually attended (so no Anfield) but people can decide themselves if they want to do that too. In no particular order... Saints 2-0 Pompey 2003 (league cup) My first ever derby and under the lights. The atmosphere was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before and I was shocked by how much tension and energy there was around the ground. For me still the greatest atmosphere at SMS though I know many disagree. Leeds 0-1 Saints 2024 (play off final) If like me you weren't around for the 70s and 80s then winning a play off final is likely as good as it gets for a club like ours these days and was nice to do it against a big club too. The FT scenes will live with me forever and it was extra special cos my Son was with me. Saints 3-1 Walsall 2011 (L1) The day that to me was the real start of our revival. Party atmosphere from the beginning of the day, a comfortable win, and the pitch invasion was an amazing experience after the rather grim one from two years previous v Burnley. Walsall staying up and joining the party added to the occasion too, had a soft spot for them since. Saints 2-1 Inter Milan 2016 (EL) We actually beat Inter ****ing Milan in a competitive match. Less than a decade after starting a season in the third tier on -10. Not only that but the nature of it coming from behind after feeling like we'd thrown it away with the missed pen. The winner one of the few times I've genuinely felt St Marys shake. Pompey 0-4 Saints 2019 (league cup) Nearly ended with this a 'Nuff said' but that wouldn't really do it justice. First win over them in 14 years, first away win in 35, and a record one at that. Also feels like the closest I'll ever get to the old terraces after spending the first half on a stairwell due to amount of people who bunked in. The celebratory escort up Goldsmith Avenue afterwards was almost as magical as the game itself.
I was lucky enough to go to Inter away and even though we lost it has to be up there. The 3-2 against Liverpool under Koeman from 2-0 down. Still gets to me when I think back to that season as it could have been something really special if we hadn't had that nightmare run around Xmas/New Year.
It's interesting that you haven't picked any from the glory Poch/Koeman period. I'll have to have a think, I don't think i'll include the Wembley games and i'm glad it's narrowed down to the last quarter of a century!...
Ah I love these threads. Just what we need. Tough call but for me these games are all special for different reasons. 1) Saints 2-1 Portsmouth. Jan 2005. An Oakley screamer and a stupidly dodgy injury time penalty. ****ing beautiful 2) Saints 5- 2 Yeovil. My best mate in the whole world hated football. Didn't see the point and thought it was boring. We got absolutely pissed for no good reason and I persuaded him to come along. Cracking game and a Rudi Skacel rocket. Continued our piss up after and I managed to get to know quite intimately, a bar maid I'd had my eye on for months and didn't leave her house until the Saturday. My best mate has since travelled up and down the country with Saints and is now a ST holder 3) Plymouth 1-3 Southampton. We went as a decent group, spent the entire bank holiday on the piss, so many shenanigans and the closest I've ever come to dieing. An amazing weekend which after life would never be the same again (Mrs Lincoln told me she was pregnant when I got back) Don't get me wrong, I love being a dad, but there's something incredibly liberating having no responsibilities except to yourself. Simpler times. 4) Southampton 2-0 Villa. My lads first ever proper Saints game. Took him in the Northam and he's been hooked since. Football with my son is one of life's greatest gifts. Easy contender for top spot. 5) Southampton 3-1 WBA. It was a toss up between this and the PO final at Wembley, but this was incredible. The scenes at the front of the stadium, the atmosphere. Smallbones goal. Simply magic.
Mine sum up the feelings around the club at the time that they were played. Ok let's go, in chronological order.. 1) Way back to 2001.. https://www.11v11.com/matches/southampton-v-everton-17-march-2001-5910/#google_vignette We were absolutely flying under Glenda and Beatts was on fire, Deano Richards was a rock at the back with Bridger and super Marian too. We had just won something like 7 in 10 games and only lost to Liverpool and were 4 points off of the top 4 with a game in hand and there was real hope and optimism at last after the struggles of the 90s and the tiny old ground was rocking, what could go wrong?....(Glenda was gone within a couple of weeks...) 2) Next, revenge.. https://www.11v11.com/matches/southampton-v-tottenham-hotspur-04-january-2003-15078/ This was the second match of a double header against the North London Yobbos and contributed to Glenda getting the sack not long after and started our run to Wembly. Strachan is better than Hoddle was sung raucously throughout the match.. 3) On the way back.. https://www.11v11.com/matches/southampton-v-huddersfield-town-02-march-2010-287134/#google_vignette This was a match when we thought the impossible might happen after the dark days of the previous summer (it inspired my user name!) and it was such a great performance and against our special friends from Yorkshire too. 4) The Red Arrows... https://www.11v11.com/matches/southampton-v-newcastle-united-29-march-2014-307831/ We were dreaming of Europe after this match and the team were playing exciting and attractive football and we had just had FOUR players selected for England, again, what could go wrong?... 5) Have that Klopp!... https://www.11v11.com/matches/southampton-v-liverpool-20-march-2016-317145/#google_vignette I honestly feel that this was best atmosphere at SMS after coming back from 2-0 down and again after it we were dreaming of the CL.
Good thread. In no particular order my 5 are: Saints 8-0 Sunderland - no real explanation needed here! Just a great day. Saints 6-1 Villa - this game was on my birthday so this has to be on my list. That 2 minute hat-trick or whatever it was special by Mane. Plus a belter by Shane in a ridiculous first half. I believe we made history in this game as the first team in the PL to score 5 in a first half of a game and 5 in a second half in the same season. Saints 2-1 Inter Milan - What a night. Beating one of Europe's biggest teams at St Mary's was special. Shame we didn'tr progress out of the group but that was night that lives long in the memory. Leeds 0-1 Saints (or the aftermath!) - The game was not good for the nerves! But the celebrations sent a chill down my spine at the time. Never witnessed anything like it. Finally got to witness a Saints win at Wembley too as the JPT final clashed with a family event. Man Utd 3-2 Saints EFL Cup Final - it may seem strange to put a loss on the list but we came so damn close to causing a huge upset. When Gabbiadini levelled it was just chaos in the Saints end and the whole end was bouncing for about 15 minutes after the goal. If Romeu had scored at 2-2 instead of hitting the post...
Didn't go to that many games around that period sadly. Our promotion to the PL coincided with me falling out of the young adult category and then my nipper was born in 2014. I was offered a ticket to the Sunderland game but rather foolishly turned it down. I think my exact words "Nah that'll be a **** game and they're our bogey side, I'll save my money for a better one"
Yeah I was very close to including it too but couldn't find one to drop out ultimately. I suspect this will be rather controversial but on reflection I actually believe the atmosphere was better there than the Leeds one outside of the final minutes and celebrations. The 25-30 minutes after the equaliser was out of this world, right up there with the best atmospheres I've experienced following Saints. And outside the final minutes mentioned above the Leeds game didn't match that energy imo.
I honestly still have the occasional dream where Romeu's header drops inside the side netting. Following a football club is definitely a form of mental illness
Wasn't at the Utd final but I think the atmosphere (PO final) suffered out of sheer nerves. Wasn't a classic game by any stretch and I think most of us expected a late Leeds leveller
Agreed. I thought the Leeds fans were very average by their standards as well. Holding a narrow lead is also very different to coming back from two down of course. Difference between nerves and adrenaline.
Play off final Tottenham away under Ralph Inter Milan at home 8-0 vs Sunderland 6-1 vs Villa Walsall promotion party Coventry promotion party Plymouth away in 2011 JPT winners 2010 Okay, not 5 but I couldn't narrow them down any more ... those are the games I always look back on with the most vividness and fondess
For me the main “I was there” moment was the Inter Game. Every time I see them play now I say “we beat them” to anyone unfortunate enough to be with me. The Liverpool game is the next one and then: West Brom play-off semi. The whole occasion was something I’d never seen the like of at SMS. Rocking up 90 minutes before KO and seeing what we saw sent shivers down the spine. I honestly felt that once Smallbone’s goal went in there was no way we were ever going to lose that game and the party started. I couldn’t make Wembley unfortunately as I was away with my lad’s football team.
Most of the ones that immediately spring to mind have already been said. A game for me that hasn't been mentioned, and is maybe tarred for many by both the manager we had at the time and the fact that we ended up going down anyway... But I always have very fond memories of the 4-3 win against Norwich in the 04/05 season. One of the best atmospheres that I can remember, something particularly special about those nerve wracking 6 pointers towards the end of the season when there is so much on the line. A game with loads of goals, and an 88th minute winner from Henri Camara. It felt like we were going to stay up after that.
1. Liverpool in Semi Final - wasn't supposed to be at it. Diagnosed with cancer a couple of days before so couldn't go home. Fitting then an Irish man got the winner in front of us. Felt like it was meant to be 2. JPT final- 1st great occasion after years of horror 3. Fulham away were we won 3 nil -we were the best I've ever seen us in that second half 4. 2 nil away to Palace where we really knew then we were going up. 5. LC Final- ultimately disappointing but great to be in final and perform well when there
