Our season has effectively been over for only a few days and yet I am suffering withdrawal symptoms already. I have watched the video of the Coventry game 9 times and will probably watch it as many times again. This time of year I usually start getting belligerent but I am trying to remain calm but things wind me up especially speculation about who will come and go amongst our players. I have booked holidays and have been busy with projects in the garden but nothing seems to have stopped me feeling grumpy. Whenever I go on holiday we always sell someone I wish we hadn't. In a way this rambling post is an apology in advance for occasions when I might be downright rude to you over something you may have posted about which I disagree. How the hell do you cope with the close season?
I know the commentary proceeding and succeeeding all 4 goals as well as the last 4 minutes off by heart. So sad! After Lallana's 4th: "Southampton are going up" Amazing. Simple but oh so effective
I have watched the Coventry game again and again, highlights for a quick fix, extended highlights when I have more time. I think I will watch the opening game against Leeds today...be even better now I know the future. Celebrations after the Plymouth and Walsall games will be worth a look as well. That's why Player is so great. I'm not in a hurry for next season to start, just enjoying the period of relaxation. We have to prepare for next season...gird our loins, get positivity, control the controllables, not get too up when we win or too down when we lose . Not quite ready for that.
Oh Godders, you sad man. I'll immerse myself in cricket, get lost in the Olympics and not even think about football at all. Well OK, sometimes I might manage a whole 20 seconds without wondering .... I positively hate the close season!
Yes indeed! Godders, pull yourself together man! You are beginning to sound a bit feeble! No wonder your Missus has a penchant for brave, decisive and good-looking Frenchmen.
I watched the opening game against Leeds again. We were even better than I remembered. We could easily have scored 6. And the sun was shining, who remembers the sun!?
I'm in the minority then in being glad Saints aren't playing...I want to bask in this success before getting into the PL which will tougher than our last two seasons. I need a touch of NA's positivity or to see Nicola's hypnotising video.
I would normally agree, but this year I am looking forward to the break. I am looking forward to spending some time with my wife and daughter (as well as my son). I'm looking forward to relaxing while working on the veg patch; I'm looking forward to not having to dash to the radio or television to check the results of other teams. This last three seasons has been fantastic, I am not complaining, however I want to sit back this close season and rejoice at the fact that we did it, we are going back to the big time. I want to remember the good stuff from the last three seasons and relax enjoying life instead of calculating football permuatations as results come through. I'm not even too anxious (yet) about any signings, Nigel will do whatever he feels is right. I will occassionnally just sit there with a wry smile on my face and maybe a tear in my eye as I recall those moments just after the third goal was scored against Coventry and I looked around St Mary's to see 32,000 people with their arms aloft and just one beautiful sound ringing out .... ...."WE ARE SOUTHAMPTON, WE'RE PREMIER LEAGUE"
Oh god, now LeTiss has gone all Dorothy on us. OK I share the feeling, but in my case it's grandchildren! Great post
Well I'm certainly not looking forward to the endless speculation about who Saints might buy, which no doubt will carry on until the end of the transfer window in August. I think that the management team have now proved that they actually know what they are doing in the transfer market, so I personally am content to leave it to them, and trust that come the start of preseason, we will have a squad capable of challenging for the top half of the Premier League. As for Godders' fears of players being sold that we want to keep, relax, that will never happen now. The plan is for 50% of the first team squad to come from our own academy players, so we are hardly likely to carry on selling the Oxlade-Chamberlains, Walcotts, and Bales that come through are we? Over the summer I will of course miss the excitement we have had in the last 3 years of amazing results and constant improvement (albeit with a few wobbles along the way!) but there are plenty of other interesting events to keep me going until the real fun starts again.
On the basis that promotion from the Championship came (in many respects) eaisier than promotion from league 1, surely the PL will be a walk in the park for us.
FA Cup final tomorrow-still a really big deal in my eyes. CL final in 10 days. Then the Euros. Cricket. Flat racing. Buck up man, there's loads to look forward to between now and August.
used to love cup final nights - here in Oz kick off was at midnight now its bloody 0230 - close season is just what it is will go down the club and play darts like Adrian Lewis's left foot and go home wishing her indoors was his wifes twin - our club is in good hands they will continue to achieve !!
Somehow the FA cup doesn't have the same importance as when I was a lad. The coverage would start from early morning, cameras at the hotels, helicopter cameras of the coaches winding through the traffic, I used to lap it up. Of course, apart from the international matches it was about the only live football on TV and was on "both" channels- and you didn't need a wok on the side of your house to see it, neither. I have to confess that since Saints is the main football Of interest to me, I was not even aware that it was tomorrow. I will be paying a bit more attention to the Premier League next season, mind!
At the moment it all feels like cold turkey having thrived on all those adrenalin rushes of recent months. Weeding the garden and mowing the lawn or watching cricket doesn’t quite have the same buzz. The only excitement around at the moment is the continuing death throes of our dear neighbours. Will they or won’t they survive?
With Euro 2012 from 8th June - 1st July and the Europa League Qualifying rounds starting on 5th July there's not much of a closed season for you to worry about. As for the rest of this month; the First Test between England and the West Indies starts on 17th May
