The team was in disorder and heading for relegation from the Championship. Lowe in his infinite wisdom delayed the administration process and fans were walking away from our great family friendly club with total disillusionment. Others were organizing marches and demonstrations which seemed to highlight the way that our club was going. My (then) 5yo son was going to his eighth game that season and yet again we had failed to perform and ended up losing. As I walked dejectedly away from the ground I had decided that I could no more support such a shambolic mess. Turning I took my last look at the ground thinking that I would have to suffer such pain no more. Sad in the knowledge that my son hadn't seen the club that I had supported for over 50 years actually win a game. I felt my son tugging at my sleeve and heard him say quietly, daddy we will win our next game won't we. I snatched him up and gave him a big hug and felt ashamed of my cowardly thoughts and yes we did get to see the team win though it was too little too late!! During more recent years it has been one of almost permanent success and we have returned to the top flight, my son has become as devoted to the red n whites as his miserable old git of a dad. Doesn't life change when least expected. Though I will be expecting a much tougher year once we get the season under way I will forever be in my son's debt for his simple belief. When did you ever feel like leaving our club behind as a lost cause but resist through one reason or another?
I started becoming a really commited fan during the first champioship era so I just presumed that was all I could expect. I never considered turing my back but I did wonder whether you could ever enjoy having a season ticket the next few seasons certainly gave me the answer!
My first few seasons of supporting Saints was ****, from 11 years old in 2006 I never changed who I supported - I didn't care if I was picked on at shcool cos of who I supported (wasn't horrible, just banter) I sat through utter dross, and not once did I consider supporting someone better I consider myself a very loyal fan, and I would never turn my back however we were doing
Although I've never considered walking away, I went travelling in 2005 & missed the last half of the season. Watched the Utd game in the red light district, 6 euros a pint, a major depressing episode. Was nearly relieved to have missed it.
The main reason for my deep rooted dismay was the fact that it was the year I chose to take my youngest son and teach him the way we love our club. Whether I would actually have been able to actually walk away is doubtful.
I was furious when Pearson was sacked, I even wrote an email to the club saying I wouldn't spend any money with the club until it was ran in a way I felt was respectable! Obviously with hindsight I can say everything happens for a reason, but it was a ludicrous decision
My best mate walked away in the Branfoot era after we had sat and watched Saints versus Wimbledon, the worst game of football I have ever seen. He never came back. I remember him saying Askham and Branfoot are really taking the piss and no one does that to me. He was over 70 and he never went to another game. He had been a Saints fan for most of his life and Askham took that away from him. I continued to watch the Saints but other than the cost of my season ticket I never spent another penny. To this day I spit when ever I hear talk of Lowe and Askham.
I did leave. I'd done it before, back in the mid-80's when Lawrie left. This time it was probably a few weeks before yourself. In the 80's I simply wanted to go and do something else at the weekends, so started to stop going, then stopped altogether. I soon picked it up again, only to stop when I moved to NZ, so that was unavoidable. Since then, I've lived in Kent, so it wasn't practically possible to go to matches, especially with a NZ wife. This last time I stopped going, along with loads of others, as a protest against Lowe & Co, and I think it worked in the end. Besides, the club wasn't the one I liked anymore. I haven't been back since, and my life has changed a lot, but it will happen in a couple of years or so. I'll be able to afford to go regularly again and do it properly.
Not trying to sound like a super fan but ive been thinking about this abit more. I actually feel the most passionate ive ever felt about the club was when we were in adminastration and the season under the dutch. The feeling of the club I loved being destroyed and in danger was terrible but it actually made me feel more loyal to the club (not the owners) it kinda felt like the fans were all the club had left. I can understand the people who boycotted and also could understand the thought of why the hell do we do this! At the end of the day though I dont think its something anyone of us could give up no matter how angry dissapointed whatever.
Apparently Portsmouth are trying to sell season tickets when it's not clear they will even play next season. Parting with money will be a true test of their fans loyalty.
Your story does explain the ups and downs of football, there has been many of times that Gillingham have pissed me off and I thought why did I choose to support Gillingham and can't I just take that love away for the club but you can't do that as a club is like family you can't change it and the way that I get through it is by thinking with every bad performance comes a good one and I always know with Gillingham that they will play ****ing brilliant one game and **** another one up but that is the Gills and that is why I love them, they are not perfect but they are Gillingham and I could not do without them.
Very honest sharing this with us. I went through a period of not going to matches or listening to games from 2005-2007, not sure why to be honest... Just didn't really have the motivation. The Sheffield United pitch invasion reinvigorated my Saints passion.
Think of what it was like for me, I know I live in Gillingham but when I was at school people used to wind me up and call Gills ****, I stood up for the club most of the time but after really bad games I agreed with them, I was known as Mr Gillingham and school, happy I am not there anymore as I finished school the other week, have 2 exams though but no more of people taking the piss out of Gills, I have supported them for the last 8 years ever since I was 8, went to the first game when I was 9 and I have loved it ever since, got more passionate as the years pass and when we get success I feel so happy and feel like running around and telling people who slag the club off look at that you glory hunting pricks. One thing is when we played well people were all sitting there saying things like, Gillingham are great sometimes, and Danny Kedwell is class, then sometimes they say he is ****, wonder what reception I will have at College when people find out I support Gills, hopefully there are more Gills fans there.
To be fair, I think that that is the point. No matter how low we get we always pull back from the brink. If I hadn't taken my son I might not even have considered such a thought.
Can totally understand that story SFC4BAG. Although, I can't say that I'd ever feel like walking away from Saints, no matter how low we've ever been or are likely to be in the future. The Burnley game in the Championship relegation season was very emotional. The uncertainty of whether we'd ever see Saints in a professional football match again was too much for many around me. Despite Leon Crouch's contributions to our financial plight at the time, his rousing speech with Lawrie Mac before the game nearly had me going. It makes these glory days, or our equivalent so far so very, very joyous. We've all walked away from St Mary's in the past, particularly in that year feeling that our club was being destroyed from the inside-out. The love for the ups and downs keep us coming back though. The 95th minute derby despair/The Relegation/The Promotions/The Cup Runs. Hey, what else would we do on a Saturday all year?!
The most games I ever watched Saints play in a season was our promotion from League One 2 seasons ago. Last season being a very close second. I've never been so passionate about a Saints side and us winning games. When we were previously in the PL the team disgusted me at times, they didn't play for each other and the club which is all I ask of the players(to try their best for the team)
One game sticks in my mind, but I can't remember who it was against. We lost in 0-1 in the 91st or 92nd minute after a shocking game. The 45 minute drive home was silent and I wondered what was happening. Seemed like there was no passion or fight in the squad whatsoever that day.
