http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26704856 Personally found this piece really interesting and felt like I agreed with an awful lot of what was said. As much as I would like to see Saints win more often, I do feel there is more to supporting a club than that. As stated, being able to bear the 'lows' as well as revel in the 'highs' is all part of being a fan. Would be interested to know your thoughts. DTLW
We don't need any peer-reviewed research to understanding the psychology of Portsmouth fans. We're all masochists.
Have to admit I scanned through the article because it centred largely on the fortunes of ManU and how that club's supporters are coping through hard times. Hard times..? Do me favour..? Mind you, I've love to see this minor drop in fortunes last for several seasons to see what affect it might have on their so-called supporters and attendances at OT. Purely academic, of course. Otherwise I couldn't be less interested.
I think the article is right though...you get more pleasure if you have failures to compare them with. ManU fans just expect to win and are throwing a paddy because they are having a moderate season...hardly facing relegation. We'll have to be careful not to go the same way....I know I am beginning to expect us to win every time...but at least Saints fans have a grounding in suffering.
Interesting what the Man City fan was saying, that he isn't enjoying supporting the club as much, now they are rich and successful. The highs definitely don't taste as sweet without the bitter lows. I know it ended badly, but 2-0 up against Tottenham at the weekend singing "we came from league 1" just about sums it up.
Although you have to give it to them, the support inside Old Trafford has been excellent, and that tiny percentage of United fans are the ones that really matter, not the raging masses on Twitter that once went on a stadium tour.
Have to admit that the few ManU fans I know have probably seen the team fewer times than I have, so mustn't tar them with the same brush.
There are those people who are really not that interested in football [before we get carried away, that's the majority of the World's population, in fact], but are observant enough to just about perceive that football exists, and to enter a conversation amongst a circle of people, they may have to acquire a superficial knowledge of football clubs. Hence, ManU hit high on the perception list simply because they are the most hyped football club in the UK. So ordinary people, if asked, answer oh, that Manchester United club, just as 30 years ago the answer may have been oh, that Liverpool football club. A significant proportion of supporters that glamour clubs have are not supporters in actuality, but are more like hangers on. And the true fans of those clubs don't like it either. Well, I suppose they must have some.
That photo of the two City fans sitting in utter despair sums up the real experience of supporting a football team. If I'd realised the first time I laid eyes on the Dell that I was signing up for a lifetime of heartache, disappointment and loss, I might have turned away there and then. If I had though, I'd have missed so many fantastic highs. In fact, those moments towards the end of our League 1 promotion season, when the crowd began to chant "The Saints are going up", and I hardly dared join in in case I jinxed it; just that memory alone makes the whole of the last forty years worthwhile.
If it isn't for the low times, you can't appreciate the high times. The descent to league one was horrendous. However, how many fans have experienced such an ascent so quickly. With hindsight, would I have had it any other way....absolutely not. The 'promotion years' were the best in over 35 years of being a Saint. It's been said so many times before, but whenever I get down, I remember where we've been and the journey (not used in the x-factor sense!) we've all had. One hell of a ride!
Clearly you didn't see the fire alarm go off when they played.... I think it was Swansea in the FA Cup
Great post. It's like the Coventry game. We were up in all reality, but it wasn't until the third goal went in that the ground started rocking with "We are Southampton, we're Premier League"... We daren't do it until then.
I didn't think so at the time obviously, but our last few seasons have made all the suffering associated with relegations and administration worthwhile. We could have drifted on, making no progress for years, but I am so proud of our club. I was always proud to be a Saints fan, but this is in a different way.
Reading this thread has prompted me to trawl through youtube and watch some footage of our 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons. What an absolute privilege it was to experience those two wonderful years as a Saints fan. I vowed at the time to always be grateful and never forget how far we'd come, but we're a fickle lot us fans; the loss at home to Man Utd the following August, after leading twice, hurt as much as any disappointment I can ever remember. Still, watching footage of that Coventry game has partially eased the pain that still lingers from Saturday.
Have to say I was devastated about the Spurs game...couldn't go on internet or watch Sky Sports till the next day...absolutely ridiculous. Yes, it was annoying, but games like that happen to every team...and we are still 9th enjoying a good season. P.s. Does this mean we are a big club now
This season, especially after the start we had, there seems to have been a slight but perceptible shift in the way pundits talk about us, and the fact that we had 4 players called up for the last England game has changed things too. On top of that, we seem to be a lot of fans' second favourite team because of the way we play, and because of the Academy. It doesn't mean we are a big club, not yet, only regular Champions League exposure will achieve that, but we certainly aren't plucky little Southampton anymore, like we used to be throughout the 1990's and up until we were relegated from the Prem.
I remember one pundit on Sky saying he'd rather watch Saints than anyone....that may of course be related to the fact that his heart wouldn't break when we ship late goals. A bit like I like watching English teams in Europe...can enjoy it but it won't cause me heart failure.
I'd like us to at least match the finishing position of 2003. And one day I'd like us to go one better than 1984, and perhaps get used to the feeling.
