Yes, I haven't watched any of the highlights since the closed season as I suspected that I would feel numb. Time to make some space on the hard drive, I feel.....
We all worry a bit. I do. But more often I am excited to see who we sign and who comes through the academy next. What bothers me are those people who only seem to worry without ever getting excited. I can't help feeling they would rather say I told you so than see us succeed. Lighten up. It is only a soap opera.
Well, Gordon's parting with Saints wasn't acrimonious, although it did have some unfortunate controversy, courtesy of that gobby SKY pundit Chris Kamara. It's extremely easy to look back on WGS's tenure because he was witty, professional, and he got a team, largely consisting of middling players, with the odd exception of one or two, to 8th place in the PL and the FA Cup Final. But since then he has never had worse than encouraging words to say about his old club, despite the fact that he never buggers around with his opinion, but usually hits the nail on the head. He's also no glamour-club groupie. He sympathised and grieved when Saints were close to going out of existence. He was excited for Saints when asked for his views of the New Era, after he'd met the Chairman and Owner. He was positively glowing when asked for his pundit opinion on the last day of that Championship season. And since then he has needed little excuse to give Saints a mention. He also has the very good sense to live in the South of England, just down the road in Warsash [or is it Hamble, I can't remember..? I occasionally get his location mixed up with Bally's old territory.], so we know that he's intelligent and biased at the same time. A very good combination.
As I said countless posts ago we are in the same company as Ajax, Athletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund with player exits. And these teams have managed to survive!! Why can't we??
Well Ajax, Atletico Madrid and [less so] Borussia Dortmund have all been amazingly successful in their own countries. They don't just survive. They win things, or come bloody close. We don't get near a sniff before the vultures come circling. We are nothing like those 3 clubs. Our ambition is nowhere near as high.
You are right!! Perhaps it is because we fell a lot lower than those clubs and perhaps they have a strategy in place which doesn't allow them to slip to far below the radar. And of course these clubs have massive support that we can only dream about. Until we can win cups on a regular basis our support won/t grow that much in the years to come. Look at Sunderland - they can get 45,000 on several occasions each season but lag far behind Chelsea in terms of support nationally and internationally. That can only begin to happen with success upon success. Very difficult in the present structure.
Our relegation odds are still as long as 15/2 with some bookies: http://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/premier-league/relegation Surely worth a flutter? I see it as insurance.
Why thank you. I changed it after seeing The Flamings Lips a couple months back, used to be Beanpole Striker
Why not? You win either way. If Saints stay up I lose £30 and couldn't care less, if we go down I pocket £255 and spend it on heroin
