It is just fantastic being a Saints fan at the moment; I love it. Wherever you go and football comes up in conversation and you mention Southampton, you get a little nod and complimentary remark about heading back to the big time and what a great season we're having. Today I went to meet some new customers and was introduced to several people at each company, all loving football and being fairly knowledgeable. Today it was a load of Norwich fans, a Gooner, a Chelsea fan, A Spurs and even a Celtic fan (who asked immediately how Jos was doing). It just fills me with such satisfaction that the company is getting acknowledged now... I love it. Can't wait to get over the line to recieve all those text messages from all the people who have suddenly started texting me on a saturday afternoon/evening as they keep an eye out for the lads result. Thanks Saints Anyone else experiencing the Southampton buzz from non Saints fans?
Yes indeed. Have friends from Colchester coming to the game tomorrow and he is really up for it. He's been following us all season and said he was keen to see if we play as well as he expects us to! We're on telly though so he'll be dissapointed!
As some might know, all my friends think I'm daft because I like football. I have been going on about it to them, just a tiny bit, for the last couple of years. I am very aware that they are putting up with me, so I keep the SFC talk to bare minimum, but only the other day, one mate said, in a rather pained tone ...please can you stop talking about the Saints..? Even the most uninformed couldn't fail to notice they are doing quite well... This was said quite forthrightly. Normally I get a quizzical look and a question as to which league they're in..! Which is obviously designed to do the same as the above, but with more subtlety.
I've had that. It's gone from "Oooooh, Southampton? Ouch" to "Ha you must be happy with how they're doing! Great to see you coming back up!". Fair warms the cockles of my heart.
i have a pub here in bogota, colombia. customers presume i support a team from manchester or london, when i say southampton i am met with a blank look. i have to point out the scarves and shirts on the wall. last years shirt just confuses them more as they think its river plate. some remember jhon viafara played for us. hopefully next season everyone will know who we are
One of my flatmates at Uni from Stoke (also a Stoke fan) didn't think we'd keep it up, said we'd finish play-offs at best. Just before we broke off for Easter, he'd decided we could actually go up automatically. Maybe when I go back tomorrow, it'll be "you might actually win it". Good times.
We borrowed a torch from some friends and told them that we are going to the Reading match...they seemed rather interested...next time I'm going to borrow a telescope
I been wearing my shirt around my town on match days when dragged out by the missus before kick off for 'essentials' and get randoms commenting on how we're doing which is nice for a change.
Absolutely, the same for me aswell. Also, it must be great for our players to be getting the recognition that they're getting! My work mate (Man City fan) mentioned how great Lallana is too watch, and he doesn't live in Southampton! He said he watched him twice before and looked very promising. He also asked if any of the top 4 clubs had made bids for him.
As I live and work in Devon, I am always getting loads of comments like, Your boys are doing really well this season, I have always liked Southampton is the most common one.
I wonder what the media will be like if we get promoted. When in the PL, only MLT made headlines, apart from when we beat a few of the big guys. I got the feeling by the time we were demoted that they had got bored with us. They have loved Swansea and Norwich this year, because they have done well. Think they will take to Adkins and find Cortese interesting(). It is nice to support a team that gets positive remarks from other fans...even the Pompey ones through gritted teeth. Strangely, no one has said we will struggle in PL (yet) whereas a few said it last year about the Championship.
Must be nice to have a Man City supporting work mate with any sort of football knowledge, the one that sits next to me doesn't know about anything that happens outside the prem, maybe even the top 6. He had no idea what was happening in the championship or who Lallana or Lambert are. Winds me right up fans like that. Damien
A chap at work who is variously a ManU, Brentford and West Ham fan (how does that work?) is usually horrible to me, crowing about ManU relegating us, but has now become a Saints fan because he works with a woman who supports Reading and has been winding him up about the Wigan match. Getting spooky having him wish us well.
I live in Colchester and im getting the same from people saying how well we are doing etc. It is nice to finally have some good recognition after the years of abuse I took!
The biggest change in attitude I've noticed is from my wife - over the last couple of seasons ** she's gone from having no interest in footbal to checking Sky Sports news for Saints updates when they're playing. She's never going to be a season ticket holder, but her interest is definitely piqued. ** what a plastic.
I always felt superior to ManU and Chelsea fans because I supported a 'real' team. It has just occurred to me that if we become as successful as Cortese wants, we may have to start explaining that we supported saints before they were massive and fashionable
You might want to memorise a few old players names and events, Fran. Players you may not have watched personally, but because you are so steeped in support of the club, you've picked up along the way. By way of example, I have personally watched Martin Chivers and Ron Davies play for Saints, so my personal attention starts from that era. But I missed Derek Reeves, George O'Brien, the 'other' Ron Davies, and I was way after Ted Bates and Charlie Wayman. One of two people on here will have seen them all play. EDIT: Forgot to mention an event. Well here's a topical subject. How about in the mid-1950's, when the Saints Youth team went up to OT and gave ManU's Youth team a severe test, winning 3-2..? We were in the 3rd division, while they were in the 1st.
That has to be wrong for I keep reading that it was Rupert Lowe who invented Youth Football at SFC and that we had all imagined our great tradition of producing wonderful players like Chivers, Channon, Williams, Shearer, Matty et al.
Good point Fran. In an old shoe box at home, I have old programmes and ticket stubs going back to the mid 80's. So I should be ok proving my authenticity as a genuine fan
You'd think so, wouldn't you Godders. However, if I bother to reach over to my copy of Match of the Millennium, I'm sure I can find the entry. Just checking now... ah, yes 8th of April 1957. Afterwards, Matt Busby came down to the dressing room to congratulate Ted Bates on his fine Youth team. BTW, for those who like portents and omens, a couple of pages later is Southampton 1 Reading 0, a game which clinched promotion, this time from the 3rd to the 2nd division.
