Cracking post. My daughter is 11 and got seriously into saints 3 years ago, she has always had a slight interest because of me always banging on about them I think, but now she is red and white through and through. Has been going to maybe 2 or 3 games a season since 6 but last 2 years been going to all home and nearly all away games. She asked if she could be the mascot one day so I called up the club and she got the dagenham away game, she was mascot up elland road this season and such a proud proud moment had tear in my eye!!! Especially with the luck she brought us that day!! I would highly recommend any parent to do that if they can, it didnt cost anything, just the match ticket and make sure they have the correct kit! The players were first class and she came back with a signed shirt and programme and a camera full of pics. My best memory this season is my daughters words to me when I asked her who took the pictures on her camera, her reply simply was "Foxy"!!! I could stop laughing and she has no idea. I think she thinks she is one of the lads LOL. Great season, great memories, lets make some more.... COYR
Good point OakRiver I first got taken to football by my Dad in the early seventies at Bournemouth. I probably went most home games for a couple of seasons. In the Supermac and Phil Boyer day's. I can vaguely recall matches against Villa and putting eleven goals past margate in the cup. I soon rebelled though and started supporting Saints in my early teens. Been hooked ever since!
Glad we don't charge the mascots as some bigger clubs do...or perhaps Nicola hasn't yet found out you can
Great reply, and what a wonderful experience. Sounds like a club that is committed to belonging to the community and long may it continue.
funnily enough i had the same thing, all my mates supported them and would take the piss out of franny benali et al! my dad's not even into southampton or football really, my grandad started me off on that living next to the dell, but my dad wasn't pleased about this momentary deflection, sat me down and said, what about the saints? what about matt le tiss? thankful that he did, tend to look down at the united, liverpool and arsenal supporters who line the dorset pubs on champions league nights, having never been to their respective grounds.
Well done Saints. Hope to be playing you next season. Just to follow on from your thread. My daughter is 10 and has been going to games since she was 6. What a four seasons she has had. First the Martinez flowing style was introduced followed by promotion to the Championship and an Autoglass win. Then we had the solid Souza days resulting in our highest league finish for 30+ years. Then last season ending with a play-off win at Wembley. Follow that with our debut season in the Prem and she's been on one hell of a journey. Let's hope it lasts. Champions League here we come!!!!!!!!!!
I am a bit more old school and i would give my lads a sound thrashing if they showed any sign of a weakening loyalty to the saints
Exactly. When my eldest 2 were growing up in Liverpool I took them to see both Everton and Liverpool; they chose The Reds. Similarly, my little Manc daughter saw both United and City (much to her mother's disgust) and chose Red. I reckon I've been to more games at Anfield and Old Trafford as a "home" fan than whole pubs full of Hampshire Reds who watch it on the telly.
Reading Fat Le Tiss's post had me nodding my head in agreement to what he has written. I went to see Saints for the first time in 74/5 when I watched us beat Blackburn Rovers and then followed this up with matches against Bristol Rovers, Burnley and York City. At that time, alot of the appeal was that Saints always won plus the fact that some of the visiting players had previously been featured in the editions of the "Shoot!" annual. (How rubbish that is now - when I ws a nipper my Great Aunt would always buy this for me each Christmas but I would never see until several days afterwards when my Dad had finished reading it.) I think that it is easy to look back with rose-tinted glasses but I strongly believe that the cup final win of 1976 was crucial in establishing how my generation of Saints fans perceived the club. Lawrie seemed to be able to do no wrong and the promotion to League One and the arrival of many established stars placed Southampton in the top half of a league which was far more egalitarian in those days. For me, Nicholl's era started to witness a slight decline although I look back to those days fondly but the arrival of Ian Branfoot marked a turning point. His style of football was counter to everything that Saints stood for and was coupled with the arrival of the Premier league for which we were not really prepared. Whilst teams like Liverpool could dominate English football, up until the mid-80's, the league was far more open but the Premier League marked the point at which the status of many clubs ranging from Saints, Everton snd even Liverpool changed for ever. What I love about the recent couple of seasons is that the new regime has managed to capture the spirit and imagination of the supporters in a fashion that I feel in unprecedented in our recent history. He may be Swiss, but Cortese seems to exactly understand what we want. Added to this, Adkins reminds me so much of Lawrie that I can totally understand how Fat Le Tiss' kids feel at the moment as this is exactly how I felt when I was their age.
