Ok, I have mostly shaken the gut wrenching defeat yesterday and the bitterness I have felt to all those I know who support United. I have read some, but not all of the throat slashing posts on here and I am ready to move on. I am embarressed to read what some of my fellow Saints fans have written about our manager and some of our players; I wish we all had real names and I could visit them at work, college or University and assess their jobs/lives in the same manner. I'm pretty sure that hardly anyone of them would have made a mistake and are all grade A employees and students. We are three games into the Premier League season and we are bottom of the league. This time last year we were top of the championship and I'll say the same as I did then. The league table means nothing until you have played 6 - 10 games. However for the sake of the NegHeads who seem to have forgotten what we are about, I'd just like to make a view observations. On August the 18th, before a ball was kicked, I would have gladly taken 17th in the league for this season. We are 1 point off my target. If we succeed and reach my target, then we will be in a good position to move to the next step of our five year plan to reach the Premier league, oops, I meant the next stage of our plan, whatever that is now. I am an optimist and a realist rolled into one. I expected a heavy defeat to City and to United. I expected a draw from Wigan. In my eyes we are one point from my expectations and 1 point from safety. For the record I forecasted a defeat to Arsenal too, which meant I only thought we'd have one point from the first 12. Now considering just how unbelieveably poor our defence, goal keeper and our manager are, I think we should be quite pleased to be only one point from my target/expectations. My father in law is a Wigan season ticket holder and he mentioned in passing (and gloating) last weekend that during season 2011/12, Wigan lost 8 matches in row. For those who can't read numbers, that is EIGHT, or nil points from 24, during one period in the premier league. Just six more to go then. Oh and Wigan stayed up. Did anyone fancy being a QPR or Norwich fan after game one? Their season's are right back on track aren't they? Oh no, hang on a minute they are one point and two points above us.... OMG, we'll never catch them. During the giddy days of The Dell, I would look at the fixtures at the beginning of the season and my first glance would be to April and May. My philosophy back then was "win three games in April and we'll stay up. Crikey in 1998/99 we were bottom on the 1st May and won our last three games to stay up. My point here is that we have a long, long way to go. Oh, and look at our last 7 games ... some points there chaps. Now I know I'll sound like one of the "Hippies" (although I think my fellow poster who used this phrase may have meant "Happy Clapper"), but I will grow my hair long, borrow my Dad's VW Caravanette and invite you all to some free loving and a bit of flower power. We have played three matches and I think it will become four matches with no points. We are one point from being out of the relegation zone (but don't forget the league table means nothing now ) Nobody has given us a proper spanking yet (although during the season this may happen). We have 34 games (I've ignored Arsenal) to "rescue" this terrible season, so let's get on this Caravenette/Bus thingy with Nigel, back the boys, make some noise and get back believing that it ain't all that bad. If you can't bring yourself to show some true support and believe for a few games longer, then you really need to take a long hard look in the mirror and maybe purchase a United or a Chelsea shirt becasue I think that's where you belong.
Brilliant post FLT! Not sure what transport mode we are now supposed to be on but we should all be on board!
Totally agree! So many positives so far this season already! Especially the midfield three of Morgan, ward-prowse & Davis there won't be many midfields in this league that can live with their workrate!
Good post. Although we still have 0 points, we must take a lot of positives from the first three games. 1) Rickie looks to have taken to the prem like a duck to water. 2) JWP Oh my, this kid is goooood. 3) Super kelv has saved two pens already! (hope we don't keep conceeding at this ratio) 4) Lots of players look like they will make the grade 5) Shirt sales in the East will fund our next spending spree Theres more positives than that, but its a start!
Well that is a post with which I entirely agree, FLT. I enjoyed the match on Saturday as much as any over the last 3 seasons- well, the first 80 minutes or so anyway. Hopefully, some will read your post and gain a little perspective.
Only one card, was that down to the Referee or two disciplined sides not overstepping the mark, Hoover may have been red carded for the penalty, but the Referee must have considered he was going for the ball not the player? A game where both sides had many chances, Saints 15 (8 on target) United 18 (9 on target), the foul count 9 to Saints, only 4 to United seems a bit out. Also the 56% possession advantage to United seems to be higher than I saw it. BBC statistics, are there any other stats of interest?
Very good post indeed, FLT. To be honest, I think my disappointment left me once I was able to see the manner in which we lost the match. It was almost an excellent performance and there were many and varied reasons to feel OK about it. To put things into perspective, I'd take the SFC 2012-13, as it is now, the Chairman, the Manager, the Team, in fact everyone, over the same of 2004-05, ie, the relegated side of that season. Well get over the blip and prosper.
FLT you have very eloquently expressed my own opinions on the matches/performances to date. I just wish some posters would go , , , marchin, , , , off , , ,
Top post FLT - as always. You usually talk ( write ? ) sense and this is no exception. Understandably we were all very disappointed at the final whistle yesterday and some of our supporters just dont seem to be able to accept defeat in a football match, but some of the idiotic comments on this board and in the phone-ins just needed countering - and you have done this very well here. And it really was some game to be at wasnt it !
Good postand rings very true - I popped these stats up in an earlier post (about perspective ) to show how many points we got in our first three games and how many we ended up with in our last prem stint. It's never easy supporting Saints but it's always been fun! I bloody love being back in the Premiership me!! 92-93 - 2 18 93-94 - 0 18 94-95 - 2 10 95-96 - 1 17 96-97 - 1 16 97-98 - 0 12 98-99 - 0 17 99-00 - 6 15 00-01 - 2 10 01-02 - 0 11 02-03 - 2 8 03-04 - 3 12 04-05 - 3 20
Is it just my imagination, or is the whole tone of the board, most threads on here, much happier tonight? Is it possibly because after the frustration and disappointment of how the match ended yesterday, the fact is that there was so much to admire and be proud of about about the performance at St Marys on Sunday?
Good post FLT someone informed me that Swansea never scored a goal last season till five games in.But you also have to appreciate that some of the moaners were not around last season and for a few seasons before that so dont expect to much patience from the Jonny come lateleys they have arrived on the scene fresh from their armchairs.
I said a while ago that the first 10 games were tough, but the last 10 games were easier. I think that if we can be within 6 points of safety with 10 games to go we'll be OK. And everything i've seen so far convinces me we are NOT Derby. We might still go down, but I think if we do it'll be on the last game.
