Reading that thread about Bobby Charlton dismissing England's chances of winning a World Cup in the near future started a thought train which I have returned to on many an occasion. It's this: there's an awful lot of football snobbery. It's everywhere in football, from the pundit who proclaims that... there's no way that player is going to sign for that club [and we all know a recent example] to retired footballers who look at their old traditional football heartlands and can't see where the next generation of English footballers are going to come from. It manifests itself in those tired old cliches... with the greatest respect to [insert club name here] they aren't going to trouble [insert over-rich, over-hyped, nailed on Champions before the season starts, club name here]. And then the minnow club either gives the big club a damn good hiding or heroically manages to hold them at bay. And when they've managed to do the near impossible, they are patronised for their performance and the big club are fielded excuses left, right and centre. Never..! Not once have I heard a small club apparently outplay a big club simply because they were superior on the night. There are always excuses. It helps to maintain the status quo. I always had the greatest respect for Bobby Charlton, as a footballer. He was playing when I first became aware of football, and he stopped when I was in my earliest teens. He was a traditional player, hewn from the North East, where if you shouted down a mine shaft and out would pop a footballer, so t'was said. But he was, and is, incredibly snobbish when it comes to football. I think the only reason why he accepts that London is a football heartland is because he played with so many Londoners in the England team, and had to accept their presence. He has been entirely [not almost] dismissive of football in the South and on the South Coast. For him it doesn't exist and to this day he epitomises that general attitude in football. So it will be all the sweeter [and le god how sweet it is going to be] when our esteemed, but maverick Chairman realises his dream of taking Saints all the way. I can't be any more specific than saying that because I have no real idea where Cortese's limits are for the club. It could be top 6, top 4, a Premier League title, Champions League or World Domination. Only he knows and to my knowledge he hasn't written that particular 5 year plan out yet. What I do know of him is that, like us, when [most definitely not if] we achieve what he wants us to achieve, he will ram it down the snobbish football establishment's throats until they choke. And then, after patting them on the back, Saints will join them, because there's nothing like looking down on those that once patronised you because you didn't know your place in the order of all things football.
Bobby's right. Let's be honest, the South Coast, apart from 5 major trophies between Pompey 4 and Saints 1, in a very long history has done precious little. London the midlands, the North have had way more collective success than us. Only the Welsh are worse.
Nice one funky, good to see a pompey fan with a good sense of humour rather than those trying to get saints fans booted off
You've missed the point, PM, but if I carry on with your line, I think Swindon fans might be a little peeved at you not recognising their achievement in winning the League Cup.
Being London/South-east centred isn't football snobbery, it's just snobbery - people thinking that they are where all the action is.
Our record is frankly embarrassing and the sooner we accept this and move on the better , on the old 606 I posted an article which in effect said can you name a team Sourhamptons size with less success ? Dont get me wrong I am used to it like other Saints fans of crap and turmoil , who can fail to remember the Branfoot era ? The constant struggle for survival , the awful football , that's what I love in a way but we do have a bad record in the League for a club our size .
Really..? Never heard of that one. Must look that up. Do you know a film called The Haunting. ? Black and White, early 60's..?
Bobby Charlton is a snobbish idiot.Yes he has done extremely well for England and one of the best players who've played from England but he truly is. His comments there hint at it. I met him a few years back and he was beig rude to all the Saints supporters round him.
Charlton's a true legend in the real sense of the word. Put yourself in his shoes as a top performer for MU since he was a kid and try to understand why he might feel that way. He's not really experienced anything else. There's only 2 league titles that have been won by anybody on the South coast in the last 100 years. One club in Manchester has 19 of them? Rivals Liverpool have 18 and now Citeh will be winning more. He has a point. We're just classed as beatable fodder down here.
I'm sorry FFD, but you are completely missing the point of my original post. That fact is, is that the football establishment, to this day, ignores areas of football that haven't traditionally brought success, in their era. Just because there aren't the welter of trophies in certain areas, at certain times, doesn't mean the individual players are bad. Why is it for example, that Southampton's Academy produces high quality player after high quality player, over many years and yet the football establishment look on with stunned wonder every time another pops out, but apart from that they turn their gaze back to London and the North..? Don't they want to learn..? Have we literally nothing to teach them..? No, of course not, because they know better. Of course they do. That's why the top 4 teams have precious few English players in their ranks. They just buy in the talent. That doesn't work for the good of English football in the long run.
Uniteds academy is pretty good but yes the big clubs do just buy in talent or their talent that comes through their ranks are the best .
If you measure success by consecutive years spent in the top league, then we're right up there with the best. Saints are a Dynasty, some of these other teams are just a flash in the pan
Why would that be measured as a success ? I want more than that , I honestly can not think of a club with less trophies our size .
Bristol City, Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield united, Charlton, Cardiff, Swansea, Birmingham City, West Ham, Stoke, Norwich, Brighton, Hull, Leicester?
