The management of SAFC, on and definitely off the pitch, has been horrendous since the 1950s. That’s when the slide started. The quote that I shake my head at though is “clubs see us as their cup final in this league. They up their game when playing us”. Absolute horse jizz. They do nothing of the sort. Ever since we dropped into this tinpot league we have been sussed out by players and managers alike. We didn’t get into this league by accident did we? We got in by design. At least now, there seems to be proper foundations being put in place to get us back up the leagues and to actually try and stay there.
Not sure how you can say that really when, according to most opposition fans, their players seem to play harder and better against us (Plymouth a prime example. Poster on here said exactly that). Couple that with the fact that people rarely win after playing us (statistically) and seem to be drained. just an opinion mind but I’ve watched teams turn up at SAFC after looking awful all season, their fans predicting a big SAFC win, and somehow they find that “perfect pass” and put in that hard tackle which they haven’t the rest of the season. Teams raise their game against us, of that I have no doubt
Quite easily. We are not a big scalp any more. Maybe in the first season other teams may have seen us as their cup final, but not now.
It will. But Donald was just the last in a long and (un)distinguished line of bad owners. Some we have fond memories of, Bob Murray for example, but at the time he was disliked by many. I am hugely optimistic now though that the club is getting back on its feet. It might be slow and small steps but I firmly believe that good times are coming.
Have to agree to disagree mate. I've watched teams look very good (relatively at this level) against us and defend superbly and put lives on the line this season. Even after their fans have called them heartless and gutless. We are still a big scalp for them as we are the biggest side to have been down here for years. The whole "Cameron Jerome tweet" thing earlier this season proves that - "Not a big club, average players" or words to that effect. Shows that we're actually viewed as that by clubs. Otherwise he'd have no reason to tweet it
Have to disagree with the idea that we are not a big club anymore, we are still a big club, much bigger than anything in this division. We have the largest ground, largest and best training facilities, the club infrastructure is massive compared to others in this division but most importantly the support is massive compared to other clubs. The sad fact is that on the field, where it counts most, and where it means most to our support, we have been failing for years and under the current ownership (soon to be past, thankfully), have been allowed to slide to our worst point ever! So, we are a big club, we can be even bigger, but we must get the team and players believing in that and working towards that. Thankfully it looks very much like that process has begun.
A big club stuck in the turd division with players who have now twice not got us promoted. No more parachute payments, salary cap ( shackles that will it harder to move to the championship). New owner may help....but ??? Frankly I am so pizzed off about our plight.. it becomea irrelevant whether we are 'big' or not playing in the division we are...we are where we are and how the club is perceived by us fans and others is meaningless really.
I agree with some of that. We and the club are having to face up to cold, hard facts about where we are. Perception of the club by ourselves does matter though. We are more than capable of transforming and becoming a force, for the first time in decades. Got to think realistic but also think big.
? No contradiction at all - opposition fans, prior to playing SAFC, call their team heartless and gutless, then, suddenly against SAFC they are "hearts like lions" and throw themselves at anything - so it;s either the "SAFC" thing or simply just a case of everything going right for one game then going back to the other way of playing. The Cameron Jerome point was, if he didn't see us as a big team, he'd have no reason to post anything about it. It was a dig at us as a club because we are the biggest in the division (prestige and fanbase wise). Not sure where this is contradictory at any point
Congratulations Granddad and Grandma, and of course Mam and Dad. I hope mother and Daniel Joshua are well and you get to see them soon
Thanks to you and everyone else ... ... these messages have made the distance that little bit more bearable
