"Southampton could be relegated" "If Wigan win then" "We're really close to the relegation places..." Common phrases spewed from the pessimists around Southampton and beyond. We are in 3 points off 9th position with 3 games to play of the 2012/2013 Premier League table! September 2010 we were 2 places off bottom of league 1 with 6 games played and 4 losses. Let's draw a blue line under the West Brom game and see this season out, and build for the next. COYR
Believing saints could be relegated is pessimistic, since all pessimism means is that you expect the worse.
It is a fact but it's still pessimistic. Just as "we could qualify for the champions league next season" is a fact but it is optimistic!
I'm about 80% sure that we won't go down this season; so many poor teams would have to put on a good run and we'd have to get literally nothing from our next few games. I think our goal difference, compared to Newcastle, Villa and Wigan, is almost like an extra point. Despite only being 20% sure that we'll go down, I'm still looking below and not above, like you said we are only three points off of 9th. The way I overcome this worry is by thinking how much more worse I would feel if I was in Wigan's or Newcastle's position. I think that some Wigan fans will be expecting to go down and therefore are realistic over relegation, but with a glimmer of hope of survival.
People forget you have to deal in reality......Until it is mathematically impossible realistically we could be relegated. It should be discussed as it has been. Nothing wrong in being positive just as there is nothing wrong in the wisdom of caution. If you know anything about football at all you will know the expression "football is a funny old game" how true is that? Anything can possibly happen, doubtful maybe, unlikely maybe. I guess though the word used a lot is .....maybe!
I saw a conversation on another Saints forum that went a bit like this: A: Well, we haven't lost in the last 6, so statistically we overdue a loss. B: You don't understand statistics do you? C: He may not understand statistics, but he understands Saints! Made me laugh. The point I am trying to make, is that if you have supported Saints for any longer than the last 3 years you have a natural disposition to fearing the worst. I think it's a defensive mechanism we have developed so protect us from disappointment.
I refer you to posts I have made over the years, both on this forum and, Saints Web, Saints Forever, and myriad other Saints forums. I must copy this post as it may save me an awful lot of of typing. I wish I'd thought of it at least 10 years ago.
Perhaps people are focusing on the fact that we now have no LB? And our team has one less creative attacking player for these last 3 games? Spurs are a dam good team, sunderland are still fighting delegation and are rejuvinated (bar their last match) with a new, fascist manager. Stoke are, well theyre stoke. Crap football but difficult to play against- we couldn't hold onto a 3-1 lead against 10 men. Im personally not a pessimist but with the above you can see where it comes from given the circumstances. People need to get a grip and look at our last 6 performances- 2 winable matches we can muster a point there somewhere. But LB does worry me.
If you posted this thread because of the one I posted I will remind you that I said I did not want it all to go down to the last day (a real possibility) as I would find the tension too much.
Pessimism isn't about what you want to happen, it's about what you believe will happen. Clearly you think it's likely enough that it's worth posting about.
We get a couple of unexpectedly good results, and we're nailed on for a Champions League spot next season. We put in one unexpectedly poor performance and suddenly we're going down. It's all hysterical nonsense. What happened to the qualities that once made Britain great?
I don't believe Drake, Nelson, or Churchill supported Southampton Football Club, please correct me if I'm wrong. The thing that makes me most uneasy is when Beddy starts talking about mathematical impossibility, then I know we're in trouble!
We're 95 (94/1) for relegation on the Betting exchanges. Wigan are 1/2 on, Villa and Newcastle are around 8/1, and if you fancy a long shot you can get 19 against either Norwich or Sunderland. Stoke are trading at 430 for the drop (429/1) but if you go on their board you'll find a similar thread to this one. So I don't think Francis Drake supported Stoke either.
