What a wonderful read to conclude a wonderful day.

http://thepremierleagueowl.com/sout...ed-majority-and-we-should-love-them-for-that/

 

It has been rather pleasant today, hasn't it. Good post.

 

Like it

 

That is great

 

Went for a walk in the forest, had lunch in a pub, drove back past Staplewood and was very impressed, came home read about the dedication and then read this article and felt all warm.

 

I hope KL & all the good people she has surrounded herself with remain at the club for a very long time. Very proud at the way they kept their heads when all around were losing theirs.

 

The idea that for most teams in the PL "success" equals "not failing" is absolutely spot on. A great article, thanks Godders.

 

Been saying it for donkey's years. It's a vindication of my thoughts that this article appears and says exactly what is inside my head about the lack of competitiveness in top flight football, due to an established hierarchy and Saints refusal to be mediocre. There are those who shrug their shoulders and say, that's football, but I refuse to let that be the end of it. That's why I am immensely proud of Southampton FC. I have never been so proud of them in nearly 50 years of going, watching, looking out for them, keeping an eye on them, call it what you will. They refuse to let the big money teams have it all their own way. SFC don't know their place in the hierarchy. They buck the trend, they outsmart their rival clubs, anything to get an edge. They simply aren't happy to be also-rans, and as long as they never settle for being second best they will give us seasons like this. And I shall be going, watching, keeping an eye on them, proud as punch.

 

absobloodylutely.

 

Nicola said something very similar when he first arrived. He said that he didn't understand why some regarded Saints 27 years in the top flight as success. I don't fully agree with that because it was an achievement for a team with little money but a lot of spirit.

 

But in '83-84 if our board had taken the risk of investing when Lawrie wanted them to we could have won the league, and possibly the FA Cup too. That would have been real success, as opposed to just surviving.

 

Exactly. I've always thought that killed something in Lawrie. He was never quite the same afterwards, despite the 5th place the next season. Then he went to Sunderland but the magic touch had gone.

My message as a supporter has always been, don't be content with Saints being second best, especially not these days when they are clearly trying their level best. It's not as if we actually have to put the clever effort in. We're only watching and supporting, despite the cost in time and money. If we can afford to we do it because we love it. Let's hope for the best and not limit our club by being nervous and negative. Be proud. That's what you do this thing called support for.

 

and if they had had the balls to build that new stadium where that giant toy shop by the station is we would not have been that pokey little family club in the homely but tiny and antiquated Dell. Sometimes you have to be brave but we weren't back then. The opportunity to start a new dynasty was lost. It took an italien banker and a Swiss German business man to show us how to do it but then that is the story of British management - no vision and no balls.

 

Possibly. But it could also have put us in serious debt. I like our current sustainable approach. Take any other team in the Premier League, their first and in some cases, only thought is who they can sign. Our first thoughts are about development. Its a massive difference.

 

Not as simple as that. You have to add, "no money" to that equation. I think as well that the council rejected that ground suggestion. With hindsight, thank goodness they did, I don't think it would have been a great location.

The Eastleigh one would have been best.

 

I believe the issue at the time was that the stadium would have been funded by the sale of the Dell but the club would not own the land the stadium was built upon.

The clubs little clique of shareholders did not want to enter into an arrangement where they didn't own the freehold which they could not afford.

It hasn't stopped our new owners developing Staplewood when they don't own the land.

I remember going to an exhibition of what the new ground would have looked like and was really impressed. I often wonder what happened to that model perhaps someone with the time should delve into the Echo archives and see if they can uncover any images.

Lawrie was pressing for the new stadium development but was let down badly and ultimately cleared off.

PS Lowe had no money but still did it. As my mother used to say "Son if you really want to do it you will find a way to do it and if you don't think you can do it then you never will".

 

Really..? 26,000 capacity..? When the Dell was 30,000 in a smaller city..? I suppose that's what's called progress. I, for one, am glad Eastleigh Borough Council didn't let us do it.

 

Is that right? Did we go for Eastmeigh twice? I remember plans for building one in the land across the way from Stoneham lane, but that was long after the Dell capacity was down from 30,000 wasn't it? Maybe I have that wrong, or maybe we have tried twice near Eastleigh.

 

The plans for Stoneham Lane were a 26,000 capacity stadium. I believe it was more of a complex instead of a straight stadium though. I've had this discussion on Saints Forever, The Saints Web, you name it Saints forum. In those discussions, I was being reminded that it was 26,000 and how unambitious that was.

By the time Stoneham Lane was being proposed, Saints were down to 15,575 at The Dell. The first PL match at StMary's drew a near capacity crowd, proving straight away that the Stoneham Lane stadium left no room for growth.

If there were two separate approaches to having a stadium at Stoneham Lane that's news to me. I can imagine the Saints Board doing one, and then having another go with largely the same overall plan, but I don't know about two separate forays.

 

I'm glad they waited TBH. If we had done it back then we might have ended up with an unfinished stadium like Stoke..........or a joke of a ****e design like (whatever they call it now) Huddersfield's stadium where everyone raves about it. Apart from those who sit in it with gales blowing in on each corner and battering you.