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Fans have their say on FA Cup exit

11:16pm Sunday 17th February 2008

comment Comments (20)   Have your say »


I was hoping an FA Cup run would be a welcome distraction from our dismal league form. Alas, another rocket falls to earth.

You would have thought the players and management would relish the idea of keeping the Wembley dream going.

The cup defeat has shown the true scale of our problems. A boardroom divided, in denial and blind panic. The Dodd/Gorman pairing seem unable to motivate a very ordinary squad, which does not seem interested.

Supporters are in absolute despair. In other words, one unholy mess!

It is all very well screaming to have a new manager appointed, but it does beg a few questions.

First, who is available and who would be willing to take on a nightmare of a job? Secondly, if we had a new manager he could only work with what he has available.

Thirdly, with time and games running out there would be no settling in period. Where do we go from here?

The first priority must be absolute silence from the board. Stop telling us there is a takeover imminent when we all know it is a ruse to deflect from the horrible position we are in.

Stop spreading unrest and uncertainty! Just go away!

Secondly, as long suffering supporters, we have every right to be scathing about the board/management and players.

But, would it not be better to really get behind the team until the end of the season and then hold a few of these people to account? Let us wait until then and then really go to town on them.

Thirdly, the season has proved that this team is nowhere near good enough to even think about the play offs. Don't these players have any pride?

You would have thought as professional players they would want to go out and prove us all wrong. Stop throwing in the towel and fight for your pride, the club and the supporters!

One thing is for sure - we are in for one hell of a bumpy ride until the end of the season.

God help us.

Martin van Tuyl, season ticket holder, Kingsland

HOW can Jason Dodd say that Bristol wanted it more than Saints?

How many of the Saints team have played in a FA Cup final?

I will take my hat off to Dodd as he has the backbone to come out and say this - not like the rest of the team who slipped away out of the back door to avoid the fans who paid their cash to watch this rubbish.

As fans, we have to watch this week in and week out. Now it is getting boring and becoming a joke.

It is not that we lost, it was the way we lost.

We went down without a fight and that is not what we want to see.

What have we got left? A relegation battle on our hands. Let's hope the players are up for the fight, but I have my doubt.

Good luck, Saints, the fight starts tomorrow night.

Chris Collins, season ticket holder, Bitterne.

For more fans' letters, don't miss Monday's Daily Echo.


Your Say YourDaily Echo

John, soton says...
1:59am Mon 18 Feb 08

I would like to think that the players actually felt that they let the fans down, but i doubt it. The only thing they care about is their wage packet.
There are millions of us out there that get up early and do a hard days work and what some of the players earn in a week takes the average say 6 months.
If we are so short of cash. Why are the players not being fined or at least not paid?? A quick look at what went wrong will not sort out the mess. Where would you start??? What was right???
Even if a performance is put in tomorrow. It wont be enough for me. Its got to continue to the end of the season. This whole season has been up an down and im sure thats due to the players attitudes. They can blame the pitch, management, injuries, board, take over talk etc .. etc, but at the end of the day, they get paid well and the least they can do is do their best. Have some pride for feck sake, you useless bunch of c****.

Supersaint from Downunder, Woolgoolga NSW says...
5:09am Mon 18 Feb 08

Starved of seeing my team play on Fox Sports (Our pay to view in Oz) I was looking forward to watching on ESPN (US Based) what should have been a winnable match for the Saints. Sure I had read the feed back, nearly all of it negative never realising how dire the situation ON THE PITCH had become. Saturdays telecast was billed as the BBC thought there might be an upset. Comments since have said now the whole of the UK knows how bad Saints are performing. Correction the whole world now knows!!! The Australian football finals are on at the moment. Last night a 3-2 result to the Newcastle Jets to get into the Championship decider. They showed passion and the skill level probably exceded that shown by Southampton on Saturday. It is sad, sad times for Southampton. I am sick to death of all the exuses. There are no exuses for what happenned on Saturday, we were "horrible"!

Stripey, says...
6:44am Mon 18 Feb 08

Abysmal - worst performance from a Saints team that I can remember and I do remember the Branfoot days. What hope? None on this showing.

Batesieboy, Tianjin, China says...
7:28am Mon 18 Feb 08

What a shambles. I am embarrassed to be a Saints fan. Unfit, slow, not a decent pass, cross,or shot in 90 minutes. Pathetic. Put in the reserves...nothing could be worse than what we had to endure on Saturday.

Sniper, says...
8:11am Mon 18 Feb 08

Players don't give a toss about the club or how fans feel. It's nothing more than a job to them and this current bunch are the most spineless team I've ever seen in red & white.

Half of the squad know their contracts are up in the summer and won't be renewed, so why put the effort in when they are leaving anyway?

Unfortunately, this season is only going to get worse. That's facing reality, not being pessimistic.

Saint Ash, crying in my cornflakes says...
8:11am Mon 18 Feb 08

Gutless
Spineless
Shambolic
Will the real players please stand up,please stand up!
If there is no reaction tomorrow night,then we are in BIG trouble.

Richie, Iraq says...
8:58am Mon 18 Feb 08

It is laughable that these players were even thinking about promotion a few days ago. We deserved to lose at Bristol Rovers and we have become a laughing stock of a club. Thats not the fault of the board, the fans or the caretaker managers - its the players. Having been embarrassed by Peterborough, Sheff Wed, Preston, Watford, Bristol Rovers etc etc etc these idiots should not need any motivation. There isn't a single one who has behaved like a top 'professional' this season. If it was down to me i would seriously be looking to sack some of them. I can excuse poor players who try but these don't even try.

Steve, says...
9:17am Mon 18 Feb 08

Stripey wrote:
Abysmal - worst performance from a Saints team that I can remember and I do remember the Branfoot days. What hope? None on this showing.
What about when we lost 4-1 to portsmouth, that was horrible.

tony H, Eastleigh says...
9:52am Mon 18 Feb 08

Well where do you start I am a life long chelsea fan but like to see a local team doing well. I have watched the last 3 games at Southampton and must admit the defence is left back in the changing room every time. poor defending is the cause of your poor run.I f you defend well themid-field and attackers becomes more confident the caretaker managing at the moment is fighting an uphill battle with looks like players who have lost all hope and are waiting to bail out. If you have players who are willing to play and run their hearts out you stand a chance of giving what a fan wants.But against Bristol this week-end You could have picked a team from the stand who would have shown more passion and guts on the pitch and would have been proud to where a shirt that has meant so to the south coast over the years. I wish all your supporters the best and can only say hang on in there.Your time will come again.bold bold

southygirl, buxton debyshire uk says...
9:53am Mon 18 Feb 08

Richie wrote:
It is laughable that these players were even thinking about promotion a few days ago. We deserved to lose at Bristol Rovers and we have become a laughing stock of a club. Thats not the fault of the board, the fans or the caretaker managers - its the players. Having been embarrassed by Peterborough, Sheff Wed, Preston, Watford, Bristol Rovers etc etc etc these idiots should not need any motivation. There isn't a single one who has behaved like a top 'professional' this season. If it was down to me i would seriously be looking to sack some of them. I can excuse poor players who try but these don't even try.
Quite right what a load of crap I could have played better I am over 50 and walk with a stick. I would like their wages too but at least I am willing to give it a go.

James, Southampton says...
10:03am Mon 18 Feb 08

I was absolutely distraught on Saturday having watched Southampton being shown for what they are, useless! The only thing that came out good was i got a tan on my face. The insult was when a handful of players starting applauding us, come on, heads down and walk off and have a good think about poor you are. Don't patronise us. Very close to sending my saints shirt back to the club. Have vowed not to see them again this season. Bring the youth team in to replace those overpaid seniors!

done, Not SMS says...
10:58am Mon 18 Feb 08

Went to the QPR game and could smell the stench of decay

As a seaon ticket holder since 1984 and a fan for much longer I feel in a dilemma. My kids don't want to go anymore and I have much better ways of spending a thousand pounds a year. I must be honest - if it cost a fiver and I could just go and enjoy it then fine. But is doesn't. It is expensive, the players earn a lot of money but do not command respect, while the entertainment value is negligible. I can actually feel my love for the club withering

I fear I am not alone


Guy wilmer, southampton says...
11:05am Mon 18 Feb 08

Gutless mugs... Im ashamed, its that bad. They dont even care... Reserves deserve a chance.

blueking, warash says...
11:21am Mon 18 Feb 08

good game..showed the saints scum for what they really are..pathetic fans and club. Come supportthe biggest and best, become a pompey fan and enjoy real fans and real football. Scum are going down lalalal

Supersaint from Downunder, Woolgoolga NSW says...
11:22am Mon 18 Feb 08

My biggest concerns at the momemt are
Who on earth would want to come in and manage Southampton. Who will buy the substandard players we are likely to put on the market, who will take on the substandard players on loan deals?? Oh let me guess, another clear out of the quality young players, Surman, McGoldrick etc. Mismanagement just goes on and on and on. The directors have no passion for this club. It is all about the profits.

Paddy B The Exiled Saint, Salop says...
12:01pm Mon 18 Feb 08

We made our way home up the M5 in a very subdued manner. This has become a habit of late.

It's not the loosing that's depressing, we've got used to that. It's the expectation of better times we find difficult. However, we mused on a couple of issues.

Firstly, that in the space of a month we Exiled Saints were hoping "just a couple of wins and we'd be in the playoff zone". Now we are hoping that those below us don't enjoy a couple of wins or else will be looking forward to next season's playoffs, in League One!

Secondly we wonder how an organisation run by successful people in their own sphere and known for their business acumen get us into such an awful mess?

Despite them being nearly all being "Alfa-males", and therefore used to getting their own way, they don't like being criticised in public. They panic and rush into short term actions and are misled by the "folklore" of the past, instead of seeking the modern thinking they use in their working days.

Perhaps they have yet to figure out a way to reconcile two fundamental facts; a successful business needs stability whereas football thrives on uncertainty!!

This family has come to this conclusion, we will remain faithful to the Saints, thats the difference between a fan and a supporter. However, if the season ticket renewal offer isn't staggering, then we'll not be making the journey to St Mary's so many times.

Finally, once again I urge whoever is supposed to be in charge at SFC, dump all this Spirit of Southampton nonsense and the constant looking back to 1976, it means nothing.



southygirl, buxton debyshire uk says...
1:18pm Mon 18 Feb 08

blueking wrote:
good game..showed the saints scum for what they really are..pathetic fans and club. Come supportthe biggest and best, become a pompey fan and enjoy real fans and real football. Scum are going down lalalal
why let tw*ts like this comment on a saints forum

sailor sam, portsmouth says...
2:40pm Mon 18 Feb 08

Steve wrote:
Stripey wrote: Abysmal - worst performance from a Saints team that I can remember and I do remember the Branfoot days. What hope? None on this showing.
What about when we lost 4-1 to portsmouth, that was horrible.
Surely that depends on what section you were seated in!
I thought the timing of the hail storm and rain were a very nice curtain raiser.
The rest was pure delight!
I guess that Stripey is just a youngster after all! I remember Bill Dogin!


mandy, southampton says...
6:12pm Mon 18 Feb 08

What a pathetic bunch of so called footballers, i have a season ticket and feel ashamed to be a saints fan, gutless, no passion, players like Jason Euell why? is this pathetic player getting a game every game? Why is he not being dropped he can't spring a pass together. The saints board need to sort it now or we will be in Div one !!

stuart white, Romsey says...
6:14pm Mon 18 Feb 08

Theres few players that burley has signed that hasn't performed for us, the likes of euell, vignal, licka. big waste of money and time. obivously this isn't dodd, and gormans fault. But hopefully nigel pearson has the guts to drop the likes of euell. No one has passion that football and playing for a club like southampton should bring to you. I blame being over paid lack of amibition for the club. With the exception of andrew davies they all need a kick up the back side. Hopefully nigel pearson can do this.

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