Sorry to say goodbye to the Football League (From Daily Echo)
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Sorry to say goodbye to the Football League
1:56pm Tuesday 8th May 2012 in View from the Chapel
By Dan Kerins, Digital Editor
Sorry to say goodbye to the Football League
YOU know why I’m glad Saints are in the top flight again?
Because it means no more promotions – the hangover from the win over Coventry took two days to leave me in peace, and quite frankly, I can’t go through that again anytime soon.
But I have to be honest – I’m going to miss the Football League.
Everyone wants their side to be playing with the big boys. Where’s the fun in being an also ran?
Don’t get me wrong, we had some horrendous times in the lower divisions – the successful Championship relegation battle, administration, the actual Championship relegation and the ignominy of being in the first round of the FA Cup, but the good times were far better.
The Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final at Wembley was brilliant – it wasn’t the ‘glory’ but rather the fun around it.
The stupidly good run at the end of 2010/11 which ended in promotion to the Championship and, of course, this season itself.
I honestly haven’t ever enjoyed football as much as I have done over the last three seasons.
It helps that the older I get – theoretically that means more mature – the less impact supporting Saints has on my life.
That means a loss won’t necessarily run the risk of me being single come Monday morning, for upsetting my better half with a foul mood and two-day sulk.
But at that’s not to say the highs don’t taste any less sweet.
The mood in the city last weekend was fantastic, but it lacked the same level of euphoria of the previous promotion.
Perhaps we’re all getting a bit blasé about this success, eh?
It makes me glad I’m not a Manchester United fan, for example.
The unbridled success they’ve enjoyed mustn’t taste so sweet if you can’t remember – or have never experienced – the hard times.
When we were relegated in 2005, I couldn’t imagine how things would get worse – how wrong I was.
But everything that has happened since then has made the current success all the sweeter.
I doubt being promoted in 2006 would have been as enjoyable as it was doing in 2012.
So while it’s great to be back, it’s also sad to know it’s unlikely we’ll be enjoying Saints in a title race like they’ve been this season – it was brilliant to be able to enjoy winning football week-in, week-out.
So let’s the make the most of being back in the top flight – and all the pitfalls that come with it such as weird TV kick-off times and untold amounts of glitzification (yes, I know its not a real word) of the football ‘experience’ – but it will be a while before I manage to enjoy football as I have done since we first landed in League One.
Madness? Probably, but then that's the prerogative of a football fan.
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Comments(13)
flashhart2000
says...
2:44pm Tue 8 May 12
Morgan Schneiderlin is not the type of man to settle as an also ran.
Nor Nigel Adkins, Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana Rich Chaplow, Jan Hoosveld to name a few.
Oh and you may want to add to the fact the Vexation that eschews when the ball dribbles over the line when Kelvins between the posts.
Anything less than European football at the end of the season and our team will feel that they have let themselves down. Not that they will advertise that fact.
After all it's one game at a time and draw a blue line under it whilst we are on the bus.
Now altogether COYR!
tayberry1
says...
2:52pm Tue 8 May 12
My last comment.
flashhart2000
says...
6:20am Wed 9 May 12
Your post was good.
St Retford
says...
11:08am Wed 9 May 12
But, you know, I'll get over it.
ShakeyWiffles
says...
2:39am Thu 10 May 12
flashhart2000 wrote:No. We don't draw a blue line under anything lol. Just a line will do :P
Dude speak for your self!
Morgan Schneiderlin is not the type of man to settle as an also ran.
Nor Nigel Adkins, Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana Rich Chaplow, Jan Hoosveld to name a few.
Oh and you may want to add to the fact the Vexation that eschews when the ball dribbles over the line when Kelvins between the posts.
Anything less than European football at the end of the season and our team will feel that they have let themselves down. Not that they will advertise that fact.
After all it's one game at a time and draw a blue line under it whilst we are on the bus.
Now altogether COYR!
Shoong
says...
4:45pm Fri 11 May 12
St Retford wrote:Hopefully this former sick animal will go mental and start ripping all the other animals apart.
In a funny way I worry I might feel a little less close to the team now that we're back in the Prem. It feels like we've all played a small part in taking a sick animal and nursing it back to health and we've watched with pride as it's got better and stronger. And now it's like we'll be releasing it back into the 'wild' of 24 hour Sky coverage and being on the back page of the Sun. Suddenly it won't just be us that know our business.
But, you know, I'll get over it.
My chief and admittedly selfish concern is that I won't be able to afford a Prem season ticket.
Shoong
says...
4:45pm Fri 11 May 12
Shoong wrote:btw, had one for the past 3 seasons.
St Retford wrote:Hopefully this former sick animal will go mental and start ripping all the other animals apart.
In a funny way I worry I might feel a little less close to the team now that we're back in the Prem. It feels like we've all played a small part in taking a sick animal and nursing it back to health and we've watched with pride as it's got better and stronger. And now it's like we'll be releasing it back into the 'wild' of 24 hour Sky coverage and being on the back page of the Sun. Suddenly it won't just be us that know our business.
But, you know, I'll get over it.
My chief and admittedly selfish concern is that I won't be able to afford a Prem season ticket.
Cookiecutter
says...
3:36am Sat 12 May 12
lowe esteem
says...
2:17pm Mon 14 May 12
Cookiecutter wrote:This has to be the most insightful, incisive and thought-provoking comment on the subject since the Westwood inquiry looked into Charity fraud and the meaning of tattoos on sailors-keep it up. If only more contributors were as erudite and succinct. It humbles me to proffer my trivial musing alongside such profound and prophetic soothsaying. You sir, are nothing short of a literary genius.
Personally i couldn't care less where, when, how many leave in fact as far as i am concerned they can all go as far away as they can. No fluff off my nose.
In other words- one gold plated waste of space skunt!
CHARLIE TAYLOR
says...
5:30am Fri 18 May 12
Tirau Dan
says...
12:04am Mon 21 May 12
Getting older should have nothing nothing to do with maturity after your kids grow up and fly the coup live a little.
Living away from So'ton and almost losing SFC to the wind merchants I found Saints to be the bond that ties my Sotonian blood to home.
The whole point of the mission is the five year plan. Here we are two year ahead of schedule hitting the top flight, making room for new players and indoctrinating young blood to the fold.
Everyone hedged their bets for the last few seasons and may do again but this year Nicola Cortese will set Europe as the target. There is no other target other then to win the league and that will come before the five is up.
Our Bus is now on the Euro Track Express Line. Europe is our Up for 2013.
UP THE SAINTS.
One of the Lads from the threads sent me a pile of Pinks.. and I'm loving em!!
Keep up the great work.
All the best from NZ
Jesus_02
says...
12:55am Tue 22 May 12
Success will be simply not failing to stay up.
For me the worry of the Premier Season Ticket price is a genuine concern as is away games. Of which I only really do 2 a season. Realistically Man U, Arsenal, are going to be stupidly expensive, so I may well end up going to more boring teams.
Overall, I enjoyed going to Exeter, Plymouth, Charlton, Hilsbrough ect
tayberry1 says...
2:33pm Tue 8 May 12
The only small reservation I have is that - big is not always beautiful