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The Itchen North Is Arising
Friday, 13th Dec 2019 07:45

Old School Football is called for at St Mary's as a group of supporters from the Itchen North have emerged and cranked up the atmosphere both home and away recently, it has brought some pride back, read about how they see things here !

We see the Itchen North arising!

Something has changed in the Saints support in recent weeks. If you think back to the start of the season, and in particular to the away game at Spurs, our support was dire. Yes, a lot of Skates will jump on that and make a meal of it but we have to be honest and not Walter Mitties like them.

Since promotion back to the “promised land” of the Premier League, back to the place that for many of us is where we belong, a complacency has slowly set in to the Saints fan base.

Some people will blame a generation born too young to remember the relegation battles of the 90s, or to remember the terraces of the 80s. Some - us included - will blame the corruption of our support and its infestation by modern football “fans”.

Fans who think support is Soccer AM 'bantz’, that support is videoing themselves singing in the ‘Spoons’ or concourse and posting on social media. That support is decking themselves out head to toe in megastore tat and standing in silence at games, as if a "wall" of colour somehow inspires the team as much as a wall of noise. Or even worse, they do finally pipe up, but only to get on the back of players at exactly the time they need them the most.

But some of us won’t have that. We remember when The Dell was really toxic. The days of Branfoot and Askham, when Rupert Lowe was going to be swung from the Itchen Bridge and when all four sides of St Mary’s stood as one to demand he ‘Duck Off’.

We also remember the crowd during the games. The way we backed the team -properly backed them - roared them through and sung from beginning to end. We sung when Le Tiss was dropped; we sung when we had no hope. Whatever the cliche we were the 12th man, the pride of the club, the pride of the city - OUR CITY.

Saints, Southampton, is the city and the people. It’s not a f*cking computer game. It’s not entertainment to pick up when it does well and drop when it goes badly. It’s your friends, your family, your history, your culture and your city.

Against Leicester we were getting humiliated, but a section of our support suddenly woke up and remembered that. That night the pride came through - that true Sotonian f*ck you. We kept going and going and going. At each game since we’ve picked it up.

The game this weekend against West Ham is another. Make no mistake, we're in a relegation battle. Things are against us - we’re not the best team in the league, but we’ve got a talisman in Ings who’s one of us, and we’ve got every single mush in this city who wants to remember that Sotonians live off this. They live off being the underdogs and stand up when it matters.

The rest of the season is a fight. And honestly if you’re not up for that fight; if you’re not willing to use your voices to back the lads from beginning to end; if you want to video on your phone instead of using that hand to make some noise; if you think just turning up dressed like a deck chair and sitting in silence is enough; if you think sarcastic clapping, or booing players is funny or helpful - well mushes, then don’t bother coming. You’re not needed or wanted.

You don’t have to sing - not all The Dell did. But it helps. You don’t have to stand, but you do have to roar. That guttural, emotional roar that drove the team down the East and West stands at The Dell. The one anyone from the age of 5 to 95 can make.

St Mary’s is not The Dell, but it is now our home. This ground has seen the tears of relegation, the joys of promotions, the defeat of Inter Milan. This ground has rocked, the Northam has shook, the Itchen, Kingsland and Chapel have roared.

The Northam need to step up. Like it or not, the Itchen North is better right now. Prove that wrong. The Kingsland and Chapel need to step up as they did in League One and the Championship when they were needed.

If you think making a difference is moving to the Itchen North from the Northam - DON'T.

Stand your ground and make the Northam rise again. We don’t have a Kop, Stretty End, or Shed but we do have something unique - the away end being surrounded on either side by vocal fans. Let's use that and drown out the away support.

Oh, and save your protests till the end. For 90 minutes there’s us, and there’s them. Southampton united. Sotonians reminding the world that you can’t take the piss out of our city, and we will restore the pride even if the owners won’t.

Southampton FC. The city of Southampton. They are ours. F*cking own it, loud and f*cking proud.

Up the Scum! (Up The Committee!)

Photo: Action Images



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PatfromPoole added 08:43 - Dec 13
#forzaitchennorth
1

TripleNiemi added 09:45 - Dec 13
I am hoping for a below 25k turn out tomorrow as the extra revenue from gate recepits is peanuts anyway (in the grand scheme of things), and the ones that do go are in the main a more positive bunch even though they know things are not great.

Get behind the team during the 90 minutes, and then drip afterwards if needs be but our support during actusl play is vital in us surviving. That said, i am easy and couldnt care less if we stay up or not as one day under this current mob we will be down unless some loon with plenty of wonga buys the laundry man out.

2

saintmark1976 added 09:45 - Dec 13
Nick, below the Add a comment section of your site you state "Do not post bad language" but you appear happy to have used the suggested " F " word numerous times in your post above. Can I respectfully suggest that you practice what you preach because I believe that your better than that.
4

EvertonSaint added 09:49 - Dec 13
What we need is the whole of the Northampton End for Saints supporters. It is time to push the away support into the corners, preferably at the ChapelEnd. There was talk by a senior executive that they were looking at this possibility, but so far, nothing. Give us OUR end back.
-1

SaintNick added 09:53 - Dec 13
saintmark, all bad language is asterixed out, this is an article by a 3rd party not myself, therefore it needs the inference of the word for the context,
2

saintmark1976 added 13:18 - Dec 13
Nick, that won't wash with me. Even if the article was by a third party (and I can't see any such reference) you are still responsible as the editor are you not? The implied swear words add nothing to the piece. You, and more importantly the site itself are better than that.
4

WalkingRosie added 13:35 - Dec 13
Saintmark1976 It is written by a third party. I am one of the third party. I also suffer from tourettes
-3

BoondockSaint added 15:17 - Dec 13
This just reeks of the snobbism that unfortunately permeates all fan bases of all kinds of sports/music/movies, etc..

Who the F*CK (thanks for the "3rd Party Pass" Nick!).gets to decide who is a REAL FAN???

Let's try to narrow the field down:

-Fed up with selling all the talented players? Sick of backwards passing? Don't you dare say anything! That's not the Southampton Way! You are the reason we are fighting relegation! You are not a fan!

-Only started following Saints in the last year? Get lost, we don't need you!

-Bought something at the team shop or online, hoping your money is used to build the team? Sorry only "plastic fans" shop there. Saints don't need you or your money-go follow some other team!

-Only watch games on TV or over the internet? Sorry, real fans attend games-watch someone else.

-Attend games, but not a season ticket holder? Sorry, you're too casual in your support-true fans buy season tickets.

-Only have season tickets since Saints moved to St. Mary's? Obviously a Glory Seeker.not a proper fan.

-Not born in Southampton? You're have no connection to the team, you can never be a "true fan".

-Of those of you left, sorry to say, but only those born within the shadow of The Dell can really make any claim to being a "True Fan".


4

the_saint added 15:50 - Dec 13
Think saintmark1976 is right you do seem to have lowered the tone to the daily echo standard
2

WalkingRosie added 16:30 - Dec 13
BoondockSaint - not sure the article says those things to be honest

"Only watch games on TV or over the internet? Sorry, real fans attend games-watch someone else" I agree with you on this point though mush - spot on - real fans do attend games
-5

BoondockSaint added 18:53 - Dec 13
Hi WalkingRosie.....uh I was being sarcastic.....People who watch on TV could be anywhere in the world or maybe can't afford tickets....it is not fair to tell them they are not fans. i am sure they go through all the same emotions while watching a game as someone in the stands.

The point of my post was that once you start excluding people using the criteria "I'm a better fan than you, because....." you wind up telling everyone they are not good enough. We need to attract and welcome more fans, not look down our nose at them.
4

NZsaintNZ added 08:22 - Dec 14
I get up at 4am Sunday my time every week to watch the games, but I'm not a real fan. While I agree with 90% of the article that part really grinds my gears. You dont think I'd love to be at every game?
1

fubsy added 12:51 - Dec 14
Nice article and I agree with general thrust. COYS
1

NewburySaint added 14:13 - Dec 14
What a load of s@&te-this article almost seems like it’s being written by a skate......
-1

WalkingRosie added 13:21 - Dec 15
BoondockSaint - I know mate and I was taking the piss.
1

WalkingRosie added 13:33 - Dec 15
NZsaintNZ it never says you are not a ‘real’ fan that’s peoples interpretation. I can understand you would want to be at every game. That article is written by a number of lads and appears out of context if you did not follow the account we had on twitter. As others on here who have met us will confirm we do not take ourselves seriously, there is a lot of piss taking but also our views on modern football and the gentrification of support in the top flight are strong. That version of the article is the inclusive one 😳
1


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