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 Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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