By Nick Mabey. As we approach the halfway mark, it’s difficult to know what to make of Saints’ season so far. Hope followed by despair followed by hope has left us fans a little confused about how to agree a narrative to frame our support around. Should we be...
View from the Kingsland
View from the Kingsland: It’s derby time again
By Nick Mabey. Despite the recent rise of AFC Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion, there is only one proper South Coast Derby. Every club thinks their local derby is the most intense, important, historical, bitter, whatever. Most football pundits agree that Southampton v Portsmouth is right up there...
View from the Kingsland – Reasons to Be Cheerful (part 3)
By Nick Mabey. Football is back…and back with a bang. If that’s not a reason to be cheerful then stop reading this article. And for those of you already searching for parts 1 and 2, they don’t exist; it’s the title for a song I would highly recommend…. The...
View from the Kingsland: Finally Over
By Nick Mabey. It’s finally over. Saints’ season, that started in bright sunshine with an encouraging performance and close defeat, ended the same way. The away loss to Newcastle in August last year, with a blunt attack unable to score against a side reduced to 10-men early on, offered...
View from The Kingsland: Down and Out
By Nick Mabey. Saints’ inevitable and long-awaited relegation was confirmed on 6th April after another lacklustre performance at Spurs, where our fans yet again outperformed the team. At least we went down in style, beating the record for the earliest confirmed drop (seven games remaining). Fastest relegation can be...
View from The Kingsland: Reflective Ramblings
By Nick Mabey. With relegation pretty much assured (if not mathematically certain yet) I found myself in reflective mood when taking my seat for the recent home game with so-called local rivals AFC Bournemouth. Reflecting on the strange feeling of having no pressure and expecting to lose. Reflecting on...
View from the Kinsgland: Sad inevitability
By Nick Mabey. Russell Martin’s unsurprising sacking as our manager this week gave me no pleasure at all. Optimism has always been a superpower/Achilles heel for me and I really wanted Martin to turn things round at Saints. I’ve been fighting myself about this for most of the season,...
View from the Kingsland – How to feel about VAR?
By Nick Mabey. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR from here on) provokes some of the strongest feelings and opinions the average football fan can muster these days, so I thought it time I gave it some prolonged attention here. For those wondering why I’m distracting myself from Saints’ league...
View from the Kingsland: Harsh Reality
By Nick Mabey. It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted. Mostly because I’ve moved house and celebrated a significant birthday with a long holiday, but also because I thought I’d rest for as long as possible in the euphoria of that amazing Wembley day in May. The feel-good...
View from the Kingsland: Ruled by hope or fear?
Saints fan column by Nick Mabey. I’ve been wanting to write this for a while, but the games have come so thick and fast that it is been hard to squeeze it in. And Saints’ fortunes have remained tantalisingly unknown throughout. Every match now means something and yet...