By Nick Mabey. It’s been a whirlwind start to the season for Southampton. Ten games in 38 days and a whole bunch of players arriving and departing. We can now draw breath while an extended international break provides a sizeable pause button. So, with a chance to reflect at...
View from the Kingsland
View from the Kingsland: Entering the Unknown
By Nick Mabey. I don’t know about you but I wasn’t quite ready for the new season. A mere nineteen days after Spain triumphed in the World Cup final against Argentina, Saints were turning out in the Carabao cup away to Colchester. Who starts a new season with a...
View from the Kingsland: Spygate – shock, anger and shame
By Nick Mabey. Long time Saints fan and columnist Nick Mabey gives a personal take on the fall out of the spygate saga. Disbelief courses through me as I sit to write this. The shock waves caused by the ruling from the two independent panels against Southampton Football Club...
View from the Kingsland: Wow – Speechless
By Nick Mabey. It’s very rare I can find no entry point for these articles. Normally, as you may have noticed, when I have nothing to write then I write nothing. But now is not one of those times. There’s so much to say and yet I’m speechless –...
View from the Kingsland: momentum or distraction?
By Nick Mabey. The super Saints made it through to the quarter final of the FA Cup with a fine win away to Premier League Fulham. Tonde Eckhert could have been forgiven for deprioritising the cup fixture in favour of the final push for a play-off place in the...
View from the Kingsland – Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year?
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: 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...