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...
Articles with the Tag football
Experience: From outsider to insider in a football-shaped universe
By Tammi Dodger. If you live in the way that you take it personally when the universe ruins your day, the upside is that it sometimes feels like the cosmos is giving you its blessing. That’s how it felt the first time the Lionnesses won the Euros in 2021....
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: 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 – Que Sera, Sera…
By Nick Mabey. …whatever will be will be, we’re going to Wembley, que sera sera. Saints’ first ever play-off final awaits, for allegedly the richest game in football. To the winner a prize of multi-squillions of Premier League cash, to the loser well nothing. Could it feel much bigger?...
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...
View from the Kingsland: Revolting referees
by Nick Mabey. The season is well underway now and there’s always much to talk about. A clampdown on time wasting and dissent is hitting the headlines, even managing to upstage VAR and the transfer window this year. I’m hoping it’s just the start of a refereeing revolution. At...
View from the Kingsland: Renewal Time
by Nick Mabey. I can usually tell how excited I am about the forthcoming season by how early I renew my season ticket. This year my deadline was 30th June, if I wanted to get the early bird discount, and I actually renewed on 20th. I reckon that’s about...