Supporting on all fronts.

(not an erudite dissection of the laws  ignored by referees)

Elaine, my wife, has the patience of, well I was going to say “a Saint,” but perhaps “Job” would be more appropriate. My frequent absences on a Saturday, and sometimes a Sunday, and even both days, are greeted with, if not exactly enthusiasm, at least resignation. The club is currently riding high in the Premiership, with a realistic chance of a top four finish, through to the quarter finals of the LV= Cup – (winner taking lots of money and a place in next year’s Heineken Cup) and a quarter final in said cup against the Mighty Munster.

The coaches do not have the luxury of a massive squad along the lines of the French model, where large dollops of disposable income allow for a large squad with lots of choice in, and rest for, the players. Nor do they have the choice of players from feeder provincial sides for the “lesser competitions” as do their Welsh and Irish counterparts. Instead, from a squad of between 33 -35, Jim Mallinder and his coaches must conjure a fit side week in, week out. There is a constant concern about injury (thankfully fewer this season – in no small part down to the iron regime of Nick Johnston). Taken together with the inevitable cries of “they will fade at the end of the season – the competition is too fierce” and “they’ve peaked too early”, supporters are both proud and anxious as the season starts its run in.

The fitness of the players, and the selection of the team in all of these games is, thankfully, not the responsibility of the supporters. Although we all have trenchant opinions as to who should be selected, usually after the game, I am fairly certain that Jim, Paul and Dorian take no notice whatsoever of these partisan views, and go their own sweet way down the selection route. It has served well so far!

So with the players having been through a fierce pre-season training period to help prepare them for this relentless round of matches at this end of the season, where does this leave the supporters in handling all this? Our pre-season consisted of catching up on the lesser activities that had been neglected over the winter, such as shopping, decorating, gardening, and generally emerging from the cocoon of supporterdom. We do not have the luxury (?) of Nick Johnson and Co. beasting us in preparation for the storm of fixtures to be supported in the coming season. We have the websites such as comeonyousaints.com, and the club’s official site to assuage some of our guilt, but even these are quiet during this time.

Saints supporters are widely regarded as among the fiercest and most passionate in Europe, a reputation of which the club should be proud. However, we are not immune from burn out at this end of the season. It is not a lack of passion, it is a realisation that there may be some season left over at the end of the money! I count myself most fortunate that, at the moment, I am able to indulge my passion and get to most of the away matches (see the first sentence). Many of my fellow supporters are not so fortunate, especially those with children or fixed incomes. Moderation in all this, so they cannot have all that they desire, a situation that I know I will face when I retire, or circumstances change. We do not have a supporter’s rotation policy, but we need to prioritise the matches we will get to. There’s the rub – which shall they be? A second visit to Limerick is on the agenda, but some have said they will save their money for the final. Very wise, but they will miss what could probably be the Saints finest hour since 2000. And if we should not prevail, they will have been proved sensible. But as for me, and some others our Saintsoholicism will not let us miss this – yet another drain on the wallet.

Some help in this dilemma has been handed to supporters by the organisers of the AWC (The LV=Cup). In choosing a ground smaller than those of any of the quarter finalists in which to hold the final, they have effectively helped those supporters of the finalists to conserve their cash. Should Saints get through, I and my fellow supporters will be eternally grateful for the clarity and foresight of the organisers and sponsors in helping us make the difficult choices needed at this end of the season. (Last season’s final attendance = 54,889, Worcester ground capacity = 12068). Tough decision by the organisers, but in our own interest!

This enforced rest handed to the supporters (should we reach the final!) enables us to concentrate on the other two competitions. The Heineken cup is not beyond the team, and a repeat performance at Munster, accompanied by a little more nous, would see Saints through to possibly another wallet sapping away trip. And we have not even thought about the play-offs. The expense looms large, so Directors of the club please remember the emotional sacrifices and fiscal burn out suffered by the supporters when we fight on all fronts!

David Lowrence

The short, round shouty editor of comeonyousaints.com – “the supporters voice”

View a Printer Friendly version of this Story.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon