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The Clubhouse Bar
How do you solve a problem like Northampton?
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<blockquote data-quote="ClaireJ" data-source="post: 96789"><p>Thank you Tehmite for taking the time to consider the problems facing my beloved club. However, your memory of events differs from mine. I have been watching rugby in Northampton for decades I can now unfortunately say - I've been a regular at the Gardens since 1988 and prior to that I saw the odd match from the mid 1970's so I've seen a few matches and the odd change! <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> </p><p></p><p>Let's start with 1999-2000 season when we should have won three trophies and came home with one by the skin of our teeth. Far from it being a glorious ride to being European Champions, in the latter stages it became a nail biting horror show. John Steele took the team built by Ian McGeechan and almost blew it. But May 29 2000 was a glorious day and I will never forget the sight of the players in a line across the pitch bringing the trophy up to the Sturtridge Pavilion. Likewise I will never forget getting the chance to thank both Tim Todber and Pat Lam.</p><p></p><p>The following season far from things going fine, they were a disaster in the Heineken - Saints made a hash of defending the trophy they had worked so hard for. A season later and it got even worse - we lost to Tigers at home after the opening of the Tetley Stand, were hammered by Monferrand 50-17, and there were several more defeats to forget. The 13-13 draw against Quins on a November Friday night signalled the end of the Steele era. And Smithy arrived...</p><p></p><p>The highlight of the rest of the season - the 38-17 drubbing of Newcastle Falcons. Dawson at his cheeky sniping best, running rugby at the Gardens - for 40 minutes Saints were sublime. The lowlight - the final which was dire. 38-7 ugh! Smithy stood on the bar and apologised.... A year later it happened again... but at least we had won that game at Welford Road. I was at the end of the ground where Pountney scored his gypsy try - a marvelous memory.</p><p></p><p>Smith brought discipline to the Gardens, he tried the unexpected for example the co-captains idea, he brought a radical approach to analysing peformance but even he admitted he didn't bring the silverware to go with it (tho' I did enjoy the Middlesex Sevens!). That horrible loss at Wasps in his last game was an awful game to be at.</p><p></p><p>The rest is too close to now to go into - I don't know why Alan Solomons failed or what's happening now but safe to say we won't know the truth for a long time!</p><p></p><p>As for the supporters, might I suggest you have a rose tinted view of those of us who stood on the Gordon Terrace, or stood on the gravel at the old Lake end, or sat in the old wooden main stand. When I did sit in the old wooden Main Stand I used to have to suffer those that had been sat in the same seats for decades. Woe betide you if you dared to shout or sing - my husband was regularly told off for making a noise! We moved to the Tetley Stand when it opened because we couldn't stand it any more!! So it's not a new thing to request silence just a bit of our past resurfacing!</p><p></p><p>So Tehmite - get used to the frustrations cos that's what it's going to be like for a long time - we've all been there so many times before. Take 1997 - Geech comes back from that great Lions win in South Africa. We Saints supporters are thinking we've got the best coach in the land so we're bound to do well. What happens, Saints have a torrid time... that's the rollercoaster ride that is supporting Saints!</p><p></p><p>Oh and it's a Garryowen and it's named after an Irish rugby club!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ClaireJ, post: 96789"] Thank you Tehmite for taking the time to consider the problems facing my beloved club. However, your memory of events differs from mine. I have been watching rugby in Northampton for decades I can now unfortunately say - I've been a regular at the Gardens since 1988 and prior to that I saw the odd match from the mid 1970's so I've seen a few matches and the odd change! ;) Let's start with 1999-2000 season when we should have won three trophies and came home with one by the skin of our teeth. Far from it being a glorious ride to being European Champions, in the latter stages it became a nail biting horror show. John Steele took the team built by Ian McGeechan and almost blew it. But May 29 2000 was a glorious day and I will never forget the sight of the players in a line across the pitch bringing the trophy up to the Sturtridge Pavilion. Likewise I will never forget getting the chance to thank both Tim Todber and Pat Lam. The following season far from things going fine, they were a disaster in the Heineken - Saints made a hash of defending the trophy they had worked so hard for. A season later and it got even worse - we lost to Tigers at home after the opening of the Tetley Stand, were hammered by Monferrand 50-17, and there were several more defeats to forget. The 13-13 draw against Quins on a November Friday night signalled the end of the Steele era. And Smithy arrived... The highlight of the rest of the season - the 38-17 drubbing of Newcastle Falcons. Dawson at his cheeky sniping best, running rugby at the Gardens - for 40 minutes Saints were sublime. The lowlight - the final which was dire. 38-7 ugh! Smithy stood on the bar and apologised.... A year later it happened again... but at least we had won that game at Welford Road. I was at the end of the ground where Pountney scored his gypsy try - a marvelous memory. Smith brought discipline to the Gardens, he tried the unexpected for example the co-captains idea, he brought a radical approach to analysing peformance but even he admitted he didn't bring the silverware to go with it (tho' I did enjoy the Middlesex Sevens!). That horrible loss at Wasps in his last game was an awful game to be at. The rest is too close to now to go into - I don't know why Alan Solomons failed or what's happening now but safe to say we won't know the truth for a long time! As for the supporters, might I suggest you have a rose tinted view of those of us who stood on the Gordon Terrace, or stood on the gravel at the old Lake end, or sat in the old wooden main stand. When I did sit in the old wooden Main Stand I used to have to suffer those that had been sat in the same seats for decades. Woe betide you if you dared to shout or sing - my husband was regularly told off for making a noise! We moved to the Tetley Stand when it opened because we couldn't stand it any more!! So it's not a new thing to request silence just a bit of our past resurfacing! So Tehmite - get used to the frustrations cos that's what it's going to be like for a long time - we've all been there so many times before. Take 1997 - Geech comes back from that great Lions win in South Africa. We Saints supporters are thinking we've got the best coach in the land so we're bound to do well. What happens, Saints have a torrid time... that's the rollercoaster ride that is supporting Saints! Oh and it's a Garryowen and it's named after an Irish rugby club! [/QUOTE]
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