Saints supporters who have been nothing but well behaved and loyal during the club's worst ever season, now have the added kick in the teeth of the club itself warning them about their behaviour at the final game of the season.

When the player of the season voted have been counted, the recipient of the trophy should be the 12th man, the Southampton supporters themselves, who since the opening day of the season have packed St Mary's and the away sections of the Premier League and impressed with their support as well as their good behaviour.

So it is an insult for Southampton FC to send those on it's data base not one but two e mails warning them about staying off the pitch on the final day of the season.

The email reads.

"A reminder ahead of our final home game of the 2024/25 season against Arsenal on Sunday, May 25, of the importance of remaining in the stands at all times.

"Entering the field of play without permission is a criminal offence and a breach of ground regulations.

"It is not a harmless act, it has serious consequences for individuals and the club, as we saw last season with the large fine we received in relation to supporter behaviour at the West Brom game.

"The Premier League, The FA, and all clubs are united in taking a zero-tolerance approach to pitch incursions as they place players, staff, and fellow supporters at risk.

"Supporters who do enter the pitch will face significant sanctions, including immediate ejection from St Mary's Stadium, multi-season bans for all home and away fixtures and criminal prosecution leading to a criminal record and potential stadium bans from all Premier League and EFL grounds."

Whilst the club are probably slightly worried that last season's pitch invasion after the win against West Brom in the 2nd leg of the play off semi final will be repeated, I would suggest that the club would do well to concentrate on making sure that the fans enter St Mary's stadium next season, that enter the pitch after the Arsenal game.

Last seasons encroachment was down to the unbridled euphoria of winning through to the play off final against Leeds at Wembley, this season I suspect that no one will go on to celebrate anything after the Arsenal game.

In past years the end of season pitch invasion was something of a tradition and the team would salute the fans from the directors box at both the Dell and St Mary's.

I first remember it in 1976 at the last league game of the season to wave the team off to Wembley the following week.

Since then up recent times it was a regular feature, but in the last 10 years or so, possibly with a changing fan base demography, it died a natural death aside from moments of pure joy such as last season.

The only moment of pure joy on show on Sunday at St Mary's will be the fact that this awful season is now finally over.

You would think that the club would be thinking at this stage that they need to be getting the fans back onside, that after some awful mistakes in the past year they would be looking to show the supporters that their loyalty is appreciated and for that matter rewarded.

But the opposite, firstly we get a pitiful 5% discount off season tickets and only for those that pay it all front in advance, that still do not make many tickets cheaper than we paid two years ago after relegation in May 2023.

Back then I paid £579 for my season ticket, now with the 5% discount it is £614, an increase of £35, perhaps not much, but still an increase after the most pathetic season ever.

Whoever is pricing up the tickets and then marketing them, seem to have absolutely no idea how much animosity that there is towards Southampton FC & indeed Sport Republic who many blame for the mess we are in.

The number of those who are not planning on renewing next season if you gauge social media is probably running at around 60% renewing and the other 40% split between waiting to see who the manager is going to be and those that have genuinely had enough.

Indeed the empty seats at recent games should have sent a major message to the board, for the sold out Manchester City game, at least 1,500 season ticket holders were no shows, perhaps as many as 2,000.

If just 20% of season ticket holders don't renew, that would be around 4,500 not renewing.

I don't completely blame Sport Republic here, they employ people to run the non footballing side of things on a day to day basis, but those that work for them do not seem to have any sort of understanding about Saints supporters & their feelings at the moment.

The fans are being taken for granted again, we are being treated like customers at a shop, it is not a community at the moment and that has to change.

When a shop sees it's trade drop, it can lower prices and bring people back through the doors, with football clubs you can't do that as your most loyal fans, your season ticket holders have paid up front, they have to have at least some financial reward for coming week in week out whatever.

In life everything is about perception, whatever the reality actually is, if your customers perceive it to be otherwise then it is hard to get them back on side.

As I said unlike many I don't think Sport Republic are as bad as made out by some, they have made mistakes but are trying to rectify them on the playing side, but the empty seats at one of the many mass walk outs as the goals went in our net this season, could be the reality at kick off time, unless the club has a major rethink, or do they just think that if we win a few games we will flock back like lambs to the slaughter.

All Photos Via Reuters