Football can test your patience at the best of times. But you would be hard-pressed to find a worse time to be a supporter of a club than it is for Southampton fans right at this present moment.
If it were just a case of drawing a line under this whole Spygate debacle and getting on with our lives then it would be a bitter pill to swallow, yes, but one we could stomach. But this stain on our club will not be one that washes out easily.
I am already dreading the next time someone asks who I support. “Ah, the cheats eh.” Yep, that is the one.
We had just got to a point where we were restoring pride at a club that had been battered and bruised and sorely lacked togetherness. But even that was built on false pretences.
This can of worms has only just started to crack open with fires set to be fought from both inside and out. I dread to think what will be left behind once they have been extinguished.
Spygate Fallout Continues
The FA has opened an investigation into Southampton, with Hull City furious over the play-off final. Meanwhile, Millwall and Wrexham are reportedly weighing up legal action against the club.
I can hardly blame the players, many of whom have proved they are a class above in front of the world against Arsenal and Manchester City, for looking at their exit routes. And while they will inevitably depart, it is tough at this point to understand why anyone would want to fill their boots this summer.
Perspective is important and there are plenty of football fans who were left with no club to support. The Burys, the Macclesfield Towns. I do not want to support mine right now. But I have to. That is what you sign up for. By God have Southampton Football Club made it difficult.
Long Road to Redemption
Supporters have been massively let down and how many return next season is a concern. Until all the necessary heads have rolled, supporters will not be able to dust themselves down and get behind the club like they always do. What I do know is that in five, 10, 15 years' time, the fans will be here. Those in the dressing room and the boardroom will not be.
For now, and the foreseeable future, though, it is us who will suffer. The enduring embarrassment of the cheats tag being superglued to us. The heartache of being so close to the Premier League promised land once again. Anything positive being wiped away and no hope of that changing any time soon.
As I have watched Arsenal and Aston Villa fans celebrating their trophies this week, all I could think was how their clubs are not tarnished like mine. Those joyous scenes are what football is all about. This mess at St Mary's is anything but.
Alas, I will be there. Even if I do not want to be right now.
