What to do and what not to do if you’re headed to the Southampton fans’ forum on Thursday

Twitter’s @Puel_Out raised some valuable points ahead of Thursday evening’s Southampton fans’ forum.

Given the poor communication Saints fans endure from the club, it’s important to make the very most of the fans’ forum long requested by many Southampton fans. The last fans’ forum was clogged up by a lot of inane chatter in the limited timeframe offered.

So, taking inspiration from said tweets, we have compiled a list of advisory dos and don’ts for those attending on Thursday.

What to do at the Southampton fans’ forum

DO spend minimal time asking the questions which really matter. For example:

• What are the club’s football targets and ambitions for this season and beyond? Is there a new five-year plan?
• What are Gao’s plans for the club? Why have Saints fans barely heard a word from him since he bought a controlling stake of Southampton last summer?
• Why are fans not being offered any form of subsidised ticket prices, given the BBC’s reports of Southampton’s ability to make a £19.1m pre-tax profit in 2016/17 without any ticket sales factored in?
• What is the club’s stance on Safe Standing?
• Will Southampton be involved in England’s World Cup 2030 bid?
• Why has “The Southampton Way” turned from producing young, homegrown talents ready for the first team to hoping to strike gold with a cheap player from overseas to be sold at a profit?

DO hold those leading the fans’ forum accountable and take them to task in an appropriate fashion. Yes, it’s very nice and gracious of Ralph Krueger and Les Reed to lend their time to field some tough questions from those in attendance, but there is so much which needs to be cleared up as communication between club and support broke down.

• Press the issue when Krueger inevitably tries to change the subject under scrutiny.
• Who was behind the Mauricio Pellegrino mess beside Mauricio Pellegrino?
• Who are you both [Krueger and Reed] accountable to?
• Is there a conflict of interest having Reed’s son act as an agent to various Saints youngsters?

DO wear whatever you like to the forum.

• Perhaps one of the few @Puel_Out tweets we disagree with, the account says no fans attending the forum should wear a replica Saints shirt.

While we’re not necessarily fans of wearing replica shirts ourselves, Saints fans deserve to have their voices heard, no matter their fashion taste.

What not to do at the Southampton fans’ forum

DON’T waste time or stall the conversation by spending minutes introducing yourself and your backstory as a Saints fan.

• We get it, you’ve been a season ticket holder since 1885. Respect for that, but it really adds nothing to the conversation and simply eats up time.

DON’T bring up personal grievances/annoyances with the club unless it is meaningful and has a lot of importance for your fellow fans, too.

• This probably isn’t the place to bring up the fact you think it’s a disgrace that you have to queue for half an hour for a hot dog or a beer.
• Also, who cares if the half-time entertainment is shit? It’s not important in the wider context of the club.

DON’T waste your opportunity to have your voice heard.