I have supported Southampton Football Club for over twenty years. My family come from the area and both my father and my grandfather supported "The Saints". Their greatest moment came in 1976, when they won the FA Cup by beating Manchester United 1-0. The 2002-2003 season saw the club's highest ever Premiership finish and their first FA Cup Final appearance in 27 years. Relegation at the end of the 2004-2005 season saw the end of a run of 27 successive seasons in the top division, having been there since 1978.
Watford FC are my second club, as I work in the town and lived there for five years. Following a meteoric rise from fourth to first division between 1978 and 1982, Watford enjoyed six seasons in the top flight, including a second-place league finish in 1983 and an FA Cup Final appearance in 1984. Following a descent into the Nationwide Second Division, they were promoted in successive seasons and spent the 1999-2000 season in the Premiership after an absence of 11 years. Although Watford's subsequent league form has been somewhat inconsistent they were FA Cup semi-finalists in 2002-2003 where they lost to Southampton.
Marseille is the home town of my wife's family, and they have supported Olympique de Marseille (or OM, as they are known) for many years. Subsequently, we follow their progress closely. They have been French league champions on eight occasions, including four consecutive years between 1989 and 1992. Their greatest moment came when they won the European Cup in 1993, beating AC Milan 1-0. However, they were subsequently relegated to the second division following allegations of match-fixing, where they remained for several seasons until their promotion back to Division 1. Since then they have been league and UEFA Cup runners-up although they are still looking for their first league title since their return to the top flight.
Istres is the town in the South of France where my wife was born and is just a few miles from her family's home town of Fos Sur Mer. In 2004-2005 they played in the French First Division for the first time in their history, although they were immediately relegated. They play at the Stade Parsemain in Fos.
