The9

Well, I don't care on way or another - and by the way, we knew this a couple of weeks ago. Maybe it's another Cortese ploy to try and force people to buy things in the way he wants - in this case online programmes. Yeah, ok, maybe it's not...

Well, whatever it is isn't being caused by the over 60s, who were around back in the old days when things were better. I am only half joking...

Delighted, I'm sure. And the fact that you think I'm whinging when actually I'm quite pleased with the reintroduction of an instalment plan AND the prices, suggests that it's not me who's the one with the mental capacity issues.

Honestly, I think this new Academy categorisation is going to mean nothing but bad things for any side outside the Premier League's top 6 within the next 5 or 6 years, so we'd either better get up there or expect to get shafted as soon as the "big clubs" realise we're still churning out decent players despite their attempts to monopolise the system and skew it for their own benefit. In the short term, great news.

Also, as I'm waiting for something, here's the back of the Man City kit (the long sleeved version, which weirdly has black from the "sleeve" onwards) : Here's the City away sock (see a trend yet?) : And the (Joe Hart special) away keeper kit :

Forgot to copy this one in as well - same shoulder curve template again... Hearts home. Just seen that Swansea are going to adidas, as are West Brom, so that's two that Umbro have lost as well as gaining League One's most recently defeated team, Huddersfield...

Weirdly I quite like the Marseille away, which is the most slapped-on ugly print of the lot - but at least it doesn't have pointless red/green/yellow stripes on it like last year's. I like the Sunderland home, the diagonal bit on the back is a none-too-bothersome design feature and the rest is exactly what anyone would want. And I haven't seen the Rangers away yet. But I bet it's nicer than the horrendous Nike - thick/thin stripe concept Celtic and Barcelona are having to wear.

No they're not, the message is very clear. The blocks are not for sale to ST holders, but they will be open in the event of per-match demand requiring it. Whether they sell Blocks 1-2-3 from Day 1 to ad hoc match tickets purchasers or whether they sell the rest of the stadium first THEN open 1-2-3 is the only remaining question.

I'm not spending what I don't have, my income exceeds my outgoings. But last year's ST debacle meant that I bolted the payment onto an existing loan and that ruled out saving towards this year's. The moral actually seems to be "don't be a football fan and try to have a life as well" actually. Luckily I stopped trying on the latter some time around February and just spent money on bills and football instead now.

Agreed. Traditional but varied, and useful design without much pointless innovation. Watch them churn out a photofit or a nightmare for Saints now.

I think they're by far the most conventionally interesting shirts I've seen this close-season - they're almost all of my favourites, with the exception of the Reebok design Bolton have got - and I only like that because it's different without being stupidly patterned. Though Umbro only have about 4 new designs they're all simple and can be easily varied. Adidas just have a few templates for hundreds of teams which they "vary" by slapping an ugly print over the top of, or just have teams look the same - Umbro seem to go out of their way to avoid pointless print patterns OR teams getting the same kits in the exact same colours. Nike have just been dull recently, or in the case of the Brazil and France shirts, pointless. Who needs a random green bar or turnover contrast cuffs ? Sheesh.

They usually have about 4 "new" templates in rotation, with a few from the previous seasons. As for the keepers' kits, the last few seasons they've had two styles - the Tailored used by England / Man City, and the bog standard one used by everyone else. Saints' keeper shirts for the last 2 seasons are the same as everyone else's, other than that there's a yellow shirt, a red one and I think maybe a black one, and some black shorts as well as the all green and all light blue Kelv has worn. Same style, different colours. Actually the Sunderland keeper socks are the same style as their outfielders' home socks with 2 hoops, so that's a major departure compared to last season when all the keepers had the same stuff throughout except Joe Hart !!! I'd also point out that with outfield kits the Sunderland away, Livingston home and away and Forest home all have different collars that make them a little more different. The Athletic Bilbao one is the same as well, same collar as Livingston :

As I pointed out on the other thread, for a 61-64 year old, their instalment first downpayment will be about £10 less than their entire payment last season. And we have a higher average age of supporter than almost every other club, from what I recall from a Leicester Uni study when we were in the Prem.

It will be interesting to see how many move to the Chapel from other areas to take advantage of the free kids' tickets in there. Other than that, nice to see the realities of trying to save anything when you've had to extend a loan and pay THAT off in order to get LAST season's ST are completely lost on many. Oooh, maybe I should get a 0% credit card, etc. The one thing I have considered (for about 30 seconds) from this thread and the predecessor and the prices quoted, was getting an ST at Fulham ! Cheaper ST at £379, better league, better opposition, can get there reasonably cheaply on the train and they have a 9 month instalment plan which costs £25, basically what I'd be paying for the Saints 4 month one. Only 19 matches, but that's ok, it gives me more free weekends. You can also take 2 mates for £5 on a couple of occasions, to designated games (i.e. Wigan). What's that ? Elasticity of demand ? Football's not a normal business ? Oh yeah, I can't go anywhere else, can I ? http://www.fulhamfc.com/Tickets/SeasonTickets.aspx#instalment if you want to have a look, anyway.

Oh, and here's the new Umbro goalkeeper template - first time I've seen it. Kelvin / Bart will almost certainly have a version of this. Sunderland keeper's shirt is the opposite, but same pattern :

Here's the new Forest home kit : Another one using the straight shoulder hoop style template with the curved sleeve panel as seen with Livingston and the light blue Sunderland away, though with the traditional collar and no contrast colours. I suspect our away will either be this style with a blue shoulder panel or the sash template. Plain shorts shown here could be England 2009 away kit style OR the new ones like Sunderland have, again with a same colour panel where Sunderland has a contrast red flash on black. Socks are already in use, they're currently the Wales home socks (available for £3 in JJB to any budding Nottingham-based entrepreneurs). It does mean we MIGHT get hooped socks again though... EDIT : Actually, strike that, they've changed the colour of the foot-piece to grey, so actually they're different (barely) to the Wales socks, which have white toes and heel, and a red foot. So the 2011 Umbro sock has a grey foot and ankle section. Er, lovely. You an also see the grey on the Sunderland socks which are a new style : As are their change socks :

Pratley is almost certainly leaving and seems to have made it quite clear that he's not re-signing for Swansea. Cork and Pratley would be my top 2 midfield targets.

I think we may have had a few "extra" tickets in the back of the book, but I'm not sure it was.

£515 ticket will be £267.50 plus £26.75 admin fee up front, then instalments of £66.80ish. So your first instalment will be nearly the cost of last season's ticket. Ouch.

I can afford it, and yes, but now I know I have to pay them at the same time. Along with the insurance. Not really the club's fault but an arse pain nevertheless.

That on the day thing was the case last year as well. I'd say the announcement is good compared to last year's because of lowered expectations, but still gash compared to every season before that.

Bad news, only if we move to the Chapel.

No, I was paying off the last ST interest charges on my loan.

Er, they had this last season, we've already wasted quite enough time on the various Cortese Taxes.

If it is dark, it isn't evening. Not even by your standards of attempted pedantry and semantics can 8am the following day be described as "later this evening", and I'm pretty sure it was hours before 9pm yesterday "evening" when the news came out in the first place. As for the STs. Good things : They exist at all There is an instalment plan They can spell instalment on the OS unlike 95% of people here The price is only slightly more expensive than I was expecting Instalments are only about £50 a month Club seems to have covered the 'non-payment' angle. Bad things Instalment plan still requires a lump payment of a minimum of £255.50... There is a 5% admin fee My road tax is due next month as well! It's more expensive than my top end estimate They appear to have done away with free U8s tickets No sales after start of season No part season sales Still looks like they're doing it out of obligation not choice Looks like it'll be debit card based Bit faffy getting an ST in two bits