Patrick Bateman

Your point has been answered. Now please present me with a compelling business case for an expansion? Based on the data available to me here, a 14 year pay back on an additional 10,000 seats isn't compelling.

Because it was a family day out for many people who never actually go to a game, ever. I know many who went who never go to St Marys.

Without being too mean, your world must be so simple. You're exactly like those people on Dragon's Den (or people I see weekly trying to get me to help fund their ideas) who come up with a half-baked idea, a business case with no foundation and no research or data to back it up. Saints get "lumped in" with those stadiums as they're pretty similar, bog-standard medium size city/town stadiums, built for the size of catchment. Well, except Middlesbrough who seem to get about 3 people per match now. And even when we do sell out (how many times last season, a couple?), it is not hard to get a ticket - corporate normally always has space. For the last match last season, I ended up with 4 tickets from people who didn't want to go, so flogged them on. Even though, I struggled to shift them. Very simply; It would cost about £30m (using Steve's seat calculations), if not more, to build 10000 seats on the Kingsland. At an average cost of £30 a seat (it wouldn't be that high after concessions), that would take 100 matches, to recoup the £30m. If based on your 7 game sell-out a year, we got an extra 10000 for those 7 matches (!!!!), that would take nearly 15 years, just to pay back the original investment. I'm out.

Could not agree more. We don't have the catchment, nor the demographics. How many times did we exceed 30,000 at the Dell, when the Dell was all standing and could accommodate that many? Not many I reckon. Until we "win stuff" and start wasting money on players like Falcao and clowns like Balotelli, we won't see the plastics and volume of day-trippers other grounds get. Look how awful the atmosphere is at Old Trafford, Anfield, The Emirates where they get more football tourists.

That's only part of it. I know loads of people who went who never go to a Saints game usually. They went as it was a "big day out" for them and/or for their families. There are an awful lot of people who don't go to many Saints matches and WILL pick and choose due to cost, online streaming, family reasons, work reasons, having other life activities reasons. I genuinely think we don't live in a big enough catchment or city to warrant expanding for some time, until we start winning stuff then all the new fans will emerge.

Part of the match day experience and fun, surely?

Good point. Shouldn't they be writing for the Sun

The first post. Thanks, bye.

Shouldn't the title be; "Saints not keen on stadium expansion unless we sell out every match for a prolonged period"? You should be writing headlines for the Sun. And for what it's worth, I totally agree with this approach - we need to focus on the existing experience, make it more attractive to sell out all areas first.

Jesus Christ - why is this forum full of absolute nutters? What are you like at home? I'm sure half of you are bi-polar. A player linked with a club, shock. It happens, it happened a lot over the summer, it'll keep happening a lot the better we do. It's no big deal.

Think that's a bit unfair. He's still done nothing wrong and is ending his epic journey of a career at his hometown club - he probably would like to play more, but I'm sure he's still just buzzing to be there, involved and on the bench with the odd appearance.

God that's scary!! It was great, but it was past it, many many decades past it. The Le Tiss goal against Arsenal will live with me forever in terms of atmosphere, absolutely superb!

Out of interest, do you work in Liverpool? I work in London and all the "Liverpool fans" appear to either be foreign or have mostly never been to a football match in their lives.

Who made that horrendous video?

Good news! It's about time we had another statue out the front (as has been said, the smile with the camera is how most of us picture him) and/or the Academy/training ground being named after him would be great! Is it still called Staplewood? That has no relevance as far as I know.

As has been said, it looks like Lovren excels with a proper leader next to him. Fonte obviously did that job really well and perhaps he's even better than we realised in that respect. He certainly made Yoshida step up in the opening couple of games too. I think Liverpool still need that Carragher type who can control the defence and let Lovren do a job of "defending" rather than leading. Christ, some people on here wanted him to captain Saints ... he would have folded, delicate flower.

Is that Robertson? He is good, I wondered if he was someone we looked at! And discounted or were rejected by.

Like the guy already, think he's class and is actually very different to Rickie. What does make me chuckle is the fact that he is considerably better than Osvaldo ... class goal against Man City aside.

Yep, I saw it there - thought it was wrong

I was surprised to see the attendance was only 27,500?? Didn't look *that* empty to me!?

He was awesome, but he seems to have found another level this time. Goals help too!!

Newcastle are utterly horrendous - with those players (some are pretty damn good), Pardew is doing an attrocious job. Pellé excellent though, as are Tadic and Long.

Edit; . not needed now .

WTF? How did that happen?

If they bugger off (fingers crossed), do we get a new bank holiday to celebrate?