suewhistle

Ah, so I'm not the only one. Since CB is the only one on here talking about European domination is he calling himself a swivel eyed loon? As someone else on here said: Can people stop setting up strawman arguments to then demolish: you're argueing with yourself. Of course we've got to aim high: the secret is not to do it in the way Portsmouth did, but having competent, realistic and honest owners and management may help a leetle... Hoping that we aim high doesn't mean we expect CL football anytime soon, clear? We're certainly going to dominate 'Ampshire though!

Decathlon have a range to give you some comparison: http://www.decathlon.co.uk/recreationnal-rigid-kayak-canoeing-kayaking-sports.html

Actually, just the right length worn with a belt...

Shouldn't that be "If in teh" ?:-)

Apparently! Although I don't suspect we'll see any players that CDAJFU... Some good sly digs at their western neighbours.

Yeah, but I bet you never laugh _with_ him.

Great thread!

Nah, some Italian teams on the border! Are the Japanese like the Chinese in not being able to hold their drink that well: I believe it's an allergic reaction? I think I'd personally get embarassingly good value from the cheap drinking deals! As to the other phenomenon, I've heard similar complaints on the chinese section of an English language teachers' forum, and people not even replying to you in the street when asked for directions: "The only gay in the village" syndrome! Thanks for the information, but I don't reckon it'll be this year, but I'm sure it'll happen at some stage.

So you think a few hundred foreign fans are going to make that much difference? Some of the away followings in their hundreds have been pretty quiet but that hasn't stopped the rest of SMS making a noise, and if anything I think the visitors could be easily led into singing OWTSMI with very little encouragement. Obviously not if they were sat next to you.. Southampton isn't that dynamic a city economically and putting it on the map and raising awareness would help in other ways if visitors were actually to stay and spend money there. Hundreds of extra language students would put many thousands of pounds into the local community and stimulate employment. There's a reason the council, for example, would look favourably on expansion as it's part of a far wider picture than your worry you might have to sit next to a Japanese with a DSLR!

That's the spirit. I presume the shop does Saints baby-grows?

No, that's tomorrow and Friday. I really dislike bullies, and boy, does this site have some...

Now that _is_ funny!

Best now edit those posts to delete addresses [spam emails...]

Investigate insurance implications and if you want to sell the house in the future: there have been some issues. When I move back to the UK I'm thinking of getting them for my house, but I'd pay for them myself in order to get the reduced FITs and spend a few of those savings for which the banks are giving me sod all..

You seem, like quite a number on this thread, to be playing the man and not the ball, or making up strawman arguments. I don't think many on here think or have said we can make the CL in 5 years but I'm sure some thought has gone in to the planning of such an achievement by the people who matter, even if not at a detailed level. They'll have been planning for after-promotion even before it was achieved, scouting and sounding out players, preliminary discussions with city planners and architects etc. I'm vaguely thinking of next week's follow-up lessons for the ones I did this morning, even if I have other more immediate plans to make and won't do the detailed stuff until the day before. It's standard business practice to do different levels of planning, as DP has pointed out. What we're doing here is speculating and discussing, at an optimistic level perhaps, what the new 5 year plan _might_ be. We don't know, OK everybody? But give over the patronising rubbish, optimism-is-stupid type equation. For what it's worth I don't think we'd be able to do it in 5 years but I'm sure interested in seeing where we are within that period, and just how achievable it's looking _then_. It may be completely out of the question. In the mean time my shorter term planning prediction is that by June next year we'll have heard something official about stadium expansion plans... [puts on tin hat and ducks]

You've actually just explained why we didn't always sell out.. Do you think everybody wanted to turn up two hours before kick off with the danger still of not getting in and having travelled a bit of a way (from the Thames valley as happened to me and my Dad)? You can see why people didn't risk it. I managed to get a season ticket when I moved to the area and the ground became all ticket, but it was a bit of a struggle and lots of people didn't bother. I sometimes speculate there must be a reason Cortese didn't push season tickets too much last season - and it did seem noticeable - and that was he wanted to maintain interest amongst more than just season ticket holders. If anybody can come up with any alternative - greater income from individual sales, perhaps - then I'm willing to consider them. It seemed strange at the time. It would be interesting to know how many people are on the club's database and how many different customers there were, and this is the sort of thing they will be considering when they make their decisions. I went to quite a few games with tickets a friend got for me so perhaps they should add mark my customer number as 'active'!

Then that's good going compared to many sides who go down that far; I bow to your superior statistical knowledge. I'll wait for MLG to give the _exact_ figure.:-)

I think the OP raises a good point. We don't know what the original plan was, but any plan in my experience gets re-baselined on a periodic basis, particularly if it over or under-achieves.. A couple of points in DP's post about planning. The first I mention because I happened to be over on holiday and in the crowd for that game and it was hard to believe we were in the third division. I'm already waiting for the fixture list for next season and getting a friend on the task of obtaining for me early season tickets. Secondly, the point about Lowe seeing an opportunity (the reverse buy-out) and we are now seeing a different game. Somebody pointed out Mancity averaged 16k in the third div, and whilst we aren't going to get silly money spent on players like they have I think it's a question of what we can achieve through obviously intelligent and committed management. I'd bet on stadium expansion sooner than later.

Hughie Fisher's late equaliser at The Dell..

I had to take the risk to take you off ignore to quote that, but isn't instinct (or predictability on your part) a great thing. Look, sweetheart, I'd already made the joke, yours doesn't work any more. Funnily enough, I get the impression you don't actually like women. I suggest you **** a water-melon: all the suction, moisture and intelligence you can cope with.

Thanks Tom, keep in touch for next season as us overseas supporters need stuff like this!

Not sure about cricket - hard balls not being my thing - but on my summer visit I might be in the Coal Hole, Blue Bell, Raglan, Sussex and definitely the Slipper.. I have played cricket before though, one memorable day after a lunchtime in The Cricketers at Westbourne when they were desperate for players for a scratch game. I took a wicket and scored some runs so I presume others were tipsier than I was!

Had a look in second half - Cardiff not very good although they were certainly trying. Only 23k crowd - puts our average of nearly 27k(?) in perspective..

Well, if you ever fancy a piadina survey of Italian footie grounds you can do the driving and I'll do the Italian and testing the local red..

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...ave-portsmouth It's gathering a few more comments: I wonder who dronskiuk is....