suewhistle

So just to summarise your theory here, the reason why the club at the beginning of this season didn't seem to put much effort into marketing season tickets was due to their over-arching importance? Season tickets are so important that they'll be left in wills, that is, if the youngsters and less well-off and less committed haven't in the meantime decided to do something else with their money and watch the team on the box. I actually haven't seen anybody here who doesn't acknowledge the importance of season tickets, but you have to maintain the interest of others as well, as pointed out by moonraker. That is far easier to achieve in a bigger ground. I do wonder at your agenda here; some of us may be optimistically hoping for better things, and speculating on what might be possible in true fan fashion. It's part of what keeps us interested. You are just consistently negative and rude with it. So how about I put forward a new theory as to why they didn't push season tickets this last year. They wanted to keep as many people as possible interested in going to maintain the size of the fan base and the potential for future season ticket sales when we expand. OK, I don't actually believe this: it's like one of those uni essays [statement]: Discuss. But we are all speculating on this thread and perhaps it behoves you to be a bit politer about other people's opinions since you don't know any more than we do.

Actually Turkish I've got you on ignore as well, but I took a guess that you were replying to me so I opened this particular post. I think I've mentioned twice that I've got Alpine on ignore and certainly not recently so I'm not sure why the typical dig. Anyway, if you re-read my post carefully I wasn't talking about the buildong cost per seat but the cost for the capital - the nominal cost of any money invested, and that, both for current economic reasons and the resources of the person spending the money I believe would be less than a chancer like Lowe would have had to spend. Lowe was borrowing, the current lot have their own resources, and whilst they will put a price on the capital used it would be less than commercial rates. You've only got to look at what the bank manager wanted to charge Hamster for his narrow boat.;-)

Hopefully in my study on a stream on the 'puter.... a 3 second dash from the fridge and 4 to the loo..

Jeez, the banks do like to take the p***. Mind you, perhaps he's suggeting he doesn't see you as a good risk. [ducks] No family you could borrow from so that both sides could gain and leave out the sodding bank?

Ouir problem in deciding this issue is that we don't have the figures: the likely costs, the cost of capital/interest (almost certainly a lot cheaper than when Lowe was around for a number of reasons.), the likely revenue. But in general terms I disagree with your premise as if it were true nobody else would be investing in infrastructure either. In what way are Saints different? Unless you're saying it would be cheaper to start from scratch on a larger site.:-)

So if some people on here were investing in a bigger ground than The Dell, capacity 14k, what would they have been suggesting? At the time I thought Stoneham (25k) would be too small, and so it proved. Brian Hunt the director is reported to have said that they budgeted for SMS (approximately) for a 1/3rd of games at around 18k, a third mid 20s and a third top 20s with the odd sell out. We know that we did a lot better than that, even with a pretty poor on-field product. I too think 45k would be over the top but I'm happy enough with the professionalism of the current management to address the issue rationally, which was never the case before.

Yeah, change your patronising posting style.

From 14k to 32k and we still often sold out (ignoring away allocations). Now NC will know how many different people have actually bought tickets this year, they'll have done market research and have a better idea than all of us what the potential is. They'll know their own plans for investment in the team, potential corporate revenue, etc. The last 4 games of the season at home are sell outs, we're averaging a deal more than Reading (let alone Wigan or QPR!) and even got 30k+ in Div 1. We've got tremendous potential (and Pompeys demise wont harm!). Success at Boro on Saturday and all of us overseas fans, the Tadanari fan club etc. will be watching on TV next season and boosting ad revenues. These guys aren't unrealistic Russian money-launderers; they may not succeed with all their plans but that won't be down to lack of professionalism.

It doesn't matter. SMS was designed with expansion in mind.

I can guess... There should be a stream or two so hopefully us overseas fans will be catered for. It's my birthday the day after and I'll be playing footie and surrounded in the changing room by scantily clad... you get the idea. Anyway, I'll leave the celebrations until Sunday... No work Monday, so I'm all set... Don't let me down Saints...

Indeed! Must have been '78 then? :-)

Thought I remembered Tony Funnell...

All Italian games were called off last Sunday including our amateur women's league, which I thought was slightly over the top. Fair enough the one he played in, but everything? Poor b****r, he had a bit of a hard life too. We played a friendly instead and I actually started for the first time this season: as I'm more twice his age me popping it would be less of a surprise. Doubt if they'd call any professional games off either.

My grandparents lived in Eastleigh right under the end of the runway and I remember as a child seeing a two-seater trainer taking off over their house. Dad took me to airshows and later when I lived in the UK on the South Coast I'd hear Merlins flying over and rushing out to see: such a distinctive sound. Funnily enough at the World Cup in Italy in 1990 I met the step-daughter of Geoffrey Quill, and you'll all know who he was!..

that'll do us!

fantastic save by KD: still awake then!

Is that a "I hadn't thought of that" or "My GF would kill me?". :-)

Funnily enough, my attitude entirely! [Come on Blackstock..]

Aren't you taking her a Saints shirt to wear?

come on martin - first touch...

Adam: "lovely football"

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It's about time one of our midfielders scored....

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slightly less nervous, but only slightly. Beer or wine?