Frank's cousin

I understand your concern, but anyone who witnessed what it meant to players, NIge and the fans on promotion knows this club has nothing to fear with respect to losing ts soul... Costumes dont undermine it, families and kids enjoying themselves does not undermine it - and the definition of a 'proper club'? You are using 'your' definition, the definition of a few fans on various forums that think there should only be one type of fan, standing on a 70s terrace. Colours weern't popular then because most clubs beyond a few elite only made kids kits and wearing colours would single you out for a good kicking on the way home if you ran into the away fans... those with a problem with this cant let go of something they either grew up with, or wish they had - and using a few 'proper' clubs as an example is just a way of trying to prevent a natural generational change - everyone looks back at youthful days and thinks they were better, but seriously if you believe that kids, and fans wearing colours and silly costumes takes the soul out the club, then you are mistaken... what rips a clubs soul out is when they dont bother going, when they give up, because a club is dying or they simply dont feel comfortable in the stands. The nostalgia for those days is understandable, but not when you consider the reasons why football has been 'sanitised' - and we all know the reasons from Heysal to Hillsborough - it may have been directly linked to police mistakes and panic, but the cages and the panic about how football crowds might react based on previous experience led indirectly to those mistakes... Families, seating, costumes and stupid hats may not be everyones 'ideal' but at least for the current generation its not symbolic of a loss of soul, but a reflection that football is safe and fun for all generations... if some think that is a bad thing, then its simply selfish.

why you that desperate for a prize?

very funny.... I just find those expressing views of intolerance, based on insecurities and fragile egos fricken sad and ideologically pathetic... that's all

If being inquisitive and 'how their mind works' and understanding was your aim, you need to ask them.... but in a thread entitled 'dont embarrass us any more clown costumes' that is not the questuon being raised... and its pretty obvious that this is NOT what you are interested in... you just dont like it and annoys you... and you still dont answer why its so important to you what others wear to football.... suggesting it would merely highlight deep seated insecurities, ignorance and intolerance

So no one understands the logic... so what? Why is it so important that you understand WHY someone does something? You know and everyone else knows that you dont really give a flying feck why these folk dress up or how they get any fun from it.... you just dont want them doing it because of your attitude and oopinion on what makes a 'fan' and tehy dont fall into it... why does it make you uncomfortable? And why is it so important to you? Not understanding that everyone is different, not believing in their right to be different and do as they wish IS the fascist attitude I was talking about - no-one is comparing anyone one to mass murderers, but making a comparison between the principles that oppress the rights and freedoms of individuals.

Fair points, and well put. I accept that we have not been a shining example to date, but i mitigation, I dont think we can ignore the cultural thing - NC will have been aware that media interest in the UK is far greater than he will have been used to, and that it can often be intrusive and at times, just makes up what it wants anyway - the reporting of sensitive information or speculation about players and transfers is often not in the interests of the club and we have seen countless stroies where we have got angry that the speculation can unsettle palyers etc - look at the Walcott, Oxo stuff etc. I apprecate that we need to develop an improved policy that is both professional and appropriate, but I would not be surprized if this is still more restrictive than teh journos would like, and I dont believe that is as bad a thing as some make out.

oh the irony (Face Palm again) .....wooosh.....:lol:

But that issue has ben resolved - I dont think a club having a stricter media policy than some is a bad thing... I think the point DPS was making is that to date the only impact of the current policy has been to annoy journos - it has not impacted on our success or commercial development as far as I know.

Was going to ask that to!

...(Face Palm).... wooosh..... :lol:

Well - you never know, could be the reason for the success of the last 3 years and promotion to teh prem... maybe a siege mentality, 'South Caost Club' against teh media world... If it means we finish second next season - let the media hate us I say:lol:

1. What amusement do folk get from dressing up? Don't know 2. Should fans who pay their cash be allowed to dress as they please and support as they see fit? YES, we live in a free country 3. Why do some fans have an issue with it? They seem to be obsessed or worried about how Saints are perceived as a club (or how it reflects on them), some stating that football should be the reserve of those 'blokes on the lash' 4. Why are they so obsessed? Dont know, insecurities, personal issues with clowns feck knows, but its obviously quite sad 5. Why the constant need to bring it up and start endless threads/troll about it? Dont know, but obviously enjoying trying to wind up and find it hilarious 6. But is dressing up not kind of the same thing as trolling, you know, seeking attention, hiding behind a 'mask/avatar'? Yep, but they dont get the irony 7. Are they trying to be cool, like the 'lads' that wanted the back seat of the bus at school? Interesting that this was mentioned, very true, and like those said back bus sitters/wetters usually left with 2 'O' levels in woodwork between them... 8. So this thread and topic belongs in the Muppet show really doesn't it? Would be my guess, yes

Thing is I dont believe we are actually that far off... or certainly wont be when this years figures come out. Remeber that 33 mil figure INCLUDES the original purchase price of around 13-14 mil, + the initial remedial work on infrastructure etc. So you factor that in an it probaly means a shortfall of around 16-17 mil over the first 3 years 5-6 mil a year, before you factor in teh revenue increase this year of the Oxo sale - so its not been a bad investment! We have no idea how much 'Provision' Markus made for the club, whether that 33 mil is it, or whether there is more that would cover the Staplewood investmnet and whilst it would be nice to know, its not in the clubs interests to let our 'buying power' into teh public domain. I do not believe we will se huge spending in th prem... and am gald we wont. it will be measured as it was the last 3 seasons. Will it be enough to keep us up? Who knows, but I think we will see a sustainable financial policy which is ultimately the most important thing.

.... very droll... someone obviously sh@t in your skull as a child... only explanation... why dont you answer the questuion? what is so much fun in trolling? I have not said you have posted that you find it hilarious, its the fact you do suggesting you must? so tell me, what so great about it? Those wierd folk dressing up have actually got one up on you anyway, as their intention is to have fun - not doen in some deliberate attempt to wind you up.

... WTF? is 'waffle on' the only response? So more middle classes with disponsable go to games and that is wrong because?

...face palm.... its in doing it..... jeez....

...engage a few brain cells, read, comprehend and respond as you see fit, but dont pretend you are more stupid than you are... struggling to see how that is actually possible....

...and you and Dune have still not explained why this troilling 'dressed up' behind your avatars is such a laugh - same principle - attention seeking, wind up... no logical explantion....

Its only you and few others stuck in an 80s/90s time warp that football should be 'blokes out on the lash' that are concerned about this and saying its not acceptable - who the flying feck gave the 'blokes on the lash' the right to dictate what is and is not acceptable when fans pay their money and go to a game? Fans that probably only feel they can go because the atmosphere of intimidation and blokes on the lash was not somehing you would take your kids to back then.... and I doubt it says anything in the rules of Association Football that says it can only be watched by ****ed up blokes, desperate to impress the opposition fans with how 'proper' fans they are - and how you should be so worried about (because of whatever insecurities some fans migh have) about what anyone else thinks... Things evolve. Its only those that felt they 'owned' football after creating the 'blokes on the lash, firm, ****** in the 70s and 80s' that are not happy about football returning to its REAL roots, that of dads with kids and not affraid to show support for their side, rather than focusing on hate for the opposition - yes kids and some attention seekers want to dress up these days - not done back then as no one had disposable income to 'waste' on a clown suit or a stupid hat - but to suggest that football belongs to any one group of fans or that it should be supported in a particular is the frickin atttitude of a feckin Nazis.

Agreed on those points - but there is also teh issue that the media and press in this country can be over intrusive, write what they want anyway, and if given access often take the ****. When you factor in teh NIcola is from Switzerland, where there is no where near the level if press intrusion in personal issues or businesses, and there is a culture of privacy especially where business matters are concerned its no surprise that NC wants to control this - I dont doubt that he will relax things more as interest grows, but expect it to remain a measured process rather than open access - no matter how much it ****es the media off. If the sponsors get the coverage and benefit form any deal that was agreed they wont have too much an issue either - must not fall into the trap that media are trying o convey that without access it will mean bad press - no it will merely mean limited press and possibly some inaccurate moaning and whinging by said media, but you only have to look at who thei rfavourites are anyway to know that its not about what you do, but how you do it - otherewise care to explain all the 'good' press Redknapp gets - legend in his own underpants - like pompeys best fans, is iMHO total ******. I prefer aour calm, more measured approach and if the media do take umbrage, well I am not sure the impact on commercial partners is as big as some are suggesting... most folk know exactly what a bunch of toerags the media are anyway

.... getting dressd up, false ID, having a laugh, pretending to be someone else safe and 'having a laugh' safe in the knowledge that no one knows you, attention seeking... ... Sound familiar 'Dune', 'Turkish' - so why dont you tell us why you get such a laugh from trolling oin here every 15 seconds - absolutely feck all difference - like you say it 'dressing up' winds you up too? so come one use those vast intellects of yours and tell us why its os much fun

... let be honest, its not as if we have won anything - If its not all hugs and massive grins from NC, its because for him this is only a step in the plan... its teh beginning not the end. Step completed, lets move on to the next one. Although I am sure that he is very pleased

We can speculate all we like... it could be that Adkins was given teh job of getting us up ... and he's doesn't earier than expected, and that there was always the intention of some change... but I dont think thats the case and certainly believe it would be a huge mistake to make a change now... either that or the Don expected the title so second is failure and the horse's head:scared:

Its weird... I undersatnd all the fans who got all emotional during and after teh match... fair play, but for me That just made me feel elated and if honest a sense of relief... the bits that got to me todya were watching NIge's first interview when he was close to tears and when asked how he summed it up... ''pride'' - you could see what it meant to him after 9 months of real graft. I know we like to take the micky over his cliched press interviews, but for me thats his way of keeping everything focused - but in not letting out emotion for so long, it builds up andwe saw that to today - it was not relief for nige, as I am ure they always believed, more a release from teh pressure of a long hard season.... and then the watch story - Markus would have loved that today, he would have enn emensly proud of all that was achieved and I think he would reserve a special piece of Praise by the wsy his close friend has driven the club forward. Nicola get some stick form some quarters, and I am not going to say that he should not, everyoone has tehir views I nguess and if his approach goes against your principles of how a club should work and function, then its not going to be easy to say nothing even if the success on the pitch makes it look like a little sad..... but its the drive to succeed that realises the ambition, and having ambition is nothing without the will and graft to make it work, even if it means breaking a few eggs to make the premiership cake.

If Carlsberg did Christmas presents...