alehouseboys

Maybe our Scouse contingent at the club have got a bit of clout...I'm sure Adkins, Lambert, et al will be delighted.

First off I thought "thick skate". Then I realised...'INFORAMTION' is just a new word they've invented to cover both 'information' and 'ramifications' being that they'll get instructions on how to hand over their money but then get absolutely f*ckall for it.

Does seem strange, I thought all free phone numbers were 0800 and the like but does say that on the OS... http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2795233,00.html Just dialling 81780780 in the Southampton area would normally be local rate, outside adding the area code 023 would be a national call. Wonder if it's another OS faux pas?

Wowsers...didn't think that would be taken seriously! Should have added the :tongue-in-cheek-thingy:

...unless...the cunning Don-Cortese has just thrown a 'red (with white pinstripes) herring' out there after the leakages last year...?

The OB used the excuse of an IRA meeting taking place on the estate behind our end (probably just a gathering of bricks for after) for not playing our National Anthem, that was customary at all European games. Still, we did give them a rousing rendition anyway.

Prutton was meant to be but never lived up to expectation.

Nah, that was Carrick Rangers a few years before. I went to Limerick for the European tie, eventful couple of days. The crossing of the Irish Sea was something to be experienced that night, I almost kissed the ground (Pope stylee) when we stepped off in Cork! It was at the height of the Bobby Sands era, so a bunch of English football fans rolling into town and Union flags out on show was never gonna be popular with the locals. Although we never encountered anything during the day, quite a few of us spent a happy and beery afternoon in a bar across the road from the ground, after the game the mood changed for a bit. There was a brick-throwing mob coming at us as we walked out...the local OB seemed happy enough for them to use us for targets for a bit, they only stepped in when Saints fans made a charge at them. But that was as bad as it got. Hope they're going back to a new and improved stadium because our 'terracing' back then was a 'specially constructed' area made of rickety old scaffolding! Could be tempted on a nostalgic return tho.

I wouldn't say that bothers him considering where he's moving to...probably even closer to the M3. Nice gaff btw.

Cracking read. Needless to say, the time I started watching Saints. I know some that shared a lock-in the night before a game a few times. I was too young at the time, shame. Good times.

Fair enough then. But maybe he should have shouted a bit louder ;

http://www.channel4.com/news/premier-league-the-alternative-results-table An article where a financial guru gives comment on Man City "buying" the title... "But football finance expert Dr John Beech is not quite so impressed - and not just because he is a Portsmouth fan." It's just a shame that this p*rtsmuff fan/finance expert couldn't have passed on his expertise to his cheating club a few years back when they were "buying success" with money they didn't even have.

Caught a bit of 'TalkSh*te' earlier and they reported that Birch has today said "it will go to the wire, but a fans takeover is feasible". WTFILN.

Nice to think so but unless crowds dropped dramatically then not a hope. Even then they'd never get anywhere near prices in Germany which are a fraction of ticket costs over here.

They'll be more televised games in a couple of years so crowds could be further affected. And even less matches on a Saturday. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17950726

Yep, they've had Radio 1 banging away in the house all day and when Amirillo came on I thought how times have changed. A few years back I'd have launched something at the radio, this time it put a beaming smile on me old face and a I had a little sing-along! WTFILN.

I think it's a good thing that they are looking to build a single-tiered end, no doubt for their more vocal home support, aimed at improving the shocking atmospheres in British football stadiums. Seems more are going this way again with Liverpool planning a massive new Kop if they move and Tottenham's must be around 15k if that comes off (the dog's wotsnames imo)... Hope they bare this in mind if SMS ever needed expanding.

I've seen on another club's forum where someone had done a comparison of some Premier League clubs and the average (ignoring London) adult ST 'Best' seats in the house were in the £500s. Villa's lowest was £285, Blackburn's £225. Of course you can double that for the top London clubs but that is for the most expensive seats. West Ham are rewarding loyalty and offering adult season tickets from £425 to those who have had a ST for the past 5 years.

I think it's just the one end these days, 3 sides of the ground are two-tiered. But don't they put seats in for International/European matches, does that knock more than 10k off the capacity? If it comes off for Chelsea, that could be one spectacular stadium...wouldn't wanna be paying the likely admission prices each home game tho!

£525 is a fair price but most Reading fans (if they had any sense) renewed a few weeks back when they offered their 'Early Bird' deal which was just £350 for adults. I think this was also offered for first time buyers too at the time. This maybe the "affluent south" but Southampton is a bit more working class than many southern regions and has a lot of people on below national average salaries so let's hope not too many are priced out.

Stirring it up a little... http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16221299

I seem to remember Arsenal dicking the skates 0-5 in their own back yard a few years ago and the place was full of Arsenal fans.

Tbf the OS is saying "a new attendance record" so 'attendance' presumably means actually being there as opposed to just empty seats paid for. We completely sold out including hospitality regularly in the Premier League so it looks like they may have found some extra seats down the back of the sofa.

It's definitely the Itchen that there's issues with about expanding. It's not impossible, just more problematic and costly. 6-8,000 on top of the Kingsland would be plenty for us for the forseeable future...would be nice to get to 40k one day tho. ...and if we sell Lambert, Lallana and a couple of others it might pay to stretch across to incorporate a nice little train station for us home fans, right outside and damn handy...