Matthew Le God

How many times do we have to go through this argument? The Man Utd game earlier this year is a complete irrelevance. - The Man Utd game wasn't a Premier League game. - It was in the FA Cup - We all knew before hand Saints would rest players and Man Utd would put out a reserve team. - The Saints team was one of League One players, not Saints Premier League quality players - It was live on terrestrial TV. - It was connected to the Carlise United game so you had to buy tickets for both, it would cost an adult circa £57 in total to sit in the Itchen/Kingsland. Despite all that, the game had the highest attendance of the FA Cup that day. It was even higher than Everton vs Chelsea!

How can Saints sell more than 32k tickets for a 32k stadium? They were talking about expanding and had every intention to do so but didn't for reasons outside their control - i.e. a World Cup vote! Leeds cannot fill their stadium as well as Saints whilst in the Championship. Leeds can fill their 39k stadium whilst in the Premier League, follow it through and why can't Saints sell more than Leeds in the Premier League if St Mary's were bigger when they can in the Championship already?

Some of the casual fans for games against Bolton, solely because it is a top flight game, a lot more of the casual fans for games against the big sides.

Saints have evidence they can sell out their stadium. Follow through your own logic! Saints are averaging more than Leeds whilst in the same league. And they were planning to expand, as we previously discussed. But it collapsed when the world cup bid did. Had we had the world cup in England, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Plymouth etc would still have been left with the larger stadium after the tournament.

Fans give a match character. Not a stadium. Goodison Park still has pillars obstructing views and other appalling sight lines. Is that good character?

When have I said Saints would sell 44k for a game against Bolton?

Can you not read? I said Leeds did sell out for games in the Premier League.

Do you wish Saints stayed at The Dell?

You really don't understand the concept of a casual fan do you? Saints sold 50k tickets for the JPT Final and could have sold 60k to 70k if allowed. The League One game before had only 18,072. A chance to see Saints at Wembley saw a high % of that supposed 200k turn up. Big games, equal big crowds. The Premier League provides 19 big games (some much bigger than others).

- Leeds did sell out in the Premier League in a 39k stadium. - Saints did sell out in the Premier League in a 32k stadium. Saints average more than Leeds in the Championship.

Arsenal make more money from their corporate areas at the Emirates than they do from all other seating areas combined. If Goodison Park improved corporate facilites, they could increase revenue significantly. More money, better team, happier fans. Look at the video I posted and you will see it still would retain the "character" of Goodison Park.

What about one like this... [video=youtube;HwgCvO8-6fM]

Had England won the 2018 bid, Sheff Wed upto 44,000 and Leeds over 50k. Do you think Leeds and Sheff Weds would need a ground that big in the Premier League? If yes, then why not Saints, as Saints average more than both of them.

They are averaging 29,754 not 35,000. Less than Saints did in any season at St Mary's in the top flight. A new or improved stadium would also open up new revenue streams.

Saints are averaging more than Leeds at the moment. Both teams are doing well in the same league. Explain that? Also Sheff Weds average in League One far less than Saints did in League One. Explain that? Do you think they both should have the circa 40k stadium they do?

Goodison Park is one of the main factors holding them back from progressing.

Only 19 league games in the Premier League. Supposedly 200k+ unique customers on the Saints customer ticket database. The draw of Premier League football will attract many casual Saints fans from that number to two or three games per season that they wouldn't have gone to in the 2nd or 3rd tier of English football. You will also get neutrals wanting to watch games just because it is the closest Premier League venue to them. I think you underestimate the appeal of top flight football for casual fans compared to games in the Championship and League One.

This is exactly what Turkish struggles to realise.

Exactly! Close to 44k for... Man Utd Arsenal Man City Chelsea Spurs Liverpool 34k to 38k for... Villa Sunderland Everton Newcastle 30k to 34k for the other 9 games

You make this all far too easy. If Everton are "far bigger", why are they averaging less than Saints did in every Premier League campaign at St Mary's (including the year we came 20th and were relegated)? Same with Villa, had St Mary's been the size of Villa Park, Saints would have averaged more than 33k. All it would have taken is a higher than 32k attendance against Man Utd and Arsenal to do that.

Well it depends how many years of selling more seats you look at. If St Mary's is expanded, it isn't for one season it is now larger for every season from that point onwards.

You keep talking about the other thread saying people found it easy, but that isn't the case. Many games against lesser Premier League clubs sold out without going on general sale. It is easy to buy a ticket when a game hasn't sold out. Had they left it later and the game had sold out, they wouldn't have found it easy. It is nonsense logic you use. Saints Clark has already attempted to point this out to you.

How do you know?

Well as soon as the "sold out" sign went up on the electronic board and on the website, why would any sane person try to buy a ticket from the ticket office?

I'm sure you have previously conceded Saints would get higher attendances than 32k for some games. That would result in a higher average attendance and more income. A stadium improvement is for the long term, if St Mary's went upto 44k in 2015 it would probably be similar in 2035. Lots of game in that time to bring in extra revenue plus the value of Saints as an asset goes up if the infrastructure is improved. And as I said that is nonsense. Even games against the smaller sides sold out without reaching general sale. If the brought tickets before it sold out, of course they wouldn't have a problem. It is only once it sells out you have a problem, and St Mary's did, on many occasions against big and small teams. In any case, how do you know it wouldn't be improved (I'm guessing you mean in quality of other areas), just expanded? Why does an expansion of infrastructure not mean a higher sell on value for the club? If you run a B&B and build another room and rent it out, you get extra rent, plus if you sell the B&B you can sell it for more than if you didn't have the extra bedroom.