Matthew Le God

There is no "might" about it, he is definitely a football agent. - He writes for the Daily Mirror. - He advised Football Manager when they introduced agents into the game and is friends with the MD. - He is followed by over 15,000 people on Twitter including many football journalists and people connected to clubs.

Twitter

That isn't evidence.

Argonauts

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2380415,00.html http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/LatestNews/news/Southampton-Games-Switched-To-1pm-2260.aspx

Evidence for this statement Nick?

Plus you are based in Winchester, which is the hub of all Saints transfer action.

Have you forgotten how Wikipedia works?

You don't build category one academies, state of the art multi million pound quality training grounds etc etc in order to hang around in League One, the Championship, bottom half of the Premier League or mid table in the Premier League. If that were the case they'd settle for a lesser development of the academy and Staplewood or leave it how it is. These aren't just words from Saints owners, they have started to build them. The stadium and developments around it will likely follow in the next few years and planning for these have already been mentioned in the local press and by those at the fans dinners. Many Saints fans have yet to overcome the pessimism of years of things like Branfoot, Lowe, relegation, administration. Cheer up and enjoy the ride!

I think you will find lots of clubs do that. Peterborough for example next season are building a new away end... Would you say the same to Cortese, he is the one planning it, not me? I'm sure he hasn't taken the decision lightly as it is not his money. Unlike you or I he isn't plucking potential crowds out of the air and not basing them on at least something in way of the Saints current fanbase, he has access to the ticketing database etc and can build a picture of potential demand. Once again, resulting to petty insults about computer games.

Just look at Wolves for example, they are increasing Molineux up to roughly 37k over the next few years and potentially to 50k. UEFA rules mean clubs need to maximise turnover, stadium capacities - maybe with pricing structures to help are one of the best ways for a club to increase revenue. Nothing in Wolves attendance history of the last 50 years suggests they are a bigger club than Saints.

- Bigger capacity, more away fans. - Season ticket prices mean the actual cost per game won't be anywhere near that. I think a 40k to 45k average is realistic if the team is a top half Premier League team, so does the guy you have as an avatar!

How is that relevant when you take into account the other factors I listed? i.e. - It was an FA Cup game live on terrestrial TV. - The Saints team was a Saints League One team (with some players rested), not a Saints Premier League team - The Man Utd team was far from full strength. When Saints played Man Utd in the Premier League at St Mary's, it sold out in all four seasons.

Not the best example to compare with a Premier League Saints vs Man Utd game because that FA Cup match... - was to watch a League One side (with some players rested) vs a Man Utd reserve team - was tied to a League One game against Carlisle United and would potentially cost an adult £57+ in total

Following Saints in a stadium restricted to 15k for much of the 1990's actually tells us very little. What it does show however, is that Saints maxed out a 15k stadium in the Premier League from 1992 to 2001 and then also maxed out a 32k stadium from 2001 to 2005.

A larger stadium allows for more flexible pricing structures to help boost numbers. Pretty much West Ham's idea for the 60k Olympic stadium. Maybe it won't work, but Gold, Brady and Sullivan have far more football business than you or I.

Because Cortese has commissioned studies into it and you haven't? Thus he at least has some actual evidence (even though it could be wrong).

In terms of supporters at a game yes. But you are ignoring that some of the clubs you listed like Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs and Villa are also restricted by current capacities and even though Saints could say get 45k - Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs could (if their stadium allowed them to) get 60k+.

Your logic is fundamentally flawed because it assumes, Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea and Villa are at their maximum at the moment. The fact is, all four are looking to expand their stadiums because they are currently too small! Also as a side note, between 1985 and 1995, Chelsea in the top flight averaged less than Saints did in League One in 2010/11. Once people started to invest in Chelsea their support shot up!

That season saw an average of 31,699, clearly showing demand outstripped supply and St Mary's was too small! Had it been bigger more would have gone to a large number of those games. The club could have sold a lot more than 32k for Man Utd, Arsenal, Spurs, Leeds, Liverpool, Chelsea etc games. It was also not achieved by investment in the club at board level as I indicated. More down to good management on Strachan's part on a very tight budget. If Strachan had Cortese/Liebherr behind him in 2002/03 instead of Lowe, imagine what could have been achieved and how high ticket demand could have been!?

Saints averaged 30k+ in all four seasons in the Premier League at St Mary's, including the relegation season. In none of those seasons did the board do anything that would particularly captivate the fanbase to help raise attendances. If Cortese put the structures in place to provide the city with a strong team, Saints will need a much bigger stadium than 32k. (p.s. I noticed Blackpool got relegated even though you were adamant that they wouldn't )

What is any of that based on? In a way, I hope you are just fishing for a bite. If your mind really works like that, you have more problems than I do!

"I heard it from someone who oversee's the supply of the electricity there" What a source that is!

From a positive Hypochondriac last month...