Matthew Le God

It isn't speculative at all. Try responding to them. I do have evidence, first hand experience from 2001 to 2005 when I wasn't a season ticket holder or a member. Plus the evidence of the attendances in the Premier League years of 2001 to 2005 and also attendances whilst Saints were in the 2nd and 3rd tier of English football. If a club can get 30k for a Boxing Day game against Exeter, do you not think a Boxing Day game against Spurs for example could attract a lot more? Picking up on his and your comments about a new stadium. Do you agree there would be little point in building a new stadium if it only slightly increased capacity to say 35k or 38k. The fact he has considered a stadium move suggests that he has plans for significantly larger than 32k for either the more likely St Mary's increase or indeed a new stadium. I don't think it will be a new stadium, but the fact he has mentioned it as a possible option they have looked at indicates the scale he is looking at in terms of capacities, as do his comments in the fans dinners of 45k+.

I think all they are doing is putting the seats in the upper tier, which has already been built. Largely everything else is already in place apart from a few internal things. The majority of that £50m is for the shopping centres etc outside the stadium.

Such as... - Selling 30k+ tickets in a 32k stadium whilst in the 2nd and 3rd tier for some games - Having a club record attendance of 32,152 for a Tuesday night 2nd tier game within the last few weeks - Having 4 consecutive years of averaging over 30k in a 32k stadium - Selling out in numerous games including against "lesser" Premier League teams the last time you were there

5, 6 or 7 injuries is hardly unrealistic. Numerous teams in real-life have those kinds of numbers out at the same time on occasions.

Saints sold out The Dell in the years building upto the move, Sunderland didn't always sell out Roker Park.

For games that hadn't sold out at the time you went to get tickets, of course you wouldn't have a problem. However once they had sold out and this was made public you wouldn't bother trying. Numerous games had gates of 30k+ and were classified as "sellouts", these were not sellouts on the day of the game, the sold out banner went up long in advance. It is you being "a bit dim" as the post I was responding to with that was where you suggested the club would not instantly return to the 30k averages of the past (most significantly the 2004/05 relegation season). Why just the "big Premeir League games"? Saints have had circa 30k attendances for matches against 2nd and 3rd tier teams and also numerous sell out against the "lesser" Premier League sides when last in that league. Cortese and the club already have access to more data about this than you or I from the first four years at St Mary's and more recent years in the 2nd and 3rd tiers. It is Cortese that has made public his desire and intentions to expand the stadium, so it is clearly based on the fact he believes there would be the demand to support it.

Sunderland had 10k season ticket holders when they moved to the then 42k capacity Stadium of Light, which was later expanded to 49k.

Because I and others have given our accounts of how it was back in 2001 to 2005. Many games saw attendances of between 30k to 32k and were officially classed as "sellouts". I clearly remember these as having sold out a week and sometimes much longer ahead of the game. Many games didn't have ticket sales on the day of the game. Even the relegation season of 2004/05 saw average crowds of 30k+. I think it is naive and extremely pessimistic to think the groundswell in belief in the club from the fanbase under Cortese/Liebherr compared to that of a relegation campaign under Rupert Lowe would see smaller crowds. Only a matter of weeks ago a top Championship game at St Mary's on a Tuesday night saw a crowd of 32,152 and was a sell out. There would be numerous more attractive fixtures than that should the club be promoted. More attractive matches than the West Ham 2nd tier Tuesday night game = increase in demand. Increase in demand that can't be sustained with current capacity requires a stadium expansion. Hence why Cortese has plans for such a thing.

Post a screenshot.

How do you think the club ended up with averages over 30k for all four Premier League seasons at St Mary's? It was because a lot of games sold out long in advance of the matchday. Had the stadium been bigger, more tickets could have been sold. People claim that it was easy to get a ticket back then, which is nonsence because on the numerous occasions St Mary's sold out once that had happened no-one else could get a ticket and you would stop trying . If the club is promoted it will return to 30k+ averages in a 32k stadium straight away, no need to wait and see. If a club can can 30k+ crowds for League One and Championship games in the 2nd and 3rd tier, fixtures against a large number of Premier LEague clubs could attract a lot more and make an expansion worth while. Hence why Cortese has already been talking about plans for expansions.

Are you seriously suggesting Neil Mellor is a good option for a team at the top of the Championship?

Brighton have sold out their tickets... http://www.seagulls.co.uk/page/Latest/0,,10433~2509779,00.html

This happened in June 2011... http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/13886219.stm

This must have taken a while... http://www.eurogamer.net/videos/grand-theft-auto-5-san-andreas-comparison-video

1) Adkins' managerial genius 2) Liebherr's money 3) Cortese's business nous Of course the players have a key role, but 1 - 3 have given the club what was needed to make the conditions right for the players to be winning and to bring them to the club in the first place.

I can't sleep at night because of it.

Use you Saints Player login to view the 13 minutes... http://www.ccfc.co.uk/articles/20111106/ext-highlights-coventry-city-2-soton-4_2264353_2508070/0,,10269~2508070~1,00.html Or watch just the goals, without the need to login... http://www.ccfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10269~2508075,00.html

That is what tends to happen every year as you get into the festive fixtures, plus we have two games at home that are on TV.

The media continue with this every week, I don't know why they bother as the number of years fluctuate up and down from game to game as you go up from 9 games played, 10 games played, 11 games played etc etc. Should really stop now as we are more than a third of the way into the season.

He looks more like he could be the hired muscle from GTA V, rather than the criminal mastermind.

It is irrelevant, because Coventry don't have much in the way of assets. They don't have a stadium, they are renting the Ricoh Arena and have recently been forced into remortgaging their training ground. Nor do they have the academy setup Saints do. They would have been a relatively cheap buy even when compared to what Liebherr paid for Saints.

That is irrelevant. Had Liebherr decided Coventry were a more attractive investment he could have made them an offer they couldn't refuse. They don't own the Ricoh Areana, so aren't exactly laded with big money assets.

What screws Coventry getting a rich owner is a small fanbase compared to Saints, not owning their stadium/training ground and not having an academy anywhere near as good in terms of setup or reputation. Saints averaged 22k in League One and will probably average 25k+ this season in the Championship, Coventry currently average 14k in the Championship. If they get relegated this season their attendances in the League One next season won't be anywhere near the 22k average Saints had. For their fans to compare the two clubs is a nonsense.

As Cortese has mentioned a few times, the intention isn't to merely "stay up" in the Premier League. He intends for Saints to compete towards the top of the league and would be fully aware of the budgets required to do that.

If those three go down, they will all be a mess next season.