The Kraken

I don't think anyone is ruling it out in future. But you made an earlier post that it would be daft for the club to wait for 3 or 4 seasons and then make a decision off the back of that. I disagree, very much. I think the club should wait, at least 3 years, and look at the potential and ticket sales after that. There is plenty they could do in the mean time; get design plans drawn up, get planning applications and whatever all in line, it wouldn't involve just sitting around for all that time. If we get a bigger ground it will be on the current pricing structure; talk of flexible pricing and what not is all very well but there are absolutely no signs that the club want to embrace it (hence the consistent lack of sell-outs in corporate areas and in the stadium this season and last).

The problem is that, for the current empty corporate lounge seats, if you just sell them as standard match tickets there is no standard concourse for those fans to go to. and no toilets to use that aren't in the corporate zone. So those ticket holders would be in at half time with those who have actually paid for the corporate areas, which kind of makes it redundant.

Esquire‏@pmryderesq@mattslaterbbc Any comment to the rumor that Trevor Birch's position as #Pompey administrator is becoming untenable with #PKF Matt Slater‏@mattslaterbbcOnly that I've heard it @pmryderesq & am trying to corroborate Double oops.

Phil, there were tickets throughout the whole ground that didn't sell out. Plenty of empty standard priced home tickets, a block of standard priced away tickets, a good proportion of the corporate boxes, and also a big block of empty seats from those in the lounges. As of the morning of the game there were over 500 standard home tickets still available for sale; these didn't fully sell out. The corporate boxes are their own story; neither they nor the lounges even sold out for the Man Utd game, which would suggest the prices are too high or the club's marketing isn't working. As i stated earlier in this thread (as relayed by a couple of mates who were in the Mick Channon suite), the quality of experience seems to have gone through floor level. Well over-priced seats, a pay bar which takes forever to get served at, and a high-brow menu consisting only of hot dogs, croque monsieurs and chicken wraps. Until the club sorts out this and the corporate boxes we're not going to get too many crowds much over 31,000 this season. Unfortunately, lowering prices is simply soemthing that this management regime seem likely to do. They didn't do it whilst we had thousands of empty seats in the Championship, I don't believe they'll start doing it now.

Its been said many times, but worth repeating for you. If you don't like a thread, or think it has no merit, then either ignore it or report it to the moderators if you deem it offensive. If it doesn't interest you, then perhaps its best just to leave it alone and not post on it. The "great stadium expansion debate" as you describe it, will stay alive for a long time yet, sorry to say. Because, as the Man Utd game proved, we could indeed sell more than 32,000 tickets for games like that. Some people like looking at options; some don't; and some (like Trousers and seemingly yourself) get bedwettingly upset about the fact that there is in existence a discussion point about attendances which you just can't ignore and just have to pass comment on, even if it is just to register your faux disinterest (whether by a long winded rant in your case or one of Trousers' hilarious Groundhog Day pictures, the wonderfully original little scamp).

Trousers So utterly, utterly bored of talking about attendances So completely and utterly bored of talking about attendances (because its so obviously and so completely boring) that he comes forward and announces every single time how bored he is of talking about attendances. By posting about how little he cares on every single attendance thread there is going. Trousers Bored about talking about attendances, but not quite bored enough to stop joining in every single time

And I'm not surprised the corporate areas are empty, its a complete rip off. I met up with 2 mates after the game yesterday who took a couple of clients in the Mick Channon suite; they said it was embarrassingly bad. Awful service, enormously slow to buy drinks from the bar, and the only food on sale were hot dogs, croque monsieurs and chicken caesar wraps. Said they'd have been much, much better off going for a meal in town and just having regular seats for the game.

You're probably correct. Apart from the figure of 31,888 we got against Villa in 2002-03. Also apart from the figure of 32,054 we got against Villa in 2003-04. Oh, and also the figure of 31,826 we got against Villa in 2004-05. It would certainly seem like the dynamics of football have changed somewhat since out last stint in the PL.

The future, I hope. Good goal from Punch today, but the forward three of Lambert, Ramirez and Mayuka were abolsutely superb and rotated positions so well. Where Puncheon cuts inside so much, Mayuka offers the option of getting beyond the defenders and causing much more trouble.

Great result today, but a real disappointment with the attendance. Lots of people pre-game saying "it'll sell out no problem", yet we quite clearly didn't (again). Villa games in the Premier League have been very well supported in past, so what a shame to see so many empty seats again today. Hopefully the result today will get the crowds enthused for the Fulham game.

Ramirez was utter quality but (and this may sound a bit weird) I thought he played within himself. In that, he'll get even better than that. Today he was superb just by doing the easy things very well, and by doing the slightly more difficult things with a complete air of class and confidence. He is a truly top class player. That said, I voted for Nathaniel Clyne today. First half he was good, second half he was sublime (and he did that playing out of position). Full of energy, drive and class, his goal was the least he deserved from a great display. Also a mention for Steven Davis, absolutely superb in breaking up play and very good with the ball at his feet. He really kept the team ticking over and put in a proper shift in the middle.

I've often noticed you waffling and talking self-important nonsense before. But thanks, this clinches it and tells me all I need to know.

Ha ha ha; please tell me you're not still denying it?!! Ha ha ha!!

Yep, which is an advantage in itself. Its been mentioned on here, loans between clubs in the same division should not be permitted. I just highlighted it as its one of a few similar type issues (including players being permitted to bet on themselves but not against their own teams) which could/should really be tightened up.

I agree; but its perfectly allowed in the rules.

Its not quite as black or white as that though. Take the case of Adebayor; while he was at Tottenham on loan his wages were being subsidised by Man City. Is that not in the same ballpark as players accepting payments from rivals clubs in order to perform?

Sounds like a job for these guys. Leaving on a jet plane......

I had the "pleasure" of seeing him play for Saints at Eastleigh. Oh dear me.

I think those posts were outed within minutes; they stood out like a sore thumb so it didn't take an investigative genius to put 2 and 2 together. Pretty sure the Echo ran with the story so that the club then publicly distanced themselves from the PR company. Mikey Wilde was also a poster on here / saintsforever; curiously under the username SaintMarc, if I recall correctly. Everntually everyone knew it was him, and he answered direct questions as himself, but its odd he chose that user name, and I assume was posting anonymously until the point he was outed. As for anyone posting anonymously on Pompey sites and commenting on the Trust and rival bids; that's really sad, why would anyone choose to do that..................

Ticket update; 568 tickets still available, so hopefully the walk up numbers will mean we get close to a full house. Around 60 tickets have suddenly become available in block 1; all towards the back of the stand. Obviously they'd been held back for some reason, who knows what. Hopefully there aren't others blocks of empties that haven't been released, as per Wigan and Man Utd. And if anyone fancies being generous today, me and some mates will be down at the ground bucket rattling before the game for the Saints Foundation. Every little helps....!

Have another drink!

Are Premier League footballers still allowed to bet on their own teams to win? They used to be.

Yep awesome; getting his name wrong and singing it loud and proud would be just the filip he's looking for.

Very well put. You've swayed me Colin; I concur.

By definition, yes it is. As Laudrup is saying though, I'm not sure I agree with the definition.