Whitey Grandad

I have discussed it with them previously and received these separate replies: "We apologise for any upset caused by the Kingsland stand not being open for this fixture. The decision was made based on the attendance on that previous cup round vs Crystal Palace. Due to this attendance it was not viable for us to open this stand, as we would need more staff, for security reasons and financial. As always we never intend to upset or cause frustration to our Supporters as their attendance and ongoing Support is what our club thrives on." and... "The chapel was opened prior to Kingsland as this is a smaller stand and makes sense to open this first.The Itchen stand is and always will be opened fist as this is at the front of the stadium and in direct link to the Ticket Office staff so that if there were for any reason any issue we are able to access Supporters a lot quicker. This is also due to the Players entering the pitch via the dugout which is also on the Itchen side." For the Sunderland game we reached the situation where the ground (ex Kingsland) was very nearly sold out a couple of days before the match I don't know what would have happened had there been a large walkup crowd on the evening itself. Subsequent press reports referred to Saints' fans showing little interest in the game because we only sold 21,460 tickets. https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/2057229/southampton-vs-sunderland-empty-stand-at-the-efl-cup-clash-shows-that-maybe-fans-stayed-at-home-to-watch-great-british-bake-off-final/

Oh please do grow up. I suppose that's your answer to everything?" There are starving children in Biafra so eat up all your sprouts".

Look, if you don't agree that's fine by me but just say so. I state my point of view, you state yours. You might not think the same way but there are plenty of others who do. Part of the matchday experience is the social side of it, the opportunity to sit with the same group and discuss the match, the team and other aspects of life in general. There is a group where I sit who were all sitting together in the Upper East Stand at The Dell. I stand by wht I wrote. Even Roy Keane understands as much when he was talking about Tottenham playing at Wembley and West ham adjusting to their new home.

Try saying it the way that Bernard Matthews might. Mind you, he was talking about turkeys.

'Southampton aren’t winners, and Ronald Koeman is a winner.' Not with us he wasn't. If success is just anbout spending money then any fool could achieve it. There are plenty on here who could give it a go.

Only after extra time, I believe.

I was further back than that but wherever I have sat near the corners it's been a pretty sh1t view compared to our habitual one. It's a self-fulfilling decision, close the stand in expectation of a small attendance and you'll get what you expect.

Yes there are. A few years ago I sat low down at the Chapel end of the Itchen staring along the running track behind the goal. Couldn't see a thing. If you're not in your usual seat it's like being at an away game. I would gladly pay a lot more to sit in my usual seat, halfway up on the halfway line.

It's change for change sake that is wrong. The fundamental principle is to play your strongest team at all times taking into account injuries and suspensions. I'm blaming Puel for the excessive rotation which means we always play an unsettled side. The overly cautious approach only makes matters worse.

I agree with every word.

Damned annoying isn't it? The club do this every time and lose out on sales to their loyal supporters. The problem is that the Kingsland concourse cannot be partitioned into smaller sections. I can only suggest that you petition the ticket office yourself and the more that do so the better. For the Sunderland game we ended up sitting low down in the Chapel staring at an empty Kingsland stand and our empty seats in the middle of it. Utter madness.

Well, if they all collapse exhausted so be it Maybe it just takes a lot more to get me excited these days.

Entertainment please, and we shall never get that without a settled team. Just once in a while I'd like to see us go on an all out attack. That's not asking too much is it?

Shows the character of our current Premier League team, if you ask me.

That would be a pleasant surprise. If he did go, any chance they'd come for Claude?

That's why I'm not a fan of the back pass.

Two defensive errors and yet again a changed defence? (No, I didn't go)

Well next season there might be a lot more opportunities to play an away game against a Championship team.

Isn't it a case of away goals count after extra time in the second leg?

No Kingsland again. They really are stupid idiots.

Yep, good idea. I think that will end up as his best position.

Unsettled back four, innit.

Yeah, great plan. If we could only throw the cup games as well then life would be a lot easier. (Not having a go, just agreeing with you)

A modest profit but little more than that. Unless we're on TV of course Yeah, you're right.

So who picked the team?