SaintBobby

Agree there's a big IF as to whether an expansion is a white elephant, but putting that big IF to one side, expanding because of business reasons makes sense. Sure, a sugar daddy and TV revenues are the big income streams, but that's not a reason to overlook ticket/merchandising/hospitality revenues. I mean it's not as if they don't give a damn what the ticket prices are...they do...they're trying to make money.... Similarly IF they could make additional cash, by expanding the stadium, building a hotel, having a monkey petting zoo or whatever, they'd do so!

If you have a rich benefactor, it's a capital outlay. You don't need to worry about the "immediate budget". It also doesn't have a "minimal long term effect on turnover". If (HUGE if!), you spend c£150m now as a capital outlay now for an extra c.£15m per annum, it neither "drains your immediate budget" nor is the long term effect "minimal"

Very true. But it's not an either/or situation

The club will expand the stadium, I think. But they aren't going to jump the chasm in two leaps. Basically, a small-ish expansion is very expensive (per extra seat) and a big expansion is only quite expensive (but much less so, per extra seat)

We're useless. We would have had more time to gel if we'd signed Lovren a week ago. I'm furious. And think i could run the club better myself. From a PC. In the Swiss Alps.

Are we spending our transfer budget too early. I mean, what's the hurry? :-)

Good point. This sort of comparison has never been discussed at all. Sigh.....

Probably. Sad face....

It's not bad at all at Saints. But, generally, it's very poor at customer service and acts rather arbitarily on occasions. 5* boutique hotels are basically the opposite of this (their actual product is pretty good, but their competitive advantage is staggeringly superb customer service...making a 8/10 product feel and look like an 11/10 product). So, no. The answer to the OP's question is "no". (Although that might be a good thing)

He's done very well on 8/10 things. Very well. Very poorly on the other 20%.

Aren't Arsenal in the same country as Saints? Maybe even the same division? Just asking.... Would you be against English teams buying feeder teams in, say, Tunisia or Indonesia?

It's a great idea. We could have even more hialrious "Skacel signs" threads. Win-win.

This. I have some annual leave to sue up so wouldn't mind taking in any pre-season games abroad. I've heard that the foreign part of the trip won#t be Switzerland, but will be somewhere nearby (possibly Austria?)

He picked England rather than South Africa. Fair play, but not smart.

This. I was at the Ipswich game when they announced we'd signed him. They showed a video on the big screens. He looked like Pele. 2/10 for performance, 11/10 for expectations.

please start a thread on what a disaster this is. pretty please.

Classic!

Hull City at home

I remember how enfuriating it was before the days of the internet-world-web-thingy. Can remember as a kid being on holiday in Corfu or somewhere and finally tracking down a Sunday newspaper on the following Tuesday showing, I think, Saints had drawn 2-2 with Liverpool and had started the season with 1 win and 2 draws (1985?) In 1996, I was on holiday with a mate and knew I'd miss the first game of the season. I think it was also Souness's first game in charge and I phoned my parents to get the result v Chelsea (?). Nil-nil, I think. I happened to be at the Texas School Book Depositiry at the time - the site of JFK's assassination - and felt slightly secretive and furtive spending $5+ to phone home for a football result and was thinking that if the FBI had bugged the line, it would definitely sound like a code word of some sort. Nowadays, I rely on twitter and the #saintsfc hashtag.

brilliant thread. can't thank you enough for starting it. genius. please do so more often. so incredibly incisive and engaging.

I remember the Thames Valley Royals fiasco (under Robert Maxwell) and, I seem to recall, Fulham Park Rangers too. Solent City seems even more far fetched though!

He will only get better. Or get old and demand a subsidised season ticket at St Marys.

Should I subsidise his seat? If not, who should? Sorry for your dad's situation, but just let me know how we can/should help him - preferably without you being "disgusted".

Was the Italian goal disallowed? Is the best England keeper Butland (flavour of the month about a year ago) or Kelvin (flavour of the month about two years ago?) Please update me!

Not sure Skacel got a cap on our watch, but stand to be corrected...