Turkish

I've owned a pair of these for a while and use them at every game but they are starting to look a little bit worn out and dirty. It's a real battle to drink my half time beer and eat my burger wearing them and as a result they have a few tomato ketchup and beer stains on them. I've also noticed that the A and the I in Saints have started to fade a little. Does anyone know of any tips for maintaining foam hands? I'd be grateful if anyone can pass on any tips as it really is starting to become a little bit embarrassing having dirty and worn out looking foam hands.

It's not big enough and dirty.

I must say I'm disapointed. In the bar I use in the Kingsland North they still only serve magners and carling. I'm no great fan of either and half time is a big let down at the moment, I look forward to a good drink at half time to refresh the lungs for some more vocal jousting with the away fans and really getting behind our boys to sing them onto victory. The lack of options and slow service leave me feeling somewhat deflated after half time after so many promises of a better standard of beer. If only we had a fan on the board to address this.

Why haven't they just gone to 50k like you think we should? They'd fill it based on your evidence tha 24k crowds in the championship means 50k crowds in the premier league.

Stop trolling me you wierdo.

because average 30k 5 years ago with no waiting lists or turned away fans does not equate to selling 20k more than that in 2 year time.

SO do you think we can fill a 50k stadium as well then sweetheart?

As i said, I know that only a few hundred tops were ever turned away. I dont know ANYONE who never got a ticket if they wanted one, neither does anyone else on here, or anyone that works in the ticket office it would seem. Are you seriously saying that 18,000+ NEVER tried getting tickets for ANY Man United, Chelsea, Pompey, Arsenal etc games because they knew they wouldn't get one?

Games were selling out when we finsihed 8th, but only just. this is a fact. What difference would 2 places make?

see post 73.

You've already done this one. Give it up, you're making yourself look like a clown.

It's an aim. A goal, A target, something to try to achieve and aspire to. We have proven we can get 32k regularly. If a lot of things go right, we get the right level of investment, we regularly finish in the top 6, we play attractive football, we are actually relavtively bloody successful, we could, maybe, possibly, fill a 40k stadium and there could, maybe, possibly be a case that it would be worthwhile to expand to that. But only if we can prove there will be an ROI and over a period of time that we can sustain crowds of 40k regularly and not by giving them away as freebies to schools and families and not by having 10,000 fans travelling from Cornwall once a season to watch Man United. It really isnt that difficult to understand is it sweetheart.

Did they have your size this time?

So you are telling us that if we cant give away enough freebies to schools and families we still need a 50k stadium due to the legions of west country folk driving the 3.5-4hrs to St Marys to watch Man United?? You need to stick to championship manager son.

You could get to Birmingham almost as quickly from Devon and Cornwall as you can Southampton and there are 3 clubs in that area, so clearly not.

I actually do know the answer. How? Because my wife was working at the ticket office at the time, pretty first hand evidence i'd say. Our waiting list for season tickets during 2001-05 was the grand total of Zero, none, nil. Despite Rupert suggesting a cap of around 25k IIRC, we never reach that figure. For the big games, Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal etc the numbers turned away, enquiring for tickets after sell outs were also very, very low, "rarely more than a couple of hundred". So this suggest that a stadium of about 32k, where demand was rarely much higher, no waiting list for season tickets, is about right for us at the time. So now you say we expand St Marys up to 50k and the millions upon millions that would cost to then give way tickets for free to schools, reduce the price in deals to fill the spaces that you say the mass demand by the paying public requires. Can you see how foolish that sounds? Until we have a waiting list of season ticket holders around 8-10k that will PAY FULL PRICE to ensure that the millions and millions of pounds required to expand St Marys is going to see an ROI then it is an utterly pointless exercise.

What part of 40k as an aim are you having difficult understanding?

Oh it's 1995 now is it, not 1982? Do you not think that sunderland and Saints put a little bit of effort into what size of a stadium they will need before building it? Looking ar potential fan base, historical evidence etc. Or did Sunderland build one and spend all those extra millions just hoping they'd get somewhere near to filling it, using the logic that Chelsea got 12k back in the 80's and they can get 45k now, why can't we? Do you not think Saints might have just done the same? bTW I'm still waiting for you to answer my questions regarding the size of our season ticket waiting list and regular fans lock outs between 2002-05. Seeing as how you demanded a response to your question earlier.

Realistic as an aim dinlow. For the same reasons as the others lad whose name I can't remember now said.

Is it ad compelling an argument as we can get 50k because I think we can,imagine it? Maybe just maybe there a reason why saints have never had a stadium bigger than 32k?? Could it be that we've never needed one perhaps? Didn't you famously once quote that Chelsea only used to get 13k years ago and look at them now to support your claims we could get 50k? It seems crowds from the past only apply when it suits you.

Ahh Sunderland, good example. Isn't their record crowd at Roker Park 75k or something. Evidence of a huge potential fanbase compared to Saints record crowd at tthe Dell of a huge 31k. evidence? Well Id like to see a history of crowds in the past to suggest the fan base is there, 75k like Sunderland once had would be good. Waiting lists for season tickets when we peaked in 2003, how many disappointed fans had their faces pressed against the gates trying to get a glimpse of the pitch after being locked out in that period, come in there must be thousands of them, surely a few must post on here. I can't see a single shread of evidence that we can get crowds of 50k other than you saying you can't see why not.

I would agree 40k is realistic as an aim, but some are saying 50k regularly, which would make us the 4th best supported club in England. There is not a single piece of credible evidence to suggest this is possible.

Ahh, this famous imaginery line again. Where we are tucked away in the south east corner. Underneath a line which also includes areas as far away as Yorkshire in terms of miles and encompasses the whole of Wales. Any reason why these areas would be full of Southampton supporters?

Forget Corteses vision and drive. Forget dreaming of the champions league. Forget Chelsea only getting small crowds in 1982,that we sold a game out once in 6 hours when Brett Ormerod was playing for us, being contained by the Dell a chairman that didnt invest etc etc. Do you really believe a club in a city like of Southampton, can be one one of the best 5 supported clubs in the country, which we would need to be to get crowds of 50k a week. Overtake the likes of Tottenham, Aston Villa, Everton with their history, size and fan bases.

That's it then, because we sold out one game quickly 8 years ago during our beat period in 20 years we better call the builders in.