hypochondriac

So the general consensus is nothing matters except results? I must be in the minority then!

How is that going?

That's sort of where I am coming from so thanks for that. Not just the massive debt bit though. I could see a scenario where saints are successful and debt free yet many have become hugely disenchanted with the club. IMO that would be equally sad. I do think it is important to ask these questions so that those in charge are not given a totally free ride. OK so we can't stop any decisions being taken but as the Pardew decision showed, we can certainly influence them.

Fair comment, I suppose that means many will be priced out of watching saints though. The price of success I guess though that is sad. I wouldn't say it is all about ticket price though. I would hope that the administration realises the importance of keeping fans onside but then, is that really that important if people will go whatever happens if saints are winning? Do posters take the view that it doesn't matter if some fans are ****ed off by the club (or in my scenario above threatened with legal action) as long as saints do well on the pitch? Genuine question.

Maybe not pure money, but money and status perhaps? Not much that can raise your profile more than running a football club. If looked at from this angle, why would Cortese care what fans think? If fans turn up if saints are successful regardless of what is charged and regardless of anything else then Cortese can really charge what he likes and act exactly how he wants. I guess we shall see in the coming years exactly what sort of strategy will be employed at saints. I would like to think that the fans will be listened to at least a little bit and attempts are made to rectify the more serious concerns.

But is it odd though? For some, the main reason for watching saints is a social one. Meeting up with your mates and feeling a sense of belonging and shared identity with the supporters around you. If we were competing with the big 4 and our prices reflected this, then many supporters would be priced out of going which would mean they lost their main reason to love saints. For many it is purely about the result but for others it is something very different.

Yes I agree. What are your views on this? If for instance the same thing happened in the Prem, would you be happy because we are competitive or sad because you would no longer be able to afford to watch the team? Or maybe you can?

No need for that last comment and that's not what I said at all. Please try to lay off the insults and just debate the issue.

I'm not sure why atrocities mean we can't have some sort of discussion and debate around this topic. OK things may turn out brilliantly, but it's always wise to at least consider the possibility of a worst case scenario in case it occurs. If this thread achieves that and people are on their guard just a little bit more in case something like I have described occurs and if they are not supportive on the scenario, then I think that's pretty useful. If you have no interest in this and just want to follow the team then that's a fair view to hold and good luck to you.

That's obviously a valid view mark but I would prefer to concentrate on what I said in my original post and how you would feel. Hope you understand mate

I agree with you but is that the case for yourself? Is it the win at any price you care about? Or is it about something else? Customer satisfaction perhaps? The ability to go to games and have a laugh with mates? I'm sure many or even most would give their right arm for saints to be the man united of the South but personally I couldn't think of much worse.

One of my main problems though is that obviously we all want to get to the Prem but at what price? If for instance we saw a huge price hike in the CCC? So much so that I would only be ale to go a couple of times a season. I wouldn't be happy even though SFC were successful. What if a load of decisions were taken which p*ssed off fans but no reason was given for them? I'm sure there would be a point where people would say enough is enough and simply go to less games. As you say saintandy, the danger then is that we are in the prem and the stadium will be full of the prawn sandwich brigade whatever they do and whatever prices they charge. That for me would be terrible.

I suppose that depends on your definition of running the club in a bad way.

Thanks guys for debating this sensibly. Just think it's a good idea to think about these questions in case a scenario like this does occur. Personally I feel it would be a real shame and a bit of a disappointment, especially considering how I felt at the start of last season.

hypothetical as I said. IF any of these occurrences happened how would you feel about it?

The CVA vote is Thursday.

The really early version of TSF was the worst version actually. I still think the saintsforever format was the best though.

Now I'm starting this thread with a plea. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE can we just discuss this hypothetical scenario without getting into a slanging match. I'm not condemming anyone here, neither am I taking sides. So, I wanted to start this thread to pose a few questions to all saints fans on this site. Just suppose that Markus and Cortese bought this club because they saw an opportunity to grab a bargain and make some serious cash. Cortese was charged with maximising revenue quickly to ensure as large a profit as possible. Just suppose (remember this is hypothetical) that all that "we are custodians of the club" was just PR b*llocks, designed to assist the primary aim of maximising profit. Suppose that fans were seen purely as a means of achieving this profit, that all were ignored when requests were made to open constructive dialogue with the club. What if organisations and even fellow saints fans were threatened by the club with legal action on more than one occasion? How would people feel about this if this was the reason that Markus and Cortese took over and we ultimately find out a few years down the line that they don't give a sh*t about the fans? That's a genuine question by the way, I'm really curious about what people would think if that was a real scenario. I guess what I'm also wondering is what would Cortese and Markus have to do to lose your support or at least make you concerned? I HOPE THIS CAN BE DEBATED WITHOUT GETTING INTO A SLANGING MATCH I'm interested in all (polite) responses.

I don't give a sh*t about the Echo. What I care about is that the OS are releasing news late at night so that the Echo can't publish it that concerns me.

I do.

IMO we will refuse to sell him unless we get some really silly money. I imagine Cortese would force him to put in a transfer request, and I'm not sure if he would do that.

No one in the megastore would have a clue about this.

you are still harping on about this i see trousers!

nooo! I lost my arcade high scores??? Damn you Grant. Damn you to hell

Is really slow on my mobile now. Real shame.