Trader

Sorry - slip of the mind - but Roker Park record attendance of over 75000. Ayresome Park and Middlesbrough just strengthens the argument though. Record attendance over 53000.

Look at Sunderland historically at Ayresome Park - that's what I mean about a culture built up over generations. Saints were never - and will never - be that big. In these Northern cities it's in the blood. Not too many people there go to gymkhanas of a Saturday.

I think it is obvious from the last 2 seasons that we have a core support of approx 22000 fans. If we got a new stadium and sold 45000 tickets for each match, that means that most of the spectators have only turned up to watch the OTHER TEAM. Not a very healthy situation really. Of course it'll never happen - Southampton is a small provincial city even with our "massive" catchment area. We will never compete in attendance terms with the big city clubs. London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle and a few other cities are massive and have huge support built up over generations. We can't compete attendance-wise just by building a bigger ground - and I think that an Italian or Swiss or whatever he is won't really understand that just as he hasn't understood much of English football culture just looking at his database.

A nice day out at a new Wembley is vastly different to attending a full season of matches at St. Marys. I've also wondered exactly how many of those 50k actually live in the Southampton area - you only have to look at the posters on this board to realise we have fans from all over who might make the effort for a one-off match at Wembley

If we go way back, let's see what history tells us. At the Dell in the 60's - old First Division we rarely if ever had capacity crowds, the capacity then was about 30k. This at a time when the really big clubs used to get 60k regularly. The price on the Milton Road terrace was 4/6 - equivalent to about 2 pints of beer or around about £7 today. Pay on the gate - no faffing around with tickets or ticket tax and we still couldn't sell out. The reality is that we live in a largely middle class area where most people couldn't give 2 ****s about football and that will never change, most of our "catchment area" is open countryside.

Spooky - I probably know you then. I wonder who you are.

Me too - Barton Peveril 1961-68 - was a good school and not at all elitist.

I have to agree. What worries me though is how these people cope when they get to Uni - they may feel that school (or more correctly the syllabus) has failed them.

As I say, the syllabus has changed. In my day matrices were part of a degree course, no covered at all at school. On the other hand, we were doing integral and differential calculus at O level.

I took my O and A levels in the sixties. Specifically in maths, the syllabus has been massively dumbed down - I have seen my own children's work. So the exams haven't got easier, they test what the kids are meant to know, but we don't teach them what we used to - they're not stretched enough. I think this is true in other subjects as well.

You're right - things were much better then. You have forgotten a few other delights we had back then: Diphtheria Smallpox Whooping Cough Polio The 3-day week Devaluation 25% inflation Frankie bloody Vaughan No central heating Tin baths Outside toilets - even at school Knitted swimmers Butlins - if you were lucky Ah - the good old days!

Another vote from me.

Another vote from me.

Whoever it is we won't win. It's the "Southampton Style".

Because they didn't dump that information on them with 30 days notice, and presumably quite a few of those wrinklies (we're not all online) a good deal less than 30 days. Apparently we're not worth the price of a stamp any more to let some of us know what the **** is going on.

[quote=alpine_saint;1059977 F**k Capello F**k Rooney F**k Lampard F**k dodgy goalies F**k ENGLAND Stop beating around the bush Why don't you tell us what you really think?

I don't go to football because of the facilities, I go for the football. And I go to watch Southampton, not the opposition, so it would make no difference if it were Dag & Red or Coventry City for instance. Eastleigh, Totton or Salisbury are looking increasingly attractive to me next season.

The point is - they don't double them do they? And I've no doubt they would sell out if they did, but they treat their customers fairly. But Saints ain't Man Utd, a few years ago I knew a chap lived in Eastleigh who had a season ticket at Old Trafford, I doubt there are many where the reverse is true. There will be a tipping point where they can put up the price of tickets but get less ticket revenue because of less tickets sold. I would suggest that they're perilously close to that point, I only hope that Saints have done lots of research and got their sums right. You can only p1ss so many existing customers off and find there are no new customers to take their place, us oldies are used to our footie, but lots of the younger generation find that there's lots of other things to do on a Saturday afternoon.

Corrected it now - quite disappointed really.

Amazing, somebody who can still spell 'losing'. Can you spell 'definitely' as well?

OK then - top seniors season ticket for Man Utd is £380 - match day tickets capped at £20. They know how to fill their ground, and know that a full ground for every match gives the team a tremendous advantage. I think Norwich have worked that one out as well. Little or no support?

Even if I understood that suggestion, I would not try to defraud the club.

Er - I think the club are well aware of my DOB as I had to provide proof of my age when I first qualified for a seniors ticket. They will not have discarded that information.

Every gentle person spake thus 40 years past. How wouldst thou have me speak now, young knave?

Come again?