up and away

This charge by football clubs will never be looked at by Fair Trading. Why, because it is all totally up front and there are viable alternatives to not pay the additional costs. It's more than likely you could get the prices down by outsourcing to India, but many would not see that as viable given the problems experienced with Indian call centres. When you get small base charges as this, it is not surprising that the %level of profit looks excessive. But these companies treat this as a business and are content for anyone to walk away and find another agency. The clubs introduced these different methods and manners in payment and collection to give everyone the opportunity the easy access of a ticket. They don't force you down this one route, that's something your circumstances or laziness dictate. If this option was not available I bet there would be a clamour from fans for exactly this, even though it's greater benefit is for the club. At the end of the day what are we actually talking about here? If you wanted to keep your seasons expenditure to exactly the same, for the average fan buying individual tickets it would mean missing one game. Hardly life changing in being able to support your team.

What | do believe that it's nowhere as simplistic as you believe. As with many other clubs I imagine they have a certain number of staff for online and phone sales. When that volume is too great this gets automatically routed to an outside agency who process the order. They would then relay the transaction back to Saints where everything would be printed off automatically or manually. You then have to ask what sort of charges you would expect from these agencies, bearing in mind they will be expected to handle large volumes in a short space of time This is their business, something they make money from and I would expect you have to throw in VAT as well. Lots of Premier clubs do this so it should come as no surprise and the figure is generally around the same. Tickets for all sorts of things incur similar charges, so if you were to present the point to them that it seems excessive, I really doubt you would have much luck or a viable alternative. The cost for the envelope, stamp and process time will be far lower than the £3, but that will never reflect the true cost of the operation however it is done, when you have to deal with large volumes over a short space of time. St Helens business telecoms provider, Elite Telecom, has earned its Spurs after adding another club to its growing collection of Premier League clients. Elite Telecom has set up a bespoke network system for Tottenham Hotspur to handle calls for all club departments, including ticket sales. The firm now handles the telephone systems at six Premier League football clubs, including Everton. Nick Mannion, commercial director at Elite Telecom, said: “The system consolidates several numbers into two memorable numbers which fans can use whatever their enquiry. “Our system has in-built flexibility so that the ticket line can forward calls either in-house or to an out-sourced ticket agency depending on the tickets required and the volume of calls.” The call queuing package allows Tottenham Hotspur to handle large spikes in demand for high-profile fixtures.

This is exactly right. There are quite clearly additional costs involved in sending out tickets by mail as opposed to selling them from the ticket office. The "ticket tax" in itself is the fairest way to cover that extra cost without penalising those who choose to visit the ground to but their tickets. The only issue I have is with the actual cost of £3 per transaction. I'd suggest a much fairer cost would be £1 - £1.50. I don't know the exact position at Saints but some of the other clubs who have a ticket tax just charge the average cost of transactions from a third party, no profit making in the exercise and still in that price range. I don't know what it costs internally or externally for Saints, but I really don't believe they would be screwing fans for something that hardly registers on the bottom line.

There is no hidden agenda here, you don't have to pay the ticket tax. Some may have circumstances where it's difficult, but not insurmountable to get round. The question then comes down to should you add £1 to the price of all tickets and deal with it under a blanket coverage or charge the actual cost incurred by the buying method. Even the likes of Oxford have a greater ticket tax, because it is done by an outside agency with their handling costs included in the price. The price is fixed per transaction so the quantity of tickets can bring that down. This is without doubt the fairest method of covering the costs, but just as with the Poll Tax, it's difficult for many to see the underlying logic.

As with water on an uneven surface, pricing naturally finds it's level. Ask some fans if they want the tickets dropped 20% or that new centre back and a lot will go for the centre back, even those that would have to go a couple of games less. At the end of the day it's the product on the field which will determine pricing, something not totally alienated from pricing. Your point would be valid given decreasing attendances, but you have no idea yet, just portraying yourself as a bitter mong. I am amazed we have sold 25k this game considering Saturday evenings are family orientated and the game being on Sky, but this is the first game of the season.

Very true, we just have not seen enough of our first 11 to know exactly where we are. What I have not glimpsed is how this team plays when set up defensively, when the midfield are blocking all those gaps and making things a lot easier for the defence. I am pretty sure what to expect at home from a 442 and I believe we will more than hold our own. But I just cannot see this side as being good enough playing 442 away from home in the Championship, that was a hard enough task in League 1. I like Guly a lot, but have a problem with him playing wide or taking out a defensive midfielder to go into the middle. What I do like is Guly playing just in front of the midfield in a 451, but that would require a lone striker with pace who can play the counter attack. We will never be able to play 442 regularly away from home without it having a severe impact upon our season. It just requires too much effort and energy to support with the quality of players we have.

The important bit comes against Leeds next weekend. I fully believe that we have this squad of players in the best shape for the season ahead, but not sure if we have sufficient to make big enough a dent. To get any where we will need to stop leaking goals and Ricky to lead the line, neither of which has been obvious as yet. Looking forward to Leeds to see where we actually are, even though Leeds are not at their strongest.

See above, I've said a few times that he improved from his early spells with us. I think he's been excellent over the past 2 years in particular. But the fact remains, he's had 2 seasons with us in teh Championship, one where we has very poor and one where we has very good. So, with that in mind, it's a bit ridiculous to say something like "if you doubt his ability in the Championship you're a plum". I never felt Kelvin was good in the Championship, but I accept that not great a blame should be placed upon him in our relegation season. In League 1 he has been good but I kept seeing too many occasions where he was arguing with the back four over responsibility for certain balls, a constant theme for Kelvin even when in a dominant side. Go back and look at the shouting matches Baird had with Kelvin to accentuate that point. Let's remind us of the problems we had in the Championship where Kelvin was forced by management to come off his line and collect. That never worked so we went back to Kelvin rooted to his line and the defence having to work around that premise. This is Kelvins big weakness and unfortunately the Championship seems to be the worst league for exposing that. Every opposition knew this and I doubt they have forgotten and would target this weakness to magnify his predicament. I never rated Wright that highly when he came to us, something I said at the time and subsequently borne out. But Wrights command of the 6 yard box hid his other weaknesses to highlight the need in the Championship for control of that 6 yard box. I hope Kelvin has sorted himself out and I would be very happy if that came about because he has been very loyal. I am just not convinced as yet but still happy he has been given a new contract. On he plus side he has saved penalties in League 1, where normally he would be flat on his back before the ball got to the line in the Championship.

But, but, but... KD can't command his area and Bart is amazing... Seriously, that vote on the Bart/KD poll displays an embarrassing level of ignorance amongst our fans. And the main reason for that is many Saints fans don't have confidence in Kelvin, not that they think Bart is necessarily the answer. You really have to be dense if you can't pick that up, even when clearly stated. Kelvin is a poor Championship goalie from everything he has shown previously. Richard Wright was by no means an outstanding goalkeeper until you put him in comparison with Kelvin. Then it was so obvious to not even get a squeak of opposition to whom should be in goal. All goalies have different strengths and weaknesses, but Kelvins inability to command the 6 yard box is the most costly IMO in the Championship, as so ably demonstrated by Richard Wright.

I believe a lot of fancied teams will not do that well when the hustle and bustle eventually settles things down. Leicester are one team that should have no excuse and I do expect them to do well, but I am not so sure several of the others will make the grade. Not a 100% sure how we will do, but I am expecting a solid position coming up to the January window, which would allow us to buy away any deficiencies to get into the play offs, or very close. The rest is just pure guess work, if the original was not enough.

I had already posted this after the game. It's just a twinge and being precautionary. Lambert will be our main striker for next season, that's from the horses mouth.

Yep, if Bart has not stepped up to the plate after this length of time you wonder if it will ever come. I am not getting too hung up over distribution and kicking so much, it's what are the the best attributes for the Championship. Kelvins saves can be good, but a lot of the time it's more Hollywood with some keepers not having to get off the ground to make the same save. In League 1 he has saved a couple of penalties but that was not evident in the Championship. It's his inability to deal with crosses and reluctance to come off his line that causes all the problems. Which was highlighted by Richard Wright as being far more important, the difference was night and day. He was ok in League 1, mainly good and some bad, but he will come under a different pressure in the Champinship, one he is not comfortable with.

Kelvin is just not a good Championship keeper, that we have already proven for ourselves. No one is going to persuade me that Richard Wright is a must have keeper, but I can't remember anyone preferring Kelvin over Wright. I would give Bart his chance and see what he can do, otherwise it's into the market. Wright's ability to command the 6 yard box made the defence look totally different, something vital in the Championship.

For me Connolly just highlights all the short falls in Ricky and Lee, the guy is just different gravy. I thought all four in the first game we good, all capable of performing well in the Championship. According to Adkins, Ricky will be the main striker next season and I believe it's only a minor twinge, just making sure we have him right for the season. It would not surprise me if he never featured much in the cups this season. I believe we have over played Lambert since he came to us, every game and usually on the pitch the full 90. Personally I am not so sure Ricky is the person to lead the line but Adkins seems to have little doubts and he has been working closely with him in the close season. 442 and at home and Ricky has his place, 451 and wanting a counter attacking side away and I just cannot see it. But this is what the manager gets paid for and I pay to watch, would be brilliant if he pulled it off.

I take it you didn't read this part of my last post then; "For the sake of SFC he'd be best off selling AOC to the higest bidder, the best deal for Saints, not the best club for AOC, he has pinned his colours to the mast so f*ck him and all the stuff about selling him to the right club for him that was spouted in January." Read it, understood it and still disagree with the main point of the post. This is not about forcing Oxo to stay what ever, this is just about getting the same premium other clubs receive that are forced to sell players. The main point of your post is "NC's stance against not being bullied by the big boys is admirable, but it's one mans crusade to change an entire sport, it's a battle he cant win." This is your interpretation, mine is that the lad is worth a lot more money and we should do our best not to let him go on the cheap, which I believe Cortese is doing. In reality that will mean letting him show his potential in the Championship. You can say this is Cortese not being bullied, but it is also the only way you will get anywhere near the true value for the lad. Cortese and Adkins are not daft and keeping a player against his will is always liable to go off in your face, but it is a difficult scenario if you are trying to get the value you believe the player is worth.

This has nothing to do with being able to keep Oxo irrespective of his wishes, this is all about getting a fair price for the lad. All those other teams you have mentioned can't stop their player leaving, but they can ensure they get paid sufficiently, which each and every one of them will. The problem we have with Oxo is that Arsenal don't want to pay the value we insist upon and the lad seems to think we should facilitate this by selling him on the cheap. The highest bidder does not come into this but the club of his choice. IMO his contract sets out all the conditions and values that will trigger an automatic move without Saints having any possibility to stop the move. It would not surprise me that Cortese has some leverage in insisting all the payments are done up front, but I really don't believe Wenger values Oxo anywhere near these total figures. Whether that is because of the players actual potential or Arsenals real needs, either now or future. The is little doubt in my mind that the player is good enough and given time in the Championship will readily show that. Other teams all the way up to the top are faced with this problem and the player will eventually go. But as other teams can manage to get top dollar for parting with a player they wish to keep, why not us?

Respect goes both ways, but I cannot ignore the quotes from the player himself. In no way were these out of context, this was a deliberate attempt to promote a move, Since all of this began with the leaking of his contract terms it was engineered to get the lad a move to a top club. He would have gone in the January window if Wenger had stumped up the cash but was not prepared to go that high. Realisation is that the move will not happen unless someone comes up with that contract figure. So we are expected to lower our asking price to facilitate a move on his behalf? get real! Or even worse, accept even lower so he can go to a club of his choice. Like it or lump it he will have to prove his worth in the Championship and get a club to come up with the right money to allow the move. I have no doubt he is good enough and will get his move in the next window and we will all be happy.

When we get a penalty my only thought is to get that ball to Ricky and add a goal to our score, he's been that good. But in reality lets say you give all the penalties to our second bast taker, what's the difference going to be? IMHO I would estimate that at about 2-3 goals difference in goals and about 5-7 points. That is a fair estimate of the difference in Ricky taking the penalties, no where near the total quantity. We got a lot of penalties last season in comparison to the previous season and there was not a smidgen of doubt about any of them. Just surprised it was only the one clean strike from free kicks, can't really understand the difference with both being dead ball situations.

That's the one, even scored the same amount of goals as Lee Barnard that season. Interestingly does not take the penalties, so relies upon open play to get his goals. Take away the penalties this season and you are in Guly territory for Ricky. There's dumb and there's dumb, but trying to equate those two after what we saw a league apart last season is blinding. Best to stick to the fantasy side.

Previously I would have said the comparison with Norwich was meaningless, because we never went on a consistent run. We ended that when we won the play off spot under such pressure, it only underlines how good that run was. Lambert is an exceptionally good manager who had some luck, but mostly of their own making. But to emulate Norwich we are going to need to find our own Holt, a task that is more than likely beyond us and our budget.

His game as the midfield anchor, sitting in front of the back four for most of a match? It really doesn't matter if he doesn't score, it simply isn't his role in the team to get forward into positions where he could score that often. When you do something as well as Morgan did, he is more than worth his place for that alone, no question IMO. But he has to do that job for the season, not 7-8 games in the middle of the season. I thought he turned a corner last year after some less than quality defensive displays and hope he can do the same one level higher.

The problem we have had is that Lambert is too static and requires support from the midfield, which then causes an imbalance. Unless you have a striker that can work off his own back without the need for support, you will always have this issue of compromising the midfield. You need a striker that can take the opposition on alone and produce results. Not all the time but sufficient that you don't make life easy for the defence. It is very difficult to play the counter attack with Ricky, because of his lack of pace and the imbalance this creates. This is the problem we need to solve, then all of a sudden the midfield becomes far less of an issue. This so reminds me of the situation with Rasiak, a good striker that requires to be fed to do the business, creating an imbalance in the process.

Did he ever actually join us? I remember an article about it two or three months ago in some foreign paper but cant remember anything from the club. He isn't listed on club staff list on the OS either. According to the article he was appointed, but I would have expected this to have been confirmed on the OS. His function was to set up a scouting network abroad and it was obvious that he had talks with us. Whether he has got into trouble for talking out of turn I don't know, but if we made the appointment there was obviously a need. Either Jakob Friis-Hansen is doing that job or someone else is?

I would be surprised after spending all that money on an oversea's scout that he never produced anything for us, even this early. When you consider the prices being touted for average Championship players, the continent must have better value.

Just recording the name and DOB should be good enough. To me this may well be if they intend to take action over those they find abusing the system, leaving little case and expense to prove at a court of law. Looking at things that way we don't get the total intrusion and extensive data collection, but you do have something cast iron should you want to take action. There will be a reason!