spyinthesky

* Look forward to forthcoming home Div 2/3 game all week. Wonder if we will ever get to Division 1. * Up early on Saturday to do paper round * Scrape ice from bedroom window * No breakfast * Finish paper round. Get warm in front of coal fire. * No TV programmes available at this time. No phone to contact mates. Probably have to listen to the BBC Light programme on the valve radio * Light lunch then off to catch 12.10 bus with mate. * Have to queue at bus stop. Lots of cigarette smoke on top deck of bus. * Arrive Hants & Dorset bus station at 12.50 * Slow walk up to Dell. Arrive just after 13.00 * Join queue for Boys Entrance. Perhaps buy match programme for 1d (old penny) if feeling flush * Turnstiles open at 14.00. Front of queue now populated by older boys who arrive late and push in * Pay 1/- entrance (5p in today's money!!!!!) * Secure favoured place in lower Chocolate Box * Get soaking wet if it rains. * Possibly have to brave very basic toilet in Milton Road end at half time (only 10 mins). Crush and smell are both overpowering and your only pair of shoes now smelling of p*ss. * Only refreshment available is tea, crisps and small selection of chocolate bars from the Tea Bar or the mobile Bovril man in a white coat who can dispense the hot liquid from a tank on his back (but only available to those close to the running track) * Back to the Choccy Box to listen to the Albion Band and throw things at the fund raising sheet which is paraded round the running track whist avoiding the Bovril man. * Running track may also be used by Bill Bray (Saints Cheer leader.. ..2-4-6-8 who do we appreciate etc.....) and occasionally a young lad in washed out Saints kit running round the track with an old air raid rattle. * Generally see Saints win a high scoring entertaining game on a pitch which was devoid of grass through the middle since early October * Leave the ground just after 16.40. No added time * Walk back down towards Bedford Place. Plenty of people on bikes which they had paid to leave in houses around the ground. Corporation Buses are queued in three/four locations around the ground waiting to take local people home. * If feeling flush, and not too wet, may hang around outside the Echo Office awaiting early edition of the Football Echo. * Occasionally invest in a Plesteds Pie *Catch Hants & Dorset bus home * Watch some Black & White TV on our 14" rented Sobell until bed around 10.00 * Up early on Sunday for paper round. Read any report of Saints games * Repeat in two weeks time!! ' In comparison to the experiences of similar aged lads today, my generation led far simpler lives and our expectation level was low so the fortnightly visit to a quite rundown Dell was the highlight of the winter. I would never have dreamed in those austere days that we would be one of the top clubs in England with a number of international stars and playing in a top rate stadium (and also three divisions above Pompey!!)

Who can remember turning up at The Dell to watch Saints live on the 'Big Screen' get routinely hammered in away games with poor quality sound and vision? Seem to remember one game (at Old Trafford?) when David Howells had to go in goal On a separate subject anyone at the Dell in the early 70's when Saints won the Combination Cup in front of a 15,000 odd crowd with a young Mike Channon starring?

Begs the questions 1. Who was the first foreign player in modern times who played for us (think I know the answer to this) 2. Ditto first black player (not sure) 3. Who was our first ever sub (not sure)

Liverpool are also looking for a left back Cue media speculation on Bertrand

I wonder what the Black Box saw in the player? He doesn't seem to have impressed Ronald enough to give him much playing time. When he came on today he contributed very little, got muscled off the ball once and two or three times failed to track back the Sunderland player nearest to him with the ball. It has been suggested on here that he is possibly one for the future, and I really hope that is the case, but so far he is seems to be a less expensive Gaston Ramirez.

And for us really long term/suffering fans this hasn't been a bad season at least in League position terms

Good news for 'The Donald' Piers Morgan reckons that Trump is a 'Great Businessman' Plenty of people out there able to comment on the veracity of this, of course Of course Piers was spot on about the dodgy Saudi guy who was briefly involved with Pompey and, with his great wealth, would take Pompey onto the next level!!!!!!!! #That went well. Fortunately he never got near the nuclear button

Hate to say this but Bournemouth have outplayed us for all of todays game plus 2nd half of the game at St Marys notwithstanding Wanyama's sending off

If Leicester do intend to increase capacity they will join Spurs 61,000, Chelsea 55,000, West Ham 54,000 Liverpool 57,000 who are all increasing capacity with Everton likely to look at new or improved facilities with new owners.

As far as I am aware the two stadiums are of more or less identical construction with very similar capacities However notice that both Saints and Leicester games were 'sold out' but our crowd was about 600 down on Leicester Presumably there is similar segregation etc Were some of our corporate areas not fully occupied?

T ..The Skates are floundering.... Made me smile

Steve I must admit that's what I thought about who would be responsible for the Agents fee Speaking to a Wolves fan I know there appears to be some uncertainty about the fee paid Generally accepted that there was a release clause of £250/£275k but Jez Moxey the Wolves Chairman apparently told a supporters group that the actual fee paid was 'well in excess of that' Quite what that meant no one seems to know

Certainly this is the player many Pompey fans are mentioning as affecting the amount of money spent on Agents. These fans see it as a positive as Agent involvement apparently contributed towards an increased fee for Jed Wallace (how this works has not been explained) All the information available on the fee paid by Wolves (who have subsequently moved the player on to Millwall on loan) seems to give a fee paid at around £250/£275k not the £1m promoted by some Pompey fans. Assuming the lower fee is correct then the sale of Wallace just about covered Agents fees for the year

Of course the 'Tomato Kid' poster could be a WUM but he also reckons that the Chairman and Manager were sharing a few too many sherberts in the 'Shepherds Crook' in Goldsmith Avenue recently. Meanwhile rumours abound that one of our ex favourite posters has thrown his toys out of the pram complaining that Pompey are seen as big a fish in League 2 and all the other teams conspire against them

NQUOTE=whelk;2309470] FULL-TIME: #Pompey 10 @SotonWomensFC 2. #PUPL Pompey are ladies and we are women?No ladies over there If history is the main consideration with the majority of Pompey fans how many times have Saints Ladies won trophies compared to Pompey Ladies? No comparison I suggest

Anyone remember the Norman Deeley incident

Remember that we were comfortably stood behind one goal then there seemed to be a mass influx around half time when loads of late arrivals turned up Great night

David I guess there cant be too many of us who can still remember the 3 games v Forest in 1963 including the 5-0 win in the second replay at White Hart Lane I reckon there were well over 30,000 Saints fans in the 42,000 crowd

Reading the piece in the Echo website about Shane Long being a 'nuisance' reminded me of George Kirby I disliked both players when they were playing for other teams but when George arrived (in 1962?) with Stuart Williams and David Burnside, a struggling Saints team was transformed. George was not a great player but he caused mayhem in opposition defences with challenges (more niggly than dirty) which would not be tolerated nowadays Goalkeepers were a prime target and who can forget the terror Peter Grummitt, the Forest 'keeper suffered, in that fantastic 3-3 draw in the 6th Rd 1st replay when 2nd Division Saints came back from 3-0 down with 12 mins left in one of the best atmospheres I ever experienced at the Dell. Apparently George was a gent off the field and in some respect it is disappointing that I remember him for his antics rather than his goals but he was definitely a 'character'!! Let's hope that Shane Long will continue to do a similar job for the modern Saints

Id rather help Leicester out by beating Man City (H) and Spurs (A) safe in the knowledge that we took 4 points off Arsenal Beating Leicester 4-0 at their place would bring us even more kudos and hopefully not affect their title aspirations

Duncan Info I picked up from a decent source is that Kat is more than happy with the family's investment ie approx. £20m to purchase + £25m loan versus likely £200m market value which may be on the low side as the new TV deal kicks in. She has no real interest in football but is very aware that her son has become quite an avid fan and this may well keep the club in family ownership

Based on 2011 comparative conurbation population is approx. as follows Southampton 254 Eastleigh 79 Bishopstoke 20 Bursledon 7 Hedge End 25 Botley 3 Ashurst 3 Otterborne 3 Fawley 14 Hamble 5 Kings Worthy 5 Marchwood 6 Netley 6 N Baddesley 7 Romsey 16 Winchester 46 Hythe 20 TOTAL 519 Portsmouth 205 Gosport 71 Fareham 42 Havant 45 Lee 7 Stubbington 20 Waterlooville 64 Horndean 47 Denmead 6 Emsworth 19 TOTAL 526 So allowing for areas not included and assuming the likes of Locksheath and Whitely are 50/50, there is not too much difference between the two catchment areas However it is noticeable that Portsmouth is the most crowded city in the UK with 5,100 people per sq kilometre which is 20 times higher than the UK average I suppose this explains, to some degree, the aggressiveness and inter breeding traits!!

I am no supporter of the archetypal Pompey fan (Scummer hater/ proponent of myths) but I do recognise that their potential support is similar to us/Brighton The problem they face, with their current 'Fans Ownership' profile is the finance conundrum. They have no chance of improving the very basic 'facilities' on offer at 'The Old Lady' without external financing Interesting that more than one lower division manager/owner has said that the upper echelons of English football will be out of the reach of lower division clubs due to the massive financial advantage Prem clubs will have even if they are relegated, due to the increased compensation package available to relegated clubs

There seems to be two different points of view amongst the 'Fratton Faithful' it seems 51% want to 'Rip Up' through the Leagues to their 'Spiritual Home' of the Championship whilst building a 35,000+ capacity stadium (no 'Soul Less' bowl but a re jig of Fratton Park) whilst maintaining their 'Fan Ownership' arrangement The remaining 48% want to stay in the Lower Leagues where the enjoyment of 'Proper Football'/'Character Grounds' take precedence over the Money Grabbing excesses and 'Plastic Fans' of the Premiership