spyinthesky

Comment from Sunderland forum 'Desperately hanging on at the end against SOUTHAMPTON!! 'we were outplayed for most of the game by a team with inferior players' Mind you glad that Sunderland were without their 2 main strikers. Lost my chance of £8k in bets (placed against a worse case scenario) but happy that saints are more or less assured of a another season in the top league

This is the man that a significant amount of Pompey fans (including at least one local MP and the Pompey News) were promoting for a knighthood not so long ago (quite a few were also looking for an honour for Peter Storrie!!)

I think you are pretty spot on with your timings and comment on social change I used to travel quite extensively to follow Saints as a teenager and also occasionally used to watch top teams in London and around the country without any hint of trouble. Can remember odd individual fights in the, non segregated, terraces at Cardiff and Plymouth during our promotion year (to the old 1st Div) in 1965/6 but nothing too dramatic. However the first mass violence I recollect was when Chelsea arrived for an early game in our first year in Div 1 and they mob handed took over the Milton Road end. It was a bit of a culture shock for us younger supporters Around about this time Pompey fans came visiting for John Hollowbread's testimonial and there were scuffles then too and I think this may have started reciproical bad feeling by some Saints fans towards Pompey. (Interesting to note that when Jimmy Dickinson, the old Pompey stalwart, played his last game at the Dell he got clapped onto the field by a guard of saints players and a great reaction from the Saints fans. Compare this to the Ted Bates game at St Marys) Culturally terrace aggression was a progression of mob violence started by the Teddy Boys in the 1950's and continued by the Mods and Rockers in the mid 60's and early 70's. Bank Holidays in seaside resorts at this time was carnage with what could be described as mass riots going on

I used to go to school in Fareham and there was no animosity between Saints and Pompey fans then My Dad used to regularly watch Saints but would occasionally go to Fratton or Dean Court as did many others My first recollection of ill feeling was the 1960/1 game at Fratton when our young mascot (he was about 14 and used to run round the pitch in club colours with an ols Aitre raid rattle) had running track dirt thrown in his face by some Pompey fans. I think their 'Sailor Boy' mascot didn't cover himself in glory either. After this time the crowd violence thing started to take shape in English football but most Saints fans were slow to dislike Pompey, as there had been a generally good disposition towards the team from Saints fans whereas the Pompey lot seemed be upset that their team's predominance (since the late 1920's) had been lost to the emerging Saints from the 1960's onwards it is noticeable that since 1960 Pompey have only finished higher in the League in 7 of the 53 seasons and have only had a higher average league attendance in 3 of the 53 seasons!! That has intensified the bad feeling down the eastern end of the M27

I thought there was a professional restriction If Costco apply this to the letter surely this will restrict their membership numbers

Presume any one can join? There appears to be certain occupation limitations for non trade members

Another pessimist here!! Got 150/1 with Betfair a few weeks back (subject to maximum bet limit) Also got money on elsewhere at 80/1 and most recently 66/1 with Ladbookes Another one who wishes not to be paid out but if the worst happens I have my season ticket paid financed for the next 10 years or so!!

I wish I wasn't a card carrying pessimist but it is a burden I have faced all my life I did a predictor after the West Ham game and had us a point from safety so thought the margin of error was tight enough to risk a gamble when the odds were 150/1 against I have now nearly £8k awaiting me if Saints go down, a bet I sincerely hope I don't benefit from

Hopefully Luke Shaw will be back asap but according to recent reports his ankle is in a cast and unlikely to return until last game of season, at best. So how will the Manager seek to deal with this?. Possible options: 1. Move Yoshida to RB and Clyne to LB and bring in Fonte (presume favoured option) 2. Play Fraser Richardson at RB and move Clyne across (FR is OK at Championship level but perhaps a bit out of his depth/rusty at Prem level?) 3. Play Jack Cork at RB etc (Cork is a vital ingredient in midfield and has struggled at RB, Chelsea cup Tie etc) 4. Keep Clyne at RB and recall Dickson (don't think for one this will happen, and dependent on loan terms etc but Dickson possibly no worse than Fox, has a left foot and is reasonably pacey) 5. Play Forren at LB (likely not quick enough as would be the case with Hooivelt)

Lambert £1m Boruc Free Schneiderlin £1m Cork £750k Clyne £1m Davis £500k = £4.25m versus Ramirez £12m Mayuka £3m Fox £1.8m Forren £3m = £18.8m Possibility that three of the latter four may one day prove their worth but cant help thinking we may have seen the last of Ramirez and possibly Fox after yesterday

I noticed this and assumed the person referred to wasn't the 'real' Cas Pennant who is supposed to be a Hammers fan Perhaps the Pompey Trust are looking to revisit their 'history' a la 657 style

Got to say one or two good ideas in amongst all this. If they can keep up the momentum then fair play to them and assuming a successful season in Div 2 then this is likely. However I have been involved in a few organisations run by enthusiastic individuals and there are always fall outs which sap energy and enthusiasm of even the most committed people. The Trust may well be a good blue print for other clubs but it is just as likely to fall apart at the seams especially if next season does not live up to expectation

For us 'oldies' what about Bob Charles, Southampton's answer to Fatty Foulkes the famous keeper at the turn of the 20th century

The interesting thing here is that Pompey did not actually come top of the South East Alliance Youth League (comprising teams from Divs 1 & 2 plus Luton - Watford were the only Championship team) They actually came 4th or 5th but 'won' the league on a average points per game basis as not all teams played the same amount of games. Odd way to operate a League!!

I was talking to a 'reasonable' Pompey fan yesterday who was banging on about how impressed he was with the new set up at PFC One person he had spoken to directly was a Mark Trapani who, I think is one of the HNW sponsors I pointed out to him that, as far as I was aware, the gentleman in question runs the Snows BMW garage in Pompey. Snows Group, is in fact, based in Soton (starting with Office Supplies many years ago and moving into Car Delearships etc) So, on this basis, any money Mr Trapani has invested in PFC has been directly obtained from working for a Soton based company. Sensed a slight tinge of exasperation with this info. Also does anyone remember (possibly back in the Deacon days when Pompey were in the usual state of financial disarray) a group of well meaning Saints fans offered to help with fund raising to ensure the survival of a local rival (similar to the Bournemouth effort) but were told where to shove their well meaning efforts by some of the more vocal Pompey supporters? I am pretty sure this happened but don't want to run with this if my memory is playing tricks with me

Turks When I am in 'Day Dream' mode and I am contemplating how I would deal with the record £150m Euro Lottery windfall, helping fund a stadium expansion is a consideration but I have other plans, relating to the football club and the community, which would take precedence. My initial thought would be how best to preserve anonymity so I could get on with selected projects generally without having to deal with all the pressures a big fortune will undoubtedly bring. I have most of the details worked out. All it needs is for the numbers to come out I can assure you now that people around and about the football club and the area will benefit. Nothing will be left for the Govt to grab back in Inheritance Tax and the like I know you like looking good I promise to buy you a hand made suit from a tailor of your choice, possibly with a subtle red and white striped silk lining!!

FF Please don't read anything into this. Had just finished reading the Sunday Rich List and saw the piece on old Mo and Fulham and presumed (rightly or wrongly) that our own transfer of debt to equity could be a positive and was worthy of some debate. However if I won a substantial amount of money on the Euromillions, a bid for the club could be in the offing. That said it all seems to be moving along relatively smoothly at the moment and perhaps my future Lottery win might better be invested in maximising the fans enjoyment of games.

Was the figure £25m for the Liebherr family? If so this seems quite reasonable compared to Mohammed al- Fayed at Fulham who, according to the Sunday Times Rich List, converted £212m of loans to equity. Bit of a difference. The Sunday Times reckons Fulham are in a 'healthy position'

Looking back at the overall Saints v Pompey games, it may explain their fans hostility towards Saints. From the Saints/Pompey joint entry into the Football League in 1920/1 all was generally well until Pompey's relegation from Div 1 in season 1960/1 which coincided with our promotion from Div 3 the same year. In the 7 subsequent meetings between the two sides between 1960/1 and 1975/6 Saints won 8, drew 4 and lost 2, scoring 34 and conceding 18. Of these games Saints won 4 out of 4 at Fratton Park by 3-0 (1964/5), 5-2 (1965/6), 2-1 (1974/5) and 1-0 (1975/6) In fact Pompey have only won once in the last 9 meetings on their home turf. Pompey's win at the Dell in 1987/8 was so important to some Pompey fans that a Fanzine was named in its honour. It was in the 70's that the SCUM Myth was started (ironically during the time when Pompey Dockers had taken work from Plymouth Docks against a Trade Union agreement they had signed up to thereby leading Soton Dockers to picket Pompey Commercial Docks) Prior to 1960 it appears that many Saints fans used to go and watch Pompey play and when Jimmy Dickinson played his last derby game at the Dell, he was given a warm and supportive appreciation. Pompey may have more trophies but Saints have the historically higher League average attendance, higher League position, better stadium, better reputation for developing young talent, less admins, more European campaigns and, of course, a higher current position

To be fair we have only beaten them 5-1 twice in Ist Class games ie Season 1960/1 in Div 2 and by the same score in 1905/6 in the FA Cup We did also win 5-2 at Fratton in season 1965/6

Henry Redknapp, the Football Manager for whom a 'well respected' (!!!!) provincial newspaper ran a high profile campaign, backed by many of his rapturous fans and hangers on (eg at least one local MP), to petition the authorities to make the gentleman a Knight of the Realm. I am sure the newspaper in question would not be too happy to be reminded of their stance!

If you were the owner of SFC, and not a died in the wool supporter, would you look to realise your asset at this stage? With a reported £90m in gross revenue forthcoming (hopefully secured for the immediate future), a decent ground (bought and paid for) a well respected Academy and a squad worth, say, £50m+ (most on longish contracts) set against an investment of say £25-£30m, it doesn't look a bad return. I think any owner would be looking at the downside going forward eg higher player wages and transfer fees to cement Premiership future, possible investment in increased stadium capacity etc etc against the additional revenue potential. I really hope that the owners do have a long term continuity plan for the club as, apart from the odd hiccup here and there, Saints have made remarkable progress since the dark days of the previous regimes.

Interesting that Swansea forums seem to agree that we are a decent side and did well today at the Liberty

At the end of this season, Saints average League attendance, since both teams entered the Football league in 1920/1, will exceed Pompey's making us the best supported club south of London in historical as well as well as current terms. Saints average home attendance will have been higher than Pompey's in 50 of the 86 seasons in league football,despite Saints having a smaller capacity stadium for all but 12 years of this time. For those who don't know, Pompey could only average 37,000 for home league games in their two League winning seasons in 1948/9 and 1949/50 when Fratton Park had a capacity of over 50,000. This was at a time when most League clubs, in all four divisions, were filling their grounds to capacity after WW2. Saints supremacy is most marked in the 53 seasons since Pompey were relegated from the old Division 1 in1958/9. Saints have been in the top tier for 36 seasons since then (compared to Pompey at and, of course never in Division 4 or League 2 (whatever you like to call it) Saints average home attendance will be close to 20,000 per season at the end of this campaign whilst Pompey's will be around the 13,800 mark Pompey will only have been better supported in terms of average home crowds in only 3 of these 53 years!!!!!!!!!!. In terms of League and Cup meetings since 1920/1, there have been 38 of which Saints have won 19 and lost 9. This includes a 5-2 win at 'Fortress Fratton' in 1965/6. In some respects the comparative records since the early 60's, which basically covers the lifetime of most current supporters, probably explains why Pompey fans have such a downer on Saints. In every respect Pompey have been in the shadow of Saints for all bar 7 seasons from 2004/5 until 2009/10 (even during this time Saints had more people through the turnstiles as a lower league club than Pompey did in the Premiership) Of course Pompey can rely on their boast that they have won more trophies and this is a fact. However I wonder if there may be some around who claim to be Wanderers fans, a team which won the FA Cup 5 times in the late 19th century and are now playing in the Surrey South Eastern Combination!!! For most of up long tern supporters the dominance along this end of the M27 has been a given, apart from the small blip a few years back. it is comforting to know that the Saints reign of supremacy along the South Coast is likely to return to normal over the forseeable future and the main challenge may actually come from Brighton who have the infrastructure in place to challenge from further along the coast.

All this reminds me of an occasion inn the early 70's when I was at University up north. I went to Elland Road by myself to see Saints play Leeds and stood on the terraces around the half way line. The referee gave a very dodgy penalty after Gerry Gurr was adjudged to have fouled Billy Bremner and I yelled out in protest and then realised that all around me there was silence and Leeds fans looking amazed. Fortunately nothing was said as they were mainly laughing at their good fortune and probably surprised at seeing one of the very few Saints fans at the game. I suppose being away from the 'hard core' fans also helped. Jasper Carrott does a couple of good pieces about being a Birmingham fan at Old Trafford and an England fan at Hampden, again back in the 70's