spyinthesky

Went to the Palace game with an old mate over from the States. His first game at St Marys We were reminiscing about our teenage days going to the Dell. Some random thoughts which may strike a cord with others on here 'of a certain age' 1. Trying to get transport into Soton from outlying areas for Xmas games. No one we knew had a car so it involved a long walk to the nearest main road and then hitching 2. Getting to the ground early and standing near the front of the Boys queue (1/- to get in, 5p in todays money!!) and finding yourself pushed back as the older boys would arrive and push in at the front 3. Feeling ill in the Chocolate Box one Xmas, after too much rich food, and having to visit the First Aid Room (near the players entrance) and missing John Page score a penalty. 4. Buying cheap souvenirs from traders outside the ground (no club shop then) 5. Buying a penny on the ball ticket (you won the match ball if successful!!) 6. Listening to the Albion Band 7. The all pervading smell of tobacco (and the occasional whiff of strong alcohol) 8. On a couple of occasions someone playing 'Oh When the Saints' on bagpipes under the East Stand 9. Hardly any grass on the pitch 10. Not that many away supporters. 11. Trying to hit the people who carried a target around the pitch ( a large blanket in a frame with a fold in the bottom) which encouraged people to lob small change into the target, the money going towards the Albion Band. 12. Half Time scores being put up manually on the scorebaord at the corner of the Archers and West Stand. 13. Reading the programme in about 10 seconds flat as it only had half a dozen or so flimsy pages and no photos. 14. The occasional copper strolling round the pitch and Stewards in white coats!!! 15. The man selling hot Bovril from a container as he walked round the running track. 16. Hoping you could hold out to the end before succumbing to the urgent messages emanating from your bladder. If you went to Fratton Park last week you would probably relive the experience 17. The walk back to town after the game. People collecting their Bikes/Motor cycles from houses nearby where they had been left for a 1d parking fee. 18. Not necessarily at Xmas, but the number of red and cream Corporation buses parked up in various locations around the Dell ready to whisk people away 19. Paper sellers outside the ground Echo/Evening Standard where you could get all the half time results printed at the bottom of the page. No idea why this was popular 20. Walking down to the Echo Office on a normal Saturday and waiting with my Dad for a Football Echo so he could go home and check his pools All good stuff from my younger days but, in reality, wouldn't really swop this for the impressive and comfortable stadium we now enjoy and the enjoyable brand of successful football now on offer. Hope all the younger fans reading this will bottle it up to be remembered fondly in future years

It must have taken ages Wonder what was behind all the time and effort?

I have to say that Mr Ho is certainly beginning to show signs of irritation whereas before he was relatively measured in his approach I have said before that Mr Ho seems to be pretty well balanced ie a chip on both shoulders Recently I reckon he has become more unhinged

Barry I dont think this is the case Willing to be corrected but believe there are numerous safety hoops to jump through before you get a tick in the box re standing

Of course it is a real own goal for our friends down the road to adopt this stance when they need to keep the 10,000 or so stalwarts on side However I wonder what our corporate stance would be in similar circumstances bearing in mind the relationship with ex players?

ah there is the rub I am no architect but standing terraces were fairly shallow and therefore the ratio of standing supporters to space available was relatively high. Most new stadiums have much higher steps on the terrace to allow seats to be fitted. If seats were taken out from the Northam, say, you may be able to get perhaps 5-10% more standing places, subject to planning/safety, but there would also be a cost of barriers etc

I guess it is not only the fee (inc signing on fees and agent commission) but the wages Pay him top whack and it upsets the current equilibrium in the Dressing Room How much would it cost to get a foreign mercenary in the mould of Demba Ba in. Always a risk (eg Delgado) but they do come cheaper

Thing I cant quite make out is that the loan is predicated on another Hotel build when there is already one on site and an upmarket one planned for Ocean Village

Personally I am in favour of SAFE standing I dont think standing in an all seater environment is indeed safe yet it happens at most well attended grounds every week However most people would expect to pay less for standing areas but there would be the expense of special seats and crash barriers so perhaps the price would increase Would be interested to have feedback on how the introduction of standing areas would be dealt with from a practical angle

How many tickets did we get? Was it 2,500 or 3,200?

Shows how much Tommy Forecast is rated when our 3rd Choice keeper is not recalled Presume no keeper on the bench if KD doesnt make it?

I have heard from another source that Marcus's daughter has plans to sell the club as and when prem status is achieved as the vslue will be maximised Who knows?

Steve I think it is right to put a sense of perspective on this. To win 7-0 against any side is going some but, as you say, Sheff Utd are not as strong as last year and suffered a few injuries before the game so weren't at their strongest Would quite like to see us drawn against Pompey next round to test our full U18 side against their's rather than the weaker side we had to field in the recent 1-0 defeat

Ah well it seems we may have a better idea who was one of Pompey's previous owners. Step forward Mazher Mahmood, otherwise known as the 'Fake Sheikh, from that well respected publication the NOTW Fits in very well with all the intrigue down the road

I went to my first derby at Fratton in 1962 as a callow youth. Cant remember any segregation then but do recollect that both teams has mascots Pompey's was a man in sailor suit Saints had a young lad who used to run round the pitch with an old ARP rattle displaying team colours. A Pompey fan picked up some cinders from ther running track and threw it in the lads face This was before crowd violence between rival factions started at football matches but remember being shocked at the occurrence as football crowds were generally very well behaved in those days

This isnt the case. Everton was the original club in Liverpool and until Shankley took over at Liverpool, Everton were more successful and had the bigger support They also enjoyed the patronage of some wealthy Liverpool business people, like the Moores family

Putting the stadium funding for increased capacity to one side for the minute, any one know how much the Section 106 costs would be to facilitate stadium expansion and whether the City Council would actually agree to the change in current planning arrangements for the stadium?

I was at Goodison for a 1-0 cup defeat one evening in the late 70's early 80's Many years before I saw Everton beat Burnley one Easter in from of 72,000 fans in a Div 1 game Everton had a great team at the time and the astmosphere was fantastic in a ground that was miles better than the competition at the time They have had a number of false dawns on ground relocation to Kings Dock, Speke and Kirkby, the latter to be underwritten by Tesco who's ex Chairman, is a keen Evertonian I have been in the corporates at Goodison Park a few times when Saints have played up there but it was hardly bigger than those at the Dell and this is where the club falls down in comparison to others in the Prem as the revenue streams are far less Of course the sensible option is to develop a joint new stadium with Liverpool on Stanley Park but this will never happen Interesting that Derek Hatton the ex left wing head of Liverpool Council (and a real champagne socialist) is the commentator on the video

If you look at the relative league positions from both clubs entering the League in 1920/1, over this period Saints average position has been higher than Pompey's if you take the past 60 years ie the lifetime of almost all supporters, Saints are so far ahead on so many fronts, league position, average attendances, European competition etc etc I'm pleased to say we have never enjoyed the benefits of the old fourth division but quite a few of your fans get all misty eyed about this. I have to say though that the wonderfully elaborate story about the Soton Company of Union Men was a wonderful jape and hid the strike breaking of Pompey Dockers back in the mid 70's a treat!!

The first year Pompey played in Div 4 ie 1978/9 their average crowd was 10,123 which was less than Barnsley at 11,048 To be fair this avearge had increased to 15,850 which was similar to Sheffield utd when they were promoted from Div 4 two years later History is certainly something to be proud of just as the likes of Huddersfield, Blackburn,Preston, Derby and Preston (in the League) and Wanderers and Old Etonians (in the FA Cup) can celebrate their comparatively higher achievements than Pompey However I have yet to find a reason why Pompey's highest average gates never got beyond 37,000 in their title winning seasons in a stadium with a capacity of over 50,000 and, at a time when football crowds were at record levels following WW2 and there were thousands of servicemen in Pompey at the time to swell the population Interestingly altho Pompey have won more silverware, Saints actually have the better overall league record since both clubs entered the League in the early 20's and, of course, Saints have played far more times in Europe and produced many more 'home grown' players

See he has landed at Preston via Plymouth, Cardiff, Leeds etc Thought he would have been a shoe-in at Pompey but a chance missed, I guess

Yes, both for U18 and U 16

I went along for the Pompey game and it was fairly eveident that our team was, on avearge, a year or so younger than the Pompey lads. This is why you will get some 'odd' results in this competition as the U 18's will often include U 16's or triallists Best indicator is the Youth Cup where all teams should field their strongest line ups

Wonder if the receipts from the 'well attended' friendly against Rostov went to the advertised cause or were the proposed recipients left feeling short changed? There must also be a number of local businesses (the owners of Pompey's training field at Stoneham amongst them) who will be very nervous of their invoices being honoured as will those who recently purchased half season tickets at Fratton.

Bestest fans? - Mr Westwood and cronies Those who wanted a knighthood for Mr Redknapp Those who wanted some sort of formal recognition for Mr Storrie Those fans who draped a banner over a pedestrian bridge in Portsmouth welcoming a 'well heeled' Arab owner Those fans who were running around outside of Fratton Park trying to get said owners autograph Those fans who rioted in their own city after a home derby win And those fans who were unable to respect a minutes silence to honour one of the games longest serving managers