spyinthesky

Rumours are that the building contract was with 'Terry the Jerry' builder. However he experienced a couple of problems. First one was overrunning on a big executive house project on Hayling Island and then on some 'sporting' project on Portsea Island which went into administration.

I heard that the third year option was at the players discretion. If this is true then another strange deal Mr Lowe dreamt up for us. Not sure how the Andrew Davies deal benefited us but Pulis must be on around £3k per week = £450k over the term of his contract!!

This brings up another point. Anyone taken one on the snout exiting the 'facilities' when someone bursts into the St Marys toilets thro the exit door? The doors are clearly marked in and out!!

To be fair given equal circumstances Saints and Pompey will draw the same level of support as evidenced by the 17,000 ish averages (presumably from the mid 1920's when attendances were more realistically compiled) However it is a fact that over the past 50 yrs, Saints average has been 19,000 against Pompey at 14,000 and only since 2001 have Saints had the larger ground

2,229 away support Good numbers On the field County without 4 players and down to 10 which favoured us. Seems we have still to hit top form

I was brought in an age when good manners and politeness were a given. However I remember once being given my school bus fare back by a conductoress (remember them?) who was taken by the fact that I said 'thank you' when given a bus ticket. On the subject of open doors I do get miffed when people waltz through without any acknowledgement but, on the reverse, get a warm happy glow when people are genuinely appreciative. I find that youngsters are more likely to waltz thro an open door without a 'thank you' but I guess that is due to the society they have been brought up in. Mind you what really ****es me off are car drivers (mostly women) who do not acknowledge when you let them in at junctions (even hairy arsed Transit drivers will offer thanks) or refuse to let you out of a busy side road and sit in the car combing their hair or chatting on the phone when they could have let you out.

Where's the Gig? Is Roy Beazley still involved? What does Mel Blyth think of Ken Shellito?

I think its fair for the Pompey posters to state that the cost/revenue figures previously mentioned have a fair degree of guess work attached to them. I suppose you could say that there is little difference in this and the way PFC's accounts are presented!! With regard to Corp's question, I understand our annual wage bill is one of, if not the largest, in Div 1 at approx £8m. With an average crowd of 20,000 and using the same per head ticket revenue as Pompey, gives an income of £9.2m. On this basis I guess we struggle to trade profitably given recent net transfer outgoings and Agents fees averaging £400k pa but, as has been pointed out, we do not have any real loans or other heavy outgoings to satisfy (as far as we are aware) and, hopefully, have paternalistic owners.

It is useful to have PFC 123's view on this. He is,of course, right to mention the TV income plus the possible shirt revenue altho the latter may be constrained by the closing of a number of their retail outlets. In addition there is the Carling Cup revenue but I would suspect this will not be a significant sum bearing in mind he poor attendances. One of the posters mentioned bonuses and, as Pompey are now in a decent run of form, I guess these are beginning to build up. Another expense not fully set out is Agents fees and I suspect these to be at least £0.5m pa plus dear old Mr Storrie will undoubtedly have organised himself a nice leaving/loyalty party with lots of pressies and cakes amounting to another decent payout. That nice Administrator and staff will hardly be working for nothing either. Another £250k - £500k anyone? The biggest uncertainty, I suspect, is the amount of parachute payment available to be used as working capital. All in all an interesting scenario and more treats in store if the well regarded ex Chairman of Hull City gets involved. To be fair to Pompey they are reported to be getting their house in order by expecting their players to pay for meals. Hitch hiking to away games is also being considered.

A good contact of mine who reckons he is ITKk reckons that Pompey's current wage bill is based on the following weekly pay out: Ashdown £4k Flahavan £3k Halford £16k Dickinson £2k Mokoena £15k Hreidarsson £9k Ward £3k Sonko £6k Rocha £12k Martin £2k Lawrence £18k Mullins £14k Brown £15k Hughes £13k Gregory £3k Webber £8k Nugent £20k Utaka £38k Kitson £20k Ciftci £5k Kanu £15k Cotterill+Staff £32k Youth £5k Total £278k Misc Wages (Staff/Legals/ PR/Admin) say £22k Total wages outlay £300k per week est £15m pa Assume stadium/other income will cover cost of away travel/training ground hire/ground maintenance (if they do any!!) minimal CVA payments/borrowings and purchase of brown bags. Revenue 15,000 av gate at say £20 net of Vat x 23 = £6.9m (theoretical loss of £8.1m per annum) 19,000 av gate = £8.74m (reduces annual theoretical loss to £6.24m) So a fairly hefty shortfall which has to be covered by any Parachute Payments (if there are any left), any transfer income and/or the goodwill of the owners. However despite this apparent financial black hole it is good to know that all is well down on Portsea Island

Apparently that's what a lot of Pompey fans call us Saints, now that the SCUM myth seems to have been accepted, by most, as a made up tale. I guess they would had had a field day at the story in yesterdays Liverpool Echo which showed a bloke taking a horse into the Drive-In at MacDonalds, Aintree, for a burger! Apparently the chap had rowed with his girlfriend who had driven off with the horse box and he was trying to grab something to eat before riding home (think he was ****ed and kept falling of the horse!!) Of course the other possibility he was trying to sell the horse for burger meat!!

Liquidation won't happen A deal will be struck and AA/Chanrai will promote themselves as heroes. Even if the best/worst happens, Pompey will be portrayed as hard done by rather than having punched above their weight due to any number of nefarious deals/individuals. In such circumstances I have every sympathy for the decent/reasonable fan but none whatsoever for the large number of scrotes who purport to support the club.

For what it is worth I have visited Miami quite regularly in recent years. Once on hols, the rest on business trips. It is a sprawling city with a large amount of Hispanics, so Spanish is spoken quite widely. I have only stayed in Hotels ie around the airport, down by the Port/Marina area and along Miami Beach. The weather is a bonus, although it can get v hot in the summer. Plenty to do in the evening and its great to be outside enjoying the warm air late at night Like DPS, I wouldn't want to live there for any length of time but for a short term experience, go for it!! btw Miami Airport rates as one of the worst for me in relation to 'welcoming' Immigration and Customs staff

OK the information is only second hand and the meet was set up to improve relations with those in the expensive seats but, apparently, Cortese won over the Exec Club members at a recent meet. Cortese has the full backing of the Liebherr family to undertake Markus's wishes and push the Saints forward to a Champions League spot. Money is available and will be spent in January The club is looking to work with City Council to develop area around St Marys (River Itchen frontage/Gasometers etc), otherwise a relocation is on the cards. Promotion WILL be achieved this season. Nothing really new. However confirmation of the previously revealed strategy seemed to win over the previously sceptical exec members. Any one else have a feedback from the meet?

As someone who questioned his value to the club I was delighted with his performance today A few more performances like this, albeit against better defenders, and I will be most happy to eat humble pie!!

Stockport County fans are all a flutter!!

Re the chants, 'you're ground is too big for you' was mildly amusing bearing in mind their own average attendances. ie 6,000 in a 10,000 stadium? I suppose this chant will resonate around all grounds bar Man Utd, Arsenal and perhaps Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea. Who else fills their grounds to capacity these days I thought I may have heard our fans singing 'You're just a small town near Swanage' but I could be wrong Re the Boscombe aggro, some suggestion of Pompey fans infiltrating. Could be, I suppose, but probably more silly sabre rattling from the dark side

Have got one from the old supporters club showing a Saint with halo.

Isn't naming Monday week ie 11 October

As I understand it the Port works off the 3 stage ISPS code. Think current threat level is 1, the lowest. Could be that they have ramped up to Level 2 in view of the latest Al Quada and IRA terrorist threats but I think this is unlikley as it would have been evident from extra staff and checks at the Dock Gates Could have been because of a visit by the ISPS Inspectors who often audit port security. Who were you working for today?

Fair enough I will be delighted if he is here in January ie beyond the initial loan period, on the basis that the Manager (or the corporate team management committee) feel that he is worthy of retaining. However on the basis of current form I think this may be in doubt

Benjii I do believe Guly has a bit of talent but would really worry about him replacing Morgan or Hammond primarily because, from what I have seen, he may be unable to fit into a League 1 central midfield system where tackling ability and communication are particular requirements. Perhaps right or left midfield would be Ok but not central

Fair comments but didn't he only come on as a sub for Pardew and has only stated the one game under Wilkins v Swindon? Guly was signed under Pardew's stewardship and, for a lot of people, he did not seem to be a 'Pardew' type player ie English speaking and used to the hurly burly of League 1. I sincerely hope that Guly does make an impression here but if I was a manager, or indeed a Chairman, I would hope that any acquisition would be able to make an instant impact especially as named player is unlikely to have come as a cheap and cheerful signing.

What's to become of Gin Gan? Looked good in the video (but who wouldn't) and we all expected the real deal. Pardew, Wilkins and now Atkins don't seem to rate him and it must be assumed the signing was a Cortese inspired faux pas. Very unlikely the option will be taken up post January (but Tone Pulis's was so anything can happen). Would be interested to learn how much Guly's loan period will cost the club

Apparently paid £1.8m so Nicola baled in with a tasty wedge!! btw how is Roger the Dodger these days?