spyinthesky

GB No way is my comment a commendation I was querying the figure which, I think, is less than the headline rate of most Conference clubs and, if correct, perhaps indicates why their attendances are high rather like Bradford City in their days in the Fourth Tier when they charged a tenner for home games It is interesting to note that their Gate take from 23 home games is less than the potential combined revenue from just our Corporate areas in 19 home games!!!!!!!

Gate receipts of £3,4m divided by 23 games divided by an average home gate of 14,000 = av £10.55 per paying customer If correct, very cheap footie!!

Couple of things here Re Hull City attendances. Can't comment on their overall figures but when they were in Third Division North, season 1950/1, they had a higher average home attendance than Pompey who were Division 1 Champs that year. As I recollect it Pompey only averaged 37,000 that year in a stadium that could hold 51,000 and this was during a period when most stadiums were full just after WW2 and Pompey had thousands of sailors in town (and a fair few from this area who used to go along and swell the crowds at Fratton) With regard to comparative league positions (presumably going back to the time when both Saints and Pompey joined the League in 1920/1,) Saints have been in a higher league position for 52 of the 88 seasons Since 1960 when both clubs met again in the same League (Div 2 in 1960/1) the gap has got wider. In the intervening 55 seasons, Saints have been higher placed one 48 occasions, compared to Pompey's 7 and this gap is likely to continue (we would hope) for a few more years!!!

Apologies if I come across as being pedantic on this, perhaps I am, but have taken my information from the Johnstone Paint Trophy website Of course you are correct to point out reference to other matches in this lower league cup competition. I was being specific to the JPT which has been awarded for nine seasons

Presume you are taking figures from the Football League Final not the JPT Final which has only been running for 9 years So under the JPT banner our game v Carlisle remains the highest attendance

Talking to a Bristol City supporter today who was rightly proud of taking 40,000 fans to Wembley for this years JPT final Walsall also did well to drum up 30,000 fans in a 72,000 crowd However it appears that our game v Carlisle still holds the record of 73,476 The JPT website say that we took a record 44,000 that year but, according to info from Wembley Stadium, there were 52,000 in the Saints and corporate sections plus just under 19,000 from Carlisle (and hats off to them for a long journey at difficult time of the day) and the rest were Johnstone Paint corporate tickets etc We also hold the second highest qualifying attendance (29,900 SF v MK Dons) after Coventry, who sold their tickets at £5 a pop

Couldn't agree more with this I am gutted that Fraser sustained a serious injury but he does need to look at and improve this part of his game in the future. He stands too far back in his 6 yard box

Couple of things about Burnley 1. They have done far better than expected with very little expenditure on players and presumably low wage bill 2. All their 1st team squad are British And also didn't realise that Lee Hoos is their Chief Exec

Presume you were an 11+ student too? Only the brightest went to University then but for the rest of us average performers there were a host of jobs out there to choose from (in the 60's and 70's) which is not the case today I am sad to say

Anyone apart from me and Sarnia Saint fly the Saints flag whilst in 'proper' education (eg school uniforms/caps/learning Latin and the like) within what is now the PO Post code?

Think this is a good summary In my experience one thing that is particularly relevant to 'keepers is the fact that they mature later and actually hit best form in in their thirties I reckon Forster will definitely improve his communication and positioning with age. However I fully agree that he positions himself too close to the goal line at the moment maybe because, with his height, he is not as fleet of foot as the likes of Lloris, Howard, etc

Another vote for Pro Glaze Had a couple of issues with door fitment and furniture some while after the fitting which they dealt with quickly and without fuss

Have to say I was more than a little miffed about the post match chat after our game on MOTD The playback vindicated what most of us thought ie we should have had a stonewall penalty and Mignolet should have been red carded for handball outside the box but no comment on how that could have changed the game. After that it was all about Liverpool and 'Bodgers' from Mark Lawrenson and Noel Gallagher. No surprise there I suppose

It is difficult to judge players on one appearance but Ronald must see something in him to give him a start after a bit part v West Ham and 60 mins in last Monday's U 21 game It is evident he has a bit of ability but, to my mind, went down too early for the first penalty appeal. Perhaps he is unfamiliar with the system but he seemed to be rather peripheral at times not tracking back and a bit lightweight in his challenges. For all his criticism on here, Pelle's long range pass for Djurcic's first goal attempt was outstanding

JB - Agree Wonder if both players will stay at Swindon next season if, as expected, they go up to the Championship and the standard is higher

My impressions from last night: 1. Not many there bearing in mind v low admission cost 2. Much colder than the night before!! 3. Difficult to work out the identity of players without the benefit of a programme or named shirts 4. Both teams had players with potential and it will be interesting how some of them, who possess more refined skills, will progress when they mature 5. Djuricic was the stand out player 6. Jason Mccarthy is a natural leader 7. Gallagher obviously still a bit rusty and, rather worrying, had to come off with a knee problem which had to be ice packed 8. Decent game though

Good news How many Academy players are still plying their trade in the league away from St Mary's? Baird Matt Mills Simon Gillett Williamson Ben Reeves Dyer David McGoldrick Leon Best Lallana Surman Lloyd James Walcott Chambers Oxlade- Chamberlain Bale Shaw Cranie

West Ham United Once renown as the 'Science of Football' team now reduced to 'hoof ball' tactics. Still they may well go down in the annals of football in these parts as being one of the very few, and possibly the only team able to despatch the ball out of the ground from a clearance. Congratulations!!!

Think Frog & Frigate has reopened

Have come across another 'justification' for the SCUMMER insult. Apparently there was an article in the April/May 1996 issue of the Fanzine 'Frattonise' which states that the term actually came out of a local fishing company dispute prior to WW1 which involved two companies with branches in Portsmouth and Soton. As per usual Pompey myths, the nasty men from Soton broke the strike, hence the Scummer tag. This has been taken as FACT by many in Pompey as it was included in a published version of a well known and impeccably researched fanzine so who would argue with such an esteemed publication!!!!!!!!. The fact that no date has been ascribed to the so called dispute, no company name offered, no understanding that Southampton has never been recognised as a fishing port makes it all the more laughable. Would be interesting to know how many 'excuses' for the so called strike are now in existence

When I was a kid, one of the comics I read featured Olac the Gladiator. He suffered damaged ribs in a set to with some nasty people. Fortunately he was able to wrap his torso in some sort of healing herbs and was OK to continue his gladitorial conquest by the following week. Shows that modern medical treatments are not all they are cracked up to be otherwise Shane Long would be back in action by now

Errata - Should be Portsmouth News!!

I wonder if the Portsmouth Mail will now resurrect their campaign to get Henry a Knighthood!!!!!!!!!! It still amazes me how many down that way signed up for the campaign

One thing that tends to be forgotten by Pompey fans is that the two times the team won 1st Division, the capacity of Fratton Park was 51,000 However their average crowd for both seasons (ie early 50's when most grounds were full post war and Pompey had loads of matelots in port) was 37,000 (ie approx. 75% of capacity) and one of those years the average was less than Hull City who were a Third Division team!!!

Puts the progress both on and off the field into perspective compared to our friends down the road who are struggling with the rising water table affecting the playing and training pitches at their 'state of the art' facilities