MarkSFC

Patronising and condesending in one post, congratulations, you must feel very smug. You do lack the ability to add to the debate through facts or even just opinion using rationale. Keep throwing your vacumous posts..... one day maybe you will contribute something worthwhile.

If my ST cost me £1200 then I would certainly hope that there would be an instalment plan. The fact is it's less than a third of that and hugely affordable. I think you need to fully understand my OP as you clearly miss the point. It just suits you by all accounts to pay for most things "on instalments" and therefore if someone dares to change that you cry. Tough luck. Out of interest, and at risk of actually repeating myself, fir the months you "paid instalments" what did you go without to pay for them? And in the months you didn't have to pay instalments what did you do with the money? In regard the council tax question, if the council decided to withdraw monthly payments it would effect tens of thousands of people rather than a few hundred Saints fans in this case. And because you do not seem to have understood the OP, you still do have the option to pay in instalments for your tickets on a match by match basis.

I don't think you do though, do you?

That's right I'm drowning in logic.

Unlike you I won't bother repeating myself.....I refer you to all my posts on this thread.

If you expected the instalment plan this season and probably starting in may or June then where is your budgeted money? If you saved your "instalment" in the months when a payment was not due you would now be in a position to pay outright for your ST. If you choose to spend your £70 a month in something else then that's your choice and your fault if you know don't have £328 for a new ST. Blaming the club for your inability to save a measly £328 this year when for 6 months you could afford £70 for your ST is pathetic. Your reference to the council tax us slightly flawed as everyone HAS to pay that. You don't have to buy a ST if you can't afford it. I want to go to Australia for 6 weeks in Nov/Dec but unless I can pay in instalments for my flights and hotels and Ashes tickets I doubt I"ll be going. Or I could put it on a new interest free credit card and pay it off that way...... I await your infantile condemnation of my logic as getting personal rather than intellectually debating points is your chav way (anti-social bully).

LOL! Could have put money on you biting!! If I'm retarded god help the majority! By the way, it's called budgeting...something that steroetypically a "chav" probably doesn't manage. I wish Leibherr would sack Cortese and employ you because I reckon you would be a great Chairman for SFC.......or was that just a retarded comment?!!!

The choice is always yours to make regarding purchasing a season ticket or not. Equally it is the clubs choice on how they price and market their product. IF the club had announced in March/April that the instalment plan would not have be available for 2010/11 would that really have stopped you all moaning? Of course not. Maybe if all those who paid by that method last season had "put aside" the equivalent monthly installment from Jan (or whenever the plan finished) then maybe you wouldn't be in the position you feel you are in. The only people I feel sorry for are those with 2 or 3 kids in the family who all go. Everyone else, get real and shut the **** up you chavs.

According to South Today the other night, about 10% of season tickets holders (of which they said there were 1300) last year paid in instalments. In its self thats quite a few people and likely to be lower income people and families. I wholeheartedly agree that the club have to some degree let these people down. The benefit to any fan is three things mainly; Convenience, "your seat", and cost. Anyone who wants this can do so at any point upto August 6th 2010. If however you are currently not able to fork out either the £328 fee (I'll use stand seats for reference) by 30th June OR £391 by 6th August then you will have to pay in other ways. On the basis of early renewal prices and subsequent renewal / new prices, it seems logical that any installment plan should carry a subsidy. If not, this actually penalises anyone who pays up front. If we carry the difference of £63 from early renewal to normal, any instalment plan should carry a levy of £63. If you added a %age levy for instalments it would be more expensive. Therfore, the instalment option prices would now become; Early Renewal - £391 Renewal/New - £454 The equivalent price per match is £14.26 (£328) ; £17 (£391); £19.74 (£454). IF an instalment option was available and lets assume its spread over 6 payments with the first one upfront the plans would look something like this; £391 (£328 on instal) Upfront payment by 30th June - £91 5 x payments on 1st Aug/Sep/Oct/Nov/Dec - £60 Total required by 6th Aug (cut off date for STs) is £151 from 3 monthly pay packets. You will notice that I have actually said first instalment would be Aug 1st. In reality it could easily have been 1st July as if you renewed today, your first payment would be the following month July!! This would mean an outlay of £211 from 3 pay packets. Therefore inessence anyone who takes out an instalment option would be paying an extra £63 to "spread pay" on either £177 or worse still £117!! For a renewal or a new ST it would be something like this; £454 (£391 on instal.) Upfront payment by 6th Aug - £104 5 x payments on 1st Sep/Oct/Nov/Dec/Jan - £70 In this example if you renewed or bought new right at the last minute you would be paying £63 to "spread-pay" on £350. However, prior to Augusts payment you would have 2 months pay to put towards your ticket. So if you bought your new ST today you would effectively be paying £63 to "spread-pay" £210. So, back to reality without instalment options,per ticket, most people would have to find "extra money" of either £117 or £177 between now and either 30th June or 6th Aug. Maybe not that out of the question? If though come 7th Aug you are without ST but still wish to attend every game the price per ticket is £22. You quite rightly though lose the benefit of Convenience, "your seat", and cost. Paying on a match-by-match basis equates to a levy of £5.74 compared to outright purchase of a £391 ST - or if in the example of instalments, a levy of £2.74 against the spread payment of £454. This is all very fair indeed. Then there is the "booking fee". Well there is a way around this too. Sometime before the first game of the season you pay a visit to SMS and purchase a ticket(s) for the first match and also as many future games as you can both afford and are on sale at the time. You then "top yourself up" with matchday ticket at your convenience when you are able to get to SMS even if it is only on a matchday. If you have to purchase your first ticket either in person on the day of the match, or via phone/web, then so be it. Purchasing you tickets match by match in this way means that your total spend for the season will be £506 (max £509) which equates to £22 per game, a "levy" of £2.26 per game/£51.98 in total (compared to a £391 ticket on instalment) or in reality £5 per game/£115 in total. So despite the understandable dismay at what is clearly an error of judgement, there are ways around this and to be blunt, its is very fair indeed. Some may have read my post earlier in the week with a solution I put foraward to David Luker.... http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/forum/showpost.php?p=745335&postcount=215 I/we wait and see if this is rolled out. If it is, it is effectively a halfway house option that will save you money per game (£1.13 - £26 total) AND GUARANTEE YOUR SEAT...AND give you flexibility on the games you attend! We will see what happens over the coming days with regard communication from the club but I would urge everyone to look at and digest these options. This season is quite possibly going to be the best one for many many years and I for one do not want to miss any if I can at all help it...do you??? Remember if as expected we are leading the league after even only half a dozen games, attendances will go above 25K and getting a seat you want will get harder and harder!!

I think it's fair to say that Pardew has done a great job in his transfer dealings so far and I see no reason for that to change! I'm sure that by kick-off of the first game we will be very pleased with the 5-6 additions I reckon he'll sign!! I would love to see Charlie Austin signed and Bailey would be excellent! Dickson, Calderon, Antonio and Paddy McCartney would be good IMHO!!

Pardew has already gone on record saying he wants someone in case Lambert is not available!! I know you're not in England but please keep up!! You sound like the Echo!! Just kidding!

Just received this from David Luker regarding my earlier suggestion Dear Mark Thank you for your suggestion. I will pass this on Regards David David Luker Head of Supporter Services Southampton Football Club -----Original Message----- From: Mark Sent: 02 June 2010 11:16 To: David Luker Subject: Season Tickets Mr Luker In light of the decision by the club not to offer fans the option of paying for season tickets in instalments, may I offer you a compromise? In order to appease what seems to being a growing disdain over this ( I do not actually count myself in that group though) I feel this plan may work. What if fans can "reserve their seat" by paying an upfront fee of say £20. This then entitle the fan to purchase matchday tickets at £20 BUT only in bundles of 3 matches, and subject to the same £3 surcharge (per purchase not per ticket) if purchased online or via telephone. If each bundle of 3 matches is purchased in person then no fee is charged. The other caveat to this scheme should be that if the fan has not purchased "their seat" 3 days before any game then the club reserves the right to sell it. I hope you take this on board and consider how such a scheme will be great for PR (and also for sales!) I look forward to hearing from you. Kind regards Mark

There is no need for any finance house to be involved because in essence the club would not need to "borrow" ST monies for anyone who was to pay on installments. The only expense I can envisage is the administration of processing payments manually and chasing any defaulters. As this is clearly a bit of a disaster on the clubs behalf maybe they can offer a compromise plan. E.G. An upfront fee of say £20 "reserves" your seat. You then can buy your matchday ticket at say £20 BUT only in bundles of 3 games. If by say 3 days before "x" game you havnt bought "your seat" the club reserves the right to sell it for that game.

Well said!:smt038

I agree that he will have no input on policy he merely implememts the operation of selling the tickets in all his time at the club! The communication around STs this year is the let down. Personally I think the price are well within acceptable levels and certainly value for money compared to the product we had last this time last year. I think there may be some over reaction due to the £125 rumour which makes the prices seem expensive. In reality they are not. I also think that by raising the prices this year the price jump to Championship prices next year and then to Prem prices the next year will not be so painful!!! A sensible approach in the medium term!! As someone once said you can't please all the people all the time!!!

This really is a bit of a PR flop....and I would bet it is down to Luker or someone else, rather than NC directly. I suspect figures were discussed and agreed and then DL (or a.n.other) were tasked with the public announcement and delivery of ST sales etc. I would expect an overhaul of the "Supporter Services Department" any time soon......

It is a shame but he hasn't played well this season, partly due to injury. I do think he should leave Arsenal and find a club that will play him off a main striker as I think he is much better through the middle. Maybe even somewhere like Bolton and play off Davies, or even Liverpool alongside Torres and Gerrard. He's still very young!

£14 or £17 a game (depending on purchase date) is extremly good to watch the best team in League 1! Sure, the lack of instalment plan is likely to lose a few people but c'est la vie, if you can't afford it or get the credit another way then why should the club risk themselves? The £2 surcharge on matchday is a fair thing to help reduce queues but I don't think the £3 fee for purchasing on the phone or online is fair. It does mean people have to make decisions on attending games earlier in advance in order to get to SMS or WestQuay. I just hope that the opening hours are longer than 9-5 in order to facilitate more in person sales without surcharges!!

The way I read it is the £27 ticket is Centre seats bought on matchday. If you phone up or go online to purchase at any time you will pay a further £3. As they have said, the £2 surcharge is to encourage pre matchday purchase from the ground or shop, and the £3 charge I would assume is to cover cost AND to encourage pre matchday collection to cut down on queues at the office. Makes total sense as hopefully people will be in the ground a bit sooner drinking beer eating food and building up the atmoshere (as well as the revenue!!). I can understdnd the frustrations re installments but as you have until Aug 6th, potentially that 3 paydays for most people to find (individually) £328 even if you don't have any already saved!!! Not really an issue I would think but I can certainly understdnd if you are buying for a whole family!

Cast your mind back to how you felt this time last summer just for a moment.... It was a dark time, administration, relegation and quite literally panic from the masses!!! For weeks every concievable outcome was discussed on here, in the papers, around tables in pubs, at home, at work, in the street, on tv....it was a depressing and scary time. Liquidation, a fans takeover, the city buy SMS, fake sheiks (well, fake bidders!), a new club if needed, these things all reared their ugly heads. Then, on one sunny incredible day in early July...salvation, our messiah arrived and the light at the end of what had seemed like an extremely long tunnel suddenly shone in our eyes...it "nearly" blinded me!! Relief crushed despair, hope trampled on fear, excitement blew away the depression and in walked Markus Leibherr and Nicola Cortese. Remember how that felt. Nearly one year on and the turn around is amazing. For one we have our club, alive and kicking (bl**dy hard too). More than that we have an owner who despite his public silence (which I actually like fwiw) seems to love this club. We have a CEO who is clearly a visionary, highly driven, and utterly ruthless. We have a Manager who in a very short time has changed the mindset of the team, through excellent man management and shrewd acquisitions. We have plans in place for a "best-in-class" training ground and academy. We also have ambitions to provide "best-in-class" hospitality and catering through the new Halo company. We hear that there are plans to improve the facilities within the stadium. We also anticipate for (probably) the first summer ever not losing any of our best players and instead adding more quality to the team. How does all that feel? All of this hugely positive and progressive change in little under 12 months is more than anyone would probably have wished for this time last year. Unfortunately though expectation is a fluid concept and one that will change from day to day, from person to person. In May last year I "expected" us to be saved but did not expect a billionaire. After the takeover and the appointment of Pardew I expected comfortable safety. After the signing of Lambert and listening to Pardew at the Solent forum I expected top half at least. When we signed Fonte and Puncheon I expected a play-off spot. I now expect us to win League One next season. Although we didnt make the play-offs I think the achievment of the football team is excellent, it just happened to be one of the most competitve League Ones in history...but for those ten points!!! When I look at how my expectations change it does not surprise me that other people set theirs according to the situation we are in now. It is how ever good to have a point of reference in order to rationalise your expectation. On that note it amazes me how critical some people are that season tickets are not on sale yet. Im sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this, which Im sure will be revealed, but the debate over this is incredible!! Take yourself back to this time last year....did you miss out on you season ticket for 2009/10?? Last year when we needed the money, the administrators couldnt sell them (which is why it puzzles me that PFC can sell thiers, but thats a totally different subject!!), and people moaned. This year we dont need the income (how great is that?!!) and people moan because all they see is their world! Chill....Remember the big picture....its getting better and better week by week, month by month, and definitely year on year!! :smt038

Everything Cortese has done so far in regard to planning and development of the club has been exciting and/or very progressive, and in-line with the "best in class" philosophy he is working to in every aspect. No public statement in regard to season tickets so far, is a little surprising but from his point of view, probably not number one in his list. He released them in July last season and there were no issues so you can see why it may not be. As setting prices and selling tickets is probably the simplest of tasks I suspect something else is happening that affects this!! I think NC is a visionary and so I imagine the so called delay will result in excitement. Rather than a really cheap price if ticket like the mooted £125 price point (which wouldn't actually gaurantee high attendances), I reckon there maybe some sort of "125 years celebrational gift" for ST holders. Some special picture or something of both financial value and desirable. And if so this may explain why STs aren't on sale yet, as the product is being sourced and made!! I wouldn't be surprised either if the club would liketo move the "singers" to The Chapel. IMO this would create a better atmosphere, especially when the ground isn't sold out. Having the singers effectively in the middle of the home fans, rather than on the end, as they currently are, will actually encourage more singing from those that may not currently do so as it will spread!

The "criminal" aspect of the charity probably appeals to Pompey....kindred spirits!

There's a post on OSFacebook stating that an announcement will be made Monday and STs will go on sale Tuesday....from someone that "appears" to work in or knows someone in the ticket office! Make of that as you will!!!!

Reading this thread indicates the gulf in standards and expectations of fans. If you are happy with Harding fair enough but I dint expect him to perform as the best LB in L1 for all 46 games. He started poorly but did become more cinsistant. He is not that great! Anyone who is better is great! Mills is at least a season or two away from being good enough and by then it will be the Championship. Any doubters on whether we need another LB, ask yourself this "if we were playing in the championship this season, is Harding good enough to be in a title winning team"? That is what AP is building for now. As for the priority of signings, this is a ridiculous argument. Hopkins has said it all really! I'm sure that it works more like this; AP: Nicola, I want to sign "x", "y", "z", "a", "b", and "c" NC: How much will that cost including fees and wages? AP: maybe 8-10million? NC: why 6 players, and who are they? Etc, etc, etc!!!! NC gives go ahead on agreed players and financed and then AP goes and gets them , in whatever order happens!!!

What if.....Adam Blackmores "source" passed him in the corridor at SMS and the passing cinversation goes something like this: AB: Hey "source" how are you? Where's Markus, I havnt seen him today? SOURCE: he's not coming. He's not happy. AB: Not happy? SOURCE: No, look, Adam, nice chatting, see you later, got things to do. This can easily be interpreted as Markus not happy (fill in reason) and so isn't here. Equally can be interpreted as Markus is not here (reason-no flights cos of ash) and is unhappy that he can't make the last game of the season to celebrate with the fans and his team. Which makes a better story for media with no real stories and dare I say it, their own agendas?