Sour Mash

But you can't call someone a "black XYZ" in this country. That's the same as the John Terry (alleged) thing.

Look at how much effort has been put in trying to find out what is happening to the ML flag? I believe they are finally getting somewhere after months of being ignored.

Could go both ways this. Could easily help Brighton, teams perform well when they feel it's their club against the world type situation. Just trying to think of the black players in brighton's team, can't think of any coming to mind at the moment, sure a few on here can correct me?

I'd take the whole thing as a massive compliment.

Quality. Can you imagine the reaction!

The vast majority of people posting on this thread are just having a laugh, all fairly good humoured. I can't remember anything genuinely "hateful" being sung to Brighton's support at any of the games I've been to against them. Don't get so worked up by it all.

Hadn't really realised how many links to Brighton we had in our management team. Must make it a bit of a bigger game for some of them as well.

Makes you wonder - did any Brighton fans really complain after their last game down here? Why would they? It happens in every game they play and I certainly can't remember anything particularly bad being sung at all. Not saying Hants Police are making this up or exaggerating this at all. Well actually I am.

Learning disability? With your standard of written English? People swear at football and let off a bit of steam. 99% of it does no actual harm to anyone, so leave it be.

"Some people" being Hants police?

Exactly. What's wrong with Skates. And yeah, not great support, but not that bad either. Plenty of better examples of them being s**t. and this isn't Saints related. Apart from that, great thread.

Yes. But far more have the opportunity to ask questions and watch and listen to the responses themse;ves. They can of course choose not to if they're not really interested, but the opportunity would be there which it isn't currently.

So you don't agree with NC holding these dinners either?

That's not what anyone is suggesting should happen.

Ha ha "hate based chanting". Not really hate based, more general p**s taking. Look out for the police cameraman who will no doubt be hidden in the gang way entrance around block 34 filming the Northam, sort of petty thing they'd love to ban people for.

Just looking through their list of playing staff and I think there is some quality there. Yes, I know they're on a bad run, but I've got a feeling they'll give us our toughest test so far this season. I know a lot on here don't like him much, but Poyet is no mug in my eyes and they'll be desperate to stop us in our tracks. Anyone ITK on team news their end?

No I think I'd go. But one of my questions would be why aren't more open, transparent forms of dialogue with the club available. But that's part of the problem - if you get an invite to an all expenses dinner with a handful of others, it is very hard for the average person to be challenging to their host. Like I say, NC has been spot on so far in most areas, just find the attitude to things like communicating to fans and ticketing arrangements unnecessarily poor.

Stop crying your eyes out you utter dweeb. If you are incapable of understanding the difference between "fanbase" and "current season ticket holders" there is no hope for you. On the basis that there have been 4 dinners, with 11 people at each, that is 44 people out of an estimated fan base of 50k. Even if you drop it down to 30k, that's not a great pool of people to sample from as your ONLY means of establishing the opinions of supporters. But I'll you go back to bawling your eyes out so much you can't bother to actually read.

I do think these dinners are a waste of time. Would you change your mind if you attended one? No of course not, that would completely miss the point. The principle is still exactly the same. A proper forum, open to all would be far better. Different, not neccessarily better Different and better. I wouldn't have so much of a problem with these dinners if they were some how attached to a more open and transparent forum Communicating clearly, in a straight forward manner would be far better. What information are you missing? Anything worthwhile and relevant to match going fans. Given the opportunity, I would ask what has happened to the flag, when are we going to sort our ticketing system, are the arrangements and prices for travel to the Skates game fair and reasonable. Not big issues. Not trying to topple NC's regime. Just every day queries that surely these sort of inter-actions should help to address? What actual interesting/worthwhile information has this dinner given us? Maybe it's not just about us, the fans Of course it's not just about us the fans. But that's sort of my point, we just don't know what is covered and is fedback. Apologies for the rubbish quoting, I hope my responses make sense.

Yet another one who doesn't bother actually reading what is written here. Where has anyone shown "no faith or belief in our chairman and try so hard to ridicule or prove wrong everything he seems to do or say". I haven't seen that once. But for some reason some of you don't like the idea of anyone challenging anything he might have said and are strangely precious about any sort of actual questioning. Everyone agrees that NC is doing a top job. That doesn't mean we can't highlight where we feel that things can be improved. You're right, I do think these dinners are a waste of time. A proper forum, open to all would be far better. Communicating clearly, in a straight forward manner would be far better. What actual interesting/worthwhile information has this dinner given us? What information has been fedback from the fans to NC?

Now that would be a quality approach from NC!

But they're not. He's meeting with about 0.02% of our fanbase at these dinners. No business or market research organisation would consider any information provided by such a small pool as worthwhile or useful information.

Yes top shout. The ONLY way to have thanked fans would be to "buy them all a beer" a Plymouth. Doubt any club has been able to offer anything normal and practical.

I am no expert on this sort of thing at all, but to me it sounds like a relatively minor issue? Yes, The Echo shouldn't have done that, but surely something that can be worked around resonably easily?

What's not true? Guess how we both class "small percentage". Put it this way, I know LOADS of Saints fans, from all different types, different parts of the country, from 16 - 60 years of age. I'd have a fairly generous guess that a third of them look on here regularly. This forum gets plenty of traffic, more than most club's forums do, but passing out information 2nd and 3rd hand across internet forums doesn't do NC any favours. We've got plenty of good news to be proud of, so why not communicate clearly, directly and openly, without any unecssary spin? Patch up that relationship with The Echo for example. I'm no fan of journos in general, but I know a fair few people employed at the Echo and they're massive Saints fans and the Echo would be a great medium of getting some of these out to the wider fan base.