Minty

I'm only 5 years behind... some of the original lads still call me 'the boy' though. Admittedly I do still look about 14... No idea who you are btw?! Your username doesn't give it away...

Sent you an email, PM me if you haven't got it.

Hammy, you should know me, I'm not exactly a 'lads lad' either, and I sure as hell don't join some of the others who go clubbing. last year a few of us found a nice little cafe/bar and had some nice chilled beers whilst watching eveyone else go about their Saturday night business. Some partied, some (magnet) got absolutely sh*tfaced and couldn't play the next day... but each to their own! The games are only 15 mins each way and there are rolling subs, so fitness isn't as crucial as you might think either. Anyway, I won't hound you but if you change your mind let me know!

Might as well, already got a Metro team in another league, so may as well come bottom in another one.

Well, you're not in the Vets squad anyway, but I look forward to renewing the banter around the Pillar of Gay.

Lungs - I would put you down but: a - I don't think you're over 30. b - You never turn up.

Indeed, trying to maintain the pretence that you can still compete with younger, fitter players. And yes Stu, sadly in football, over 30 is often considered 'veteran'. It's usually over 35 for more official vets games and leagues, but this tournament has it at 30, because of the amount of whipper-snappers playing these days.

I really don't see this as a case of being on one side or the other. I don't think either side are particularly acting in anyone's best interests. I certainly have no desire to see corporations inflict their will on the workers without any redress or challenge as to whether it's the right thing to do or not, but equally, I do honestly wonder if the Union really care about the companies long term future, because ultimately without a company, they have no jobs. Also, Unions often bemoan the 'big, bad companies' but lets be honest, the Unions *need* them, otherwise they wouldn't exist, and many within the Unions are as selfish as any company director when it comes to protecting what they have. The whole thing is shambles, and no one will come out of it with any credit, or any better off, because too few people seem willing to realise that the best way out of it is for them to work together.

It's usually something like £15 each way for the name change, and another £20 admin fee... something ridiculous like that.

Yep, it's andy@andymintram.co.uk. I get **** loads of spam already so posting it on here won't make much difference!

So, any of you lot that played over-30, and fancy playing in a real (11-a-side!) tournament in July? http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=23095 hammy, can I tempt you? You were quite handy from what I recall from last year forum match!

Afternoon all, Some of you may recall info about this in the past, and some of you have been recruited to the teams already, but I'm after more players. Steve Grant and I are taking two Saints supporter teams to the 15th WorldNET tournament in Leeds on July 24/25. This is a full-on 11-a-side tournament, Steve's team is in the main competition with 63 other teams, whilst I now lead the Vets side, in a 20-team competition. Group games take place on the Saturday, with a knockout on the Sunday. The best bit about the weekend however, is meeting fellow fans, going out in Leeds on Friday/Saturday night, and just having a good time. For my sins, I've actually been to every tournament since 1996. More info about it is here: www.worldnet.org.uk The teams were originally formed of players from the original Saintslist team 'CyberSaints' which then moulded into the forum team, Southampton IFC, and I know last year Steve got more forum members along. I need some over 30's to join the Vets team as we've lost a few players since last year due to injury, weddings and previous engagements! If you're interested, PM me. Cost for the whole weekend would be £85, including accommodation on site at Boddington Hall in Leeds, and breakfast on Sat/Sun morning. I've seen some of you at the forum match, so I know we have some decent players out there! But Baj is coming too this year, so it's open to all abilities. I'm sure those who've been before will attest to how good a weekend it is. Cheers for listening. Minty

Not really, sorry, life gets in the way, but i will get them done ASAP.

You mean Kurlie - she got a life, moved on and settled down. Now has a gorgeous little daughter with her other half, and runs her own business.

And what if, like many people, you have already planned your budget, based around instalments? What if you physically cannot save more than you've budgeted because of all your other expenses? Frankly, NO ONE is qualified to comment on anyone elses financial situation. I am certain there are some who are complaining about this decision, who wasteful with their money and who with better financial plannign, could afford to get a ST still. Probably the same people who complain about affording food but blow £40+ on Sky each month... But equally, I know there genuinely are many more who've budgeted for the instalment plan, and now face being unable to get a ST as a result. It is for each individual to decide the position they are in. I just think it is a poor decision to revoke this option at short notice and with poor explanation, thus denying many the chance to get a season ticket.

Deleted, sorry, misread something.

Indeed. I personally have strong feelings about the debt-based economy the world seems to rely on and feel that financial reform is long overdue, however any transition, be it global, or just this removal of an instalment plan, cannot happen overnight, and it needs planning and communication... The club could've helped fans with the transition, given notice, even provided alternative interim options, but instead we are left with the impression that they don't care...

That kind of response is silly. I've not agreed with Stu on a whole host of things in the past, but on this subject I think he is right to question the decision and look at the other options that the club could've made available. The9's post earlier is spot on, as is Katalinic's... the club may be a business, but beneath it all, it is OUR club and we have a right to challenge and question decisions if we feel it right to do so. As Stu highlights above, praise of the new regime should not automatically be the default position, just like criticism of Lowe and the previous regime should not have been the default. They did some good things, and the new regime will make mistakes. So far, thsi most certainly looks like one. Judge each action independently. Ultimately, this HAS denied some fans the chance of getting a season ticket. It's as simple as that. Further than that, for me it demonstrates a lack of understanding of the community aspect of a football club. SFC is about us, the fans, and any custodian of the club should be doing everything it can to help fans attend matches and show their loyalty. I obviously recognise that the running of the club must be done on a sound financial footing, but each decision should be taking with the fan in mind as far as is reasonably practical, and without further explanation, this smacks of a decision made purely on financial grounds. And for the record, I feel eminently qualified to comment because I am in the same position as NC. I run a Doctors surgery. It is a private business, with a multi-million pound turnover, but if I were to make a decision purely on financial grounds and without sufficient justification to our patients, I would be heavily, and rightly, criticised IMO. We primarily exist to provide medical services to the public. I have to manage costs and make decisions accordingly, but they are ALL made with the patient foremost in my mind, and not the Partners' profits.

Not yet, sorry, had too much on but will get more done this weekend.

Exactly my thoughts. No point in commenting too much further without knowing the reasons. I sincerely hope we get them.

Fair one, I agree communication is essential. This decision would've been taken with clear commercial reasoning behind it, and therefore I think people would respect the decision a lot more if we were given the information, even if they don't agree with it.

1. It encourages attendance, and generates sales in other areas (food/drink/megastore) as a result. 2. There are various ways of doing it so the club doesn't lose any money at all. 3. The club themselves said they would offer this, in their customer charter published last year. 4. I agree that debt is undesirable, and we should all be encouraged to operate without having any, but for many that will be a gradual process, and companies that are in a position to help maintain their own customer base, and help customers achieve it (by communicating their intentions in advance) can help matters a lot.

It's inevitable that comparisons are made, but I think it's a bit unfair to do so. This decision does indeed seem rather misguided, and goes directly against their own customer charter, where they specifically mention having an instalment plan. There must be a reason for the decision and I would like to hear more from the club before I comment too much further, but on the face of it, it is at best, very unhelpful to a lot of fans. Agreed, although that sounds to me like the slightly naive answer of one employee rather than any kind of composed response. If I were the staff, to be quite honest, I would be rather annoyed at having to deal with things without more background info or some kind of statement to send out because I would *know* that these kind of enquiries would be coming in. All in all, this is not going to encourage new ST holders, and will put off some existing ones, some through financial necessity. I personally agree with the mantra of operating without any debt, (and have been working towards it for the last 7 years!) but to do so with regard to ST's at such short notice is far from ideal. This could and should've been communicated much better IMO. As a result, it seems my thoughts about getting a ST have been extinguished, along with many others.

More on Monday... takes awhile to go through over 1000 pics!

He's also on twitter and reads out emails sent in, so probably uses that for those too.