Guided Missile

I contend that my idea is a better one than Pompey's current brainwave: In October 2007, Portsmouth F.C. announced plans to build a 36,000 seat football stadium on the south-east corner of Horsea Island, near to the M275 motorway. Proposed stadium site looking north The proposed new stadium at Horsea Island is planned for completion in 2011. Serious logistical problems, notably the paucity of access by road and rail (the nearest railway station, Cosham, is 6 km away), need to be addressed by plans yet to be made public, but indications are that two new junctions are to be constructed off the M275 as access to the new stadium which will also facilitate development of the nearby Stamshaw area. A railway station at Wymering has also been proposed, but this would still be 3 km away from the proposed stadium. There are question marks over the proposed housing development essential to help fund the stadium. The original schematic plan published in The News when the stadium proposal was revealed clearly showed housing south of the lake impinging on the western end of the SSSI, which if correct would be a serious obstacle to planning permission. However, the most fundamental problem is the site's vulnerability to flooding. Less than 1 m above sea level, part of the site is already regularly inundated by sea water on spring tides. Moreover, in a study led by the US National Center for Atmospheric Research, sea levels are predicted to rise six metres by 2100 which, if correct, would see Horsea, like the Maldive Islands, submerged before 2040.

If this happened, I'd go and watch football at St. Mary's every Saturday, TBH...

Not a real problem. St. Mary's is sold to a property holding company, which holds two long term leases to each club. On the back of the value of these leases, which are related to the attendance figures, the property holding company finances the stadium expansion to hold 42,500 and builds a railway station next to the ground with regular services to London, Portsmouth and Bournemouth on match days. The holding company benefits from concession sales and stadium events such as an Abba reunion and both clubs are insulated from the capital cost of the stadium and the chance of administration, as you can't be put into administration by the landlord and your expenditure is related to the attendance, ie less for Saints, more for Pompey.

Have you ever been to Milan? The traffic and transportation issues in that city are 10 times worse than getting from Pompey to Southampton.

If Fratton was a venue like St. Marys and the alternative was Saints going out of business, I could live with the 30 minute train ride. Christ, most London fans have far further to go to see their local team. A mate of mine lives in Burridge and is a ST holder at Stamford Bridge. I have two words, to finish on....San Siro

It'll be too late then, that's the problem....

I see Liverpool have postponed their new ground for the foreseeable future, AKA "It will never happen"

...someone from SLH, please sit down with the Pompey board and discuss this issue, FFS. Surely Fratton Park can be sold for housing when the property market recovers, and this will help Pompey. Renting St. Mary's to Pompey for their home games will also help us. Increased matchday income all round and both clubs will stand a far better chance of surviving the economies of football and yet....I have a feeling this eminently sensible solution to the financial problem facing both clubs will die at the feet of knuckle dragging, rabid, shortsighted fanatics. Surely if AC and Inter Milan can share grounds, we can. Jeez, for the local derby between our clubs we would sell 45,000 tickets, more than paying for the added security. In fact, a lot of people from the M27 corridor from Chichester to Bournemouth, from the M3 corridor from Southampton to Basingstoke would go every week to see both teams. 45,000 capacity would be needed...and we may even end up with both clubs dominating the Premiership. Who knows?

Elvis Presley may make the club re-open the corners...Elton John and they'd close the Chapel...

I would give Rupert Lowe £10K to ban them for life...

He lives just outside Guildford, to be fair...

Steve, you are allowed to moan as much as you want. The reason is that as you have lost all the credibility you ever had, as a former leader of the pack (brrrm brrrm), via your ill fated and grubby involvement with Wilde's organ, AKA the Saints Trust, any reader is likely to take the opposite view to you, thus raising morale and confidence.

I've read your posts, Gordon and they are f***ing boring. And what is it about the "racial inference" sh!te? Are you totally mental or did you miss the "best batsman that ever played for Hampshire inference" (Greenidge without the r). Now, as most readers will tell, having taken advantage of a happy two hour in my hotel, I will depart to the restaurant, wishing you all good night, or, as our scouse chairman would put it, COYR...

You and I are allowed to say what the f*** we want about the club because we pay a "moaners offset" fee when we bought our ST. It's like a "carbon offset" without the tax breaks...

To be honest, I'm more concerned how sh!te your posts are. FFS try and contribute something more entertaining to this forum, Gordon. No one really gives a sh!t how often you attend games, just how interesting your posts are and take it from me, you're more boring than Alpine and that's saying something....

I'm between appointments. Just off to have an Indian, if you know what I mean...

Now check this IP address out, you IP sleuth. Should be close the Le Meridian Hotel, Mumbai, Room 512....

I know what you're trying to say, so what I'll do is logoff my VPN and logon via the hotels network, then you can have another look at the IP address....

Didn't think it would take long for a bitter post from an expat...shouldn't be long for Alpine to logon on to tell us how cr&p Saints are and how good Austria is. You must have totally gone native by now offix. Can't wait for your informed view on things in Southampton, not that it counts for sh!t... Our city is built on trade and enterprise....your adopted city, on whores and gambling... Can't wait for the response...along the lines of "Working for the Yankee Dollar", my favourite Skids track: "And all flags and Yankee mags which embroidered all the meaning In an oversight, forgot the fight, which never bore elation Yankee, to war Yankee, head high, Yankee, in call Yankee, we cry. Working for the Yankee Dollar Working for the Yankee Dollar"

Luckily they have air travel from India now, which means I will be able to make the Reading game. You must be thinking of the P & O Steamers into Southampton...they got rid of those a couple of years before they built Ocean Village...

Here I am, in Mumbai, defending the English cricket team versus India and you know what? I feel a pride, a connection, a shared set of values and a common love of a great game, with my Indian hosts. Would I refuse to attend the next England game in India because they are 2:0 down in the series? Would I feel ashamed that they lost to a better side, despite a fighting inninings from Freddie Flintoff? Would I tell my Indian hosts that I have stopped supporting the English cricket team because they are losing and I don't agree with the ECB and their selection policies? Would I f***. The fact that I support my national team, whatever the success or otherwise of the squad, is not questioned by my Indian hosts. All they will say is how exciting the next game will be, how they are looking forward to seeing Pieterson and Flintoff. How they love the game and respect the skill and talent of both sides. Why should it be any different with Saints? The way we are losing at the moment provides no shame to me, when I discuss the club with any other supporter. No true fan questions whether or not I should support the team I love. Fans of other clubs would have no problem with the question of why I continue to support the team that represents the city of my birth. Certainly not my Manchester City supporting mate who well remembers the season in Division One, when he made the trek away to Macclesfield. Simple question, really. Would you stop supporting England, in football, in cricket or in a World War, because they happened to be going through a sticky patch? No true patriot would question the FA, the ECB or the Government of the day, to determine whether they would stand beside their fellow man in support of their "team". Nor would any true Saints fan. In short, get down to St. Mary's, spend your hard earned money, cry COYR for team, city and fellow supporter... ...and get a f***ing grip... Supporter: A person who attends games involving his team, spends money that assists his team, or, failing that, raises the morale of the team or it's supporters that are able to attend games involving their team or spends money that assists their team. Non-Supporter: A person who doesn't attend games involving his team, doesn't spend money that assists his team, or lowers the morale of team or it's supporters able to attend games involving his team or spends money that assists their team.

Companies incur late filing penalties under civil law. Failure to pay a late filing penalty can result in a County Court judgment (or Sheriff Court decree) against the company. Failure to file accounts is a separate, criminal offence which can result in directors themselves being fined on conviction in the criminal courts.

Wilde criticising the way the club is run is like my bank manager complaining about my level of borrowing and the value of my assets. I am reminded of this old post of mine about the biggest bullsh!tter ever to be chairman of a football club, since Michael Knighton. I haven't a clue what Wilde is personally worth, but it seems to have come mainly from bleeding the company he runs. What we are left with is a company, in my opinion, with high gearing, large debts and interest payments of over £500K a year. With the low level of net assets, due, for instance, to the withdrawal of £1.8M in dividends against £1.5M in net profits over the two years, 2003-2004, Merlion seems to be very susceptible to any increase in interest rates and downturn in the property market. How does this affect Saints you may wonder? Well let's imagine Wilde has bled £5M from Merlion over 5 years. He punts a couple of million in Saints shares to satisfy his ego and very poor investment judgement. Interest rates go up a couple of percent, property sales dip and all of a sudden, Merlion can't service the £500K a year in interest to service their debt. The banks look to the shareholders or they will call in the loans and he either has to sell his Saints shares or let Merlion go to the wall. With potential personal guarantees, things are looking grim and the last thing him and people like Patrick Trant, also involved in building, want to do is invest further money in a Championship football club that is going nowhere. I'm not saying this will happen and I am sure Wilde understands the risks of running a company like Merlion plc. I am also sure that I would not like him running Southampton Leisure plc in the way he seems to be running Merlion plc. For that reason, if he wins the EGM, I will be selling my shares PDQ and will certainly not be providing any more money in the form of a rights issue. If I was any of the people that he is throwing stones at, I'd ask him why Merlion Group have failed to submit accounts for 2006, that were due on the 31st October, 2007 and have yet to be filed. It is probably not because the financial performance of the company that forms the basis of his wealth are doing well, is it?

IF you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!' If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, ' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch, if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Sorry, Alpine, you're right. You emigrated because you couldn't hack it here and your wife wanted to be closer to her mother. Now shut up and do the dishes...