alehouseboys

Unfortunately, St Mary's is a walk in the park for visiting teams, away fans and refs. Too polite, too quiet and other than a couple of small pockets of fans tucked up in the corners not the type of crowd to intimidate and sway decisions. Sad but away fans (particularly with the big clubs) rule at SMS.

How many did we take for Chelsea (hopefully full whack at £20 a pop)? This sold out a month before the fixture in Jan.

You never really know what 'sold out' means with us, when we recently went to Cardiff I thought we took the full allocation which sold out a couple of weeks before the match but come the day there was an empty block of seats in the bottom corner behind the goal. When United went there next it was filled. There's little sense in Cardiff not giving them to the away club as they obviously can't sell tickets there to home fans and would just be robbing themselves of a few extra quid. They do hold tickets back for 'staff sales' which are usually released when not taken up.

Scroll down..... https://twitter.com/SouthamptonFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1076552679810310145&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxsportsasia.com%2Ffootball%2Fpremier-league%2F1004249%2Fhasenhuttl-hails-southampton-resilience-in-huddersfield-triumph%2F

That's 3 players who could feasibly be off in a few weeks, as with Gabbi, so better to stick with the stayers if that is the case. And if that is the case, they are players that will raise decent money allowing RH to bring in players he will feel fits his philosophy. Hopeful but not complacent about the trip to Huddersfield.

ST Holders have up to Tuesday evening to get cheap tickets for £12.50, after that £17.50. £7.50 for U18s/Over 65s. https://southamptonfc.com/matches/2018-19/fa-cup/derby-v-saints-2019-01-05/ticket-info

Good early prices for this - £12.50 for Adult ST Holders (£7.50 for U18s/seniors) up to 19th Dec and then rise (for all) to £17.50. Taken an "initial" (probably enough) 3,100 allocation. https://southamptonfc.com/matches/2018-19/fa-cup/derby-v-saints-2019-01-05/ticket-info

The most sensible and only most-likely-to-happen-solution but even this would upset long-standing (sitting!) Chapel ST holders. The club would have to risk upsetting them while making the Chapel attractive to encourage a younger, more lively type of fan. Change the name, add more bars, make it known that any future safe-standing will be at this end. They can't openly encourage it but they can advise that standing is more likely in this area and show more toleration. Why our fans are so adamant about standing next to away fans, it's only the ones standing right next to them that can snarl and make hand gestures. We must have some of the least intimidating fans in the PL, what they think they're proving is bemusing. Most crowds with a reputation tend to have an 'end' opposite the visitors, Cardiff a good recent example. Move the away fans, the same spotty-15-year-olds will just try and follow.

TBF, I'm sure most of the players feel the same about our dopey quiet fans. No excuse for being sh*te though.

I'm thinking 'fake news'. But.....if any of them grizzle at any new training regime then they quickly need to be reminded that the average fan will need to work 40 hours+ for THREE YEARS to earn what an average under-performing SFC first team player earns in ONE WEEK. To play football.

OWTSzzzzzzzzz This game 'sold out' to Saints fans a couple of weeks back, what's with that mostly empty block behind the goal?

Just noticed this has sold out quite quickly again. Near 3,000 making the trip, despite everything, the away support is remaining strong. Good turn-out at Leicester in the cup last night too.

Strange, one minute you want to be seen as a bit of an hard case, the next a simple old bumpkin.

fookin 'ell. Some of our 'fans'.

F'kin obscene. Again. If they insist, just take a £1m each off the 'Big 5'.

Didn't they change their home game pre-match routine this season, meeting up at a hotel and all arriving at the stadium together on the coach? That worked well, wonder if that's another change for this weekend? Scoring/winning will be the most welcome change.

https://southamptonfc.com/news/2018-11-09/pl-cup-live-southampton-newcastle-united Currently one up.

But "not in England", could have been a red herring but more likely not.

"Manager"? I think you mean "Head Coach", Les is the 'manager'. It's the 'Southampton Way', we're a progressive club like that.

Probably unlikely but https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/former-celtic-boss-gordon-strachan-13534787 Certainly wouldn't be the solution for me and maybe seen as another 'dinosaur' for the 'modern' game. He just falls into the Hughes/BFS/Warnock/Bruce category.

...and don't forget "5 pledges"...the "5 pledges"... 2005 revisited, hold tight.

Just basic assumptions, my new 'Big 5' based simply on the biggest clubs (biggest attendances and so biggest budgets without the astronomical TV deals that will halt eventually) currently in the PL or, with Leeds, on the edge. That could be different in 3 years time but they are the clubs that will just get bigger once the real big boys have f'ked off. Of course, Villa and Sheff Wed could get back and be big hitters as everything changes and strong clubs I put in our bracket, Forest, Derby, 'Boro, etc. would likely benefit too.

To a degree but many seem to want to come to the Premier League 'experience' right now and I'm sure there's more to be had with the TV money sloshing around, that won't be the case when they're all the the same league together levelling the playing field.

This has been inevitable for years now. Traditional supporters of the English clubs will hate it, going away every other weekend is a way of life, the new generation will probably love it. And how will our 'Big 5' cope when they're suddenly an 'average' club in that league? And when the top players suddenly have the choice of Barcelona, Madrid, Milan or Paris rather than Manchester or Liverpool to live as obscene wages will be offered everywhere, where will they choose? The Mancs and Scousers will likely be regularly battling it out at the foot of the table. Problem for us is Tottenham, West Ham, Everton, Newcastle and Leeds will then become the new 'Big 5' over here and hoover up the best players, leaving the rest of us in a similar, albeit slightly improved, position to now. It would be far more enjoyable though.

If anyone wants to buy P4 https://www.eticketing.co.uk/fulhamfc/EDP/Event/Index/945 All other 'neutral' blocks are just about sold out, probably a lot of Saints already in those.