Sour Mash

Will you will be with me when we march on St Mary's in September 2012 demanding to know why we aren't in a Champions League Qualifying position yet? I'm expecting world class from Saints from now on in, if that's not what I get I'm blaming you.

That all sounds great and I'm sure it'll get some people over-excited, but we're still a long, long way from that happening. There are bigger, better resourced clubs than us that have struggled to establish themselves in the top half of the prem or qualify for the Champs League. Saints fans should know by now how much can change in a few years, no point speculating about years away, just look forward to this coming season and see how that pans out.

Looks like e played a fair bit in France during his career, so could well have a lot of contacts over there. Can't think of too many outstanding foreign signings for Liverpool in the period he was there, maybe that's why he moved on?

Thank f**k we have a few bods on here like you to show up the absolute s**te that so many others post up.

Yep, bit off topic, but we put in some excellent footballing performances at times that season, were just no-way physically or mentally strong enough to compete week in, week out in the Championship.

Yeah, I thought it was a strange way to finish the piece, not in keeping with the rest of his quotes about our ambition.

Sounds excellent. I'm happy to knock Cortese when I think he's done something wrong, so I'm more than happy to say well done at stuff like this. Just hope the end product meets the hype that these kind of statements create. Also a bit surprised that he's been so open in these statements, highlighting how wealthy we are and stating that Chamberlain is likely to be off.............

Maybe, maybe not. Think there must be scope to do a lager, a cider and a decent ale. Depends how much the club want to develop what they offer, or keep it basic, tried and trusted churning out the same stuff. Things like keeping the Itchen South concourse open after games suggested the club were looking at a few different approaches.

Because they'd rather drink real ale than lager or cider?

What are you planning on doing at the airport? Let them enjoy a holiday in peace!

I don't always have a beer at half-time, but its not really 15 mins without a beer is it? Lets say you leave the pub at 2.45 and get back at 5pm, that's over two hours without one, if you're doing a day out on the beer (like many do at a game), a cheeky half-time pint doesn't do any harm. Plus its potentially a massive money maker for the club....

In all fairness, I really can't see that being the case.

Oh and if a fan was to miss "half a dozen" games the club would still be making more out of them paying match by match than as a season ticket holder.

Because if they were to significantly raise the price of a season ticket to a cost that the majority of long-term season ticket holders would find off-putting they would have to put it up to such a high amount it would cause a real fuss. Much easier/cleverer just letting the matter drift, come out with a few lame excuses for not contiuing the installment plan etc. I'm not having a go at Cortese for this, I think it's really good business sense, Saints must have made a load of money this season with the high amounts paying for one-off games and as a season ticket holder I got a good deal (plus the less people with season tickets, the better it is for those of us that do when it comes to prioritising for popular away games!).

20:00 every night. I would personally recomment a visit to Ypres, well worth a day there.

Not really. All the season ticket holders that I know pretty much do every game or at least their season ticket is used every game. The club would make more money from a fan doing say 18 games at £25 a match than they would from that fan being a season ticket holder. Or if you know better than us, please explain why we have FAR less promotion of season tickets than any other clubs?

That's what ticket touts do...............

This is definitely a good idea and would benefit everyone in the long-run.

Think its a good idea and would work in addition to season tickets and not in place of them. Would take loads of investment to get it up and running though.

But there are a number of ways around all that. Why not have figures/prices waiting to go so that at the final whistle after the Walsall game they could have done a big promotion then, they'd have know at least from the Plymouth game (if not before) that we were up, really cashed in on the buzz around the city and the club. Wouldn't have been to much of a risk to prepare that.

Yep, definitely reckon that is part of it as well, we're now as desperate for and reliant on getting as much money up front as possible. And yes, goes without saying that after promotion and a great finish to the season we'll sell plenty of season tickets anyway. I just think we could do more. Hopefully I'm proved wrong.

Braga v Porto. Hence the not so huge deman for tickets I guess......................

^ This. Plus hang around for the playing of the "Last Post" at the Menin Gate.

We're sort of in agreement, as I definitely agree that NC is not financially naive, I don't doubt he's pretty shrewd. And that's my point, he has worked out, that for a successful promotion chasing, match winning side, where demand for attending games is very high, that getting people paying match by match full whack, plus booking fee makes the club more money than season tickets. There will alsways be a hadcore that ensure they get their season tickets no matter what, but there are a fair few thousand floating between getting a season ticket or just sticking to paying match by match and it is these people that the policies effect. I hope I am proved wrong and we get a great package of deals for people to stump and commit to filling St Marys for the whole of next season.

Because by stopping season tickets all together would kick up far too much of a fuss amongst Saints core fanbase. Its not about stopping all season tickets, but their preference is clearly towards pushing towards paying on the day/game by game, as it seems to make the club more money. There are a fair few who might get a season ticket/might not, depending on easy it is, how much available cash they have at the time. These are the people who have been discouraged and will be paying on a match by match basis, supposedly making the club more money. Surely you can't deny that last season and so far in this pre-season, the club has not really promoted season tickets, certainly compared to previous years and compared to what the vast majority of other clubs in the country do? - Or would you disagree with that?