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Supporters Group Meeting at St Marys Today. Important News About the Future.


Son of Bob

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It will also be good on TV not seeing any away supporters at the ground.

 

I think the TV angles at the moment put everything in favour of visiting fans both visually and noiseways - tucking them away in the Kingsland/Chapel corner would be a very good move from this perspective.

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A lot of problems would go away if the away fans were kept back for a short while after the game - it happens elsewhere.

 

Not rocket science is it? I've lost count of the times its happened to me - so much so that I fully expect it and am surprised when we are let out at the end of a game the same time as the Home fans.

 

As to the alternative of the Chapel - why? What good reason is there to change it? The disruption it would cause to those still wishing to be close to the away fans (for whatever reason ;)) will be matched by those that want to get away from them. Also how would they intend to move large numbers of away fans that have come by train (Millwall for instance or maybe next season Cardiff)? They would need to come all the way around the ground through and past Saints fans - sounds like chaos to me. I just can't see it flying myself.

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Sorry disagree, majority of Saints fans have always wanted an end so to speak of which was theirs there arn't many clubs who have both sets of fans right next to each other.

Would of thought that the Itchen/ Chapel corner would of been a better idea for the coaches though, but thank you Nicola for listening to the fans, something our last supremo would never of done.

 

Ps I'm one of the boring ST farts in the Kingsland by the way

 

 

No we haven't.

For the final years at the Dell we have the Archers road stand which was next to the away fans to our left. We also have some vocal support in the lower east.

 

When the move occured to st marys the archers moved to the Northam and quite a few from Lower East moved to the Itchen corner.

 

that is how it worked with fans doing what they wanted, not through club organisation etc.

the idea of creating an end doesn't work, it could have been the chapel but people chose not to go there.

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Moving the away fans to the Kingsland/Chapel corner would affect the bus shuttle services, as anyone sitting in the Kingsland would have to walk all the way around the stadium to get to them.

If the away fans were moved to the Northam end of the Kingsland it would open up the possibility of getting a station for that bit of track there to take the away fans to Soton Central where they can either get straight on their train or meet their coaches in the car park.

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Good idea's IMO..1) Away fans in the corner not on mass behind a goal. 2) The block next to them not being available for season tickets- why move to the chapel if you are not direct next door- according to some above? 3) The northam becoming bigger encouraging more singing, hopefully keeping the atmosphere but loosing the idiot eliment who go to sit next to and wind up the away fans!

Why can you not have banter if you can't see the whites of their eyes? Surely If you use words and whit etc you don't need to be next to someone..unless you haven't got any whit and resort have to to physical gestures and swearing?

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I thought the away fans were put in the Northam corner of the stadium after consultation with the police, unless they park the away coaches in the industrial estate I would be surprised if the police would be that happy about moving the away fans.

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some of us old boys chose that bit of the chapel to get away from our past and leave it up to the younger generations to make noise and wind up the oppenents fans.

I will be chatting to Messers Jewitt, Wilson and Co,. on saturday as to how they feel about being right back in the mix.

personally i will move my seat because i cannot stand for a whole game these days and , no matter what the idealists think the Chapel corner will attract those looking to cause grief with the away supporters

 

 

Mike I'm sure Stevie, Pete & Co will think the same as you, I know I do.

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So season ticket holders like myself' date=' Toomer and co who sit in Block 20 will have to move?[/quote']

 

If we have to Mike we will have to get together and make sure we get close together, as it is nice to see some proper old boys from the day for a chat.:)

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If that is the case then I urge you Nicola to reconsider these plans. The away fans NEED to be close to the home fans because it creates the atmosphere. By all means change the current arrangement but please look at other ways to achieve what you are looking for. No one would complain if we could get one big Kop end next to the away fans. That is what I believe the majority would like if change was to happen.

 

Totally agree with hypo.

 

I think it's a breath of fresh air that we are actually being asked what we think, rather than poor decisions being made without any input from fans.

 

However Moving away fans right down the other end of the ground will just upset people throughout the whole ground.

 

Most of the noise comes from people near the away fans 'because' they are near the away fans. Move the away fans, the noisy home fans will just move.

 

An argument mentioned is that a lot of people who make the noise will stay in the Northam. Personally I don't think that will be the case, but for arguments sake let's say that were to happen, you would actually be moving away fans to a location where they could create their own noise without us noisy home fans being able to drown them out.

 

In theory you could potentially be giving the away fans an advantage by moving them away from us.

 

 

Give us the whole of the Northam, but keep the away fans at that end of the ground on either one of the sides please. :)

 

Thanks Nicola, love you. :smt058

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pah' seems like a stupid idea to me, i for one will just move up to where the away fans are. That's part of the fun of the game, taking the **** and seeing the reactions of the away support during the game.

 

I mean take our up coming game against the skates, i bet you anything the most noisy will want to be next to them just to rub it in.

 

Really, really disappointed by the idea if i'm being honest since it doesn't help anyone.

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pah' seems like a stupid idea to me, i for one will just move up to where the away fans are. That's part of the fun of the game, taking the **** and seeing the reactions of the away support during the game.

 

I mean take our up coming game against the skates, i bet you anything the most noisy will want to be next to them just to rub it in.

 

Really, really disappointed by the idea if i'm being honest since it doesn't help anyone.

 

Nothings confirmed mate, read it properly they will be doing a poll on the OS. If enough people suggest moving them to the Northam end of the Kingsland, they will seriously consider it.

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I don't think the police will approve these plans. They will want the away supporters to be ushered in and out of the ground and to their coaches and to the railway station without passing through home supporters.

 

If away supporters are in the Chapel/Kingsland corner they will have to walk the whole length of Kingsland to get to the Northam Road Bridge, mingling with home Kingsland and Northam corner supporters who will otherwise have to remain in the ground until they have dispersed, which also means The Dell Club will not be accessable immediately after the match.

 

It is a recipe for clashes.

 

Extra Security and policing costs will be exorbitant.

 

There is no alternative to present arrangements.

 

(But well done for consulting fans)

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Interesting idea with the 'kop end'. Something that this club has lacked since it's days at The Dell imo. Also like the idea of the swipe card system ala Oyster. Looks like the guys we've got at the helm of this club are really prepared to take us to the next level and beyond!

 

COYR!

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A lot of supporters in the Northam like being next to the away fans because of the added atmosphere,so if we are given the whole of that end,then im not so sure the Northam will be full of those who want to sing.Also those who dont want to be next to the away fans will also want to move,so i think the loud support we have may become fragmented.

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Exactly. Why do they think the northam end became the noisiest one in the first place? Supporters went there when St Mary's opened *because* it was next to the away fans. Moving away fans will just move home fans too.

 

If away fans are moved to the chapel/kingsland it will upset a lot of the ST holders in the Kingsland (and say what you like about the kingsland, I reckon it is where the majority of ST holders sit) Boring old farts like me, with a ST currently in Kingsland South, will not want to be next to the away fans, especially as seats around me will gradually fill up with younger, noisier fans who will want to stand throughout the game, blocking my view or forcing me to stand too etc.

 

Eventual result -- Chapel/ Kingsland South become as the Northam and Itchen North are now. No net change, no solid end of home singing support, just a lot of loyal fans upset.

 

Meanwhile the police control room/viewing point above the current away fans would need to be moved (HOW?) and the arrangements for away coaches changed. Where would they park? There's far less room near the kingsland than there is by the northam.

 

Away fans will be further from the station, making it harder for the police to control and shepherd away any large stroppy groups if there is troub;le.

 

I'm sorry. It sounds lke a really half-baked idea to me, with little understanding of how English football crowds work.

 

K.

 

Agree with all of this

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i stand in block 42 for the atmosphere and i see the arguments that moving the away fans may mean most of the noisy fans will move to be next to them again,

i used to sit in the kingsland north and you could hear both sets of fans (the itchen north looked like they were enjoying themselves but you could hardly ever hear them), then one time i sat in the middle of the kingsland just south of the halfway line ( good view but the moaning was unbearable, never again), it was against leeds when we relegated them from the championship, leeds had ,as always, taken all of their allocation, you could see the northam was singing but you couldnt hear them, the north itchen might well not have been there, all you could hear was leeds. i think the away fans should be put in the north kingsland, fill the northam and make more noise than them. the way it has been set up the away fans have the ability to make more noise than the home fans and often do. this idea of surrounding them on both sides might seem good when you are in that part of the ground but trust me at the other end all you can hear is the away fans unless you are all singing the same song.

hope you can work out what im trying to say

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i stand in block 42 for the atmosphere and i see the arguments that moving the away fans may mean most of the noisy fans will move to be next to them again,

i used to sit in the kingsland north and you could hear both sets of fans (the itchen north looked like they were enjoying themselves but you could hardly ever hear them), then one time i sat in the middle of the kingsland just south of the halfway line ( good view but the moaning was unbearable, never again), it was against leeds when we relegated them from the championship, leeds had ,as always, taken all of their allocation, you could see the northam was singing but you couldnt hear them, the north itchen might well not have been there, all you could hear was leeds. i think the away fans should be put in the north kingsland, fill the northam and make more noise than them. the way it has been set up the away fans have the ability to make more noise than the home fans and often do. this idea of surrounding them on both sides might seem good when you are in that part of the ground but trust me at the other end all you can hear is the away fans unless you are all singing the same song.

hope you can work out what im trying to say

 

Leeds were already in league one, when we played them at Elland Road it was the first time we had played them in the league for a good few years.

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Leeds were already in league one, when we played them at Elland Road it was the first time we had played them in the league for a good few years.

 

think you misunderstood what i said. we played them twice at st mary,s in the championship. the first we lost 4-3 the 2nd time ( the 1 i was talking about) i think we won 1-0 meaning they were relagated, and the next week they went into administration so the FL then changed the rules on administration thus hitting us for 10 points this season not last

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think you misunderstood what i said. we played them twice at st mary,s in the championship. the first we lost 4-3 the 2nd time ( the 1 i was talking about) i think we won 1-0 meaning they were relagated, and the next week they went into administration so the FL then changed the rules on administration thus hitting us for 10 points this season not last

 

Sorry should always read a second time, mind you they were loud back in the 70s.

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Sorry should always read a second time, mind you they were loud back in the 70s.

 

but thats what i mean, to make more noise and out sing 3000 loud away fans we are gonna need more than 2000 1 side of them and 1000 the other side, but if we could have the northam full of noisy saints fans all singing the same song they can make all the noise they like you just wont hear them, especially if they are next to us in the kingsland north.

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i stand in block 42 for the atmosphere and i see the arguments that moving the away fans may mean most of the noisy fans will move to be next to them again,

i used to sit in the kingsland north and you could hear both sets of fans (the itchen north looked like they were enjoying themselves but you could hardly ever hear them), then one time i sat in the middle of the kingsland just south of the halfway line ( good view but the moaning was unbearable, never again), it was against leeds when we relegated them from the championship, leeds had ,as always, taken all of their allocation, you could see the northam was singing but you couldnt hear them, the north itchen might well not have been there, all you could hear was leeds. i think the away fans should be put in the north kingsland, fill the northam and make more noise than them. the way it has been set up the away fans have the ability to make more noise than the home fans and often do. this idea of surrounding them on both sides might seem good when you are in that part of the ground but trust me at the other end all you can hear is the away fans unless you are all singing the same song.

hope you can work out what im trying to say

 

I concur with this. Was in the corporates on Boxing Day and could only hear the Exeter fans, which seeing I was sat only yards from ML and NC, is probably what sparked the debate in the first place.

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I like the idea of putting the away fans in the Chapel/Kingsland corner as long as it really is the corner, not like it is now which is half an end nearly.

 

But I trust that the powers that be realise that all the vocal support will debunk down to the Chapel on one side of the visitors, and the kingsland on the other.

Which is fine as long as they move the family stand.

 

I give this a cautious thumbs up.

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but thats what i mean, to make more noise and out sing 3000 loud away fans we are gonna need more than 2000 1 side of them and 1000 the other side, but if we could have the northam full of noisy saints fans all singing the same song they can make all the noise they like you just wont hear them, especially if they are next to us in the kingsland north.

 

In theory i agree you. In practice however i don't think it would work. The Itchen North might sing like the Northam but most people are there not because they can't fit into the Northam but because there is a different atmosphere there. You wouldn't have got 10 minutes of 'Knees Up Mother Brown' in the Northam for starters.

My guess is all the Northam will move to the Chapel, and those in the Itchen North will move into the Kingsland South. Simples

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In theory i agree you. In practice however i don't think it would work. The Itchen North might sing like the Northam but most people are there not because they can't fit into the Northam but because there is a different atmosphere there. You wouldn't have got 10 minutes of 'Knees Up Mother Brown' in the Northam for starters.

My guess is all the Northam will move to the Chapel, and those in the Itchen North will move into the Kingsland South. Simples

 

back to square 1 then,

but as i see it now,

1. move away fans to kingsland north'

2. itchen north fans go next to them in kingsland

3, kingsland north fans go into northam

means away fans still surounded but with a bigger, hopefully noisier home end.

 

sorted that 1 for you nicola

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Moving the away fans to that corner I think works well, but if we were to have a future cup game like th pompey game, and a block of the chapel were to be given to the away supporters, how would they go about segregating the away fans in terms of turnsiles and concourse? the Northam was designed so that the concourse and turnstiles could be segregated, I can't see how that would work in the Chapel.

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I vote for:-

 

1, leave away fans where they are

 

2, Re open blocks 1,2 and 3.

 

+1.

 

I don't agree with moving the away fans, the banter with the Northam is what makes the atmosphere good. Leave them where they are and open blocks 1, 2 & 3 as you say. If the club want more Saints fans in the Northam then when we are playing teams with less away following they should make the effort to open up blocks 43 & 44 as home areas.

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Like others I think the it would be cheaper and easier for all involved if they just opened up the Itchen North to Saints fans again.

 

This WILL improve the atmosphere. Guaranteed.

 

The Northam is loud because it is next to the away fans. People sit over in the Chapel/Kingsland corner because they want to be away from all the banter etc. Why change things? Seems a bit mad to me.

 

+1 vote

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Stupid idea. You will just end up ruining the atmosphere because some of the vocal lot in the Northam will just stay where they are, some will go to the Chapel and some will go to the Kingsland. And they will end up sat next to boring old types with their thermos flasks and blankets who also refuse to move.

 

If you're going to give them a corner just shift them round where they are now to the Northam/Itchen.

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I thought the away fans were put in the Northam corner of the stadium after consultation with the police, unless they park the away coaches in the industrial estate I would be surprised if the police would be that happy about moving the away fans.

Wouldn't worry too much about the police. If they don't like it NC will ban them from the ground :)

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Northam becoming are kop, i do hope so this season when there has been big attendences hasnt been as aloud as it normally is, so hopefully with this move will create a good atsmophere, also liking the vison the club sounds like it has and that they want fans involed and better matchday food and drink.

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Well I remember being 3-0 up against Leeds at half time and then the amazing Leeds support literally sucking the ball into the net 4 times in the 2nd half!

Definitely a great idea to move the away fans.

As already suggested, move away fans to Kingsland/notham corner for a number of reasons:

 

1. Close to the bridge and road for away fans to be escorted to and from ground.

2. northam don't really need to move much.

3. Itchen North can move to Kingsland North /halfway.

4. Banter and noise from both sides of away fans - plus massive vocal support behind 1 goal.

5. On TV it will look like we have a half decent support. Ironic that on TV you see the away fans in the Northam, a half full Itchen and Chapel; yet we fill the Saints bit of Northam and the Kingsland - the only 2 stands you can't see on TV. Sends a message to kids/part time fans that there isn't an awful lot of passion at SMS which obviously isn't true.

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With a large proportion of fans in the kingsland being season ticket holders I dont think they would want to move. I chose the Kingsland so I could have a good view. but be away from the away fans as like to be able to watch them from afar. I think opening the itchen north would be a good idea. There would be all sorts of problems with moving the away fans down to the old family enclosure and a lot of the fans down there would not be impressed.

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A reintroduction of the membership scheme in in order IMO. I would also have not just linked the sale of the P*mpey tickets to a future game but firstly with a history of purchase (of perhaps 4 games so far) this season ...

 

gets my vote - as a (mostly) away fan, i'm waiting until away tickets are on general sale before i can buy them, which is cutting it fine with the postal service. the sooner they reintroduce the membership scheme the better.

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So if i understand this correctly myself and my 2 young kids and their Grandfather, and my mates who also take their kids, will have to move on mass from the chapel, The stand we have been in since the ground opened, just so the away fans can be moved there to create a noisy northam end? Do they really think that 75% of that northam noise won't in turn move to the other end of the ground to be next to the away fans? thus making the whole plan pointless, How do they plan to move the dozen or so people that we have become friends with that sit close to us and have done since St Mary's opened, taking away another good reason why we sit where we do, it will be like starting all over again, I lost touch with many people from The Dell that i sat next to for years.

Then after the game we will get to battle our way back through those away fans to go home, as we walk back to Woolston, another good reason why we sit in that end in the first place.

The only thing this will do is soften the atmosphere even further, just like it did in the first season at St Mary's while people work out where they want to sit all over again.

 

Just open up the bloody itchen corner again, closing it is what killed off the noise in the first place, that way you don't have to pi** the rest of us off to get the atmosphere back, its not that hard...

 

ok rant over. lol

Edited by Rogerfryisalegend
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Too many changes required to make this happen, police won't agree to it as any change means too much mingling of fans:

 

1. Britannia Road is the best place to park the away coaches, not easy to get in/out of the industrial estate on matchdays and its all private land so the club would need to lease it.

 

2. The ticket office for away collections is right next to the away section

 

3. Easy to close the car park as they do now and split the fans at the end of the game

 

Northam/Kingsland corner is a possibility but unless you kept the away fans in for the more tasty encounters you'd have to deny all Saints fans access to the bridge, unless a second bridge is put over the railway line direct into Golden Grove.

 

To put away fans in the Chapel you'd need a ticket office down there and you're sending them in the wrong direction at the end of the game (away from the station and away from Northam Road)

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Hoping someone can answer a question of mine in regards to the database. I went to 7 Matches when I was over last season, havn't been this season due to being in Australia. I am desperate for a ticket to this game and will buy a Walsall ticket even though I won't be able to attend. Can I book via phone? I was hoping the sale dates would be earlier so I could get my flight organised.

Any help would be greatly appreciated..

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Could I just add at this point that it was made clear that this thread will be looked at by the powers that be at St Marys. If you want to have your say or put any ideas forward they will be read.

 

Thanks for that heads up.

 

I have always wondered why the Dell club needs you to have a membership to enter?

 

Surely allowing ST holders in would be ok?

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For my sins I have sat in the chapel and from there the northam doesn't look or sound as impressive as you northam boys think,tbh it just looks like a bunch of kids not being able to get their act together when singing a bunch of unimaginative songs......it ain't no archers in it's heyday.

Moving the away fans to allow a wall of sound in the northam is just a smokescreen,IMO it is all about tighter control of the away fans probably suggested by the old bill.the club will try and sell you a line about the northam being the best place to sit just to encourage fans not to move,they see the chapel and kingsland as being passive towards away fans,so less problems,resulting in a reduced police and steward presence.

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Having read the whole thread again my views are:

 

1. Keep the away fans where they are & make more effort of opening up blocks 43 & 44 when the away following is small.

2. Open up blocks 1,2 & 3 again.

3. Make the concourses more user friendly, food & drink better. Better TV's in the concourses would be nice with a few showing the game & others showing soccer saturday at the same time would be good too. Also like they already have with the beer & pie only bar at the moment, just have a bar for alcohol only, no food or anything else.

4. Either open up the dell supporters bar to all home fans or atleast STH's.

 

Away from the match day experience stuff I'd also like to see STH's given more bonuses & discounts. The only discount currently availabe from the club shops is 10% of a new shirt I believe. 10% off all the time on any product would be more appropriate imo.

 

I like the fact the club have been giving STH's discounts on cup tickets this season but this could go further too. Schemes such as using a certain match for an STH to be able to bring a friend a long for a cut price, say a tenner. Not benefiting the STH directly but helping to get more people in the ground & hopefully encouraging them to come back in the future.

 

Quite like the token idea, again with this STH's could be rewarded with 20 quid free on the token when buying their ST.

 

Btw Son of Bob, just out of interest how did you get invited to this meeting?

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