Cortese...

[Frank's cousin]

A couple of musings...

 

1. Cortese a legend? No. That comes with time as others have pointed out

2. Whinging about 'ticket tax' etc - Sorry, this is stupid, the club sets a budget and generates income to meet its financial commitments and contractual obligations. We all know that in the NPC abot 85% of this will need to come from fans pockets - whetehr that is through a single revenue stream or multiple makes no difference. The fact that its through multiple revenue streams does mean we have a bit more choice, eg do you buy a shirt or not, or how many pies you chose to eat.

 

I am not saying its not expensive, especially during these economic times and as we can see, there are empty seatsat ALL grounds even in the prem these days, but a £600 ST is £11.53 a week, or 3 and 1/2 pints, so if you can afford the beer, you can afford the ST. Sure you may have to make a choice, same as nearly everyone about what you can and can’t afford...sadly that's life.

 

3. But hte ticket tax says the club don’t value its customers or encouraging support from those unable to get an ST? I do not know the business model that NC is operating to, but it’s not difficult to assume that its one that is designed to drive ST sales as much as possible - ST sales give the club cash in the bank up front and support the longer term financial planning, makes sense to me...

 

4. The constant whinging and moaning about NC by some - no one is perfect, and yes in an ideal world there would be nothing to moan about... but put it into perspective against what has been achieved in the last 2 years and it becomes at best a bit self indulgent and selfish, at worst a classic case of 'What have the Roman's ever done for us?'

 

As a result, I suspect that some of those still going on about their little gripes will never be satisfied as their 'worries' are fuelled not by NC's actions but by their own attitudes and beliefs about football club ownership

 

5. Champions league is a lofty ambitions - what is wrong with comparing yourselves to the best? Setting the very highest bench mark in terms of ambition and the rating of success - would those laughing at the suggestion feel happy if NC had said our aim was to be mid table also rans (even if more realistic, hardly inspiring is it?) Sure we will never be a Barcelona, or even a Porto, but nothing wrong in looking at Barca and aiming for a similar model, of developing home grown talent that wants to stay and play – it’s about creating a culture that is appealing to fans, players alike... lofty ambitions that will be challenged by the agents and greedy players alike, but the desire should surely be praised?

 

Personally, I don’t ever believe we will get to the CL. We will never be able to compete financially, and if we were lucky to bring on a crop of youngsters that were of that grade as a group, the best would be lured away to the richer clubs, as nearly all players these days want short cuts to success... funnily enough, I think we could do it if we were in any other league with the exception of Prem, La Liga or Seria A... in Germany for example, you don’t get the same old same old all the time and the reason to me is obvious. Young players STAY at their clubs until around 22 or so, so a club that invests in youth has some luck in their crop can have a successful couple of seasons before the best are poached... Beyer Leverkusen a few years back when they had a 22k capacity ground, Look at Dortmund again just now (yes they have 80k stadium full each week, but remember the ticket price average is about a 3rd of what the PL is)... and that for me is why we won’t make C. Our best will be lured away before they are 18/19, hoovered up by the clubs that are in my opinion afraid of proper competition and a leveler playing field... and a culture in which kids want everything today rather than works and graft and get the riches they deserve when they have actually made a real contribution at a club.

 

6. So in my book, NA will be a legend if we were promoted this year, and we stayed up next season. However, to do that he would need the support of NC, and fans willing to pay their share of that success. As far as I am concerned, NC has already delivered on a great deal and the drive towards a culture that is about WINNING is clear. Sure NC has an attitude that you are either 'with me or against me' but I dare say no one moans about that drive at Man U as seen in Fergie... there its complemented.

[Dig Dig]

/\ great post

[david in sweden]

Stop being such a cnt would be a start.

 

Adkins deserves all the praise.

 

of course NA deserves immense credit, but Cortese stuck his neck out when he sacked Pardew a year ago..and who amongst us would have chosen Nigel as his replacement ? As I recall, he wasn't even on the list as a possible / also ran.

 

A brave decision, but an excellent choice. Yes Cortese deserves credit too..for giving Nigel a chance in the first place.

[100%Red&White]

.....woooaaaohh

Corteesseee woooaaaohh

He comes from Italy, he ****in hates pompey

 

COOOOORRRRRTTEEESSEEEEE....

 

I bet he really appreciates that one. He doesn't bring his kids anymore because of the language from the stands apparently and I'd also bet he's cringing thinking about our fans signing that down the road in December when he's buddying up to the Russian gangsters.

 

Another dumb SMS chant - imo.

[Big John]

I bet he really appreciates that one. He doesn't bring his kids anymore because of the language from the stands apparently and I'd also bet he's cringing thinking about our fans signing that down the road in December when he's buddying up to the Russian gangsters.

 

would people be surprised to discover that there was a meeting (at least one) between the three of them last year i wonder. i dont think they are gangsters btw

[aintforever]

There is no doubt despite a few small mistakes Cortese is doing a great job but only plebs sing the name of a chairman.

 

If we go up it is Adkins and the players that are the heros, Cortese deserves credit for choosing him but Adkins is the talent behind the team doing so well.

 

Cortese is just a businessman trying to make money.

[Dark Munster]

I bet he really appreciates that one. He doesn't bring his kids anymore because of the language from the stands apparently and I'd also bet he's cringing thinking about our fans signing that down the road in December when he's buddying up to the Russian gangsters.

 

Another dumb SMS chant - imo.

 

Source?

[Lord Duckhunter]

There is no doubt despite a few small mistakes Cortese is doing a great job but only plebs sing the name of a chairman.

 

If we go up it is Adkins and the players that are the heros, Cortese deserves credit for choosing him but Adkins is the talent behind the team doing so well.

 

Cortese is just a businessman trying to make money.

 

Spot on.

 

But unlike the other "businessman trying to make money" we had before, he is doing it through making the team better and not trying to reinvent the wheel. Good solid Manager, managing good players with a good back up staff and youth policy.

[pap]

From Ammar Jemal's account on the Internet, he personally caused the collapse of at least one deal during the transfer window. There have been rumblings from other clubs and agents about him being difficult to deal with, or Saints making "derisory offers". That is a potential concern, but we've concluded other deals very professionally.

 

My personal view is that Cortese is Marmite, players/clubs/agents will either love him or hate him. We fans have got to assess him over a longer timeframe. While you could argue that he has been petty ( Echo boycott ), vain ( macho programme cover ), money grabbing ( car parking fiasco ) or downright baffling ( at the time, sacking of Pardew ), he has brought success to the club. I would rightly credit Nigel Adkins for nearly all our success, but at the end of the day, Cortese has to be credited with looking at a field of candidates, including some big names, and saying "Nige is the man".

 

I wish the club would do more to get more people in St. Marys. Kudos to each and every one of you that goes to the home games, but I wish we had more - parts of the stadium look barren. The club could do a lot to help that by reducing prices - surely its better to have 30K paying slightly less than 24K-25K. If they were smart, they would sort out existing season ticket holders with a wee rebate.

 

That said, I think Cortese has done an excellent job. He has made some mistakes so far, but how many of us would fly straight all the time if we suddenly became chairman of a football club that I'm reliably informed is "by far the greatest team, the world has ever seen"?

 

Ain't easy. I would have had dogsh*t through my letterbox and "cock p*ss pap" sprayed on my car in the first week.

Edited 19 September, 2011 by pap
Why is "cock" ok, but not p*ss?

[Charlie Wayman]

Cortese just isn't right for us.

 

He's too big-headed, arrogant and domineering. He won't have a fan's forum because he knows we've got a huge intellectual fanbase who would outsmart him at every turn. He only holds these little dinners for season ticket holders so that he can dominate the weak and get them onside. In fact, this a huge SFC psyops conducted by him but we're only seeing small snippets (car park charges, programme front covers etc).

 

He's dumbing us down, not giving us the full picture and it'll be too late before we piece together all the small jigsaw pieces and realise what's happening to our club. By then, he'll have us paying £20 per game for parking.

 

I've had enough of this - we should have seen the warning signs when he put himself on the cover of the programme. Where is Richard Chorley when you need him?

 

What a load of bull**** this is. Your observations are based on what exactly? have you ever met or even spoken to the guy? What's your effing agenda then? Tit!

[hypochondriac]

From Ammar Jemal's account on the Internet, he personally caused the collapse of at least one deal during the transfer window. There have been rumblings from other clubs and agents about him being difficult to deal with, or Saints making "derisory offers". That is a potential concern, but we've concluded other deals very professionally.

 

My personal view is that Cortese is Marmite, players/clubs/agents will either love him or hate him. We fans have got to assess him over a longer timeframe. While you could argue that he has been petty ( Echo boycott ), vain ( macho programme cover ), money grabbing ( car parking fiasco ) or downright baffling ( at the time, sacking of Pardew ), he has brought success to the club. I would rightly credit Nigel Adkins for nearly all our success, but at the end of the day, Cortese has to be credited with looking at a field of candidates, including some big names, and saying "Nige is the man".

 

I wish the club would do more to get more people in St. Marys. Kudos to each and every one of you that goes to the home games, but I wish we had more - parts of the stadium look barren. The club could do a lot to help that by reducing prices - surely its better to have 30K paying slightly less than 24K-25K. If they were smart, they would sort out existing season ticket holders with a wee rebate.

 

That said, I think Cortese has done an excellent job. He has made some mistakes so far, but how many of us would fly straight all the time if we suddenly became chairman of a football club that I'm reliably informed is "by far the greatest team, the world has ever seen"?

 

Ain't easy. I would have had dogsh*t through my letterbox and "cock p*ss pap" sprayed on my car in the first week.

 

Pretty fair post that. I don't agree with all of it but overall it closely resembles my views. I think the timescale point is very true.

[hypochondriac]

What a load of bull**** this is. Your observations are based on what exactly? have you ever met or even spoken to the guy? What's your effing agenda then? Tit!

 

Lol. Even I find this whooosh moment from the gooner amusing.

[dubai_phil]

would people be surprised to discover that there was a meeting (at least one) between the three of them last year i wonder. i dont think they are gangsters btw

 

hmmm

 

 

 

oh, and no

[RobM]

My personal view is that Cortese is Marmite, players/clubs/agents will either love him or hate him. We fans have got to assess him over a longer timeframe. While you could argue that he has been petty ( Echo boycott ), vain ( macho programme cover ), money grabbing ( car parking fiasco ) or downright baffling ( at the time, sacking of Pardew ), he has brought success to the club. I would rightly credit Nigel Adkins for nearly all our success, but at the end of the day, Cortese has to be credited with looking at a field of candidates, including some big names, and saying "Nige is the man".

 

You could also argue that clubs / agents don't like him because he isn't a typical football man, wont be taken for a mug, wants the very best deal for the club and is prepared to walk away rather than bow down to agents, as far too many others seem willing to do.

 

With the Echo, he showed that a local rag must be responsible in their reporting or else he will deny them their source of information. Pretty fair really, since they were reporting utter B.S. and Cortese has to protect the clubs name and image.

 

The Programme cover was nothing more than a Chairmans update and thoughts being the main story. The person behind the main story - be it player, chairman, manager or kit man - has their face on the front cover. That's no different to any other story. Let's not forget we get very little information out of the club and have historically moaned about it, so let's not be too hard when they give us something.

 

The car parking fiasco really isn't as bad as many make out. There are very, very few free car parks around, even in places you're arriving at to spend money. The charges at SMS are fair and we've always charged for match day parking, so I don't see the big deal in charging away from match days, rather than provide a free car park to all around.

 

The sacking of Pardew turned out to be an extremely wise move, so I don't see how that can be held against him? As you say, he looked at all the options and decided Nige was the man. Seems to have worked well

 

Cortese isn't beyond criticism and shouldn't be free from judgement, but some of the examples you've provided aren't, IMO, something to be critical of. Just a sound businessman making difficult but sensible decisions for his company.

[cadiz saint]

Southampton FC is a business not a benevolent society and as such needs to be run as a business, too many clubs are run at a loss, the ones which will survive in the long run will be the well run clubs living within their means. Cortese seems to be doing this, very successfully so far. COYR

[Wurzel]

Cortese just isn't right for us.

 

He's too big-headed, arrogant and domineering. He won't have a fan's forum because he knows we've got a huge intellectual fanbase who would outsmart him at every turn. He only holds these little dinners for season ticket holders so that he can dominate the weak and get them onside. In fact, this a huge SFC psyops conducted by him but we're only seeing small snippets (car park charges, programme front covers etc).

 

He's dumbing us down, not giving us the full picture and it'll be too late before we piece together all the small jigsaw pieces and realise what's happening to our club. By then, he'll have us paying £20 per game for parking.

 

I've had enough of this - we should have seen the warning signs when he put himself on the cover of the programme. Where is Richard Chorley when you need him?

 

 

What a load of bull**** this is. Your observations are based on what exactly? have you ever met or even spoken to the guy? What's your effing agenda then? Tit!

 

 

And the award for the biggest "Wooosh" of 2011/12 season goes to .....................

[pap]

You could also argue that clubs / agents don't like him because he isn't a typical football man, wont be taken for a mug, wants the very best deal for the club and is prepared to walk away rather than bow down to agents, as far too many others seem willing to do.

 

With the Echo, he showed that a local rag must be responsible in their reporting or else he will deny them their source of information. Pretty fair really, since they were reporting utter B.S. and Cortese has to protect the clubs name and image.

 

The Programme cover was nothing more than a Chairmans update and thoughts being the main story. The person behind the main story - be it player, chairman, manager or kit man - has their face on the front cover. That's no different to any other story. Let's not forget we get very little information out of the club and have historically moaned about it, so let's not be too hard when they give us something.

 

The car parking fiasco really isn't as bad as many make out. There are very, very few free car parks around, even in places you're arriving at to spend money. The charges at SMS are fair and we've always charged for match day parking, so I don't see the big deal in charging away from match days, rather than provide a free car park to all around.

 

The sacking of Pardew turned out to be an extremely wise move, so I don't see how that can be held against him? As you say, he looked at all the options and decided Nige was the man. Seems to have worked well

 

Cortese isn't beyond criticism and shouldn't be free from judgement, but some of the examples you've provided aren't, IMO, something to be critical of. Just a sound businessman making difficult but sensible decisions for his company.

 

Yeah, have to say that I wouldn't necessarily level all of those criticisms myself. The Pardew sacking in particular has turned out to be a very good piece of business in hindsight. Not really bothered about the car parking either.

 

I do think that the debacle with the Echo was completely unnecessary and does the club, the city and the fans no favours. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the boycott start when the Echo published a story about the club improving the training facilities?

 

The Echo wasn't telling Saints fans something that hadn't already been reported elsewhere. Second, with the boycott in place, the relationship only got worse, with the Echo reduced to regurgitating crap we've all seen on the Internet.

 

Finally, whatever you might think of the Echo, it is Southampton's paper and ends up in a lot of Southampton houses each and every night. The fallout between the club and let's be frank, the only daily newspaper in the world that gives a genuine crap about it, is an unnecessary black mark on Cortese's report card.

[RobM]

I kind of agree, but also see why Cortese would have gotten upset. It was in the public domain, as many similar planning applications are, but it wasn't reported in the press and was something you had to go looking for. Cortese wanted to do the 'big reveal' himself and make a song and a dance about how great the improvements are and the direction he is taking Staplewood, so asked the Echo not to publish their story. By all accounts they agreed to hold it, but then published it anyway. I can sympathise with him getting annoyed, but he did throw his toys out of the pram too much.

[dune]

.....woooaaaohh

Corteesseee woooaaaohh

He comes from Italy, he ****in hates pompey

 

COOOOORRRRRTTEEESSEEEEE....

 

[dune]

Cortese needs to stop running the club like we are Ryan Air and run us in a civilised fashion. To give Lowe some credit he recognised that as a club we had the largest perecentage of fans that attended games from outside the city. Lowe recognised the importance of these customers and he didn't try to swindle us with ticket taxes and matchday premium taxes. Cortese is a fool for the way he has treated fans outside of the city/area and with increased travel costs he has ensured that this important section of the SMS crowd has dimished more than it should have.

 

My inclination is not to bother much anymore because Cortese doesn't value fans from outside the area at all. May the dwindling attendances continue because this is what he deserves.

Edited 21 September, 2011 by dune

[sammysaint]

I think hes becoming a legend but hes not there quite yet, ML a legend left him incharge and so far its paying off, ok he has some neagtives fan interaction stuff i do understand but the following has made me like him.

 

1.Making a descion about mangement change, ok i didnt like it but its proven to be a gem.

 

2.Making Arsenal pay 12mill upfront instead of 5/6 giving us a nice income, also not spent it along with NA, to help the books stay balanced and allow us to use it if needed to help us get a playoff spot.

 

3.Not allowing people to rip off the club with instalment plans that dont work, and hes seen areas like car parking where he can make the club extra income its not just us that pay it but the corporate guys that use the suits on non match days now pay as well, remember next season if we do make it to the prem we will have a good stable club with nice income to put us in a good position for this financial fair play system.

 

4.Also improving the training facilities to be one of the best in europe not just the UK so we can carry on producing the players like Bale Walcott Lallana AOC Dyer Baird Best Blackstock etc.

[Dalek2003]

Fantastic chairman, so far has delivered and whole he does who cares about other issues.

[Matthew Le God]

Cortese needs to stop running the club like we are Ryan Air and run us in a civilised fashion. To give Lowe some credit he recognised that as a club we had the largest perecentage of fans that attended games from outside the city. Lowe recognised the importance of these customers and he didn't try to swindle us with ticket taxes and matchday premium taxes. Cortese is a fool for the way he has treated fans outside of the city/area and with increased travel costs he has ensured that this important section of the SMS crowd has dimished more than it should have.

 

My inclination is not to bother much anymore because Cortese doesn't value fans from outside the area at all. May the dwindling attendances continue because this is what he deserves.

 

"Dwindling attendances"

 

What are you talking about?

[dune]

"Dwindling attendances"

 

What are you talking about?

 

Considering how well we are doing are gates are crap compared to how they should be.

[Matthew Le God]

Considering how well we are doing are gates are crap compared to how they should be.

 

As I have said elsewhere...

 

22,155 for Saints vs Birmingham in the 2nd tier, with a small number of away fans is nothing to be ashamed of.

 

Nor is...

 

24,784 vs Forest in the 2nd tier

23,333 vs Millwall in the 2nd tier

25,860 vs Leeds in the 2nd tier (and live on TV)

 

Lets compare it to some Premier League attendances from the weekend just gone...

 

Fulham vs Man City 24,750

Blackburn Arsenal 22,637

Bolton vs Norwich 21,223

Swansea West Brom 20,341

Wolves vs QPR 24,189

 

That doesn't suit you "ticket tax" agenda though does it?

Edited 21 September, 2011 by Matthew Le God

[shurlock]

As I have said elsewhere...

 

22,155 for Saints vs Birmingham in the 2nd tier, with a small number of away fans is nothing to be ashamed of.

 

Nor is...

 

24,784 vs Forest in the 2nd tier

23,333 vs Millwall in the 2nd tier

25,860 vs Leeds in the 2nd tier

 

Lets compare it to some Premier League attendances from the weekend just gone...

 

Fulham vs Man City 24,750

Blackburn Arsenal 22,637

Bolton vs Norwich 21,223

Swansea West Brom 20,341

Wolves vs QPR 24,189

 

That doesn't suit you "ticket tax" agenda though does it?

 

But those figures tell only a small part of the story - the best and most accurate measure is how big our crowds would have been if the ticket tax and other things that are supposedly pi $$ing off fans had not been introduced. Its hard to know this crucial counter-factual; but citing other teams attendances adds no light on this question.

 

Mate, you should take a dummies course in statistics and the use and abuse of evidence.

[Matthew Le God]

But those figures tell only a small part of the story - the best and most accurate measure is how big our crowds would have been if the ticket tax and other things that are supposedly pi $$ing off fans had not been introduced. Its hard to know this crucial counter-factual; either way, citing other teams attendances adds no light on this question.

 

How about this...?

 

The club is currently averaging higher gates than they did in the first two seasons after relegation from the Premier League including the playoff season (when there was no ticket tax).

[shurlock]

How about this...?

 

The club is currently averaging higher gates than they did in the first two seasons after relegation from the Premier League including the playoff season (when there was no ticket tax).

 

Better but again not conclusive as no doubt there were other factors that may have accounted for lower attendances i.e. the fact the team wasn't winning/supporters were suffering the relegation blues. By contrast, we're now enjoying one of the best runs in our history. All these factors would have to be controlled for.

[Chez]

How about this...?

 

The club is currently averaging higher gates than they did in the first two seasons after relegation from the Premier League including the playoff season (when there was no ticket tax).

 

we hadn't just got promoted and feel good factor that brings or won the last 13 home games. Crowds should be much higher, although I concede that the current financial climate is probably the biggest factor to our average increase in gates on last season.

 

I do think that you and other fans are just like Cortese if you don't think that some of the policies/taxes etc. haven't put some fans backs up enough that they don't go as often as they used to. Charging a booking fee for online purchases is a sham, especially for away tickets (where they make 5% commission anyway) and especially for those that don't live near SMS.

Edited 21 September, 2011 by Chez

[The Cat]

Maybe there are some people who aren't coming because of the ticket tax but their number is not going run into the thousands that people say our attendence is short by.

[The Kraken]

How about this...?

 

The club is currently averaging higher gates than they did in the first two seasons after relegation from the Premier League including the playoff season (when there was no ticket tax).

 

By that rationale, you could look at the actual opponents and attendances from games played this season, and then compare like for like against the same opponents for games played in the Championship the last time we were there. There's not many stats so it shouldn't take long.

 

2005/06: Leeds, 30,173

2006/07: Leeds, 29,012

2011/12: Leeds, 25,860

 

2005/06: Millwall, 22,043

2011/12: Millwall, 23,333

 

2008/09: N Forest, 26,580

2011/12: N Forest, 24,784

 

2008/09: Birmingham, 18,925

2011/12: Birmingham, 22,155

 

Average for other years: 25,347

Average for 2011/12: 24,033

 

 

Just saying.

[Chez]

Maybe there are some people who aren't coming because of the ticket tax but their number is not going run into the thousands that people say our attendence is short by.

 

you are quite right of course, it's more about the economy, but the stupid 15 minute parking fees, the 40% price rises on STs, and the 73% rises for the 60-65 years olds just ****s a few more off, and if they don't go perhaps they won't bring their lad or their mate so that adds a few more. Even of its just a few hundred, it might be a few hundred that never come back ever.

[shurlock]

By that rationale, you could look at the actual opponents and attendances from games played this season, and then compare like for like against the same opponents for games played in the Championship the last time we were there. There's not many stats so it shouldn't take long.

 

2005/06: Leeds, 30,173

2006/07: Leeds, 29,012

2011/12: Leeds, 25,860

 

2005/06: Millwall, 22,043

2011/12: Millwall, 23,333

 

2008/09: N Forest, 26,580

2011/12: N Forest, 24,784

 

2008/09: Birmingham, 18,925

2011/12: Birmingham, 22,155

 

Average for other years: 25,347

Average for 2011/12: 24,033

 

 

Just saying.

 

Of course, even these comparisons should be treated with caution. In addition to the fact that we're currently riding a wave compared to say 2008/2009, probably the worst season in our history, finances are tighter today than in the past, games took place at different points of the season e.g. xmas festive period (Forest 2008/2009) or the business end of the season (Leeds 2006/2007); while others were televised (Leeds 2011/2012) and discounted or linked to big cup games (Forest 2008/2009). Not to mention the reputation/attractiveness of the opposition has changed as their form has ebbed and flowed over the years - all these factors and many others would have affected numbers from game to game and make straightforward comparisons difficult.

[The Kraken]

Of course, even these comparisons should be treated with caution. In addition to the fact that we're currently riding a wave compared to say 2008/2009, probably the worst season in our history, finances are tighter today than in the past, games took place at different points of the season e.g. xmas festive period (Forest 2008/2009) or the business end of the season (Leeds 2006/2007); while others were televised (Leeds 2011/2012) and discounted or linked to big cup games (Forest 2008/2009). Not to mention the reputation/attractiveness of the opposition has changed as their form has ebbed and flowed over the years - all these factors and many others would have affected numbers from game to game and make straightforward comparisons difficult.

 

Of course I agree; I'm just pointing out the folly in analysing by simplistic stats alone. I originally thought the average attendance from this year looked great, and I maintain it looks ok. But I also now realise it really isn't that simple.

 

Also, our League Cup attendances in comparison to previous years are shockingly poor.

Edited 21 September, 2011 by The Kraken

[The Kraken]

We've played poor opposition, the cup is generally losing appeal, people want to see the first team in the league, and people have less money. Not surprised attendences are down. I remember nearly filling the dell for cup games with poor opposition, but then, we'd usually play the first team, it was more important, and you'd get to see MLT so it was worth it regardless.

 

That's all very well, but this season we've had 3 games in the League Cup and got no attendance higher than 7,500. A simple comparison but in very recent seasons we've had:

 

2010/11

Bournemouth, 17,135

Bolton, 10,251

 

2009/10

Northampton 10,921

Birmingham 11,753

 

2008/09

Birmingham 11,331

 

2006/07

Yeovil, 20,653

 

So we've played some decent teams and some low ranking teams. To be around 3,000 fans down on the worst of those attendances is poor by any comparison.

[niceandfriendly]

And the award for the biggest "Wooosh" of 2011/12 season goes to .....................

 

You and Hypo I'd imagine, for not sensing Charlie Waymans sarcasm.

[Thedelldays]

Does it matter, ?

 

Attendances are the a **** measuring tool

[for_heaven's_Saint]

would people be surprised to discover that there was a meeting (at least one) between the three of them last year i wonder. i dont think they are gangsters btw

 

Having only just read this thread, is there any truth or explanation behind this claim? I'd certainly like you to expand a bit...

[dune]

As I have said elsewhere...

 

22,155 for Saints vs Birmingham in the 2nd tier, with a small number of away fans is nothing to be ashamed of.

 

Nor is...

 

24,784 vs Forest in the 2nd tier

23,333 vs Millwall in the 2nd tier

25,860 vs Leeds in the 2nd tier (and live on TV)

 

Lets compare it to some Premier League attendances from the weekend just gone...

 

Fulham vs Man City 24,750

Blackburn Arsenal 22,637

Bolton vs Norwich 21,223

Swansea West Brom 20,341

Wolves vs QPR 24,189

 

That doesn't suit you "ticket tax" agenda though does it?

 

I've been supporting Saints long enough to know that all things considered our current gates are not as good as they should be. The way we are playing we would have attracted more a few years ago. I accept that disposable incomes being squeezed is a big factor, but the way Cortese treats fans outside the catchment area is also a big factor. Cortese's strategy is ill thought out because he is breaking a lot of fans habitits in terms of regularly attending. Regular attendance is a bit like smoking, it's an addiction, but once the habit is kicked it's not that much of a big deal listening on the radio and going now and then.