Feeling better about the loss to midtjylland now..

Not looking to prove you wrong...just curious. At their last home game (v Spurs) the gate was 54,551. And before that, 54,693 v Leicester

 

Fair play,the players celebrated their win against Man U with dancing.......

 

Makes me think that white folk are boring. I want to see Saints do a Morris dance when they beat Chelsea.

 

You really don't! Although I dare say you'd be keen to see Jose on the squeeze box!

 

And Surrey.

 

Also an average of 53k this season (int he league i presume)

 

I thought the only reason we lost was because how badly out of form we were. Clasie had started with an injury, using a new keeper, Spuds had turned Victor's head and he got ill. We were abysmal at that point in my memory. We let ourselves down, but it was timing as much as anything.

 

I agree with you and SS

I would describe us as 'stuttering' during that period, capable of some really nice football but at times looking slow and clumsy.

I think that both Saints and Man Utd underestimated Midtjylland, they play to a plan and stick to it well. I think we'd beat them more ofted than they'd beat us but we were naive, my enduring memory of our european exit was one of niggling fouls and timewasting.

 

I've just watched some highlights. Dear, oh dear. It looked as if Eastleigh could have overcome ManU. They were standing around like statues prior to the 3rd goal. Can we play them again, please?

 

There's a section behind the goal ( tv-wise City are attacking to the left) which is half full looking; which maybe fans have vacated in favour of the new tier, which looks full on panning shots.

I wonder who will fill those seats? The return of a surely absent priced out ex-hard core? A new tranche of young fans on concession prices? or footie tourists al la United paying top whack to see Guadolia's allstars?

 

wow, their attendance must either be much higher or people that had bought tickets did not turn up as there were loads of empty seats, and not in the away section

 

Capacity is 55,097, so in the 2 games mentioned they only had about 500 empty seats. Perhaps they are mainly in the stand facing the cameras which makes it look worse than it is.

 

Similar to St Mary's, where the Kingsland is always full.

 

I don't feel any better - if anything it makes me even worse to think how far we could have progressed had we started the season well.

 

They opened an extension to the South Stand at the beginning of this season taking the capacity to 55,097. At the end of next season work begins to increase the North Stand capacity by 6,000, making the overall capacity in excess of 61,000. The club have paid for the redevelopment of the stadium and surrounding area which will cost over £1 billion by the time they have finished. Against that, they pay £3 million per year rent to Manchester City Council who own the stadium.

 

I can understand that. Personally, I think the 12 month wait might benefit us, assuming we qualify at the end of this season. Because with injuries to only a couple or three crucial players in the squad, we were woefully undermanned in quality. Add the Europa to the PL, FA and League Cups and the squad was always going to be stretched unless Saints just bowed out of a few early [like we did].

Now add Austin, Rodriguez and Gardos into the squad and suddenly it's not so thin. Already we can play a successful game without crucial members of the first team starting, though it takes a 3-5-2 to do it. That may become the European starting formation, incidentally. If we can keep the current players or successfully replace one or two, and add another midfielder perhaps, then we've got the ammunition to play in Europe next season and not suffer as a result, in my opinion. Worth the wait perhaps.

EDIT: Incidentally, I think the current squad is one of the strongest Saints squads ever, in depth of quality. Perhaps the strongest. We may not quite have strikers the relative quality of say Keegan or Channon, or midfielders who are upto Paine, Armstrong, Ball, Le Tiss, etc... [insert names of others] but we're getting there and matching our best almost everywhere else.

 

For future reference, I am SS! I think you meant TSS?

 

I am feeling confident about next season. Koeman has got a squad he is satisfied with and I don't think we face a summer of discontent. I expect few changes....no more than the 2/3 in and out that most teams have. Ron has shown he can cope with major changes, so how much better he will do in a settled season.

Please sign at least a year's extension, Ron.

 

Yeah I was confused about that. Shortening the abbreviation!

 

Sorry chaps. Finger-Brain interface crashed.