Posted by fatblokestoodup on 12/6/2003, 21:50:31, in reply to "City muppets"
217.205.244.132

Sell what we gave yer,you couldn,t sell what we gave you!! low key brains,low key saints. --Previous Message-- : : (Excerpt from Saints web-site - 29th : April 2003) : Saints have lodged a furious official : protest against Manchester City's : disgraceful decision to restrict : them to just 1300 tickets for the : final game of the season. : And they have even threatened to sue : City who have flouted Premier : League regulations by slashing the : Southampton allocation for what : will be the last league game at : Maine Road. : Tickets are like gold dust in : Manchester for what is sure to be : an emotional and historic occasion : and City asked Saints not to take : their full compliment of 3,000 : seats. : But when Southampton turned the : request down flat and insisted on : their full quota, City hid behind : "safety considerations" : and sent just 1305 tickets. : Understandably Saints are livid at a : decision which they privately : suspect had been taken weeks ago - : and which City would not have : reversed under any circumstances. : Now they are looking for instant and : major retribution. Saints want the : Premier League to: : *ban the selling of the : "missing" 1695 tickets : on safety grounds; : *impose a substantial fine as a : deterrent to other clubs : attempting to flout the : regulations for their own end; : *consider deducting points from City. : They have also reserved the right to : take legal action to recover any : prize money they may lose on the : result of this game - on top of : any fine levied by the authorities : if it is proven the integrity of : the competition has been : compromised. : Chairman Rupert Lowe slammed City : saying: "It is an absolute : disgrace. We believe City have : hidden behind a safety committee : smokescreen in order to secure : more tickets for their own fans. : "That is just not right. It is a : distortion of the competition and : puts us at a serious disadvantage : for a game which could have a lot : of prize money on it. : "It is also very unfair on our : supporters who traditionally turn : out in their numbers for the final : away game. Many go in fancy dress : and make it a day out. They are : now going to miss out on a big : occasion." : Managing director Andrew Cowen has : fired off a stinging letter to the : Premier League accusing City of : breaching paragraph 7.1 of their : Customer Charter. : He is seething that City were able to : safely police a volatile local : derby with United but supposedly : cannot cope with 3,000 Saints fans : who have an exemplary behaviour : record and who would be in party : mood ahead of the FA Cup final and : with no fear of relegation. : The ultimate irony is that City and : the Greater Manchester Police : actually asked the Premier League : to allocate them a low-key final : fixture - and even singled out : Southampton as preferred : opposition! : Around eight weeks ago Saints firmly : turned down City's request for : them to reconsider their : application for their full : allocation. : Further debate failed to resolve the : wrangle so it went to the Premier : League for a decision. They came : down in favour of the visiting : club but now City's safety : committee have ruled that only : 1305 tickets should be made : available. : Bizarrely that number of tickets were : dispatched from Maine Road prior : to the Premier League's final : meeting with City and its safety : group yesterday! : Of those, 149 are obstructed view, 11 : are for disabled supporters and 60 : are complimentaries for the : players leaving just 1085 : unobstructed view seats for sale. : These will be allocated to Saints : supporters who have been to most : away games this season and the : club are currently trawling : through the database to work out : the most deserving cases. : They will all receive letters : inviting them to purchase a seat : for the clash on Sunday May 11. : Cowen fumed: "With all the : hassle over FA Cup final tickets, : this is the last thing we need! : "We are absolutely furious at : the flagrant breach of rules : designed to keep the competition : fair. The denial of our rightful : allocation will give City an : unfair advantage in a game which : could have a lot of prize money : riding on it. : "If we lose out on that as a : result of this game then we : reserve the right to recover what : could be a very considerable sum - : on top of the punitive damages we : feel the League are duty bound to : impose. : "This denial for once only : 'safety' considerations is a : distortion of the competition. : Every club faces occasional : fixtures where additional measures : are needed to meet risks of public : disorder and it is up the host : club to take whatever steps are : necessary to comply with the : rules. : "I have some difficulty in : believing that the risk of public : disorder at this game is so great : that the fixture cannot be managed : at any price! : "We had a similar problem two : years ago for our last ever game : at The Dell - but we played it : strictly by the book even though : our capacity was less than half of : City's. : "There was never any question : that we would not honour our : obligation towards Arsenal and if : extra costs were involved as a : result of that then we took it on : the chin. : "Premier League regulations are : quite specific. City must be : capable of meeting rule 7.1 : irrespective of the opposition or : whether it is the last game at the : stadium." : : :