Bumper ticket sales pack Goodison

But I can't help wondering how much higher the number of sales would be if so many of the "unsold" seats weren't restricted view. I often hear figures of 50-60,000 mentioned as a capacity for a new stadium - I had my doubts, but these latest figures make me think we could fill that number after all.

You are both right in a way, being truly optimistic (listening Phil?) and also being realistic, we have to repeat last season or better it, to even start thinking about a new stadium, or increasing capacity (limited) of our existing arena.

European success, and the riches that come with that, would certainly make that a possibility, but surely that invites added pressure to repeat that qualification each and every year, which is not always possible, because other sides are aiming to do exactly the same, and are most probably better funded. (Are you listening, Bill?)

A 55,000 plus capacity would allow us to lower prices from exorbitant levels of now. I don't care if we are cheaper to watch than many other clubs. If you took a £4 ticket from 1991 (and that's all it cost to stand back then) and added inflation you would get a price today of around £7.50! Even allowing for having a seat to sit on, the cheapest price now of £35 or so is well beyond many people.

Elstone says its our bread and butter, but who's he kidding? It's more like a snack on the income scale. TV money is 75% minimum of Everton's income.

And don't believe all that rubbish about it costing so much to bring the world's best players here. Bayern Munich, best team in Europe, you can get a season ticket from £114 if you are a club member!

The Premier League is not the best league in the world, but it's the best marketed.

Most sobering thought is that the average Premier League fan is 42 years old. I'm sure it was much lower in the past. I predict stair lifts at Goodison by 2030!

While the club is right to announce that season ticket sales are up, they must realise that it is becoming harder and harder for people to make the decision to buy or renew when the tickets are released. I don't know what the cheapest adult season ticket is but 544 quid for a season ticket is a big ask. If the average age of a match goer is 42, then he or she is much more likely to be facing other big bills such as mortgage repayments, school costs, savings and pensions and so on. Regardless of whether or not you have saved up all year for your season ticket or are going to just put the cost on your credit card, in the current climate it must be getting harder for people to not divert the money towards a necessary spend. In May or June you're looking at family holidays. In August there's the cost of sending your kids back to school.

I would be interested to hear what the club is doing to attract those in their late teens and early twenties who have a lot of disposable cash and of the financial responsibilities that others have.

Yesterday I decided to call the club to find out if the other two tickets were missing. After being left for 2 hours on hold and twice just cut off while waiting I gave up. Suddenly the EFC phone line was then a voice recording of what sounded like the woman who cleans the toilets, saying they were having trouble with BT!

I emailed in the end and got a reply saying the other two season tickets should be in the post next week. Why couldn't all three just be sent at once FFS! Piss poor service and not good enough.

I also see your point about the hardcore fan base, but don't underestimate the loyalty (and spending power) of Blues who have moved away from the area - especially people like myself who moved away because wages are better darn sarth and now have a decent despoible income.

Because of my circumstances, I don't know until a few days before a game if I can make it and by then the only tickets left are behind pillars. So I don't go.

A couple of seasons back I sat in the LG in a seat that had a foot wide pillar literally RIGHT in front of my seat. I drove for 9 hours (in total, there and back) at a cost of £70, paid £30 for the ticket, and £5 for parking. Over £100 and 9 hours driving and I got that.

The next game I went to I sat in the main stand becasue the view was better (although there were still two pillars spoiling my view). Having always sat in the LG I didn't realise how bad the leg room was in the main stand. I'm 6ft, so not overly tall, and my knees were getting crushed on the wooden seat in front. Again, well over £100 and over 10 hours driving (because of bad traffic) for that.

That was the end for me. I've had enough. It didn't help that both games were bore draws!!

There have to be many more like me who would dearly love to support the blues on a regular basis, and would be happy to spend the money required to do so if only they could actually watch the game with out needing x-ray specs or a knee op afterwards!!

If you register with Everton as a customer on the website it gives you access to a colour-coded view of each stand and highlights the best seats available at any given point although it doesn’t explicitly state which of the ’poorer’ seats are obstructed views - but if people are travelling long distances it might help them to choose a seat of better quality than one they are given at random by the box-office staff.

Here are the costs for a season ticket club by club ;

Link

As the slogan goes – 'Football without fans is nothing' – clubs need to be realistic about their pricing.

To sell upwards of 30,000 season tickets now is incredible – 50,000 seats would be sellable as long as various price points were used, and prices adjusted after that as the economy improves

This city lives and breathes football and we have, mainly through self harm, held ourselves back for 2 decades.

All things need to be in harmony, but if we could get that workable, beneficial ground move boxed off, and its in line with on pitch progression and good management, watch us go.