Incredible as it may seem but Saints could be looking at having their lowest crowd of the season when they entertain Crystal Palace on Tuesday night.

Despite being in sixth place going into the game and a win possibly propelling us into fifth and within two points of Arsenal in third it seems that the visit of the Eagles is not going to attract anywhere near a sell out crowd.

It hasn't helped that Palace themselves are not bringing a full contingent and that there will be empty seats even in a reduced away section, but the home sections still have plenty of tickets in all areas.

The block returned by Palace still has around 85% of the seats still available and the Itchen/Northam Corner has plenty of availability as has the Itchen/Chapel corner.

All in all there is a chance that the crowd will be less than the 27, 598 who attended the first home game of the season against West Bromwich Albion.

This is sad as it seems that a barren patch has seen several thousand fans turn their back on the team for this fixture.

But there is nothing wrong with Saints that a good win won't put right and in truth this pattern is no different than at many clubs in the Premier league, some of whom would die for their lowest crowd to be 27,000.

But what it should tell Saints though is that there is still a long way to go before we have a hard core of supporters big enough to push us on to the next level of attendances, hopefully they will see the need to reduce season ticket prices next season and implement a strategy of getting a core support who will be there week in week out because they are season ticket holders rather than fluctuating fans who pick and choose their games and therefore will follow results in fixtures like this meaning swathes of empty seats.

Photo: Action Images

TheWestStand added 12:57 - Mar 2 Can't say I'm surprised that ticket sales are slow. 1 goal scored in 5 and none in the last 3 home games is poor entertainment by any standards and our standards were high. I'm ashamed to have to admit that watching the whole of the WBA game on tape in South Africa I fast forwarded through the whole of the second half as we were mind-numbingly dull. Shameful I know but it just wasn't fun to watch. Just imagine, a family of four watching the last three games buying a program, some drinks and nosh has forked out the best part of £400 and not seen us score!

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schatfield added 13:21 - Mar 2 i have to agree with weststand, its not really surprising, we cant score, we keep trying to walk the ball into the net, and it aint fun to watch. plus footy on a tuesday night is never that popular.
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Zambucco added 13:35 - Mar 2 Why not have a walk up price of £10 per ticket? heck how about £5! bums on seats and a full house. As a seasoned supporter of 46 years I've witnessed many drab games, but still never wanted to miss a chance to give my vocal support to my team. But I'm a realist an dknow not everyone is as passionate as me. It's sad to see but it's life and happens to all but the very big teams who fill the ground with corporate and foreign plastics!

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saintsnutcase added 14:37 - Mar 2 Nick, I really do not think this is so surprising. We have had a terrible run of home form since we beat Arsenal on 1 January -- no wins in a run of matches against Ipswich, Swansea, Palace, West Ham and Liverpool. I have seen all of these matches, and I am not surprised that we won't sell out tomorrow.
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halftimeorange added 16:26 - Mar 2 Have to say I think the toll of the English PL is showing on Pelle and Tadic and Elia is also short on confidence. What I can't understand is why Koeman doesn't play Mane just behind Pelle. Pelle is often isolated with nobody but opposing defenders anywhere near him. He gets a fair old battering in every game and a quick attacker alongside him would take away some of the close attention he receives. Why play our forwards in positions to which they are unsuited - Long on the wing is a repeated example. Oh for a Billy Sharp to convert those tap-ins.

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simmo400 added 09:43 - Mar 3 Didnt realise the Arsenal game was that long ago, that was are last decent home game. Most of the games since then have been poor and frustrating. Why we never got a striker in Jan i will never know, as Pelle needs help. JAY ROD is finished for this season. The rest cant/ wont shoot. not surprising it may be a low crowd really. Fans dont just turn up and pay, they need entertainment,excitement,.. ie a reason to get out the house and go see Saints. Shelling out midweek money to be frustrated/bored isnt really an option.

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