Ken was on fine form yet again in his programme notes.

With his well-heeled guests in the East Stand Upper no doubt tip-toeing over dust sheets and builder''s trowels, the poor love's may have gone a bit peckish too as Ken admitted that whilst the long awaited access to the Upper VIP suites was open and would be for Tuesday night's visit from Manchester United - the catering facilities were not in place.

Not sure what was worse? The lack of Prawn Sandwiches or an early chant from the Kop stating that if you choose to view from a box then you are similar to the female genitalia!

Ken also boasted that 10 of the 24 executive boxes had been sold - not sure if he did the math or not but will take his word on that one being a good thing given the East Stand resembles an unfinished time-share complex at the moment. However we do get a museum next Spring.

He chose to revisit the infamous BBC Radio Leeds row, claiming it was the Beeb who snubbed Leeds by not returning our calls etc then offering a derisory £60,000 a season when by Ken's sums it costs £750,000 all inclusive (including players wages) to stage a solitary match at ER.

Bates blasted the BBC, claiming they are basically run as a ruthless commercial enterprise for the benefit of the high-paid execs at the very top - all at the expense of the licence payer - not sure if he has to worry about the licence fee down in Monaco but there you go.

I felt today the Kop were more Bates-baiting and anti-Ken today than they were for the Palace game. There were definitely far more frequent and longer "Bates Out" chants and a few new ones, including "He hates Bates, just like us" re: Neil Kilkenny.

The Kop choir also seem to have taken on the "Moron's" theme eg: "We are Moron's and proud of it" etc etc. Ken made reference in his notes to Plymouth's plight and the certain intervention of Peter Ridsdale to try and ensure the Pilgrim's are spared extinction. His tongue-in-cheek"Come back Peter, all is forgiven, a few gentlemen on the Kop want you back" was undoubtedly a dig at those who have been urging him to open up the chequebook and spend on some players.

Finally a caller to "Extra Time with Eddie Gray" claimed that a protester had remonstrated with Bates in the West Stand during the win over Bristol City, in a non-verbally abusive manner but in a move similar to a thumbs-down from a Roman Emperor, Ken had the dissident or moron removed.

"The chairman is very much his own man, that's what you get..." said a weary sounding Eddie!

Photo: Action Images

Southampton Polls