There had been some worries that Pardew might have been dismissed at the end of last season for not achieving more and a big sigh of relief went around St. Mary's when that didn't materialise.

So the news last week was surprising and unpleasant. Okay, Southampton only had four points from three games, but they had just thumped Bristol Rovers 4-0. Pardew showed towards the end of last season how he could make the team perform and surely three games in was too early to say he'd lost that ability?

While the press release makes little comment of the reasons for the departure, and Pardew has stayed quiet, there are murmurings it's less to do with the on-pitch performance and more to do with issues off the field. Southampton have been steadily restructuring to prepare the club for an eventual Premiership return, and there are hints that Pardew and his support staff didn't gel with others in the club.

If that's the case, the decision to remove them makes more sense, but where does it leave Southampton?

Following Pardew's departure Saints now have four points from four games after a bad loss to Rochdale at home. They were also unceremoniously dumped out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at home by Swindon.

The team need the certainty of a strong new managerial appointment but there is no news yet of a successor. The problem is, even if Pardew had his problems, are Southampton going to attract a better manager now?

St Mary's is a lovely ground, the club have strong financial backing and they have an excellent youth set-up. But they are still only a League One side and only a limited number of top-class managers would even consider that (Ericsson anyone?).

The club have also shown their expectations of any manager are high - automatic promotion this season or you are out. Given a new manager can't make any squad changes until January this again makes the role less attractive. Plus, Pardew's removal, while meant to show the club is strong, sends a signal that perhaps club management are fickle - never a quality designed to attract managerial talent.

My concern is that by removing Pardew now, Southampton have reduced their chance of promotion this year. They should either have sacked him at the end of last season and given another manager the summer to rebuild or supported Pardew through this season to get the team into the Championship where the role becomes attractive to a better set of candidates.

For now, the aim has to be to make an appointment soon and back them for the longer term.

But it was only at the beginning of last summer when Portsmouth fans were enjoying the pain that Southampton were feeling. Relegated to Division 1, entering the season on -10 points and having continuously sold it's best players in an attempt to balance the books, Southampton appeared terminal.

I know a lot of Southampton fans and they had passed beyond anger at the meltdown and were despairing at the state of their club - especially when Pompey were riding high.

It was a dream come true, then, when Southampton announced a new owner. And not just any owner, but a bona fide billionaire who made all the right moves from the beginning.

Unlike Notts County, Southampton's new management recognised the reality of their situation. There really isn't much point hiring Sven and Sol for a team that far down the leagues. The nature of the game and style of play is totally different. Southampton were astute and brought in Alan Pardew who, while experienced in the top flight, also has a wealth of Championship and league knowledge. He was a great balance between building a successful League One team and creating a platform for future performance through the Championship and into the Premiership.

While it looks unlikely (though still possible) that Southampton will reach the play-offs this year their performance has been excellent. Despite their deducted 10 points and a very poor start to the season they are now in 10th place and 14 points adrift of 6th place. They may not be there yet but with results like Tuesdays 5-0 demolition of Huddersfield, the Saints fans are bouyant.

So can Portsmouth survive and copy the transformation seen along the coast? It depends if the right person steps in and buys them. The bad news is they aren't as attractive as Saints were. A recent BBC article sums it up, describing Portsmouth as "an indebted Championship team in a shabby stadium with almost no corporate seating, a battered credit rating and a murky recent ownership structure".

I hope they make it but I have a feeling Portsmouth fans have more pain to go through before things get better.

So here are the results :

No more than £600 - 13%
£600 to £1000 - 32%
£1000 to £1250 - 13%
£1250 to £1500 - 8%
£1500 to £2000 - 5%
I'd pay anything to watch my team 29%

So whilst I'm not surprised that 32% wouldn't pay more than £1000, I'm surprised that 29% of you said you'd pay anything to watch your team.

So, while many ticket holders are thinking of giving up their season ticket, because for them it's becoming far too expensive, there will always be a large number of fans that are willing to pay, what ever the club demands!

We're always on the look out for new writers. So if you fancy writing about your team, please get in touch.

We're always on the look out for new writers. So if you fancy writing about your team, please get in touch.

Given the cost and how difficult it can be to get tickets to see a match, I think if you're luck enough to get to a game, then you should stay and see your team through the bitter end.

Anyway, if your guilty of not staying, what's your reason?

Saints had been close to the relegation zone before, but 2004-5 finally saw them succumb to what pessimistic fans thought was inevitable. The following exodus of big names such as Crouch (big in more than one sense) meant there was little hope of an immediate bounce-back. The sale of players and lack of signings drew more anger from the crowd.

I was sitting next to a woman at one game last season and she asked me, "where did all the money go from Crouch's sale?". In answer, all I had to do was point at the wide band of empty seats in the upper stands all around the ground. Falling from the top flight is an expensive failure.

With the 'loss' of Redknapp and arrival of Burley things started looking up. Rumour has it that when Burley joined his aim was to finish in the top 6. Within a few weeks of working with the squad he changed his target to avoiding relegation. He achieved this and having had a busy summer in the transfer market he can have no complaints about the squad - it's very much his team now.

Hopes amongst Saints fans were higher going into this season. Most I talk to don't expect to top the table but do expect to finish in the top six and take their chances in the play-offs.

Judging by the away draw and home win against decent sides in the last week, this looks a real possibility. They still have to stem their habit of conceding late goals that cost them 2 points at Derby, but the team look more exciting and cohesive.

With stable management, a new board and a clutch of new signings mixed with good young players, Southampton are well on their way to refilling those empty seats.

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