If you have not read the opening page, or the follow ups, then please do so. It will help you to understand the simple solution to the problem with the new ticket allocation at St James' park. Basically NUFC, sent out application forms to MOST people on the season ticket waiting list, but foolishly said that new allocations would be dealt with on a first come first served basis. This in itself was not the fair thing to do as fans on the list for many years had the same chance of getting a seat as those on the list for a few months. What happens to those on the list who are abroad on Holiday? there must be hundreds out of the 20,000 (estimated ) fans on the list who could not possibly return there applications straight away. What makes things worse though, seems to be the fact that a block of fans who have been on the list for between four and seven years, received their letters late, in most cases 3 - 5 days after those on the list for a few months , some never received there application forms at all. The club say that everyone's applications went out on the same day, believe me they didn't. they wee staggered. That would not have been a bad idea if those on the list for longest were sent out letters a few weeks ago. That would have given them priority, and if they were away on holiday they would not have lost out. The reverse seems to have happened and Hundreds of long time waiting listers have now been told that there are NO TICKETS LEFT. This though isn't the case, for as Peter Dickinson, of the Evening Chronicle points out there are up to a thousand seats on the edges of the new corporate areas still available. These are the seats that were fought so hard for by Jane Duffy, Mick Edmonson and the other SOS campaigners. The residents of Tyneside simply can't afford these seats. Eventually perhaps they would be taken, but this largely would depend on the teams success during the season. There are two blocks of seats still available, out of the estimated 564 seats in the new (£995) sports bar in the centre of the old leazers end, around 200 are still available. Out of the Estimated 1712 seats in the new Bar 1892 in the Milburn stand around 800 seats remain unsold. Most of these are towards the corner flags which quite frankly are not worth the £1350 asking price. Blocks A and B to the south of the ground and Blocks G and H to the North contain around 700 unsold seats. Would it not solve the problem of the unfair new season ticket allocation to revert these seats to Milburn stand status and allocate them to those on the waiting list for the longest who have been unfairly overlooked by Newcastle United? The fans in these area would not expect to have all the facilities of the new plush Bar 1892, as long as we could get a burger, a pint, and access to a toilet, I and those like me would be happy. I would gladly then swap seats with any of the SOS campaigners if they wanted to have their seats back. If, next season demand for the corporate area was increased, then I' m sure that those in that area would not mind moving up to level 7 or elsewhere in the ground. What though must be established is the amount of long term season ticket holders have not been allocated a seat. A waiting list order must be established and any available seats allocated in chronological order. A final solution would be to offer those on the waiting list that have been left out a seat in the away corner. I hear that there are 3,000 seats available, most of the visitors to St James' wont be bringing more than a few hundred. Surely a new category of waiting list fan should be established whereby, if they have been waiting for longest, they should be given first option to sit in the seats not taken by the visitors. Perhaps my solution is to simplistic, but it sure beats the "first come first served, we are not bothered as long as they sell" attitude currently subscribed to by the powers to be, within St James' park. By Rik, 17/07/00