There have been quite a few times when there is no PA in the buildup to kick-off, by accident or design. Sadly, the stadium has not suddenly transformed into a terrifying cauldron of noise when it's happened.I seem to recall back in the day (at the Goldstone) that the PA would stop at about 10 minutes before kick off and the fans would take over. That was back before all the staged walking out together and shaking hands business.
I’ve never really understood why we need the PA to be at full volume until the ref blows his whistle. It means the fans don’t really get to warm up and the game often starts with silence from the North Stand.
Oh, and as the team walks out is the correct answer to the poll question.
As for people moaning about us emulating Arsenal, I think it's irrelevant. It's not a contrived attempt to get fans singing - SBTS is genuinely our anthem and has been for decades. It's just a case of when the most people are going to sing it, to maximum effect. In the otherwise, generally quiet gap between the PL music and kick-off is not a bad idea. At best, we get a few choruses of the Al-beeeee----uhhhnnn dirge at that point when the crowd is left to its own devices.