12 Feb 2016 12:51:10
I've been reading with interest lately on the fan walk outs over ticket prices but I can't help but feel it's a hollow gesture.
You pay your money, then leave and miss a lot of the game hence getting no value for money to the buyer of said ticket. The ticket sales money is not reduced and the club still gets the revenue. If this happened at OT and fans didn't come back, they'd just be able to sell the remaining tickets to tourists to backfill the empty seats.
It's kind of like closing the gate once the horse has bolted. For media and the clubs to actually notice, supporters clubs need to boycott matches and not buy tickets if they feel so strongly about it.
Just my opinion. I salute taking a stand I really do, but paying a club for the privilege of leaving and missing what you have paid for seems daft.
12 Feb 2016 13:17:14
Eric,
You do know that Liverpool backed down and are not increasing the prices because of the walk out don't you?
12 Feb 2016 13:41:22
I get what Eric is saying, I wonder if the club would have backed down if they had not 'seemingly' collapsed on the field as the fans left?
Just watch a lesser profile team's fans try the same and see how much publicity they get, one hit wonder. It will just mean clubs dig their heels in moving forward because a U turn is very weak and no executive wants to admit they got it so badly wrong (also why we are stuck with LVG imo) .
12 Feb 2016 15:35:16
I know Liverpool over turned the decision, but I'd bet more because of the likes of Carragher, Roy Evans etc rightly stepping in. Take a look at Bayern fans at Arsenal. Flew over, paid £64 a ticket, missed some of the game in protest, still paid £64 a ticket. nothing happened. Don't turn up, the clubs will quickly remember what keeps them.
12 Feb 2016 15:37:17
Moreover, I really do wonder just how much longer football has got in its current guise giving no thought or consideration to its English customer/ fanbase.
{Ed025's Note - not very long if they keep treating fans like idiots eric, with the new tv deal would it matter if they put prices up?, they would be better off lowering the prices for me especially clubs that dont fill to capacity, plus childrens tickets should be severely reduced or even free at times to introduce the next generation to the game mate...or am i being a bit naive?..
12 Feb 2016 15:56:53
Ed25 - I agree completely.
I've got nothing against the new EPL fans from around the world, but supporting Man Utd is/ was the 'cool thing' to do in the USA, Africa and Asia, in 5 years time maybe American Football, Baseball or their local football teams will be the new 'cool thing', ultimately Chinese football is going to grow massively, eventually the Asian market will all but vanish, why stay up 8+ hrs later than you would to watch an English game, why buy EPL merchandise when local Asian clubs are 'cooler'.
Saying that we will be changing our own game times to work around the overseas market, dawn games, mid-night football etc, it will become a farce once the appetite for EPL starts to diminish. As Mort says the bubble will burst.
Long term fans in the main will be the ones who suffer, then when the clubs have killed us off they will be left with fickle fad supporters who change their clubs and sports like hot dinners. A life time to build up a few years to destroy.
We will all always love Utd, but our club amongst many others are biting the hand that feeds them. I feel like long term supporters are like the long suffering wife at the minute, whilst the husband is busy banging the secretary!
{Ed025's Note - well thats one way of putting it beast :) i actually think your right by the way mate..
12 Feb 2016 18:47:09
Totally agree with beast for a change.
12 Feb 2016 23:54:15
Great post beast.
13 Feb 2016 05:55:16
In some respects this horse has bolted. The prices are already far higher than is necessary or appropriate. Phase receipts are not a very large percentage of total revenue so there is not a huge comme final reason for charging so much. It seems to be a case of 'we can so we will'. Some clubs now refer to fans as customers and we treating it as a consumer product, they have no understanding of tradition or that football clubs remain an integral part of my eople's lives.