Ticket Chaos Tonight (the after)

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Since we're pretty much saying the same things now I have another (less important) question. Could the people who had got into the stadium hear the chanting of "let us in" and the increasingly angry atmosphere that was developing outside the ground, or were most people oblivious that there was ny problem outside?

Also 'you don't know what your doing' and lots of loud 'come on'. The away fans must have wondered what was going on.

 

[desprateseagull]

agency sales outlets sounds like a good idea, for unallocated seating..

or how about letting people order online and print off THEMSELVES?

use a simple unique barcode per order- scan/check at the gate..

 

[Mrs Coach]

Will the club get into bother for this cock-up? Last thing they need is more FA fines or expense!

 

[Storer68]

There were people who arrived BEFORE 7 o'clock who didn't get into the ground before kick-off.

When did they try to collect their tickets? I was at the ground around 7 and THE FIRST thing I did was pick my tickets up.

There wasn't a q - just me and coup;le of others, the ticket was there waiting for me and i only orderedd it via the website yesterday linchtime

and yes i work in Westminster and didn't get a train out of London until ten to six.

ticket was there waiting for me around 7 ish

 

[Mendoza]

Since we're pretty much saying the same things now I have another (less important) question. Could the people who had got into the stadium hear the chanting of "let us in" and the increasingly angry atmosphere that was developing outside the ground, or were most people oblivious that there was ny problem outside?

I honestly think that most people that got in to the game before kick off were oblivious to the shambles that was going outside. I was in F block and had no idea that was going on, and there was hardly a chant being sung by our fans.
I could have guessed there would be a queue after kick off judging by the amount of people in the queue and still joining the queue when I arrived about 7.35

You may have been drowned out by the Barnet fans who were in good voice

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Will the club get into bother for this cock-up? Last thing they need is more FA fines or expense!

I agree letting fans run in through the main gates to the South Stand is'nt the best policy.

I hope fear of being fined or investigated will not lead to a cover up or spin of the situation.

No one was hurt and by opening he gates they placated an angry crowd.

 

[Storer68]

Since we're pretty much saying the same things now I have another (less important) question. Could the people who had got into the stadium hear the chanting of "let us in" and the increasingly angry atmosphere that was developing outside the ground, or were most people oblivious that there was ny problem outside?

No. I was in H block and couldn't hear a thing from outside.

 

[Nemesis]

The club and Ken Brown must learn from this - it wasn't the fans fault for turning up late, it was the club!

You know that's a load of bollocks-according to a few on here it's the fans who should be better organised and get to the ground much earlier to collect their tickets. It has nothing at all to do with there being only 1 person handing out tickets that aren't in alphabetical order.

 

[Caveman]

Will the club get into bother for this cock-up? Last thing they need is more FA fines or expense!

I was wondering this. Hopefully not, but Ken Brown will probably have a red face this morning.

He publicly said on SC radio fans phone in that there were problems and they wouldn't happen again. But they did and its not acceptable.
I didn't get caught up in it, but if I did I would be less than pleased.

Two ticket collection points is clearly not enough for 300 people. It only takes a couple of old farts taking 5 minutes picking up the tickets and you have no hope.

The club will need to advise people they need to pick up 30 - 45 minutes before kick off and have more people on standby to distribute.

Good luck Mr Brown.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

You know that's a load of bollocks-according to a few on here it's the fans who should be better organised and get to the ground much earlier to collect their tickets. It has nothing at all to do with there being only 1 person handing out tickets that aren't in alphabetical order.

You're joking, right?!

.

 

[Arthur]

You know that's a load of bollocks-according to a few on here it's the fans who should be better organised and get to the ground much earlier to collect their tickets. It has nothing at all to do with there being only 1 person handing out tickets that aren't in alphabetical order.

If the club had any bollocks they'd say to B&H council that for certain games they are going to operate cash turnstiles (or at least sell them from the booth).

But they don't so anyone wanting to go through the hassle with collecting a ticket from the ground will have to make sure they are there x hours before kick off to collect it.

For those of you that say it's not a hassle to do it clearly bloody is! I haven't got time or the inclination in the day to spend 15 minutes on hold to purchase the ticket in the first place only for then to be told I have to get to the ground 45 minutes before kick off in case there is a queue. Frankly it's not going to happen and it would put me off going to football.

 

[cardboard]

We (myself and Chez)got to the ground at 19.20 and the queue was up to the top of the ramp.
We didn't get in until the gates were opened at 20.05 and then we had to pay for our own way home as didn't have our ticket.
Loads of people in the queue said it was their 1st ever game - A massive PR disaster by the club
I thought getting there 25 mins before kick off was ample time!!!!

 

[smudge]

I'll pick on your quote as its the first idiots response!!

We booked and paid for our tickets(5 of them) last Thursday and were told they would be posted first class to arrive by the weekend at the latest. No sign at the weekend, or Monday, or in fact yesterday morning.
We eventually got through by phone on Tuesday afternoon and Patrick told us not to worry we can pick them up at the ground, the booth will be open right up until after kick-off for those running a little late. At no point did he mention that there may have been a last minute rush for tickets and it would be busy. We made it to the ground in plenty of time to see the queue backed up almost the carpark, with little movement so we did the decent thing and joined the back.

So dickhead, we were organised!!! Unfortunatley the club let us down last night. It won't deter me from going to more games but in future i'll do the 5 mile drive into the centre of town, find a parking space at an exorbitant rate and collect my tickets from the shop(just so i'm totally organised)

Spot on.

 

[Easy 10]

For those of you that say it's not a hassle to do it clearly bloody is! I haven't got time or the inclination in the day to spend 15 minutes on hold to purchase the ticket in the first place only for then to be told I have to get to the ground 45 minutes before kick off in case there is a queue. Frankly it's not going to happen and it would put me off going to football.

Nail. Head.

The club are losing out BIG TIME on the late decision / casual fans who would have turned up but don't, basically because of the piss-poor ticketing arrangements. In my experience, you actually have to be DETERMINED to get a ticket, and thats not even for what could be termed a high profile match.

There are many factors to explain the dwindling numbers at Withdean, but an unforgivable one is the sheer hassle involved in buying and then picking up a bloody ticket.

 

[chez]

I certainly think it was more than 200 even when they opened the gates up was a complete joke.

I dont want to moan even more but even when they told us that they were opening the gates they didn't tell the turnstyle operaters which resulted in a bit of crushing as the people on the turnstyles refused to let people in.

 

[cjd]

Oh joy....!

After being unable to access the internet due to faulty BT cable for the last 24 hours..........I,m now back online....yayyyyyyyyy....!
Now.............back to last night.
What a complete and utter shambles the ticketing arrangements turned out to be.
I have read on another thread that a poster noticed a very angry man in a confrontation with Ken Brown last night. That very angry man, was almost certainly me.
After the incompetent Mr.Ken Brown finally, made the momentous and hand-wringing decision to open the gates, most people made a relieved dash to the gates.
I doing likewise, spotted Mr. Ken Brown to my right and took the opportunity to inform him what I thought of his competence/lack of. Having asked my first question...."are you Ken Brown..?", I noticed the belligerence in his face and stance..(legs apart......hands on hips, looking at the fans going in as if they were peices of shit and scum). He replied that he was. I immediately informed him that the ticketing distribution tonight was an utter shambles. His immediate reaction was to demand what time I booked my tickets. My reply.........."today, about 2.00pm......what,s that got to do with it...?". His second immediate reaction was to put the whole of the palm of his hand about 3" from my face.......( in hindsight I think he probably harbours a desire to be an old fashion police director of traffic). Now, as he wished to take this stance, then I,m afraid I will respond likewise. He had absolutely no intention of admitting liabilty or responsibilty. I recall his response was .." I dont work in the ticket office". I then, in a heated exchange informed him, that surely he was responsible and ultimately was in charge. To this he agreed. Still no sign of apology......or more importantly, that he even cared.
I then launched into a rapid tirade of how long I,d supported this club...(over 40 years), and how the club "allegedly" wants more supporters..........and yet.............someone, from a club like Millwall is "transferred" here in his Saville Row suit, clipped haicut and shiny shoes, looking every inch , nothing more than a cockney wide-eyed boy, to be responsible to improving the fans lot. I also informed him, that in my opinion, his probably extortionate salary, was ill-spent by the club, and he ought to be fired for incompetence.........(there was a similar debacle against Ipswich for the friendly.........but on a much smaller scale). He clearly didn,t like what I was saying, and uttered some incomprehensible veiled threats...to which I offered him my season ticket details. He declined them.He then offered me his "business" card. I refused it.........but for the sake of decency, declined to tell him where he could place his business card, much as I would like to have done.
I understand that as I left, he mentioned that I should be careful or I would be banned.................something that I understand , he was rather good at when at Millwall.
However, he did send an oaf of a steward, scurrying after me..........who "entertained" me for a further 10 minutes, before allowing me through the gate. My son, was also there, to witness the oafs "entertainment" period, and as he (my son) said afterwards.......good job the steward only had one brain-cell...........he would have been dangerous if he had two..!
All in all, this club desperately needs new supporters to bolster the gates, so that us "older" supporters, who bleed blue and white, will have a team to support in the future. Mr.Ken Brown, IMHO, is not only NOT the man for the job...............he is also IMHO, fraudulently bleeding this club of money, by his ill-gotten gains via his salary.
I have supported this club virtually all my life....................like many others, I have contributed to every fund going..................but why............?........so that someone like Ken Brown can just take the money out and at the same time destroy the efforts of so many, to try and portray this club as caring, efficient and wanting to build for the future...?

Mr. Ken Brown should be fired, and shown the front exit door as soon as possible.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

I dont want to moan even more but even when they told us that they were opening the gates they didn't tell the turnstyle operaters which resulted in a bit of crushing as the people on the turnstyles refused to let people in.

I got in a q for my ticket in the north stand, all I saw when I looked over was a mass rush and any steward/turnstile operator would have been crushed.

 

[Nemesis]

You're joking, right?!

.

Of course-it was my response to some of the people blaming the fans for Ticketgate IV.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Oh joy....!

After being unable to access the internet due to faulty BT cable for the last 24 hours..........I,m now back online....yayyyyyyyyy....!
Now.............back to last night.
What a complete and utter shambles the ticketing arrangements turned out to be.
I have read on another thread that a poster noticed a very angry man in a confrontation with Ken Brown last night. That very angry man, was almost certainly me.
After the incompetent Mr.Ken Brown finally, made the momentous and hand-wringing decision to open the gates, most people made a relieved dash to the gates.
I doing likewise, spotted Mr. Ken Brown to my right and took the opportunity to inform him what I thought of his competence/lack of. Having asked my first question...."are you Ken Brown..?", I noticed the belligerence in his face and stance..(legs apart......hands on hips, looking at the fans going in as if they were peices of shit and scum). He replied that he was. I immediately informed him that the ticketing distribution tonight was an utter shambles. His immediate reaction was to demand what time I booked my tickets. My reply.........."today, about 2.00pm......what,s that got to do with it...?". His second immediate reaction was to put the whole of the palm of his hand about 3" from my face.......( in hindsight I think he probably harbours a desire to be an old fashion police director of traffic). Now, as he wished to take this stance, then I,m afraid I will respond likewise. He had absolutely no intention of admitting liabilty or responsibilty. I recall his response was .." I dont work in the ticket office". I then, in a heated exchange informed him, that surely he was responsible and ultimately was in charge. To this he agreed. Still no sign of apology......or more importantly, that he even cared.
I then launched into a rapid tirade of how long I,d supported this club...(over 40 years), and how the club "allegedly" wants more supporters..........and yet.............someone, from a club like Millwall is "transferred" here in his Saville Row suit, clipped haicut and shiny shoes, looking every inch , nothing more than a cockney wide-eyed boy, to be responsible to improving the fans lot. I also informed him, that in my opinion, his probably extortionate salary, was ill-spent by the club, and he ought to be fired for incompetence.........(there was a similar debacle against Ipswich for the friendly.........but on a much smaller scale). He clearly didn,t like what I was saying, and uttered some incomprehensible veiled threats...to which I offered him my season ticket details. He declined them.He then offered me his "business" card. I refused it.........but for the sake of decency, declined to tell him where he could place his business card, much as I would like to have done.
I understand that as I left, he mentioned that I should be careful or I would be banned.................something that I understand , he was rather good at when at Millwall.
However, he did send an oaf of a steward, scurrying after me..........who "entertained" me for a further 10 minutes, before allowing me through the gate. My son, was also there, to witness the oafs "entertainment" period, and as he (my son) said afterwards.......good job the steward only had one brain-cell...........he would have been dangerous if he had two..!
All in all, this club desperately needs new supporters to bolster the gates, so that us "older" supporters, who bleed blue and white, will have a team to support in the future. Mr.Ken Brown, IMHO, is not only NOT the man for the job...............he is also IMHO, fraudulently bleeding this club of money, by his ill-gotten gains via his salary.
I have supported this club virtually all my life....................like many others, I have contributed to every fund going..................but why............?........so that someone like Ken Brown can just take the money out and at the same time destroy the efforts of so many, to try and portray this club as caring, efficient and wanting to build for the future...?

Mr. Ken Brown should be fired, and shown the front exit door as soon as possible.

Witnessed a lot of that, did not look good that an offical of the club responded to you in that manner.

 

[nutter]

It was utter bollocks to be waiting that long for ticket.I bought mine over the phone around 4.30 on tuesday(match day) which is hardly criminal and missed the 1st goal.I also went to Ipswich friendly and tickets were a shambles then as well.This is not a hard procedure to sort out and if it does get sorted then lets sell tickets at the ground as well on matchdays before kick off.If the game becomes sold out then it becomes sold out.It's not rocket science after all.Just get another porta cabin as a ticket office which has organised people working it that shuts at a certain time just before kick off x