[Albion] Europa League Round of 16 tickets on sale

[jackalbion]

My opinion, for what it’s worth. I am a lapsed season ticket holder, due mainly to health reasons at the time, but a member and still a regular attendee with 240+ points. However I fully get that it puts me behind season ticket holders in any queue for scarce tickets.

I do believe that having just 2 thresholds for member tickets could be improved upon, however, especially when there is significant time between the sale dates and the game itself. It didn’t make any difference to me, but I’m sure it would have done to plenty of others.

I do however agree that the points brackets are often too large. Its a scramble often of about 6,000+ people trying to get about a hundred tickets for some away games in the second bracket.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

What if you did the hard yards over the lean years, and then carried on doing the hard yards over the good years, but then don't get a ticket because someone dropped out for a few years. Doesn't exactly seem fair does it. The point system works well, I think its also silly to suggest those that do every away game are only able to do it because they are wealthy. A lot commit their money into doing it, and make sacrifices elsewhere.

100% this.

 

[Is it PotG?]

I just think sometimes the club could do better by Albion Plus members, even if it is taking a bit more care and thought over the cut offs. Many are really solid fans, longstanding or young and STHs of the future. Maybe pick a couple of away games a season to give them a ballot chance for away games?

How would the Club decide which STH with the necessary points missed out?
Games, 15 pointers, such as Sheff Utd and Burnley will be easily available.

 

[Simster]

Sorry, but fundamentally disagree.

Someone who has been to EVERY game, home and away for several seasons, goes into a ballot and could miss out to someone who just fancies popping along to a big game.

Madness.

The biggest games would be Dublin (say, 13k), Wembley (38k) and Europe (5k at a big stadium). With three ballot chances (one with a 1 in 3 chance, one with a 1 in 6 chance), the chances of a ticket for a such a person would be about 100 times better than someone who goes 5 times a season.

The risk is that when the halcyon days disappear and we're back to league one, there will be a rump of people who no longer go "because we're shite these days" and the club will presumably need those who were there last time we were in league one but owing to circumstance were somewhat locked out of big games when at the top of the pile. You wonder how many of them will think they now have better things to do as they are out of the habit.

Anyway I had said I was out. Little point in continuing this really as most STHs who express an opinion will disagree with me, and understandably so.

 

[dazzer6666]

If you want to argue the "closed shop thing is demonstrably false", then that's up to you, but I'm not convinced at all. Let's just agree that it's not entirely sealed, but the seepage takes at least two full seasons.

There are people who have followed this club, been STHs at 3 different grounds prior to the Amex and have now given up being one at the Amex owing to ill health. It can't be right that they have no chance of a Dublin ticket if we somehow got there.


Even if it isn't a closed shop but merely a shop with rubber seals that take 2 years to penetrate, that is absolutely not a flaw in my proposal. Unless you care to explain it to me?

…..but also can’t be right that someone who has been to every home and away game for the last 10 years doesn’t get to go to Dublin yet some that have barely been to a game in the same period get a lucky ballot ticket. Why shouldn’t it take two seasons to penetrate the seal ?

 

[PeterT]

How would the Club decide which STH with the necessary points missed out?
Games, 15 pointers, such as Sheff Utd and Burnley will be easily available.

Surely the answer is to make all games PotG?

 

[Beach Hut]

Games, 15 pointers, such as Sheff Utd and Burnley will be easily available.

Exactly but will people actually go, no they just whinge can't get a ticket for the games they pick and choose

 

[Bry Nylon]

Why shouldn’t it take two seasons to penetrate the seal ?

A phrase last uttered by Terry Nutkins.

 

[Easy 10]

In the unlikely event of us getting completely dry-humped in the first leg, being as this will clearly sell out, I wonder if the club will open the ticket exchange for this one.

I'll be going regardless, but I can remember going to a Rumbelows Cup midweek 2nd leg vs Middlesbrough at the Goldstone, in the pouring rain, when we were already 5-0 down from the first leg and thinking "WHY am I here ?". The rain was so torrential, the stewards opened the gates from the East Terrace to allow us to troop through under the roof into the North.

We lost, 3-1.

 

[PeterT]

In the unlikely event of us getting completely dry-humped in the first leg, being as this will clearly sell out, I wonder if the club will open the ticket exchange for this one.

I'll be going regardless, but I can remember going to a Rumbelows Cup midweek 2nd leg vs Middlesbrough at the Goldstone, in the pouring rain, when we were already 5-0 down from the first leg and thinking "WHY am I here ?". The rain was so torrential, the stewards opened the gates from the East Terrace to allow us to troop through under the roof into the North.

We lost, 3-1.

At what minute in the 2nd leg did you decide to head for home or did you stay on to the end to clap the players off?

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Little point in continuing this really as most STHs who express an opinion will disagree with me, and understandably so.

Yup.

 

[KJP]

Managed to get 3 tickets next to each other in N1L block,

 

[jackalbion]

He may well have been..but I wasn't. I don't think Albion Plus members - and especially those with well over 100 points and who bought the 3-game EL pack - were well served by the cut offs done by the club specifically for the EL last 16 hm leg.

More generally, of course if you never get away tickets and have supported the club for 40 years (as both Simster and I have) it is going to be frustrating now and then. Not everyone has the time or money to redress that. But I accept no system is perfect and generally some sort of points based loyalty is probably fairest and has to be used.

I just think sometimes the club could do better by Albion Plus members, even if it is taking a bit more care and thought over the cut offs. Many are really solid fans, longstanding or young and STHs of the future. Maybe pick a couple of away games a season to give them a ballot chance for away games?

To an extent I understand this, where you give everyone a chance to go to an away game, but everyone does have a chance, everyone thats my albion plus, got the chance for a Stoke ticket, Forest ticket, City ticket, Chelsea (Cup), Man United Ticket, Villa Ticket, Marseille Ticket, Wolves Ticket, Everton Ticket. So that only left, Chelsea (?), Palace, Arsenal and West Ham (?) that weren't available to my albion plus. This data is collected from someone I know who is my albion plus who has been to all these games away from home, so it doesn't seem such a closed shop and IMO everyone gets a chance for away games.

 

[jimhigham]

2 together in the NW corner. Fantastic.

 

[PeterT]

To an extent I understand this, where you give everyone a chance to go to an away game, but everyone does have a chance, everyone thats my albion plus, got the chance for a Stoke ticket, Forest ticket, City ticket, Chelsea (Cup), Man United Ticket, Villa Ticket, Marseille Ticket, Wolves Ticket, Everton Ticket. So that only left, Chelsea (?), Palace, Arsenal and West Ham (?) that weren't available to my albion plus. This data is collected from someone I know who is my albion plus who has been to all these games away from home, so it doesn't seem such a closed shop and IMO everyone gets a chance for away games.

I imagine it’s a hot topic at most clubs where demand exceeds supply. I saw that Villa have a ‘ticket consultation group’ and recently made some changes but it didn’t sound like anything that Albion weren’t already doing and it seems their fans are not happy bunnies on the system either:

Aston Villa announce away ticket changes to avoid ‘closed shop’

Latest Aston Villa news as it emerges club have been in talks with Away Ticket Consultation Group over potential changes

www.birminghammail.co.uk

 

[Guinness Boy]

To an extent I understand this, where you give everyone a chance to go to an away game, but everyone does have a chance, everyone thats my albion plus, got the chance for a Stoke ticket, Forest ticket, City ticket, Chelsea (Cup), Man United Ticket, Villa Ticket, Marseille Ticket, Wolves Ticket, Everton Ticket. So that only left, Chelsea (?), Palace, Arsenal and West Ham (?) that weren't available to my albion plus. This data is collected from someone I know who is my albion plus who has been to all these games away from home, so it doesn't seem such a closed shop and IMO everyone gets a chance for away games.

Exactly this. If you want to go to 'an away game' you can. If you wanted to go to Marseille you could. If you only want to go to Ajax, Palace, Brentford and Chelsea you'll be shit out of luck unless you start going to 'an away game'. It couldn't be more simple.

 

[Bozza]

To an extent I understand this, where you give everyone a chance to go to an away game, but everyone does have a chance, everyone thats my albion plus, got the chance for a Stoke ticket, Forest ticket, City ticket, Chelsea (Cup), Man United Ticket, Villa Ticket, Marseille Ticket, Wolves Ticket, Everton Ticket. So that only left, Chelsea (?), Palace, Arsenal and West Ham (?) that weren't available to my albion plus. This data is collected from someone I know who is my albion plus who has been to all these games away from home, so it doesn't seem such a closed shop and IMO everyone gets a chance for away games.

Exactly.

The "closed shop" debate only ever comes up when there's a big glory game and someone who rarely goes feels hard done by that they're at the back of the queue for tickets.

Like many on here, I'm a STH, but my away day attendance has waned considerably over the past couple of seasons, yet I still got a ticket for all three European away games, and my away day appetite has come back so I was at Arsenal, West Ham and I'm making the trip to Stoke tomorrow.

I won't have a chance of Luton nor Bournemouth and rightly so - there's a whole load of people, like you in fact Jack, who trek the country every other weekend in support of the club, who all deserve those holy grail tickets.

But this afternoon's debate came about because of @Tooting Gull mentioning the points cut-off for non-STH for this specific game and concern for those who lie between 1 and 180 points. They've been able to buy since 2pm and there must still be c3,000 tickets left. To me at least, that suggests the club have got it right.

None of us have access to the club's data on A+ members and points held, but the threshold's suggest the club wanted to reward the most frequently-attending A+ fans with the pick of seats, then allow all those who have been to any game ever a chance ahead of the speculative joiners (0 points). Without having access to the club's data, it feels like a sound methodology, doesn't it?

 

[Sorrel]

Exactly this. If you want to go to 'an away game' you can. If you wanted to go to Marseille you could. If you only want to go to Ajax, Palace, Brentford and Chelsea you'll be shit out of luck unless you start going to 'an away game'. It couldn't be more simple.

Exactly - the current system seems fair to me. I had quite a lot of points, then dropped out of membership for two years and started again from the floor.

This year I've been to plenty of home games and to Wolves, Villa and (tomorrow) Stoke away. I can't get tickets for London away matches, but I'll be getting closer to that next season hopefully. Would love to go to Sheffield United, so if you're a STH please don't buy them!

 

[Commander]

At what minute in the 2nd leg did you decide to head for home or did you stay on to the end to clap the players off?

You'd surely stay until the bitter end. If you go to a 2nd leg at 5-0 down you can't give up when we start losing, can you?

 

[Sorrel]

You'd surely stay until the bitter end. If you go to a 2nd leg at 5-0 down you can't give up when we start losing, can you?

Also, if loads of people go early there's no point anymore. You'll already be queuing for ages.