For the attention of Mr Barber

[Westdene Seagull]

Can people get some perspective FFS all that's happened is gullys girls have bite the bullit

Oh the programmes have gone up 50p

See post #92 !!!!!!

 

[The Peanut Roaster]

We are a community football club, not a corporate cash cow.

If we become a corporate, plastic, soulless club who doesn't give a shite about its loyal fanbase, then I literally will start going to Whitehawk games instead. Sadly the more we settle in to our beautiful new stadium, the more it looks like this will be the case.

Community club my arse.

 

[The Birdman]

When will people realize that we are no longer the little club that has everybody having their say and being friends of the board. We are now a major business with ambition to progress even more and obviously there is a price to pay for that. Either jump on the bus or get off now before it costs you more money personally I am prepared to jump on the bus to achieve something.

You still try and look after your customers

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

So Championship prices it is then-we just need to know what that price will be.

If we are in the same division, then I can see him getting away with more than a 2/3 percent increase.

And keeping the DD scheme.

That was TBs idea remember, I cannot see that being axed.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

IMO its the match day ticket prices, and the policy of selling the most expensive first that grates.

It will be interesting to see how the club intend to fill the north stand corners when they're ready.

THIS ! Taking the comparison to other entertainments in a previous post on this thread, you don't see a theatre holding back the cheap tickets in order to sell more expensive tickets or indeed a gig. It is pure and utter greed on behalf of the club. There is no way on planet earth I'll pay more than £30 for a ticket to see Championship football -I'd rather spend my match money and merchandise money elsewhere.

 

[Ali_rrr]

Rejection out of hand of Safe Standing.

I can understand the safe standing, as we have just paid extra money for the padded seats. Although I can't see why he's moaning to much on the standing in the North.

 

[Bwian]

IMO its the match day ticket prices, and the policy of selling the most expensive first that grates.

It will be interesting to see how the club intend to fill the north stand corners when they're ready.

Two very valid points. Barber is clearly not as smart as he'd have us believe.

When he was appointed and then made his first press conference I thought he'd be good for us-the reality is that he is concerned with money and to hell with everything else. I am beginning to dislike him more and more and that's not what I want as part of my Albion experience.

 

[grummitts gloves]

Can people get some perspective FFS all that's happened is gullys girls have bite the bullit

Oh the programmes have gone up 50p

I've got perspective. I've read the list on 'we are Brighton' site. You can't blame the fans for being wary or cautious because of all that's gone before. I'm certainly not in the 'Barber Out' camp. I just feel we owe it to ourselves to keep a close eye on things. With regard to Gully's Girls, I do feel they have been treated a bit shabbily after all they have done for the club in the community and REMF etc.

 

[The Peanut Roaster]

Can't see why it matters, but since early 1983.

Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.

 

[T soprano]

I've got perspective. I've read the list on 'we are Brighton' site. You can't blame the fans for being wary or cautious because of all that's gone before. I'm certainly not in the 'Barber Out' camp. I just feel we owe it to ourselves to keep a close eye on things. With regard to Gully's Girls, I do feel they have been treated a bit shabbily after all they have done for the club in the community and REMF etc.

Fair enough

 

[Buckley's Mad Eye]

That's the price of all live shows now though
Most gigs down Concorde 2 are around £20
If you see any gig down the Brighton centre your looking at £35
Trouble is to see your favourite live bands you'd go to around 5 gigs a year
With the Albion your looking at 23 games a year so yes it does become expensive
But in reflection of going to gigs & The Theatre the Albion pricing is fair

That is an especially good comparison you have made there, because just like my favourite bands, I have to content myself with listening to the Albion on the radio.

 

[Tooting Gull]

Find it hard to form a single view about Barber.

I was one of those who predicted a lot of this stuff when the appointment was made, and got duly slagged off by all those brown-nosing through rose-tinted spectacles (no mean feat, I'll give them that).

I don't like the increasing tendency for corporate football, and there are a lot of very, very comfortably off football fans at the Amex who don't have the same concerns I do about pricing.

To be fair to Barber, this is my general view of football as a whole, and we are just the latest to jump on the bandwagon. And he isn't doing anything unexpected. This is who he is, and what he does. That's what Bloom wanted, and why he hired him.

And to be equally fair to him, he is very good, even brilliant at what he does. He would walk into that role not only at about 75 per cent of Premier League clubs, but most big European clubs, and several big national FAs.

The guy is respected worldwide by a certain type of corporate executive, so in many ways we should feel very lucky to have him.

Ironically the one country's clubs that might not be queueing up to take him would be Germany's. And I rather like football over there at the moment.

 

[Blackcap]

Seems to me that lots of people are making huge assumptions about which decisions were taken by PB and which were taken by others. The authors of the inflammatory article on wearebrighton.com that is currently stirring up the pitchfork wielders admit that they dont know whether the actions that they listed in the article were his or not.

I do sympathise with some of the grievances listed in this thread but when it is clear that certain people have decided from day one that they dont like the look of Mr Barber and are hell bent on blaming him for all the problems in the western world their arguments lose all credibility.

I thought his response to the safe standing proposal was detailed and respectful and was more than fans would have got from the board of other clubs. Whatever the merits of the proposal, the timing of it is clearly not right and it seems to me like some people are throwing their rattles out of the pram in response.

 

[grummitts gloves]

A lot of things about the Amex were groundbreaking such as the DD system for ST's, top ups and money back on the cards etc. Currently I'm happy with the value for money and would accept a small increase on the ST next season (even though my wages will be considerably cut from next April). It would be a shame to go completely over top on the 'maximising' of revenue raising.

 

[Caveman]

IMO its the match day ticket prices, and the policy of selling the most expensive first that grates.

It will be interesting to see how the club intend to fill the north stand corners when they're ready.

Probably be all st holders such will be the demand. It's he stand with the atmosphere

 

[severnside gull]

I never used to be a customer, I used to be a fan - I'm not sure if the club sees me that way anymore

I can recall when as fans we demanded to be respected as customers because we paid their wages (not that we ever actually did) but that and similar arguments always prevail when there is a perception that we are getting a poor deal and especially being overcharged for sitting on a plastic bucket seat balanced on a scaffold pole. Now we are being even more overcharged as customers in a state of the art stadium with matching services we are desparate to be treated as fans again.What a fickle lot we are! Of course we are all (with the exception of plastics of course) both fans and customers. It's all about perception is all - ours and theirs - which is where the problem lies. Whatever we are there is a them and there is an us. But I do wonder, wasn't there always?

 

[Bigbelly]

Probably be all st holders such will be the demand. It's he stand with the atmosphere

Is it? Im at the back near posters on here and its getting worse. we're not going for the next few games as its becoming like a cinema and the football served up is shit.

 

[Gilliver's Travels]

But did we ever have 'fan power' back in the day? I can't remember anyone ever asking us, the fans, if we actually wanted a bunch of well-intentioned amateurs cavorting around at Withdean in a rather poor, village-fete impression of American cheerleaders. At best, a toe-curling, sexist embarrassment, this was always to be excused - as now - by the merest mention of their [admittedly laudable] work for charidee.

Now they've gone, it's open season on Barber, now held responsible for everything from the Black Death to the imminent return of the Antichrist. While he may have form on other questionable decisions, abandoning the cheesy amateur cheerleader market to West Ham and Crystal Palace is surely not one of them.

 

[Lush]

We have to be profitable (presumably we have to pay TB back his interest free loan at some point). We have to be efficient. BHA is not a charity. We all know this.

BUT

There are ways of maximising your profit and they shouldn't include making knee-jerk decisions, charging the maximum for everything (or running, frankly, intelligence-insulting offers) and losing the goodwill in your fan base. Maybe PB thinks that because there isn't any immediate competition he can do what he likes. Well yes there is. We can spend our money on other things and just go to the occasional game. Perhaps the Newcastle game is a test to see at what price point fans will rebel.

He reminds me of the upstart new manager in an office, determined to make his mark and earn whatever bonus has been promised.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

I like your post, however I would suggest that the time period that we wait and see should be fairly short.

Personally I really don't care too much about the actual loss of GGs on match days, however I do appreciate what they have done for REMF and AITC etc, and just to get shot of them like this, is pretty poor.

I am more concerned about:

Selling match day tickets, highest priced ones first.
Generally high prices for match by match tickets.
Charging booking fee per ticket, not per transaction on auto enrol cup scheme.
Rejection out of hand of Safe Standing.
AITC having to make a profit at all coaching sessions (allegedly)
Issues with standing in the NS, Perry seems to have backtracked on his comments at the ST presentations that this would be allowed in the back 4 rows, and Barber wants the fans to sit down and shut up.
No concessions for Students, unemployed or under 21s (to be fair to Barber, since we moved from Withdean the old U21 has been withdrawn.)

I really don't think he's stupid. And that's what he would have to be if he withdraws the DD on the ST.

Oh, and I forgot the bully boy tactics re the ticket exchange.