Forest v Albion moved to Monday 11th April - live on Sky

[Bozza]

Think it was last week. I know. My error. I even said at the time that I hoped they wouldn't move it. I guess I just crossed my fingers, in the knowledge that the train fare would soon be around £80 if I left it much longer.

Again, I'm largely on the side of the fans here and, as you know, if circumstances were different I'd have the same train ticket as you.

However there are still London - Nottingham first class returns available for Saturday 9th April for £41, with standard class at £33.

I do stick by my point: we might not like this particular 'game' but we do know that TV fixtures will be announced and there is a risk if we make commitments that can't be changed ahead of that happening. Particularly when we're doing as well as we are, and seem to be slightly under-represented on TV this season relative to our promotion-challenging peers.

 

[8ace]

The club get no income from the away gate revenue other than expenses.

They get a small percentage of away ticket sales sometimes, it's chickenshit though.

 

[Bozza]

They get a small percentage of away ticket sales sometimes, it's chickenshit though.

I believe it's c5% which I think [MENTION=5208]drew[/MENTION] was categorising as 'expenses'.

 

[Wozza]

Let's be clear there are no rules relating to when sky can cancel games.

Football League documentation suggests otherwise.

 

[Saturn]

Why do you think they subsidise home travel. The more people that can get to the stadium the more the club benefit financially, from the tickets to get in to the money spent on the concourses. The only benefit for away support is the backing the fans give the team. The club get no income from the away gate revenue other than expenses.

My point is that home travel is costing the vast majority of Albion fans a maximum of what, £10-15? How much can that realistically be subsidised?

The only benefit for away support is the backing the fans give the team.

What I am saying is that subsiding some away matches might encourage more of our supporters to travel and better support the team. I think that it's important to urge on the team in those difficult away matches.

Also, are you suggesting they should do away with the home travel subsidy for 25,000 fans and replace it with a subsidy for an average of about 1000 away fans?

No.

 

[Charlies Shinpad]

Another day in. I'm still monumentally pissed off about this (as I've now wasted £45 on a train ticket). Yes, I know it's the risk you take, to a degree, when booking tickets. But the alternative is waiting another couple of weeks and discovering train fares have increased by 50%. That's why people book early. I appreciate Sky (*******s) want to select the most important games to show, but I'm sorry, there should be an absolutely minimum period of 8 weeks before a match where they can do that. It's just taking the piss out of fans, again.

The team would have been supported- I am confident- by two & a half, maybe three thousand fans at Forest, if this had remained on the Saturday. It's always a popular trip. Instead, we'll be lucky to reach a thousand, on a Monday night, promotion race or not. What does that do to the players? Surely running out to three thousand cheering away fans is more likely to positively impact on the team than 900 or so. I get that the club want the money (though God knows, that £30k we apparently get for it will barely pay Knockaert's wages for a week and a half, so in the grand scheme of things, it's peanuts).

I'm totally fed up with SkySports and their **** You attitude to supporters. We don't count any more. No, it's not the Albion's decision, but I do feel quite strongly that they should have made some sort of statement acknowledging what a pain in the arse, not to mention a financial hardship, this has been to a number of supporters. Whereas the £30k fee from Sky is peanuts to a Championship side. I note other clubs have made some sort of token gesture to their supporters in similar situations, but nothing doing by the Albion, clearly. Instead, they've kept quiet, and the only communication we've seen this week have been ones urging us to buy more shirts for MK Dons, buy more seats for the Sheffield Wednesday game, and buy more season tickets.

#Together, my arse.

So now you know how the Albion fans who travel long distance by train to home games feel when they get switched

 

[drew]

My point is that home travel is costing the vast majority of Albion fans a maximum of what, £10-15? How much can that realistically be subsidised?


What I am saying is that subsiding some away matches might encourage more of our supporters to travel and better support the team. I think that it's important to urge on the team in those difficult away matches.


No.

Not sure how you arrive at the figure but, if I travel by train, it costs £5.80 for 23 matches a season; that's £133.40 per season. If I drive, I use the park and ride. If that wasn't there I'd have to find somewhere to park which would probably cost as well. Some travel from further afield and benefit even more. Even those travelling from Brighton station are subsidised just under £80 per season.

This thread though isn't about subsidising away travel, isn't it more about compensation when games get changed?

 

[Sweeney Todd]

We should draft a letter, make it a “sticky”, and send a copy of the letter to Sky. We should sign it as fans of BHA, but we would speak for supporters of all clubs.

 

[studio150]

We should draft a letter, make it a “sticky”, and send a copy of the letter to Sky. We should sign it as fans of BHA, but we would speak for supporters of all clubs.

And what would this achieve other than a polite reply

 

[Sweeney Todd]

And what would this achieve other than a polite reply

It would make Sky understand fans' feelings.

 

[studio150]

It would make Sky understand fans' feelings.

So nothing basically given that Sky will not alter their game selection based on feelings.

 

[yorkshire seagull]

Not all fans.

I've said this before, and got roundly criticised for it, but I'm not fussed for a Saturday 3pm game. I've been going to games since the early 1980's, and am not overly disappointed with the way football is moving.

These days, I can quite often take my son along to a local game on a Saturday afternoon, and then head out to see Brighton on a Monday evening (or whatever day we get switched to....). Not everybody works 9-5, Mon to Fri, so in some cases rearranged games are more accessible for fans.

 

[Gazwag]

Surely it could be possible for the train companies to provide a "football fan" railcard to give a percentage off travel. This means tickets could be purchased nearer to the match at a similar price to 12 weeks before the match so fans could delay the purchase of tickets. The ticket could only be valid if accompanied with a match ticket for example.

 

[Gazwag]

Also, I know if you purchase advance tickets from Southern's website to collect at the station, if you don't collect these tickets you can apply to get them refunded. Why can't all train companies offer the same service.

Edit: No just checked, they have changed the rules now so you can't get a refund on advanced fares

 

[drew]

Surely it could be possible for the train companies to provide a "football fan" railcard to give a percentage off travel. This means tickets could be purchased nearer to the match at a similar price to 12 weeks before the match so fans could delay the purchase of tickets. The ticket could only be valid if accompanied with a match ticket for example.

Not quite sure that would work. Rail companies already offer network cards for discounts. Also, as the trains fill up then the price goes up so they aren't going to reserve cheap seats for fans.

Would have thought it is not beyond the imagination of the authorities to come up with some sort of scheme that you can contribute to as an insurance against this sort of thing, may be even include the insurance industry.

 

[Easy 10]

Unfortunately, our party of 4 have committed so we're going to pay the extra £6.90 and hop over to Derby to support Bolton in their match at the Ipro. No doubt we'll enjoy a few drinks along the way.

Perhaps [MENTION=12880]Hotchilidog[/MENTION] and I will join you then, if we can't get refunds from the train company. Might be amusing to get a contingent of Albion fans there

If you do go to that game, then I'd LOVE to see a banner held aloft saying (like the t-shirts):

"I bought a ticket to Forest v Brighton
But thanks to Sky, all I got was this POXY game instead"

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Oh good. My one - ONE - game of the season moved. Thanks SKY, you ****ers

 

[dangull]

Its the price of success unfortunately. Ironically, if Brighton go up this year and spend most the season in mid table, their fixtures probably will not get moved much next season.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

If you do go to that game, then I'd LOVE to see a banner held aloft saying (like the t-shirts):

"I bought a ticket to Forest v Brighton
But thanks to Sky, all I got was this POXY game instead"

Funny, I had the same thought about half an hour ago. Still contemplating what to do, as our tickets are non-refundable.

Options seem to be:

-sack off the whole thing and write off the £45

-pay another £6 plus the cost of a match ticket and go in the away end with Bolton fans at the iPro (with anti SkySports protest banner)

-find something else to do that day at a location somewhere on the line between St Pancras & Nottingham.


All deeply tempting offers, I'm sure you'll agree

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Or, there's Notts County v Stevenage, another dream game.