Losing the love for the albion

[The Sock of Poskett]

We spend half our time making fun of Palace for being stuck in the dark old days of a rubbish stadium they can't fill. And then the other half moaning but the fact that our state of the art, mostly full stadium, isn't like the old days.

Exactly. We can't have it all ways.

Yes, part of me hankers for the old days of cheap entry, terraces and a less 'corporate' experience.
Football has changed massively since then - some of it good (better facilities, massively less hoolies, and yes, somewhere you can take your kids or grandkids without worrying too much), some of it bad (sanitised stadia, massively overpaid players at the top end of the game and consequently many ordinary fans priced out of the game).

I don't think the club get everything right, and they probably would agree they don't. But they get more right than wrong. And the reality is that if the Albion is to play at the highest level we need a top level stadium, we need a safe environment and we need to attract families too.

Can we get to the highest level and keep the soul of the Albion intact? Only time will tell. But we can't turn the clock back, much as some of us would like to.

 

[father_and_son]

Seems like the right place to put this question:

I have read recently that the Amex at £95 million, is the most expensive stadium ever built, anywhere, on a £ per seat ratio.

Anyone know if this is correct and if so why?

Without checking the facts, the simple answer is BECAUSE IT'S THE NEWEST.

For exactly the same reason that every film released is the "highest grossing of all time", prices only ever go up. Bricks, cement, concrete, glass, comfy seats, pies, beer and football tickets... the price goes up!

The next stadium built from scratch for a premiership or championship will be the new "most expensive stadium ever" for exactly the same reason.

 

[RupertsFlan]

I don't think the club have forgotten where we've come from at all. And maybe you've had some special treatment over the years that I've missed, as I've never been treated as special. I've bought my tickets, and gone to games - no phone call from Dick thanking me. Nothing from the players either.

I beg your pardon? Did you try one of the pies at Selhurst? I still feel sick from it. I ordered and paid for chicken, then after paying they tell me there aren't any, so I had 'steak'. Well, there was no meat in it, just some sort of sawdust. And it was something like £4. I think ours are less with our smart cards are they not? And what about the Withdean - I was paying over £3 for the saveloy and chips and that was tough to stomach too. The pies at the Amex are nice, and when compared to standard football food they're bloody amazing.

Now you're just being daft. You think the club have forgotten where we've come from just because there isn't room for 26,000 to park at the ground. You're not supposed to park there.

It's £28 you FCUKING TAWT



So im a fcuking twat and society considers me an animal, interesting.

Listen sewer gob, if you love the pies, think the prices are good overall at the football club, love the direction and stance the club are going and think it's all rosey in the albion garden then carry on going and enjoy yourself but lets get one thing right, dont hide behind a keyboard & abuse me for havng my opinion.

I am not happy with the club, the amex expiereince and overall pricing & the way things are going. simple really.

I am really sorry to hear that.

Now then - would you be able to arrange a meeting with me as I have 4 friends who are desperate to get a season ticket and would absolutely love to come down to the Amex and watch championship football in an epic stadium. I know its disappointing that you are off but thankfully there are absolutely stacks of people ready to come in and join the fun.

Enjoy Sky Sports or Whitehawk or wherever you end up watching football. Meanwhile after 20 years of shitty stadium experiences, crap crowds and dreadful football I am absolutely lapping this 'new Albion' up.

By the way - you did know that when you buy something you dont have to have the most expensive thing on the menu or list?

My season ticket costs around £30 a month - oh and I also saw there were tickets for Newcastle for around £28.

I would suggest you don't bother with restuarants by the way. some of the expensive bottles of wine for example could be as much as £60.There will be bottles for around £22 but of course you wont want those. You will need to blow £250 for a meal and then moan that you will never return having being ripped off.

Have a great time and please let me know where I can pick up your season ticket.

Thanks!

 

[Hillian1]

Without checking the facts, the simple answer is BECAUSE IT'S THE NEWEST.

For exactly the same reason that every film released is the "highest grossing of all time", prices only ever go up. Bricks, cement, concrete, glass, comfy seats, pies, beer and football tickets... the price goes up!

The next stadium built from scratch for a premiership or championship will be the new "most expensive stadium ever" for exactly the same reason.

No need to shout sweetness, it was just a question.

 

[maglers]

I am not happy with the club, the amex expiereince and overall pricing & the way things are going. simple really.

You have the ultimate power here. Don't go...

 

[SingitLoud]

Pretty well spot on

I've been supporting the mighty stripes for over 20 years, been solidly going to 35+ games a season for about 15 years now, a football club is about the fans and the club for me are so out of touch & have completely forgotten where we've come from & the ones that ensured were here today to a level thats quite obsurd!

For the follwing reasons shown I feel its just not my football club anymore, feels like ive lost a good friend who's won the lottery and now doesnt want to know you anymore and doesnt need you. I used to LOVE going to albion games, my highlight of the week, now it's just something I do and i'd go as far as saying I hate the powers that be at this club for what were tuning into.

I realise we have a ground to pay for, I realise we are tying to attact new fans, I realise we want profit to attract better players and grow the brand but everyday I'm surrouded by the business & politics of my football club thats come to the fore in the last 18 months that the taste in my mouth is getting more harder to swallow and I really dont know how much longer I'll be part of it, then again i'm a number & the club wont really be bothered anyway.

Pricing

£4 pies, £4.50 cheeseburgers - Not only well overpriced, also nothing special, we appear to be paying premiership food prices, why?

£13 car parking, never been to an away ground anywhere in the country and paid that? Why are we being ripped off?

£41 for a Newcastle ticket in a 3rd round cup game, FCUKING WHY?

£635 season ticket - Premiership prices already!


Banning people,stewards, singing songs & atmophere

- Fans getting thrown out for anti palace songs!! Seriously! (what is this perfect zombie lik environment being created)

- Over zelous stewards being instructed to behave in this way by the club to anyone not staying either in silence

- Where I sit if you say fcuk or bollocks your looked at by fellow fans like your an animal (It's the FOOTBALL LOVE)

- The club trying to create this nice, fun and family orientated environment with no swearing, no anti palace songs, Gee up music, comfy seats and sweets and lollipops on sale, how lovely!


Now for the reasons above my amazing football club who rose from the depths have now become a well oiled machine which rips fans off, puts ridiculous rules of what you can fukng sing now, reporting procedure if you hear someone swear but I for one am proud of where weve come from and the real reasons were still here but also embarrassed on the same level as were catering for the new breed and you either conform with no standing, anti anthing rules or fcuk off your banned.

Maybe it's not just the Albion, maybe it' slightly the whole of football that im dissalussioned with, the money, the greed, the tighter rules being implemented, it's just all going in a direction that doesnt fill me will any form of excitement.

Rant over.

Yes quite agree with most of this!The profits from pies has nothing to do with paying for the stadium for example.Don't mind the season ticket money going to the costs of the improvements but anything else should be kept at a reasonable price. Most of us can just about muster up the season ticket mone.Many a time iv,e gone dry when iv'e fancied a pint and as for the programmes bought none this season! As for the mood and atmosphere read my thread: Singing

 

[Surrey Phil]

TTFN - close the door on your way out!

 

[glasfryn]

This is not just football clubs though. What you are describing is modern culture (cough) everything is one size fits all, mass produced global shite. People don't want individual local produce they want global mass marketed, water down lowest common denominator dullard crap. Look at the music that is popular, formulaic dross! same for films, sames for TV, same for coffee, beer, take away, toys, furniture, electronics, clothes.....the list in endless. We accept this shit because this is what we are given. We accept that every high street in the UK has the same shops, every shopping center in every major city in the world has the same shops.

It's bullshit.

this undoubtedly the post of the week

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

I've been supporting the mighty stripes for over 20 years, been solidly going to 35+ games a season for about 15 years now, a football club is about the fans and the club for me are so out of touch & have completely forgotten where we've come from & the ones that ensured were here today to a level thats quite obsurd!

For the follwing reasons shown I feel its just not my football club anymore, feels like ive lost a good friend who's won the lottery and now doesnt want to know you anymore and doesnt need you. I used to LOVE going to albion games, my highlight of the week, now it's just something I do and i'd go as far as saying I hate the powers that be at this club for what were tuning into.

I realise we have a ground to pay for, I realise we are tying to attact new fans, I realise we want profit to attract better players and grow the brand but everyday I'm surrouded by the business & politics of my football club thats come to the fore in the last 18 months that the taste in my mouth is getting more harder to swallow and I really dont know how much longer I'll be part of it, then again i'm a number & the club wont really be bothered anyway.

Pricing

£4 pies, £4.50 cheeseburgers - Not only well overpriced, also nothing special, we appear to be paying premiership food prices, why?

£13 car parking, never been to an away ground anywhere in the country and paid that? Why are we being ripped off?

£41 for a Newcastle ticket in a 3rd round cup game, FCUKING WHY?

£635 season ticket - Premiership prices already!


Banning people,stewards, singing songs & atmophere

- Fans getting thrown out for anti palace songs!! Seriously! (what is this perfect zombie lik environment being created)

- Over zelous stewards being instructed to behave in this way by the club to anyone not staying either in silence

- Where I sit if you say fcuk or bollocks your looked at by fellow fans like your an animal (It's the FOOTBALL LOVE)

- The club trying to create this nice, fun and family orientated environment with no swearing, no anti palace songs, Gee up music, comfy seats and sweets and lollipops on sale, how lovely!


Now for the reasons above my amazing football club who rose from the depths have now become a well oiled machine which rips fans off, puts ridiculous rules of what you can fukng sing now, reporting procedure if you hear someone swear but I for one am proud of where weve come from and the real reasons were still here but also embarrassed on the same level as were catering for the new breed and you either conform with no standing, anti anthing rules or fcuk off your banned.

Maybe it's not just the Albion, maybe it' slightly the whole of football that im dissalussioned with, the money, the greed, the tighter rules being implemented, it's just all going in a direction that doesnt fill me will any form of excitement.

Rant over.

couldn't agree more, some of the JCL's know no better, that's why they just meekly fall in line , i bet there's plenty more with your same views who don't post on this forum , WHAT'S THE NEXT MOVE

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

I am really sorry to hear that.

Now then - would you be able to arrange a meeting with me as I have 4 friends who are desperate to get a season ticket and would absolutely love to come down to the Amex and watch championship football in an epic stadium. I know its disappointing that you are off but thankfully there are absolutely stacks of people ready to come in and join the fun.

Enjoy Sky Sports or Whitehawk or wherever you end up watching football. Meanwhile after 20 years of shitty stadium experiences, crap crowds and dreadful football I am absolutely lapping this 'new Albion' up.

By the way - you did know that when you buy something you dont have to have the most expensive thing on the menu or list?

My season ticket costs around £30 a month - oh and I also saw there were tickets for Newcastle for around £28.

I would suggest you don't bother with restuarants by the way. some of the expensive bottles of wine for example could be as much as £60.There will be bottles for around £22 but of course you wont want those. You will need to blow £250 for a meal and then moan that you will never return having being ripped off.

Have a great time and please let me know where I can pick up your season ticket.

Thanks!

OH GIVE IT A REST AND AS FOR YOUR 4 FRIENDS WHEN DID THEY LAST ATTEND AN ALBION GAME ?

 

[RupertsFlan]

couldn't agree more, some of the JCL's know no better, that's why they just meekly fall in line , i bet there's plenty more with your same views who don't post on this forum , WHAT'S THE NEXT MOVE

You need to qualify what a JCL is? People who fell out of love with the club during the wildnerness years? People who gave up at Withdean? Gillingham? People who simply felt that the money was not justified for the experince of going to watch second, thurd division football (on the whole) in appalling conditions.

It is a question of scale and sustainability. If you want to have a quaint, cottage-industry style football club you will end up with up with very die hard fans as a core.

In our case probably somewhere around the 6-8,000 mark. That level of support sustains nothing and has no scale. On that premise there is no poin having a new ground.

The reality is - and this is where nostalgia needs to be carefully managed - that to grow a fan base and bring back the hordes of local football fans, the experience, the facilities need to justify as far as possible the price.

In my opinion the Albion have done this better than most. Local produce - pies and ale - comes at a premium because there simplynot the scale of supply that carlsberg, pukka etc have in being provided. do you want a local feel but at global supply prices? If so then you need to let us all know as its not economicaly viable.

Pricing of tickets - how many other clubs have the driect debit scheme - as far as I know hardly any if not none at all. I have no reason to believe that the club would withdraw this as the financial plan would have been based on the revenue being generated & collected on that basis. Interestingly many companies who sell to cusomers and consumer now deliver their products on a subscription style basis and investors and share holders alike are more comfortable in lending and supporting companies with that model. In essence it is a lower risk to revenue. Collecting money in lump sums is attractive in one way but represents a massive risk should customers decide not to reinvest in a season ticket.

With subscription is proides more coverage and is easier to replace with new customers as long as your attrition is not huge. 300 season ticket holders decide not to renew at £600 - that is is a signficatn dent and harder to replace.

300 people decide not to renew and it is a smaller dent in cashflow and certainly easier to recruit new customers.

All in all the clu have in my opinion done an excellent job. Every company on the planet has poor customer service at times, questions about product and pricing - particularly in the current economic climate.

however to dleiver what some (and it appears to be very much the minority) on here seem to want is a reutnr to good old days.

Third division football, delapidated ground unfit for use - but the ability to turn up on the day and have a chat with the directors.

Frankly I would see a return to old days as a disaster as until recent years this footall club has been a complete laughing stock of the wider football world - certianly the way it was run.

If the worst we have to deal with with is peopl complaining about the occasional berk of steward, queues for beer that are annoying and a manager who is still learning how to deal with the media then I can wear that.

We aer being served up championship football in front of crowds of 24,000 on average - do you wonder why the attendances are at their highest for 30 years?

It may because all things considered we are being provided with an outstanding product that is pretty much good value for money.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I tend to think it's a bit expensive, but then I choose not to buy food every game, or a programme for that matter - they are not forced on me, and mine and my lads ST seem reasonable to be honest.

That said re: pricing, I've just had to *chokes on own sick* fork out £96 for the family to see Starlight Express at the Brighton Centre - 2 adults and 2 kids U10 FFS. I also noted Eddie Izzard is £35 per ticket - £35 for a stand up comedian for 90mins!

Entertainment is expensive these days.

 

[RupertsFlan]

OH GIVE IT A REST AND AS FOR YOUR 4 FRIENDS WHEN DID THEY LAST ATTEND AN ALBION GAME ?

Apologies if you take this the wrong way - but you really are not particuarly intelligent are you?

 

[Neil]

Thats why I mostly go to Eastbourne Borough now £12 to go in , ground under cover all sides , right next to the action, clubhouse on tap all game at £2.50 a pint . Cheeseburger for £2.50, parking outside the ground and home in 5 minutes.

 

[otk]

Having no BHA footy on Sat afternoons due to other KO times has found me having a look at art for a change, and as it happens, I think I prefer the art. So there will prob be another spare seat next season

 

[brightn'ove]

Seems like the right place to put this question:

I have read recently that the Amex at £95 million, is the most expensive stadium ever built, anywhere, on a £ per seat ratio.

Anyone know if this is correct and if so why?

That can't be right, the Kansas MLS team built an 18,000 seater that cost $200 million (£125 million)

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

I've been supporting the mighty stripes for over 20 years, been solidly going to 35+ games a season for about 15 years now, a football club is about the fans and the club for me are so out of touch & have completely forgotten where we've come from & the ones that ensured were here today to a level thats quite obsurd!

For the follwing reasons shown I feel its just not my football club anymore, feels like ive lost a good friend who's won the lottery and now doesnt want to know you anymore and doesnt need you. I used to LOVE going to albion games, my highlight of the week, now it's just something I do and i'd go as far as saying I hate the powers that be at this club for what were tuning into.

I realise we have a ground to pay for, I realise we are tying to attact new fans, I realise we want profit to attract better players and grow the brand but everyday I'm surrouded by the business & politics of my football club thats come to the fore in the last 18 months that the taste in my mouth is getting more harder to swallow and I really dont know how much longer I'll be part of it, then again i'm a number & the club wont really be bothered anyway.

Pricing

£4 pies, £4.50 cheeseburgers - Not only well overpriced, also nothing special, we appear to be paying premiership food prices, why?

£13 car parking, never been to an away ground anywhere in the country and paid that? Why are we being ripped off?

£41 for a Newcastle ticket in a 3rd round cup game, FCUKING WHY?

£635 season ticket - Premiership prices already!


Banning people,stewards, singing songs & atmophere

- Fans getting thrown out for anti palace songs!! Seriously! (what is this perfect zombie lik environment being created)

- Over zelous stewards being instructed to behave in this way by the club to anyone not staying either in silence

- Where I sit if you say fcuk or bollocks your looked at by fellow fans like your an animal (It's the FOOTBALL LOVE)

- The club trying to create this nice, fun and family orientated environment with no swearing, no anti palace songs, Gee up music, comfy seats and sweets and lollipops on sale, how lovely!


Now for the reasons above my amazing football club who rose from the depths have now become a well oiled machine which rips fans off, puts ridiculous rules of what you can fukng sing now, reporting procedure if you hear someone swear but I for one am proud of where weve come from and the real reasons were still here but also embarrassed on the same level as were catering for the new breed and you either conform with no standing, anti anthing rules or fcuk off your banned.

Maybe it's not just the Albion, maybe it' slightly the whole of football that im dissalussioned with, the money, the greed, the tighter rules being implemented, it's just all going in a direction that doesnt fill me will any form of excitement.

Rant over.

I sat next to you at the Season Ticket presentation and you were SO excited. It's a real shame that the gloss has gone so quickly. Hope you get the love (and I'd say some perspective) back soon.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

Thought provoking thread. I’d agree with a lot of the OP’s points. Living in the States now and only having visited the new stadium once it’s difficult to really comment on how the atmosphere etc may have changed over the last year. I do remember being blown away when I did visit it for the first time, and thinking that after all the crap that we had put up with at the Priestfield Stadium and Withdean we had finally arrived as a club.

I think part of it is an age thing – I’m just glad that I grew up in the Goldstone heyday and will always have those memories. But the younger fans now going to Falmer will make it their stadium the same as we did at the Goldstone. They won’t make those comparisons because they never went there

 

[del strangefish]

"I knew no good would come from those city folk & their flyin' machines!"

 

[kevo]

Having no BHA footy on Sat afternoons due to other KO times has found me having a look at art for a change, and as it happens, I think I prefer the art. So there will prob be another spare seat next season

So you are going to go to an art gallery every fortnight rather than the Amex?