[News] Open letter from Paul Barber

[BN9 BHA]

And yet they've chosen to add more seats for this season - are you saying that they want these to remain empty?

No not at all, it was probably a good time to add seats when nothing was happening at the stadium, hopefully in a few years time things may be normal again, or their maybe a demand for these seats.

What I’m saying is their isn’t enough staff to cope with the fans at the moment, catering being the main issue obviously.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Is it really his job to make sure you wear a mask though? Isnt it... your job to make sure you wear a mask?

True.

But what if, instead of handing out free flags for a home game, every seat had a B&HA face mask on it.

I've no idea if this would be a greater or lesser cost to the club, but everyone in the ground would then have one less excuse to not be wearing a mask.

 

[Tooting Gull]

I'm interested...what percentage of Sodexo's (vast) pool of casual/temporary hospitality staff is currently no longer available to them because of Brexit?

 

[Acker79]

Tried to PM you - but it didn't recognise you as a recipient so I'll explain here.

You're puzzled - I was puzzled. I tried to type 'TL.DR' but when saved it was de-capitalised. I tried again, but all that came out was Td.lr; not capitals - I tried fixing it by typing it in a different order - even tried spacing it vertically:
T
L
D
R - but it still came out as small case! I finally got it to accept tL.DR, as shown on my post (by typing it in reverse order but it still downsized the 't') - but even then I see it has reduced it all to small case again when you've quoted it! It was just like trying to type 'Mike Dean' if you actually wanted to type 'Mike Dean' in the days when it was autochanged.
I thought maybe at some point someone had got narked when their long post just got dismissed with 'TL.DR', and so fiddled with it so that TL.DR never came out as typed. Seems OK on subsequent posts though? I am able to post 'TL.DR' here - it just didn't work on that original post.
Weird.

My understanding is that you can't make your entire post capitals. What solved it for you wasn't the typing backwards, but the inclusion of a lower case letter in the mix. You're able to type 'TL.DR' here because you have an entire paragraph of mixed upper and lower case words.

 

[Is it PotG?]

I'm interested...what percentage of Sodexo's (vast) pool of casual/temporary hospitality staff is currently no longer available to them because of Brexit?

That figure will vary considerably, depending which of NSC's sages are asked.

They all know of course, yet their guesstimate might well be influenced by other factors.

 

[Hampster Gull]

Peanuts = monkeys

YOu're not going to get rocket scientists doing it even if it does pay well.

That’s totally unnecessary, people are trying to earn a wage to get by. An example, one of my sons friends work on match days, studies at the Uni. Extremely bright, raised well, loves working at the Amex and is grateful i suggested it to him. He is not a monkey, and neither are any of his colleagues

 

[Pondicherry]

I didn't personally have any problems with transport (Racecourse Park and Ride) or catering (Pies WSU 1 hour before kick off). However obviously there were some problems with transport and catering. Paul Barber is in overall charge of operations and so when those operations fail he needs to find solutions. He may not be in direct charge of some of the transport and catering options, but he chose those options as providers for his operation and he does has influence over them or could choose new options (within reason). When things go wrong he needs to apologize (which he has) fix it (which he is doing I presume) and try to stop it happening in future.

Regarding masks at the stadium, there is very little point in my view in having unenforceable rules. In a population of 30,000 some will comply and some will not. If you have no sanction against those who will not comply, the rule will be broken and you will look weak because you have introduced a rule which individuals will disregard (and that will be the thin end of the wedge).

 

[Lenny Rider]

Are you suggesting these extra car park stewards should have been re deployed to support the catering? Or drive trains perhaps? Or play LWB?

Easy Timothy, as I said I wasn’t there Sat, so only saw his comment about shortage of stewards and was merely commenting what I saw at the Watford game.

 

[Diablo]

If I can easily get a pint at half time I will. However I go to the Amex to watch the football.
Some around me seem more interested in Pies than the football, arriving at seat with Pie or Burger then going out on 42 mins to replenish food supplies.

 

[Garage_Doors]

As his staff are being verbally abused by entitled lowlife scum because they have to wait for a pint of Fosters then that's how it should be.

Having repeatedly told people to wear a mask 'inside' what more do you want him to do?

Go round putting masks on people himself?
Eject everyone not wearing a mask?


Once again adults are acting like c***s and somehow it's Barb's fault.

Yes thats exactly what i expect them to do.

 

[Stat Brother]

True.

But what if, instead of handing out free flags for a home game, every seat had a B&HA face mask on it.

I've no idea if this would be a greater or lesser cost to the club, but everyone in the ground would then have one less excuse to not be wearing a mask.

Are you shitting us?

We've had 18 months of mask wearing.
I'll hazard a guess 90% of those not wearing a mask on the concourse, had a mask in their pocket.

People are ********s it's not the club's job to cure them.

 

[Stat Brother]

Yes thats exactly what i expect them to do.

Them?
Who's this them you speak of?

In a letter all but pleading adults to behave like adults, who do you suggest the club use to evict thousands of entitled spoilt babies.


I'd love to see it too, but clearly that's completely impractical.
Judging by the responses to this the best thing to do was go back to playing behind closed doors.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Them?
Who's this them you speak of?

In a letter all but pleading adults to behave like adults, who do you suggest the club use to evict thousands of entitled spoilt babies.


I'd love to see it too, but clearly that's completely impractical.
Judging by the responses to this the best thing to do was go back to playing behind closed doors.

I have come to the same conclusion. Football fans can’t be trusted to attend football in a pandemic. It was in their own hands and they blew it.

 

[Stat Brother]

I have come to the same conclusion. Football fans can’t be trusted to attend football in a pandemic. It was in their own hands and they blew it.

Some of the anti Barber hate on this thread is disgusting.

If I were Mr Bloom.
I'd sell Bissouma to Arsenal for £30m, because their fans are more deserving of him.
Use the money to fund the stadium closure.
Pin a fudging great big sign on the front door that reads:-

'You're all *****.
You don't deserve nice things.
This is a nice thing.
So **** off'.


Then again I'm a petty small minded vindictive man.

 

[Coalburner]

Seems to me that a lot of the moaning on here comes from those who regard the Amex as a huge catering outlet with a football pitch attached, rather than a football stadium.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Seems to me that a lot of the moaning on here comes from those who regard the Amex as a huge catering outlet with a football pitch attached, rather than a football stadium.

But, to return to my other point, football grounds in general are in town centres surrounded by terraced housing, ropey pubs, decent chippies and vans that smell of cooking onions. The Amex isn't.

 

[BN9 BHA]

But, to return to my other point, football grounds in general are in town centres surrounded by terraced housing, ropey pubs, decent chippies and vans that smell of cooking onions. The Amex isn't.

He makes a good point and so do you in reply, but do many fans that have maybe been drinking for 2 + hours in Brighton or Lewes get to the Amex and then moan because there is a long queue at the concourse kiosks or are disappointed because their favourite guest pie has sold out?
These same fans have had plenty of time to also buy something to eat in or around the pubs they have been drinking in.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Some of the anti Barber hate on this thread is disgusting.

If I were Mr Bloom.
I'd sell Bissouma to Arsenal for £30m, because their fans are more deserving of him.
Use the money to fund the stadium closure.
Pin a fudging great big sign on the front door that reads:-

'You're all *****.
You don't deserve nice things.
This is a nice thing.
So **** off'.


Then again I'm a petty small minded vindictive man.

West Ham discuss the "wrap" on their ground

https://www.kumb.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=164789&start=20

And discuss what a ***ing shambles it was getting in to the ground.

https://www.kumb.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=181059&sid=47ab41be96ff0233aa05832f8b900025

Norwich moan about a fan survey

https://forum.pinkun.com/index.php?...-panel-fan-issues-to-discuss/page/6/#comments

Sours fan moans about no bars open to drink while there's a huge queue at Seven Sisters.

https://thefightingcock.co.uk/forum/threads/new-stadium.7036/post-3008925

I could probably carry on if I could be bothered. I imagine Arsenal's a scream right now. But you get the point, right?

 

[chrisg]

But, to return to my other point, football grounds in general are in town centres surrounded by terraced housing, ropey pubs, decent chippies and vans that smell of cooking onions. The Amex isn't.

Apart from the 5 or 6 places immediately outside the ground selling hot food and beer too.
Really isn’t unreasonable to eat outside or before arriving.

 

[BN9 BHA]

Apart from the 5 or 6 places immediately outside the ground selling hot food and beer too.
Really isn’t unreasonable to eat outside or before arriving.

It will ruin the “match day experience “ for the must have a pie brigade, if they fail to buy one.