[Albion] Season Ticket Farce @PaulBarber

[chaileyjem]

<< it’s Christmas - so edited this! >>

 

[Diablo]

I can`t get my head round
"It`s illegal for me to give my ticket/seat to a friend if I can`t go to say Brentford Game unless they are a member and I`ve paid sharing fee" supposedly because club needs to know who`s at game etc. Yet I am able to buy up to four tickets for same game and give to anyone I wish.
Can anyone explain please??

 

[Icy Gull]

<< it’s Christmas - so edited this! >>

Was it a bit sarcastic?

 

[chaileyjem]

Was it a bit sarcastic?

It’s Christmas ! Happy Christmas Icy !

 

[Icy Gull]

It’s Christmas ! Happy Christmas Icy !

And to you Chaiiley.

It was wasn’t it?

 

[Super Steve Earle]

As I said on the other thread, some fans are prepared to moan online about the scheme whilst demonstrating in their arguments that they don't understand how it works or what it costs. Turns out I was one of those. On the other hand, Barber comes across as 90% business which is why the club appears well run, and 10% fan driven which is why we don't always agree with him. He often seems like the classic boss who would benevolently say 'I hear what you say' whilst not actually listening. To be honest, my views are usually irrelevant to the running of a Premier League Football Club as are those of most others and I wouldn't want the club run on what other fans think either instead of putting the business first. But I just wish sometimes that criticism didn't just lead to a staunch justification and defence and occasionally suggested we might have a point, even if impractical.

 

[dazzer6666]

It boils down to that age old question, does action/events on the pitch drive the crowd, or do the crowd have to get going first to inspire the players to raise their game?

My personal view has always been that the team performance drives it. So many times over the last 11 seasons you see a rocking Amex pre match, killed within 15 minutes as the opponents frustrate, look so assured defensively, visibly grow a foot each and/or the Brighton players come out half asleep.

This isn’t a pick on Brighton observation. Anfield on Saturday afternoons pre-Klopp was often dead, you could hear individual voices, away chants. Frustrations as opponents came to kill the game. Still nothing like an evening game, but Klopp’s attack from everywhere game, has transformed everything. Emirates is another good example, 10 years of anger and apathy in the stands from a club in decline on the playing side = silence, empty seats.

[As an aside, interesting that PB mentions a rocking Villa Park. I didn’t go. But to a poster, everyone on nsc laughed about a near silent Villa Park for the entire game until Watkins scored. That’s some difference of interpretation!!].

How do you fix a dead Amex? Goals.

Imho.

Villa Park was the worst away atmosphere I've experienced this season - their fans and quite possibly ours as well. If he thinks that was rocking he's deluded.

 

[Weststander]

Villa Park was the worst away atmosphere I've experienced this season - their fans and quite possibly ours as well. If he thinks that was rocking he's deluded.

I trusted the view of you and all the others on the day, with no agenda, who at the time said Villa Park had little atmosphere. Until, the opener.

 

[doogie004]

Well that’s the Brentford excuse sorted then [emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Barber responds to the criticism with a 100% defence of the scheme shocker

https://www.brightonandhoveindepend...yI2Z29XyP-ZlXYMURWRNj3M2224pzZeug-sxTky_umycs

Well, he is entitled to his opinion and nobody on here has actually definitively shown that he is wrong in any of the points he has made. Two sentences stand out for me :

‘ Regardless, and the Wolves game aside, it’s perhaps interesting for Scott and others to note that this season’s average no-show figures at the Amex are tracking only very slightly higher than our promotion-winning season…’

And

‘ And if someone is an Albion fan, and wants to watch us play in the Premier League, why would they object to being a member and financially supporting the club in a small way when we are striving to compete with bigger clubs with significantly higher turnovers?’

The point about the no show rate is significant given that Covid is an added reason for non attendance this season and I completely agree with him about the small cost of the membership scheme. If someone won’t pay 15 quid to watch a PL match then they won’t be missed. Most opponents of the ticket sharing scheme claim not to charge the lucky recipient but surely that charge can be the only reason for not paying the 15 quid ? I think you have said before Dazzer that you lend your tickets for free but I don’t reckon that is true of everyone.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

In the current clime - well any clime really - there will never be any such thing as 'only' £15/£20/£25. To most normal people that represents a bit of a Big Shop. Certainly not the kind of sum you'd idly just chuck away for the dubious pleasure of watching the Albion play out a dreary draw at the Amex against equally dreary opposition. Life's too short and money's too tight

 

[dazzer6666]

Well, he is entitled to his opinion and nobody on here has actually definitively shown that he is wrong in any of the points he has made. Two sentences stand out for me :

‘ Regardless, and the Wolves game aside, it’s perhaps interesting for Scott and others to note that this season’s average no-show figures at the Amex are tracking only very slightly higher than our promotion-winning season…’

And

‘ And if someone is an Albion fan, and wants to watch us play in the Premier League, why would they object to being a member and financially supporting the club in a small way when we are striving to compete with bigger clubs with significantly higher turnovers?’

The point about the no show rate is significant given that Covid is an added reason for non attendance this season and I completely agree with him about the small cost of the membership scheme. If someone won’t pay 15 quid to watch a PL match then they won’t be missed. Most opponents of the ticket sharing scheme claim not to charge the lucky recipient but surely that charge can be the only reason for not paying the 15 quid ? I think you have said before Dazzer that you lend your tickets for free but I don’t reckon that is true of everyone.

I’d love to see the actual figures to support that first statement - our block has been very noticeably emptier this season.

Re the sharing, the people I would take (for the sake of argument let’s say 3, once each) aren’t Albion fans. They’d each pay £15 or whatever for me to upgrade the ST (and have done in the past) so the club gets full price for the seat, which isn’t then empty. Bit disingenuous of him to use £15 to prove his point though - that’s what membership has only now been reduced to as the season is half over and they don’t have any welcome packs left

 

[El Presidente]

Villa Park was the worst away atmosphere I've experienced this season - their fans and quite possibly ours as well. If he thinks that was rocking he's deluded.

I was there too and we commented pre match that the atmosphere was very subdued, followed by 80 minutes of the same.

The issues in relation to ticket identities being required are confusing. I bought tickets for eight students from Liverpool earlier this season when we played Citeh at £45 each. No names were given though, they bought merchandise from the club shop, they all had a great time and want to come again, which is great.

It genuinely irks though that some of us end up missing home fixtures due to the diktats of broadcasters. Accept that we are aware of this when we pay for our ST’s but try to be as flexible as possible.

There will be times as a result when it’s impossIble though and the sensible solution is to try to find someone who can take advantage of the ticket. To have to pay an additional sum for this is harsh, and for the recipient to have to pay too (by being an Albion Plus member) is harsh too. They might be an indifferent fan who sees a good game and on the back of it decide to buy a ST which benefits all concerned.

Appreciate that other clubs have schemes too, almost al, of them are unpopular with fans though, and seen as a means of ‘monetising’ loyalty.

 

[Dave the OAP]

Well, he is entitled to his opinion and nobody on here has actually definitively shown that he is wrong in any of the points he has made. Two sentences stand out for me :

‘ Regardless, and the Wolves game aside, it’s perhaps interesting for Scott and others to note that this season’s average no-show figures at the Amex are tracking only very slightly higher than our promotion-winning season…’

And

‘ And if someone is an Albion fan, and wants to watch us play in the Premier League, why would they object to being a member and financially supporting the club in a small way when we are striving to compete with bigger clubs with significantly higher turnovers?’

The point about the no show rate is significant given that Covid is an added reason for non attendance this season and I completely agree with him about the small cost of the membership scheme. If someone won’t pay 15 quid to watch a PL match then they won’t be missed. Most opponents of the ticket sharing scheme claim not to charge the lucky recipient but surely that charge can be the only reason for not paying the 15 quid ? I think you have said before Dazzer that you lend your tickets for free but I don’t reckon that is true of everyone.

Erm…what do you mean barber, pay a small fee? The season ticket holder has already paid for this game through their season ticket….so you want to change people twice to see the game then?

 

[HantsSeagull]

Clearly Barber hasnt 'read the room' on this. I rarely miss home games but I didnt go to Wolves and wont be spending my Boxing Day evening trying to get to the game and then get home with no public transport. Consequently my seat, and the two others of my brother and mate, will be empty because we wont be doing this seat transfer bollox.

 

[timbha]

Clearly Barber hasnt 'read the room' on this. I rarely miss home games but I didnt go to Wolves and wont be spending my Boxing Day evening trying to get to the game and then get home with no public transport. Consequently my seat, and the two others of my brother and mate, will be empty because we wont be doing this seat transfer bollox.

What is this “Room” you speak of? 30/40 of NSC’s finest? Understand the reasons for you not attending the Wolves and Brentford matches but what make you think your friends would want to attend, even if you gifted them your ticket? We do seem to have a lot of very benevolent posters/STHs on NSC with a large number of free loading friends (I’m joking!)

 

[dazzer6666]

Erm…what do you mean barber, pay a small fee? The season ticket holder has already paid for this game through their season ticket….so you want to change people twice to see the game then?

ST is discounted to be fair, so paying a bit extra (ie the difference to upgrade to a full price ticket) isn’t perhaps unreasonable for an occasional visitor IMO…….it’s a combination of the continued policies to extract a bit more cash (STs not being able to reclaim their seat if already shared for a game that’s postponed for example), the inflexibility and inconsistencies in the ticketing policy (we HAVE to know who is in the ground……..but yes of course, you can buy a load of guest tickets - at full price obvs - and pass them to who you want, or you can upgrade your child’s ticket but not an adult ticket), the hiding behind ‘requirements’ when other clubs seem to have alternatives and then the repeated ‘I’m right, you’re just a fool’ kind of response from PB whenever anyone has the temerity to even suggest there might be better way that is getting pretty irksome.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Erm…what do you mean barber, pay a small fee? The season ticket holder has already paid for this game through their season ticket….so you want to change people twice to see the game then?

Barber would say you have a discounted ticket by virtue of it being a part of a ST. It’s all subjective. Nothing to do with me anymore anyway as we aren’t going anymore.

 

[Dave the OAP]

Barber would say you have a discounted ticket by virtue of it being a part of a ST. It’s all subjective. Nothing to do with me anymore anyway as we aren’t going anymore.

I only quoted you as you quoted the original quote

Ha ha ha

 

[Weststander]

What is this “Room” you speak of? 30/40 of NSC’s finest? Understand the reasons for you not attending the Wolves and Brentford matches but what make you think your friends would want to attend, even if you gifted them your ticket? We do seem to have a lot of very benevolent posters/STHs on NSC with a large number of free loading friends (I’m joking!)

It’s an extraordinarily large room, a vast auditorium, represented by many thousand empty seats at every 2021/22 Amex game, 10,000+ at Wolves.