Season ticket renewal next season?

[Deleted member 22389]

I'll be there counting the empty seats.

I think the "Gus" factor accounted for a lot of season tickets being sold , together with the new stadium. Like him or not he was box office and his constant media presence put the Albion on the forefront of national and local news - always generating interest in the Albion. Oscar is so laid back we hardly hear from him - i'm not interested in what Nathan Jones thinks (unless, god forbid he is picking the team). Obviously performances need to pick up but if we don't make the Premier League then 18-20k STH renewals would be a great effort.

One thing I think we are missing is that weekly press conference from inside The Amex. I do like the way Oscar goes about his business, but on the other hand I would like to hear a lot more from him. Apart from Oscar and Jones there are other people who are part of the team, who are they?. I don't think I have ever seen them speak. These are important aspects to keep a connection going with the supporters. We are not getting the bit in between matches. I used to enjoy the press conferences, it restored confidence. We also used to get the players at the press conference. It does feel a little bit distant at the moment.

 

[Eksman]

If prices go up ill **** it off but that would be the only reason

 

[Guy Fawkes]

I think it will be very interesting after Christmas if we are bumping along in the middle of the table to see what the actual gates are rather than the nonsense the club put out, ie tickets sold rather than bums on seats. If people chose to stay away when they have paid for the ticket, and I know a few people who do just this! then I can't see them renewing on the off chance we will play Liverpool in the cup, or the wow factor of playing at Amex has gone.

To be honest this was always going to be a difficult season following the euphoria of championships, moving to a new stadium, getting in the likes of Vicente and getting to the playoff semi finals...now we have a new unproven in English football manager, an injury ravaged squad, strange team changes ( Ince yesterday), and what looked like players being half arsed to play yesterday against a team that were rock bottom, (and still are), the way the club are perceived by some fans, the dick knight scenario, And I think rev is right...there does appear to be a bit of apathy about the place at the moment.

BUT people are right...win on Saturday and our Christmas games ( apart from the Huddersfield game of course were you southern pansies will get mullered) and go on another cup run by beating a prem club....all will be fine in the garden again!

Not all stay aways have decided not to go just because a few of the games have been poor or as a comment on the atmosphere, style, etc which your comment could be interpreted as here.

It could be simply as a result of family holidays, sickness and other commitments and reasons that they have decided have taken priority on that occasion, and their missing a game or 2 doesn't mean that they will be reconsidering their future status as a ST Holder.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

When we sacked the football man Poyet in favour of Money maker barber, we lost a passionate sports footballing team and now have a Money making machine, thats why i may not get a ticket next year.

So why has the playing budget increased if it has all been about making money and not the football side of things?

 

[somerset]

I think the "Gus" factor accounted for a lot of season tickets being sold , together with the new stadium.

I think it was 98% the stadium and the fear of not being able to watch games.......that fear has now gone so I suspect renewals will be 5-8k down going into the next season assuming we are not challenging at renewal time (feb\mar).

 

[Guy Fawkes]

It's hilarious isn't it. One bad performance and people can't wait to tell us all how they are no longer interested... how many would have responded like that on this thread had we won 5-0. I'll tell you how many. None.

I'm sure when we played at The Goldstone (where we lost plenty of games) there wasn't this level of pant-wetting every time something went slightly against us..

This is football people. We can't win every game.

It tends to be the same few voices on here spouting the same (usually inaccurate) rubbish and generally being negative about virtually everything. The problem with the internet is that people will start to hear and read this sort of thing soo many times and start to accept it as fact and it spreads and others become 'infected' with this negativity. Through the internet, you can't get any sense of the meaning of what is being siad and often something that is being meant one way is interpreted another because you lose the context you get when it is being carried out in a face to face conversation. Things can look like people are being irate and arguing on the internet when they are thinking and trying to communicate something with the complete opposite way of thinking. sarcasm is a great example of something that is lost in translation when put up on a message board.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

I think it was 98% the stadium and the fear of not being able to watch games.......that fear has now gone so I suspect renewals will be 5-8k down going into the next season assuming we are not challenging at renewal time (feb\mar).

The only thing that may counter that is the big discount we get for being a ST holder compared to the game by game cost if brought seperately

 

[Eksman]

Imagine if we lost the direct debit option

 

[keaton]

As usual, it's all about how we finish the season. The first 9 games at The Amex have been woeful, with only three wins and two clean sheets. That is an absolutely disgraceful home record for a team with big crowds and expensive players. However, I imagine most people make their decision based on what they see from February onwards. So as poor as we've been so far, if we win plenty of games in February, March and April the vast majority of people will renew. There is one thing that I believe would cause a huge drop in numbers, and that is the team being out of the play-off race very early. If we were to fall behind the top six, then sitting through the last five or six homes games with absolutely nothing to play for would be a chore and I would expect a lot of people to pack it in after that.

Don't we have to renew at the end of March though?

 

[Blackadder]

I won't renew.

Just won't cancel.

Same as every other year.

 

[The Wookiee]

i did last night the guy next to me has only sat in his seat for half a game and now sits with his mates in a spare seat.

I do this most games, I move away from the miserable sods I sit next to in the southwest to any seat I choose right behind the goal

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

We have had this topic at this same time of year the last 2 seasons now and the amount of STs hasnt dropped at all.

It will stay around the same next season, maybe a tiny decrease - still the highest in the league though.

 

[nwgull]

When we sacked the football man Poyet in favour of Money maker barber, we lost a passionate sports footballing team and now have a Money making machine, thats why i may not get a ticket next year.

This is the first time that I've ever heard of a club losing 5m a year as a money making machine.

Barber is appointed by Bloom to attempt to turn us into a team that can break even year on year so that we don't ever risk going out of business (not to mention FFP). It's not an unreasonable job remit.

 

[Chicken Runner61]

We have always had a fan base of 8-15k but ave 22K in the top flight - Obviously when we are riding high in any division we get to 25-30k

I think if we have average seasons with average play our fan base is (my reckoning not stats)

Div3 (4) 4k ave
Div 2 (3) 8k
Div 1 (2) 12k
Prem would be 20k

When we ride high the JCL's & glory hunters all come on and add anything up to capacity but I really think when we are having an average season they either don't come or are at the emirates/bridge TBH - makes me sick

I think the amex has made them more committed but I suspect when their season tcks are up for renewal especially when the 5 year ones come up unless we are riding high we will drop to those average crowds.

The problem the club has is that they can't run a profitable club on our fan base unless we are constantly riding high which is why they are trying to find the point where they squeeze us till the pips start to pop. In sussex thats a dangerous game because whilst we have people that earn high wages giving the impression of affluent Sussex we have people that are on lowest wages trying to survive on rents and bills based on affluent peoples income!

People that live in Brighton but earn london wages are well off - People that live in Brighton and earn Brighton wages are poorer than other areas that have average earnings but lower living rates.

People that pay for their seat and can't afford the extras are not what the club wants - they want supporters with disposable income that will buy a few beers, a burger etc etc every week - ironically those are the people that will buy a season ticket but leave it empty (because they can afford to) and go on holiday etc - Its the poorer people that go every week and spend only as much as they can afford!

 

[Albion_Dave]

I will renew next season.

For me it's not just the football but also the social aspect of it which I would miss the same if not more than the football.

 

[moggy]

What's the procedure to cancel season ticket now?
Just cancel your direct debit?

 

[Worthingite]

I had to canx my ST earlier this season - with splitting up with my mrs came financial issues (thankfully sorted) but I know I'll be at the back of the queue when the time comes for me to be able to go again

 

[moggy]

I had to canx my ST earlier this season - with splitting up with my mrs came financial issues (thankfully sorted) but I know I'll be at the back of the queue when the time comes for me to be able to go again

So how did you cancel it?
Just stop your direct debit ?

 

[Worthingite]

So how did you cancel it?
Just stop your direct debit ?

pretty much, but rung the club and explained the situation. They were surprisingly understanding in the end!!!!

 

[MattBackHome]

We have had this topic at this same time of year the last 2 seasons now and the amount of STs hasnt dropped at all.

It will stay around the same next season, maybe a tiny decrease - still the highest in the league though.

Agreed.