[Albion] Spurs - Sat 5th Feb 8pm

[S.T.U cgull]

Lazy STH in top points banding for all away games. Thought I’d leave it a few days to see how train works played out; had been pretty relaxed knowing another 3k tickets were due to go on sale this morning (what with the blocks being blacked out online - suggesting not yet made available). Whoops.

The club doesn’t help itself with their clumsy and vague wording online. Has Barber actually ever apologised for the club fouling up a communication?

 

[blockhseagull]

Lazy STH in top points banding for all away games. Thought I’d leave it a few days to see how train works played out; had been pretty relaxed knowing another 3k tickets were due to go on sale this morning (what with the blocks being blacked out online - suggesting not yet made available). Whoops.

The club doesn’t help itself with their clumsy and vague wording online. Has Barber actually ever apologised for the club fouling up a communication?

No but I’d imagine he is like any decent manager.

Back them when they make mistakes in public but deal with them privately.

Isn’t that how we would all like to be dealt with at work if we make a mistake.

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Don’t think I’ve ever emailed the club before but I will do on this occasion. I hope others do as well just to let them know this is complete cock-up.

 

[DumLum]

The Albion haven’t predicted fa cup ticket sales correctly since we have played at the Amex. They could pay me minimum wage to do this and I would have done a better job.

 

[S.T.U cgull]

No but I’d imagine he is like any decent manager.

Back them when they make mistakes in public but deal with them privately.

Isn’t that how we would all like to be dealt with at work if we make a mistake.

A guy who gets paid the majority of £1m a year should also be able to say “do you know what, we (the club) could have explained the position better up-front” and own the error himself, rather than making excuses over email to some posters earlier in the thread. To me that’s a sign of good management - though I’m sure he is also very good to the staff.

 

[Dirty Dave]

From the website:

"we requested additional tickets from Spurs..."

"...after careful consideration we opted for the initial allocation of 5700 tickets"

It does sound as though we took an initial 5,700 tickets but thought we could go back in and pay up front for the remaining 3,300.

Spurs have then said no, you needed to have taken the full 9k from the start. And this has all happened very recently, with the club suddenly being forced to announce 'oh actually, we've now completely sold out our allocation.'

That's my take on it anyway


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[Bold Seagull]

Our allocation of 5700 tickets for the Emirates FA Cup fourth round tie at Spurs next month has now sold out.

While all our season-ticket holders and MyAlbion+ members have had the chance to purchase tickets, we requested additional tickets from Spurs but, as their home tickets are on sale, at this stage they are not able to relocate season-ticket holders.

We did have an option of an allocation of approximately 9000 tickets (or 5700 tickets), but FA rules required an up-front financial commitment on all tickets.

With the late kick-off time and match being televised on ITV4, after careful consideration we opted for the initial allocation of 5700 tickets.

Would it have been that hard to have added:

We apologise to any fans unable to get a ticket who wanted one.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Lot of people on this thread who seem to know the inner workings of the Albion ticket office and the negotiations between the two clubs.

Has anyone considered it might have been Spurs who changed their mind ?

Just as likely as any of the Anti-barber conspiracies on here.

The club could have worded the original info better … as in have taken an initial allocation of 5,700 but COULD get up to 9k dependent on home supporter demand or something.

If we had wanted 9000, we'd have got 9000. We were entitled to 15% of the capacity, as all away teams are in the FA Cup.

I know many who were waiting who are now very disappointed. The communication has been appalling - at no point were we given the impression that when 5700 were sold, that would be it. No warnings were given at all, and then there is a sudden announcement that it is sold out.

It's not the way that we deserve to be treated, frankly.

 

[portslade seagull]

It just seems that the club are now happy to pi$$ off the support with all the poor management decisions now being taken. They seem to be building up through the season

 

[blockhseagull]

If we had wanted 9000, we'd have got 9000. We were entitled to 15% of the capacity, as all away teams are in the FA Cup.

I know many who were waiting who are now very disappointed. The communication has been appalling - at no point were we given the impression that when 5700 were sold, that would be it. No warnings were given at all, and then there is a sudden announcement that it is sold out.

It's not the way that we deserve to be treated, frankly.

You might well be right

But without knowing what has been said, it’s difficult to know what the mistake was other than a miscommunication at the beginning, which again could well have been done in good faith.

Taking 5,700 at first was exactly the right decision, it’s just the terms surrounding the additional 3,200 that’s the issue.

 

[timbha]

It just seems that the club are now happy to pi$$ off the support with all the poor management decisions now being taken. They seem to be building up through the season

So why do you think they are so intent on doing this? Do you think they sit around the table and vote on what to do next to annoy the fans? Or perhaps TB dictates that this must happen.

Let’s give the club a chance to respond to some well constructed questions at the Fans Forum.

 

[Is it PotG?]

Fred Pontin knew.....'Book Early'.

 

[chimneys]

Well I've missed out, the same as I did for Norwich, waiting for general sale to go with mates BUT
doesn't anyone remember the Wolves home game & Boxing Day?

Boxing day 8 O'clock kick off, Transport problems, shown live on TV etc. How many turned up? 15000? people were angry at the kick off time and even calling for it to be boycotted.

Spurs 5/2/22, 8 O'clock kick off, Transport problems, Shown live on TV etc. People now complaining that we haven't enough tickets.

We probably could have sold a lot more but how can you expect the club to think we could sell 9000? When we only just got a few thousand more for 2 home matches.

Then why did they dangle the 9k carrot the day before tickets went on sale??! Really poor of club this time!

 

[Bold Seagull]

So why do you think they are so intent on doing this? Do you think they sit around the table and vote on what to do next to annoy the fans? Or perhaps TB dictates that this must happen.

Let’s give the club a chance to respond to some well constructed questions at the Fans Forum.

They have responded on the club website. No apology for unclear communications, misleading initial press releases about number of tickets, or that they misunderstood what Spurs had given them.

Personally, I would have thought a bit of a direct apology to fans unable to get tickets would head off much of the ill feeling given the disappointment many must have. I'd suggest their current stance is only going to increase that tbh.

 

[DumLum]

A guy who gets paid the majority of £1m a year should also be able to say “do you know what, we (the club) could have explained the position better up-front” and own the error himself, rather than making excuses over email to some posters earlier in the thread. To me that’s a sign of good management - though I’m sure he is also very good to the staff.

A guy who gets paid that much money can’t see a difference between a £20 ticket and a £50 ticket and that is the reason he has never successfully estimated ticket demand.

 

[Dave the hatosaurus]

There are twice as many tickets available than normal. As a myAlbion+ member I have never got close to being able to get a ticket for a Brighton premier league game in London, but I've got one for Spurs in the Cup. So I think he was right. Obviously the take up being even higher than expected has come as a surprise to everyone, and in general I agree that this is yet another kick to myalbion+ members by taking a reduced allocation, there were no pairs left when I bought my single ticket

Can i just point out that west ham tickets went all the way to purchase history this season and while i think it is a poor stadium for watching football it is definitely in london !
Also [MENTION=189]Wozza[/MENTION] that means they were on sale for a lot longer than a couple of days !

 

[Cotton Socks]

I suspect Covid & our home attendances has had a lot to do with the allocation decision. Boxing Day was understandable for the low attendance ie, no transport & stupid KO time & so was Wolves, as there was a new Covid variant in town. The seemingly 'good' Covid news at the moment led to (from where I was sitting) a good attendance & great atmosphere for the Palace game. As I said on another thread it felt like the 1st 'normal' game since the Feb '20 Palace game just before lockdown happened.
I don't think the exchange ended up opening because it was Palace, it was selling due to people being a little less worried about Covid.
The club can't anticipate that people will be less worried about Covid as it changes very quickly & I don't suppose that they even thought that they would open the exchange for that game. The increased attendance and good atmosphere also probably made more people want to go to the Spurs game.
However, the club should have made it clear that they had only taken 5700. It's all very well and good saying that it was made available to STH & members that wanted it, but it's also very clear from here that people held off buying as they thought there would be more tickets. As a purchase history only fan that has no hope of going to an away game near to Brighton, even with the crap ko time I was working out a way to get back from there with jnr as the opportunity for an away game was too tempting to resist.
I can understand why they didn't take the allocation but I can't understand why they didn't mention it from the start.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

I get the point that some people are making that Spurs haven't helped here. That said, We are often told we have a great working relationship with Spurs given PB used to work there. How hard would it have been to utilise those contacts so we didnt run out of Albion tickets in a stadium that won't sell out to home fans? No wonder they tried to palm Vincent Janssen off to us for 25 million

 

[dazzer6666]

You might well be right

But without knowing what has been said, it’s difficult to know what the mistake was other than a miscommunication at the beginning, which again could well have been done in good faith.

Taking 5,700 at first was exactly the right decision, it’s just the terms surrounding the additional 3,200 that’s the issue.

Not just the beginning. It was screamingly obvious people were waiting (to take pals, A+ members etc) so something over the weekend to state that the allocation was only 5700 and was close to sold out would have at least warned STHs waiting to get their own tickets sorted. They’ve made a right royal hash of ticketing this season on a number of levels. Hope they’ve ‘learned from it’ and are ‘taking the positives’

 

[DumLum]

Can i just point out that west ham tickets went all the way to purchase history this season and while i think it is a poor stadium for watching football it is definitely in london !
Also [MENTION=189]Wozza[/MENTION] that means they were on sale for a lot longer than a couple of days !

How much money were the West Ham tickets though?