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Post by andyl on May 27, 2016 15:48:28 GMT
I have read a few of the posts on the BN's website about the ' will they, won't they close the upper tiers ( N and W)'. I see rtf has made a number of commments the lead one pretty much summarising my thoughts on the matter.
It's a shambles. If they do decide to close tiers then they ought to cancel all historic seating assignments and set about trying to keep friends together. It would be simply unfair to evict N Upper seat holders such as my wife and I and rtf and others and then oblige us to go to a corner of a crowded terrace having given priority to faans with historic seats in the continuing areas. better by far just to allocoate no individual seats and let seats go on a first come first served basis as at many away grounds. I'm sure there would be gaps sufficient to move to avoid standing up and I think there would be an imperative on stewards not to allow discourteous fan behaviour. I'm very unlikely to travel again to many away games close to Bolton for that very reason. I don't want to stand. I want to watch the game. I don't want to be getting up and down to allow people to go in and out several times often after 5 minutes or so and I actually prefer not to be surrounded by a cacophonous racket. So as you can imagine I don't want our Macron experience to be dragged down to the norm of saying going to Wigan. I wouldn't do it.
Ideally I want to stay in the North Upper and paid to do so on day one. I like the view from above and behind the goal, especially the one attacked as often as not ( at least before attacks stopped last season). I was a goalkeeper and that view is what I was used to. I've only once sat in North Lower in a cup game v S****horpe ages ago and didn't really like it. It seems to me that it would be better with no seats as a standing terrace, albeit with modern levels of fan protection. But my historic seating position is not for me a deal breaker. I just want to see games from a suitable vantage point with company as now and to have a pleasant environment in which to watch and ideally enjoy matches and if that's on the side or in West Upper so be it.
Re cleaning and staffing I wonder why the club don't operate as say circuses do. The highly paid contracted footballers, if injured or not selected on the day should be redeployed to the turnstiles, stewarding roles or selling food and drink or in the club shop. Clearly they wouldn't use Amos in a position where he had to hold on to anything but I can quite see Dervite on the turnstiles letting everyone pass him without holdup and Mark Davies would be able to pass a pie sideways and over a counter three foot away. Pratley could be cleaning the floors whilst not on his feet and so on??!
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Post by davidm on May 27, 2016 16:04:39 GMT
Some fair points there, Andy.
It doesn't affect me but I fully sympathise with those moved about. You get used to the position and those sitting around you.
Good title for the post - maybe Ken Dodd should be the next manager!!
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Post by OohMac on May 27, 2016 20:09:02 GMT
I really have little sympathy for upper tier folk. It' just makes more sense for me to keep fans together and as close to the action as possible to build more atmosphere. We need to move with the times. I'm sure there's a lot of Villa fans who have sat in the same seat every season since 1903 and don't like change.
That being said there's a few stadiums that's give away fans a section of East stand and have North and South stands. When you are behind the goal I really think you can impact the game more.
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Post by one2many on May 30, 2016 18:38:25 GMT
Re cleaning and staffing I wonder why the club don't operate as say circuses do. The highly paid contracted footballers, if injured or not selected on the day should be redeployed to the turnstiles, stewarding roles or selling food and drink or in the club shop. Clearly they wouldn't use Amos in a position where he had to hold on to anything but I can quite see Dervite on the turnstiles letting everyone pass him without holdup and Mark Davies would be able to pass a pie sideways and over a counter three foot away. Pratley could be cleaning the floors whilst not on his feet and so on??! Spot on Andy. If footballers knew what a real job was like I am sure they wouldn't be such a### holes. I'd have them mucking in at old people homes, taking disabled people shopping, teaching fitness at schools etc. At the moment these young men are earning ridiculous amounts of money, are treated like gods and have far too much time on their hands. No wonder they change hairstyles every 30 seconds, have no space on their limbs for more tattoos and often develop gambling or alcohol addictions.
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Post by whitesince63 on May 30, 2016 19:06:02 GMT
A bit cynical o2m classing all players the same but you're not far wrong with the majority of them I agree. More to the point though is that many of them can't even do the job they are paid for so a real job for living wage would certainly be a step too far for them.
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Post by westandlower on May 31, 2016 11:22:38 GMT
Picking up on the good points raised by Andy on closing tiers. I can see the financial sense but the personal cost can be a significant impact on enjoyment. I suffered personally when my family's seats were moved a whole block on the move from Burn den to the Reebok. From being close to the half way line all of a sudden I was 18 yards from the goal line.
The club needs to do a proper costs / benefit analysis, consult and not implement any changes until they see how attendances are affected and not before the 17/18 season in any case when hopefully we will be back in the Championship.
On a slightly different topic, next season and for evermore, the team needs to show the level of commitment and team ethic AFC Wimbledon showed in yesterday's play off final. AFC were first to everything and gave no space for Plymouth to play. I am sure that Deano was watching.
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Post by realtrottersforever on May 31, 2016 11:56:12 GMT
In one of the many comments I made on the BN under this story, I did say I would move to sit in the West Stand Upper if I could pay the same price I do for the North Upper. But I will not move there if I have to pay £100+ more for the privilege, because it is not my choice to move. I would also end up paying more for the privilege of sitting in a seat with a much more inferior view if I moved to either the East or West Lower and if you think they aren't inferior just go and look here www.eticketing.co.uk/bwfc/details/event.aspx?itemref=3973# click on the 360 view from seat then click on the various stands for a very general idea of the view. I sat in row Y seat 247 in the west stand lower at the Legends match (very close to the corner flag at the South End of the ground) and it wasn't that easy to see the corner flag at the west side of the North End. I just don't like the view from the lower tiers, and obviously the club agree that the view is better from the Upper Tiers or they wouldn't charge more for the seats.
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Post by realtrottersforever on May 31, 2016 12:24:31 GMT
Re cleaning and staffing I wonder why the club don't operate as say circuses do. The highly paid contracted footballers, if injured or not selected on the day should be redeployed to the turnstiles, stewarding roles or selling food and drink or in the club shop. Clearly they wouldn't use Amos in a position where he had to hold on to anything but I can quite see Dervite on the turnstiles letting everyone pass him without holdup and Mark Davies would be able to pass a pie sideways and over a counter three foot away. Pratley could be cleaning the floors whilst not on his feet and so on??! Me and woooclub watched the documentary World Cup 1966 - Alfie's Boys if you didn't see it, it was worth a watch www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b07czr4l/world-cup-1966-alfies-boys but there was a section in it when the players were talking about doing other jobs and it showed them sweeping stands etc. Today's players could certainly learn a thing or two from them. I can't see it happening, but how much more respect would they command if they were seen serving pints/hot dogs on the concourses or taking someone's ticket at the turnstile?
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Post by whitesince63 on May 31, 2016 15:03:16 GMT
I'd be happy if they would just play football. Not too much to ask is it???
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Post by andyl on Jun 2, 2016 18:43:48 GMT
Good- they have resolkved the tracks of my tiers-a miracle.
Only sensible choice. In passing I seriously doubt that if they had packed veryone into the lower tiers it would have made any difference at all to the atmosphere if the fare on offer were insipid and as this last season. Equally if we are battling promotion and riding high, scoring for fun the upeer tiers wil swell and the atmosphere return
It is though good idea to do all their promotions in the lower tiers. Why not- if they can put more emphasis on sales there then season ticket holders in upper tiers may feel less disgruntled ath any cheap offers. Can't please everyone but divide and conquer is a whole lot better than annoying all and losing custom- in apssing I filled out a Trust survey on this- and ther wre no questions for those like me who had already bought their ticket. It was all what will you do if they...A serious lack of expertise in surveys!
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Post by realtrottersforever on Jun 2, 2016 20:12:38 GMT
Well I feel much more inclined to purchase my season ticket now that this situation has been resolved, but when I was looking into the view from other areas of the ground, I went in to look at where seats were available in the areas I might have had to move to, but just out of interest was looking at the North Upper where I sit, and the row I sit in had 2 friend's seats on the end of the row, the next one was available (one of the seats we used to have) then 3 seats together (mine and 2 friends) then the one next to me was available (wooclub's old seat) then virtually every other seat was showing as unavailable when I know that every other seat to my left is not taken by a season ticket holder until you get to the three seats at the other end of the row. Similarly the rows behind us where they are very few fans most games.
Have they had a sudden influx of season ticket buyers or is there something seriously wrong with the ticketing website???
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Post by andyl on Jun 3, 2016 12:47:26 GMT
They may well have a gremlin in the works or maybe they put a stop on further sales during the upper tier debate. I don't know where you sit, rtf, but up our end on the left looking at the pitch they often have block bookings for school /club/society parties. It may be that they keep some sections fairly clear for group sales?
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Post by greydad on Jun 5, 2016 20:39:19 GMT
Very pleased that the club are retaining the upper tiers...I hope their decision is vindicated by performances on the pitch! Looking forward to the issues of manager and playing staff also being resolved positively , or is that being over-optimistic?
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