I won't be renewing
- Thread starter Scubahood
- Start date
changingman
Well-known member
Appreciate I might be in the minority, but supporters are customers no?
A ticket is just like any other product you purchase, i.e. the onus is on you to decide whether it represents value for money and buy it?
Not sure I buy the "part of the club" angle - admittedly I'm probably a bit younger than a few on here but has it ever really felt like that? If club ownership was along German lines that would definitely be the case but for me, it is, and always has been, a product like any other?
A ticket is just like any other product you purchase, i.e. the onus is on you to decide whether it represents value for money and buy it?
Not sure I buy the "part of the club" angle - admittedly I'm probably a bit younger than a few on here but has it ever really felt like that? If club ownership was along German lines that would definitely be the case but for me, it is, and always has been, a product like any other?
1finny
Well-known member
I think the distinction is we are not 'customers' in one big sense -
We have nowhere else to go if we are dissatisfied.
And, even if we don't go we can't get it out of our head.
Not like getting hacked off with Asda and deciding to go to Aldi
No. Not at all. There are people reading this and other topics on a Tuesday morning, throughout the week at every time of day etc. Nobody is reading about Tesco or Amazon's businesses. A football club is the fans. The players, manager, owners, stadiums, kits etc will all come and go but the fans are what make a club.
The club should be managed to get as many of us to be able to get to games to support our club as possible. We want to be able to connect with the club as much as possible. We can accept that there has to be a balance and there are costs to cover and we want to improve the playing staff so we can be competitive but really the majority of us will still be supporting the club whether we are winning champions league or playing Hartlepool in League 2.
joeychicago
Well-known member
There's a huge part of me that doesn't want to renew. I've got complete apathy for the club at the minute, and I don't think I've ever felt as disconnected as I do. It's not an enjoyable experience watching us, and the fact they've put the prices up again and the PR disaster that has surrounded the increase has left a really sour taste.
In reality though, next year will be my 25th year as a season ticket holder. It's something I do with my dad, I like where I sit and the people around us, and being a season ticket holder is just something I feel I 'am'. So I'll be renewing on the final day. Despite how awful it's been for the majority of this season too, there's always that inkling of hope that next season will be great. I know I'm part of the problem here, and people like me are why Gibson/the club won't/don't give a flying fck about raising prices, because people will go regardless.
Fair play to anybody that jacks it in though. Cannot blame them in the slightest.
In reality though, next year will be my 25th year as a season ticket holder. It's something I do with my dad, I like where I sit and the people around us, and being a season ticket holder is just something I feel I 'am'. So I'll be renewing on the final day. Despite how awful it's been for the majority of this season too, there's always that inkling of hope that next season will be great. I know I'm part of the problem here, and people like me are why Gibson/the club won't/don't give a flying fck about raising prices, because people will go regardless.
Fair play to anybody that jacks it in though. Cannot blame them in the slightest.
The Ruthsayer
Well-known member
This is spot on Nano. We’ve renewed, partly because we’re lucky enough for the money not to be important, but I’ve never felt more disassociated from the club.
I also think this is part of the wider picture of fans being alienated by the crass commercialism and rampart greed of the bodies that control both football and the elite clubs.
Caesium137
Well-known member
SmogonOuseburn
Well-known member
I will be renewing.
If it wasn’t for the horrendous injuries that we have had since Boxing Day, I am convinced that we would have been in a play-off place.
I am happy with Carrick as manager (the best that we have had for a long time) and am optimistic that we will finish the season strongly and above Blunderland.
When the next season starts, I think that the Championship will be more open than this season with Leicester, Leeds and probably Southampton gone.
Yes, we are in a low at the moment but we have had much worse in recent seasons.
Rant Over!
UTB
If it wasn’t for the horrendous injuries that we have had since Boxing Day, I am convinced that we would have been in a play-off place.
I am happy with Carrick as manager (the best that we have had for a long time) and am optimistic that we will finish the season strongly and above Blunderland.
When the next season starts, I think that the Championship will be more open than this season with Leicester, Leeds and probably Southampton gone.
Yes, we are in a low at the moment but we have had much worse in recent seasons.
Rant Over!
UTB
changingman
Well-known member
Yep get that - I think in my head the alternative would always be "not go", rather than find an alternative (presumably team?)I think the distinction is we are not 'customers' in one big sense -
We have nowhere else to go if we are dissatisfied.
And, even if we don't go we can't get it out of our head.
Not like getting hacked off with Asda and deciding to go to Aldi
The emotional connection definitely plays a part, but the worlds best brands (be it football clubs or otherwise) all play on that emotional connection anyway e.g. I might be a huge fan of a particular band/musician but if tickets to their gigs were suddenly 200% more expensive, I'd need to make a call as to whether that represented value for me.
atypical_boro
Well-known member
You're absolutely right. And when we're meeting expectations amongst the fan base as a historical 'yoyo club', this is how people should/will view it.
But when we're 6 points above the relegation in March, with a number of 6-pointers coming up against the teams below, and you're asked to pay more, the least the chairman could do is a bit of a friendly sales pitch. And maybe take some of his own responsibility for not making daft comments in it, like he has historically (albeit when the fans viewed him as untouchable).
What other industry would you be asked to pay more for an inferior product, and not have a salesman at least try and reassure you that it isn't money wasted?
changingman
Well-known member
I agree with (almost all) of this - although I'd argue from a purely balance sheet perspective that a football club is no longer really just the fans, at the top level anyway, it's the revenue streams, and a large % of that comes from other channels these days. Albeit, understand that other channels (such as TV money) would soon drop away if performances nosedived.
In terms of making it accessible, I agree - that should be the aim. The club of course would respond that the balance is struck with the increase in prices due to increased cost base. What's clear to me is that the damage (in terms of pricing) has already been done. An incremental increase can be stomached, but an incremental increase on a product which is already priced too highly to begin with, cannot.
Interestingly, this is where the emotional connection and lack of an alternative plays a part. The club knows this runs deep and you're highly unlikely to go and support Sunderland instead, so there is no incentive on their side to reduce prices (which would be an option for most other businesses.)
I think as always though it’s about 90% purely down to performance on the pitch.
If we were blowing teams away like this time last season, there would be a ton of renewals regardless of price increases or deadlines or anything else.
We probably have about 6-8k floating ST holders who come and go depending on how we’re playing
atypical_boro
Well-known member
Although lots of folk do turn to non-league football when they stop going.
atypical_boro
Well-known member
Of course, at the moment its (much) more likely we'll be paying £510 (minimum) to see us in League One next year. If the PL was still possible, people would be far more accepting of the increase. Then the week the increase was announced, we lost 2-0 at home to Plymouth, and were played off the park by them (continuing a run of absolutely awful home performances).
changingman
Well-known member
Agree, communication clearly forms a large part of this, although a football ticket is a rare product in which it's difficult to assign value based on performance. The best proxy is probably league standing (i.e. I'd expect us to pay more for the EPL, and less for League 1) but our pricing definitely looks out of sync when looking at the Championship as a whole.
There is clearly a difficulty in "selling a vision" as well - of course we'd all love to be smashing teams week in, week out but no one can magic those results into being just because that was the stated vision at the start of the season.
I do think the club should do more to underline the long-term strategy though. As I've said before I think we're probably in year 1 of a three year objective to win promotion. Would more/fewer people have renewed if that was communicated beforehand? It's a tricky one.
MickaelDebevePhenomenal
Well-known member
Feel the same really, gonna cost about £1450 for Me ,the wife and 2 kids.
An awful lot of money when I feel the club is taking the season ticket holders for granted. We will end up renewing, as that £1450, although expensive, is buying me quality family time, which is the real value, rather than the dross football being served up.
h_m_boro
Well-known member
Of course you aren't part of the problem. Long term ST holders, hats off to you.
The walk ups and junior ticketing prices critically need sorting first, not STs......but the club looks at these "customers" as a huge inconvenience. Almost looking to price them out, scum. Sub-human scum ......
atypical_boro
Well-known member
I have defended the pricing strategy many times before, and put my 'trust' in Gibson and co., assuming it was all being done in good faith and that they knew what they were doing, 'they'll get it right eventually' etc. Had arguments on here about it loads of times.
But this season it actually shocked me, especially given it was announced during an awful run of home results and with PL aspirations completely out of sight by February. No, they can't magic anything, but they can at least work for their money.
Gibson found the time to do an interview for the Echo recently about winning the cup, a glorious moment from the (distant) past, why can't he do one about the future and at least TRY to engage with fans? With more than just trite statements about 'wanting' to win promotion, win more cups etc. How about a reminder that he isn't just the contemptuous bloke in the Private Eye articles with anger issues, and address why he's putting the prices up when the club is on the way down? Most people would listen.
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Alan_Breck
Well-known member
The old adage of, "Take care of your customers, or someone else will", will certainly have an effect due to the club's current stance regarding pricing and commitment.
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