Red Faction - walking out on 30th minute

[h_m_boro]

The ironic thing about this "protest" is that the majority of those complaining and protesting will likely be doing so in £1,500 worth of clothing and trainers.

Nah, the vast majority will be snidey Clone Island etc stuff. Knock two zeros off the £1500 and I think you will be closer ........

Advocating just because people "can" afford them the prices are spot on......what if the prices were dropped so 25k could afford to go? Why can't this model be explored?

 

[viv_andersons_nana]

This obsession with other people’s clothes and shoes and phones. Since when did owning a particular brand of coat preclude you from having an opinion on something? Do you treat people who wear nicely tailored suits and donate to food banks or help out in soup kitchens with the same amount of contempt?

It’s a really telling thread, this. It makes you a bit sad and sick and angry in equal measure.

 

[Davey_C]

The only statement he’ll care about is if there are mass no-renewals, if people renew but walk out a couple more times then again he’s got your money which was the whole point of the rises.

That's what Matt Reed usually says when you go and see him perform at a Comedy Club (we've got your money) if you're not impressed with the quality of acts on show

He's usually on the money though for a mackem living in Newcastle if the acts aren't the best

 

[free_pint]

The only statement he’ll care about is if there are mass no-renewals, if people renew but walk out a couple more times then again he’s got your money which was the whole point of the rises.

But showing displeasure first, is the first step no?
If they don't then budge, then by the deadline the renewals drop that's on the club/Gibson.
The fans showed their displeasure and showed what they wanted and the club ignored it and get a massive drop in ticket money.

I've made it clear on here in the past I got rid of my ticket last year due to the price increase, they're not doing a single thing to encourage me to give up my stance and go back. There was 5 of us in my group who gave them up and have no intentions of going back.

 

[MichaelDebeve]

I'm telling you, ... bowling balls on the pitch



You dont ignore bowling balls.

 

[Soutra]

We already pay more than most.

Is that the Tory party the chairman endorsed? If so then perhaps something is coming home to roost, as they say, and he’s doing what any Tory would do and is passing his costs onto those lower down the chain.

If that's the case perhaps he'll divide up the £120 million of losses from the last decade and send all season ticket holders a bill.

I don't get the reason for the sense of entitlement so many of you have.

You (plural) want the club to bring in good (expensive) signings and make the stadium look great and have loads of good quality merchandise at cheap prices. But plenty object to paying increased season ticket prices or >£30 for shirts.

How do you square the circle?

There's always plenty of criticism for Steve Gibson when the team is losing but it's never based on commercial reality. Apparently he should "invest" more (ie lose more) yet lots of fans moan about season ticket prices going up.

Isn't it as straightforward as - buy a ticket if you want to watch matches, and don't buy a ticket if you can't afford it or don't like the chairman or don't want to go.

 

[viv_andersons_nana]

Also to those continually saying these protests will achieve nothing, well maybe they wouldn’t even be happening if the chairman had kept his promise of discussing any potential increase in costs with supporters first. As has been said, part of why people are angry is because of the way it’s been handled. At least if he’d bothered to debate or even just explain some of these issues beforehand, people would be more willing to accept it.

 

[h_m_boro]

I'm telling you, ... bowling balls on the pitch



You dont ignore bowling balls.

Hark at Popeye boasting about being able to throw one of them on the pitch - I can just about hit the pins......with the guards.......

 

[indeedido]

I will participate in a walk out at 30mins.
I will do this to make a point and in support of people who are NOT SC holders.

For the record:
1. I do not think our SC prices are too high, particularly for all concessions which are 51% of our SC holders and 71% of our SC revenue.
2. I don't even think the SC increase is in itself a terrible thing.
3. I have had a SC since 1974-75 season, bar the 5 seasons after relegation in 1981, though I did go to pretty much every match in the Holgate those seasons.
4. I am lucky enough to be able to afford to go.
5. Steve Gibson has covered £250.3m of losses since the club re-formed in 1986. He has done this by injecting £197m of equity and reserves in to the club. The Club still owe Gibson O'Neill another £42m in Group Undertakings. It has been a remarkable financial commitment, perhaps over 50% of his current personal worth.

However:

1. Steve has had absolute power and made all the decisions that have led to the losses he has had to fund. It is folly not to recognise both his financial input and his complete control. He's lost money because he's lost the plot.
2. The Club pricing model is horrendous and constraining. The approach to non SC holders is contemptuous. The Club are asking £37 for an adult and £22 for an U18 where I sit in the West Upper. This with us 13th in the league and to watch Plymouth. If a family of 4 came along it would cost them £118. In the North or South it would cost £32 and £19, so £102 for the family of 4. I presume there are fees on top of this. Next season, with the increase in EB SC's, then this will cost at least 6% more. I think this is stupidly expensive. The non SC prices, new SC prices and premium over EB SC's are the strategy of a buffoon and why the club got £12.37 per match per SC holder ex VAT last season. A walk up kid on saturday in the North stand will pay more than the average SC holder.
3. The contemptuous communication of an understandable EB SC increase underlines how much Gibson takes the SC's for granted. The scandalous deadline of mid March and arrogant response via a third party, the "Min wage" reference and doubling down on charging for credit for something fans won't fully get for another 15 months, is pitiful, shameful.
4. The Commercial and PR arms of the club are laughably unfit for purpose. A poster (Nano I think) accurately described Gibson's thought process around focusing on profit margin per sale and restricting volume to protect this "full margin". The actual revenue and profit generated overall is dramatically stunted through this approach.

I don't oppose everything, far from it, but I will join in the protest on saturday.
Fans will protest for different reasons, mine are about non SC prices and how the Club communicate with their lifeblood - the supporters.
The 30th minute walk out would send a clear protest. I personally don't see the need to make it for the rest of the match. I will return for the second half, but would be up for other protests after saturday.

 

[Rofesleg]

As one example, Sunderland have over 70 branches of international supporters clubs.

International Branches

www.safc.com

They even have an International Fans Day each year. We don't even acknowledge we have any and Gibson claims the next town from Middlesbrough is full of mackems.

Lots of other clubs have had sponsors around the world. Everton for example were heavily marketed in Thailand. They had Chang Beer as a sponsor. Before that they were heavily marketed in China with Kejian as their sponsor. They had some Chines players at the time as well. Lots of clubs have gone down that route. We tried and failed with Dong Gook Lee and South Korea but as usual with Gibson it was a try something once and then write it off as a failure as the rest of the league does it successfully.

Look at it via Social Media engagement. We are ranked 35th for social media. There are teams that are similar in stature to us that are way above us.

Fair enough, but Sunderland didnt introduce those things while the 'Premier League was taking off', which is when you said we missed an opportunity that others didn't.
Everton were sponsored by Danka and One2One at that time. It was only when they signed a couple of Chinese players after the 2002 WC that their profile took off in the far east.
I'm not sure targeting players from specific countries to widen our fan base in that country is the way to go, from a footballing point of view anyway.
Although we did get a few extra fans in Egypt when we signed Mido

 

[ForssAwakens]

What is there to understand? If people can't afford the tickets, it is a case of weighing up your priorities. Going to the Riverside is a luxury many can't afford but obviously nigh on 20,000 people can. The ironic thing about this "protest" is that the majority of those complaining and protesting will likely be doing so in £1,500 worth of clothing and trainers.

We are a small Club in comparison to a lot of other teams who may be offering a cheaper option to watch their team on a Saturday. We don't have oil money, we don't have major investment, we don't have infrastructure which can generate money outside of football. We have to generate money through ticket sales and transfers. I can see the plan that the club are looking to put together with our recent investments, Rogers was a great example of one coming to fruition a lot quicker than expected. If we can generate more money through transfers, I'd like to think the Club could look at trimming away the increases on STs, refreshments, club shop merchandise, but until that happens, unfortunately the Club are in a tricky situation. This is what should be understood in this instance.

For some families it’s not about weighing it up though, you must see that. My dad moved heaven and earth to ensure we were season ticket holders at the riverside.

Me and my brother are football mad, wouldn’t surprise me if he got in debt to save grace to ensue he didn’t have to say no 2 his 2 boys

This will be replicated across families in teesside given its history and current predicament with poverty and being close the breadline

Community club my ****

 

[MichaelDebeve]

Hark at Popeye boasting about being able to throw one of them on the pitch - I can just about hit the pins......with the guards.......

Nooooo ... Ive got a plan.

I'm mates with the ground staff, so I'll have something in place to assist

 

[Centralscrutinizer]

Also to those continually saying these protests will achieve nothing, well maybe they wouldn’t even be happening if the chairman had kept his promise of discussing any potential increase in costs with supporters first. As has been said, part of why people are angry is because of the way it’s been handled. At least if he’d bothered to debate or even just explain some of these issues beforehand, people would be more willing to accept it.

In a nutshell

 

[MichaelDebeve]

 

[Nano]

do you have a link to this index that has us 35th? Curious to know which of these smaller clubs have had 1 or less prem seasons in the last decade to get an understanding of the relationship between exposure via the prem and self developed international social media engagement

The Social Media Football League Table - OLBG.com

Dan Tracey's betting blog

www.olbg.com

Meant to include it last time. The teams that are above us or similar to us for no real reason are Derby, QPR, Cardiff, Reading, Birmingham and Hull but teams like Swansea, Stoke and Sunderland shouldn't have 2.5x-3x the fans that we do.

We had a documentary well before Sunderland but I don't think Gazza vs Gadaffi on Channel 5 won us many international fans.

Fair enough, but Sunderland didnt introduce those things while the 'Premier League was taking off', which is when you said we missed an opportunity that others didn't.
Everton were sponsored by Danka and One2One at that time. It was only when they signed a couple of Chinese players after the 2002 WC that their profile took off in the far east.
I'm not sure targeting players from specific countries to widen our fan base in that country is the way to go, from a footballing point of view anyway.
Although we did get a few extra fans in Egypt when we signed Mido

When I said "taking off" I meant globally. Obviously it launched much earlier but it was post Euro 96 that it started to take over the other top leagues and probably about 2000 when international TV rights became a big deal. We were in the thick of the PL at that time so to not attempt to capitalise was a failure.

 

[BoroMart]

If that's the case perhaps he'll divide up the £120 million of losses from the last decade and send all season ticket holders a bill.

I don't get the reason for the sense of entitlement so many of you have.

You (plural) want the club to bring in good (expensive) signings and make the stadium look great and have loads of good quality merchandise at cheap prices. But plenty object to paying increased season ticket prices or >£30 for shirts.

How do you square the circle?

There's always plenty of criticism for Steve Gibson when the team is losing but it's never based on commercial reality. Apparently he should "invest" more (ie lose more) yet lots of fans moan about season ticket prices going up.

Isn't it as straightforward as - buy a ticket if you want to watch matches, and don't buy a ticket if you can't afford it or don't like the chairman or don't want to go.

Best post of this thread, right there

 

[BoroMart]

Also to those continually saying these protests will achieve nothing, well maybe they wouldn’t even be happening if the chairman had kept his promise of discussing any potential increase in costs with supporters first. As has been said, part of why people are angry is because of the way it’s been handled. At least if he’d bothered to debate or even just explain some of these issues beforehand, people would be more willing to accept it.

I didn't realise the club was a democracy? Should he also have had a debate and a vote to see if he should write off the clubs debts? Or is it only perceived negative things that the fans need input?

 

[BoroMart]

The Social Media Football League Table - OLBG.com

Dan Tracey's betting blog

www.olbg.com

Meant to include it last time. The teams that are above us or similar to us for no real reason are Derby, QPR, Cardiff, Reading, Birmingham and Hull but teams like Swansea, Stoke and Sunderland shouldn't have 2.5x-3x the fans that we do.

We had a documentary well before Sunderland but I don't think Gazza vs Gadaffi on Channel 5 won us many international fans.


When I said "taking off" I meant globally. Obviously it launched much earlier but it was post Euro 96 that it started to take over the other top leagues and probably about 2000 when international TV rights became a big deal. We were in the thick of the PL at that time so to not attempt to capitalise was a failure.

Interesting:

QPR, Cardiff, Birmingham, Hull I suspect foreign ownership has been utilised
Sunderland - Netflix
Yes Swansea, stoke, Derby are baffling
Reading are below not above us, Iguess the far east owners pushed social media. Remember that awful, awful club anthem haha

We are above Sheff Wed, premiership Luton, Bristol who are a city club, Ipswich, Coventry, Watford, Blackburn,.

We clearly haven't done great, but we are middle of the pack compared to rivals.

Our Gaza documentary was a one off pre Netflix thing, get yourself on Netflix or amazon prime or apple+ and you will instantly double your social media support. Shame we missed out, but that ship has sailed.

 

[viv_andersons_nana]

I didn't realise the club was a democracy? Should he also have had a debate and a vote to see if he should write off the clubs debts? Or is it only perceived negative things that the fans need input?

Why did he say he would hold discussions with supporters’ groups and then not do it? And actually, should he have a debate around writing off debts? Well yes I think he should probably be a bit more transparent across the board tbh. I think all football clubs should be. Or is the stuff they say about being mere ‘custodians’ of the club complete horsesh*t?

 

[BoroMart]

Why did he say he would hold discussions with supporters’ groups and then not do it? And actually, should he have a debate around writing off debts? Well yes I think he should probably be a bit more transparent across the board tbh. I think all football clubs should be. Or is the stuff they say about being mere ‘custodians’ of the club complete horsesh*t?

No idea, I'm sure there will be a sttement at some point. Yes, custodians of clubs probably should, he's certainly no worse than any other, and considerably better than many though