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Clubs Are Taking The Piss Thread


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It needs a bit of collective action to make it a major issue. At the moment it's just folk like us moaning on the internet and we are being completely ignored.

I remember about 20 years ago there was a boycott by Hearts supporters of Easter Road for a televised Sunday evening game that was 24 quid or something. We got scudded (I think it was the 6-2 game) but it was striking seeing a very empty away end on tv for a derby.

Obviously, Hearts fans went back to Easter Road en masse and nothing much changed.

It shouldn't be beyond the Scottish football public to have an organised away boycott over two strategically chosen weekends to make sure every team is away for one of them.

Clubs being hit in the pocket is the only way they'll rethink this. And the live games that weekend being without away supporters makes a statement.

Can't say I am confident it'll happen though.

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15 minutes ago, invergowrie arab said:

My observations on recent United away supports are we take 1500-2500 fans, barely any of whom are the family driving down buying pies, juice and programmes.

It's heavily dominated by guys who lose more than than 6-8 extra quid when they blow their nose.

I think the St Johnstone model of a mixed family stand is excellent where you get cheap entry for families and folk for whom the gate price is about 20% of their day out can be fleeced in other stands.

Doesn't sort everyone out but it's a start.

To be fair, that's kind of what an away day for me has become (without the copious amounts of cocaine). Funnily enough, when I was young I was far more likely to just jump in the car with a few mates, drive down, then drive straight back. These days though the whole thing is so expensive you might as well make it a big blow out day on the piss and only do it about 3 times a season.

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2 minutes ago, Stag Nation said:

Well, lots of posts in the lower league forums suggest that many neutrals do indeed choose between games.

I don’t imagine that Scottish football is high on the CMA’s target list, but it would be an easy win and the downside risk is enormous. Why would you take the risk? Particularly if you’re a director of a limited company with the associated responsibility.

Trying far too hard to look like the only one who knows what really going on.

 

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“Twenty’s Plenty” for away fans is great in theory, but I’m not having the practice being so great.
Excuse the back of a fag packet figures, but take two extreme examples in the Premiership- Celtic allow, say 700 away fans into their ground at an average of around £25 if we consider concessions. Cut the adult price to £20 and call the average about £15? Celtic lose £7000 on the away support, a tiny percentage of their matchday income for a 58,000 crowd.
Livingston allow, say 7000 Old Firm fans into their ground. If we’re assuming the same prices, that’s £70,000 worth cut from what they would bring in from their bigger gates of say, 8500.
I’ve seen this campaign gaining traction in the English Championship, but there’s not such a spread in stature of the clubs there that it’s maybe doable and will have similar impact on most of the clubs.
The two clubs who would suffer least from this in the Premiership are likely to be Rangers and Celtic, who coincidentally are the two whose gate receipts suffer least from live TV coverage.
It’s maybe all well and good for me paying a wee bit less on the Championship to see Morton away, but it’s a no from me if smaller clubs for whom every penny’s a prisoner are the ones to suffer.

Supporters do not exist purely as income sources for clubs. If the clubs "suffer" because folk won't pay their daft prices, then I'm afraid that's on the clubs.
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11 minutes ago, craigkillie said:


Supporters do not exist purely as income sources for clubs. If the clubs "suffer" because folk won't pay their daft prices, then I'm afraid that's on the clubs.

I didn’t say supporters exist purely as income sources for their clubs, but you know that anyway.

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54 minutes ago, Jim McLean's Ghost said:

Maybe prices could be lower if clubs weren't wasting over a million pounds on VAR.

They are putting up the cost to make the game a worse product to see live.

Aye right, they're choking to bring prices down.

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Not sure what else can be done other than to boycott both home and away games. As a St. Johnstone fan, that’s going to be a piece of piss given how awful we are. I have no intention of wasting my money on that this season. Got to hit them where it hurts and that’s in the coffers.

I’ve long said that charging over 20 quid for Scottish top flight games is a disgrace and I’ve been ridiculed by fellow Saints fans for saying so, usually by Saints Simps who will go to games out of blind loyalty to their club and don’t quite understand why folk are complaining. For the product on offer and the general fan experience, it’s a total sham. For years we have been expected to simply turn up to the ground, watch the game and go home. Times have changed now, you only need to look abroad to the MLS or the A-League to see the initiatives they have to try and create a great festival like atmosphere and draw people to the event. We can’t even get a pint at the game ffs.

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50 minutes ago, jamamafegan said:

Not sure what else can be done other than to boycott both home and away games. As a St. Johnstone fan, that’s going to be a piece of piss given how awful we are. I have no intention of wasting my money on that this season. Got to hit them where it hurts and that’s in the coffers.

I’ve long said that charging over 20 quid for Scottish top flight games is a disgrace and I’ve been ridiculed by fellow Saints fans for saying so, usually by Saints Simps who will go to games out of blind loyalty to their club and don’t quite understand why folk are complaining. For the product on offer and the general fan experience, it’s a total sham. For years we have been expected to simply turn up to the ground, watch the game and go home. Times have changed now, you only need to look abroad to the MLS or the A-League to see the initiatives they have to try and create a great festival like atmosphere and draw people to the event. We can’t even get a pint at the game ffs.

It's also priced in a way that discourages the casual fan or potential new fan.

I can't possibly ask a sort-of interested mate to accompany me to a Hearts away game to see if they enjoy it.

Imagine it?

'Fancy coming to see Hearts at Dundee United next week?'

'How much? Fucking hell!!!'

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Clubs don’t want new fans, they want more prize money and better sponsorships deals. They’d be happy with football being behind closed doors forever if they were promised more money from other sources.

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3 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

Clubs don’t want new fans, they want more prize money and better sponsorships deals. They’d be happy with football being behind closed doors forever if they were promised more money from other sources.

That's true to an extent. But fans are part of the window dressing.

Look at how much of the tv marketing around British football focuses on 'THE PASSION' and 'THE RIVALRY' etc.

Fans are central to how the game is sold.

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I'm not boycotting as such, but I am picking and choosing my games more than ever. From where I live, it's a real slog getting to United games other than those at Tynecastle and Easter Road. I went to one United home game last season and three away, and it's only 4 seasons ago I was going every single week without fail. My personal life has changed so I have much less free time these days, but it's partly time and partly money (and partly inclination) which is stopping me from going. If I have a spare Saturday, I'd far rather spend it watching Bonnyrigg Rose, Tranent or Preston Athletic. A game for under a tenner and home by half 5. Lovely

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2 hours ago, VincentGuerin said:

It needs a bit of collective action to make it a major issue. At the moment it's just folk like us moaning on the internet and we are being completely ignored.

I remember about 20 years ago there was a boycott by Hearts supporters of Easter Road for a televised Sunday evening game that was 24 quid or something. We got scudded (I think it was the 6-2 game) but it was striking seeing a very empty away end on tv for a derby.

Obviously, Hearts fans went back to Easter Road en masse and nothing much changed.

It shouldn't be beyond the Scottish football public to have an organised away boycott over two strategically chosen weekends to make sure every team is away for one of them.

Clubs being hit in the pocket is the only way they'll rethink this. And the live games that weekend being without away supporters makes a statement.

Can't say I am confident it'll happen though.

Sure the official reason was the first protest of Pieman selling the pbs.  Was moreso because you boys knew a pumping was on the table. 

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3 minutes ago, Hoose Rice said:

Sure the official reason was the first protest of Pieman selling the pbs.  Was moreso because you boys knew a pumping was on the table. 

No. You've got that mixed up.

The sale thing came round a few years later.

This was Hibs jumping the price about six quid year-on-year.

Pretty sure the boycott thing came from Kickback, but I remember the guys that ran our bus saying a few supporters clubs were right into it and taking no tickets at all. The bus I went on at that time would usually take 25 or more tickets for a derby. I think about three guys went along to that one.

And we'd won 4-0 at Tannadice the week before.

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2 minutes ago, Sarto Mutiny said:

I'm not boycotting as such, but I am picking and choosing my games more than ever. From where I live, it's a real slog getting to United games other than those at Tynecastle and Easter Road. I went to one United home game last season and three away, and it's only 4 seasons ago I was going every single week without fail. My personal life has changed so I have much less free time these days, but it's partly time and partly money (and partly inclination) which is stopping me from going. If I have a spare Saturday, I'd far rather spend it watching Bonnyrigg Rose, Tranent or Preston Athletic. A game for under a tenner and home by half 5. Lovely

Would love to see the average age of this forum tbh.

An away day used to be part of a Fri to Sunday weekend for me until hitting about 25.   Suppose it must be the same now.  Remember my first perm job at hbos instead of temping about the shop, asking if could get paid weekly instead of monthly so could afford the football an fk the week days.  Now that money goes this month to pay for School uniforms for my kids. 

These days its literally any excuse not to go.  Especially when having kids/families and iptv etc. 

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1 minute ago, VincentGuerin said:

No. You've got that mixed up.

The sale thing came round a few years later.

This was Hibs jumping the price about six quid year-on-year.

Pretty sure the boycott thing came from Kickback, but I remember the guys that ran our bus saying a few supporters clubs were right into it and taking no tickets at all. The bus I went on at that time would usually take 25 or more tickets for a derby. I think about three guys went along to that one.

And we'd won 4-0 at Tannadice the week before.

Ah ok.  We beat rangers the week before and sat top of the league im sure.  Great days and i loved sunday night games.  Think my first was a Kenny Miller winner at Dundee and there was loads of fantastic games (0-3 Tynie, 6-2, Dundee again Motherwell, Ibrox, Parkhead) no idea how much it cost but didnt matter as it was the day out at snooker hall near motherwell up the road in dundee etc :) 

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2 minutes ago, Hoose Rice said:

Ah ok.  We beat rangers the week before and sat top of the league im sure.  Great days and i loved sunday night games.  Think my first was a Kenny Miller winner at Dundee and there was loads of fantastic games (0-3 Tynie, 6-2, Dundee again Motherwell, Ibrox, Parkhead) no idea how much it cost but didnt matter as it was the day out at snooker hall near motherwell up the road in dundee etc :) 

I hated Sunday night. Had this real end-of-the-weekend feel to it. Monday morning looming over my day at the fitba.

Hate Sunday lunchtime as well, mind you. And there's something really pish about paying through the nose for the privilege of dragging yourself out your bed first thing in the morning to get to a game that basically starts on Sunday morning. It's no time for the football.

One of my mates shifted his derby ticket on our group chat today. Decided he'd rather spend his Sunday morning reading the paper and walking the dog before firing the game on Hearts TV with a VPN. Saved himself a small fortune and removed a lot of hassle from his weekend. Points with the missus too.

I think I'm actually jealous. This will change if we win on Sunday, but there we are.

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It's also priced in a way that discourages the casual fan or potential new fan.
I can't possibly ask a sort-of interested mate to accompany me to a Hearts away game to see if they enjoy it.
Imagine it?
'Fancy coming to see Hearts at Dundee United next week?'
'How much? Fucking hell!!!'


Yep, it’s pointless trying to encourage friends who are fair weather fans to come along with these prices. Can’t blame them for not wanting to go.
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3 minutes ago, VincentGuerin said:

I hated Sunday night. Had this real end-of-the-weekend feel to it. Monday morning looming over my day at the fitba.

Hate Sunday lunchtime as well, mind you. And there's something really pish about paying through the nose for the privilege of dragging yourself out your bed first thing in the morning to get to a game that basically starts on Sunday morning. It's no time for the football.

One of my mates shifted his derby ticket on our group chat today. Decided he'd rather spend his Sunday morning reading the paper and walking the dog before firing the game on Hearts TV with a VPN. Saved himself a small fortune and removed a lot of hassle from his weekend. Points with the missus too.

I think I'm actually jealous. This will change if we win on Sunday, but there we are.

Na I loved them.  Think was temping at somewhere like RBS and they actually didnt care I had almost every Monday off because I was good at the job on half the wage at about 17 showing full time guys how to do things.  If I told them the friday i would be off sick the monday they didnt care :lol: 

Sunday lunch time is pure shit though.  Im still much pretty house bound but even if not its just pants.  Especially at home.  When away you can at least stay at a mates and then set an early alarm and bev all morning.  Will never change though, sky wont ever put us against the EPL and the police would never agree to a late night Saturday game.  EPL have even chored Friday and Monday now. 

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