Sorry, Mr Burgess - still "tinpot" - Page 2

Outback Ozzy · 25-02-2016, 10:29

It will be interesting to see what form the 'season tickets' are next year. A book as this years are or plastic card (like a credit/debit card). This will in turn mean someone standing outside the ground taking the ST number and having a dedicated ST gate (like a few years back) or electronic swipe card equipment to allow access. I await with bated breath.

andyd · 25-02-2016, 10:34

[QUOTE=monkey hanger;1162180]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr T

I'll attempt to answer some of the questions.

Currently ASFC are one of the few clubs that have operated cash on the turnstiles.

one of the reasons I don,t do to many non Stanley home games anymore. having to trail around to find a ticket office after finding somewhere to park which is usually miles away thanks to resident only parking restrictions plus I refuse to pay 5 quid upwards to park in a car park at a ground. I know the crown is different but if we loose 1 person due to it its wrong. deffo wont increase gates.

Only time I,ve missed a kick off his a few seasons back at Chesterfield on a Tuesday night when the coach driver took a wrong turn and we ended up going through Sheffield missed about 5 minutes if my memory is correct.

cashman · 25-02-2016, 11:18

The thing about the fact it was called tinpot is simple really, we had people that had no experience of a professional club,but at least they thought of the fans as best they could, When the season ticket concession status was changed from 60 to 65, those who "Already" had one and were under 65 were allowed to continue as such,due to the fact they already had them, It would have saved much aggro and upset if this latest thing had been given the same allowance, not rocket science, But no, ignorance and NO thought for long standing fans was applied, by a guy who is supposed to be a professional I find that rather pathetic.

Tommy McQueen · 25-02-2016, 12:08

We do have a dedicated season ticket gate already for the main stand,I don't know about the Clayton end .

deeayess · 25-02-2016, 12:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr T

I'll attempt to answer some of the questions.

Currently ASFC are one of the few clubs that have operated cash on the turnstiles. At Oxford last week over 100 of you bought your ticket from a ticket office prior to entering the ground.(didn't spot any complaints with that!!) We took 140 to Carlisle and pre-sold only 60 tickets.

There will be 2 ticket booths, one for away fans and an additional one on the sportsbar carpark; plus the ticket office will be open from 12 noon.

We can't take credit/debit cards for season tickets as the bank won't release the money to the club until ALL fixtues for the season have been completed, in case the club folds!! (as the bank would be liable to refund the customer) This would mean that the club wouldn't receive a penny until May 17. The alternative is the club provides a "bond" of around £80k. I know Andy Holt is trying to get this changed.

So the argument is won because a hundred odd fans who would probably go regardless didn't complain.

How many of those were the casual fans from accy we are trying to attract?

I hope the business plan isn't just based on that. Existing fans may go along with it but the club can't exist we have been told on current gates so this is the innovative thinking you have come up with.

Exile on Spencer St · 25-02-2016, 12:39

A lot of this debate seems to be all about the cost of watching live football (I said a lot, Chrisr, I'm not talking about personal charms or otherwise about individuals).
Some are seemingly deciding not to buy another season ticket because, I presume, the existing arrangements are not considered affordable to them. Folk want concessions, lower entry prices, special deals, free parking....don't we all.

But Stanley is bottom-feeding deep in a business swamp that, on its sunlight surface, bask global sharks that are taking the economies of the game to, what I believe, are ridiculous levels. Occasionally, the odd soggy crumb is allowed to fall down from on high to keep the bottom feeders (barely) alive.

Like it or not, Stanley are in the same business as Real Manchuventas Inc. and, just like a corner shop is affected directly by how the likes of Tesco and Walmart run their business, so are Stanley having to survive in an industry whose finances are being manipulated by extremely powerful and greedy corporations.

And they have cemented that control, to a large part, by people sitting on their sofas to watch the game on telly. Very, very many of those people regard themselves as true 'fans' but they too never go to a live game and don't buy season tickets. They perhaps used to, but, because it's £20 to get, or raining, or a fag to park, they now watch telly and financially support Big Business FC.

I don't know if the current pricing structure at Stanley is right, fair, or daft. It just is. Like I said, wouldn't we all like a cheaper world but, of course, with no reduction in our wages/pensions/benefits.

So, if you have to find someone to blame for it all, why not blame all those 'fans' who never go to a live game. They are the ones who are really setting the exorbitant cost of football for real supporters.

deeayess · 25-02-2016, 12:51

Football clubs need fans more than fans need football clubs these days. Anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded. Times have changed and if you think blaming others will help then good luck with that.

baldy · 25-02-2016, 13:04

People that are saying we should just be happy that adults are paying concession price is better than no money at all!, Absolute nonsense!...That's like you being a shopkeeper and saying it's better to sell a Mars Bar at 50% less than normal price than not at all, You're soon going to be out of business!

People are shooting down an idea before it's even been tested, Why not If after a few games you think it's not working then say something?

cashman · 25-02-2016, 13:11

Its not about cost, as chrisr has already said, its about treatment of long standing fans, a principal the idiots cant seem to grasp.

andyd · 25-02-2016, 13:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exile on Spencer St

A lot of this debate seems to be all about the cost of watching live football (I said a lot, Chrisr, I'm not talking about personal charms or otherwise about individuals).
Some are seemingly deciding not to buy another season ticket because, I presume, the existing arrangements are not considered affordable to them. Folk want concessions, lower entry prices, special deals, free parking....don't we all.

But Stanley is bottom-feeding deep in a business swamp that, on its sunlight surface, bask global sharks that are taking the economies of the game to, what I believe, are ridiculous levels. Occasionally, the odd soggy crumb is allowed to fall down from on high to keep the bottom feeders (barely) alive.

Like it or not, Stanley are in the same business as Real Manchuventas Inc. and, just like a corner shop is affected directly by how the likes of Tesco and Walmart run their business, so are Stanley having to survive in an industry whose finances are being manipulated by extremely powerful and greedy corporations.

And they have cemented that control, to a large part, by people sitting on their sofas to watch the game on telly. Very, very many of those people regard themselves as true 'fans' but they too never go to a live game and don't buy season tickets. They perhaps used to, but, because it's £20 to get, or raining, or a fag to park, they now watch telly and financially support Big Business FC.

I don't know if the current pricing structure at Stanley is right, fair, or daft. It just is. Like I said, wouldn't we all like a cheaper world but, of course, with no reduction in our wages/pensions/benefits.

So, if you have to find someone to blame for it all, why not blame all those 'fans' who never go to a live game. They are the ones who are really setting the exorbitant cost of football for real supporters.

Like I said in another post whoever was in charge at Stanley even if it was the richest person on earth and charged a pound to get in there is somebody and not just at Stanley who like watching them fail and then they move on to the next.

deeayess · 25-02-2016, 15:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by baldy

People that are saying we should just be happy that adults are paying concession price is better than no money at all!, Absolute nonsense!...That's like you being a shopkeeper and saying it's better to sell a Mars Bar at 50% less than normal price than not at all, You're soon going to be out of business!

People are shooting down an idea before it's even been tested, Why not If after a few games you think it's not working then say something?

And if nobody wants Mars bars or goes to another shop that treats them better what happens then? All these examples only work if people want the product.

Currently not a lot in the grand scheme of things want ours based on attendances

Wynonie Harris · 25-02-2016, 19:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by deeayess

And if nobody wants Mars bars or goes to another shop that treats them better what happens then? All these examples only work if people want the product.

Currently not a lot in the grand scheme of things want ours based on attendances

Right on the money, the club is only actually losing out if we have a full house for every match and that concessionary seat could've been offered to a full price paying spectator.

But it's about more than just profit and loss. It's about doing the decent thing for dedicated supporters and, yes, there's a little bit of self-interest in it, as it's good for the image of Stanley.

It strikes me that knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing is rapidly becoming the philosophy of the club.

deeayess · 25-02-2016, 20:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wynonie Harris

Right on the money, the club is only actually losing out if we have a full house for every match and that concessionary seat could've been offered to a full price paying spectator.

But it's about more than just profit and loss. It's about doing the decent thing for dedicated supporters and, yes, there's a little bit of self-interest in it, as it's good for the image of Stanley.

It strikes me that knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing is rapidly becoming the philosophy of the club.

Are fans just another number on a spreadsheet now? Are we meant to just turn up and be thankful for the privilege? Good luck with that one.

Some fans will come whatever. You could treat them like dirt but they will come back and ask for more because "they just want to watch the team". Those are the kind clubs love but when it all goes wrong some won't notice until the gates are locked.

Personally the prices don't particulary bother me I can afford it if I chose to. The thing is will I and others continue to choose to? There are plenty of other things I can do on a Saturday just like many others and if you can't keep the fans who did care what chance of attracting new fans who don't?

I don't mind change when it's for the better but I usually have to deal with impact assessments for change at work. Presumably this new admin focussed board have done one for these changes and if so why not post it on the official site in the interests of transparency? If it looks good I might even post on the positive things thread.

Chrisr · 25-02-2016, 20:05

The people on here attempting to deliberately misread what my reasons for my stance against the new MD is, Let me make this clear. I have followed the club home and away since the 90s, Due to ill health I was unable to attend for quite a while. However when I was able to attend I bought a season ticket and was happy all round, yes the price was a bit cheaper but that was never the consideration, What has changed. well the withdrawal of the concession in such a high handed arrogant manner by a man who seems by his actions to have been promoted beyond his capabilities. He has no customer skills, I have not seen anything about consulting the affected fans on this issue or the flexi ticket issue. The £40 difference is not a problem for me personally. But we do nothing for injured and disabled service people either (Officially) as there is no option on the site to cover this. My point is the man appointed as MD is a bully, he is a law unto himself and I won't back down. I know in the correspondence I have had with him he couldn't care less about the real fans, I was a little taken aback at the paper notices telling people that from 21st Feb that cash will not be taken at the turnstiles. This man seems to trawl other clubs websites and pinches their ideas but has no idea how to implement them professionally. I don't know what the position is with Rob Heys but he knew the club and the fans, When the decision to sort out the pricing of tickets for the coming season the main person who knows all the ins and outs was not present. At the OASSC meeting where he was introduced there were noticeable people missing. We listened to a brief resume from the MD, he is associated with Clitheroe FC, which has not progressed very far over the last few years so I was not impressed with that, He then revealed he was the chairman of the Lancashire FA, which I admit to not knowing much about, A few ideas were thrown about in general with no real discussion and then the actions were taken. I back Andy Holt 100% for what he has done for the club and I expected him to appoint someone to run the day to day affairs of the club. I have to say judging by Andy's response to the Rangers dispute about our two players showed the whole football world his knowledge of the football business was limited. I think he should have had independent advice about appointing a new MD. But until this man is either educated in customer service or resigns I fear his behaviour will disenfranchise fans, Football is not a business like a manufacturing or ground work which works on volume or price work, So for me it is a principle and people may say that it is cutting off your nose to spite your face, but should a club put fans in this position for a meagre sum. this is the intransigence of the MD, Stanley is a club that has always looked out for the sick, Disabled, and unemployed. we should never turn our back on them.

deeayess · 25-02-2016, 20:36

I agree with you Chris. Money isn't the objection for me either but sometimes in the modern world principles are a forgotten concept.

Other clubs have tried and failed in the past Darlington, Maidstone, Gretna, Halifax, Scarborough and as for Gateshead, they have had more reincarnations than Dracula.

Modern football is dog eat dog and a shiny new stadium is no good when it lies empty so if things don't make sense it's often because something isn't right.