Humpty, you choose not to attend Boro matches home or away. Therefore why should you choose the rights of others regarding purchasing tickets for away games?
Exeter away - Ticket info
- Thread starter Marvanelli
- Start date
Redwurzel
Well-known member
Watford, Sheff Wed, Coventry, Blackburn and Norwich are all league games that have been available to any Boro fan to buy a ticket for if they have the money and a digital account. I can't remember what happened with West Brom i.e if they made general sale. Sunderland did sell out to season ticket holders, but part of the problem there is Sunderland only giving us around 4% of the stadium capacity, becasue they say they can't cope with more than 2,250 Boro fans.
In the past, fans queued up for 4 to 5 hours at the Riverside/AP for cup tickets in the later rounds of cups. Any tom, d*ck or harry could join the queue and it was impossible for many fans living away from Teesside or working full time to do this - that was totally unfair, but many fans just had to live with it. I would send a envelope and stamped addressed envelope for the reply with a cheque and note explaining why I could not queue and prayed someone in the ticket office would reply with a ticket.
Now we have a system where people who stick with the club thick and thin with a season ticket get priority. They may not be able to get to every home game and they don't know what the season will be like but they pay out the cash. Is that really so bad or so selfish?
Rob is not perfect, but he is there as a representative through thick and thin. He is also probably learning through experience (some fans and club officials obviously had little idea other fans had anxieties over the new way to access the Riverside or what technology some had or didn't have). Some posters are taking their frustrations on Rob possibly over Exeter and Plymouth tickets, its not deserved.
In the past, fans queued up for 4 to 5 hours at the Riverside/AP for cup tickets in the later rounds of cups. Any tom, d*ck or harry could join the queue and it was impossible for many fans living away from Teesside or working full time to do this - that was totally unfair, but many fans just had to live with it. I would send a envelope and stamped addressed envelope for the reply with a cheque and note explaining why I could not queue and prayed someone in the ticket office would reply with a ticket.
Now we have a system where people who stick with the club thick and thin with a season ticket get priority. They may not be able to get to every home game and they don't know what the season will be like but they pay out the cash. Is that really so bad or so selfish?
Rob is not perfect, but he is there as a representative through thick and thin. He is also probably learning through experience (some fans and club officials obviously had little idea other fans had anxieties over the new way to access the Riverside or what technology some had or didn't have). Some posters are taking their frustrations on Rob possibly over Exeter and Plymouth tickets, its not deserved.
I have no idea why Humpty does not attend matches, however what you are inferring that a poster should not have an opinion on the issue, who for whatever reason is unable to attend matches.
Humpty
Well-known member
Do you have information on which games i have and haven't been to this season? If you do then that's a breach of data protection. You might want to be careful with that... You'll also be aware that what you've said is untrue.
As someone that attends matches home and away and has done since 1990 through season tickets, matchday tickets and via hospitality, i have every right to comment on the methodology that dictates who gets to purchase tickets and who doesn't. Isn't that the very purpose of the supporters forum anyway? To give everyone a voice? It appears that the supporters forum is edging towards becoming a self serving movement.
InglebyUTB
Well-known member
Nobody should be taken their frustrations out on Rob, and I personally don't think anyone is. I just think people don't feel like they're being listened to.
I've raised the issue of people points farming loads of times and have been ignored, dismissed and told that "it's pints, not points people are interested in". In my experience, it's points, points, points.
I raised the issue of some season ticket holders getting more points than others being age discriminatory, and it is was unfair that MFC were selling a product (away season tickets) under the counter to some customers and not others. I was accused of wanting to "put myself to the front of the queue without putting the hard miles in" despite me attending double figure away games that season including QPR and Cardiff.
As someone who lives on Teesside, is a season ticket holder and has well over the current points threshold for away tickets, I understand and empathise with the fans in the South-West who thought they hit the jackpot with us playing Exeter and Plymouth in one week, 2 games on their doorstep only to find that the club have taken the incredibly rare step of subsiding tickets for the predominantly North-East based fans, meaning they didn't stand a chance of getting a ticket and to compound the misery it ended up being a priority point subsidy for many.
I know the forum suggested this with good intentions, and no doubt Boro fans have benefited from it. But there seems to be a fierce denial when it comes to simply acknowledging that the subsidy hurt the chances of those down south getting tickets and helped the points farmers, which it undoubtedly did.
Diego
Well-known member
Mic Drop
Malaguena
Well-known member
Maybe, just maybe, that's because we're fed up with our views either not being listened to, represented or ignored because we're not "loyal" fans (your words not mine) - as far as I was aware, you didn't have to have 160 points to be classed as loyal but maybe things have changed
It's like talking to a brick wall trying to get the Select Few Fans Forum to represent all fans and not just their self interest, so I'll now leave it there and crawl back into my shell
Humpty you told us on this forum that you cannot attend many matches.
the_holgate_roof
Well-known member
Who the frig wants to go all the way to Exeter on a Tues night anyway…
Humpty
Well-known member
That's a long way away from "choosing not to attend Boro matches home or away." and therefore seemingly not being allowed any input into the discussion.
I don't attend enough matches to make a season ticket worthwhile not to mention the lack of value it now has compared to pre-priority points. It's true that don't attend as many games as i used because i now have a young family but i still attend.
It's why i push for Boro Pride/membership. For those that live outside the area, for those that works shifts or off-shore, for those that can't afford a season ticket. For those that have families and have to prioritise. There's a whole heap of support away from season ticket holders that club don't seem to want to engage with unless they absolutely have to. I've discussed this with Lee Fryatt myself. The club want to increase the value of a season ticket by making it more inhibitive not to have one. That's the bottom line.
I'm not pushing this narrative to be awkward or for the sake of an argument. I push this narrative because i think many other supporters would benefit from it. It shouldn't be prohibitive to go and watch your local side because of cost, it should be accessible and fair for all and i also don't think the in-demand games should be reserved for the privileged few.
Lets see what might transpire concerning Membership cards. It is so important they return.
clay
Well-known member
Huddersfield Town
Coventry City
West Bromwich Albion
Bolton Wanderers
Blackburn Rovers
Sheffield Wednesday
Bradford City
Watford
All general sale. All available to absolutely anyone who wanted a ticket. No points needed. No ST needed. No membership needed. Some even cash on the gate.
I look forward to seeing the details of a membership scheme, but I'm struggling to see what practical difference it'll make. People who want to experience away games in general can already do so, irrespective of their purchase history. People who just want to cherry-pick the most in-demand games surely aren't going to find themselves on an even footing with fans on 160+ points just because they've bought a membership.
Coventry City
West Bromwich Albion
Bolton Wanderers
Blackburn Rovers
Sheffield Wednesday
Bradford City
Watford
All general sale. All available to absolutely anyone who wanted a ticket. No points needed. No ST needed. No membership needed. Some even cash on the gate.
I look forward to seeing the details of a membership scheme, but I'm struggling to see what practical difference it'll make. People who want to experience away games in general can already do so, irrespective of their purchase history. People who just want to cherry-pick the most in-demand games surely aren't going to find themselves on an even footing with fans on 160+ points just because they've bought a membership.
Marvanelli
Well-known member
Pi$$ing in the wind here. This doesn't fit the narrative for those wanting to cherry pick their games...
I would have thought the benefits of a membership scheme are more allied to home games. There is a small amount of priority points it is true with the membership. Getting a small discount for buying a ticket at home and also feeling valued as part of the club are probably bigger benefits.
Humpty
Well-known member
Three cups games included in that lot mind…
A membership scheme won’t make any difference in accessing in demand games that wasn’t the argument for the membership scheme. Two different discussions. The membership scheme is about making extortionate walk up ticket prices more affordable to all.
