Fan protest?

[thegoatfeeder]

Firstly I apologise if this is something I should have been aware of but I have not been on as much this week as I normally would, but a couple of things confused me today. Firstly, when the presentation was made before the game today I heard a few boo's which I assume were intended to be heard by Cook and co, related to this what were the pieces of paper being held up in the South stand about today, I couldn't make it out from block 130 of the Colin Bell.

On a totally unrelated note I just wonder what peoples view of Tevez was today, I admit to being pretty pissed when posting this but the view around me was that he was pretty poor and people were suggesting that something was wrong between player and manager, this was supposedly confirmed by the 'celebration' after Carlos scored the penalty.

[Florida Blue]

I cannot answer any part of your first paragraph, but the second part I can. He was just getting beat on badly by Dunne and company, he still played like a headless chicken, and gave all out. He was just beat upon, IIRC he took a good knock early in the game and that could have had some impact. Full effort IMO.

[M147WN]

I didn't see any of the stuff you mentioned mate in 217 but its a big area and sometimes you don't see what happens just a few seats away!

(I left the seats for 10 minutes at halftime and a lucky lad a few seats away won the holiday today)

But yeah Carlos's reaction seemed strange and i dont know if theres any truth in the rumours... lets hope not!

We need this fella and all he brings with him.

I hope is all just paper talk or maybe judging by the grimice on his face he tweaked something but he's too important to lose and if he's unhappy we should give make him a special case as he is truely the only world class player we have!

[dazby]

He looked like he was carrying a hurty to me. A hurty that a band aid won't fix. Call for the horse placenta!

[CITYSTEVEDON]

i think that trevez was still in a bit of pain after dunny hit him from behind, that and nearly having his pen saved, looked up to the gods and thought lucky bastard. but when 2nd goal went in he was all smiles and joined in the group hug

[kinsey]

Don't know if there was any kind of formal protest but I did a hear a numpty call in to GMR on the way home. He was complaining about the Club and how he had been shafted over his season ticket in the North Stand and how there had been no consultation process and how he believed that this was all about money generation.

As far as I am aware, we no longer have any concerns about money generation and besides, I am not sure how it works that this will bring us in anymore money - it's not as if we will be adding to our crowd capacity!

The fact is that the Club sent around a questionaire to see what the fans wanted. In addition, listen to any generic football phone in and the 2 biggest complaints are about the lack of atmosphere in stadiums and how families are being squeezed out. Clearly, the changes announced in the last week or so address both these concerns. Whilst it would have been better to have done this when we originally moved, I am glad that they have decided better late than never.

All of this on a day when we win at home to keep our chances of Champions League qualification, with goals from TEVEZ, ADEBAYOR & BELLAMY. Read those names again, look at what is happening to our Club on the field and off it, SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE!

[saulman]

Don't know if there was any kind of formal protest but I did a hear a numpty call in to GMR on the way home. He was complaining about the Club and how he had been shafted over his season ticket in the North Stand and how there had been no consultation process and how he believed that this was all about money generation.

As far as I am aware, we no longer have any concerns about money generation and besides, I am not sure how it works that this will bring us in anymore money - it's not as if we will be adding to our crowd capacity!

The fact is that the Club sent around a questionaire to see what the fans wanted. In addition, listen to any generic football phone in and the 2 biggest complaints are about the lack of atmosphere in stadiums and how families are being squeezed out. Clearly, the changes announced in the last week or so address both these concerns. Whilst it would have been better to have done this when we originally moved, I am glad that they have decided better late than never.

All of this on a day when we win at home to keep our chances of Champions League qualification, with goals from TEVEZ, ADEBAYOR & BELLAMY. Read those names again, look at what is happening to our Club on the field and off it, SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE!

The bigger picture is that my seat in block 207 has been earmarked for someone with more money and probably less passion.

[kinsey]

The bigger picture is that my seat in block 207 has been earmarked for someone with more money and probably less passion.[/quote]

More money? Are they going to be charging more money (in real terms) for your seat next season? Will your seat generate additional funds for the Club next year?

I am sorry that this process means that you will be slightly inconvenienced by this change to your viewing perspective - but you are still going to attend aren't you? Go to the South Stand (at the same price) or take up one of the £250 tickets. Or perhaps the trauma of having to sit behind our goal in the first half (as opposed to the second) is just too much for you?

Less passion? How do you know? If you were so passionate about the Club, you would be looking at what is best for the Club - and not yourself! By the Club, I mean the vast majority of fans that will benefit from these changes both now and in the future.

I am pleased that the Club has been encouraging kids to attend for quite some time with the £95 season ticket and these changes are just an extension of that process. They are ensuring that the next generation of City fans are coming through - hopefully, they will be less mardy than some of the present lot!

[irblinx]

The fact is that the Club sent around a questionaire to see what the fans wanted. In addition, listen to any generic football phone in and the 2 biggest complaints are about the lack of atmosphere in stadiums and how families are being squeezed out. Clearly, the changes announced in the last week or so address both these concerns. Whilst it would have been better to have done this when we originally moved, I am glad that they have decided better late than never.

I take it you aren't being moved then? We are and sending round a survey isn't consultation or even advanced notice, we sit in the North stand 2nd tier and as my youngest turns 16 this year and the area we are in has now been designated as Family stand we will have to move. For the club to announce the changes just two weeks before the renewals start is a joke and to make matters worse the only one of the three of us to have received their renewal pack is the youngest and guess what, it isn't personalised at all so no mention of him having to move.

I will have to move to three spare seats (choice of 1st level or 3rd as I've asked and there are no places available in the 2nd) and then hope that someone gives up three seats in a better position at a later date, in our case this is compounded by the fact that for some reason the club are giving North stand level one the first choice of relocating leaving those in the second tier that are to be forced out really getting the dregs. On the financial side not only am I now faced with the lads ticket going up in price because he is now over 16, which I obviously had planned for, but I will also have to move to a section of the ground that is more expensive for me and for my eldest son, something that I would have preferred to have more than two weeks notice about!

Ultimately the way things have been handled is shoddy to say the least and smacks of everything that the owner told us would never happen at the club, we are just numbers to them now and they will squeeze as much as they possibly can out of us. The club are obviously assuming that families sat in the rest of the ground will move in as that is the only place where the cheap kids tickets can be had, but if they don't fill the North stand by doing that there will be a lot of very unhappy people and no up side.

[kinsey]

The fact is that the Club sent around a questionaire to see what the fans wanted. In addition, listen to any generic football phone in and the 2 biggest complaints are about the lack of atmosphere in stadiums and how families are being squeezed out. Clearly, the changes announced in the last week or so address both these concerns. Whilst it would have been better to have done this when we originally moved, I am glad that they have decided better late than never.

I take it you aren't being moved then? We are and sending round a survey isn't consultation or even advanced notice, we sit in the North stand 2nd tier and as my youngest turns 16 this year and the area we are in has now been designated as Family stand we will have to move. For the club to announce the changes just two weeks before the renewals start is a joke and to make matters worse the only one of the three of us to have received their renewal pack is the youngest and guess what, it isn't personalised at all so no mention of him having to move.

I will have to move to three spare seats (choice of 1st level or 3rd as I've asked and there are no places available in the 2nd) and then hope that someone gives up three seats in a better position at a later date, in our case this is compounded by the fact that for some reason the club are giving North stand level one the first choice of relocating leaving those in the second tier that are to be forced out really getting the dregs. On the financial side not only am I now faced with the lads ticket going up in price because he is now over 16, which I obviously had planned for, but I will also have to move to a section of the ground that is more expensive for me and for my eldest son, something that I would have preferred to have more than two weeks notice about!

Ultimately the way things have been handled is shoddy to say the least and smacks of everything that the owner told us would never happen at the club, we are just numbers to them now and they will squeeze as much as they possibly can out of us. The club are obviously assuming that families sat in the rest of the ground will move in as that is the only place where the cheap kids tickets can be had, but if they don't fill the North stand by doing that there will be a lot of very unhappy people and no up side.

Keep calm.

You mention the financial implications for you and then seem to suggest that the Club are being naive "assuming that families sat in the rest of the ground will move in". Surely the financial implications will mean that familes WILL move, thus freeing up seats in other sections of the ground?

And again, do you really think this is about squeezing "as much as they possibly can out of us"? Please explain to me how the Club is going to generate more income through this? Please explain to me why the Club would feel the need to generate more income? If you can answer those two questions, then please explain to me why you think they are bothered about having a family stand at all?!

In answer to your question, no I am not being moved. But may be it is because of this that I am able to take a slightly more rational view on this - again, see the bigger picture!

Let's see how you feel say a week before the season starts and you have got your new positions confirmed - I bet it will not be as bad as you feel!

Eggs and omelettes spring to mind...

[irblinx]

Keep calm.

You mention the financial implications for you and then seem to suggest that the Club are being naive "assuming that families sat in the rest of the ground will move in". Surely the financial implications will mean that familes WILL move, thus freeing up seats in other sections of the ground?

And again, do you really think this is about squeezing "as much as they possibly can out of us"? Please explain to me how the Club is going to generate more income through this? Please explain to me why the Club would feel the need to generate more income? If you can answer those two questions, then please explain to me why you think they are bothered about having a family stand at all?!

In answer to your question, no I am not being moved. But may be it is because of this that I am able to take a slightly more rational view on this - again, see the bigger picture!

Let's see how you feel say a week before the season starts and you have got your new positions confirmed - I bet it will not be as bad as you feel!

Eggs and omelettes spring to mind...

There is an average 5% increase according to the club on all seats, although others estimate it to be at least 6% so they are bringing in more revenue regardless of which way they split the seating. You seem to be suggesting that our owners will happily pour money into the club forever to subsidise ticket prices, bollocks. We all know that prices will go up as we see more success and spend more money on the playing staff, that bit is fair enough but what I do object to is the piss poor way that they have gone about it and the awful communications on the subject (the renewal pack says that only L1 can move from Monday but the website says "North Stand" for example). I was also told at the box office that the following season more of the second tier will be given over to hospitality seats so even if I manage to move to the second tier I would likely have to move again the following season whilst they put higher revenue generating customers in those seats.

Do you like where you sit in the ground? Like the view? Maybe you like the people you sit with? Would you give that up for £55? That is the difference in cost between the cheap u16 tickets and those in the majority of the rest of the ground, I'm pretty certain that people will stay where they are if they can answer yes to the above questions and only have one or maybe two u16's (depending on their financial circumstances of course). There are a lot of seats being re-designated as Family stand and I doubt that the demand for moves will match the available capacity.

As for being more rational and seeing the bigger picture, you are just sat with a cosy I'm alright Jack attitude, the bigger picture is that the club no longer cares about keeping individuals happy as they know that they have a "product" that is in growing demand so that they don't have to tell us anything and we will just bite the bullet.

I will be renewing of course, I'm fortunate that I can afford the increase that the move will bring, and I am looking forward to next season however that doesn't mask the fact that "listening to the fans" message that Cook preaches is only surface deep.

[Bluez]

A lot of fans are in support of a family area, but the only way to bring it in is to move people. I don't think its a case of the club not giving a toss about individual fans but the only way to keep 47000 fans happy is to not change anything, and even that won't work as there are calls for a family stand. As the club work to increase the number of fans and match day revenue there will be changes, I am pretty sure they will do as much as they can for the individuals but the very nature of change means some will lose out and not like it.

Possibly it can be seen as just a money making exercise, but if Platini has his way and we wnat to be successful we have to raise money somewhere.

If you are one of the fans who have to move I can undertand the negativity but I don't see any other solution. I think the club are looking out for families and that has to be a good thing.

There will likely be more changes/ options when the ground is expanded.

[Burt]

My brother has a season ticket in the North stand and was only informed this week that he has to move. The worst thing is that he always budgets to pay for his ticket in July and now he has to pay within the next week or he's fucled. What kind of treatment is that for a Blue who has been going for 45 years?

He is demoralised, upset and fuclin furious and I believe that there are few thousand in exactly the same position.

Piss poor organisation by the club IMO.

[kinsey]

There is an average 5% increase according to the club on all seats, although others estimate it to be at least 6% so they are bringing in more revenue regardless of which way they split the seating.

Ever heard of inflation? Besides, the point was that these changes will not generate any extra income.

You seem to be suggesting that our owners will happily pour money into the club forever to subsidise ticket prices, bollocks.

Where do I do that? Even if I had said that, who's to say it is bollocks?

We all know that prices will go up as we see more success and spend more money on the playing staff, that bit is fair enough but what I do object to is the piss poor way that they have gone about it and the awful communications on the subject (the renewal pack says that only L1 can move from Monday but the website says "North Stand" for example). I was also told at the box office that the following season more of the second tier will be given over to hospitality seats so even if I manage to move to the second tier I would likely have to move again the following season whilst they put higher revenue generating customers in those seats.

That remains to be seen. Anyway, do you really think that matchday revenue still plays a major part in modern football club finances at the top end of the game

Do you like where you sit in the ground? Like the view?

Yes I do but I do not think that it is the only section of the ground where I would be able to get a comparable or better view

Maybe you like the people you sit with?

Unfortunately, there is absolutely no way that you can control who sits near you - you are just as likely to have great people as you are load mouth know nothings so liking the people nearby is irrelevant.

Would you give that up for £55?

Yes if I thought that the overall atmosphere FOR EVERYONE was going to improve

That is the difference in cost between the cheap u16 tickets and those in the majority of the rest of the ground, I'm pretty certain that people will stay where they are if they can answer yes to the above questions and only have one or maybe two u16's (depending on their financial circumstances of course).

So is the financial element of this a concern or not?

There are a lot of seats being re-designated as Family stand and I doubt that the demand for moves will match the available capacity.

As for being more rational and seeing the bigger picture, you are just sat with a cosy I'm alright Jack attitude, the bigger picture is that the club no longer cares about keeping individuals happy as they know that they have a "product" that is in growing demand so that they don't have to tell us anything and we will just bite the bullet.

And you are adopting a NIMBY stance. The bigger picture is that we seem to have a team off the pitch who are asking the right questions and arriving at the right answers - ask yourself why all of this was not sorted when we moved and then look at the people in charge at that time. The bigger picture is that we are going places on and off the pitch - if you are not happy with this direction, fair enough. But for everyone one of you who wants to have a nice cosy easy existence with no change there are more who are right behind the Club.

I will be renewing of course, I'm fortunate that I can afford the increase that the move will bring, and I am looking forward to next season however that doesn't mask the fact that "listening to the fans" message that Cook preaches is only surface deep.[/quote]

[irblinx]

@ Kinsey, you ask how the club will get increased revenue and I explained increased prices followed by whole swathes of the ground being given over to the corporates the season after, which bit is confusing you?

And no, as I stated in my first post the financial side doesn't concern me overall, I would just like more than two weeks notice to hear that I have to move seats and therefore incur an extra increase and have a very limited choice of where to move to as thousands of Level 1 North standers will get first choice according to the crappy renewal pack that has been sent out this year.

The website (and today's Facebook and Twitter updates) state that all of North Stand can relocate on Monday, so they aren't giving a consistent message and if the online stuff is correct then I would imagine that a lot of North Standers who haven't received their packs yet (only one of our three has arrived) and don't go on the web are going to be mighty pissed off when the packs finally arrive and they realise that they're at the back of the queue for relocating.

The club has seriously dropped a bollock with this, 2 weeks notice and the stupidly short renewal windows are a joke and demonstrate contempt of the fans.

Last year the club seemed to have made huge strides in looking after SC holders at renewal time but for me and a lot more North Standers this year has completely undone all that good work. Here's hoping that when they change things again in future seasons that if it affects you they show you a bit more consideration than they have us.

[Nickyboy]

I have to relocate and submitted my form for finance last week.

I had a call from the club on thursday saying there will be no room to relocate to the south stand so I had better have a rethink and find somewhere i'd rather go in the CB or East stand.

Why even advertise the opportunity to relocate to the south stand if there is no room - especially as i go on my own so its not as if i'm wanting 5 seats together.

The lad also said - have you not considered the value ticket if you go on your own - when i said i don't fancy sitting up on the 3rd tier, he said yeah you're right most of them will be up there.

i'm not adverse to change, but one weeks notice and the false promise of reasonable solutions have royally pissed me off

[Beefymcfc]

A lot of fans are in support of a family area, but the only way to bring it in is to move people. I don't think its a case of the club not giving a toss about individual fans but the only way to keep 47000 fans happy is to not change anything, and even that won't work as there are calls for a family stand. As the club work to increase the number of fans and match day revenue there will be changes, I am pretty sure they will do as much as they can for the individuals but the very nature of change means some will lose out and not like it.

Possibly it can be seen as just a money making exercise, but if Platini has his way and we wnat to be successful we have to raise money somewhere.

If you are one of the fans who have to move I can undertand the negativity but I don't see any other solution. I think the club are looking out for families and that has to be a good thing.

There will likely be more changes/ options when the ground is expanded.

It's not only because they want to create a family stand, it's also to do with all the calls for a singing stand. At the moment there are quite a few youn ones in the SS, a stand that cannot accommodate all those older ones who want to move in and give it some with gusto. If they can entice them out with cheaper seating in the new FS, then that will allow people like myself to move in. I moved out a couple of seasons ago due to taking the 2 lads full-time, yet now they are at an age where it is right to take them back in, I can't get 3 seats together; maybe this will start to open it up. Saying that, I am not going to complain because I've got a decent crowd around me in the CB and they don't mind my colourful language and vocal support.

On the Tevez question from the OP, there wasn't a problem yesterday. He run his heart out and had all the enthusiasm which we expect. He took the penalty not long after being twatted by Dunney and was clearly relieved and hurt when he took the shot, you could clearly see him grimmacing when walking away.

[CITYSTEVEDON]

The fact is that the Club sent around a questionaire to see what the fans wanted. In addition, listen to any generic football phone in and the 2 biggest complaints are about the lack of atmosphere in stadiums and how families are being squeezed out. Clearly, the changes announced in the last week or so address both these concerns. Whilst it would have been better to have done this when we originally moved, I am glad that they have decided better late than never.

I take it you aren't being moved then? We are and sending round a survey isn't consultation or even advanced notice, we sit in the North stand 2nd tier and as my youngest turns 16 this year and the area we are in has now been designated as Family stand we will have to move. For the club to announce the changes just two weeks before the renewals start is a joke and to make matters worse the only one of the three of us to have received their renewal pack is the youngest and guess what, it isn't personalised at all so no mention of him having to move.

I will have to move to three spare seats (choice of 1st level or 3rd as I've asked and there are no places available in the 2nd) and then hope that someone gives up three seats in a better position at a later date, in our case this is compounded by the fact that for some reason the club are giving North stand level one the first choice of relocating leaving those in the second tier that are to be forced out really getting the dregs. On the financial side not only am I now faced with the lads ticket going up in price because he is now over 16, which I obviously had planned for, but I will also have to move to a section of the ground that is more expensive for me and for my eldest son, something that I would have preferred to have more than two weeks notice about!

Ultimately the way things have been handled is shoddy to say the least and smacks of everything that the owner told us would never happen at the club, we are just numbers to them now and they will squeeze as much as they possibly can out of us. The club are obviously assuming that families sat in the rest of the ground will move in as that is the only place where the cheap kids tickets can be had, but if they don't fill the North stand by doing that there will be a lot of very unhappy people and no up side.

wasnt the 2nd tier of the north stand already a family stand, as some times i would have liked to go behind goal, and was told it was a family stand.

[kinsey]

@ Kinsey, you ask how the club will get increased revenue and I explained increased prices followed by whole swathes of the ground being given over to the corporates the season after, which bit is confusing you?

My confusion comes from the source of your distress. Is it because you believe prices are increasing or because you are being shifted?

You stated earlier that you understood that prices increase - that's life and it's called inflation. But in real terms, are the Club going to generate extra revenue next season by shifting fans around? Have I missed something or will we still have the same capacity - and therefore the same revenue - next season? There may be some uplift from people foregoing the "Family Stand Experience" and choosing to pay standard tickets for their kids but do you really think that is the Club's motivation? Besides, how much do you think this would generate? Would it justify the upheaval? I repeat, do you seriously think that this is about increasing revenue?

You then quote speculation as though it were fact - "whole swathes of the ground being given over to the corporates the season after". I stand to be corrected next season but do you think the Club believes that the general economy of the Greater Manchester area is going to improve so markedly over the next 12 months that they will need to increase their corporate capacity so dramatically? Come back to me on this one if you can supply any evidence that this is going to happen.

Any evidence at all other than your nice little anecdote about a bloke in the ticket office!

[irblinx]

@ Kinsey, you ask how the club will get increased revenue and I explained increased prices followed by whole swathes of the ground being given over to the corporates the season after, which bit is confusing you?

My confusion comes from the source of your distress. Is it because you believe prices are increasing or because you are being shifted?

You stated earlier that you understood that prices increase - that's life and it's called inflation. But in real terms, are the Club going to generate extra revenue next season by shifting fans around? Have I missed something or will we still have the same capacity - and therefore the same revenue - next season? There may be some uplift from people foregoing the "Family Stand Experience" and choosing to pay standard tickets for their kids but do you really think that is the Club's motivation? Besides, how much do you think this would generate? Would it justify the upheaval? I repeat, do you seriously think that this is about increasing revenue?

You then quote speculation as though it were fact - "whole swathes of the ground being given over to the corporates the season after". I stand to be corrected next season but do you think the Club believes that the general economy of the Greater Manchester area is going to improve so markedly over the next 12 months that they will need to increase their corporate capacity so dramatically? Come back to me on this one if you can supply any evidence that this is going to happen.

Any evidence at all other than your nice little anecdote about a bloke in the ticket office!

I think maybe you are confusing my posts with someone else's? I never said that the club would get extra revenue NEXT SEASON, that was your assumption, I said "we are just numbers to them now and they will squeeze as much as they possibly can out of uswe are just numbers to them now and they will squeeze as much as they possibly can out of us". My distress as I stated clearly in each post is how the club has handled it and just moved us with next to no notice and awful communication.

Two people at the ticket office who were applying for finance whilst I was there (one currently in the 2nd tier and on in the first) were told that the CB and East stands L1 & L2 would be largely corporate for 2011-12 season. Told by two different staff and given out as a fact by them. Where their information came from I don't know but it was certainly seemed to be a consensus opinion of the staff and there are plenty of other people on other forums and FB Twitter etc that have been told the same thing by ticket office staff. So yes speculation but at least it is based on fairly consistent information being given by employees of the club. Isn't there a poster on here that works in the TO, maybe he can confirm what they've been told?