I'm not renewing - mainly because my mate didn't this season and has been to every game and spent less than half what I did for my season card! I'll still go but I'll take advantage of the cheap tickets they do
I know - my mate is a solicitor and hasn't paid more than £10 for a ticket this season - been to every home game and got tickets guaranteed for the last few as well at a similar price
Investing in a season card is investing in the club.. Those taking advantage of offers rather than buying tickets are why we are in such a mess.. they were surely designed to help people who couldn't afford to go otherwise..
The club is in a mess because they've misspent money for a decade on dogshit. So much so that they've had to pay players to play for other teams. Millions down the drain. Fair enough, staying away isn't going to help, but this isn't that. People who go to every game for the best price that they can isn't a problem. It's getting the most for the least. The club could do with learning that trick. The club isn't a charity. They pour money away on absolutely awful people who don't work for their wage. Fans who go to the game every week aren't the problem. Sacking a manager and paying them off every year is a big problem. Danny Graham, Anton Ferdinand, Steven Fletcher, Jack Rodwell, Jeremain Lens, papi djilibodji, Adam Johnson and co are a big problem. Loyal fans are a blessing. Investing in a season ticket is realistically more like buying a brand new Lamborgini for some prick who really doesn't even deserve a second hand Golf.
If he’s simply liaising with both sides and helping to get some kind of deal on the table, that's perfect. If he’s going to be hands on running the club, I’m not so happy. I hope he has short out before next season.
I disagree mate - I'd rather save myself over £100 to watch them than pay the money to line Short's pocket - if Short wasn't there and we had an owner who gave a **** I would likely feel differently, but season card money is a small percentage in the grand scheme whilst we are still in "Parachute payment" mode. Once we are past the parachute payments it'll be a different ball game - but whilst Ellis Short is there, I simply don't want to commit to it. On the other side, my Duo is really taking off so I'm not going to have as many free Saturday's come the new season so it's probably best not to renew, and choose the games that I can attend.
Picking and choosing makes sense to me, its up to the club to reward loyalty, the disregard for loyalty is endemic in the financial world and is creeping into football, loyalty whilst commendable is sadly a thing of the past.
And up to the club to see that discount tickets are given out appropriately. Supporters shouldn't be blamed for taking advantage of a good deal.
Agreed And when picking and choosing becomes cheaper per game than season card per game then season cards have become a flawed concept
I think tickets across the board should be reduced. Germany seem to have it right. Plus you can drink at your seat there. Imagine :-D . We'd have champions league income
Once went for an interview at a solicitors in Sunderland 13 years ago. Didn't get the job, I'd have been living up there to this day probably if I had.
There are other interested parties apparently. I still live in hope of something happening this summer.
Preparing for the worst hoping for the best. One thing this rumour has done is mean I won' be getting carried away with any rumours now until it's nailed on
I take them with all with a pinch of salt mate. Just look at how long that lass has supposedly been going to buy the mags!
According to my mate (the solicitor) - his "connections" say that administration is miles off as the club is being run (financially) well enough to ensure that it doesn't happen when you take the parachute payments into account. I've no idea how true it is, but he knows his stuff with things like this as finance is one of his specialties. According to him we aren't spending more than we're making at present. If we'd spent the £30m Pickford Money and ended up in the same place as we are right now, administration in the close season would be very realistic, but we used that as income to offset a percentage of the debt. As most of the squad had relegation clauses, the outgoings have dropped significantly meaning that the income from last season coupled with the parachute means that we're currently OK. As I say, I don't know how true any of this is - it isn't my "opinion" based on what I've been told.
Maths and finance isn't my strong point but that's sort of how I see things in my head. I expect to be slightly pleasantly surprised when the accounts are released next month. I'm hoping that is when potential suitors will step up their interest too as they get to have a look under the bonnet
