Duffen supposedly made it more equal for the second season in the PL. all that did was piss off those who had signed up for Away Direct in the Championship and the Division below, leaving just the 61 who has them in league two. This enabled more tickets for corporates and newbies, the type who asked a mate of mine at Arsenal if he could tell their kids the players as it was their first game. My mate was sat on his own as he was the only one out of his lot, who had gone through thick and thin for decades, to get a ticket whilst these 2 women and their kids had 4 seats altogether. Yeah, give everyone a fair shout. I've gone for 50 years and never got a ticket for any of the glamour games whilst a relative who had laughed at me for my support of that underachieving shower, as he put it, was , with his kid, at Anfield, Old,Trafford and the Emirates because he was mates with someone at a company which as a sponsor received more tickets as they weren't 't going tompeoplemwho had supported the club when we were getting 4 and 5 thousand fans. I remember when we played Liverpool Inwas scrabbling around trying to get a ticket and some East Yorkshire White ****er who lives near me was telling me he'd already got 2 tickets as his lad liked Liverpool. Again bemuse of connections with a sponsor. If you think there will be a fair distribution of tickets if we go up again you are living in a dream world.
AWAY DIRECT HAS NOT BEEN CANCELLED. Confirmed this afternoon by the HC Ticket Office. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ But under new Data Protection Laws (which are stupid anyway) the club cannot hold credit / debit card info on file(either manual or computer) so the Club are looking in to other means of taking the money. Further information as to how they will collect money for away tickets will be announced in due course they say. FFS, Why the panic ? Next season does not start until 17th August in the Premier League. (3/8/13 the other 3).
Yes i am taking the piss to a point as the whole thing is crass stupidity. Have you ever heard of a little thing called ""The Customer is always Right"" If we as fans / customers give the club a disclaimer or instruction to hold our card info on file like they have done for years in my case then this stupid PCI - Data Laws should not apply. I have never had a problem or issue with this system. Some IT geek will no doubt correct me if i am wrong but surely Encrypted Data is the most secure way to keep/store such information.? What has been most ill thought out is the new law and for sure that is taking the piss. NB. I may give you Mrs T. card numbers though ??
Of this ^^^^ I totally agree and also know people who suffered the Dufferman heresy on away tickets. Ive already made up my mind that i wont take any away PL match ticket that costs more than £35. I also suspect that the PL novelty may have worn off for some so it wont be quite as bad next time. TWT.
Paul Duffen seemed to considerably more savvy and interest in our fans than the current regime do. I'm not optimistic about away tickets if we go up.
Duffen scrapped all our loyalty schemes and was solely responsible for people going to Anfield or Old Trafford as their first ever away game. As Tickler has said, Away Direct is not going to be binned, the existing arrangements can't continue, but the club are going to find another way to operate it.
There were load of people who went to Old Trafford and Anfield as part of the 'Club 61' deal who were proper fans. You keep peddling this myth that it was mainly new fans and plastics who attended. (Anyway, how would you know if you weren't there? )
Duffen scrapped Away Direct, then brought it back just for the 61 original members, because he got so much grief(I have absolutely no issue with the 61 getting tickets, it should have been more than 61. In fact it was, Massey and a few other who'd been running coaches for years were also added to the list). Despite having attended almost all away games in the years running up to that season, I had to pay £3.5k for a box at Old Trafford and I din't get to Anfield at all in the first season.
I was in one of the hospitality seats in the opposite corner to the City fans and when we scored practically all the people in that corner jumped up! The stewards threw a few City fans out and seemed a bit upset with us.
I went to the KC ticket office the week after Wembley 2008 and asked to be put in the 'Club 61' (for want of a better title) scheme. Not a problem says the bored corporation employee woman who processed my request. It was as simple as that.
Im in away direct and have been a couple of seasons before the prem, but with me not being one of the "club 61" i got thrown out of it in the prem, but i managed to get tickets for all the prem away games, you had to get your forms in straight away when they came out. When Away Direct returned i went back in it, as its conveniant for me, so i hope that the club are going to keep away direct or something like it for those fans who travels away to almost every game.
Usually manage only about 5 away matches per season, always trying to make a weekend of it. Didn't manage to get any tickets in our Premier Season years. So will be looking on with interest.
What pictures I have seen of him he just doesn't look the part, a bit scruffy, but obviously looks deceive.
It's an urban myth that you couldn't get tickets for City away games in the Premiership. The big 2 or 3 aways in the North West were always likely to be difficult as sponsors pulled rank but most other games were doable. People seem to think that watching City away would be as cheap and easy as the other divisions, and that was never going to be the case . You needed sharper elbows, deeper pockets and be a member of the wide awake club.
Me too it was fairly cheap if booked at the beginning of the season. Did the same at Anfield too, had to sit with a load of moaning Scousers
