The thin end of the wedge is getting thinner ! It's 'that' time of the year again. Mr.Scally is offering us STH to renew our tickets for next season ( at a time just after we've seriously affected our play-off aspirations ). I applaud Mr.Scally for keeping the increase to a 'minimum' ( although we are still quite a bit dearer than most L1 clubs ). However, I don't see any offer of 'Friends for a £5er'. I note that there is an 'offer' of free tickets ( number not specified ), for Category B games - to be chosen by the club. I expect these to be the Saturday before Christmas ( unless it's a Category A game ), and one or two in the latter part of the season - ( when there might be little interest in the games if we have a 'nothing season' ). This situation negates any choice STH have as to when they can invite any friends - albeit for free. I know of plenty of STH who have not used up their quota of 'Friends for a £5' vouchers for this ( and past ), seasons. Our attendances have shown that availability has NOT been 'exceeded.' ( the reason given for the withdrawal of the voucher at the Coventry game - helping to create over 4000 empty seats ). The situation places another restriction on STH - I certainly won't be inviting any friends - for whom I have paid the £5 ( along with full adult price for two sons - because I won't ask my friends to pay for an 'invitation' to a 'social' event. In the grand scheme of things, I believe that the incentive could have been retained in its' present format - thus giving STH 'some' choice ( albeit being withdrawn at the whim of the club ). I expect that next season the incentives will be trimmed further. Happy days !
We've had a good season compared to most, ok attendances haven't been fantastic by a long mile, but they have been better. So why the increases or more so lack of incentives compared to previous seasons? Promotion is far from certain, in fact probably completely the opposite - My honest thoughts at the moment is it is another season in League One, anything else is a bonus. So maybe Scally is taking a gamble on that we will be playing championship football next season, so now supporters have a choice with the same gamble, take the early bird or not, and you have until the eve of the Burton game to decide I assume Mr Scally is banking on that we will not be having a bad league one season next season, otherwise he could well be shooting himself in the foot going on the poor turn out this season considering, and if he applies the incentives there after, there are going to be some very p'd off STHolders. Oh and by the way, when are we going to use our data base to good affect when issuing tickets for so called big games, isn't about time we installed a points/voucher system. The lower the category game you attend the more points you earn.
brb Our 'core' attendance for home games has increased by 196 --- this is despite our 'comparative success '. We have spent all season (so far), in the top 6, with a fair time at No.1. Last season the highest we got was 9th ( at game No.43 ), before ending up 12th. The tiny rise in attendance this year hardly reflects on our league position, and if our 'comparative success' isn't going to attract more customers, I'm not sure what will. I do have some sympathy for Mr.Scally in this regards -- BUT-- Is it really fair of him to withdraw the 'Friends for £5' vouchers ? The lack of take-up by 'occasional' fans for the Coventry game proved that there wasn't really any justification in withdrawing the voucher incentive for this game. The removal of aforementioned incentives may cause some STH to rethink their strategy. I may well pay for 3 adults (my 2 sons), to attend all home matches - but I doubt if I'll be inviting a friend. I've used ALL my vouchers for friends, (I've paid their £5). These people have bought items ( programs etc ), as well as services ( catering ) - so there has been financial benefit to the Club by their attendance. I doubt very much if I'll invite ANY friend next season if I am to pay £22 / 24 for their ticket. The withdrawal of incentives ( or the adverse restructuring of them ), will do little to encourage the number of season tickets that will be increased - let alone attract 'new' STH. As for your 'points' system - you might want to ask Leicester fans, in their forum, how THAT has worked for them in their ability to get a ticket for their last home game v Everton ( a pair of tickets on offer for £15,000 ). It would seem that Leicester / Gillingham etc aren't bothered who attends their matches ( remember my Martian quote ), as long as they pay as much as can be extracted /extorted.
alwaysright - absolutely agree with your most of your comments . Example this season I had to make a financial decision, that meant not renewing my season ticket for reasons I obviously will not go into on an internet forum, but you may well know some of them. So I have seen throughout my 40+ years of supporting the Gills both sides of the spectrum, meaning the views of season ticket holders and those of pre-match day ticket purchases. I naturally have also done pay on the day but that is the lesser of the three in recent times. To be honest I don't really know what has happened at Leicester, as much has I would like them to win the league, I rarely view anything media, and likewise Premiership. The best I would offer is looking out for the Leicester results, bringing me great joy in seeing them turn over the so called big clubs. I have never understood why any club has not had a voucher system, it seems simplistic to me but having never seen one run it may well be flawed with problems. But keeping it simplistic for now. STHolders automatically get priority as they should. So first avenue already covered. Second avenue is regular match day attendee's... For example: If I were to tend a low category game, it could be worth say 2 points, if i attend a high category game it could be worth 1 point. So if i attend 2 games (I attend much more lol) I would earn 4 points for low category, ie matches in winter, against generally lower opposition, whereas if I attend 2 summer games against higher opposition, I only receive 2 points. Now the model is not a perfect example but it sorts out the glory hunters from the blue blood. Also if finances are tight, you at least have a fair chance of still getting tickets over some one who only attends glamour games. After all let's remember I support everything that supports the financially restrained. Yes my model is flawed but I'm just trying to give a rough idea. Now to the pricing, Mr Scally, you are charging too much, yes, I know a lot of clubs do but I'm only interested in our club, you are pricing me and many others out of the game! Now before people start about how much it is to go to the cinema etc. I don't care! Football is meant to be a community sport for the local people, the cinema is not. And that dosen't just mean kids, it means so that adults can go too. Yes, you can give some incentives, but i don't really want to hear about them, we did a thread the other day, that demonstrated how much football had increased in the last three decades in comparison to other everyday prices, it's shocking to believe that with all the money now generated in the game that supporters are being priced out of it. It really has become a case of the haves and have nots, hence why as alwaysright has highlighted core attendances have only increased by 196! The British game has been social cleansed to the very core, I got to watch 10 mins of the Liverpool game last night, anyone notice the differences between the noise of German supporters before the start of the game compared to the Liverpool fans, this was at Anfield for gods sake. But I'm straying off topic slightly now but it was just to demonstrate the change in class. The free tickets or £5 vouchers in STHolders books was a plus for the club more than the supporter, it brought in extra revenue from your core supporters, i said above the Chairman better hope we do get promotion otherwise he has just shot himself in the foot, but what do i know, I've only been around since a kid.
More ticket nonsense ( GFC style ) Mr.Scally's early bird spits out the worm I thought I had done this one last week - but transpires not ! My friend who sits next to me in the GRS last week went to the ticket office with his season ticket renewal form and £385 cash. He handed over the form and cash and asked for a receipt. The chap in the ticket office stated that the Club was accepting only the form - not the cash ! ( or any other sort of payment ). My friend was told that the Club would eventually notify him to attend to make the necessary payment for the renewal ! My friend pointed out this was ridiculous - as well as not convenient because he lives some distance from the ground - and would probably need to take time off work in order to make a special journey. All that the staff member needed to do was take the cash, bank it along with revenue from other sales and record the details on the season ticket application. NO ----------------- THAT'S RIGHT - CASH was declined !!! My friend was left totally perplexed - and stood in the ticket office area wondering what to do. He even saw other people trying to renew their season tickets with the same staff member - and their payment being declined. My friend wasn't going to accept this nonsense. He went to another member of the ticket office staff. The encounter of a few minutes previously was related to this 'senior' member of staff -who was grateful to my friend for pointing out the idiocy of her colleague. ------ but I wonder how many other people had already been told their cash was no good --- and will they be charged the higher rate of payment ?
I paid for my ST with cash and got a receipt, must have just been one individual who was on a funny day. (mind you, I haven't got the ticket yet)
So this might mean, the person that eventually served alwaysrights friend and gladly took his money, also served you too, and has had it away with both your monies Disclaimer; dear Gilllingham FC, this ^^^ is a joke - although you may wish to train your employee's to recognise Mr Chairman wants you to take our money
I have been told that there was also a website problem in the few days leading up to the early bird deadline. Apparently the system could not match the customer to their current seat.
For information of anyone interested, you can still get an 'early bird' deal from the Millwall website. ( it doesn't matter who you support ) OK I'm still furious at the pathetic stewards and police yeaterday. I appreciate that fans of both sides need to accept their 'fault' in the scenes that unfolded - but - absolutely NOTHING was done to remove people who should have not been in specific areas of the ground. The Millwall fans in 'home' sections had no right to be there - and in clear contravention of the rules. To make matters worse they goaded the home fans, and 'stuck up' two fingers to stewards and police alike. I would have thought that it was obvious that their mere presence was at very least grounds where a breach of the peace was likely to occur -- this is an arrestable offence. But what did the police do ? Sweet F.A ( fanny adams ). So - what action / inaction would have occurred if some stupid Gills fans decided to purchase tickets for the BMS - and - 'exposed' themselves ? Would the police have allowed them to remain in situ ? I don't think so. Gillingham FC ( Mr. Scally ) just doesn't know how to get it right when it comes to dealing with occasions when there might be a danger of selling at somewhere near our capacity. It seems that the allocation of tickets comes with some nonsense for home supporters - and the usual IT meltdown - but somehow away supporters can circumnavigate any problems - and then laugh at the regulations, laugh at the police and laugh at our club -- Sadly I didn't see anything funny. I currently have a photo of an angry camel in my season ticket book. Nobody on the turnstiles have noticed that it doesn't actually look like me - I may change it next season - would a image of female genitalia be appropriate - because as an (otherwise) regulation abiding STH, I feel that I am being treated in like fashion when I am expected to prove my identity before I dare buy a ticket.
brb I did read that article earlier today - it doesn't really impress me - and the little action taken by the police can, at beat, be described as effective as a wet paper bag - and does NOTHING to placate the anger of concerned fans. I appreciate my previous post had some criticism of the 'treatment' of STH - but - if we ignore that we can't ignore the fact that it seems difficult for home fans to get tickets without jumping through hoops. This is supposedly with a view to 'protect' both sets of fans. So how did that go ? I said in another post, that it only takes one idiot to start trouble - to place the rest of us at risk. We saw that there were several idiots in both sets of fans - and what was the cause - the Club's FAILURE to do their part in the ticket allocation procedure. And when things went wrong and got 'ugly' it's not unreasonable to expect the police to take positive action to remove the problem. I know we've got some idiotic fans - but - I am confident that if the 'exposed' Millwall fans had been ejected, there were have been no problem from the home fans. The stewards didn't cover themselves with any glory - when they went to the few Gills fans at the top of the Rainham End (early in the 2nd half - long before any trouble ), to get them to sit. Yet -- where were any stewards in the BMS doing the same with ALL the 'official' Millwall fans ? They had the good sense not to be jobsworthy. It's no wonder that the fans in the Rainham End got upset when the same stewards, and then the police did nothing to apply real rules. It may not be correct to condone the actions of idiot fans ( both teams ) - but in relation to the reaction of the angry Gills fans - it was hardly a surprising reaction - and I'm sure that their anger was more against the huge inaction inside the ground - and a couple of arrests at the Cricketers or near the High Street doesn't compensate. Unfortunately Gills lost more than the game. All sorts of credibility was lost by the Club ( and police ). Reputation is more difficult to repair than the loss of one game.
I hear what you are saying mate and as always (no pun intended) I have a view - just not had chance to write war and peace yet. Also got another piece in mind about Manchester City supporters at the weekend, but it will probably all have to wait a little longer - thank god says everyone
Thanks - I look forward to your write up. I know I'm not always right -and I can admit as much - without too much delay - but when the police get it wrong it appears that we have to wait 27 years for an independent enquiry to prove the point. I doubt if I'll be alive when that 'decision' is reached about the police inaction yesterday.
