Sheff wed are charging £42 for cheapest away seat for the visit of Aston Villa. Disgraceful, over to you brb Gillingham charge the least in league 1 for some category games at £16
Thanks gioblues, As much as I moan about the prices at the Gills, I completely accept that we are the lower bands of pricing. To charge any supporter £42 as the cheapest away seat is utterly disgraceful and a reason I will always constantly beat that same old drum. I know my consistent words will never incur change but it is right to have a voice. Whilst we have leagues that have multi millionaire players, nothing will ever change, some may say you have to pay for the best, but many supporter through the land would argue their are players that don't perform any where near to their best to justify the price, not that there can ever be any justification in the price. Football was meant to change for the better, and people could point to new Stadium's, however, it is a well known fact that many a club could let their fans in for free, the clubs and players wear arm bans and fly banners to portray respect, but the cream are dropping cow dung on us from a great height. Once again clubs show disrespect for the less well off and the subsequent communities that cannot afford middle class prices.
That ticket pricing is shocking.......... and that's just for one person ! -- and before travel and catering. I drove to Southend today -- it was more convenient, cheaper and quicker than going by coach ( £17 ). I understand that the train fare from Gillingham was around £30. If you start adding up all the numbers for a dad and one child, ( I always took my two sons ), it is well over three figures for just one game. That isn't viable for Mr.Average. so, brb - now you see why people subscribe to Sky or BT
I get what you say alwaysright, quite often we are along similar lines in regards to how the supporter base is treated (I'm not aiming this at GFC or Mr Scally) - yet, I do feel Sky and BT are the problem and no I don't understand why people subscribe to them, purely in context of the debate (being careful with my wording). The question for the footballing establishment is should communities have to subscribe to SKY to be able to afford their football fix, the simple answer is no. How do communities of ALL classes integrate via a TV screen. You know as well as me alwaysright, that when we have gone to games together, it's about the whole day experience not just 90 minutes, it's about meeting friends old & new over a pint, having a laugh and some banter in a trouble free day, then hopefully going home with the three points. Watching the TV screen is the equivalent of walking into a public space, seeing no one chatting or interacting face to face, because everyone's eyes are glued to their mobile phone. That is a generation the media have created. SKY does not bring communities together it erodes them. Then those more fortunate are able to take over a community sport based on financial ability to pay. Even if you want your kid to walk out with the players these days it costs and arm and a leg, football was never like this, should never be like this and you know me mate, I will keep banging this drum until my last breath.
brb I think we could constrict this debate to personal messages ! I fear that too many other people do not have the depth of principles that you display. I continue to applaud your depth of principles - as it relates to the by-gone years of what football 'used' to mean ( and probably should still do.). At the risk of going off at a tangent - there are countless decisions we all make as we live our lives. As times 'change', these decisions often differ to accomodate the new circumstances - unless anyone is so orthodox in their outlook. I appreciate your decisions about not subscribing to Sky & BT. I am with you in spirit - but, on this subject, I can understand people who choose to compromise their principles - so as to indulge a football fix they need.......... We all have 'free will', and can make individual decisions - but - it would take an extraordinary person ( singular ! ), who doesn't make different decisions - to suit their individual new circumstances. In making these different decisions, 'all' people will 'sell ' themselves - become hypocrites - because it suits them ( often because money / finances will dictate the decision - and overcome personal principles )...... and I am genuinely amazed that you choose not to wilt as it relates to Sky etc ---- but--- if you remember, in previous posts on this subject, I introduced shopping into the equation ( and blew away grumpygit's mind ). I asked if you or anyone still do your main shop using the various High Street traders - instead of the local supermarket. I was trying to extract from you, if your orthodox principles did or did not extend to active sympathy for the little trader. I asked the same question about loyalty to milk rounds men - as a different example on the same theme....... and the list of examples is almost endless. The 'new' decisions that we choose in each example, will dictate if we, as individuals, contribute to the demise of a business. There will be many aforementioned 'examples' that will be common to both you and me - but there will be many times when we won't agree. That is what makes each of us unique individuals - unfortunately for you, there are sufficient people who choose to spend their money on ( corrupt or otherwise, establishments ), Sky, BT and the ridiculous ticket prices for football matches. I said before, it's all about supply and demand. brb - please stick to your principles - bang your drum - but eventually, you'll realise that nobody is listening to it, and you may as well stop...... or in the case of The Gills at Southend, their drummer got the message after our 3rd goal................ although this seemed to prompt a huge sense of humour failure with the Hi Viz Southend stewards.
alwaysright - I do remember your previous examples and equation re shopping, funny enough I have similar principles around this to. For example if I want to go for a coffee, where will i go, Costa, Starbucks, little independent trader. Yes, you guessed right first time the latter! Demonstrating my morals go well beyond football, however, in that same scenario, sometimes you can become a captive market through their dominance and stranglehold on the local community. Believe it or not I was one of the few that actually kept the independent milkman, until some thieving bar steward didn't know the principles of old. I think the only one I tend to break the rules for are Weatherspoons, a simple logic of do i pay £2.25 for a pint of beer or £3.60+ not rocket science to work out the answer, but in comparison to SKY or BT, what exactly are they giving me, Premiership/Championship football! I saw Jeff Stelling on youtube yesterday mocking BT telling them the football season, started this week not next, jeez, now there is the pot calling the kettle black if I ever did see it.
brb I knew you was no saint ! I knew you compromise and can be less orthodox - I just had to find out the 'subject' and the value you place on the £ in your pocket and your 'need' for the product ( or its' format ) ! You like a drink ! That's OK ! - but will choose Weatherspoon - because of price and how that price affects your pocket - that's OK ! But where are your principles of loyalty to local traders when it relates to 'selling out' and not thinking about struggling micro breweries ? As I see it, I compare your Weatherspoon option to that of somebody who buys their football from Sky or BT. Each is based on individual cost and values. I know that you'll reply to me with politics - but I could easily find enough contrary points to negate your politics with mine --- not that it will get either of us anywhere quickly !............. eventually it will always come down to priorities, individual needs of a product and the value and ability to pay for the format of the product within our budget.
Just found this article you might be interested to read... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-...etherspoons-are-the-best-pubs-in-Britain.html
brb I wasn't actually looking for an argument - OK - so you may, ( or NOT ), support micro breweries - BUT - you have openly stated your use of Weatherspoons is based on cost. If I accept that you might spend money in micro breweries - my point is that your principles do not stop you taking 'economic' choices ( like the people who buy most of their football from Sky or BT. ) ............ now - please do not let me detain you any longer from having to go to do your laundry in the Medway. .... and that reminds me - I need to apologise for my carbon footprint as I follow The Gills - from the viewpoint of an environmentalist, I am The Devil ! If we degenerate into a stupid political debate, we'll turn away all other members - and grumpygit's mind will quickly become fried. I know that you like a drink - and there's no harm in that is there ? - perhaps I should have asked that question to the 7 chaps who were openly relieving themselves at the side of the A127 just outside Basildon yesterday ! -- lined up, about two yards apart, legs wide open and 'pointing' east. I can see the humour in this - but others will take exception - just as the Southend fans singing about Gills fans being gay ! ( is that worse than being a pikey ) - I found the suggestion laughable - but - the stewards and police did nothing about this homophobic 'offence' - so why do Brighton fans get so wound up? - ( you want politics - you know me well enough to know what you'll get ). Now -what was we talking about ?
brb my (hopefully last) point about Sky/BT and your principles - tell me you don't watch the football on the televisions of the pubs you frequent - of course you do - and nobody will think badly of you. Now you'll tell me that you're not directly paying for the service - that's down to the pub --- but-- the landlord wouldn't be able to afford to pay for SKY / BT for customers if that cost wasn't incorporated into the cost of the pint. I can't see you sticking to every conceivable elements of your principles - or do you actually walk out of a pub showing live sport ?........................... can you imagine how much more of a pain in the bottom I would be if we had lost yesterday ? I am NOT intending to be personal towards you ( please forgive me if it might feel that way ). You have been honest enough to disclose in what areas you will 'compromise' - and the common denominator ( just as in my case ), is money.
The pubs I frequent are not known for having TV's - well unless it's a match day pub. I don't even go to the pub to watch sport, I go out to socialise not watch TV's (see my earlier mobile phone comment) seems like you're going down a road to justify your own traits, counter debating mine incorrectly, based on assumptions.
brb I will accept that you are ( or can be ), the exception that proves the rule of my original point. Whether anyone likes or dislikes a product, the politics behind that product and its' price - the existence of the product ( along with its' price ), will be dictated by the forces of demand and supply. Now, I believe we need to put away our respective drums.
That's not to say that sometimes supply and demand isn't so utterly ridiculous - I can't find the correct adjective. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/37003293 What did people say when Jimmy Greaves cost £100,000 ?
Sadly as once described in a media article, Hill let the genie out of the bottle. So although he stood as a revolutionary at the time, he unintentionally created a monstrosity.
It's been a good argument boys, but now it's time to kiss, make up, and go for a beer. maybe you could have 2, 1 at Weatherspoon's and 1 at a micro pub.
Going to have to burst the bubble over Wetherspoons I'm afraid. As a real ale drinker, a fully pledged CAMRA member and a frequent attender of beer appreciation days, I can safely say that microbreweries do not have anything against Wetherspoons. Wetherspoons are also big campaigners for real ale and such, you are much more likely to find a local microbrewery ale in there, than your standard pub. If anything, with the recent boom of real ale and microbreweries trade growing, Wetherspoons has acted as a platform for for local breweries to get their product out to the masses, where a small pub or Greene King(incompetent barstewards), Shepherd Name pubs are far less likely to support this cause as they serve their own tosh. Obviously that does exclude Micropubs & brewpubs, which there are still very few of currently, where you can sample local real ale with no televisions and no uses of mobile phones but that's another kettle of fish. In both mine and the eyes of microbreweries, brb is doing no wrong by frequenting a Wetherspoons in support of small microbreweries and if anything, he probably doesn't attend them enough lol.
