MDCCCLXVI, on 07 February 2016 - 02:54 PM, said:
Liverpool fans are up in arms over plans to increase some Anfield ticket prices to as much as seventy seven quid, a proposal that inspired a mass walk-out in the seventy seventh minute of yesterday's game (
http://www.bbc.co.uk...otball/35513425).
The protest led to a radio debate along the lines of 'football supporters: fans or customers?'. Here's my take.
Watching even third tier football isn't cheap, with Town having some of the most expensive prices in the lower leagues. Infact I've paid twenty seven of your English pounds for high profile fixtures, whilst hospitality packages have touched a ton - or more - on occasion. With that comes a sense of expectation, modern punters demanding quality for their quids both on and off the field. And charging top dollar means modern football clubs have a responsibility to deliver that quality - especially as there're so many other venues where folk can spend their leisure loot.
In other words yeah, we have become discerning customers who've every right to complain and walk away if those running things cock-up.
However genuine supporters simply cannot and will not swap one club for another, like changing from Tesco or ASDA to Aldi or Lidl, for example. There's an emotional, perhaps religious bond in some cases, that sees mature, intelligent people often tolerate sub-standard treatment before turning up for more season after season. It's something those who don the shirt of some distant Premiership outfit and declare themselves 'fans' (which is short for fanatic, of course, hardly the case when you've never even witnessed your adopted club in the flesh, so to speak) can never understand. It's about community; it's about belonging; it's about 'we' rather than 'me'.
And it's a connection used and abused by football club boards since time immemorial.
So my point? Well it's a two-way street. We are customers and deserve to be treated as such. However the Dave Allen's of this world are fortunate to have a captive audience.
Indeed he may be the Chairman of a business but he's also the custodian of a much loved historical institution. May that responsibility lay heavy upon him.
The increased capacity has also seen a reduction of prices in some areas of the Anfield stadium, I wonder if increasing the capacity of this one stand has also incorporated the revamp of the facilities to accommodate the more afluent ATTENDEES as oppossed to the fans. Love em or hate em the club have spent millions on this development and in their eyes obviously feel they can ask an increase in matchday prices.
Remember not long ago prior to the arrival of the current American owners there were all sorts of financial concerns for Liverpool fc. We didn't hear any concerns from our scouser friends all they were concerned about was that someone had stepped in. Even after that the clamour for success against their big rivals saw the demand for more spending on the team irrespective of the financial state of things.
I don't think we can criticise the board of Liverpool fc for Swarez leaving, he had his own agenda and made the move happen. Following on from that Sterling did the same and it looks as though Sturridge could be the next.
The fans are never happy in the main there is always something for them to moan about, you could say it's part and parcel of being a fan. Scousers have always had that militant tendancy in their communities, strikes and protests were an everyday occurrence in the 80's. Saturdays walk-out for me just mirrored all that.
In the greater scheme of things several ex players have questioned the wisdom of a £77 match day ticket, the difference being minimal to what is currently charged.
Premiership clubs have additional millions incoming next season and we are a million miles away from all of that, BUT we are a mirror image to an extent of the big boys in that we clamoured for an investor in our hour of need all else be damned at the time. Having a small capacity stadium and a much less attractive product to folks out of the area we're having to attempt survival with one major investor not withstanding all thats going on.
Yes fans are customers but they are happy to sit on their hands and demand repeated spending when circumstances hit you hard as we are experiencing with injuries this season.
Businesses survive on profits, without profits someone has to support the business, in football all business sense seems to go out of the window - our football ego trip doesn't allow a measured approach and in many cases the average Joe is ambivalent to business goings on. Never the less his voice is as loud as the next man and we see the us and them situation develope as hard times bite.
No fan is fully aware of what monies are being generated by a club, they are certainly not privy to costs in this strange animal that is football. So as customers what are we really looking for from our club, do you want long term stability against short term success, Championship football opens a new debate with all it brings. Foreign ownership brings a miriad of issues, simply look at Pompey over the years, would you take a foreign owner ? just look round the leagues.