CRITICISM

[Pobble]

As my posting this morning has been removed by the Moderators I assume that because we are a small club, and there is nothing wrong in that, we have to be small minded and not accept criticism.
It will be interesting to see if this posting is removed when I mention that earlier today I posted my objections to the Board increasing the prices for tickets next season by 13.5%. This is fact and not a rumour.
There were some replies before my post was removed stating that costs go up and VAT has been increased, but inflation is 4% not 13.5%.
It would appear that on SV there is a definite protection code re the MFC board despite they were the ones who continued to employ SM when the general feeling among supporters was that we had had enough.
If this is removed I will understand that it is a closed shop.

[LA1Shrimp]

Before I started coming on here people said SV's was humourless, they must have been being ironic!?

[George Dawes]

it makes sense increasing prices very slightly where still fairly cheap compared to a lot of other L2 clubs

[Pobble]

it makes sense increasing prices very slightly where still fairly cheap compared to a lot of other L2 clubs

The problem is we are higher priced than Blackburn, Hull, Huddersfield, Bradford and Notts Forest. None of these clubs have made increases above 5%. I have not done a survey of all clubs but the ones I have mentioned are quite a good sample.
Hull City, for example, re £100 cheaper than the equivalents seats at the Globe and they are in the Premiership.
By the way, nice to have an intelligent reply to something I have posted. I normally get total gibberish. So thank you.

[Heysham_Shrimp]

it makes sense increasing prices very slightly where still fairly cheap compared to a lot of other L2 clubs

The problem is we are higher priced than Blackburn, Hull, Huddersfield, Bradford and Notts Forest. None of these clubs have made increases above 5%. I have not done a survey of all clubs but the ones I have mentioned are quite a good sample.
Hull City, for example, re £100 cheaper than the equivalents seats at the Globe and they are in the Premiership.By the way, nice to have an intelligent reply to something I have posted. I normally get total gibberish. So thank you.

Hull City are not in the Premier League.

[Shrimp]

I can understand a slight increase owing to increased VAT etc. Yet it seems a strange move to increase the prices by such a (relatively) big percentage, especially given Peter McGuigan's comments in the last matchday programme.

He stated:
'Our attendances this season have been disappointing which may or may not be totally attributed to our poor performance but I think the current economic climate is having quite an effect...'

How then does poor attendance + poor performance + poor economic conditions = 13.5% price increase for next season?

Given his current thinking, higher prices would surely equal lower attendance?!

Dissapointed.

[Sammy h]

Put the oven on and get the tea on Pobble

[ezz]

it makes sense increasing prices very slightly where still fairly cheap compared to a lot of other L2 clubs

The problem is we are higher priced than Blackburn, Hull, Huddersfield, Bradford and Notts Forest. None of these clubs have made increases above 5%. I have not done a survey of all clubs but the ones I have mentioned are quite a good sample.
Hull City, for example, re £100 cheaper than the equivalents seats at the Globe and they are in the Premiership.By the way, nice to have an intelligent reply to something I have posted. I normally get total gibberish. So thank you.

Hull City are not in the Premier League.

Haha immense was just going to comment on that, where do you do your research? Wikipedia???
You think our prices are steep, go to some away games. Back to hoovering the house for you!

[ezz]

I can understand a slight increase owing to increased VAT etc. Yet it seems a strange move to increase the prices by such a (relatively) big percentage, especially given Peter McGuigan's comments in the last matchday programme.

He stated:
'Our attendances this season have been disappointing which may or may not be totally attributed to our poor performance but I think the current economic climate is having quite an effect...'

How then does poor attendance + poor performance + poor economic conditions = 13.5% price increase for next season?

Given his current thinking, higher prices would surely equal lower attendance?!

Dissapointed.

The prices could have gone up this season but they didn't as the board wanted to try and ride the wave of success and attendances from last season when we finished 4th. Obviously we've had a crap season and attendances are down, hence the prices have gone up as they would have originally anyway.

[Posh]

As my posting this morning has been removed by the Moderators I assume that because we are a small club, and there is nothing wrong in that, we have to be small minded and not accept criticism.

It had nothing to do with it. One of my fellow moderators removed it because you and CC were getting into a cat fight and he thought best to remove it.

[ezz]

Has CC been bullying people?
Thats not allowed on here CC you know that!

[Shrimp]

I can understand a slight increase owing to increased VAT etc. Yet it seems a strange move to increase the prices by such a (relatively) big percentage, especially given Peter McGuigan's comments in the last matchday programme.

He stated:
'Our attendances this season have been disappointing which may or may not be totally attributed to our poor performance but I think the current economic climate is having quite an effect...'

How then does poor attendance + poor performance + poor economic conditions = 13.5% price increase for next season?

Given his current thinking, higher prices would surely equal lower attendance?!

Dissapointed.

The prices could have gone up this season but they didn't as the board wanted to try and ride the wave of success and attendances from last season when we finished 4th. Obviously we've had a crap season and attendances are down, hence the prices have gone up as they would have originally anyway.

I understand that, I just find it hard to see how the price increase is in any way reflective of Peter's comments in the match programme. It seems to me that in order to compensate for low attendances the club is increasing the cost to the supporters that did stay loyal throughout this (bad) season. Raising prices is not going to address the problem of low attendances. What are they going to do if they get lower again next season - even bigger increase?!

Perhaps fans would have been more accepting of an increase when the team were playing well (especially considering the move to the Globe). Instead the loyal fans are being punished for the desertion of fans who are only interested when the Shrimps are playign well.

IMO the comments in the programme coupled with the increase in ticket price gives the impression that the club is saying "We know performances have been bad, we know attendance has been bad, we know our fans don't have much money... However, we are going to balance the money we have lost from lower attendances this season by charging you lot more"

This, I find, is disappointing.

[ezz]

Yep the timing is crap but it is something that was going to happen. I guess it was a gamble by the board that hasn't paid off, the only good thing is that you've paid less this season whilst watching shite, whilst next season performances cant be as bad surely.....so hopefully you'll be paying more for better entertainment!

[Christies Child]

Has CC been bullying people?
Thats not allowed on here CC you know that!

Most certainly not. Not in my make up. Never have; never would.

But Pobble accused me of posting something that was blatantly untrue. So I reacted accordingly as anybody else would have done in the circumstances.

[Smirnoff Please]

Quote> Pobble: "It will be interesting to see if this posting is removed when I mention that earlier today I posted my objections to the Board increasing the prices for tickets next season by 13.5%. This is fact and not a rumour.
There were some replies before my post was removed stating that costs go up and VAT has been increased, but inflation is 4% not 13.5%.
It would appear that on SV there is a definite protection code re the MFC board despite they were the ones who continued to employ SM when the general feeling among supporters was that we had had enough."

Pobble, the figures you are quoting are "top line". Where have you made the distinction in price comparison adding the offer that has been made for the free entry to the 2 x pre-season friendlies. My understanding is that everyone who has so far bought their 2011-12 season ticket has left the club with 2 match tickets (Derby & ManUtd XI) Granted we don't know as yet what value to attribute to those tickets because the pre-season prices are yet to be released.

I'm sure when you have been studying the price changes, the obvious difference between last season and this has been the loss of 1 game from the "early bird" discount. last season we received 6 free games against 5 this season.

To be balanced I would rather wait and hear how much the "free" pre-season tickets are worth to me, at such time I will work out the "real" price increase taking everything into account and expect to see something in the region of 7%. Slightly higher than inflation and the vat increase combined, nontheless a truer reflection.

[HALMA 1983]

I had trouble paying the old price but not through lack of money, IF there has to be an increase in order to raise funds for the new man incharge to build a decent young side playing flowing football and worth seeing then so be it.

You can't enjoy a Premium product without paying the higher price for it but to make an increase and remain with the stale economy style product Sammy has left behind would be terminal.

[Keith]

As my posting this morning has been removed by the Moderators I assume that...

...it can't possibly be anything to do with me?

If this is removed I will understand that it is a closed shop.

No closed shop, just getting increasingly fed up with the bitch-fest? For what it is worth, I didn't even get to see the thread before it was rightly removed. Other mods are also getting fed up.

[Phil Anderer]

Just to point out to all the posters who keep referring to the VAT increase and inflation, the VAT increase is built into the inflation figures, and inflation is running at 4%, so you can't then stick an extra bit on for VAT as well! With inflation at 4%, an increase of between 2 and 3.5 times inflation, depending on whether you take Smirnoff's estimate or Pobble's, is still excessive in the current climate, especially given PMG's comments. I also note that the club has still remained quiet on their justification for the increase, leaving it to those of us on here to speculate. As an aside, the pre-season games are usually cut-price compared to the regular games, and I for one will use my free ticket for a game other than the Man United XI one, if that option is available, as I'd rather not come to see a bunch of 17 and 18 years olds with no first team experience, many of whom will probably never play for Man United anyway.

[wijit]

I can understand a slight increase owing to increased VAT etc. Yet it seems a strange move to increase the prices by such a (relatively) big percentage, especially given Peter McGuigan's comments in the last matchday programme.

He stated:
'Our attendances this season have been disappointing which may or may not be totally attributed to our poor performance but I think the current economic climate is having quite an effect...'

How then does poor attendance + poor performance + poor economic conditions = 13.5% price increase for next season?

Given his current thinking, higher prices would surely equal lower attendance?!

Dissapointed.

The prices could have gone up this season but they didn't as the board wanted to try and ride the wave of success and attendances from last season when we finished 4th. Obviously we've had a crap season and attendances are down, hence the prices have gone up as they would have originally anyway.

That just doesn't add up. That is the very time you would increase prices, when there is at least a slight demand to watch us. What we've had for the bulk of the season are people who would go no matter what (certainly given some of our performances, those are the only people who would come here!), but to increase prices after that season, with the financial situation, not just of the individual but of the country on the whole, looks like taking the piss, frankly. The people coming to watch will not remain of that opinion if the team aren't performing and the board are taking the piss.
They could always price it on a week-by-week basis on pro rata. In which case by the end of the season only one person will be watching games, but paying £30,000 to do so.

[mrpotatohead]

peter is minted, attendance could be free for the rest of his life, and he would be no worse off, and the fans would attend 5 fold, they would spending their freed up cash at the globe anyway on the funny food, and we would attract better players, lets do it, just do it, free in, cmon pete ynow it makes sense, its a profit deal, do it, do it.

[ezz]

I can understand a slight increase owing to increased VAT etc. Yet it seems a strange move to increase the prices by such a (relatively) big percentage, especially given Peter McGuigan's comments in the last matchday programme.

He stated:
'Our attendances this season have been disappointing which may or may not be totally attributed to our poor performance but I think the current economic climate is having quite an effect...'

How then does poor attendance + poor performance + poor economic conditions = 13.5% price increase for next season?

Given his current thinking, higher prices would surely equal lower attendance?!

Dissapointed.

The prices could have gone up this season but they didn't as the board wanted to try and ride the wave of success and attendances from last season when we finished 4th. Obviously we've had a crap season and attendances are down, hence the prices have gone up as they would have originally anyway.

That just doesn't add up. That is the very time you would increase prices, when there is at least a slight demand to watch us. What we've had for the bulk of the season are people who would go no matter what (certainly given some of our performances, those are the only people who would come here!), but to increase prices after that season, with the financial situation, not just of the individual but of the country on the whole, looks like taking the piss, frankly. The people coming to watch will not remain of that opinion if the team aren't performing and the board are taking the piss.
They could always price it on a week-by-week basis on pro rata. In which case by the end of the season only one person will be watching games, but paying £30,000 to do so.

Yes it does make sense, the board wanted to increase and sustain a bigger fan base. What better way to do that than with a new stadium at the same price, just after a season where we nearly went up. Very attractive to those part time fans at the time, a successful season and we could have been looking at possibly a 3000+ average attendance which makes more revenue at a lower price than 2000 paying a quid or 2 more. Obviously it was a gamble that didn't pay off as noone could have predicted us havnig such a poor season.

[shrimper]

I reckon there may be a few more 'takers' for season tickets now!!

[HALMA 1983]

I reckon there may be a few more 'takers' for season tickets now!!

Think you could be right

HAPPY DAYS INDEED!!!!

[wijit]

Yes it does make sense, the board wanted to increase and sustain a bigger fan base. What better way to do that than with a new stadium at the same price, just after a season where we nearly went up. Very attractive to those part time fans at the time, a successful season and we could have been looking at possibly a 3000+ average attendance which makes more revenue at a lower price than 2000 paying a quid or 2 more. Obviously it was a gamble that didn't pay off as noone could have predicted us havnig such a poor season.

Cobblers. If having a new ground after a good season isn't enough to bring a few extras in then frankly, we're p*ssing against the wind! That, as I said, is the very reason the prices should've gone up. Predicting a season would be dangerous at the best of times, there was no gamble needed and what you are saying still doesn't add up.

[Posh]

Yes it does make sense, the board wanted to increase and sustain a bigger fan base. What better way to do that than with a new stadium at the same price, just after a season where we nearly went up.

Firstly I'm not criticising the club's decision last season regarding prices. However Ezz prices did increase from Christie to the Globe. North Stand was £13 and the MBW is £15. The Paddock was £12 and the Berlin Wall is £14. So prices did increase. The Paddock / BW is a similar experience. However I think most terrace fans feel that the MBW experience is less than that of the North Stand with regard to views and atmosphere (how much is down to the football who knows) so it would be disappointing to see a significant price increase this season bar the loss of VAT. Money is tight for many and inflation exceeds pay rises - if you can get one.

The most important thing though is value for money and there were a couple of games last season where I would say it was worth about £8 and a few others I felt I should be paid for going. My hope is that we get to see players who want to play for Morecambe and team performances to be proud of. Whatever the increase I'll be much happier then.