Season Tickets 2020-21

[roversfan99]

Its not hiding behind disgust, its not seeing value and justifying the increased price when the quality of product has gone down.

The club would have only had to sell 300 more to break even had they not increased prices.

[Uddersfelt Blue]

10 hours ago, Ewood Ace said:

I had already made a decision before the lockdown not to buy a season ticket this season and Waggott's actions in recent weeks have done nothing to change my mind. I haven't missed going to Ewood one bit and have already been to 10 games of non league football this season where the football is reasonably priced and supporters are valued.  It is those clubs that need help not the likes of the Venky's and Mr Waggott on 300K.

I hardly think that you can compare non league football with the Championship.

You have made your decision not to buy a season ticket, fair enough. Not missed going to Ewood? Well I bloody well have as have probably most Rovers fans. I would love to be there on Saturday urging the lads on to a convincing win. 
 

The club is between a rock and a hard place. They need the income but can’t offer a suitable product. Fans also are torn between loyalty to the club, simple economics and self preservation. This is the same at all levels. 
 

I agree that all clubs need help and hopefully something will be sorted so that very few go to the wall but inevitably some will. I don’t want Rovers to end up amongst them but if it happens so be it. 

[JHRover]

11 hours ago, Ben Frost said:

And Bolton will now be working out how to pay those 8000 people back, or grovelling for their good will to keep their money for no product, or defer for jam tomorrow. 

Rovers have been far more honourable, what has been put on sale is clear and understandable and honest. You don't seem to understand that 8000 sales v 2100 sales is completely irrelevant. The only difference at this point is how many people each club has to refund (and the associated admin costs involved). 

The last paragraph doesn't surprise me. For the entire summer you have moaned about every single aspect of BRFC but most loudly about how you would buy a ST as soon as they went on sale because you could afford to and wanted to support the club. All mouth and no trousers springs to mind. 

Bolton won't be paying any of those people back. 

At worst they will defer until next season, an option Preston are now offering their fans, but one which Waggott won't do here.

Their fans have no right to refunds so there will be no grovelling or begging. They haven't acted dishonestly any way shape or form.

Their package Is exactly the same as ours- asking fans to pay up but accepting they can't guarantee entry and offering I Follow instead. Their 8000 have signed up to more or less exactly the same as our 2100. Potential admission at an unspecified point in future and I Follow access until that stage.

What have Bolton done that isn't honourable or clear? Its the same as at Rovers. And I certainly don't think Waggott's lies (in May saying that prices would be reduced to compensate for missed games and in September putting prices up by at least £50 everywhere in the ground) represents honesty or transparency.

8000 sales vs 2100 is irrelevant? Try telling that to Waggott right now, I'm sure he'd kill for Bolton's numbers of cash in the tills.

It will be no easier to get a refund from Rovers than Bolton.

The difference is that they moved quickly and got them on sale early doors with months of sales to get the numbers up.

We waited until mid September and put a deadline in place of 2nd October. Just over 2 weeks to complete all our sales, which coincided with further government restrictions as case numbers rocketed. A very narrow window of opportunity just when things go backwards again. Not good.

You are of course correct that I spent all March, April, May, June, July and August calling for communication and season tickets to be put on sale. I had my £400 sat waiting to be paid to the club as I do every summer. 

Sadly, despite waiting for 6 months and repeatedly asking for clarity we got nothing. Not a peep. Then once pre season started it was Waggott saying he wouldn't put them on sale until he knew when and how many fans were allowed into Ewood. 

After hearing this I decided to spend my.£400 on a holiday to Greece instead. I can't wait forever.

Whilst on holiday, completely out of the blue without any warning, the club announced they were on sale, despite still not being able to guarantee anything yet all of a sudden wanted everyone's money.

Inexplicably they put a deadline of 2nd October for sales, which isn't convenient for me having spent my money on something else. 

Having waited for 6 months and told my money wasn't wanted then expecting me to come running with it at short notice is cheeky to say the least.

I also want to be informed why my 25 years of uninterrupted season tickets, 1875 membership and away day tickets count for nothing for the pilot fixtures and yet someone who has never been to Ewood before can pay £600 for the diamond club and have priority over me.

When the club explain that one to me I might reconsider. Until then I'm wondering why I've bothered all those years.

 

[Miller11]

If Swag and the Idiots in India have a target of 10,000 season tickets (which they couldn’t get pre global pandemic), they obviously want circa £4 million quid from the fans.

If times are as desperate as Waggott is making out, why not try something a bit more radical than begging and emotional blackmail?

The initial plan for BRSIT, which later amalgamated with the supporters trust to become Rovers Trust, was for fans to pledge £1000 to attempt to buy the club. It was ambitious, but soft pledges were made.

If they need £4 million so much I reckon 4,000 fans would find a grand each for a collective 20% stake in the club EASILY. It’s 2 season tickets, there’s a much more tangible benefit, people might be willing to make more of a sacrifice or sell their Granny’s pearls for something more meaningful than live streams and promises. Considering what Venky’s paid before decimating us they’d be getting a good price. I’ve been trying to get in touch with someone at the trust for a while (unrelated matter) but @mhead - has Waggott been sounded out about something like this? Trust should always be pushing for a stake.

Raise the “desperately needed” funds, build some good will and get fans on side, re-engage and prove we are all really in it together.

[oldjamfan1]

1 minute ago, Miller11 said:

If Swag and the Idiots in India have a target of 10,000 season tickets (which they couldn’t get pre global pandemic), they obviously want circa £4 million quid from the fans.

If times are as desperate as Waggott is making out, why not try something a bit more radical than begging and emotional blackmail?

The initial plan for BRSIT, which later amalgamated with the supporters trust to become Rovers Trust, was for fans to pledge £1000 to attempt to buy the club. It was ambitious, but soft pledges were made.

If they need £4 million so much I reckon 4,000 fans would find a grand each for a collective 20% stake in the club EASILY. It’s 2 season tickets, there’s a much more tangible benefit, people might be willing to make more of a sacrifice or sell their Granny’s pearls for something more meaningful than live streams and promises. Considering what Venky’s paid before decimating us they’d be getting a good price. I’ve been trying to get in touch with someone at the trust for a while (unrelated matter) but @mhead - has Waggott been sounded out about something like this? Trust should always be pushing for a stake.

Raise the “desperately needed” funds, build some good will and get fans on side, re-engage and prove we are all really in it together.

Fabulous post

[Hoochie Bloochie Mama]

17 minutes ago, Miller11 said:

If Swag and the Idiots in India have a target of 10,000 season tickets (which they couldn’t get pre global pandemic), they obviously want circa £4 million quid from the fans.

If times are as desperate as Waggott is making out, why not try something a bit more radical than begging and emotional blackmail?

The initial plan for BRSIT, which later amalgamated with the supporters trust to become Rovers Trust, was for fans to pledge £1000 to attempt to buy the club. It was ambitious, but soft pledges were made.

If they need £4 million so much I reckon 4,000 fans would find a grand each for a collective 20% stake in the club EASILY. It’s 2 season tickets, there’s a much more tangible benefit, people might be willing to make more of a sacrifice or sell their Granny’s pearls for something more meaningful than live streams and promises. Considering what Venky’s paid before decimating us they’d be getting a good price. I’ve been trying to get in touch with someone at the trust for a while (unrelated matter) but @mhead - has Waggott been sounded out about something like this? Trust should always be pushing for a stake.

Raise the “desperately needed” funds, build some good will and get fans on side, re-engage and prove we are all really in it together.

...and a representative on the Board. No idea how feasible any of this is but there may come a time when the club depends on a pledge from the fans.  

[arbitro]

11 minutes ago, Miller11 said:

If Swag and the Idiots in India have a target of 10,000 season tickets (which they couldn’t get pre global pandemic), they obviously want circa £4 million quid from the fans.

If times are as desperate as Waggott is making out, why not try something a bit more radical than begging and emotional blackmail?

The initial plan for BRSIT, which later amalgamated with the supporters trust to become Rovers Trust, was for fans to pledge £1000 to attempt to buy the club. It was ambitious, but soft pledges were made.

If they need £4 million so much I reckon 4,000 fans would find a grand each for a collective 20% stake in the club EASILY. It’s 2 season tickets, there’s a much more tangible benefit, people might be willing to make more of a sacrifice or sell their Granny’s pearls for something more meaningful than live streams and promises. Considering what Venky’s paid before decimating us they’d be getting a good price. I’ve been trying to get in touch with someone at the trust for a while (unrelated matter) but @mhead - has Waggott been sounded out about something like this? Trust should always be pushing for a stake.

Raise the “desperately needed” funds, build some good will and get fans on side, re-engage and prove we are all really in it together.

That is the kind of thinking that Waggott should've doing. Instead we had the announcement before the restart that there was no recompense for missing games, only the offer of iFollow. This was followed by weeks and weeks of silence and then the announcement that season tickets were going up by hugely disproportionate levels and, in many cases pretty much out of supporters reach in such uncertain times. And both announcements paid scant reference to the possible individual plight of supporters instead pleading poverty and, annoyingly, trying to put supporters on some kind of guilt trip. Shambolic management.

Your idea of supporters having some collective say in the happenings at Ewood really appeals to me and I would certainly consider this but the realist in me knows this is highly unlikely to happen. There are too many at Ewood and in India who don't want their boats rocking by us plebs.

[1864roverite]

As it stands, if I don’t get into Ewood this season then I will be able to watch all the home games and 7 away midweek matches as part of my season ticket. In addition I will also accrue a cash back that will be used against offsetting my season ticket next season. There is not a chance in hell season tickets will go up next season if fans are not allowed into watch live football this season so I stand to have almost £200 knocked off next seasons ticket leaving me with a cost of £259 for next season. I am happy with that scenario as it stands.

[Hasta]

I'm not sure there are several thousand rovers fans out there who would have purchased a season ticket had the price remained unchanged at £350 and tickets been on sale since early August.

Maybe a few hundred have been put off by being able to see the direction the situation with the virus is going and realised that most of the season would be behind closed doors and not bothered. But its wouldn't have been thousands.

Therefore, is there anything Waggot could have done to persuade longstanding season ticket holders like myself to renew? I'm not sure there is to be honest and there must be many, many people like me who feel similar and haven't renewed.

Admittedly there could have been some clever proposal put together than might have given me second thoughts, and certainly the guilt trip wasn't the right move. Ultimately, I can go around to my mates and three of us can pay £3.33 each to watch the ifollow coverage. That equates to £76 a year to watch all home games streamed. Then I just renew next season at £399. Ultimately I take the view that if you don't get into the ground this season then you are not actually getting £141 off your season ticket next season. You have still paid that £141, but have just paid it upfront.

That said, fair play to those who have renewed and I hope you all get in the ground sooner than looks likely at the moment. The situation just wasn't for me, that's all.

Of course, they could put the price up next season for those that didn't renew this season but that would be commercial suicide.

 

Edited October 1, 2020 by Hasta

[Rogerb]

2 hours ago, JHRover said:

 

When the club explain that one to me I might reconsider. Until then I'm wondering why I've bothered all those years.

 

Prior to the last decade you would be confident those running the club had the best interests of the club at heart. Stopped being a club when the charlatans rocked up.

[joey_big_nose]

Has anyone got any idea how many ifollow passes are being sold for these games and how the money is divided up? I would guess probably around 5-6k Rovers passes sold including the season ticket ones as people who share a house will probably buy one to share.

But then it's hard to predict because so many factors involved. It's cheap so maybe numbers are higher than that? Or maybe people can't be bothered watching from home so theyre not buying?

[Uddersfelt Blue]

Hopefully the number of iFollow passes will increase significantly in line with Rovers good start to the season. 

[philipl]

16 hours ago, 1864roverite said:

As it stands, if I don’t get into Ewood this season then I will be able to watch all the home games and 7 away midweek matches as part of my season ticket. In addition I will also accrue a cash back that will be used against offsetting my season ticket next season. There is not a chance in hell season tickets will go up next season if fans are not allowed into watch live football this season so I stand to have almost £200 knocked off next seasons ticket leaving me with a cost of £259 for next season. I am happy with that scenario as it stands.

In short it is a damned good deal.

Fans are not going inside stadiums in the 20/21 season.

People are going to have to get their heads around this.

[Hoochie Bloochie Mama]

57 minutes ago, philipl said:

In short it is a damned good deal.

Fans are not going inside stadiums in the 20/21 season.

People are going to have to get their heads around this.

It's a damn good deal that we're expected to pay more than last season but won't be able to get in the ground?

Also, if you bought matches passes separately it would cost you £300 instead of £399.

And who knows what will happen in 21/22. We might not even be back in the grounds then. And if we are ST prices might be so much more expensive as to make any savings negligible.

In short, it's a terrible deal. 

[Mattyblue]

Does a ‘damn good deal’ normally lose three quarters of existing buyers?

Edited October 2, 2020 by Mattyblue

[tomphil]

A damn good deal in the eyes of those who cooked it up but it might not be what is needed right now if they are after numbers.

Waggots tag line is squeeze what you have first so i'd expect more of this kind of thing. 

[MarkBRFC]

49 minutes ago, Hoochie Bloochie Mama said:

It's a damn good deal that we're expected to pay more than last season but won't be able to get in the ground?

Also, if you bought matches passes separately it would cost you £300 instead of £399.

And who knows what will happen in 21/22. We might not even be back in the grounds then. And if we are ST prices might be so much more expensive as to make any savings negligible.

In short, it's a terrible deal. 

I think this is a great point.

The naivety that everything will suddenly be ok by next season is astonishing.

I hope we are back in then but who knows, this whole situation has got a long way to run IMO.

[arbitro]

1 hour ago, MarkBRFC said:

I think this is a great point.

The naivety that everything will suddenly be ok by next season is astonishing.

I hope we are back in then but who knows, this whole situation has got a long way to run IMO.

I was thinking the same. Reading lots of opinions up and down the country it's almost for some that it will be a given that crowds are back next season. It's difficult for the 'experts' to see into the future but clubs are offering different kinds of incentives, natively in my view.

[Ruaney]

Still having a dilemma about this season ticket. I think I have until today to claim my current seat or risk losing it next season. Yeah, I know that only 2000 people have bought them so far and it's unlikely to result in me losing my seat but they kinda have us over a barrel with that. I really don't know wether I can / should be pumping £400 into a club when I don't know if I'll even get in the ground this year.

 

I have some people saying 'It'll be fans like you to blame if the club goes under' which I think is very harsh considering the lack of empathy from the board. Double that up with the continuos money they stumped up to Hart/Smallwood/Samuel/Graham when they didn't need to whilst upping the cost to fans in the most working class area in the North West. It's very hard for me to decide. Swag has literally booted every Rovers supporter in the face and then held his hands out begging.

 

[roversfan99]

Just now, Ruaney said:

Still having a dilemma about this season ticket. I think I have until today to claim my current seat or risk losing it next season. Yeah, I know that only 2000 people have bought them so far and it's unlikely to result in me losing my seat but they kinda have us over a barrel with that. I really don't know wether I can / should be pumping £400 into a club when I don't know if I'll even get in the ground this year.

 

I have some people saying 'It'll be fans like you to blame if the club goes under' which I think is very harsh considering the lack of empathy from the board. Double that up with the continuos money they stumped up to Hart/Smallwood/Samuel/Graham when they didn't need to whilst upping the cost to fans in the most working class area in the North West. It's very hard for me to decide. Swag has literally booted every Rovers supporter in the face and then held his hands out begging.

 

No one has any right to imply that you have any obligation to purchase a season ticket or that you are to blame for any potential financial problems. That implies that supporters havs no elasticity at all in terms of fee and can not decline even when the product is massively inferior and overall that money is tight.

I did buy mine during the very brief time that it seemed that we would return to grounds in the not too distant future. Knowing that the ifollow and deferred refund was a back up. Had it seemed very remote that we would attend as it does now, I may well have

Would be interesting to know if any of the 2100 sales have been post government announcement.

[Stuart]

2 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Does a ‘damn good deal’ normally lose three quarters of existing buyers?

It’s that simple. It’s a club, an association, not just a subscription service.

The very minimum for “loyal fans” to “back the club” would have been a price freeze. Can’t attend, and even when we can we won’t be able to go with our mates, didn’t honour the promise to put right people for backing the club by not asking for refunds last season. So we actually had two price rises, the first starting in March. Then he did the opposite of what he said he would do.

Loyalty is a two way street.

[Uddersfelt Blue]

11 minutes ago, Ruaney said:

Still having a dilemma about this season ticket. I think I have until today to claim my current seat or risk losing it next season. Yeah, I know that only 2000 people have bought them so far and it's unlikely to result in me losing my seat but they kinda have us over a barrel with that. I really don't know wether I can / should be pumping £400 into a club when I don't know if I'll even get in the ground this year.

 

I have some people saying 'It'll be fans like you to blame if the club goes under' which I think is very harsh considering the lack of empathy from the board. Double that up with the continuos money they stumped up to Hart/Smallwood/Samuel/Graham when they didn't need to whilst upping the cost to fans in the most working class area in the North West. It's very hard for me to decide. Swag has literally booted every Rovers supporter in the face and then held his hands out begging.

 

Just bought mine. Guaranteed my seat for next season in the Premier League. ?

in the meantime will need to rely on iFollow 

 

 

 

 

[Hoochie Bloochie Mama]

52 minutes ago, Uddersfelt Blue said:

Just bought mine. Guaranteed my seat for next season in the Premier League. ?

That is definitely the spirit! And you never know, the league is as wide open as it's ever been. 

[arbitro]

1 hour ago, Ruaney said:

Still having a dilemma about this season ticket. I think I have until today to claim my current seat or risk losing it next season. Yeah, I know that only 2000 people have bought them so far and it's unlikely to result in me losing my seat but they kinda have us over a barrel with that. I really don't know wether I can / should be pumping £400 into a club when I don't know if I'll even get in the ground this year.

 

I have some people saying 'It'll be fans like you to blame if the club goes under' which I think is very harsh considering the lack of empathy from the board. Double that up with the continuos money they stumped up to Hart/Smallwood/Samuel/Graham when they didn't need to whilst upping the cost to fans in the most working class area in the North West. It's very hard for me to decide. Swag has literally booted every Rovers supporter in the face and then held his hands out begging.

 

I sympathise with your dilemma but ignore the comments of anybody trying to put you on a guilt trip. If Rovers go bust it won't be because you (or anybody) didn't buy a season ticket. It will be because we have had a decade of awful management by the incompetent and arrogant owners, the very ones who some of the accusers are fawning over.

[rog of the rovers]

As much as I understand the reasons for renewing, I also think it will be a huge own goal by the club if people who dont renew this season, then lose their seats next season without a clear deadline.

I think you risk alienating an already weak supporter base by being so strict on seats.

If people do ever get in this season, then you're very unlikely to be sat in your normal seat, but to hold that as a blackmailing tactic seems equally unfair.

I'd imagine Jo Public who has sat in the Blackburn End for 25+ years, then loses his/her seat because they don't renew this season, would more than likely decide not to renew completely, rather than move somewhere else! People, myself included, are very loyal to our specific seats!!!

Edited October 2, 2020 by rog of the rovers