Fans Forum/Roverstore/Commercial Chat

[J*B]

4,000 Adult ST sales is far too low and the reason for low sales is the atmosphere around the club during the key sales period alongside the high pricing within an economically deprived area. I can’t imagine changing my mind on that, but I’m all ears if someone wants to try. 

[Forever Blue]

As Sharpe rightly points out in his latest piece, the only surprise about the low numbers of adult ST sales is that club are surprised by the low number of adult ST sales.
 

They are completely out of touch. 

[Upside Down]

17 hours ago, J*B said:

4,000 Adult ST sales is far too low and the reason for low sales is the atmosphere around the club during the key sales period alongside the high pricing within an economically deprived area. I can’t imagine changing my mind on that, but I’m all ears if someone wants to try. 

Just get behind the lads FFS.

If that won't convince you then nothing will.

[ABBEY]

at least the tannoy worked today.

[Mattyblue]

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2024/october/21/ticket-checks-to-continue/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1KMEIrYD3g3h6zDy6q1d3hLGhJB0HSS-a3y_gFgFF0noB7GyQx43_MHtA_aem_EZRortDb8RlOrhg9cfOzFw
 

Of course the club should try and crack down on this, but is it just me or does the language in that article seems slightly (amusingly) OTT?

[alex l]

I can see what you mean but I think they've taken that tone as there'll no doubt be some who think the club are being unreasonable - what's a few hundred/thousand quid to them etc. 

[Hasta]

14 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2024/october/21/ticket-checks-to-continue/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1KMEIrYD3g3h6zDy6q1d3hLGhJB0HSS-a3y_gFgFF0noB7GyQx43_MHtA_aem_EZRortDb8RlOrhg9cfOzFw
 

Of course the club should try and crack down on this, but is it just me or does the language in that article seems slightly (amusingly) OTT?

Not really. It's fair do's.

Not sure that handing out season-long bans to people that are actually bothered enough to go down (albeit cheaply) is a great move.

Now that it's being made widely known that checks are taking place and people are being caught, I'd maybe have an October amnesty and announce bans will come into force for anyone caught from November. 

[Mattyblue]

I’ve no issue with the checks, I paid full price so should every other adult.

Obviously the club (Swag) are smarting that they’ve lost revenue/not hit their bonuses due to only 4,000 adult STs being sold, part of that looks to be due to discounted concession tickets being bought instead.

Just the tone/style of writing amused me, like it’s been written by an angry school prefect.

Edited October 21 by Mattyblue

[roversfan2001]

It's been written to turn fans against each other and some people have lapped it up.

Question: if an adult buys a junior ticket at £127, but couldn't afford an adult ticket at £451, is that £125 of gained revenue or £324 of lost revenue, in a stadium less than 50% full?

Edited October 21 by roversfan2001

[Penwortham Blue]

52 minutes ago, Hasta said:

Not really. It's fair do's.

Not sure that handing out season-long bans to people that are actually bothered enough to go down (albeit cheaply) is a great move.

Now that it's being made widely known that checks are taking place and people are being caught, I'd maybe have an October amnesty and announce bans will come into force for anyone caught from November. 

Good idea, the last thing that the club needs is less people coming through the gates. An amnesty opportunity provides a short term solution against this deception, a decent fairly priced early bird offer like Notlob / Knob End, a longer term solution.

[J*B]

54 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

I’ve no issue with the checks, I paid full price so should every other adult.

Obviously the club (Swag) are smarting that they’ve lost revenue/not hit their bonuses due to only 4,000 adult STs being sold, part of that looks to be due to discounted concession tickets being bought instead.

Just the tone/style of writing amused me, like it’s been written by an angry school prefect.

Why do you think so many adults are using young adult season tickets?

1) They’ve been able to get away with it without repercussions for so long

2) They can’t afford a full price adult season ticket

3) The club don’t offer a full price adult season ticket which represents value for money compared to the amount of games they can attend

I’d wager it’s a very small minority doing it because they get some sort of thrill out of doing it. If the CEO priced adult tickets accordingly to the region, hadn’t allowed it to be the norm for years or offered a full price ticket at a reduced cost (eg a flexi ticket), again I’d bet a lot of fans would buy the right ticket.

Like most things at this club it’s Waggott’s mess. He’s allowed it to get to the point where an external security firm needs to be hired (at what cost?) to ID 13,000 fans on the way into the stadium, making full price paying fees feel like they’ve done something wrong and causing delays. 

[windymiller7]

Incidentally, on the other side of the coin, on Sat I overheard a guy behind me talking & he said that one of his mates who usually goes with another adult (can't remember whether he said his dad or just another mate, but it was an adult anyway) had taken his son (a child) with the other ST as his mate/dad couldn't make it. When they arrived at the turnstile checkpoint, they were made to go to the ticket office and 'downgrade' the adult ST to a child's ticket. There was no charge for this, but they then issued a paper ticket for the game! WTF?

Surely, if it's a full price adult ticket it shouldn't matter who uses it? Just seemed extremely pedantic to me and also I though they didn't want to waste too much paper & ink!? 

[Mattyblue]

11 minutes ago, J*B said:

Why do you think so many adults are using young adult season tickets?

1) They’ve been able to get away with it without repercussions for so long

2) They can’t afford a full price adult season ticket

3) The club don’t offer a full price adult season ticket which represents value for money compared to the amount of games they can attend

I’d wager it’s a very small minority doing it because they get some sort of thrill out of doing it. If the CEO priced adult tickets accordingly to the region, hadn’t allowed it to be the norm for years or offered a full price ticket at a reduced cost (eg a flexi ticket), again I’d bet a lot of fans would buy the right ticket.

Like most things at this club it’s Waggott’s mess. He’s allowed it to get to the point where an external security firm needs to be hired (at what cost?) to ID 13,000 fans on the way into the stadium, making full price paying fees feel like they’ve done something wrong and causing delays. 

Yep. All three.

End of the day they wouldn’t be doing the checks if they hadn’t have made a complete mess of adult pricing. Obviously a lot of put out people down there.

[Hasta]

1 hour ago, roversfan2001 said:

It's been written to turn fans against each other and some people have lapped it up.

 

How so?

It's just written stern and factual.

I fully agree with @Mattyblue and @J*B that the issue is worse that it should be because of unimaginative ticket pricing.

Edited October 21 by Hasta

[roversfan2001]

9 minutes ago, Hasta said:

How so?

It's just written stern and factual.

I fully agree with @Mattyblue and @J*B that the issue is worse that it should be because of unimaginative ticket pricing.

Phrases like "cheat the system" and "defraud the club" are deliberately divisive. Making this very small minority (not "a significant number" like the club have claimed) out to be the enemy of the rest of the fanbase.

Somebody trying it on with a concession ticket isn't inconveniencing anybody else - it is the club that have made the decision to bring in an external company to carry out (inefficient and unnecessary) ticket checks on entry.

[Hasta]

26 minutes ago, roversfan2001 said:

Phrases like "cheat the system" and "defraud the club" are deliberately divisive. Making this very small minority (not "a significant number" like the club have claimed) out to be the enemy of the rest of the fanbase.

Somebody trying it on with a concession ticket isn't inconveniencing anybody else - it is the club that have made the decision to bring in an external company to carry out (inefficient and unnecessary) ticket checks on entry.

I don't like the regime as much as anybody, but they are trying to "cheat the system" and "defraud the club". How is that divisive?

I've no idea if there were any delays getting into Ewood on Saturday due to checks as I wasn't there, but if there was and that's the only way they can identify those on concession ticket then it does now inconvenience other supporters.

I don't know how you want the club to word it.  "We caught only 25 people on Saturday. Pretty please stop doing it".

 

 

Edited October 21 by Hasta

[roversfan2001]

37 minutes ago, Hasta said:

I don't like the regime as much as anybody, but they are trying to "cheat the system" and "defraud the club". How is that divisive?

I didn't say it wasn't technically correct, but it's clearly divisive terminology. The whole farce is blown hugely out of proportion in a bid to save face because ST sales were well below target.

38 minutes ago, Hasta said:

I've no idea if there were any delays getting into Ewood on Saturday due to checks as I wasn't there, but if there was and that's the only way they can identify those on concession ticket then it does now inconvenience other supporters.

The concessions queue outside the Blackburn End was huge. Given the turnstiles light up different colours for each ticket category, these manual checks are entirely unnecessary and to employ an outside company to do it is likely to cost more than its worth.

What inconveniences supporters here is the additional checks imposed by the club, not the 28 year old using a 18-23 ticket because he couldn't afford £451 for an adult season ticket. That action has zero impact on any other match-going fan.

40 minutes ago, Hasta said:

I don't know how you want the club to word it.  "We caught only 25 people on Saturday. Pretty please stop doing it".

It'd be ideal if they dealt with the problem as and when it occurs on a matchday without putting out weekly statements and treating the fanbase like criminals. Maybe they could even try a bit of reflection into why some fans might feel the need to use an incorrect ticket.

[mhead]

After the farce on the Riverside after 2.40pm on Saturday it just proved to me what the Trust has been saying to the hierarchy for 6 years: "Why is the Riverside price the same as the rest of the Ground? It should be the low-level entry price to encourage more supporters"

But no, we treat our poorer fans like criminals. And Tony Mowbray's dad used to smuggle him into Ayresome Park.

[ABBEY]

1 hour ago, roversfan2001 said:

Phrases like "cheat the system" and "defraud the club" are deliberately divisive. Making this very small minority (not "a significant number" like the club have claimed) out to be the enemy of the rest of the fanbase.

Somebody trying it on with a concession ticket isn't inconveniencing anybody else - it is the club that have made the decision to bring in an external company to carry out (inefficient and unnecessary) ticket checks on entry.

there's only group defrauding rovers and that's the scum from pune

 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

This will happen at ALL Grounds make no mistake.

A possible Season long ban when they have already had their Ticket confiscated and refused entry?...give over eh!🤨

Edited October 21 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Hasta]

58 minutes ago, roversfan2001 said:

The concessions queue outside the Blackburn End was huge. Given the turnstiles light up different colours for each ticket category, these manual checks are entirely unnecessary and to employ an outside company to do it is likely to cost more than its worth.

What inconveniences supporters here is the additional checks imposed by the club, not the 28 year old using a 18-23 ticket because he couldn't afford £451 for an adult season ticket. That action has zero impact on any other match-going fan.

I just disagree with you here. I know people that have done it (still do)  and it's not because they can't afford the full prices. It's because they don't want to pay it. The ones I know still go up and down the country away, and that's not cheap.   It's never bothered me they do it, but I also know they run the risk of not getting in and if they get caught being blacklisted by the club. That's the chance they take.

It's a club statement aimed clearly trying to stop people doing it going forward by making them aware they are now taking it far more seriously than before. 

 

[ABBEY]

all the holier than thou mob , did you never sneak a crafty under age pint or drive at 31 mph ?

[JHRover]

Well I'm not aware of any other Championship club that erects barriers and employs external companies to 'vet' home fans entering the ground before reaching the turnstiles. I'm also not aware of any other Championship club that puts articles up on its website and uses such language towards its own limited and dwindling support base.

Right back at the start of all this the Club is responsible. Like with 99% of all the other mishaps and fiascos we've seen down there under a wholly inadequate management team.

They've sold the tickets in the first place. So if 'fraud' has been taking place I presume there will be a thorough review of how so many people have managed to get their hands on concession tickets and whether Rovers ought to have put measures in place to stop this at the source rather than half a dozen games into the season, in doing so annoying most people whether they have a valid ticket or not.

We know the snake of a CEO and probably his little entourage in the boardroom are judged by those in India on financial performance. We know that season ticket sales are bucking the national trend and are shrinking whilst most other clubs enjoy good health on crowds. Sadly a sizeable portion of people are happy with that because "it were like that in 1981 you know" and because plenty feel better about themselves being 'one of the hardy few'

Seems clear to me that the only metric by which Waggott is judged - the balance sheet - is looking unpleasant - and so he's now resorting to desperate tactics to try and recoup some extra cash by using these rather extreme steps and language. He's squirming because up until now his policies have worked in keeping the scum off his back, but it seems they are now asking a few questions about why numbers are so bad.

The elephant in the room is that after their crimes and misdemeanours of the last 2-3 years (almost erased from the history books now thanks to Eustace having a decent start to the season, yet some of us won't be forgetting what they've done) causes far  more damage to the club than a run of a few defeats and a narrow escape from relegation. People won't put up with it and will vote with their feet. Chickens come home to roost. Waggott can lash out at the small number trying it on with cheaper tickets but he can't do anything about the thousands who have found better things to do with their time than continue to fund this despicable regime.

[Hasta]

2 hours ago, ABBEY said:

all the holier than thou mob , did you never sneak a crafty under age pint or drive at 31 mph ?

Yes. And if I got caught and refused service so be it. And if they stuck a sign up in the pub telling me I wouldn’t get served if I was under age then I wouldn’t be arsed about it.

Edited October 21 by Hasta

[Upside Down]

Got to agree with 2001 here, another attempt by the club to divide the fanbase even more.

People don't want to pay the full price for an adult ticket because it's a fucking rip off. I don't know why people would begrudge those that have tried to pull a fast one with this. If you paid full price for a season ticket then the club have taken the piss out of you.

As per usual another 'issue' totally of their own making.

Affordable tickets would see an end to things like this but you'd have to not be a completely brainless shitgibbon to understand that.