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Post by saintsdad on Aug 15, 2019 9:43:23 GMT
I just wanted to say I find it a bit disappointing how the club (I assume, rather than the social media team) seem to be engaging in a filtering of what is posted on the twitter feed at the moment. As well as constantly mentioning the advanced ticket price and pretty much ignoring the full on the gate ticket price, there were around 30 pictures posted of the match at Dulwich (great shots of the travelling support, as well as first half action shots and second half action shots etc), and 20 or so of the match at Dartford, yet there were none for the Chippenham home game or the Braintree home game. The coverage of the games has been great, but ramming advanced tickets down our throat and not taking any photos at home games isn't doing the club any favours in my opinion. It's almost like they've got something to hide!
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Post by saintjames1 on Aug 15, 2019 10:25:48 GMT
I feel sorry for the social media team, this whole situation must be difficult for them.
Unfortunately i can't see the situation improving especially with the current results, attendances will only decline further.
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Post by saintsdad on Aug 15, 2019 12:39:11 GMT
Agreed saintjames1, unfortunately what they are doing (and / or being told to do) only reflects badly on the club
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Post by bob666 on Aug 15, 2019 15:08:37 GMT
Also if your trying to promote advanced sales not referring to the on the door price makes no sense, as by doing so you most effectively illustrate the potential 'saving' through advanced purchase.
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ebsacfc
Saints Reserve Team Player
Posts: 256
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Post by ebsacfc on Aug 15, 2019 20:10:36 GMT
Another point of frustration for me is the way some of the media team have handled this situation. Many of those who are boycotting home games along with myself have been blocked on twitter and Facebook for voicing their displeasure at the price increase and the clubs behaviour surrounding the situation even without using any form of abusive language.
More activity on social media has seen a twitter account with the name of “home and away saints” set up with an agenda of slagging off anyone who chosen not to attend home games and carrying the message that anyone who chose to do so is not a proper supporter of the club.
I’m fully accepting of everyone’s choice to do what they wish with their money and it’s mine not to pay well over the odds for admission. For this season so far has been the most disappointing I’ve experienced in my 25 years supporting the club, the divide between supporters and the lack of proper engagement from the clubs hierarchy has been quite upsetting to be honest. I hope there can be some sort of resolution but I can’t see it happening.
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Post by saintsdad on Aug 15, 2019 20:36:20 GMT
For this season so far has been the most disappointing I’ve experienced in my 25 years supporting the club, the divide between supporters and the lack of proper engagement from the clubs hierarchy has been quite upsetting to be honest. I hope there can be some sort of resolution but I can’t see it happening. A sad state of affairs considering we're only four games in! At least a few season ticket holders, friends of Lawrence, and yes men are happy
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albanian
Saints Reserve Team Player
Posts: 372
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Post by albanian on Aug 15, 2019 21:36:33 GMT
Seriously, what's going on at the moment?? People getting blocked by the official Twitter account for daring to disagree. Certain club volunteers are seriously overstepping the mark. It feels like our clubs been hijacked by a load of spineless yes men.
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Post by asaintreborn on Aug 15, 2019 21:58:05 GMT
I can't quite believe what I have seen tonight. A complete abuse of power by the club and its media team. Long life fans are being blocked for daring to have a say and disagree with the status quo. None of the messages have been rude or abusive. The irony is this highlights how out of touch the club is with its fans. I didn't know we lived in North Korea as a controlled media state. This might well be the last straw for me. I'm seriously considering not attending games home or away after today. It's sad because I've been supporting this club for the best part of 20 years. The current conduct is nothing short of embarrassing. It's not even about the price rise anymore. It's the complete disregard of the fans that have supported this clubs for years on end. They are being hung out to dry and treated like trash.
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Post by Hatboy on Aug 15, 2019 22:17:57 GMT
More activity on social media has seen a twitter account with the name of “home and away saints” set up with an agenda of slagging off anyone who chosen not to attend home games and carrying the message that anyone who chose to do so is not a proper supporter of the club. It seems to me it is mostly longer term supporters that are boycotting home games and the Johnny come lately type that are still going whom also look like the yes men.
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Post by Canary Saint on Aug 15, 2019 22:26:15 GMT
I felt for a while that the football club has come second to certain people making a killing (financially) from property development.
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Post by ahad43 on Aug 15, 2019 22:42:26 GMT
Not to mention people posting stuff like:
'Our student price of £6 is one of the cheapest in the league...'
Student prices were announced at £7 in advance and £8 on the gate. Have they changed? Either way, student tickets on the gate are cheaper at Bath, Billericay, Braintree, Concord, Dulwich, Eastbourne, Hungerford, Oxford City, and Slough. Not exactly one of the cheapest in the league.
'And family package for £27 (2 adults, 2 U16s) is only cheaper at one other club!'
A family package is £30 on the gate. Bath and Hemel do a family package for £25. So alongside those two, buying two full price adult tickets and two full price u16 tickets is cheaper at Billericay, Chippenham, Eastbourne, and Oxford City. Cheaper at more than just one club.
'Too many forget these details'
Details?
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Post by saintsdad on Aug 15, 2019 22:57:26 GMT
It's odd that these yes men were so quiet at the forum. I'm glad Saint and COYS are a little more level headed in terms of moderation on here!
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Post by saintsdad on Aug 15, 2019 22:58:42 GMT
More activity on social media has seen a twitter account with the name of “home and away saints” set up with an agenda of slagging off anyone who chosen not to attend home games and carrying the message that anyone who chose to do so is not a proper supporter of the club. It seems to me it is mostly longer term supporters that are boycotting home games and the Johnny come lately type that are still going whom also look like the yes men. It also seems to be season ticket holders with kids who are happiest with the current set up. Which can't be our largest category of supporter, surely?
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Post by pitchsidesaint on Aug 15, 2019 23:02:03 GMT
Not to mention people posting stuff like: 'Our student price of £6 is one of the cheapest in the league...' Student prices were announced at £7 in advance and £8 on the gate. Have they changed? Either way, student tickets on the gate are cheaper at Bath, Billericay, Braintree, Concord, Dulwich, Eastbourne, Hungerford, Oxford City, and Slough. Not exactly one of the cheapest in the league. 'And family package for £27 (2 adults, 2 U16s) is only cheaper at one other club!' A family package is £30 on the gate. Bath and Hemel do a family package for £25. So alongside those two, buying two full price adult tickets and two full price u16 tickets is cheaper at Billericay, Chippenham, Eastbourne, and Oxford City. Cheaper at more than just one club. 'Too many forget these details' Details? Not sure about rest of your post but Billericay is £9 students and Braintree £8.
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Post by ahad43 on Aug 15, 2019 23:06:21 GMT
Not to mention people posting stuff like: 'Our student price of £6 is one of the cheapest in the league...' Student prices were announced at £7 in advance and £8 on the gate. Have they changed? Either way, student tickets on the gate are cheaper at Bath, Billericay, Braintree, Concord, Dulwich, Eastbourne, Hungerford, Oxford City, and Slough. Not exactly one of the cheapest in the league. 'And family package for £27 (2 adults, 2 U16s) is only cheaper at one other club!' A family package is £30 on the gate. Bath and Hemel do a family package for £25. So alongside those two, buying two full price adult tickets and two full price u16 tickets is cheaper at Billericay, Chippenham, Eastbourne, and Oxford City. Cheaper at more than just one club. 'Too many forget these details' Details? Not sure about rest of your post but Billericay is £9 students and Braintree £8. I could reply and say 'ah yes, my mistake, I stand corrected, I was looking at the under-18 prices rather than concession prices for those two clubs, my apologies.' Or I could just ignore your post and pretend it never happened and stick my head back in the sand... what do you reckon?
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Post by pitchsidesaint on Aug 15, 2019 23:11:23 GMT
Quite shameful really that we have people complaining about the arrival of new supporters. Are we saying they are not equal and we need to send them back? Doesn't matter if you are a new or long standing supporter, you are all equally supporters.
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Post by ahad43 on Aug 15, 2019 23:15:43 GMT
I see you're still advocating column B. Fair enough then.
We are losing more fans than we have gained in the last few years because of the ticket price. If the first response is 'if you don't like it, buy a season ticket' isn't that indirectly suggesting casual fans aren't as equal? And anyway, saying 'buy a season ticket, games are only £12' still doesn't cut the mustard because a) we're two games into the season and b) the season ticket price per game is still the most expensive in the league by a country mile.
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Post by saintsdad on Aug 15, 2019 23:16:39 GMT
you are all equally supporters. Yet some are more blocked on Twitter than others
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albanian
Saints Reserve Team Player
Posts: 372
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Post by albanian on Aug 15, 2019 23:20:05 GMT
Quite shameful really that we have people complaining about the arrival of new supporters. Are we saying they are not equal and we need to send them back? Doesn't matter if you are a new or long standing supporter, you are all equally supporters. I think the point being made is that it's not really fair for relatively recent supporters to be questioning the motives of those that have been going for 25+ years. Hope this doesn't come across as patronising, but I think when you've supported a club that long it gives you a bit more perspective about the long term interests of the club, which don't always coincide with short term success on the pitch.
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Post by ahad43 on Aug 15, 2019 23:21:27 GMT
It also gives a different perspective when you've seen non-league chairmen come and go at the Saints and around the division...
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Post by notsorecentconvert on Aug 16, 2019 7:23:13 GMT
Blocking supporters for expressing a view on Twitter is ridiculous. A complete over-reach of responsiblity by whoever is running the account. The club account is not a personal account. Of course it could be that the owners have instructed whoever is running the Twitter account to block critics, although if that was the case it would raise other questions.
What a mess. So much ill feeling created, and all for a few grubby quid that will barely make a material difference anyway. Football clubs are great at this – shooting themselves in the foot, digging their heels in, and causing everyone else's toes to curl!
Really, the club should have a proper think about this today, unblock those who have been blocked and accept that if they are going to make an unpopular decision they are going to be criticised for it. If they believe in the course of action they've taken it's their responsibility to stand up straight and take any criticism on the chin.
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Post by saintsdad on Aug 16, 2019 7:27:43 GMT
Blocking supporters for expressing a view on Twitter is ridiculous. A complete over-reach of responsiblity by whoever is running the account. The club account is not a personal account. Of course it could be that the owners have instructed whoever is running the Twitter account to block critics, although if that was the case it would raise other questions. What a mess. So much ill feeling created, and all for a few grubby quid that will barely make a material difference anyway. Football clubs are great at this – shooting themselves in the foot, digging their heels in, and causing everyone else's toes to curl! Really, the club should have a proper think about this today, unblock those who have been blocked and accept that if they are going to make an unpopular decision they are going to be criticised for it. If they believe in the course of action they've taken it's their responsibility to stand up straight and take any criticism on the chin. It would be all for a few grubby quid if the price increase worked, attendances stayed the same, people spent the same in the ground etc. But that's not happening. I still don't understand why if the club have changed the latest time you can buy advance tickets or the cost for students rather than Oaklands and Herts uni students only, they haven't publicised that? But anyway, I suppose blocking dissenters on twitter really confirms the idea of surrounding yourself with yes men. Shame on the club.
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ebsacfc
Saints Reserve Team Player
Posts: 256
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Post by ebsacfc on Aug 16, 2019 7:31:53 GMT
All those defending the price increase have always said that newer supporters are just as entitled to their view as long standing supporters such as myself and have regularly stated that people’s views should be respected, which I agree with. Why then when people have expressed these views on social media have they been blocked? I can’t recall seeing any bad language or abuse aimed at anyone involved at the club in these posts.
All in all, whatever your point of view no one can possibly justify the way a large number loyal, well intentioned supporters have been treated over the last few weeks. This all leaves such a bitter taste.
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Post by saintsdad on Aug 16, 2019 7:32:59 GMT
p.s. anyone else been getting a weird urge recently to pay a visit to Eyes On St Albans, the Optical & Eyewear style experts, with a passion for offering Eyewear & Eyecare of Excellence, and the Only UK Retailer of EnChroma glasses for colour blindness?
Can't think why
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Post by notsorecentconvert on Aug 16, 2019 7:58:21 GMT
I've just had a look on Twitter and what puzzles me is the number of people either directly or loosely associated with the club who are putting such a positive spin on the prices
A community football club should – if it wants to thrive – make it as easy and attractive as possible for as broad a range of people to attend as possible.
Dynamic pricing is a great idea. Offers for people with children, OAPs, students, perhaps even season ticket holders of other clubs on certain occasions if you want to show what's on offer, but it seems that in emphasising how much of a good deal St Albans is for certain people, there's a core of supporters who are basically being asked to pay above the market price for National League South football to subsidise the owners' losses and subsidise cheaper prices for others.
The argument, 'Buy a season ticket' is a nonsense and while I have a great deal of respect for David Clarke it's also avoiding the point that St Albans season tickets are the most expensive in the division. Not everyone can attend every game, not everyone can put their hands on £252 in one go.
The argument goes back and forth but the fact is that the rest of 'the market' – in this case National League South – has decided what the fair and appropriate pricing for the product is and St Albans have chosen to charge between 20% and 38% more than that.
Surely businessmen with experience in the worlds Levy and McGowan understand know that if their only solution to an economic problem is to whack up the price that they have failed. McGowan operates in the property industry so he must understand all too well how the market works, elasticity of pricing and all that.
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Post by casper on Aug 16, 2019 8:22:24 GMT
p.s. anyone else been getting a weird urge recently to pay a visit to Eyes On St Albans, the Optical & Eyewear style experts, with a passion for offering Eyewear & Eyecare of Excellence, and the Only UK Retailer of EnChroma glasses for colour blindness? Can't think why Only Lawrence as it's owned by his brother.
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Post by Hatboy on Aug 16, 2019 12:29:27 GMT
Quite shameful really that we have people complaining about the arrival of new supporters. Are we saying they are not equal and we need to send them back? Doesn't matter if you are a new or long standing supporter, you are all equally supporters. Are you a newbie pitchside ? Is that why your getting upset. It seems the newbies are the ones telling long standing supporters to put up and shut up to me 'Everybody's equal it's just some are more equal than others' Yes sir Boycott Twitter
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Post by saintsdad on Aug 16, 2019 13:21:21 GMT
p.s. anyone else been getting a weird urge recently to pay a visit to Eyes On St Albans, the Optical & Eyewear style experts, with a passion for offering Eyewear & Eyecare of Excellence, and the Only UK Retailer of EnChroma glasses for colour blindness? Can't think why Only Lawrence as it's owned by his brother. To be fair the reviews on their website look quite good. This one for example: 'WOW WOW WOW. What a great experience, has to be the most comprehensive eye test I have ever had, the overall experience has been great from selecting the new glasses to after service. The most impressive element was the new sunglasses that has corrected my colour blindness. I drove away into the country and for the first time what was just a dark hedge row was full of colour. Thanks you Jez LEIGH PAGE 3/16/2019'
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Post by jj123 on Aug 16, 2019 18:17:45 GMT
Looks like my post mentioning A supporters name was deleted.
Intrigued to know why X has decided to block a large number of loyal supporters from viewing the clubs official Twitter?
Supporters who have followed this club for longer, done more for this club and invested more £ in this club than he ever has?
So those who are against the pricing aren’t allowed a voice X?
We really are doomed when you hear that LL thought he won the fans forum - laughable.
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Post by saintsdad on Aug 16, 2019 18:18:53 GMT
Today has seen two posts about buying advance tickets and a retweet of David Clarke saying fans need to get behind the team. I guess this is what the birth of an echo chamber looks like.
Less sponsorship cr*p though, which is either the club realising they went overboard for the Braintree game, or we don't have a match sponsor for tomorrow..?
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