J7

Was in the bar. It lasted about 20 seconds, if that, and they fucked off.

There’s probably a right level of drunkenness which helps before you turn into a useless mess tbf. I can think of a few times in the past where I’ve been in such a state I’d have been no use to helping create an atmosphere. Brugge was one. Derby under Big Sam and Forest for a late kick off under Hughton. Other occasions I’ve been pissed and had a great time like Leeds when Shelvey scored. Probably just hadn’t gone over the useless mess level. Ha. I’ve no idea the impact coke would have in all honesty. There was me talking about over analysis before. ?

Is there not a bit of over-analysis going on too. There was a huge moan about Dortmund at home too, when it was probably just that lots of people were pissing wet. Theres always been good and bad away ends. Barnsley was unreal in 2009, then I thought it was awful in 2015 despite us filling that big stand on both occasions. It feels a bit like some people on Twitter have a grievance about whatever, then try and attach anything not great to it. I even saw ‘too many kitchen sinks’ used by some racist bastard.

I think I’m just going to go to the Louvre in Paris.

They’d probably want it all completed in time for the Euros.

What would people prefer, 20k at Darlington or Gateshead with 15-20k season ticket holders told to suck it up, or 51k at Murrayfield and ‘it’s a pain in the arse, but get there if you can’ and no ‘punishment’ if you decide to defer your ST until the work is completed? I suspect the SFA wouldn’t allow it anyway.

There’s probably around 500 if you include Berwick too, but I agree it’s still fairly unrealistic. After Sunderland, if you’re wanting close to 50k in a stadium, it’s probably second option.

I’m travelling from Edinburgh each game and it’s usually around 1 hour 30/40 min depending on stops. I’m not sure they’d even have the number of trains available even if the owners were to splash the cash and pay for one after the other for 4/5 hours before and after the game. You could send some via Carlisle and into Haymarket too I suppose. It’s probably the most realistic option if you are going to keep all ST holders going and avoid Sunderland though.

Yeah. I’m sure there’ll be ways to improve what’s happening now, and with regards to home tickets, I’m sure more could be done to find out which seats are going up on these sell on websites. My mate got one for £210 for PSG and I encouraged him to forward the seat number to the club after the event, but he didn’t. The persons name was on the digital ticket sent to him too. For what it’s worth, Wednesday will be the first away game I’ve been on my own ticket since Everton away under McClaren (enough to put you off any game), and I’ve relied on friends getting me them when I’ve been ever since. I was lucky enough to get my ST back in the 1000 after giving it up when Bruce arrived. I hope I can be forgiven, given I’m travelling from Scotland. Ha. 10-15 years ago I used to be able to get away tickets on a membership pretty easily too. Even got Anfield on a membership when Barton got sent off in the relegation season. Boro the last time we were there. Anyway, I’m going on. The change has inconvenienced me as shown above, but I think we need a bit more than toys out the pram reaction.

It would be better if the superfans on Twitter actually came up with a realistic solution, as opposed to demanding a return to select fans controlling tens of tickets and folk who don’t go piling up their loyalty points. The club are never going to agree to that, regardless of it happening in the past, and I doubt the home team and the PL would approve either. Gone are the days of terrace, pissing in each others pockets to stay warm and climbing trees and floodlights to watch the game. Gone are the days of clubs not bothering about who is in each seat. It may be worse, but it’s not going back to the way it was, like it or not.

It’s the same travelling back anywhere north of Morpeth too. This country is a bit of a joke as I’m sure you’re finding out. Agree with above, unless you’re driving, you’ll probably need a room somewhere. You might save money by staying somewhere a bit further out you can get to after the game.

To be fair, someone tweeted using the Trust account about the touting. It was an exchange with someone criticising them and was hardly a considered statement of the position of the Trust. I’m not even a member or a fan of the way Alex and Charlotte go on, but there’s been a bit much made of that.

Bonus for me is I won’t miss any of the home games. In America for Matchday 1. Negative, im flying from Denver to LA at about 11am local time when the AC game is on, so suspect will miss out on watching it. Anyway, £73 return flight from Edinburgh to Paris in November and may do a Germany mini break in December that takes in Dortmund. Can’t wait.

Lived in Edinburgh for 5 years and it’s noticeable how many more people you see in Newcastle tops and merch now compared to a few years back.

They probably have a fair idea as to who scams the system, so it may not be random. Or it may just be a deterrent and it doesn’t happen. I understand some of the complaints, but I’ve seen people on Twitter defend the idea that you should need to know, or make friends with other fans who sell tickets on, to get a ticket. I mean I’ve benefited from that and probably won’t get now, but can hardly complain. The club should clearly be expected, especially by the home club, to make sure that the person who owns the ticket is the person attending. It shouldn’t be delegated to random superfan to decide who goes, with someone sitting at home collecting a loyalty point every fortnight.

Not sure about unstoppable. It was a good ball, touch and finish, but he still switched off.

He did quite well there, but was utterly dreadful against Spurs when they howked us 5-1, and switched off at the wrong moment down at Chelsea in the same season. A bit of a stretch to say he’s been great every time he’s played there. I’d be worried if we got an injury and he was starting every week in that position,

You’ll have people who usually choose to go to a handful of games a season putting themselves into every ballot given the chances now. It’s really shit for folk who used to go to every game through a membership but don’t think the club have many options. The 10am race was shit for many others too.

The club are clearly going to act differently now though when theres such a demand. It’s not like the Ashley era was the norm in terms of demand and everyone trying to get now who didn’t go then is a glory seeker. They’re going to clamp down on companies who had a raft of tickets for clients and those who have more than one ticket in their own name, even if that was fine 5 years ago when crowds were at 45k or whatever. Every club is going digital and will be doing similar. I travel down from Edinburgh and you can’t even get into Hearts and Hibs without a supporter number and they’re phasing out printed tickets.

I can’t remember what the loyalty system was like back then, but I used to go loads without even having a Season Ticket. Remember buying my own for Anfield when Barton was sent off in the relegation season. Saw us lose every Boxing Day at either Bolton or Wigan. Didn’t have a season ticket for the loyalty point to go on.

So your son started accumulating them aged 7. How would a 7 year old today start accumulating them? You’ve conveniently ignored the other points too, such as people accumulating points by getting the ticket and selling it on, just like those outraged on Twitter are doing. edited to add; I’m not trying to be an arse here, but you’re complaining about your specific circumstance and a potential disadvantage, while not considering all of the issues involved. The club need to do this.

If they crack down properly on the passing on of tickets, which again I admit I’ve benefitted from, then the points to get a ticket for an away game should be lower anyway regardless of the small amount going to ballot. There has to be a way for those in the younger age group to build up points and not rely on a friend getting them a ticket. Some people have hundreds of loyalty points who’ve barely ever been. Nothing will be perfect and there will be criticism whatever the club do. I understand that for myself, despite being in an away end of 800 at Everton on a Monday night and going to most of the Championship aways when Hughton was manager, there’s going to be a very slim chance of me getting now, but I can’t personally think of a much better way of them doing it, or the perfect system.

I’d get this argument if the same people making it on Twitter cared about the fact that hundreds in the away end are getting the tickets passed on by friends. I mean I’ve been to 50+ away games and don’t have a loyalty point so I’ve taken advantage myself. Being up in arms about fairness because the cut off point is going to be higher because 100-200 are going to a ballot, doesn’t seem to be anything to do with fairness. I saw someone arguing all day yesterday on Twitter who at one point said ‘get some friends’. The club aren’t going to be back a system that sees hundreds of people getting tickets passed on to them, or people building up loyalty points up even though they don’t go. It’s been convenient for me, but it’s hardly ‘fair’.

This is an argument against nearly every organisation that goes digital. I work for a housing association with a far high percentage of vulnerable tenants than vulnerable matchgoers, and we’re constantly pushing everyone to go digital. Clubs up and down the country are doing it. The ticket ballot is a shambles though. Given how late in the day it’s been announced, I suspect it’s as much to do with the limitations in the box office than anything. I’d hope so anyway as if it’s a conscious long term decision, it’s a poor one.

The box office seems to be a bit of a shambles to be honest. It can’t be that difficult to put in a new website or system. You’ll get people who specifically want to be in the Platinum Club, and others who want the cheapest ticket possible. Neither are going to be happy unless they get lucky. Moving people to the standing area seemed a bit of a farce too. I couldn’t add more than three when there were four of us, so it left off my mates son who is 8. I called him and he then put a separate one in for him and his son. They both got moved, then I got an email to say I’d been moved too, swiftly followed by a call to say I was being moved back as my third person was in a two. I asked if our remaining two could be moved then, and they said no as it was for a three. The woman in the box office basically had a go at me and said I was to add the forth in the comments section. I’m not that bothered as my seat is decent anyway, but just seemed shambolic. Also seems bizarre you can’t move seats in the summer too. At least I’ve got a Season Ticket but they don’t inspire confidence in their decisions.