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Post by newmarketgas on Sept 3, 2016 9:13:12 GMT
We are a protest Nation, Twitter and Facebook have a lot to answer for. I dont do either but if things are wrong then yeah protest, slave trade, gulf war, poll tax etc sometimes people need to make a stand, but as usual people will cave it and fork out another £30 or £40 notes and mr power will seat there laughing, who are the mugs? Wow, how old are you ? Joking
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Post by clockendgas on Sept 3, 2016 9:21:36 GMT
I dont do either but if things are wrong then yeah protest, slave trade, gulf war, poll tax etc sometimes people need to make a stand, but as usual people will cave it and fork out another £30 or £40 notes and mr power will seat there laughing, who are the mugs? Wow, how old are you ? Joking Just an example of folks knowing right from wrong and having the balls to stand up and say so, maybe the modern football fan is the new money slave for the rich owners of clubs, and yeah im 55 so nobody need question my loyalty to rovers by not going.
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Post by newmarketgas on Sept 3, 2016 9:51:36 GMT
Wow, how old are you ? Joking Just an example of folks knowing right from wrong and having the balls to stand up and say so, maybe the modern football fan is the new money slave for the rich owners of clubs, and yeah im 55 so nobody need question my loyalty to rovers by not going. Good for you mate, I stand up for the rights of business owners who get shafted by lazy work shy buggers who want something for nothing.
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Post by clockendgas on Sept 3, 2016 10:36:34 GMT
Just an example of folks knowing right from wrong and having the balls to stand up and say so, maybe the modern football fan is the new money slave for the rich owners of clubs, and yeah im 55 so nobody need question my loyalty to rovers by not going. Good for you mate, I stand up for the rights of business owners who get shafted by lazy work shy buggers who want something for nothing. Well good luck in this country, dont count me in there, ive worked for the last forty years, and as a morgage paying family man had sweet fa for nothing.
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Post by stevethepirate on Sept 3, 2016 13:48:46 GMT
People you just have to remember one thing; Swindle by name, Swindle by nature. Nuff said.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2016 14:12:41 GMT
Somebody on FB received this response from the IFO (Ombudsman):-
Further to my initial response, I am advised by the EFL that there is no specific League guidance in the regs other than each club must have a declared policy. There is a statement from the Swindon Chairman on the club's website which explains the justification for what is being done.
The IFO can take no action in this case.
PROFESSOR DEREK FRASER OMBUDSMAN
I think that the lady who phoned Geoff Twentyman on Thursday was correct in stating that the people at the top of these organisations have no idea what it is like to be an ordinary fan, they're just there for the freebies and prawn sandwiches.
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Post by youmadethatup on Sept 4, 2016 10:42:53 GMT
In a way the fantastic gesture that the sc and BRFC have offered only goes to help the Swindon guy make money. It's a shame as a well supported local match is what all fans enjoy and clubs benefit too then you always get the self centred person who ruins it for everyone. I'm not sure how the guy thinks alienating himself from Swindon fans and football fans in general will help make his club or should I say business successful. Taking a hit and gaining lots of goodwill always helps for the future.
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Post by eastville1966 on Sept 5, 2016 14:58:09 GMT
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Post by clockendgas on Sept 5, 2016 15:23:54 GMT
Tickets are on sale on the terrace for a tenner, but you have to buy a swindon town brolly at £15 to get one, health and safety they say
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Post by Centenary Gas on Sept 5, 2016 16:02:36 GMT
Now they are really taking the p*ss.
And before any Swindon fan asks what BRFC would do in a similar situation... both seasons where Rovers have only given away fans the options of seating (more expensive), they have only charged them the cheaper terrace price.
It isn't even a clever decision. Half price and probably 2k fans go again. Now they will struggle to get a few hundred.
I was going to go anyway, but not now. **** them. Someone key Lee Powers car if you see it at the Mem for the return fixture please.
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Post by BishopstonBRFC on Sept 6, 2016 6:17:34 GMT
Now they are really taking the p*ss. And before any Swindon fan asks what BRFC would do in a similar situation... both seasons where Rovers have only given away fans the options of seating (more expensive), they have only charged them the cheaper terrace price. It isn't even a clever decision. Half price and probably 2k fans go again. Now they will struggle to get a few hundred. I was going to go anyway, but not now. **** them. Someone key Lee Powers car if you see it at the Mem for the return fixture please. They shouldn't let him in to any director's area when they visit the Mem. Just chuck him in the away terrace and charge him full price. Hopefully it hammers it down too.
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Post by curlywurly on Sept 6, 2016 10:45:34 GMT
I was always under the impression that there was some price parity for home and away supporters, i.e. if Swindon were pricing tickets for home fans at £19, then away fans should be able to purchase tickets at the same price. Rovers have always done it and in some instances made 'better' accommodation available at the cheaper price.
It seems as though there is no League rule on this and if there is any arrangement it is a gentleman's agreement only - such a shame that Swindon's chairman is not one.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2016 11:27:55 GMT
I was always under the impression that there was some price parity for home and away supporters, i.e. if Swindon were pricing tickets for home fans at £19, then away fans should be able to purchase tickets at the same price. Rovers have always done it and in some instances made 'better' accommodation available at the cheaper price. It seems as though there is no League rule on this and if there is any arrangement it is a gentleman's agreement only - such a shame that Swindon's chairman is not one. I remember when we played Stoke a few years back we won 1-3. Stoke decided to charge their own fans a fiver I think it was, but charged us full price £20? I think it was. At the time Dunford & co complained but didn't get anywhere, so instead of sitting in the directors box with their counterparts, they sat in stands with us. IMO a really good gesture.
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Post by wiaww on Sept 6, 2016 13:19:39 GMT
Brace yourselves, rant incoming...
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Post by wiaww on Sept 6, 2016 13:30:53 GMT
With regards to Tilly’s Thighs post regarding the IFO’s response: It’s very much apparent that going by the letter of the law Swindon Town FC and the Cockney are doing nothing wrong. It would seem to me that the advice from the Independent Football Ombudsman that “each club must have a declared policy” and that the “statement on [Swindon’s] website which explains the justification for what is being done,” is contradictory but they “can take no action in this case”, so we have to assume that what has been done is technically above board. However, it is also very apparent that by the standards of the football community as a whole – criticism of the decision has come from those involved in the game far and wide - they are breaking several unwritten agreements and showing a flagrant disregard for anything other than trying to squeeze as much money out of Bristol Rovers fans as is possible. This is unacceptable. The top level of the game has been corrupted by money, there’s no doubt about that, but as a supporter of a lower league side it is sad that this is filtering through to our level with increasing impact on regular fans. To be charged £19 for two-thirds of a football match in a sub-standard stadium (this isn’t a dig, I’m well aware that the facilities at the Memorial Stadium are below par, especially for away fans) is beyond the pale. Rant continued...
Below is statement from the Cockney which I have annotated outlining why I believe it is, for want of a better phrase, a “p!ss-taking crock of sh!t” that makes it very apparent that the Cockney’s view of the average football fan is as nothing more than a commodity: “While we understand supporters’ frustration regarding ticket arrangements for the Bristol Rovers replay, what happened on Saturday afternoon was an act of God and beyond the club’s control." ***
In what other industry would the supplier’s inability to fulfill a commitment to a customer as a result of bad weather be blamed on an act of God? To mind I can only think of examples of air travel cancellations and insurer disputes, and both broadly define an “act of God” beyond what occurred in Swindon on the 27th of August. In fact, Confused.com has this to say;
The term "act of god" refers to natural phenomena such as lightning strikes, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes - large-scale, freak weather occurrences.
The phrase is usually used by insurance companies, and in other legal circles, to describe events that couldn’t have been predicted or prevented by any reasonable measures.
For example, when the Icelandic volcano eruption in 2010 delayed thousands of travellers’ journeys, many insurers refused to pay compensation under their act of god clauses.
The rain during the game was NOT an “act of God” by any stretch of the imagination, and even if it was the key here is “couldn’t have been predicted by any reasonable measures”, and while unfortunately I don’t have access to a weather forecast for the day in question the following post on the Swindon Town forum suggests that it wasn’t exactly balmy on that August afternoon…
And by the way, hope it rains heavily for a couple of hours from 1.30 onwards. Just heard the first strains of Irene from the comforts of The Savoy. *** "I must stress that the club still has a number of costs to meet on a matchday. These costs have increased dramatically due to the fact that this is a derby match. We work closely with the police and the local authorities to make sure that players and supporters enjoy matches at the County Ground in a safe environment and, on this occasion, the costs to ensure this are higher than usual – a figure which has risen even further because the replay will be played in midweek. "***
Boo hoo. This fixture wasn’t a surprise and should have been budgeted for. There’s no point getting in to a debate about costings and whether (weather) or not Swindon have made any money on the 59 minutes played on the 27th August, unless of course the Cockney is willing to illuminate us as to exactly what the cost of additional policing and stewarding was, in relation to the higher gate, higher ticket prices, and higher takings at bars etc., etc., etc. that the “derby match” brought.
What is an absolute fact is that they have had ample time to ensure that this fixture is priced in line with their “model of self-sustainability” (see below) and that indicates that a profit would have been made on the day should they be in any way competent…
*** "If we could reduce these costs then naturally, these savings would be passed down to the supporters however, in this situation, this is not the case. The football club is run on a model of self-sustainability. When additional costs arise, extra revenue needs to be generated to meet those financial demands." ***
That’s ever so generous. Presumably the additional costs are: Policing, stewarding, matchday staff (i.e bar staff etc.) and FLOODLIGHTS… damn those pesky midweek replays. Essentially anything that isn’t any football club’s biggest overhead; the playing staff wage bill. We can fairly reasonably assume that this isn’t increased by a rearranged match, unless of course the entire squad are contracted on a pay-as-you-play basis.
Additional costs = cost of replaying 59 minutes and the remaining 31: matchday costs minus cost of playing staff budgeted for on 27th August. So how can costs be equal to those of the original fixture? It’s nonsensical. Or, and bear with me here as this is a leap, simply untrue.
*** "The club have been in regular dialogue with the police and the authorities to try and reduce the costs incurred in staging this re-arranged fixture however, no mutual agreement has been reached. We understand their difficulty in trying to reduce costs as they require the assistance of officers from other counties to police this game."***
Bad luck. That’s the risk you take when you run a football club. Charging fans THROUGH THE NOSE twice is unjustifiable.
*** "Our Season Ticket holders support the team week in, week out and make up more than half of our attendance figure on a matchday so we have decided to reward their loyalty with free entry to the replay. It is unfortunate that a number of our own supporters as well as those who made the trip from Bristol Rovers have been affected."***
There are plenty of perks to being a season-ticket holder as it is but if I was a non-season ticket holding Swindon Town fan (God forbid) I’d be more than a bit miffed at essentially being classed as a second rate supporter, less “loyal” than their superior (capital S) Season (capital T) Ticket holder counterparts.. I’ve been both a season ticket holder and not, my support for my club as either has been unwavering and in actuality not having a season ticket usually ends up costing me far more. If “more than half” of Swindon Town’s matchday attendance is made up of season ticket holders then it follows that a sizeable chunk are not. It would be interesting to see what would happen if that support were to disappear…
*** "We are following national supporters' groups in confirming - as was quoted in the media yesterday - that clubs do not usually offer any form of refund when the game is abandoned after half-time and not before."***
Clubs don’t usually have the sheer nerve to charge full price for the replay either. Probably because 99% of reasonable human beings can see that it’s totally immoral.
Also, that’s patently not true is it? A certain match abandoned in the 66th minute springs to mind:
Supporters who went to the original game with either a ticket stub or unique code they were given after the abandonment have until this Friday to either reserve a new ticket or ask for a refund.
Even f*cking Wycombe weren’t ballsy enough to try and charge the fans full price again. Jesus Christ what does that tell you?
*** "I would like to pay tribute to our groundstaff who do a great job in making our pitch one of the finest in the league. After spending a significant amount of money on improving the pitch this summer there was nothing that they could have done to prevent the heavy rain from causing Saturday’s abandonment.” ***
I mean, I’m no groundsman-cum-soggy pitch expert but I’d imagine that watering a pitch prior to heavy rain doesn’t do it much good, you tw@.
***
GASHEADS, I implore you to boycott this sh!tshow. A statement (both literally and metaphorically) has to come from the fans that this won’t be stood for. We are not cash cows to be milked by greedy, sleazy chairmen with no regard for the average fan. There will be the same old arguments about supporting the team, about giving Swindon Town a competitive advantage, about wanting to go and watch Rovers no matter what anyone else says but how about some solidarity for the lifeblood of this club? What about those fans who can’t really afford to pay £25 (TWENTY-FIVE POUNDS MIND), plus travel costs, plus food and drink but feel compelled to do so for the reasons above? If some of us boycott and some don’t then we will end up with a couple of hundred there and our away support will look crap and nothing more. If we boycott completely then we will send a clear message to the Cockney in the form of a blow to his wallet, and it’s clear that the only thing this man cares about is money.
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Post by orgasmic on Sept 6, 2016 13:45:36 GMT
A truly wonderful rant that I agree with wholeheartedly.
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Post by Langford Gas on Sept 6, 2016 14:37:02 GMT
Is it acceptable to go if you didn't go to the original game ?
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Post by wiaww on Sept 6, 2016 14:49:54 GMT
Is it acceptable to go if you didn't go to the original game ? Even less so
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Post by Tilly's heroes on Sept 6, 2016 15:01:30 GMT
I was always under the impression that there was some price parity for home and away supporters, i.e. if Swindon were pricing tickets for home fans at £19, then away fans should be able to purchase tickets at the same price. Rovers have always done it and in some instances made 'better' accommodation available at the cheaper price. It seems as though there is no League rule on this and if there is any arrangement it is a gentleman's agreement only - such a shame that Swindon's chairman is not one. I remember when we played Stoke a few years back we won 1-3. Stoke decided to charge their own fans a fiver I think it was, but charged us full price £20? I think it was. At the time Dunford & co complained but didn't get anywhere, so instead of sitting in the directors box with their counterparts, they sat in stands with us. IMO a really good gesture. Remember the game well, Stoke got around it by saying any of there fans part of the membership scheme could get in for a fiver. There were rovers fans talking about joking as it would of still worked out cheaper then paying 20 quid!! Think we won 4-1
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Post by Langford Gas on Sept 6, 2016 15:05:46 GMT
Is it acceptable to go if you didn't go to the original game ? Even less so I share the grief over this, it will be interesting to see if the Swindon Fans boycott this game as well
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