Possibly already asked but...I’ve had several emails in the last few months asking for my opinion on 'match day experience' and other such drivel and I’ve never bothered to reply. But after yesterday, I’ve emailed customer service re the appalling service the club is offering to many of us in Colin Bell 1.
Getting in is taking anything up to an hour. Two fucking turnstiles is all I can access. A club with our money should have umpteen that I can choose from.
Thanks to the fantastic new tunnel, the toilet nearest my block (123) has been effectively “quartered” thus leading to winding queues for a piss.
One bar for beer, queues again that effectively mean you have to leave on 35mins to get a pint. We should have dozens of outlets selling pints, but no, we have one. And please don’t bother replying about “go without for 90 mins”. I want to have a pint before the game and at half time.
I’ve asked that the head of customer sevices joins me for my “match day experience” and tells me whether I’m receiving a quality product. Come and stand with me for an hour to get in. At half time, come and join the toilet and food/drink queues. See if they can have a piss / get a pint and if they can’t, tell me when it’s going to get sorted.
It really could and should be within our means to make getting in and having a pint, very, very simple.
The worrying thing is that the club, it seems, would rather court the glory-hunting, corporate fan, who will spend 7 grand on a season ticket to watch the team go past in a glass tunnel... the problem there being that you need a period of sustained glory or a CL in the cupboard to attract these ****ers... and they soon disappear when you don't win anything for a while.
Meanwhile the club are alienating the loyal, hardcore fans, who have been through thin and thin with the club... the very lifeblood of the club, who they should be bending over backwards to keep happy.
The worrying thing is that the club, it seems, would rather court the glory-hunting, corporate fan, who will spend 7 grand on a season ticket to watch the team go past in a glass tunnel... the problem there being that you need a period of sustained glory or a CL in the cupboard to attract these ****ers... and they soon disappear when you don't win anything for a while.
Meanwhile the club are alienating the loyal, hardcore fans, who have been through thin and thin with the club... the very lifeblood of the club, who they should be bending over backwards to keep happy.
If the club decided to leave a big steaming turd on your seat you'd still say ok if you need to.Are people seriously not going anymore because they cannot get a pint at half time , or they have built a wall at the back of the colin bell stand.over the last 5 or 6 years we are watching the best football we have seen for over 30 years. We are there for 2 hours once a fortnight ,if the club think this is needed to be done so be it
Agree with this although I tend to only drink before the game. I assume they outsource all this which probably explains going down the cheap (not the stuff itself but the operation around it) and shit route. To be honest I don't go so often these days so have not had the wait to go in but imagine it must be a pain and real panic.I was expecting some of the “you should be able to watch without wanting/needing a pint” comments and whilst, yes, I’ve managed to watch many, many City matches sans alcohol, I do enjoy a pint before, during and after the game and I think the club should be able to organise enough outlets to provide a fast, efficient, pain-free way to get a pint and something to eat before and during the game. It’s not just the food/drink though, it’s the utter shambles of getting in and the utter shambles of being able to have a piss in a toilet that’s been breeze-blocked up for this fucking tunnel. Plus several other things, that just do my head in - they have a hot-dog stand there some matches, which sells beer, but the people manning it are fucking hopeless. One person supposedly frying hotdogs (after they’ve been brought over from another part of the catering), one person taking money and one person popping lids off beer bottles. Yet it’s still Fred fucking Carno’s for service. And complete hit and miss if the stand is open (wasn’t Saturday, was for Burnley).
I can’t ever envisage not going to City. Ever. But they could, and should be doing a whole lot better on very, very simple things. To summarise:
Getting in: build more turnstiles, or let us go in whichever we can access our seat through.
Drinks /Food: Have the fucking stuff ready, in abundance. The look on staff’s face before the game and at half time, says, “fuck me, what are all this lot doing here at 3.45pm. And they were here at exactly the same time last time. How odd.” Have LOADS of people selling pre-pulled pints / bottles. Have loads of hot dog / beer chips and beer sellers. And all of it ready to be eaten/drank.
Toilets: build more.
If the club want to build a tunnel so some of us can see Vinny’s carriage when they’re walking out, fine, but it shouldn’t be to the detriment of the service/fayre being provided elsewhere.
And as for the service at other grounds, I’m not arsed if it’s equally poor, if this is just symptomatic of football, I want City to get it right. It would be so fucking simple. And would cost the club (relative) peanuts.
Agree with this although I tend to only drink before the game. I assume they outsource all this which probably explains going down the cheap (not the stuff itself but the operation around it) and shit route. To be honest I don't go so often these days so have not had the wait to go in but imagine it must be a pain and real panic.
1. Put the fans first- I.e go for quality of experience and service over fucking penny pinching- it's not like the club hasn't got a few quid
2. If you are going to outsource food and drink then ensure the contracts have proper standards written in about service and employing people with half a brain cell
3. More and better toilets
4. Try and do something interesting on the pitch at half time- city themed, A few ex players playing 5 a side for example just before second half starts to get the crowd going and people might stay in their seats
5 just try and think from a fans point of view. Similar to what Springsteen says about making each gig the best he can make it because it might be the first time someone has come. You can't guarantee the football or result is good but you can make the whole thing more enjoyable
6 oh and get rid of twat Ferris, that Danny bloke and the woman presenting with him whose name I can't remember. Drives me mad when I hear them giving fucking tactical analysis - get some ex players or even current ones who know what they're talking about
I'll agree with Ferris, after the way the cnut eulogised about Shrek at half time! Nothing wrong with Danny and Natalie though mate.
It basically boils down to how we're being treated... getting into the ground's a joke now... you have the twats from Showsec, most of whom are more than pleased to let you know they don't support City, antagonising the situation even more! And finally the food/drink outlets... i'm not one of those who needs a half-time pint, but I do like one, and would just like to think that if I wanted one I wouldn't have to miss 15mins of the first half to get one!
Yes we are seeing great football in the past few years - we've been spoiled... but that doesn't mean we're allowed to be treated like shite for the privelege!