I have no issue with the club controlling the distribution of tickets, they have the right to to that.
I'm also glad more people are getting tickets on their 'loyalty' now 'ticket' points than did before, at least now I'm guaranteed a ticket.
However there are still people attending the games who are well down the queue. There were quite a few blues who booked travel based on the ticket sales for PSG away being so sluggish. Then it sold out at 9000 points or so, which was much lower than both Sevila and Moenchengladbach.
There were numerous blues in the City end who had no where near 9000 points. In fact some didn't even have seasoncards. So those of you thinking its curbed whoring, it's stopped some but hasn't stopped all. The people sat near me looked like they hadn't been to an away game for donkey's years.
Three friends came over on the Thompson trip, they were given their tickets and their wristbands but weren't made to put them on, yet at the collection point you had too. They were talking to a large family of blues, eighteen of them altogether who had ten seasoncards between them, all had got tickets through their branch. So eight blues on about 9000 points missed out to these loyal blues without cards.
So I think we can say they haven't done it to ensure the right fans get in in tickets point sense as the evidence suggests otherwise.
The collection was fairly straightforward, more so than last time, but that's because we got there at 12 on the Tuesday and went straight from the airport bar to the shopping centre. Fortunately our hotel was only four metro stops away from the ticket office, but that was my good luck more than the club's good planning.
All my stuff was packed away in my bag and I was refused entry unless I could produce my letter. After opening and emptying contents onto the street I found the letter and was allowed entry, don't understand why I couldn't have done that just inside where it would be more secure. Perhaps my City shirt and old age led him to believe I was a likely terrorist threat.
Ticket collection over with in thirty seconds with a cheery 'don't forget you passport', to which IP pointed out the letter said ID. She repeated 'passport'. Yet, as others have attested to, they were told ID, no consistency there then.
As I pointed out last night the wristbands are identical apart from the colour and use the English short hand for match day and the English way of writing numerical dates. I find it odd that both the Spanish and French authorities have used the same contractor to produce the wristbands.
QED this idea has come from the club and has been introduced by them and not some spurious UEFA ruling or the police authorities.
I have travelled the world extensively, covering all continents apart from Australiasia and the Antarctic and at no time have I ever been asked to show my passport except at two football matches in Rome and Turin, and that was both by City stewards, not the police. Interestingly seasoned travellers know that important documents should be left in a secure location to avoid loss, as without passports/visas you won't be going anywhere soon. In fact Thopson gave out letters telling everyone the series consequencies of losing your passport in Madrid, whereas the club seem to be reckless in its attitude to them.
Therefore I'm very much against the erosion of my, and fellow travellers', freedoms in being forced to carry such an important document as a passport. Have to say that this is my biggest bug bear with the whole thing.
Two final thoughts. Had I have been on Spike's trip that was delayed I would have been having kittens. A delay is bad enough but also the fact that you and at least 200 others would all arrive at the same time would give me nightmares.
There could be a situation that a plane load of fans are locked out due to circumstances beyond their control.
Due to the overzealous policing and dangerous crushes I like to arrive at the ground in plenty of time.
And the unintended consequence of this?
People will book the official trip and Spike's trip will be squeezed and the day will come where the only way you will be able to go is through the 'official partners' and pay subsequently more. It's just another step in the sanitisation of the football experience, and being made easier by the aquiescense of others who are happy to be controlled, herded and with less choice.
There are more simple ways of controlling the issues of the wrong people getting the tickets, and I've raised them with a few blues over the last couple of weeks who have agreed that they would suit the fan more. Whilst some people think the the club can do no wrong in this matter, there are others with genuinely better ways of reaching the same conclusion.
Not everyone who follows City are myopic, not everyone who goes to the games are narrow minded, not all who travel in Europe are thugs, and some of us see things you will never see, until it's too late.
Take a bow mateI have no issue with the club controlling the distribution of tickets, they have the right to to that.
I'm also glad more people are getting tickets on their 'loyalty' now 'ticket' points than did before, at least now I'm guaranteed a ticket.
However there are still people attending the games who are well down the queue. There were quite a few blues who booked travel based on the ticket sales for PSG away being so sluggish. Then it sold out at 9000 points or so, which was much lower than both Sevila and Moenchengladbach.
There were numerous blues in the City end who had no where near 9000 points. In fact some didn't even have seasoncards. So those of you thinking its curbed whoring, it's stopped some but hasn't stopped all. The people sat near me looked like they hadn't been to an away game for donkey's years.
Three friends came over on the Thompson trip, they were given their tickets and their wristbands but weren't made to put them on, yet at the collection point you had too. They were talking to a large family of blues, eighteen of them altogether who had ten seasoncards between them, all had got tickets through their branch. So eight blues on about 9000 points missed out to these loyal blues without cards.
So I think we can say they haven't done it to ensure the right fans get in in tickets point sense as the evidence suggests otherwise.
The collection was fairly straightforward, more so than last time, but that's because we got there at 12 on the Tuesday and went straight from the airport bar to the shopping centre. Fortunately our hotel was only four metro stops away from the ticket office, but that was my good luck more than the club's good planning.
All my stuff was packed away in my bag and I was refused entry unless I could produce my letter. After opening and emptying contents onto the street I found the letter and was allowed entry, don't understand why I couldn't have done that just inside where it would be more secure. Perhaps my City shirt and old age led him to believe I was a likely terrorist threat.
Ticket collection over with in thirty seconds with a cheery 'don't forget you passport', to which IP pointed out the letter said ID. She repeated 'passport'. Yet, as others have attested to, they were told ID, no consistency there then.
As I pointed out last night the wristbands are identical apart from the colour and use the English short hand for match day and the English way of writing numerical dates. I find it odd that both the Spanish and French authorities have used the same contractor to produce the wristbands.
QED this idea has come from the club and has been introduced by them and not some spurious UEFA ruling or the police authorities.
I have travelled the world extensively, covering all continents apart from Australiasia and the Antarctic and at no time have I ever been asked to show my passport except at two football matches in Rome and Turin, and that was both by City stewards, not the police. Interestingly seasoned travellers know that important documents should be left in a secure location to avoid loss, as without passports/visas you won't be going anywhere soon. In fact Thopson gave out letters telling everyone the series consequencies of losing your passport in Madrid, whereas the club seem to be reckless in its attitude to them.
Therefore I'm very much against the erosion of my, and fellow travellers', freedoms in being forced to carry such an important document as a passport. Have to say that this is my biggest bug bear with the whole thing.
Two final thoughts. Had I have been on Spike's trip that was delayed I would have been having kittens. A delay is bad enough but also the fact that you and at least 200 others would all arrive at the same time would give me nightmares.
There could be a situation that a plane load of fans are locked out due to circumstances beyond their control.
Due to the overzealous policing and dangerous crushes I like to arrive at the ground in plenty of time.
And the unintended consequence of this?
People will book the official trip and Spike's trip will be squeezed and the day will come where the only way you will be able to go is through the 'official partners' and pay subsequently more. It's just another step in the sanitisation of the football experience, and being made easier by the aquiescense of others who are happy to be controlled, herded and with less choice.
There are more simple ways of controlling the issues of the wrong people getting the tickets, and I've raised them with a few blues over the last couple of weeks who have agreed that they would suit the fan more. Whilst some people think the the club can do no wrong in this matter, there are others with genuinely better ways of reaching the same conclusion.
Not everyone who follows City are myopic, not everyone who goes to the games are narrow minded, not all who travel in Europe are thugs, and some of us see things you will never see, until it's too late.
It seems that most Blues had the common sense to put their letter in their pocket rather than their bag. This meant it took seconds to get past the steward, you just showed your letter and passport. Once past them there was a small queue but as all the staff were pleasant and knew what was required that part was over quickly and everyone got sorted.
The system does need fine tuning, sending out an email that stated that was all you needed and then sending out letters (late) saying you needed them was confusing but it is early days. The system is here to stay so we may as well get used to it. The fact that the police thugs did not then bother checking your photo ID is not Citys fault, when you have one hand on your baton makes that task a little hard for them.
Don't have strong feelings about it either way, but there was still nothing to stop the Passing on of tickets - neither the tickets or the wristband had a name on.
Saw two lads in the square buy a ticket and a wristband off some other bloke.