First day back at work having got back last night from Glasgow. Great trip, great mates and a great occasion. However, here's my take on the subject of this thread.
The farcical collection process has fuck all to do with points whores, the club could give less that 2 shits about that issue. Anyone who believes this bullshit needs to give their heads a wobble.
No, its about CONTROL.
Its about keeping the supporters off the piss for a couple of hours, then just hoping they then wander off to the ground suitably "sobered" by the collection experience. Its about treating us like cattle, not human beings. Its about control of names, numbers, addresses and behaviour.
The "independent" traveller is being squeezed out and forced onto buses or Club Sponsors planes. They don't want us in foreign Cities for days on end with little or no supervision. They want us in and out, preferably same day. They don't want the likes of us working class supporters spoiling the "experience" for Johnny Corporate and his band of hangers on. They don't want regular Joe swigging lager and singing slightly offensive songs to the locals, they want Champagne Charlie quaffing Pimms with sponsors and the UEFA family.
It's all about changing the demographic of our European travelling support. A few of us old farts being pissed off with Lisa Eaton et al and piss wet through, is just collateral damage, and a price worth paying to sanitise the mob.
This will be coming to a Premier League away match near you soon my friends, absolutely guaranteed.
It's shameful that our working class game is now the day trip of choice for free loaders, toffs and hooray fucking Henries. As for European aways, I've now had my fill. After many years of enjoyment, thats it. They win. I give up.
But I'll be there at Spuds. Drinking my pint, eating a rancid pie, singing my heart out for MY club. If you're going, take a look around you, take a look at the new faces, the blazers and accents. The I-Phone in hand tweeters, the guy next to you who would probably have been a mate of yours last season, but the tickets gone elsewhere this year. Enjoy it, because within a couple of years, it will be a thing of the past and you'll be watching it in the pub, just like many other previous away day match going Blues.
Fucking sickens me.
And how many of them are actually on the forum.There's a lot of people on here who haven't got a clue about how the ticket system works for away matches
There are a limited number of junior tickets for any away match which can be purchased by any adult buying a ticket
They are normally available for the first 3 days of sales
That's why you see kids at the match
Why is that people who don't go very often want to post in a topic about away tickets ?
So you aren't bothered whether you are getting a ticket or not , but you want to screw others that are bothered about going to away matches and have done for yearsI've got 10k points and I'0m also recently an OSC member. If I get a ticket I'm happy and if I don't I'm not bothered. The system that would personally suit me best is a general ballot but that's not something that would reward those who have been going to away games for years. So I don't support away tickets going to a general ballot.
I’m sorry mate it just doesn’t wash with me.
You have little or no evidence to go on with assertions that are made.
I know you’re doing your best and I don’t want to appear negative but there are far too many accusations thrown around.
How do you know they get them through the SC or through points whores (two sides of the same coin if you ask me)? And if they get them through the SC then that’s good, it means the club knows who’s getting them, the person gets the points and it encourages them to join the SC.
it’s tiresome seeing the same old unsubstantiated mantra trotted out re ID and tickets. I’d like to point out that not one of our CL games this season have required ID, and not one has sold out either, sort of blows that argument right out of the water.
Southampton and Cardiff both went to very low points, where’s the clamour for tickets there?
I’d be in favour of removing or reducing points for away games and adding them to home games, as that’s where the club make the money.
Rather that than having to try and find one of City’s incompetent ticket staff for tickets before going to the game.
In Lyon they waited inside the cordon to pass out tickets, without realising the fans had to use their non existent tickets to get through the cordon!
Out of interest how many of the representatives on the forum are regular awayers?
How do you find out about their issues.
I’m more concerned about the increasingly poor performance of the ticket office than away sales.
I constantly read problems people are having buying tickets, receiving tickets, getting in the ground etc. I’ve been overcharged for my CL tickets by paying for the package and individually and they have fucked up the CL membership for three of my family. And then having been charged double for Wednesday’s game my card didn’t work.
Concentrating on an issue that affects a few people who want tickets to the big games seems to be a higher priority than actually sorting out City’s woeful relationship with its fans regarding tickets for home games which affects us all.
You make some good points particularly the problem of buying tickets for home games.
For example my teenage daughter who works part time and can’t make many games has asked to go to Rotherham game. The selling criteria suggests east stand level 3 is available. To book the website states not available for sale.
Makes no sense to me why any blocks should not be on sale from day 1. The game is less than 3 weeks away. The pricing after new year has been thought out, but the way of acquiring a ticket hasn’t. It’s not a user friendly website either. The ticket operations side are no better than 10 years ago.
Personally I was surprised that as many as 20% go to the OSC and I suspect they won't be thrilled that this information is in the public domain. That's something for the club and OSC to sort out.
People rightly complain about people keeping their points up by buying tickets they don't use and pass on. I know at least 10 people who regularly benefit by going to away games on tickets supplied by others, some I suspect in hospitality. But I know they're all diehard Blues who are using those tickets rather than touts.
If we had a system whereby every away ticket went to loyalty points then a game that sold out at 16k points might get to 14k. But that means anyone with less would never have a chance of a ticket. So I'm not going to lose too much sleep over a system whereby a genuine fan has a chance of a ticket on their own account. Many branches have a fair system in place as oakiecokie made clear. If people know about abuses then they should contact Kevin Parker and/or the club. I know they have acted in the past.
I'm still waiting for the branch to be named where your guaranteed a cup final ticket if you book via them, No seasoncard needed.Indeed they do. The branch I’m in, which is the biggest and oldest outside of Manchester, runs a merit based system, in that the few tickets we do get go to those who attend the most matches (home and away), and we are expected to provide the Branch Sec with a photograph of ourselves at the game in question to prove we’ve been. I’m amazed that there are branches who (allegedly) get so many tickets they can run coaches to away games, as there are now so many branches that the share of the pie dwindles every year. We frequently get less than half a dozen tickets for the entire branch and if we can’t attend then we are expected to notify the Sec and then hand the ticket on to whomever is next in line
What an interesting discussion As somebody who queued up outside Maine Road at 4 am for an Halifax away ticket I have to say things are a fair bit better than they were back in those days. Our away support back then was at times pitiful as well. 500 at Spurs was a good turnout, same at Chelsea and other away games too. There was a couple of hundred of us at Southend away for a league cup second round match. Hull away in the Full Members cup was a couple of hundred too. The problem is not that there are too few tickets nowadays its that grounds are too small. All seater stadiums have played their part and pay on the gate has gone. I have seen us on well over 100 grounds now, been to all 3 CL aways this season but have less than 500 loyalty points. I couldn't get a ticket for home games last season at times never mind aways. I have not got a ticket for Liverpool at home BTW if anybody feels sorry for me.
I tried 3 times to get a ticket for Fulham in the cup but our ticket office is useless and I didn't bother. The ticket office is useless and needs a huge overhaul.
As for showing ID to get away tickets that would be the end for me, apart from it being Orwellian in its scope ask any one who queued in the rain at Celtic or endured the farce at that hotel in Paris if they think its a good idea and im sure not one will agree that ID is the way forward.
A concern of mine is that if OSC branches don't get tickets then we will see the end of many branches. The cheap travel they offer will go and it will be everyman for himself getting there and that makes it expensive and will price out fans on lesser incomes. I went to Watford because our branch ran a coach, if they hadn't I wouldn't have gone as I could not afford it, it would have meant train and an overnight stay, which is out of my price range. If you want the wealthy to have all the tickets then scrap the branch allocation and that is what will happen.
The one way of increasing away allocations is to return to safe standing as that will increase the capacity of grounds and make tickets more available. Of course not everyone will happy, we are football fans and we like a moan.
For the big fight in Leicester BetRascal is going 5/4 PB , 11/10 Squirty and 4/6 the draw with damaged handbags. I have tickets available for the big fight, apply at FUNDRASCALSBEERMONEY.COM
I've got 10k points and I'm also recently an OSC member. If I get a ticket I'm happy and if I don't I'm not bothered. The system that would personally suit me best is a general ballot but that's not something that would reward those who have been going to away games for years. So I don't support away tickets going to a general ballot.