Thanks for your reply. Sorry, sometimes the gut reaction is not the best. I have always thought of you as one of the”real” City supporters and I understand your point of view. However, it is the system that annoys me. At the moment I can’t suggest a better system than points for every game you attend, but the allocation of tickets to supporters clubs, some of which give out their own points for attending a pub meeting regardless of the length of time a person has attended matches and sometimes cup tickets to members who are not even on the cup schemes and others buying tickets when they have no intention of going themselves really goes against any fair way of allocating tickets. I made my statement because I feel every ticket should be used by the recipient. In your case and similar it was the fault of City in not giving you the option of returning it thus making it available to the next in line. I did like the idea of actually picking up your away ticket at the away venue. This worked(for me) for some Champions league away games but on others the City admin was not fit for purpose and I had to go miles and wait hours to queue for my ticket.
It would be good if the club invited the people who attend most away games to make suggestions as to how to solve this problem. It will only get worse the more successful we become.
Thank you for your thoughtful and considered response.
My Liverpool tickets arrived on the Friday before the Fulham game and we left to go to Hoffenheim early on the Sunday morning.
I began to have my doubts when I read that Atkinson was given the job on the Monday night. At that point I couldn’t take them back, and we didn’t get home until Thursday afternoon. During the game I got so frustrated with the referring that I wondered “what’s the point”. As many of the apologists say ‘if you think it’s bent why do you go?’, hence I changed my mind and decided to sack it off but, as you say City won’t take them back.
Whilst out and about in Heidelberg on the Wednesday I bumped into a friend and told him he could have mine. Clearly a blue, clearly goes to games.
Regarding the allocation of tickets for games I can see the pros and cons in all that’s been suggested.
I know some on lower points would prefer a ballot, and I can see why. But I go to games with my wife, neither of us would go unless we were both successful. Which means I’d sack it off completely as the uncertainty and the cost of travel would be prohibitive leaving it whilst City sort out a ballot.
Some on here shout for a ballot as they want to go to United, Liverpool or a big cup game, other than that they won’t go. Hardly trekking to Swansea mid week or Sunderland for a league cup game.
If Supporters Clubs and corporate weren’t given an allocation then there would be many more available for independent fans on their points. In fact that allocation could be given to a ballot. Then if you have the points you would get a ticket, if you don’t, then go in a ballot with everyone else, and not a ballot to see if your face fits.
I wasn’t a fan of the ticket collection from the off. In Kiev I was on my own and it wasn’t much hassle to walk 25 minutes to collect it although it was snowing lol.
However Paris was a real pain in the arse. Me, the Mrs and our three kids had to trek half way across Paris at some considerable expense and time. Whereas if I could have collected our family tickets it would have been much easier. The issue reached a head in Glasgow when four of us queued for an hour and a half in the rain to get into the dry and a fight started as some ‘fans’ decided they weren’t going to wait in the rain and stormed the entrance.
To top it all my other daughter was late for the game as she drove up direct from work. Had to park up, queue and collect her ticket, and then drive and park up near the ground. Again why couldn’t they let me have her ticket and me give it to her. There has to be an element of trust as four out of our family of five were there.
Unfortunately the club doesn’t speak to its fans or listen to what we have to say although hopefully that will change.
The latest ticket chaos has seen Supporter Services ignore its twitter feed and it takes ages getting through on the phone.
I’m not aware that those that are regular awayers are on the fan groups, but I know some that pick and choose, for whatever reason, are.
