Hung said:It is very likely that in most of our lifetimes, the ‘away fan’ will a be thing of the past. The financial power of the top 4 means that they only really compete with each other. The rest make up the numbers. Eventually, this will lead to a breakaway and the creation of a true ‘European League’, following which, due to excessive cost and distance, fans may go to one or two away games a year. I hope this doesn’t happen. Whilst the UCL is still a novelty to us at the moment, personally, I’d rather be facing Villa this week in an English League, rather than Milan in an elite European League. Then again, I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s and I’m a bit of a traditionalist.
Hung said:It is very likely that in most of our lifetimes, the ‘away fan’ will a be thing of the past. The financial power of the top 4 means that they only really compete with each other. The rest make up the numbers. Eventually, this will lead to a breakaway and the creation of a true ‘European League’, following which, due to excessive cost and distance, fans may go to one or two away games a year.
We can, do and have done mate.Prestwich_Blue said:The segregation arrangements won't allow us to sell part of the away fans blocks to home fans. We can sell the upper tier or lower tier as a whole ut not split fans within either tier.The Pink Panther said:I don't understand the issue about a club returning a block of tickets.
Skashion said:Germany is a very different country with a very different league. Britain is now a very different country with a very different league to the way it used to be.Marvin said:If you look at German football you see big away crowds.
It's ticket prices, and football has to decide whether they are bothered or not. It must have their attention by now. So we conclude that football's bosses aren;t bothered.
And I must conclude that they are idiots because it's one of the main attractions to the game
Yes there are clubs who have fickle supports. And Villa do have a reputation for that. But it's not like this is a one off. Sunderland used to bring loads. They didn't this season and when they came they were unbeaten
Germany has heavy government intervention, which, for instance includes public transport in the price of a match ticket. Would never happen over here in a million years. We're too market-based to take that approach. You can imagine Virgin and the like throwing shit fits from losing the money of football fans. We can't go back to the days of football specials because it's now all privatised and no-one keeps dilapidated rolling stock anymore.
As to our league, the English Premier League is the most popular in the world, and mark my words, it will become the dominant league. It is the only league worth bothering about in all the emerging markets. The money contributed by the fans will become less and less and so the idea of a supporters boycott will become less and less powerful. Soon clubs won't need working class fans at all, only corporates. The only way tickets will get cheaper is via the benign actions of owners, but even that is circumvented by the intense market pressures of competition of players wages. Think about it. Could footballers earn 10k a week tops, and the fans have virtually free tickets, and could it all work. Absolutely. Can that happen? No. There's your answer. Get rid of free-market capitalism.
St Helens Blue (Exiled) said:For me it is fuck all to do with pricing. It is the fact that football fans and people in general have less disposable income to spend on hobbies etc these days as a result of recession,no pay rises and as a result they have to decide what to spend there money on. Football and away days I am afraid are way down the list of certain families who are struggling to make ends meet. I am lucky that I do not have to worry about the cost of football however out of principal I would never ever pay over £60 for a football ticket. That would be my limit.
Britain is not Germany. That was a key point I was making that you seem to have overlooked.80s Shorts said:Rubbish. Germanys average ticket prices are around £15 a ticket. Fuck all to do with transport.
As for Virgin throwing shit fits about losing out on fares if they were included in the ticket prices, do you not think the german transport companies are compensated within their scheme. The way it is going there will be few away fans left for Virgin to be bothered about.
Skashion said:Britain is not Germany. That was a key point I was making that you seem to have overlooked.80s Shorts said:Rubbish. Germanys average ticket prices are around £15 a ticket. Fuck all to do with transport.
As for Virgin throwing shit fits about losing out on fares if they were included in the ticket prices, do you not think the german transport companies are compensated within their scheme. The way it is going there will be few away fans left for Virgin to be bothered about.