Villa return some of their 1700 allocation - on OS now

[M18CTID]

I can understand why some of you are taking the piss, I'm sure some of our fans would if the roles were reversed. However it says everything about the state of modern football when a club of our size can't sell 2800 let alone 1700 tickets for a saturday 3pm kick off just up the road. It's nothing to do with 'loyalty', it's everything to do with price and the fact we've got hardly any chance of winning. Paying £40 when you know more than likely your team will lose is hardly appealing. Yes I know we charge you £43 but that's not the fans' fault, we don't decide the prices. Away supporters are a dying breed unless you're rich or support a successful team that wins most weeks. Sunderland only took 1200 to Everton last week, that wasn't even £40 but they knew b efore the game kicked off they probably wouldn't win. It's not just the ticket you have to pay for either, if I came to yours saturday it would cost me over £100 once I'd brought my lad's ticket, train tickets, beer, food. That's a lot of money and an expensive day for 90 minutes of football that we will more than likely lose. I simply can't justify paying that money with Christmas around the corner and when we're playing in a competition where the best we can achieve is about 12th. Its got to the stage where I and many more of our fans are having to pick and choose which away games are the best because it's too expensive to attend them all. We took 3000 to West Ham, 3200 to Southampton, 3300 to Swindon, 4000+ to Fulham yet we took 1400 to Sunderland, 1100 to Newcastle, 1500 to Tottenham. Emphasising it's all about having to pick and choose which aways you attend, rather than it being about loyalty. Apparantly we've already sold 3000 of our 4100 allocation for Norwich because it's £25 and it's in a competition we've got a chance of winning, simple as that. Still give me 1500 of our fans stood singing all game over the like of Everton who take 3000 and sit in silence.

You won't see me taking the piss out of Villa mate - only a minority on this thread have done that, and it's all too easy to do it when you're posting as a fan of a club that's having a great time of it of late as we have. When we were shite a few years back, our away followings were dropping all over the place. I was just a little surprised that some tickets were sent back for Saturday's game and the Villa fans I've often come across in Manchester for this fixture tend to be up for making a day of it.

You're right that a lot of it is about picking and choosing away games these days because of the cost, etc. 3000 at West Ham and 3200 at Southampton are undoubtedly impressive followings.

Regarding away ticket prices, it wasn't that long ago that we were complaining about paying £40 at Birmingham and £39 at Bolton but £40 or more seems to have become the norm for most clubs these days. Even the smaller promoted clubs seem to be keen to get in on the act - 2 seasons ago Blackpool charged us £39 and £40 so if they were still in this division I'd guess they would now be charging £45 or more.

 

[Mikeegrini]

I can understand why some of you are taking the piss, I'm sure some of our fans would if the roles were reversed. However it says everything about the state of modern football when a club of our size can't sell 2800 let alone 1700 tickets for a saturday 3pm kick off just up the road. It's nothing to do with 'loyalty', it's everything to do with price and the fact we've got hardly any chance of winning. Paying £40 when you know more than likely your team will lose is hardly appealing. Yes I know we charge you £43 but that's not the fans' fault, we don't decide the prices. Away supporters are a dying breed unless you're rich or support a successful team that wins most weeks. Sunderland only took 1200 to Everton last week, that wasn't even £40 but they knew b efore the game kicked off they probably wouldn't win. It's not just the ticket you have to pay for either, if I came to yours saturday it would cost me over £100 once I'd brought my lad's ticket, train tickets, beer, food. That's a lot of money and an expensive day for 90 minutes of football that we will more than likely lose. I simply can't justify paying that money with Christmas around the corner and when we're playing in a competition where the best we can achieve is about 12th. Its got to the stage where I and many more of our fans are having to pick and choose which away games are the best because it's too expensive to attend them all. We took 3000 to West Ham, 3200 to Southampton, 3300 to Swindon, 4000+ to Fulham yet we took 1400 to Sunderland, 1100 to Newcastle, 1500 to Tottenham. Emphasising it's all about having to pick and choose which aways you attend, rather than it being about loyalty. Apparantly we've already sold 3000 of our 4100 allocation for Norwich because it's £25 and it's in a competition we've got a chance of winning, simple as that. Still give me 1500 of our fans stood singing all game over the like of Everton who take 3000 and sit in silence.

I can understand cash problems in the cost of the entire 'package' but to say it's ''nothing'' to do with loyalty then say yourself, the better attendances are only against teams you can expect to win against, isn't that a contradiction in it's self? I would say the disenchantment is down to more than 'just' price.

 

[cheddar404]

I can understand why some of you are taking the piss, I'm sure some of our fans would if the roles were reversed. However it says everything about the state of modern football when a club of our size can't sell 2800 let alone 1700 tickets for a saturday 3pm kick off just up the road. It's nothing to do with 'loyalty', it's everything to do with price and the fact we've got hardly any chance of winning. Paying £40 when you know more than likely your team will lose is hardly appealing. Yes I know we charge you £43 but that's not the fans' fault, we don't decide the prices. Away supporters are a dying breed unless you're rich or support a successful team that wins most weeks. Sunderland only took 1200 to Everton last week, that wasn't even £40 but they knew b efore the game kicked off they probably wouldn't win. It's not just the ticket you have to pay for either, if I came to yours saturday it would cost me over £100 once I'd brought my lad's ticket, train tickets, beer, food. That's a lot of money and an expensive day for 90 minutes of football that we will more than likely lose. I simply can't justify paying that money with Christmas around the corner and when we're playing in a competition where the best we can achieve is about 12th. Its got to the stage where I and many more of our fans are having to pick and choose which away games are the best because it's too expensive to attend them all. We took 3000 to West Ham, 3200 to Southampton, 3300 to Swindon, 4000+ to Fulham yet we took 1400 to Sunderland, 1100 to Newcastle, 1500 to Tottenham. Emphasising it's all about having to pick and choose which aways you attend, rather than it being about loyalty. Apparantly we've already sold 3000 of our 4100 allocation for Norwich because it's £25 and it's in a competition we've got a chance of winning, simple as that. Still give me 1500 of our fans stood singing all game over the like of Everton who take 3000 and sit in silence.

I can understand cash problems in the cost of the entire 'package' but to say it's ''nothing'' to do with loyalty then say yourself, the better attendances are only against teams you can expect to win against, isn't that a contradiction in it's self? I would say the disenchantment is down to more than 'just' price.

And our support has never flinched no matter how well or badly we're doing regardless of the opposition? We've sold out at every away match we've ever played no matter what the price?
We've been well supported but we've had some really poor attendances away from home especially when ticket prices have been high before the recent success.

 

[M18CTID]

I can understand why some of you are taking the piss, I'm sure some of our fans would if the roles were reversed. However it says everything about the state of modern football when a club of our size can't sell 2800 let alone 1700 tickets for a saturday 3pm kick off just up the road. It's nothing to do with 'loyalty', it's everything to do with price and the fact we've got hardly any chance of winning. Paying £40 when you know more than likely your team will lose is hardly appealing. Yes I know we charge you £43 but that's not the fans' fault, we don't decide the prices. Away supporters are a dying breed unless you're rich or support a successful team that wins most weeks. Sunderland only took 1200 to Everton last week, that wasn't even £40 but they knew b efore the game kicked off they probably wouldn't win. It's not just the ticket you have to pay for either, if I came to yours saturday it would cost me over £100 once I'd brought my lad's ticket, train tickets, beer, food. That's a lot of money and an expensive day for 90 minutes of football that we will more than likely lose. I simply can't justify paying that money with Christmas around the corner and when we're playing in a competition where the best we can achieve is about 12th. Its got to the stage where I and many more of our fans are having to pick and choose which away games are the best because it's too expensive to attend them all. We took 3000 to West Ham, 3200 to Southampton, 3300 to Swindon, 4000+ to Fulham yet we took 1400 to Sunderland, 1100 to Newcastle, 1500 to Tottenham. Emphasising it's all about having to pick and choose which aways you attend, rather than it being about loyalty. Apparantly we've already sold 3000 of our 4100 allocation for Norwich because it's £25 and it's in a competition we've got a chance of winning, simple as that. Still give me 1500 of our fans stood singing all game over the like of Everton who take 3000 and sit in silence.

I can understand cash problems in the cost of the entire 'package' but to say it's ''nothing'' to do with loyalty then say yourself, the better attendances are only against teams you can expect to win against, isn't that a contradiction in it's self? I would say the disenchantment is down to more than 'just' price.

To be fair, he alludes to that in his post and isn't simply putting it down to cost. General apathy amongst Villa fans with regards to the direction their club is taking is a factor and I suppose you can't blame them because not so long ago they were going places under Lerner and O'Neill but in the past couple of seasons they've seen O'Neill drop them in the shit some 5 days before the new season started and Randy has reigned in the spending.

And let's be fair here - every club has a percentage of fairweather supporters which means that they get bigger crowds when doing well compared to when they're not. Our fans are no different. So while football tickets are generally way overpriced, it does make me laugh that on the one hand some fans can moan that they cannot possibly afford to go to certain matches yet the same fans can suddenly find the money if their team has a big game coming up - two classic examples are the FA Cup semi and final in 2011. 32,000 of our fans found the money to pay for semi-final tickets and a few weeks later 25,000 found the money for the final.

 

[HolteEnder]

Its just common sense and very understandable that you would be more willing to fork out £40 at an away game you've got more chance of winning. Paying £40+ to watch us get humped at Oid Trafford every season isn't my idea of fun.

Don't forget we've been in the Premier League since it started aswell, visiting the same grounds every season and paying £40+ for the privilege is tedious now. There's only so many times I'm willing to pay that to watch us lose at Old Trafford or Anfield, and I've passed my limit.

 

[ell]

Its just common sense and very understandable that you would be more willing to fork out £40 at an away game you've got more chance of winning. Paying £40+ to watch us get humped at Oid Trafford every season isn't my idea of fun.

Don't forget we've been in the Premier League since it started aswell, visiting the same grounds every season and paying £40+ for the privilege is tedious now. There's only so many times I'm willing to pay that to watch us lose at Old Trafford or Anfield, and I've passed my limit.

Fair play to you lad. Its about time we had a mass boycott of all premier league games for 1 weekend

 

[Mikeegrini]

You can argue that it's not when we're paying around 50 notes for an away match these days but £40 for 90 minutes of football is still shocking. It's probably not so bad if you go to the odd matchbut the proper football fan who follows his/her team all over will become a thing of the past unless they are very wealthy.

Firstly I think if Villa where doing better and hadn't made a balls up last year with the selection of Manager they would have sold out their allocation. IIRC they had it cut the year before because of the way the fans behaved?

£40 to see your team play the Champions? Shocking? Around the £60 mark, yes I'd agree. I feel sure that every game City supporters go to would be cat A. What can you buy, as a one off, first class event, for £40? Don't get me wrong as a traveling supporter I know it's also the associated costs but go to any event out of your area and that would be the same. Maybe £40 is/should be the upper limit?

On a slightly different note. I'm more disappointed that a supporter can't even watch City on TV, if they can't afford for whatever reason (time or cash restraints or even simple unavailability of tickets), to go to the ground because of the 3 o'clock rule.

It's not one off though is it? If you follow your team you have to find £40 for this match, maybe £50 for the next and so on. You're right in that maybe if Villa were doing better then they would have more "one off fans" who would take the place of the regular fan that can't afford it. Ring any bells? This is what's happening with us at the moment. I've done every home and away match so far but due to the price of it all I'm having to take a break for a month or so. If we're doing shit then no one takes my place and opposing fans say that City's support is shit but we're champions and second in the league so someone with less points takes my place so the issue of my absense is not noticed. Some people have very short memories when ciriticising other clubs' supporters.

I never said anyone's support was 'shit' simply that I thought their low attendance this time was because of reasons other than 'just' the price of the entry ticket.
I can't attend every home and away match as much as I would like to. Neither can I afford to go on the piss every weekend, hence my saying ''a one of event''. Obviously we all have to make choices but isn't that the same whatever someone spends their 'leisure pounds' on?
However, as much as I too would like to pay less I still don't think that £40 over the top. As a season ticket holder it costs me a touch over £30.

 

[Mikeegrini]

Its just common sense and very understandable that you would be more willing to fork out £40 at an away game you've got more chance of winning. Paying £40+ to watch us get humped at Oid Trafford every season isn't my idea of fun.

Don't forget we've been in the Premier League since it started aswell, visiting the same grounds every season and paying £40+ for the privilege is tedious now. There's only so many times I'm willing to pay that to watch us lose at Old Trafford or Anfield, and I've passed my limit.

Of course it is I'll hold up my hand and say I almost never went to the swamp last year. Obviously I'm made up that in the end I did. I had expected to have put myself through it again. But isn't it the surprise/ delight of the one out of the blue that makes a day out into a great day out? They are the sweetest.

 

[Marvin]

It's an easy fix for the Premier League to cap away ticket prices.

Meanwhile the overall health of the game is good.

Attendances are up: Current Premiership average is now 35,810 (34,601). I think that could be heading for a record. And there will be grounds like City, Fulham and maybe Liverpool which will be expanded in the future

Villa's are also significantly ahead of last season. Obviously this is skewed by big games with only 11 fixtures having been played. Definitely you can say an away fan phenomena

I wonder if anyone will score an overhead kick this weekend? Mario? Done it before against Villa.

 

[cheddar404]

Firstly I think if Villa where doing better and hadn't made a balls up last year with the selection of Manager they would have sold out their allocation. IIRC they had it cut the year before because of the way the fans behaved?

£40 to see your team play the Champions? Shocking? Around the £60 mark, yes I'd agree. I feel sure that every game City supporters go to would be cat A. What can you buy, as a one off, first class event, for £40? Don't get me wrong as a traveling supporter I know it's also the associated costs but go to any event out of your area and that would be the same. Maybe £40 is/should be the upper limit?

On a slightly different note. I'm more disappointed that a supporter can't even watch City on TV, if they can't afford for whatever reason (time or cash restraints or even simple unavailability of tickets), to go to the ground because of the 3 o'clock rule.

It's not one off though is it? If you follow your team you have to find £40 for this match, maybe £50 for the next and so on. You're right in that maybe if Villa were doing better then they would have more "one off fans" who would take the place of the regular fan that can't afford it. Ring any bells? This is what's happening with us at the moment. I've done every home and away match so far but due to the price of it all I'm having to take a break for a month or so. If we're doing shit then no one takes my place and opposing fans say that City's support is shit but we're champions and second in the league so someone with less points takes my place so the issue of my absense is not noticed. Some people have very short memories when ciriticising other clubs' supporters.

I never said anyone's support was 'shit' simply that I thought their low attendance this time was because of reasons other than 'just' the price of the entry ticket.
I can't attend every home and away match as much as I would like to. Neither can I afford to go on the piss every weekend, hence my saying ''a one of event''. Obviously we all have to make choices but isn't that the same whatever someone spends their 'leisure pounds' on?
However, as much as I too would like to pay less I still don't think that £40 over the top. As a season ticket holder it costs me a touch over £30.

I know you've not said that and I apologise for quoting you when mentioning this but there has been a leaning towards it on this thread from some posters. It's never just as simple as ticket price but Villa are the sort of club to use as a barometer for this. Forget us selling out and any club fighting near the top of the table and also freshly promoted clubs. We've seen "poor" numbers from clubs which would traditionally bring many more such as Newcastle, Sunderland, Villa, Stoke etc...The price of tickets I think is the major factor.