Away days

[Howmanheyman 32824]

Whilst Gene was drinking in York avoiding Leeds fans I was about 9/10 and stopped at my Granny's house staying up to watch MOtD as there was no 1st Division games and we were the main game. 5-1 and it was superb telly! Did get to Millmoor about ten years later but that was a different story which involved car crashes, 'uncle albert style miracle recoveries', forged tickets, avoiding psychopath gangs roaming the streets, (ours as well as theirs), getting kicked off those nice Police horses and then eventually getting back to an engagement party in the Bottom club in Byker. There'd been reports of our multi-car crash near Ferrybridge and a passer-by had recognised some of us. 'We heard you injured/in hospital/it's worse than that he's dead, Jim!' but despite their obvious concern for us the party goers carried on as 'that's what they would've wanted'.

[Gene_Clark 12]

Whilst Gene was drinking in York avoiding Leeds fans I was about 9/10 and stopped at my Granny's house staying up to watch MOtD as there was no 1st Division games and we were the main game. 5-1 and it was superb telly! Did get to Millmoor about ten years later but that was a different story which involved car crashes, 'uncle albert style miracle recoveries', forged tickets, avoiding psychopath gangs roaming the streets, (ours as well as theirs), getting kicked off those nice Police horses and then eventually getting back to an engagement party in the Bottom club in Byker. There'd been reports of our multi-car crash near Ferrybridge and a passer-by had recognised some of us. 'We heard you injured/in hospital/it's worse than that he's dead, Jim!' but despite their obvious concern for us the party goers carried on as 'that's what they would've wanted'.

 

Actually, in 82/83, "Match of the Day" was on a Sunday afternoon!!

[Gene_Clark 12]

Thanks for all the positive comments btw; much appreciated

[Howmanheyman 32824]

Actually, in 82/83, "Match of the Day" was on a Sunday afternoon!!

Was on a sat night, I'm positive as I can't remember kipping at my Granny's on a sunday afternoon.

 

You're spot on, Gene, just checked it out. Must've watched the next day then, was at my granny's anyway, I remember that much.

Edited December 24, 2012 by Howmanheyman

[Gene_Clark 12]

Was on a sat night, I'm positive as I can't remember kipping at my Granny's on a sunday afternoon.

 

no; in 82/83 MotD was on a Sunday, for definite

[Howmanheyman 32824]

https://sites.google...gs/home/1982-83

 

I stand corrected.

[Gene_Clark 12]

https://sites.google...gs/home/1982-83

 

I stand corrected.

 

you see i'd just turned 18 then & was out every Saturday, so it was a bonus i could see MotD on hungover Sunday afternoons

[Howmanheyman 32824]

Read this in the minutes from the fans forum meeting the other day;

 

"The board explained that we want to give fans who come here the best value for money.

Until this season there was no rule in the Premier League on sale or return of away tickets.

We have always offered tickets on a sale or return basis since I have been at the club

because we think it's right; it encourages fans to travel and doesn’t leave clubs with a

financial penalty if they don’t sell out their allocation.

We campaigned heavily and the Premier League has now instructed that clubs must offer

sale or return up to a full allocation which is great. We also campaigned heavily on ticket

pricing with Premier League and we have always tried to make prices affordable. However,

our fans don’t get that when they travel - we already give a discount to other clubs’ fans but

that isn’t always reciprocated."

Does this mean that from now the club will ask for the maximum tickets on offer for away games as Mike Ashley is no longer worried about losing any money on unsold tickets? For some reason this wasn't widely reported and I can't believe anyone present didn't ask if they would now start to take full allocations. I've e-mailed both the club and the nust to get clarification on this. (In nust's case I've asked them to bring the question up next time). If I hear anything I'll put it on here.

 

 

Seeing Goodison in the OP reminded me of a trip there in 97-98 for the FACup . Went down for the weekend without tickets . Before the game we ended up at The Royal Oak by Goodison . Bar was rammed and half Newcastle . We luckily chanced on a pair of tickets for £40 or so from some lads whose mates had 'not made the bus' that morning . Atmosphere in there was getting a bit fraught and it was so stuffy we went to join a few outside to front and get some air . All of a sudden a group of older dressed Everton 'lads' come marching determinedly over to get in . Oh here we go .
One Newcastle lad who was inside starting songs off and memorable for being around 6'4" and eyes-half-closed drunk is now stood on the top step to the bar like he was on the door - complete with 'A-frame' stance and chin jutting .

He then calmly announced to the 20 or so lads, pointing a dismissive finger at their main agitator . .
"AV SEEN YEE , , SELLIN HOT DOGS , , ON BROOKSIDE !"

This was the only hairtrigger required and CRASHBANGWOLLOP all hell broke out . . We put our beers down and slinked away towards the ground . The scenes at the pub had caused a chain-reaction and there were all sorts of scuffles going on in the road with police casually walking up and down taking swipes with their long batons to keep folk moving on
I can still replay the 'hotdogs' incident vividly and it has to be one of the funniest things I've seen .

We won 1-0 with a scrappy goal from Rush (incidentally in a team also featuring Desmond FuckingHamilton)

 

Can't believe I never commented on this, like. :lol:

 

I knew a few radgies from my way who were obsesed with Brookside and Liverpool and even drove down one night after clubbing in the Toon full of drugs and/or alcohol to Merseyside to find Brookside Close and to sing songs to Billy Corkhill. I wonder if the person you saw was one of them?

[Howmanheyman 32824]

No reply to my email yet from either club or nust. Nice.

[The Fish 10776]

Which email?

[Meenzer 15429]

Which email?

 

Previous post, dickwad

[The Fish 10776]

 

Previous post, dickwad

That's not an email, that's the minutes

[Howmanheyman 32824]

If you read my post I've emailed both the club and the nust for clarification regarding their minutes where it states the club has campaigned for sale and return of away tickets to the premier league and have been successful or so I take it from their minutes. So, my email question to both is..... Will the club now be asking for maximum away allocations?

[The Fish 10776]

Thanks for clarification.

[Howmanheyman 32824]

It is a little unclear from their minutes hence my question. Can't believe nobody asked the question when it was mentioned.

[sweetleftpeg 0]

Just to move back to the early posts on here, the Cardiff Semi-final has to be my favourite away game ever despite the defeat. I went as a big group with all the lads I'd gone with for years for the whole weekend and had a blinding time. It was also the last away game I went with my old man before he passed away and had a great time with him. Sitting downing shots with him in a nightclub in the early hours before the game was probably some sort of symbolism for the circle of life or something.

 

Other that that, I'm a bit of a friggin jinx when it comes to watching us away. I've been to a lot of away games but my win percentage is shit. I think Sheffield Utd was the last time I saw us win away. Seriously, if you get a spare away ticket, don't give it to me.

[Howmanheyman 32824]

Not that most on here seem to give a fuck, but, just spotted this on .com;

 

 

Newcastle supporters have received a welcome boost following confirmation that the club's new away ticket price initiative has received support from two other Premier League clubs - ensuring greatly reduced prices for United's upcoming visits to Swansea and West Brom.

We've moaned continually about the cynical pricing policies that away clubs impose on toon fans and encouraged support for the Football Supporters Federation (FSF) and their "twenty's plenty" campaign aimed at reducing prices to an acceptable level.

That has had some resonance with the Premier League's governing body and recently-announced three season grants totaling £600K per club have been distributed for the express purpose of assisting travelling supporters.

Informed media reports (notably from The Independent'sIan Herbert here) however promised a more radical approach from NUFC to the whole matter and this has now been confirmed by the following club press release:

Newcastle United are inviting fellow Barclays Premier League football clubs to engage in a reciprocal pricing agreement which aims to drive down the price of match tickets for away supporters.

The offer means away fans travelling to league fixtures at St. James' Park could benefit from cheaper match tickets in the visitors' section should their club guarantee the same price for Newcastle United supporters who travel to the Magpies' corresponding away league fixture.

While the Magpies have already approached a number of clubs, with discussions to continue with others prior to relevant fixtures, two clubs have already taken up the Magpies' innovative offer.

Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion have agreed away ticket prices of just £15 for adults and £5 for concessions for their return Premier League fixtures during the 2013/14 season, with the sides meeting at St. James' Park in November and The Hawthorns on New Year's Day 2014.

The agreement with the Baggies will result in a saving of £24 (61.5%) for Newcastle United fans from the £39 it cost for an adult away ticket when the sides drew 1-1 in the West Midlands last season. Albion fans, meanwhile, will save £11 (42.3%) compared to the £26 away ticket price in the preceding fixture at St. James' Park in October 2012.

The Magpies have also finalised an agreement with Swansea City - Newcastle's longest return trip at 719 miles. The clubs' reciprocal deal will see fans of both clubs paying just £20 for adults and £5 for concessions for their fixtures in South Wales in December 2013 and on Tyneside in April 2014.

Magpies fans will save more than 40% on the £35 charged at the Liberty Stadium last season, with Swans fans receiving a third off the £30 they paid at St. James' Park in 2012/13.

While away supporters visiting Tyneside paid an average of less than £30 for an adult match ticket last season, Newcastle United supporters faced a price hike away from home.

The average adult away match ticket for Newcastle fans was just short of £40 (based on the lowest-priced available ticket) - despite Toon fans already facing the longest average round-trip in the top flight at 447 miles per game (8,498 miles over 19 games). The cheapest adult away match ticket for Newcastle fans was £25.

John Irving, finance director at Newcastle United, said:

"Newcastle United plays a hugely important role in the lives of supporters and in the community which surrounds it so keeping football affordable continues to be a key priority for us. Ticket prices are too expensive generally across the Premier League and we believe the right way to encourage people to attend, and to therefore fill stadiums as the Away Fans Fund intends, is to look at charging reasonable prices."

The Premier League recently launched the Away Fans Fund to reverse falling away attendances, with all 20 top flight clubs now ring-fencing £200,000 each per season over the next three seasons to assist away supporters.

John added: "While we respect the right of clubs to choose options which suit their individual circumstances, we believe there is room for clubs to work more closely to try to charge a fair amount rather than discounting very small amounts on match tickets in isolation.

"We are delighted to have reached an agreement with two of the first clubs we spoke to - West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City - and we applaud them for taking part. As prices indicated last season, fans of some clubs continue to pay far more than those of others and we hope this initiative will lead to a fairer system which can ultimately benefit all supporters."

Kevin Miles, chief executive of the Football Supporters' Federation - which has campaigned for fairer away ticket prices - said:

"The FSF is delighted to welcome the announcement by Newcastle United of their offer of a reciprocal pricing agreement for tickets for away fans at Premier League fixtures. This is a significant breakthrough in turning the concept of affordable prices for away fans into a reality, and Newcastle United, West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City are to be commended for taking a lead in this area.

"We would urge all other Premier League clubs to follow the lead of these clubs, both by taking up this offer and by extending similar arrangements to other fixtures too."

(Club calculations confirm that away fans visiting SJP for Premier League games in the 2012/13 season paid an average of just under £30, but for toon travellers on the road that figure was just under £40).

'SALE OR RETURN' TICKETING

As well as its work on pricing, Newcastle United also lobbied the Premier League for the abolition of the prohibitive 'sale only' method of selling away tickets, which the Premier League duly ended in summer 2013 as part of efforts to halt a decline in away attendances.

Under the system, which Newcastle United refused to impose on clubs visiting St. James' Park, away clubs received either a smaller allocation of tickets from home clubs, from which unsold tickets could be returned without charge. The alternative was a larger allocation which had to be paid for in advance. The financial burden of unsold tickets subsequently fell on the away club, leading many to continually choose the lower allocation - and subsequently fewer tickets for fans to purchase - to lessen a potential financial risk.

Under a new 'sale or return' agreement made between Premier League shareholders in the close season, clubs are now working closer to ensure visiting teams can service demand without financial penalty before unsold tickets are reallocated to home supporters.

 

Further details from the club appeared in Wednesday's edition of the Journal - online here - including the news that Norwich City refused to follow Swansea and West Brom's lead over reciprocal pricing.

That means that our midweek trip to Carrow Road in January will cost full price (£45 last season) - and Canaries fans will now be charged an increased price when visiting Gallowgate next month.

Despite failing to sign up for reciprocal pricing however, Norwich look to have reviewed their policy and reduced away fan prices. Like us, Aston Villa fans were charged £45 there in May, but £35 last month. It appears that Newcastle fans will also pay that reduced amount - still too much, but not quite as scandalous.

Newcastle's approach is genuinely ground breaking and like some of their home ticket pricing, to be applauded. And getting a Premier League director to publicly admit that ticket prices are too expensive is also a small coup.

And it's partly due to those ticket prices that grumbles over disparities between home and away fan pricing should be kept to a minimum - at least at SJP.

At other grounds however, it may be a harder sell to convince some home-only attendees that it's for the greater good of the game that they pay more for an equivalent seat to watch the same game than the travelling contingent just across the aisle.

Although a great gesture, this does remain just that though - and fails to obscure the greater issues that continue to frustrate and test travelling supporters.

The scheduling of both the Swansea and West Brom away left much to be desired, with a long-distance trip to Wales on a midweek December in the original fixtures, before selection for live TV was confirmed.

Similarly, a New Years Day trip to Birmingham requires significantly more planning, cost and personal sacrifice on the part of the toon travellers than for a local game. Why couldn't we be playing Hull that day - or the mackems?

Likewise, a midweek trip to Norfolk in January looks more akin to some sort feat of endurance rather than for entertainment purposes. It couldn't be more inconvenient if you tried: even giving away free tickets wouldn't help a significant proportion of those fans who had have been in the away end on a weekend to get there.

And what the Premier League don't screw up, the TV companies will. That means that we've had to endure Monday night visits to Everton for the last two seasons, where the away support has been sparse due not only to the prohibitive ticket price for a slum stand with an awful view, but also due to the timing. That won't change.

Some questions still remain to be answered by NUFC:

Will a fan-friendly pricing policy extend to their negotiations with other clubs when it comes to the matter of setting prices for domestic cup matches?

Our enquiries last season in the wake of the £45 ticket price for the League Cup tie at Old Trafford when the rest of the ties in that round cost £15 or £20 to attend confirmed that Manchester United's pricing policy had to be ratified by the Football League and Newcastle United.

With reference to the 'sale or return' ticketing announcement, in order to maximise the number of fans attending Newcastle away games, will the present ban on public sales be lifted?

What is seen by some as a restrictive money-making membership scheme was ushered in on the back of the Darlington pitch invasion in July 2011, partly in order to "put our own house in order" ahead of possible FA sanctions.

Since then though, there have been various games where the home club placed away end tickets on public sale (Forest, Blackburn, Villa to name three) and incidents of misbehaviour inside and outside away stadia (despite the member only ticket policy, last season's visit to Wigan made headlines for all the wrong reasons).

How will the allocated £600K fan fund be spent over the next three seasons?

Sign the FSF "Twenty's Plenty" petition online here

Their position is that enhanced overseas TV contracts agreed are a reflection of the importance of full stadia and atmosphere - and by pricing away fans out of the equation, the clubs risk damaging their "product".

Equally pertinent is the admission by certain Premier League clubs that only a small percentage of their revenue streams are from the match ticket sales.

Like us, the FSF are concerned that away fans are an endangered species - not just due to ticket prices but also the rising cost of transport, restrictive club sales policies and the mangling of the fixture list for TV. This campaign is an attempt to try and redress the balance.

 

They still don't say if they'll be asking for the maximum tickets for away games or if away tickets will be available to the general public but it's a step in the right direction.

[Howmanheyman 32824]

John Irving

We have a history of travelling well and clubs are probably looking at that. But it’s beginning to fall. It’s less than it used to be and much of that is down to money.

 

 

And down to restricting tickets to ST holders and members only as well as asking for minimum allocations, John.

[PaddockLad 17124]

John Irving

 

 

And down to restricting tickets to ST holders and members only as well as asking for minimum allocations, John.

 

It depends on the day,time and location tbh....Everton and Man City were down in numbers, both Monday night games and shite performances. Villa and Cardiff were were full and in good voice for obvious reasons, Saturday, 3 o'clock, good performances.

[PaddockLad 17124]

The £20 thing is a good move by the clubs involved but I'd be surprised if more than half of Premier League clubs took it up.

[Howmanheyman 32824]

 

It depends on the day,time and location tbh....Everton and Man City were down in numbers, both Monday night games and shite performances. Villa and Cardiff were were full and in good voice for obvious reasons, Saturday, 3 o'clock, good performances.

Of course it does, also would be rather spiffing if Joe Public could roll up to SJP and buy a ticket without having to pay £30 to be a member first. That would help a lot.