Bitter taste in my mouth

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Dkc

Dkc

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I love the Blades with all my heart and last season was one of the best in living memory. I’ve seen two other promotions to the top flight, and last season’s could have been the most exciting I have witnessed. I have huge respect for CW and the players who achieved promotion against the odds, and this is not a gripe at them. Most of the club’s employees are good people too. But I think there’s something rotten creeping in, something that’s driving a big wedge between the club and the fans.

In general, great wealth changes people for the worst. The more money you have, the more you want to retain it and acquire more. This applies to organizations too. When they can afford it, people and companies hire professionals, lawyers and PR people, not to engage with customers, but to brush them aside and avoid criticism.

OK, some things are now dictated by the PL. But in general, United’s attitude to the fans this season has been appalling. It has been that of rich company seeking to protect its assets and increase its wealth above anything else. The season ticket early bird fiasco, moving loyal season ticket holders without speaking to them first, the blatant rip off that is the membership scheme, the Palace ticketing fiasco, making Palace a Cat A game and charging our fans on the kop more than the away fans are just a few examples. Even worse is the terse responses to emails and the corporate-speak in the official communication. It stinks.

I can’t believe McCabe is responsible for this. His regime has been characterized by fair prices and good communication with the fans. I can only imagine that his power is now limited and someone else now has the final say when it comes to pricing, PR and communication.

The facts can’t be avoided. The club is really fucking up its relationship with the fans big time. Loyalty and tradition are taking a back seat to the practice of screwing as much money as possible out of the fans.

We’re currently acting worse than Wednesday under Chansiri, and it’s leaving a bitter taste in my mouth
 

United have always usually been good if you complain and reasonably argue your case in my time.

It's another matter debating whether you should need to do that.

I agree there have been some 'changes' this summer (not cost related) that makes me question what the motive is and who's driving it.
 
Dkc, seems like you don’t understand the reality of playing in the PL
It’s easy to complain but you haven’t offered any solutions or alternatives.
Not sure if you know this but we are now in a totally different world to what we’ve ever experienced before.

Regards the ticket fiasco, it’s not that much of a fiasco because it’s very close to a sell out.

Also regards the membership fiasco I agree no one needs memberships for the early matches but when we play Liverpool no tickets will go on general sale.
Sure you’ll need a membership for that match to stand a chance of gaining a ticket......how do you satisfy everyone when we’ll over 40,000 are desperate to see a game and all willing to pay top dollar. Some people are going to miss out when we play Liverpool in a few weeks....so there’s going to more complaints.

Football (for better or worse) has changed and it’s essential that SU are run like a professional business and understand the world they are operating in.
 
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Dkc said:
I love the Blades with all my heart and last season was one of the best in living memory. I’ve seen two other promotions to the top flight, and last season’s could have been the most exciting I have witnessed. I have huge respect for CW and the players who achieved promotion against the odds, and this is not a gripe at them. Most of the club’s employees are good people too. But I think there’s something rotten creeping in, something that’s driving a big wedge between the club and the fans.

In general, great wealth changes people for the worst. The more money you have, the more you want to retain it and acquire more. This applies to organizations too. When they can afford it, people and companies hire professionals, lawyers and PR people, not to engage with customers, but to brush them aside and avoid criticism.

OK, some things are now dictated by the PL. But in general, United’s attitude to the fans this season has been appalling. It has been that of rich company seeking to protect its assets and increase its wealth above anything else. The season ticket early bird fiasco, moving loyal season ticket holders without speaking to them first, the blatant rip off that is the membership scheme, the Palace ticketing fiasco, making Palace a Cat A game and charging our fans on the kop more than the away fans are just a few examples. Even worse is the terse responses to emails and the corporate-speak in the official communication. It stinks.

I can’t believe McCabe is responsible for this. His regime has been characterized by fair prices and good communication with the fans. I can only imagine that his power is now limited and someone else now has the final say when it comes to pricing, PR and communication.

The facts can’t be avoided. The club is really fucking up its relationship with the fans big time. Loyalty and tradition are taking a back seat to the practice of screwing as much money as possible out of the fans.

We’re currently acting worse than Wednesday under Chansiri, and it’s leaving a bitter taste in my mouth
Click to expand...
Blimey mate, I'll buy you a beer next time I see you.
 
S11Blade said:
The product your getting is vastly improved from the product you were getting before, so why shouldn’t you pay more? Our prices are still very fair.
Click to expand...
The product now, he has paid for, and supported, which is why it has improved, plus edured all the shite .... why should he pay more
 
Don't go then simple as that.

There's genieune reasons for all those problems on numerous threads but people like you are refusing to see then. If you disagree with it simply don't go and go to Sheffield instead. It'll be cheaper and they could do with the money.
 
Club run like a corner shop. Fucking rubbish.

Club run like a big business, fucking rubbish as well.

I wish the last paragraph had been the first instead, then I wouldn't have wasted time reading the rest of it.

Yes there are issues, give them time to deal with it.
 

Sean Thornton said:
Club run like a corner shop. Fucking rubbish.

Club run like a big business, fucking rubbish as well.

I wish the last paragraph had been the first instead, then I wouldn't have wasted time reading the rest of it.

Yes there are issues, give them time to deal with it.
Click to expand...
started in 1889, how long do they want ? ....................... ;)
 
Since when did the OP imagine there'd be no change in prices once we reached the Premier Division?

Complaining at this stage gives the impression of being green around the gills. This has been commented on elsewhere, it just seems odd that anyone should consider a change in prices, for whatever, at odds with entering the Premier Division. Of course there's always the option of not attending games, or possibly watching the Blades on Now TV if saving money is such a pain in the arse? As for the comparison with Chansiri, could the OP quote examples of how we compare with North Korea's finest?
 
Dkc said:
I love the Blades with all my heart and last season was one of the best in living memory. I’ve seen two other promotions to the top flight, and last season’s could have been the most exciting I have witnessed. I have huge respect for CW and the players who achieved promotion against the odds, and this is not a gripe at them. Most of the club’s employees are good people too. But I think there’s something rotten creeping in, something that’s driving a big wedge between the club and the fans.

In general, great wealth changes people for the worst. The more money you have, the more you want to retain it and acquire more. This applies to organizations too. When they can afford it, people and companies hire professionals, lawyers and PR people, not to engage with customers, but to brush them aside and avoid criticism.

OK, some things are now dictated by the PL. But in general, United’s attitude to the fans this season has been appalling. It has been that of rich company seeking to protect its assets and increase its wealth above anything else. The season ticket early bird fiasco, moving loyal season ticket holders without speaking to them first, the blatant rip off that is the membership scheme, the Palace ticketing fiasco, making Palace a Cat A game and charging our fans on the kop more than the away fans are just a few examples. Even worse is the terse responses to emails and the corporate-speak in the official communication. It stinks.

I can’t believe McCabe is responsible for this. His regime has been characterized by fair prices and good communication with the fans. I can only imagine that his power is now limited and someone else now has the final say when it comes to pricing, PR and communication.

The facts can’t be avoided. The club is really fucking up its relationship with the fans big time. Loyalty and tradition are taking a back seat to the practice of screwing as much money as possible out of the fans.

We’re currently acting worse than Wednesday under Chansiri, and it’s leaving a bitter taste in my mouth
Click to expand...

Jesus, not another one. Next you lot will be moaning about the birds in the trees singing out of tune.
 
Dkc said:
I love the Blades with all my heart and last season was one of the best in living memory. I’ve seen two other promotions to the top flight, and last season’s could have been the most exciting I have witnessed. I have huge respect for CW and the players who achieved promotion against the odds, and this is not a gripe at them. Most of the club’s employees are good people too. But I think there’s something rotten creeping in, something that’s driving a big wedge between the club and the fans.

In general, great wealth changes people for the worst. The more money you have, the more you want to retain it and acquire more. This applies to organizations too. When they can afford it, people and companies hire professionals, lawyers and PR people, not to engage with customers, but to brush them aside and avoid criticism.

OK, some things are now dictated by the PL. But in general, United’s attitude to the fans this season has been appalling. It has been that of rich company seeking to protect its assets and increase its wealth above anything else. The season ticket early bird fiasco, moving loyal season ticket holders without speaking to them first, the blatant rip off that is the membership scheme, the Palace ticketing fiasco, making Palace a Cat A game and charging our fans on the kop more than the away fans are just a few examples. Even worse is the terse responses to emails and the corporate-speak in the official communication. It stinks.

I can’t believe McCabe is responsible for this. His regime has been characterized by fair prices and good communication with the fans. I can only imagine that his power is now limited and someone else now has the final say when it comes to pricing, PR and communication.

The facts can’t be avoided. The club is really fucking up its relationship with the fans big time. Loyalty and tradition are taking a back seat to the practice of screwing as much money as possible out of the fans.

We’re currently acting worse than Wednesday under Chansiri, and it’s leaving a bitter taste in my mouth
Click to expand...
Sure your not a pig in disguise?.
The club has had a lot on its plate since promotion and ok not got all of it right.
Been down this morning and there's loads going on to get ready for tomorrow , even at this late hour.
 
We've just had a stellar transfer window - breaking our previous record on a near-weekly basis. Around £50m (+ wages, bouses etc.) and ground improvements spent to give us a fighting chance to stay in the PL. That money has to come from somewhere - and it isn't all covered by the 'riches' of being in the PL.

The choice is simple. Drive a cheap Dacia Sandero with low running costs and no excitement, or summat like a Porsche with eye-watering running costs but something to look forward to.

(And when the Sandero starts to rot away, cover it with a tarpaulin and pretend the rust isn't happening on a daily basis. Like Hillsborough. :D)
 
“But in general, United’s attitude to the fans this season has been appalling.”

A season that’s one game old and we haven’t even had our first home game??

FFS - I presume you cheered the Blades onto promotion over the last 3 years?
Your happy to laud it over the pigs and leeds?
You’ve enjoyed watching the club smash it’s own record transfer fee 4 times?
You got a chill down the spine when MOTD came on last Saturday and our beloved badge was front and centre?

We’ve moved on, the romantic notion that we can take all the benefits but not be a part of the machine that powers that engine is ridiculous.
Everything comes at a price, we are still one of, if not the cheapest team to follow in the premiership.
 
Dimyan93 said:
Don't go then simple as that.
Click to expand...

No, it's not as simple as that. It's my club, and the club of my mates from school. We're all in our 50's now, and have supported the team over decades through thick and thin. Like many of my mates, I was at Hillsborough on Boxing Day, Darlington, Leicester, Wembley v the Pigs, Play Off finals, relegation games, cup semis.

You are implying that it's a simple decision, like shopping at Tesco if you don't like Waitrose. But it isn't. It's about much, much more than that. It's about the soul and tradition of S2 and the close connection with that fans that I always though set SUFC apart from the corporate-led clubs. As a loyal fan I should be allowed to criticise without being told that I shouldn't go any more.

It's not about prices. It's about the way that many very important decisions are now seemingly being made in a vacuum without any input from fans. It's about the way the club speaks to us. How we are fobbed offf, how we are treated.
 
Dkc said:
We’re currently acting worse than Wednesday under Chansiri, and it’s leaving a bitter taste in my mouth
Click to expand...

That is such an uneducated and misguided comment you deserve taking to task regards comparisons.

Chansiri charges the highest prices in his division.....whilst we charge some of the lowest.
Chansiri changed their badge and gets rid of the traditional stripes.....we haven’t
Chansiri has his name and photo plastered all over their stadium...we have proper commercial sponsors.
Chansiri has financially mismanaged their club so they’ve been forced to sell the stadium....we’ve been far more sensible staying within FFP rules
Chansiri has vastly inflated the price of their corporate boxes meaning hardly any have been sold...where we charge a fair price meaning all our boxes are sold.
Chansiri receives criticism at their fans forum, then says gate money hardly brings in any income and he threatens to sell the club...we never have such tantrums.
Chansiri tries to micro manage their club...sacked loads of back room staff and comes across like a dictator...we are run much more professionally.
Chansiri couldn’t even manage to produce their new shirts for the new season, in fact none were ready by Christmas.whereas we never had supply issues with Adidas

Could go on and on with example.....they’ve hardly spent a penny on transfers in 2 years and currently don’t have a manager with seemingly no rush to appooint anyone. When Chansiri first joined SW he admitted that he knows nothing about football and his time at SW demonstrates this.
 
Dkc said:
No, it's not as simple as that. It's my club, and the club of my mates from school. We're all in our 50's now, and have supported the team over decades through thick and thin. Like many of my mates, I was at Hillsborough on Boxing Day, Darlington, Leicester, Wembley v the Pigs, Play Off finals, relegation games, cup semis.

You are implying that it's a simple decision, like shopping at Tesco if you don't like Waitrose. But it isn't. It's about much, much more than that. It's about the soul and tradition of S2 and the close connection with that fans that I always though set SUFC apart from the corporate-led clubs. As a loyal fan I should be allowed to criticise without being told that I shouldn't go any more.

It's not about prices. It's about the way that many very important decisions are now seemingly being made in a vacuum without any input from fans. It's about the way the club speaks to us. How we are fobbed offf, how we are treated.
Click to expand...

Which important decisions did the fans have any relevant input into prior to this season?
 
finlaytheblade said:
Sure your not a pig in disguise?.
The club has had a lot on its plate since promotion and ok not got all of it right.
Been down this morning and there's loads going on to get ready for tomorrow , even at this late hour.
Click to expand...
That's uncalled for.

I happen to know that the OP is on a limited budget, as he has said himself on another thread, has lived all over Europe as well as in New York (not the Rotherham one) and flies over to go to the Lane on a regular basis.

Given the effort he puts in he is entitled to feel disenfranchised by the current ineptitude displayed by different departments all over the Lane.

Even the happiest of clippers, of which I'm one, can see that the club have made an absolute bollocks of nearly everything (except recruitment) this summer.
 
Maidenhead said:
That's uncalled for.

I happen to know that the OP is on a limited budget, as he has said himself on another thread, has lived all over Europe as well as in New York (not the Rotherham one) and flies over to go to the Lane on a regular basis.

Given the effort he puts in he is entitled to feel disenfranchised by the current ineptitude displayed by different departments all over the Lane.

Even the happiest of clippers, of which I'm one, can see that the club have made an absolute bollocks of nearly everything (except recruitment) this summer.
Click to expand...


What have the Romans, sorry, owners, done for us........
 

It is more of a love affair with United greater than support, but as Sean says the club does have the knack of getting it wrong with fans occasioanly. I cannot explain why it's just summat they do, a lot though this season is by joining the PL which, is a franchise rather than a league. It's geared up to make money nothing more simple and a lot of fans get screwed not just Blades, blades have helped United out of some really tight spots sometimes they could give a little back. On saying that I for one will cut them some slack as this is a transitional period for the whole club and, as I say we have the chance to really bump it up a notch and be a team to be reckoned with.

When we went up in 06/07 the season was more of NW's personal mystery tour, you cannot knock him for promotion but sadly the PL is a step too far as for CW I think he'll be like a fish to water.
 
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