A Chat With Richard Batho.

[Vancouver]

I had 6-7.

Days. 6-7 days.

Schoolboy error... that timeframe only occurs after a win.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Did he mention anything about the squad being shit? Or the fact that we're relegation bound? Or did he simply toe the club's line of ignoring all that stuff, and of course if you pretend there isn't a problem there then there can't be.........can there?

Would the first team squad fall into his remit?

So why would he answer questions on it?

I think you can answer your own questions HH. Nothing to do with toeing the club line, simply that he cannot and shouldn't comment on areas he has no influence or control over.

 

[bramptonblade]

So for some games united are going to charge MORE THAN THIRTY FOUR QUID to watch division 3 football? If that is the case united can fuck right off and I hope games are played in front of 8 or 9 thousand next year. Robbing bastards

I have got to agree with that sentiment ! Dingles are pulling the same stunt. It's time to vote with your feet.
UTB

 

[Grecian2000]

I have got to agree with that sentiment ! Dingles are pulling the same stunt. It's time to vote with your feet.
UTB

The thing with the Dingles though, and I have no idea of their pricing, is that they are not going to get relegated and are operating toward the top end of their "potential" as a club. If they can't raise prices on the back of a mid table second tier season then they never will be able to.

However, us raising match day prices after a relegation would be unthinkable and a sure sign we have, either, given up the ghost or really do employ thick twats. In any normal business whoever came up with this seasons disasterous pricing would be long gone but it looks like we've taken care in the community too far and kept them in place.

 

[Micalijo]

Can anybody clarify for me what happens if I don't renew by 17 April or whenever it is?

I assume this means I would be charged more if acquiring a season ticket in Spring 2012.

Birchy says that the deadline won't be extended but what about the same price renewal for next season only?

I'm assuming that due to horrendous lack of sales the deadline for 11/12 only will be extended a few times to end of May perhaps - even if it means in 12/13 renewal terms I could - incredibly - be subjected to higher prices.

 

[SteelCity Blade]

Can anybody clarify for me what happens if I don't renew by 17 April or whenever it is?

I assume this means I would be charged more if acquiring a season ticket in Spring 2012.

Birchy says that the deadline won't be extended but what about the same price renewal for next season only?

I'm assuming that due to horrendous lack of sales the deadline for 11/12 only will be extended a few times to end of May perhaps - even if it means in 12/13 renewal terms I could - incredibly - be subjected to higher prices.

I dont know but I'll soon find out if I do decide to renew - as it wont be before then!

 

[Wapping Blade]

Playing Devil's Advocate, I hope that this is not a "let's give up" decision but a hard-headed commercial one based on data and analysis.

The path taken seems to be to be based on maximising profit and I would assume is based on looking at all the offers we have offered (sic) in the past and analysing the effect on profit and crowd numbers. I suspect the modelling showed that there is only a marginal effect on profit with these offers and subsequent pull through on crowds, that there is a core, very profitable base and a hard-line on the renewal date will encourage people to sign up (a large assumption but maybe based on other clubs' experiences).

Now, there is a longer-term effect to take into account and that's the risk of further falling crowd numbers and losing/alienating the missing thousands. Maybe the thinking is that "if the club do well, they'll come back AND pay for the privelege", further adding to profitability.

Like I said, Devil's Advocate stuff and based on nothing apart from some experience I've had in the past in the Travel and Leisure sector doing this sort of thing.

 

[DP8789]

Can anybody clarify for me what happens if I don't renew by 17 April or whenever it is?

I assume this means I would be charged more if acquiring a season ticket in Spring 2012.

Birchy says that the deadline won't be extended but what about the same price renewal for next season only?

I'm assuming that due to horrendous lack of sales the deadline for 11/12 only will be extended a few times to end of May perhaps - even if it means in 12/13 renewal terms I could - incredibly - be subjected to higher prices.

If you dont renew by 17th then you wont get the price freeze and youll get the increased prices.

ive pretty much decided i wont be going next year, they arent willing to help people in my position and were getting screwed over with the price freeze, especially as we'll be in league 1 next year, theyll be lucky to average 13k next year - good luck to them.

 

[norfolkblade]

Playing Devil's Advocate, I hope that this is not a "let's give up" decision but a hard-headed commercial one based on data and analysis.

The path taken seems to be to be based on maximising profit and I would assume is based on looking at all the offers we have offered (sic) in the past and analysing the effect on profit and crowd numbers. I suspect the modelling showed that there is only a marginal effect on profit with these offers and subsequent pull through on crowds, that there is a core, very profitable base and a hard-line on the renewal date will encourage people to sign up (a large assumption but maybe based on other clubs' experiences).

Now, there is a longer-term effect to take into account and that's the risk of further falling crowd numbers and losing/alienating the missing thousands. Maybe the thinking is that "if the club do well, they'll come back AND pay for the privelege", further adding to profitability.

Like I said, Devil's Advocate stuff and based on nothing apart from some experience I've had in the past in the Travel and Leisure sector doing this sort of thing.

Profitable perhaps, but they have to think in terms of cashflow too. It's all well and good getting loads of money in at once and bums on seats, but a serious lack of cashflow from other processes such as ticket sales, will without doubt harm the club.

 

[AlienWoodward]

If you dont renew by 17th then you wont get the price freeze and youll get the increased prices.

ive pretty much decided i wont be going next year, they arent willing to help people in my position and were getting screwed over with the price freeze, especially as we'll be in league 1 next year, theyll be lucky to average 13k next year - good luck to them.

Well I have never renewed before the deadline date and have always renewed at the bottom price. Last season I renewed two days before the season started at the lowest price.
United are like any other company chasing business and they will be frantically making calls the week before the season starts offering season tickets at the low price. If not they will have a lot of empty seats as a lot of people I know simply do not have the money to renew right now.
Richard Batho can say what he likes but McCabe will have a twitchy bum come august and extend the offer
UTB

 

[Big Mart]

Bollocks to having a global brand, bollocks to having Fans' liaison officers and bollocks to having a Chairman who couldn't really give a shit about the FOOTBALL club and is so far out of touch with how the fans feel it's untrue. Just invest in a team of our own and sell tickets, be it season, half season or just matchday, at a reasonable price for the level we're performing at. It is, as I believe somebody once said, not rocket science. It doesn't need a marketing department costing shitloads to come up with that.

All spot on, but you only need to read some of the tripe on here to see that there are a good proportion of fans out there who don't really understand the football part, and they don't understand that to some of us that's the important bit.

Think sometimes that so long as there's soap in the bogs, pies to eat and lovely music for the half time entertainment then some of this lot would be happy.......and if the football's shit then c'est la vie, that's not really why these "fans" are there.

 

[Micalijo]

Well I have never renewed before the deadline date and have always renewed at the bottom price. Last season I renewed two days before the season started at the lowest price.
United are like any other company chasing business and they will be frantically making calls the week before the season starts offering season tickets at the low price. If not they will have a lot of empty seats as a lot of people I know simply do not have the money to renew right now.
Richard Batho can say what he likes but McCabe will have a twitchy bum come august and extend the offer
UTB

Did you have to negotiate in anyway or did they just renew it at the same price as was available in April without any bother whatsoever?

Just to be clear, taking the current kop renewal price of £299, you walked into ticket office 2 days before season and got a season ticket for £299 - renewing same seat? Assume someone could have taken your seat?

Birchy has explicitly stated in his letter that the deadline will not be extended. I don't believe a word he ever says so no surprise if extended.

 

[super_pig]

>Can anybody clarify for me what happens if I don't renew by 17 April or whenever it is?
the price will go up.. i have beer on it or a coke in my case.. might only be five quid but it will go up.. it can't go down or stay where it is or there would be no need for the deadline?

 

[Bladesman]

Did you have to negotiate in anyway or did they just renew it at the same price as was available in April without any bother whatsoever?

Just to be clear, taking the current kop renewal price of £299, you walked into ticket office 2 days before season and got a season ticket for £299 - renewing same seat? Assume someone could have taken your seat?

Birchy has explicitly stated in his letter that the deadline will not be renewed. I don't believe a word he ever says so no surprise if extended.

Yeah but the club lies so they could extend the deadline anyway but they could put pins on the seats as well.

Anything is possible.

 

[AlienWoodward]

Did you have to negotiate in anyway or did they just renew it at the same price as was available in April without any bother whatsoever?

Just to be clear, taking the current kop renewal price of £299, you walked into ticket office 2 days before season and got a season ticket for £299 - renewing same seat? Assume someone could have taken your seat?

Birchy has explicitly stated in his letter that the deadline will not be renewed. I don't believe a word he ever says so no surprise if extended.

No negotiation whatsoever mate. They just rang me.
In fact last season I had been that peed off I was not renewing at all,John Denver will vouch for me here. They rang me I believe it was the wednesday afternoon before asking me why I had not renewed and then talking me into it.
I cannot see my seat being taken by anyone except me as I just don't think we will have that many people after seats.
I could be wrong of course as I usually am,but I will be expecting my phone call as per usual

 

[SteelCity Blade]

I will be expecting my phone call as per usual

If thats the case then I'll simply wait until the beginning of the season as well. I've had ST's for a long time now but quite frankly I refuse to be held to a price ransom by a ridiculously early deadline. Matchday tickets will be a lot easier to come by next season regardless of the division we are in but particularly if we end up in the third tier (looking likely). For that reason I see no point clambering for a ST before we've even finished this campaign - the club doesnt exactly hold the stronger bargaining position at the moment.

Irrespective of which division we are in - if I decide to renew I will ask for the ST at the cheaper price in the summer, or I'll simply pick and choose the odd game. I would like to guarantee a ticket every week but if I cant, lets just say I wont lose sleep.

 

[JohnDenver]

No negotiation whatsoever mate. They just rang me.
In fact last season I had been that peed off I was not renewing at all,John Denver will vouch for me here. They rang me I believe it was the wednesday afternoon before asking me why I had not renewed and then talking me into it.
I cannot see my seat being taken by anyone except me as I just don't think we will have that many people after seats.
I could be wrong of course as I usually am,but I will be expecting my phone call as per usual

And what followed was a glorious season free of the Blackwell curse. Almost.

 

[Bladesway]

Shouldn't this be in rumours?

 

[Wapping Blade]

Profitable perhaps, but they have to think in terms of cashflow too. It's all well and good getting loads of money in at once and bums on seats, but a serious lack of cashflow from other processes such as ticket sales, will without doubt harm the club.

That *must* have been in the analysis as well (the way I've seen it done is to spread the lump sum across the intervening months) but it's no good having cash in when it's not profitable - again, I assume they have the data to work all this out or at least to make some reasonable assumptions.

 

[Foxy]

All spot on, but you only need to read some of the tripe on here to see that there are a good proportion of fans out there who don't really understand the football part, and they don't understand that to some of us that's the important bit.

Think sometimes that so long as there's soap in the bogs, pies to eat and lovely music for the half time entertainment then some of this lot would be happy.......and if the football's shit then c'est la vie, that's not really why these "fans" are there.

What you mean is anyone who doesn't share your opinion.

Any football club is bigger and wider than their core business, which is obviously what happens during first team matches. Whilst the first team is clearly the most important part, there are far, far more things going on in and around the club. I wasn't aware that these issues were mutually exclusive, is it always one or the other?

 

[Big Mart]

What you mean is anyone who doesn't share your opinion.

Of course that's what I mean, I'm hardly going to come on here expounding the virtues of folks who I have little in common with, and who seem to have a completely different set of views to my own now am I?

Any football club is bigger and wider than their core business, which is obviously what happens during first team matches. Whilst the first team is clearly the most important part, there are far, far more things going on in and around the club. I wasn't aware that these issues were mutually exclusive, is it always one or the other?

No shit Sherlock The club appears to have introduced some exclusivity as there's plenty of chit chat about season ticket renewal, about becoming part of the Blades family, and about what a true supporter is. Don't hear a great deal about the strategy for getting us out of the shit on the pitch, nothing that suggests we have a 5 year plan of investment or otherwise, that will improve matters where it really counts.

I'll spell it out again shall I? As Latters said, some of us don't give a shit about having a bloke in charge of painitng the bogs, widening the aisles and making the match day experience prettier. We want a better football team, we want a chairman who gives a fuck and we don't care if we get wet because the kop roof drips while we're getting it. Sometimes think you forget we're Sheffield United "Football" Club and not just a nice day out.

 

[Vancouver]

Of course that's what I mean, I'm hardly going to come on here expounding the virtues of folks who I have little in common with, and who seem to have a completely different set of views to my own now am I?



No shit Sherlock The club appears to have introduced some exclusivity as there's plenty of chit chat about season ticket renewal, about becoming part of the Blades family, and about what a true supporter is. Don't hear a great deal about the strategy for getting us out of the shit on the pitch, nothing that suggests we have a 5 year plan of investment or otherwise, that will improve matters where it really counts.

I'll spell it out again shall I? As Latters said, some of us don't give a shit about having a bloke in charge of painitng the bogs, widening the aisles and making the match day experience prettier. We want a better football team, we want a chairman who gives a fuck and we don't care if we get wet because the kop roof drips while we're getting it. Sometimes think you forget we're Sheffield United "Football" Club and not just a nice day out.

And conversely people often forget the club is a business and has a duty to stay profitable in order to compete.

 

[Big Mart]

And of course every club in the league is turning a profit, especially the teams above us

 

[Bert]

Batho is a complete waste of space.
A fans rep who finds himself trotting out the club's establishment line is utterly pointless.

Not only that, Bert heard that it was Batho who vandalised the Blue Peter garden.

 

[Kopped]

Guys and Gals,

I've arranged a meeting with Richard at the Tunnel bar at 10am on Saturday 9th April (Boro Match).

Anyone is welcome, All he asks is if you have a point or question to ask him, can you make it Constructive? He can't and won't answer rants and angry fans.

It would also put a stop to open forums like this for fans.

Kopped

 

[bricktop]

Can you ask him why at the bottom of the kop there is only one window open for the serving of solely alcoholic refreshments which always has a lengthy queue, but there is one next to it that will only serve alcoholic refreshments with a pie which never has a queue. Why not open the second window up for the serving of alcoholic refreshments without the need for a pie?

Can you also asked him what happened to the youth's that used to sell beer from backpacks on the back of the kop?

 

[SwissBlade]

Guys and Gals,

I've arranged a meeting with Richard at the Tunnel bar at 10am on Saturday 9th April (Boro Match).

Anyone is welcome, All he asks is if you have a point or question to ask him, can you make it Constructive? He can't and won't answer rants and angry fans.

It would also put a stop to open forums like this for fans.

Kopped

Good work Kopped! Things like this are excellent and prove that the club IS willing to engage with fans and try to work with fans.

Lets hope that the biggest anti club ranters are able to attend and have a constructive discussion... or perhaps they'll be busy that day (again)

---------- Post added at 09:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:56 PM ----------

Can you ask him why at the bottom of the kop there is only one window open for the serving of solely alcoholic refreshments which always has a lengthy queue, but there is one next to it that will only serve alcoholic refreshments with a pie which never has a queue. Why not open the second window up for the serving of alcoholic refreshments without the need for a pie?

Can you also asked him what happened to the youth's that used to sell beer from backpacks on the back of the kop?

Why would you want an alcoholic beverage WITHOUT a pie! I normally eat a pie with every pint i consume

 

[AlienWoodward]

Can you ask him why at the bottom of the kop there is only one window open for the serving of solely alcoholic refreshments which always has a lengthy queue, but there is one next to it that will only serve alcoholic refreshments with a pie which never has a queue. Why not open the second window up for the serving of alcoholic refreshments without the need for a pie?

Can you also asked him what happened to the youth's that used to sell beer from backpacks on the back of the kop?

You need to examine your lifestyle young man,I hope you don't drive your train whilst you are sober ...

 

[bricktop]

If its a choice between a Peter's Pie at £3 a throw, or a delicious, nutrient rich £2.50 special from Kebabish after the match then Kebabish gets my vote every time.

 

[SwissBlade]

If its a choice between a Peter's Pie at £3 a throw, or a delicious, nutrient rich £2.50 special from Kebabish after the match then Kebabish gets my vote every time.

who said anything about having to make a choice? Britain is a free country and you can have both at an excellent price of £5.50! Thats the same price that I pay for a single (1) pint here in Zug! We have no such options as Peters pies or Kebabish here. You're a lucky fella to have both