Fan Experience

[bartman]

and you can have a lid on your hot(sorry luke warm) hot drink

 

[dkc Blade]

Get a system in place where you can pay for tickets online then pick them up at a machine or print out a ticket with bar code at home.

Open more than one line where you can buy a beer, and are not forced to buy a pie too. And get rid of the premium rate number. While practices like this may increase revenue, they are alienating the fans.

Get rid of Tom bloody Hark. No one I have ever met (under 10) likes it but Gary Sinclair seems to think there is a huge majority in favor of it, and those of us who want rid of it are "living in the past" and want to go back to wooden rattles. He does a pretty good job otherwise but Tom Hark and Annie's song before kick off are just embarrasing. If there is any doubt of its unpopularity, take a vote. A simple show of hands at half time.

Great idea about the catering. London Rd has some of the best food in Sheffield. BDTBL has some of the crappest. Imagine if you could have a choice of Indian, Chinese, Kebab, etc at half time? Offer individual pitches to tender. There doesn't need to be a single catering contract for the entire stadium.

Allow a designated singing area. It would be great if we could get some safe terracing back but that would require a change in the law.

 

[S64 Blade]

Good idea on introducing individual pitches to tender. Maybe they could be given out on a season-long basis, at which point fans could do an online survey to voice their opinions on if they should stay or not. If they're not good enough, they are replaced.

 

[bartman]

they've got a mixed reaction to this on the 'mad' site

http://boards.footymad.net/forum.php?tno=463&fid=221&sty=2&act=1&mid=2118875457

Don't forget,that site is MASSIVE and more important than any other site

 

[Linz]

they've got a mixed reaction to this on the 'mad' site

http://boards.footymad.net/forum.php?tno=463&fid=221&sty=2&act=1&mid=2118875457

Don't forget,that site is MASSIVE and more important than any other site

Foxy would respond to some of the criticism of this site, but he can't because "mysteriously" isn't able to use his login again.

So it looks like they don't want people to talk to them

There are more Bladesmad members of BIFF than Foxy and I and there's nothing to stop them posting stuff themselves... threads such as this one for example.

And as ever, the emails will always be read and taken to subsequent meetings but understandably, the club isn't going to let anyone off the street start picking the team. Or else why have a manager?

 

[bartman]

You should go on and say they have banned him...try and find out why.

Maybe it's because he doesn't tow the Blades Mad 'we klnow better than anyone else' line ?

 

[Linz]

You should go on and say they have banned him...try and find out why.

Maybe it's because he doesn't tow the Blades Mad 'we klnow better than anyone else' line ?

We'll keep our own counsel

They know how to contact BIFF if they want. Or they can use the fans who attend BIFF meetings who post on their boards the way that you lot can pass stuff on via Foxy and I.

 

[Highbury_Blade]

Muppets the lot of them. If you want evidence of this then you only have to look at the top news item on the website.

Chuffin know-nowts

 

[1973_Blade]

A Hooters franchise

 

[bartman]

In fairness to them,the posters on that site don't appear to know who is on BIFF (I am assuming Darblade is one ?). The representatives on there seem to want it kept a secret. Out of curisity,who are the Blades Mad BIFF members ? And is it just you and Foxy from this site ?

In terms of 'keeping your council',isn't that lowering to their levels when a member of BIFF should be on there with the alternative viewpoint ?

---------- Post added at 07:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:05 PM ----------

A Hooters franchise ;-)

it'd probably go tits up

 

[Linz]

A Hooters franchise

The joyless harridans of Sheffield prevented a Hooters opening in Leopold Square. I don't think United will be able to get a more favourable outcome out of them!

 

[Foxy]

In fairness to them,the posters on that site don't appear to know who is on BIFF (I am assuming Darblade is one ?). The representatives on there seem to want it kept a secret. Out of curisity,who are the Blades Mad BIFF members ? And is it just you and Foxy from this site ?

It wouldn't be fair to go naming people on their behalf, but as Linz said, there has been and still is more involvement in BIFF from BladesMad members than S24SU.

There are more than Me & Linz with accounts on here that are involved in BIFF.

Me and Linz got involved more recently when we were invited to. We knew of their existance before, but didn't actively seek membership or anything like that, we were approached and asked to attend.

There are also members who post both on here and BladesMad.

It's worth remembering that contrary to the belief of some on BladesMad, the vast majority of what we do, cover and post is off our own backs as an individual entity. If we ever make a post on behalf of BIFF, it's made totally clear.

S24SU is not BIFF and BIFF is not S24SU. We are totally seperate entities and will stay that way.

Nobody other than me and Linz have any form of influence on what we do as a site.

I was simply going to respond to the critisism in us as S24SU and individuals again, but miraculously my account often fails to function

 

[bartman]

It just seems daft that some people who have a direct line of communication with the club but don't publisise the fact. I can't think of a logical reason why they would keep it secret. I think the posters see it as some kind of secret society on there which only feeds the paranoid cynicism that some of them have due to a perceived lack of transparancy.

Why wouldn't they want to be named as being on BIFF ?

I must admit that,until you and Linz became involved and it was mentioned on here,I had no idea BIFF existed . At least you have given us a chance to get involved (Thanks for that)

I still think you should challenge the mods on Blades Mad to let you have a right to reply on behalf of S2 4SU...even if it's just for a bit of mischief making

 

[Linz]

The bottom line is that Foxy, I and all the other BIFF members (to my knowledge) receive nothing for their time. (Well.. I tell a lie. We get sniped at but that's by the by )

We don't make any promises about what BIFF can achieve. It's up to the club whether they listen or not. All we can do is put your views forward. We aren't the kind to be bashing tables and grabbing people by the throat to make them listen. The ideas in this thread should stand on their own merit without any need for a "fight".

It's up to you if you want to put a point of view across and, seven pages on, it does seem like there are a lot of grievances but also good ideas generated by fans. The club should come to the meetings with open minds and if they truly want to engage with fans, be prepared to put some ideas into action or at least explain why they aren't feasible.

Adding to what Foxy's said above, the coverage we provide of Q&As and the invitations to press conferences come to us directly. They are nothing to do with BIFF. The reason we got asked to do these things is because we're approachable and what we seem to do spreads far and wide.

It's all the fault of that bloody transcript!

Anyway, back on topic

 

[Foxy]

It just seems daft that some people who have a direct line of communication with the club but don't publisise the fact. I can't think of a logical reason why they would keep it secret. I think the posters see it as some kind of secret society on there which only feeds the paranoid cynicism that some of them have due to a perceived lack of transparancy.

Why wouldn't they want to be named as being on BIFF ?

Some of them have mentioned it in the past, but it's up to them I guess. We don't speak or claim to speak for anyone else... Just ourselves.

I must admit that,until you and Linz became involved and it was mentioned on here,I had no idea BIFF existed . At least you have given us a chance to get involved (Thanks for that)

When we agreed to go along it was on the premise of having our own opinions and views as fans, but also with the aim of trying to bring things to a wider audience and give as many Blades as possible the chance to have their say.

We do this seperately to BIFF, always have done and wil continue to do so (e.g - previous Q&A's etc), but now also have the additional platform at relevant BIFF meetings to pass on the views and opinions of anyone who chooses to give them.

I still think you should challenge the mods on Blades Mad to let you have a right to reply on behalf of S2 4SU...even if it's just for a bit of mischief making

I've got more important things on than asking why my account always seems to fail to function

I'm not interested in making any mischief whatsoever, I just hope people are intelligent enough to make their own minds up about us as a site and individuals rather than blatently make stuff up about us like happened the last time BladesMad had a thread about us

Whatever we post on here, wherever it has come from is for the benefit of the general public and all Blades. We don't post anything to make sure we are the only ones covering it or to try and gain any kudos, we put it into the public domain for others to see and get involved with!

We are all Blades, as far as I'm concerned, there is no "us and them" or competition.

 

[Linz]

It just seems daft that some people who have a direct line of communication with the club but don't publisise the fact. I can't think of a logical reason why they would keep it secret. I think the posters see it as some kind of secret society on there which only feeds the paranoid cynicism that some of them have due to a perceived lack of transparancy.

Why wouldn't they want to be named as being on BIFF ?

I'm not interested in making any mischief whatsoever, I just hope people are intelligent enough to make their own minds up about us as a site and individuals rather than blatantly make stuff up about us like happened the last time BladesMad had a thread about us

Looking at the grief we get, I'm not surprised they don't want to put their heads above the parapet!

The only qualification we have for sitting in on the BIFF meetings is that we're fans. We just happen to be fans with a vehicle for trying to engage with even more fans.

 

[Kopped]

I am one of those on that thread!

 

[Stafford Blade]

Get a decent bookies ( or two ) in the ground that will pay out on winning bets and show some racing on tv before the game starts. No doubt you'd get a few people going in earlier to have a bet and they might just buy a flat pint of lager and an E-Coli burger whilst they're at it.

Maybe get rid of Sinclair as well as Tom Hark? Just get someone that reads the teams out, announces the subs and nothing else

 

[Zlatan]

What is this BIFF thing? Obviously some sort of group beginning with 'Blades', but I know nothing about it.

 

[Rattly Noise]

I get to my seat as whistle blows to start the game.

People that get to their seat just as I'm settling in to watch the game. Make it like the theatre and don't let them in until there's a break in play. Apart from when i'm late of course.

 

[Hollinsend]

One thing that seriously needs to be addressed is the way that disabled fans are accommodated. The disabled area at the front of the John St Stand is exposed to the elements and the view has to be one of the worst in the stadium.

 

[bartman]

Some of them have mentioned it in the past, but it's up to them I guess. We don't speak or claim to speak for anyone else... Just ourselves.



When we agreed to go along it was on the premise of having our own opinions and views as fans, but also with the aim of trying to bring things to a wider audience and give as many Blades as possible the chance to have their say.

We do this seperately to BIFF, always have done and wil continue to do so (e.g - previous Q&A's etc), but now also have the additional platform at relevant BIFF meetings to pass on the views and opinions of anyone who chooses to give them.



I've got more important things on than asking why my account always seems to fail to function

I'm not interested in making any mischief whatsoever, I just hope people are intelligent enough to make their own minds up about us as a site and individuals rather than blatently make stuff up about us like happened the last time BladesMad had a thread about us

Whatever we post on here, wherever it has come from is for the benefit of the general public and all Blades. We don't post anything to make sure we are the only ones covering it or to try and gain any kudos, we put it into the public domain for others to see and get involved with!

We are all Blades, as far as I'm concerned, there is no "us and them" or competition.

I agree with everything you say. I don't think there is a 'them and us' being created on here but there is quite obviously one on Blades Mad for whatever reason.

For me,BIFF has to gain the fans and club's trust which in many ways is a 'no win' situation. It would then that BIFF should be able to constructively pass ideas and comments to the club(which I am sure it does) and the club should then give BIFF the opportunity to follow up these ideas to there fruition where appropriate. The club should also be able to give positive(and negative) feedback to the fans via BIFF without the risk of fans using the transparancy as a stick to beat the club with.

In my opinion,I think BIFF potentially could be excellant for both the club and fans as it gives us the chance not only to constructively challenge the way club operates,but also will give the club a chance to take ideas forward to improve customer service/fan experience as well as maybe helping supporters understand the reasoning behind certain decisions being made (or not being made as the case may be. ) I don't think any supporter would expect any 'sensitive' information to be revealed(e.g. which managers did we approach after Spped went)

 

[Rattly Noise]

Being able to print out tickets is a great idea. Just booked coach tickets for my parents to go to London without leaving my armchair, apart from getting up to load the printer with paper. United are missing a trick here.

The easier you make it, the more tickets you sell. I live and work in Chesterfield, so to get to the Box Office I need to either leave work early or take time off, so not surprisingly I don't bother half the time. I'm sure there's a lot of people who feel the same as me. If it were easier I'd likely buy more tickets.

And stop the smoking in the toilets. It's illegal for a reason and the Blades are just asking for a massive fine by allowing it to carry on. Seriously if you can't cope without a fag for 90 minutes then you've got a problem. If all the smokers gave up and then invested the cash they've saved into the club then we'd be like Man City, but without the hoodies.

 

[SwissBlade]

Some major gripes here and so decent solutions. Lets hope the club listen.

The kop could do with some decent lighting on the walkways and steps, because winter games and evenings its quite dark on the way out.

The whole thing with the Kop is that they made a few quick fix solutions when we were heading towards the PL... but they were only ever quick fixes. Roof on the gents toilets, kiosks, all temporary because the whole of the back of the Kop would be renovated. That never happened and from the latest shareholders meeting (i think) there will be no further ground improvements for the foreseable.

But surely a big temporary steel frame and canopy thing wouldn't take much to put up over the kiosks where people queue on the back of the kop.

The beer pourers on the kop are the fast pour system, but they just don't prepare things. It should never come as a shock that a couple of hundred people want beer and food during the 15 minute break.

I don't know why the club treat us like consumers, but aren't able/ prepared to satisfy our consumer needs - decent website, text service, interactivity, customer focus etc etc

I thought Linz's idea for Amsterdam customer feedback booths where you could go and crack one out if you didn't like the pies is a great idea

 

[dkc Blade]

And stop the smoking in the toilets. It's illegal for a reason and the Blades are just asking for a massive fine by allowing it to carry on. Seriously if you can't cope without a fag for 90 minutes then you've got a problem.

Many smokers do have a problem. It's called nicotine addiction. The tenser the situation becomes, the greater the need for a fag.

Yeah, it's supposed to be illegal indoors, but I doubt that we're going to get a "massive fine" due to someone grabbing a couple of puffs in the bog. Stewards would have to be permanantly placed in the pisser to stop people lighting up. Now that sounds like a fun job.

If smokers can't last for 2 hrs without one they should should go on the Kop. I think there's also a smoking area on the South Stand too.

 

[Sirius]

Maybe get rid of Sinclair as well as Tom Hark? Just get someone that reads the teams out, announces the subs and nothing else .

It is some time since I was able to get to the Lane, but I remember the loud,loud, Sinclair, and being unable to speak to the guy next to me because of the racket. Must say that Sinclaoir pissed me off big time but for some reason, Bert was a fan of his NOT.

 

[Linz]

I thought Linz's idea for Amsterdam customer feedback booths where you could go and crack one out if you didn't like the pies is a great idea

I think perhaps something was lost in the translation of that one

Anyway chaps, the meeting is tonight so do keep your ideas coming but there's obviously a cut-off point. I'll be leaving work at 4pm and will print the thread out at that stage.

Looking at the agenda, most of tonight's meeting is going to be given over to discussing these ideas. Hopefully we'll have some feedback for you over the coming weeks.

 

[boo radley]

Get rid of the stupid 0871 numbers. I'm sure someone else mentioned this. I find it so annoying that we has an 0870 number and when people and companies stared to get this as part of a phone package that they moved to 0871 it stinks.