Not long now. The waiting is almost over. Three to go.
That the Liverpool (a) tickets went like hotcakes was no surprise (sold out within one hour apparently), but it neither bodes well for those who in future are not able to go full ‘four-screens’ online as soon as the tickets are available nor those unable to get to the ground and queue at the ticket office.
Neither does it bode well for an away-end free of Liverpool supporters desperate for an Anfield ticket at almost any cost.
And it still rankles.
For those without season tickets, those who had built up away points to no avail and for families in general, expected to pay £50 a pop to even stand a chance of a ticket, there understandably remains a sense of injustice.
Flying in the face of everything that’s occurring in this country right now, we just want a system that’s fair, balances loyalty with opportunity and doesn’t appear a blatant money grab.
With nine months to prepare a better one for 2020/21, let’s hope young Ben consults properly this time around and *listens* to the responses from all four quarters. The early signs are promising but that’s no consolation to those who will miss out in the next few months.
There’s no point in pretending that just a little bit of the goodwill lustre hasn’t been removed by the handling of the membership scheme. It has. Where it all goes a little awry though is when Stuart Webber – the club’s *sporting* director – is somehow implicated in this decision, as he was on social media.
Let’s just not, eh? His part of the operation continues to purr like the engine of a Bentley that’s been purchased for the price of a Ford Focus.
Webber doesn’t deserve or need any unwarranted flack, which most people seem to understand.
On the field, things seem to be ticking along okay although those who’ve read my pre-season rambles in seasons gone by will know my thoughts on friendlies and their relevance to what occurs when there are points at stake.
Of course, they’re invaluable in terms of getting the players match-fit and it is the only chance the coaching team gets to experiment with different formations and tweaks to existing formations – but don’t even get me started on supporters who celebrate goals in pre-season friendlies with the same gusto associated with an injury-time winner.
Never have I been able to understand it, and probably never will, but each to their own. The only logical reason I can find to take in a pre-season friendly is to get a glimpse of any new signings prior to them kicking a ball in anger.
Other than that, I’m struggling, although admittedly those who followed the squad to Germany on the recent tour did appear to have a grand time (as the Bowles family will soon describe) as it was predominantly about the social side rather than the footie.
And while on the subject of friendlies, for all the reasons stated above, there’s also little point in trying to read too much into any starting XI that Daniel Farke selects, maybe until the final friendly, which this season is against Toulouse. Prior to that, it’s about giving the whole squad the chance to get some pre-season miles on the clock.
So, ‘why, no Pukki?‘ … ‘why no Mario?‘ … and, ‘don’t fancy that starting XI against Liverpool‘ etc, are questions that, in my view, should be banned in pre-season and only brought out when there are points or cup progression at stake.
All of which is why there is little to be read into yesterday’s behind-closed-doors 3-1 defeat at Colney by Brentford.
No-one wants to lose a game, friendly or cup final, but with Brentford a week ahead in their preparations and City having undertaken a full training session in the morning, those who foresee doom as a result of that defeat should (in my view) go and sit on the same naughty step as those who celebrate ‘friendly’ goals.
In my humble opinion, we’re going to be just fine.
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I may have used a version of this before , but I feel a trek coming on for the friendly in a couple of weeks , a sort of Toulouse le trek . I blame the heat , but that own goal by Norwich on how to get an away ticket is a joke too far.
I would love to know in nine months how many people entered the raffle and paid up front and never saw an away game . there has to be a better way.
Did seem a bit hit and miss with the tickets. I managed to get tickets for my wife and I by 9:05 on the PC but was trying through the website on my phone at the same time and got placed in an hour long queue…
“we just want a system that’s fair”
which to most fans actually means “I want a system that gets me a ticket”.
It’s rather like managers who claim they just want referees to be consistent i.e. consistently give decisions in their favour., right or wrong.
Personally I think they should be selling tickets first to those who live within 40 miles of the club we’re visiting, and just in case that doesn’t work, in alphabetical order of surname as well. That sounds very fair to me!
Seriously, whilst I think the £50 money grab on away fans was unnecessary, doing away with the unpopular away points system was always going to leave a void. They could have just gone for no membership scheme, no away season ticket, no points accumulated, just a free-for-all every other week. Nobody would have liked that either.
If we retain our enthusiasm for Farke’s football and a place in the PL they can consult as much as they like, and possibly come up with something different. But there will still be a hell of a lot of people sore about losing out this time next year if the chosen system doesn’t suit them.
Hi Gary
Living up north I will possibly attempt to get tickets this end even if it means being in with the enemy but at least in will be at the game, will not bother with the Loserpool game just don’t like the place.
As for the NCFC ticket Lotto it is just that and it will continue till the Chase built city stand is rebuilt and city fill in the corner by the hotel.
Can you or some one please explain the rumours of
1) Bolton’s 19 year old Politics joining city for free or as a Bolton reporter is saying that it is to pay city the money they owe us.
2) Dozzell now this would be a real snatch from them and our ex manager saying it will cost a “Hell of a lot of premiership money” to get him.
Agents at work me think to get more money for Dozzell but his dad was offered to city when he left spurs and both parties were interested at the time so maybe there is a hope in he’ll
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Yeah Gary that was a good take on both the Brentford game and the new ticketing system.
I sure didn’t know we’d undergone a training session yesterday morning before the fixture, plus it was scorchio in Trimingham so Jeez knows what it was like at Colney.
No apparent injuries sustained is the best news to me.
I’m very much with Alex (above) re away tickets – I’m always happy to sit in with my London, Brighton and Sheffield-based friends, save £50 and avoid the hassle of the lottery.
As I think I’ve remarked on a couple of previous articles of my own I am sure the ticketing policy decision most likely had zilch to do with Stuart Webber.
Looking forward to hearing from the Bowles clan:-)
The ticketing system seems to be a disaster I’m afraid Gary.
I feel sorry for all involved.
As for friendlies, City 3 Premier League Wigan 2, next match City 1 Colchester 7, say no more.
I think Keith’s comment is spot on. Regardless of the system, most people won’t get tickets and most people will consider the system broken. Twitter seems to be a mixed bag of people that were successful vs. not. Availability should probably improve when the game isn’t a) first game of the season and b) against the European Champions.
There were approximately 6k away membership tickets sold, 19 away games with allocations in the 2-3k arena, that’s 38-57K tickets total. So there’s a good chance of obtaining a number of tickets over the season.