|
Send me your queries,
I'll do my best to give a sensible
answer. On the new sensible
letters page. updated 06 -04-00
Rik
I have lived in Manchester for over 20 years but am and always
will be a Mag. I've achieved the impossible of bringing up my twin
boys to be total Mags too - they're nearly 11yrs old - and we are on
the dreaded waiting list. 'Dreaded' because if by some miracle we
actually get allocated seats, I will no doubt have to find the best
part of two grand for the privilege. As we will be coming from
Manchester, the cost of supporting the team will ......... still be
preferable to a free all expenses paid luxury box in Old Troughard
sitting next to assorted Cockneys, Cornishmen, and Canadians watching
Yap the Slaphead, the filthy animal Keane and the Essex Crossdresser.
(Sorry about that - living here makes hating them no less intense, I
wish we had Giggs though)
But, it will be a major struggle to find that sort of dosh. Can't
the club acknowledge the plight of non-corporate fans and enable us
to pay the cost over a twelve month period rather than the crippling
lump sum method, because I am probably right to assume that
concessions for children will be negligible or non-existent.
I also think its totally outrageous that the existing seat holders
who are having to move are getting extra seats as a sweetener, which
means people who haven't been waiting can just jump the queue. There
are rakes of other sweeteners they could have offered which would not
have been a problem - this one is. You can put up with the wait as
long as you know people aren't jumping the queue - what is Rogan
Taylor going to say about that?
I just hope we get our tickets while my kids still are kids!
From Simon ... Manchester
Simon,
you forgot to mention IRISH in your typical Man U fans. Any way I
feel exactly as you do, having been on the list for nearly seven
years. if I don't get my two reasonably priced seats for me and my
son next season, I'll go ballistic as would thousands of other
waiting listers. The SOS campaign would fade into insignificance if
thousands of people were queue jumped. The general feeling is that a
good amount of current season tickets holders are using seats
belonging to others (nudge, nudge know hat I mean) and next year
there will be a lot of spare ones, enough for everyone . They would
be stupid to offer extra seats to current ticket holders ahead of
those on the waiting list if there weren't spares.
Dear Rik,
Correct me if I'm wrong but I recently heard that
the 3,000 spare tickets for the SEMI FINAL, are to be sold to members
of the connect club.
What exactly is the connect club? I thought it was
a group of season ticket holders that paid a small subscription to
get preference on away game tickets?
Well that's what I used to think, until I met a lad
in the pub after the game who told me that he had had a letter from
the club this week, saying that he could apply as a connect club
member for one of the remaining FAC semi final tickets.
So why I asked him didn't you apply as a season
ticket holder?. "Oh I'm not a season ticket holder, I'm just in
the connect club". Apparently the waiting list goes back to
about 1993 and it was getting so large that they closed it around the
Dalglish era. In it's place came the connect club. They are people
who want to be on the waiting list, however they pay £15 a year
and for that they seem to be next in line for any spare tickets after
season ticket holders. In other words the fact that they wanted to
join the waiting list in say 1997 gives them preference over the
thousands that joined in 1995. So no doubt they will be offered the
first spare seats when the ground is extended?
Dosen't seem right does it Rik? Unless I'm wrong
that is.
From Paul, Prudhoe
You
must be wrong Paul, Even Newcastle United wouldn't stoop so low for
a mere £15 a year, would they?
Rik,
I've been going to St James' for about 10 seasons, and each year
it's getting quieter and quieter. What's happening, and can anything
be done to reverse the trend? It's the same all over the country, at
every ground you go to a thousand or so away fans make as much noise
as all of the home fans put together . There seem to be a lot of
spare seats at some of the grounds that used to be full. I've been to
Villa Park, Hillsbourgh, Goodison this season and seen plenty of
empty seats at Derby, Everton and Boro. Do you reckon this decline is
set to continue and will the atmosphere ever return? and whatever
happened to the planned singing section at the new look St James' park?
Tony ..... Jarrow.
I
was at the Bradford game recently at St James' and the atmosphere
was said to be "better than usual." the thing is it was
quieter than at any game last season. Although the big clubs like
Newcastle, Man U , Arsenal and Liverpool and even Sunderland will
continue to expand in size (for a few years). I agree that the
attendances at most of the other clubs in England will decline.
This
is due in my opinion to three things.
The
Taylor report, The Taylor report and The Taylor report.
Firstly
the Taylor report recommended that all football grounds in the
Premier league should become all seaters after the tragedies of
Bradford and Hillsbourgh. At the time it seems like a great idea ,
football was in a terrible state and needed an image change. The
first few years it worked, the stadiums became all seaters, safe,
clean and comfortable.
This
though put the prices up and many low income fans were priced out of
the grounds. A different type of punter appeared in the seats that
replaced the terraces. Gone were many of the loud working class men
and in came many new fans of football who in many cases were
"professional types" . If you get a crowd full of
solicitors, bank managers, doctors and insurance workers, Throughout
decent people and no doubt as passionate about the team that they
support, but not really as likely to join in with the chants and
banter that the shipyard workers, factory workers and unemployed
people used to make.
What's
needed in my opinion is a small amount of terracing at each ground
in which supporters who want to stand with their mates and sing their
heads off can do. I am not talking about ripping out tens of
thousands of seats and returning to the bad old days. I'm talking of
an area, lets say the size of the current St James' family enclosure,
in which those attending have to have a standing season ticket. That
way they will have to behave or they will lose their standing space
at the game. I am sure that an area of standing people would make a
lot more noise than the seated area, which would hopefully spark the
rest of the crowd into life. The clubs would I think also be up for
that idea as an area currently holding say 2,000 seated fans
@£400 per season, making £800,000 P/A could hold 4,000 fans
@£300 per season giving £1.2 million per year. The extra
noise will create a more exciting atmosphere which would bring back a
lot of the fans to the other grounds that are now starting to lose
their fans.
All
it takes is some legislation .... if enough people pester the Prime
minister (a toon fan) then maybe, just maybe it could happen.
Rik .
Have you any news on who these Italians from Inter
and the like are watching in our team? Is it Domi, Dyer Dabizas or
some other player? there are lots of conflicting reports.
Andreas from Bergen, Norway
Your
guess is as good as mine Andreas, I hope it's Dabizas as I don't
like the miserable greedy sod, but I think that Domi would be more of
there type of player. Dyer would not be allowed to leave at any
price, (I hope).
Hi Rik
I live in Melbourne AUSTRALIA and regularly visit
your web site. What's happening with the SOS campaigners? I hear that
a number of fans are turning against the protesters. why?
Alan ..... Moony Ponds Melbourne, AU
Alan,
It's true that a lot of the fans who originally supported the SOS,
have turned against them. I happen to think that the turning point
for them was when they took money for their cause from the News of
the World Newspaper (renowned toon haters). Perhaps they think that
they lost the case and that should be the end of it? Newcastle United
say that work on the redevelopment has gone on hold until the appeal
has been held. Personally I have a lot of sympathy for them. They
stood up for what they believed in and they should in my opinion have
won the case. Mind you they probably would be better off losing the
case and relocating. The problem now is that if they don't win the
appeal the six of them that went to court could go bankrupt.
Newcastle court costs are astronomical. £197,284 to be exact,
and the SOS campaigners don't have the money to lose. They took out
insurance to the sum of £120,000 , which is what they were lead
to believe the costs would be. The other £80,000 would have to
come out of their own pockets, £16 grand is a weeks wages to the
average toon player. but it's horrendous amount to the average fan to
try to find, probably more than most of them earn a year.
judge
is soon to decide just how much the fans will have to pay, but
Newcastle united have really gone to town with the Barristers fees.
Their leading Barrister is charging £350 per hour. his bill
alone was £68,000 and the junior solicitors involved are
charging between £75 and £200 PER HOUR.
NUFC
are just upping the costs to stop anyone else doing a similar thing
in the future. I feel sorry for them, they did it not only for
themselves but to make a stand for every other fan in the country.
Now they are having to pay the price , literally.
To
me they would have been better off moving anyway, as If they do win
what do they get? Their current seat at £800 a year discount for
three years then kicked out of St James' for good. If they had
relocated then atleast they would still have a seat when their bonds
ran out in 3 years time.
Rik,
I reckon theres something up with big Dunc. His
hearts just dosen't seem to be in it , either that or he unfit.? Ok
so he got a good goal against Man U the other week but since then his
form has been very poor. Do you think that he's got a secret injury,
he strolls around lethargically at the moment, something's wrong I
just don't know what? I reckon that he may have already been told
that he has been sold to another club at the end of the season, so
he's just going through the motions.
From Jimmy in Byker
You
will have read Jimmy that Duncan was away for a family bereavement
recently, perhaps he's just a bit down and needs us to motivate him?
Or possibly he's just taking it easy and saving himself for the FAC
semi final. I suppose we'll find out next weekend.
Rik,
I
hope I'm not too late to get this one in. I just watched the Villa /
Bolton Semi final and although I started off wanting Bolton to get a
fluke goal and win, I am glad that Villa did. I think that Bolton
played as well as Villa, Villa's only good player was their keeper,
"gameboy" James at the end. If we can avoid a penalty
shootout we can beat them comfortably in the final. (if we get there,
which I doubt) The player I did notice was Eidur Gudjohnson. Is
he our ex youth player, Bjarni Gudjohnson's
brother? He was on the back page of the Sunday People NE edition with
a headline "Tug of War for £5 m Eidur". It goes on to
say that Newcastle, Sunderland AND Boro
will all try to sign him in the summer. I wonder if the London
edition of the paper has a similar story saying, Spurs, Wimbledon and
West Ham will try to sign him at the end of the season.
Frank, Westerhope.
Good
point Frank , If any one in another region has a 2nd April copy of
"The People, perhaps they can answer this question. "
As
for the player, I think he is related to Bjarni, who is now at Stoke
(I think). mind you half the people in Iceland and called Gudjohnson.
the other half called Magnus, again perhaps someone in Iceland can
tell us more? he was quite impressive today, and at 21 year old could
be our "Shearer" of the future or even a good super sub for
next season or third striker to use when Dunc is injured (or
lethargic). We certainly need more firepower upfront.
As
for your (WHICH I DOUBT) remark, Howay son have a bit of faith.
Rik, any truth in the rumour that Newcastle won't sell Solano to
Man U but will do a swap for Ole Solksjear?
From Colin, Rochdale
I
hope it's just a rumour Colin, you been reading the NOTW?
.Post
your thoughts to me and if they are any good, I'll upload them and
expand on them on this page.. If you want a private reply say so  .
Alternatively post a message on the Hot Gossip message board. |
