Was the away end for the Villa game “sold out”

[shefcanary 2,389]

If the club had replaced Kensall, maybe there might be subsidised ( half price perhaps) away tickets offered as recompense for such an appalling season, just to stimulate some kind of feelgood feelings.  But we they didn't and no-one on Board or in Executive is being challenged so WTF. 

Edited May 3, 2022 by shefcanary

[TIL 1010 4,722]

54 minutes ago, wcorkcanary said:

Probably a wise move not  to take full allocation then. Case rested. 

You are missing the big picture as in previous years and not necessarily on the back of promotions our away following has always been good with an awful lot of games selling out even when a full allocation was taken. This season has seen a noticable dip in that and yes covid, cost of living etc has taken it's toll but this season it is primarily because of the dross served up game after game on our travels.

I have a ticket for Leicester which was originally due to be played on New Years Day and i am struggling to get any enthusiasm to make the trip to get back home way after midnight with another defeat and in all probability not see us score a goal and i suspect i am not the only one by a long chalk.

The engagement i have with this squad of players is being stretched to the limit. Your ' case rested ' hides the reasons behind the club dropping the request for taking full allocations.

 

Edited May 3, 2022 by TIL 1010

[wcorkcanary 4,329]

4 minutes ago, TIL 1010 said:

You are missing the big picture as in previous years and not necessarily on the back of promotions our away following has always been good with an awful lot of games selling out even when a full allocation was taken. This season has seen a noticable dip in that and yes covid, cost of living etc has taken it's toll but this season it is primarily because of the dross served up game after game on our travels.

I have a ticket for Leicester which was originally due to be played on New Years Day and i am struggling to get any enthusiasm to make the trip to get back home way after midnight with another defeat and in all probability not see us score a goal and i suspect i am not the only one by a long chalk.

The engagement i have with this squad of players is being stretched to the limit. Your ' case rested ' hides the reasons behind the club dropping the request for taking full allocations.

 

Your reasons maybe,  not necessarily  THE reasons.  Whatever the reasons, the Club did the right  thing by not conmitting to full allocation... No ?

If not, why not, as i can imagine quite a few griping if a large proportion  were left unsold. 

Edited May 3, 2022 by wcorkcanary

[TIL 1010 4,722]

18 minutes ago, shefcanary said:

If the club had replaced Kensall, maybe there might be subsidised ( half price perhaps) away tickets offered as recompense for such an appalling season, just to stimulate some kind of feelgood feelings.  But we they didn't and no-one on Board or in Executive is being challenged so WTF. 

Just tell me who exactly is running supporter services/ engagement in recent times also. When Ben left an awful lot of goodwill from within the club went out of the door with him shef.

[TIL 1010 4,722]

3 minutes ago, wcorkcanary said:

Your reasons maybe,  not necessarily  THE reasons. 

You have clearly lost touch completely rather like the club as to how an awful lot of away travellers are feeling currently. Living the other side of the Irish Sea has clouded your ability to read the room.

[essex canary 492]

Just now, wcorkcanary said:

Your reasons maybe,  not necessarily  THE reasons. 

In the first half of 2019 in the promotion run in, I went to every away game after New Year's Day bar Rotherham when Ben admitted the Club messed it up and apologised. The Away Members scheme should never have happened and we should go back to where we were in early 2019 albeit avoiding the Rotherham mess up by having a simple and free system to ensure regulars get priority. 

Otherwise best to effectively hold a gun to their head with empty seats. Perhaps it will catch on at home games too?

[Jim Smith 2,314]

22 minutes ago, wcorkcanary said:

Your reasons maybe,  not necessarily  THE reasons.  Whatever the reasons, the Club did the right  thing by not conmitting to full allocation... No ?

If not, why not, as i can imagine quite a few griping if a large proportion  were left unsold. 

Maybe in this instance it turned out to be the right decision because we lost all those games in April and it turned out to be a nothing game. They were not to know that though at the start of April when the tickets went on sale, it could have been an important game with big demand as i would usually expect us to sell out for a 3pm saturday game at Villa or West Brom. Perhaps in this case Villa said they could have the upper tier if they sold the bottom so were more flexible than some other clubs are. 

My gripe this season has been that several away games have been "sold out" quite quickly after the allocations went on sale (particualrly before demand started to drop in the latter part of the season) and people have just assumed we sold out our normal allocation so haven't caused a fuss about it but when attending the game its been evident that the club has quietly (and without announcing it) taken a much smaller allocation than in previous seasons. Its clearly been a policy of the club to avoid having unsold tickets for away games. However its a bit off when you have sold away memberships to several thousand fans because in several cases the tickets have sold out in the top few ticket priority categories. 

[Jim Smith 2,314]

Just now, Jim Smith said:

Maybe in this instance it turned out to be the right decision because we lost all those games in April and it turned out to be a nothing game. They were not to know that though at the start of April when the tickets went on sale, it could have been an important game with big demand as i would usually expect us to sell out for a 3pm saturday game at Villa or West Brom. Perhaps in this case Villa said they could have the upper tier if they sold the bottom so were more flexible than some other clubs are. 

My gripe this season has been that several away games have been "sold out" quite quickly after the allocations went on sale (particualrly before demand started to drop in the latter part of the season) and people have just assumed we sold out our normal allocation so haven't caused a fuss about it but when attending the game its been evident that the club has quietly (and without announcing it) taken a much smaller allocation than in previous seasons. Its clearly been a policy of the club to avoid having unsold tickets for away games. However its a bit off when you have sold away memberships to several thousand fans because in several cases the tickets have sold out in the top few ticket priority categories. 

Then of course there is the separate point that Tilly is making which is that the turn out/demand for tickets should be ringing alarm bells. maybe you can put it down as a one off but I think the combination of it being hard to get tickets for some games earlier in the season and the team being so abject risks people falling out of "the habit" of going. Smith saying he sees no "apathy" when we can't even sell more than 1200 tickets for Villa (a) on a saturday is a bit contradictory. 

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

1 hour ago, TIL 1010 said:

Just tell me who exactly is running supporter services/ engagement in recent times also. When Ben left an awful lot of goodwill from within the club went out of the door with him shef.

No denying it has been a bad season in this regard, Tilly. Not sure if you've read the minutes from the last panel meeting, but a new Head of Supporter Engagement starts in June, and a new Head of Customer Services is in the latter stages of the appointment process and should also be in place for the new season. Additionally, a new Content Manager is also being recruited and there's some interesting comment from Zoe about the club acknowledging its comms strategy has been a bit 'risk-averse' in recent times (see point 2): https://www.canaries.co.uk/club/supporters-panel-meeting-19-04-2022

From the panel's perspective the club is certainly talking a good game in terms of improving fan engagement; will be interesting to see how these new appointments change things next season.

[essex canary 492]

'Communications Strategy has been risk averse' comes across as someone has swallowed a management textbook.

That is a huge slice of the problem. It could be very 'risk loaded' if Supporters don't go to matches.

It was good to see the Panel especially EW tackle the issues.

[wcorkcanary 4,329]

2 hours ago, TIL 1010 said:

You have clearly lost touch completely rather like the club as to how an awful lot of away travellers are feeling currently. Living the other side of the Irish Sea has clouded your ability to read the room.

Getting a bit close to your bugbear of playing the poster not the post there  Tillo....not that it bothers  me in the slightest....im not the  sensitive sort. What i do see , is a few disgruntled posters, complaining  about allocations at the same  time  as saying that they have lost interest in going. 🤷‍♂️

Im not trying to  read the room, let alone play to the  gallery!! 😉

Edited May 3, 2022 by wcorkcanary

[shefcanary 2,389]

43 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

No denying it has been a bad season in this regard, Tilly. Not sure if you've read the minutes from the last panel meeting, but a new Head of Supporter Engagement starts in June, and a new Head of Customer Services is in the latter stages of the appointment process and should also be in place for the new season. Additionally, a new Content Manager is also being recruited and there's some interesting comment from Zoe about the club acknowledging its comms strategy has been a bit 'risk-averse' in recent times (see point 2): https://www.canaries.co.uk/club/supporters-panel-meeting-19-04-2022

From the panel's perspective the club is certainly talking a good game in terms of improving fan engagement; will be interesting to see how these new appointments change things next season.

All fine and dandy Wolfie, but something could be done before the new HoSE get's their feet under the table. 

As mentioned above though, surely someone at the club has the gumption that there is a need to reconnect with fans now, this season, before more decisions about future support are made.  Is the assumption really going to be "well I'll wait until June when things may be clearer about next season before deciding whether to keep supporting the team?", when we know almost certainly things will be fudged as usual, close to where things currently are.  And the new HoSE will not have begun to deliver their new strategy for reconnecting as I'm sure this will only become apparent from the Autumn onwards. 

Simple, straight forward gestures are required to fire up the fans, I can't see how discounting the last two away match tickets to the tune of £2-4K will break the bank, but might bring a really positive uplift on the away terraces and make a real reconnection.  You never know they might spur the team on and secure 19th and £2m plus more in EPL prize money.  Money very well spent.

[Google Bot 3,259]

51 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

a new Head of Supporter Engagement starts in June

 

51 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

a new Head of Customer Services is in the latter stages of the appointment process

 

51 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

Additionally, a new Content Manager is also being recruited

🎵 It's like ten thousands spoons, when all you need is a knife.

🎵 It's like losing Oli Skipp and making Billy G your wife..

[TIL 1010 4,722]

1 hour ago, Feedthewolf said:

No denying it has been a bad season in this regard, Tilly. Not sure if you've read the minutes from the last panel meeting, but a new Head of Supporter Engagement starts in June, and a new Head of Customer Services is in the latter stages of the appointment process and should also be in place for the new season. Additionally, a new Content Manager is also being recruited and there's some interesting comment from Zoe about the club acknowledging its comms strategy has been a bit 'risk-averse' in recent times (see point 2): https://www.canaries.co.uk/club/supporters-panel-meeting-19-04-2022

 

Wolfie yes i have read the minutes but with the first appointment you mention being as i read it towards the end of June and the others presumably to follow after it has to be taken on board that next season starts in July because of the World Cup so nothing, or so it looks to me will have improved before 2022/23 is well under way.

The QE2 had a quicker turning circle by the looks of it as far as the club getting it's act together of this.

 

Edited May 3, 2022 by TIL 1010

[KernowCanary 214]

19 hours ago, Duncan Edwards said:

At least everyone is now on the same page that the club have been right taking smaller allocations. Phew! 

I remember reading somewhere that during their previous relegation, they closed down a few of the upper tiers of their stands!🤣🤣🤣

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

1 minute ago, TIL 1010 said:

Wolfie yes i have read the minutes but with the first appointment you mention being as i read it towards the end of June and the others presumably to follow after it has to be taken on board that next season starts in July because of the World Cup so nothing, or so it looks to me will have improved before 2022/23 is well under way.

The QE2 had a quicker turning circle by the looks of it as far the club getting it's act together of this.

If the recruitment process was rushed through, I'm sure there would be plenty of complaints about the club not having done its due diligence. You know as well as I do that recruiting for senior positions takes time, and the people appointed generally have longer notice periods to serve in their current employment. Once the decision to split Customer Services and Supporter Engagement was made, the adverts went out into the public domain relatively quickly. It's unfortunate if this means the incumbents aren't able to get their strategies in place for the new season, but it is what it is.

I'm sure our supporters will make their voices heard, so let's hope they get the right people for the jobs and we can hit the ground running next season, on and off the pitch. Until then, I'm going to keep my powder dry.

 

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

22 minutes ago, shefcanary said:

All fine and dandy Wolfie, but something could be done before the new HoSE get's their feet under the table. 

As mentioned above though, surely someone at the club has the gumption that there is a need to reconnect with fans now, this season, before more decisions about future support are made.  Is the assumption really going to be "well I'll wait until June when things may be clearer about next season before deciding whether to keep supporting the team?", when we know almost certainly things will be fudged as usual, close to where things currently are.  And the new HoSE will not have begun to deliver their new strategy for reconnecting as I'm sure this will only become apparent from the Autumn onwards. 

Simple, straight forward gestures are required to fire up the fans, I can't see how discounting the last two away match tickets to the tune of £2-4K will break the bank, but might bring a really positive uplift on the away terraces and make a real reconnection.  You never know they might spur the team on and secure 19th and £2m plus more in EPL prize money.  Money very well spent.

This is a good point, well made. Let's hope you're right and someone at the club is taking the temperature of fan feelings... certainly looked like a sorry display of support at Villa on Saturday.

[shefcanary 2,389]

9 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

This is a good point, well made. Let's hope you're right and someone at the club is taking the temperature of fan feelings... certainly looked like a sorry display of support at Villa on Saturday.

It's not my ****ing job to make these good points well made though, it should be coming from people within the club!  

FFS Delia et al, appoint a Chair and a CEO soonest so they can start to motivate the staff to come up with this stuff and move the club forward positively as a coherent whole instead of a total basket case.   

[Greavsy 2,412]

13 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

someone at the club is taking the temperature of fan feelings

Thought that was what the OSP was set up to do. Represent the fans..... 

[TIL 1010 4,722]

13 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

If the recruitment process was rushed through, I'm sure there would be plenty of complaints about the club not having done its due diligence. You know as well as I do that recruiting for senior positions takes time, and the people appointed generally have longer notice periods to serve in their current employment. Once the decision to split Customer Services and Supporter Engagement was made, the adverts went out into the public domain relatively quickly. It's unfortunate if this means the incumbents aren't able to get their strategies in place for the new season, but it is what it is.

I'm sure our supporters will make their voices heard, so let's hope they get the right people for the jobs and we can hit the ground running next season, on and off the pitch. Until then, I'm going to keep my powder dry.

 

Wolfie the club knew months before the head of Supporter Services left that they were leaving but for whatever reason chose not to advertise or commence the recruitment process for a replacement until weeks after they had left. You also know that Caroline left after only a couple of months in her role and nothing was done about that either.

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

Just now, Greavsy said:

Thought that was what the OSP was set up to do. Represent the fans..... 

Yes, that's right. And we've asked a lot of searching questions at the previous panel meeting, as was acknowledged in the thread about the same on here. 

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

2 minutes ago, TIL 1010 said:

Wolfie the club knew months before the head of Supporter Services left that they were leaving but for whatever reason chose not to advertise or commence the recruitment process for a replacement until weeks after they had left. You also know that Caroline left after only a couple of months in her role and nothing was done about that either.

I didn't know that. As for Caroline, I didn't know how long she had been in her role when she was introduced to use last June; certainly had no idea she had literally just started.

[Greavsy 2,412]

9 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

Yes, that's right. And we've asked a lot of searching questions at the previous panel meeting, as was acknowledged in the thread about the same on here. 

But appears little chance to raise what the fans want. 

I know we agree to disagree on this, but in my view the OSP should be asking the club questions on behalf of the fans, not the agenda set by the club. 

[ncfcstar 287]

13 minutes ago, TIL 1010 said:

Wolfie the club knew months before the head of Supporter Services left that they were leaving but for whatever reason chose not to advertise or commence the recruitment process for a replacement until weeks after they had left. You also know that Caroline left after only a couple of months in her role and nothing was done about that either.

Just because someone leaves doesn't mean they necessarily need to be replaced.  I'm not denying that there is a problem with CS and engagement at the club, as you are well aware the OSP have brought this up on numerous occasions and the minutes show the discussions we've had.

If the club have a wider recruitment strategy/internal restructure then it's not really fair to say 'nothing was done' as it would be worse to employ someone who would then essentially become redundant once the two 'new' roles are filled in the summer.

[Greavsy 2,412]

10 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

I didn't know that. As for Caroline, I didn't know how long she had been in her role when she was introduced to use last June; certainly had no idea she had literally just started.

She introduced at the first meeting, pre osp initialization as new to the role. 

[ncfcstar 287]

3 minutes ago, Greavsy said:

But appears little chance to raise what the fans want. 

I know we agree to disagree on this, but in my view the OSP should be asking the club questions on behalf of the fans, not the agenda set by the club. 

Broad concerns are raised, and have been raised though.  I think there is a fine line between that and the OSP becoming a CS conduit, which is precisely what it should not be.

[TIL 1010 4,722]

5 minutes ago, Greavsy said:

She introduced at the first meeting, pre osp initialization as new to the role. 

It was on the Zoom meeting Greavsy which i watched.

[TIL 1010 4,722]

6 minutes ago, ncfcstar said:

Just because someone leaves doesn't mean they necessarily need to be replaced.  I'm not denying that there is a problem with CS and engagement at the club, as you are well aware the OSP have brought this up on numerous occasions and the minutes show the discussions we've had.

If the club have a wider recruitment strategy/internal restructure then it's not really fair to say 'nothing was done' as it would be worse to employ someone who would then essentially become redundant once the two 'new' roles are filled in the summer.

Surely you are not telling me that the need to replace may not apply to Head of Supporter Services ? You claim also to have brought this up on ' numerous occassions ' yet as far as i am aware there have only been two meetings.

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

6 minutes ago, TIL 1010 said:

It was on the Zoom meeting Greavsy which i watched.

What Zoom meeting was this? If she did introduce herself as being new to the role then obviously it's an oversight on my part. I'm sure she'd been at the club for a while at that point, though? Maybe that's where I'm getting confused, and she was new to the role she was in but not new to the club? Either way, not hugely important.

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

16 minutes ago, Greavsy said:

But appears little chance to raise what the fans want. 

I know we agree to disagree on this, but in my view the OSP should be asking the club questions on behalf of the fans, not the agenda set by the club. 

Do we really have to go through this again?