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MadDan

An open letter to Neil Doncaster

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Dear Mr Doncaster

I was disappointed, if not surprised, to read your remarks concerning ticket sales at Carrow Rd. Perhaps you''ve misheard the complaints coming from the fans.

If so, I do hope you are not basing your future policy on that one observation of the reaction to away fans in the home area. If you are then at best you are being naive and at worst foolish. Foolish to the point of negligence I would add. The issue here is not the purchase of tickets but what is done with those tickets after they have been purchased.

Trouble will occur. Given that most games look to be sellouts in the foreseeable future there will doubtlessly be resentment felt when City fans see away fans occupying what they feel should be home fans seats. Given that both West Ham and Norwich are enjoying relative success at the moment it is not likely that much friction will be caused. Wait till games are being played when one or both clubs are not enjoying such success. Your policy of the blind eye is setting up future aunt sallies to be knocked down (literally I fear).

If, as you say, all these tickets were purchased by Norwich City members then clearly there is some fault with this scheme ? Surely membership must hold some sort of obligation and loyalty to the club ? Obligation, that a member will act in the best interest''s of the club and fellow Norwich City fans. Loyalty, that a member is a fan of the club and are not merely joining to buy a ticket in order to sell or pass on to others.

If tickets are being bought to sell or pass on then this must pose a security risk. One of the prime motivations for membership, it is constantly stressed, is that of accountability. Accountability that ensures tickets go to genuine and regular fans and also accountability that should your behaviour be to the detriment of others in and around the club then that preference for tickets via membership is withdrawn. Sadly I don’t see any of that accountability happening in your refusal to take action on this matter.

Certainly it would not be viable to make any stipulation upon people wishing to join the membership scheme but I do suggest that you should clearly define what their actions and obligations are regarding tickets once they are members. Also I would further suggest that if the membership scheme is to have any validity or true worth then it’s members must have some say in it’s running.

It cannot be acceptable to have members whose sole purpose of membership is to procure tickets for non Norwich City fans. Neither can it be acceptable for members to know that those administrating the scheme appear to have little or no interest in regulating the behaviour of some of those members.

In that light I would therefore ask Mr Doncaster that you spend the next few match days sitting amongst the ordinary fans. Ask those who are members what they feel about this matter.

We still have a few months ahead of us to ensure we get this right. With the club moving forward positively in so many other areas it''s of vital importance that it''s supporters are not left behind on this important issue.

Yours


Mr. MadDan

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Very well said!
In an all-seater stadium it should be simplicity itself to make a note of the seat numbers in which opposing supporters are sitting, and then trace these back to the member who bought them. The member should get a warning letter, and if the offence is repeated after that, they should have their membership withdrawn. There are plenty of true City fans ready to replace them.

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Agree 100% on this, I had travelled down for the weekend to visit family and couldn''t get a ticket (memeber for 10+ years). Went to the ground on Saturday and was offered a ticket by a very friendly golden goal ticket seller for £50.00! Told him where to poke it and watched the game in Kafe Da - which was great by the way! What really annoys me is the fact that people for away teams can get hold of tickets when true ones can''t? Having said that we would all sneak in anywhere if thats all that was available - as I for one watched our away game at West Ham from a home stand (athough City allocation was sold out and the game wasn''t so didnt feel that guilty!)

Andy

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I wouldn''t believe that a Golden Goal seller would sell you a ticket for 50 quid.
I am a Golden Goal seller at the game and actually got offered 200 quid if I
could get him 3 tickets. I told him I only had 1 and that was mine, and that I
would never sell it.
If a Golden Goal seller sold his ticket to anyone he/she would get fired and
lose the privilage of getting to see every home game for free.
I really don''t think any seller would be stupid enough to do that.

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Spawn, take it from me he did. He was standing on the corner of the Barclay nearest the away support, he was already in hard negotiations with someone else at the time and as I said was quoted £50.00. Just goes to show his loyalty when for a tidy some was willing to head off home at ten to three and not see the game!

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The guy must be a fool.
Who would give up their ticket when there are so many others who have been members for years who would do anything to get one?
This guy gets one for free and he still wants to flog it!!

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It would be simplicity itself to regulate this situation.

My fear is that nothing is being done because the club does not see it as a problem. Reading what Neil Doncaster had to say it''s obvious to see that he feels it''s perfectly ok to allow away fans in the home areas.

If that is the case why then have designated away sections ?

Why have a membership scheme ?

And if trouble does occur how far will the club go to denying responsibility - or worse, liability.

If, as I suspect, the above allegation''s are true then the club are giving a green light to touts by acknowledging that they will not take any action on resold tickets and encouraging away fans to turn up on spec knowing there is a fair chance of getting in.

Somebody at the club needs a good kick in the arse. It has been simplicty itself to blag your way into the the River End without a ticket. (I won''t post further details for obvious reasons)

Neil Doncaster get out of the director''s box and go and see what is going on in the ground.



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