Manchester United, Disgusting behaviour

dafloppyone

dafloppyone

dafloppyone

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saw this on another forum, taking the p or what


Today, my love affair with my football club, officially, and sadly, ended.

I, and thousands of others have been fighting with Manchester United for several weeks now over their "automatic cup tickets scheme". In short, the club were refusing to release season tickets to fans unless they agreed to purchase a ticket for every home cup game this season.

I received an e-mail today telling me that the club had tried, unsuccessfully, to debit my account with £38 for the home tie against Roma on Tuesday 2 October. The e-mail said:

"In the event of a card or payment being declined: (i) a ticket will not be issued, (ii) where the season ticket holder is a One Year Only Season Ticket holder, such season ticket holder may lose their priority position on any season ticket waiting list, and (iii) the season ticket holder will be liable to pay any resulting bank or other similar charge incurred by the Club. In addition, if a card or payment is declined on two or more occasions (whether during a single season or over the course of more than one season) the Club shall have the right to: (i) terminate the season ticket holder’s participation in the Season Ticket Holders Home Cup Ticket Scheme; (ii) withdraw the season ticket holder’s season ticket with immediate effect and/or; (iii) terminate any other arrangements that the season ticket holder has with the Club."

I called the ticket office today and a young fella answered the phone. I gave him my membership number and when he asked as to the nature of my call I bet him a pound I wouldn't be the first person he had dealt with with my query.

"You don't want to buy a ticket for the Roma game, do you?" he said.

I can't go to the game. And so, unless I pay £38 for a game I can't attend, my season ticket will be withdrawn. And so, I told him that I won't be buying a ticket, and that I'll wait for my refund to come through as I hand my season ticket back.

I don't know how this has happened. I am about the staunchest and most committed football fan I know. I go, I watch, I inwardly digest. I can tell you pretty much every United player for the last 20 years, scores in Cup finals for decades. I can tell you who scored for Berwick Rangers on Saturday and who Macclesfield Town's manager is.

And yet, today, I have had to disassociate myself with a football club who I have loved for longer than I got to love my father. Despite 15 years of pretty loyal attendance, some amazing highs, standing in the p*ssing rain on dark winter away days and home losses to Crystal Palace, Manchester United has been woven into the fabric of my life more than any relationship, job or pet. And today, my loyalty and unwavering support has been cast aside in the pursuit of nothing more than a quick buck.

It's not even the finances, although for thousands of fans I imagine it is. Creeping season ticket prices have been a cause of concern for a few years now, but this is more fundamental. It's the moment you realise that it's ceased to become about the football and that you are merely a way of the business maximising its income. The club doesn't care about its loyal supporters any more and is prepared to trade them in in search of corporate hospitality and casual tourists who are prepared to pay overinflated prices.

Perhaps I should have seen it coming, or people will say that we deserved it. And maybe they are right. But that doesn't mean that I can't be angry and, let's not beat about the bush, really quite upset about the fact I have effectively been dumped by a lover I have had for twenty five years.

And for those fans out there currently basking in the joy of foreign investment and a team full of international players, this is a cautionary tale. Yes, you - fans of Liverpool and Chelsea and Villa and West Ham and Manchester City, it may all seem like great fun now, but wait until your club screws you for every last penny and disenfranchises you too.

And what happens then? Those true fans up and down the country who have walked away from their respective clubs - those who are the soul of the game - are gone. When the bubble bursts who is left? Drunk City traders on a jolly and casual supporters?

It might seem overdramatic, but I can't believe after all this time it's got to this point. And the worst part of it all is that I am sure there are hundreds and thousands like me feeling just the same.
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No offence but it was all made clear when purchasing the season ticket. Hence I gave up mine this year. Its a crap system but its been talked to death.
 
All very true and all very sad I am afraid. I know some supporters were taking the club to court over an unenforceable contract. Football nowadays is not about getting in the ground at five past three and buy a pie & a programme with your mates. Its now about getting as many families in to do the tour, eat in the themed cafe and buy a couple of shirts after the game. Theres nothing wrong in wanting that for some fans but its now going this way for all fans
 
As above. Everyone knew the score with these season tickets. He seemed genuinally shock at this? :confused:

Yes it's not right but that's the way it is.
 
If he is indeed as passionate about Man.U. as he claims then he knew this situation would arise and probably just couldn't wait to write about how much it hurts him just to prove how big a fan he is.
My love affair with my club wouldn't suddenly end if they enforced the ticketing policies I agreed to, nobber :rolleyes:
 
Its strange really because i can see both points, by forcing cup tickets it becomes a full season ticket, rather than just a premierleague season ticket, but at the same time people are used to only paying for prem games and the extra expense would probably be prohibitive.
 
This is what I read...

Today, my love affair with my football club, officially, and sadly, ended.
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In short, the club were refusing to release season tickets to fans unless they agreed to purchase a ticket for every home cup game this season.
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*But I went out and bought the season ticket anyway*

*With the Roma game comming up I decided to make a small protest by preventing them taking payment from my account, as I couldn't (or didn't want to) go to the game.*

*They emailed me to tell me that non-payment was in violation of the terms of my season ticket, as agreed when the ticket was bought.*

*Bla bla bla, self proclaimed loyal fan screwed over by money-grabbing corporate owners, just looking to exploit real fans.*


What a chump.
 
I wish we had a levels of membership thing ala Arsenal with their Red/Silver/Gold thing - this could then be extended to season tickets. Have a basic one which lets you visit all the Premiership matches, next up Cup and Prem, then Cup, Prem and Europe etc.

Is it any wonder we get the chants of 'shall we sing a song for you' if the ground is being filled up by kids and parents instead of the fans who've been supporting the club most of their lives?
 
Can I ask those manyoo fans that have actually been, at home do you get stewards telling you to sit down/keep quiet?

When in the prem except in the cop (there'd have been a riot :D) Leeds fans were told to remain seated and to stop singing if in either of the family stands. South stand wasn't usually too bad for it if you weren't sat right on the steps.

Nowadays you can get away with anything except the worst swearing where a steward will just have a word with you, but the atmosphere is a million times better for it. The attendance and the atmosphere at our last few games I'd wager has been better than 90% of Prem/Champ sides. 26k+ all singing :)

its always seemed strange to me though. You try to get a big crowd by balancing ticket prices, etc. and then you tell them to be quiet :confused:
 
I was in the East stand last week and the stand up song was sung twice and both times, from what I can see, 60ish% of the stand was on the feet then duely sat down afterwards.

If the fans start taking the **** and singing it constantly then I could see the stewards getting involved as it blocks the view of others who sillily don't want to par-take. You can't just randomly stand up though. Someone was stood infront of a barrier and he got told to go sit down.

P.S - Never see anyone be told to keep quiet! haha :p
 
I understand trying to get people sat down in seating areas. Its dangerous and you can't get away from that. Killing the atmosphere seems counter-productive to me.
 
At St James we were told to keep seated at all times, yet the stewards never bothered anyone when they stood up singing from time to time and yes, this was in the family enclosure.
 
Gilly said:
Can I ask those manyoo fans that have actually been, at home do you get stewards telling you to sit down/keep quiet?

When in the prem except in the cop (there'd have been a riot :D) Leeds fans were told to remain seated and to stop singing if in either of the family stands. South stand wasn't usually too bad for it if you weren't sat right on the steps.

Nowadays you can get away with anything except the worst swearing where a steward will just have a word with you, but the atmosphere is a million times better for it. The attendance and the atmosphere at our last few games I'd wager has been better than 90% of Prem/Champ sides. 26k+ all singing :)

its always seemed strange to me though. You try to get a big crowd by balancing ticket prices, etc. and then you tell them to be quiet :confused:
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Yes :( I was sat in the Stretford end and any time there was an attack at our end naturally I stood up and was told to sit down by the stewards.
 
Strange. I go in the opposite end usually or sometimes the South and as you say everytime theres a chance everyone stands :confused:
 
IceBus said:
Yes :( I was sat in the Stretford end and any time there was an attack at our end naturally I stood up and was told to sit down by the stewards.
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Never been told to sit down once in the Stretford end for the past 3 seasons :confused:
 
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