[Albion] The "Official" Albion Fan Advisory Board thread

[Beach Hut]

Quite. Same with hospitality staff. Plus Brexit has put the brakes on supply of resource.

Indeed, let's convert this thread to another Brexit moan

 

[jackalbion]

Again - people saying there aren't the bus drivers,

We've proved in the last 14 months that the club have been able to pull in the buses and drivers when they've needed to. It's not as simple as "oh it must be the Government to blame"

Have we? On the rare occasion we have had to run buses instead of trains there haven't been nearly enough to take us home, and the EDF park and ride only seems to run on certain occasions. If anything that shows that there aren't enough buses. A lot has changed in that industry since the spurs game. I don't know how much you use buses locally, but the timetables are never fulfilled now, the 49, 7 all those routes are no longer ever every 6 minutes, Barnham to Havant engineering work a few months ago meant there were no buses available so no replacement services ran. There's also the aspect that the club has a budget to spend, they can't just throw money at the operation and it simply wouldn't be profitable/we'd have a season ticket rise. Which the same people complaining about the buses, would complain about. The difference I agree with is the government can't be totally responsible, as the bus industry is private and has been a long time. I suggested that government intervention may be needed in the industry to boost numbers, but if the market prevails then we'll get stuck with under required supply.

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Have we? On the rare occasion we have had to run buses instead of trains there haven't been nearly enough to take us home, and the EDF park and ride only seems to run on certain occasions. If anything that shows that there aren't enough buses. A lot has changed in that industry since the spurs game. I don't know how much you use buses locally, but the timetables are never fulfilled now, the 49, 7 all those routes are no longer ever every 6 minutes, Barnham to Havant engineering work a few months ago meant there were no buses available so no replacement services ran. There's also the aspect that the club has a budget to spend, they can't just throw money at the operation and it simply wouldn't be profitable/we'd have a season ticket rise. Which the same people complaining about the buses, would complain about.

So thousands and thousands of people were stranded after Spurs were they? And in 13 months the entire bus driver population has left the country because of Brexit? Let's not twist the truth here to make a point. Of course it took much longer to clear the ground because it's an inefficient mode of transport and the roads get clogged up when there's no trains, but this "there aren't enough buses" argument seems based on very little evidence beyond a desire to moan about Tories and Brexit .

Remember, the crux of the original point is some additional buses needed to support the park and ride on a normal matchday. Not a full service to replace trains. On some occasions, even this season, even those where a train strike has been called at short notice, there have miraculously been some additional buses. What the cost of that was none of us know, but to just lazily say there aren't enough drivers so we can't possibly do any more seems short sighted. Of course on some instances there haven’t been as many buses and I'm sure there are logistical reasons for that too, but the fact that there have proven to be additional buses on certain occasions even this season is a point worth exploring, no?

BTW EDF park and ride is not available in the week due to workers.
Pyecombe is not available every weekend due to equestrian events.

Buses have been put on from the Steine previously, could that be another option to consider?

The landowner at Pyecombe the other week was telling everyone he was trying to negotiate with the club to use their site more often. What are the 'certain occasions' that the club use it and could there be more of them? Nobody really knows except the club.

It's all reasonable debate. And - sorry, but how do you know the club can't spend budget on improving a wiltering travel operation? There is a travel survey that allegedly the FAB are supporting with. Perhaps it's an option that season ticket prices might be hiked to support the travel scheme with things like more buses and until then we have to put up with it, but it would be good to know for sure, wouldn't it? And I'm sure that would be properly debated (can you imagine !!!) rather than just brushed under the carpet with a lazy assumption that all the bus drivers have quit.

 

[Official Old Man]

Bus lanes and the police doing something about the slip road to prioritise the buses would help - let them up the left hand lane to turn right at the roundaout would be great. There's always a couple of motorcycle police sitting on their arses letting people cut in dangerously, they could do something useful instead. (Caveated by they are working really hard, we don't know the constraints they work under, teams of people doing the right thing etc etc etc)

This, this, this and this again.
All those years ago I used Lewes Road P&R and I could see the buses getting stuck on that up ramp off the A27. It was wasting so much time. Put in a bus lane on the left with a steward or police at the top giving any bus or coach priority up the ramp. This could cut 15 to 20 minutes off the journey time.
The club have got the turnaround within the ground area down to an art so it's just that ramp that needs sorting.

 

[Uter]

but this "there aren't enough buses" argument seems based on very little evidence beyond a desire to moan about Tories and Brexit .

Au contraire. There is plenty of evidence for a driver shortage, both nationally and locally. This is a real issue, not an imagined one, and it undoubtedly impacts the services that can be provided on matchdays.

 

[jackalbion]

So thousands and thousands of people were stranded after Spurs were they? And in 13 months the entire bus driver population has left the country because of Brexit? Let's not twist the truth here to make a point. Of course it took much longer to clear the ground because it's an inefficient mode of transport and the roads get clogged up when there's no trains, but this "there aren't enough buses" argument seems based on very little evidence beyond a desire to moan about Tories and Brexit .

Remember, the crux of the original point is some additional buses needed to support the park and ride on a normal matchday. Not a full service to replace trains. On some occasions, even this season, even those where a train strike has been called at short notice, there have miraculously been some additional buses. What the cost of that was none of us know, but to just lazily say there aren't enough drivers so we can't possibly do any more seems short sighted. Of course on some instances there haven’t been as many buses and I'm sure there are logistical reasons for that too, but the fact that there have proven to be additional buses on certain occasions even this season is a point worth exploring, no?

BTW EDF park and ride is not available in the week due to workers.
Pyecombe is not available every weekend due to equestrian events.

Buses have been put on from the Steine previously, could that be another option to consider?

The landowner at Pyecombe the other week was telling everyone he was trying to negotiate with the club to use their site more often. What are the 'certain occasions' that the club use it and could there be more of them? Nobody really knows except the club.

It's all reasonable debate. And - sorry, but how do you know the club can't spend budget on improving a wiltering travel operation? There is a travel survey that allegedly the FAB are supporting with. Perhaps it's an option that season ticket prices might be hiked to support the travel scheme with things like more buses and until then we have to put up with it, but it would be good to know for sure, wouldn't it? And I'm sure that would be properly debated (can you imagine !!!) rather than just brushed under the carpet with a lazy assumption that all the bus drivers have quit.

I think it is worth exploring, I'm not lazily saying there aren't enough drivers, that is what I know is the case from experience of procuring buses. Is it an answer you don't want to hear? Just to clarify I did a transport degree and a lot of people who are my friends from the course are now working in the bus industry and are bus managers, this is what they tell me, there aren't enough drivers, they've even tried to get me to get licensed so I can be a contingency driver. The mill road issue is probably linked to the bendy buses going, I imagine that the extra buses will cost a premium, that is presumption but thats how the industry works, the final part about season ticket prices is not me being accurate, but possibly a reason they don't want to pay over the odds. The price of seagulls travel has gone up for this reason, they state as much.

Yeah lots of people were stranded after the spurs game, loads had to walk, I had to walk.

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Au contraire. There is plenty of evidence for a driver shortage, both nationally and locally. This is a real issue, not an imagined one, and it undoubtedly impacts the services that can be provided on matchdays.
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Yes sorry i dismally failed to make that clear, I am not saying there aren't challenges in the industry, there are clearly. but not to the extent that it stopped, for example, EDF and Pyecombe being opened for the Bournemouth (i think) game this season.

 

[jackalbion]

Yes sorry i dismally failed to make that clear, I am not saying there aren't challenges in the industry, there are clearly. but not to the extent that it stopped, for example, EDF and Pyecombe being opened for the Bournemouth (i think) game this season.

You'd have to ask the club on that one, but I presume its because drivers weren't available. You'd have to see the local engineering works that day as that's what the club compete with.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

This, this, this and this again.
All those years ago I used Lewes Road P&R and I could see the buses getting stuck on that up ramp off the A27. It was wasting so much time. Put in a bus lane on the left with a steward or police at the top giving any bus or coach priority up the ramp. This could cut 15 to 20 minutes off the journey time.
The club have got the turnaround within the ground area down to an art so it's just that ramp that needs sorting.

We had a regular coach driver that used the left hand lane every week (for safety reasons ) and took off a good ten minutes.

Haven’t seen him this season

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

You'd have to ask the club on that one, but I presume its because drivers weren't available. You'd have to see the local engineering works that day as that's what the club compete with.

Yeah, or we could ask the, er, FAB to make some enquiries

 

[Barry Izbak]

Monday December 4 meeting notes

1. A discussion was held on the feedback from the Athens game. It was felt there was a lack of BHAFC officials after the teargas incident. This is following similar feedback from the Marseille game when fans were held back with no communication.
2. Agenda items for the second FAB meeting were discussed and are to be sent to the club
3. Rainbow laces event at Crawley the FAB offered their services to support this and await feedback
4. FAB recruitment, comments were made on Nigels draft. Inclusion of the FSA was considered as a good idea
5. Inbox monitor for the week – Clive
6. The fan zone FAB involvement. Still awaiting planning feedback before we can understand our role
7. Webinar / FAB – FAN engagement. It was agreed that this should proceed. Gerry will lead on this
8. DSA update – The FAB team are meeting this Friday with the Club
9. Flag crowd funding – Appreciate that Dec and Jan not a great time for fund raising. Get peoples thought and get some better designs from Dogma NSK etc.

 

[PWA]

Were there any FAB in Athens?

 

[Barry Izbak]

Were there any FAB in Athens?

Three members of the FAB were in Athens

 

[Giraffe]

Monday December 4 meeting notes

Flag crowd funding – Appreciate that Dec and Jan not a great time for fund raising. Get peoples thought and get some better designs from Dogma NSK etc.

I'd say crack on with this. Understand the timing point but I still think for the right design people would chip in quickly.

 

[Giraffe]

Monday December 4 meeting notes

1. A discussion was held on the feedback from the Athens game. It was felt there was a lack of BHAFC officials after the teargas incident. This is following similar feedback from the Marseille game when fans were held back with no communication.

I do feel this is unfair criticism. It's the home club's responsibility. Anything that BHAFC stewards can add is a bonus in my view and I think they did a great job overall on all Europa away games. Fine in an ideal world they would have been able to push for us to be moved quickly when the tear gas situation occurred but I doubt on the list of things they had a plan for being tear gassed was very high.

I'd say the whole club has done everything possible (within the confines of another country's police control) to make this as good an experience as possible.

 

[Hotchilidog]

I do feel this is unfair criticism. It's the home club's responsibility. Anything that BHAFC stewards can add is a bonus in my view and I think they did a great job overall on all Europa away games. Fine in an ideal world they would have been able to push for us to be moved quickly when the tear gas situation occurred but I doubt on the list of things they had a plan for being tear gassed was very high.

I'd say the whole club has done everything possible (within the confines of another countries police control) to make this as good an experience as possible.

I thought the arrangements in Athens were fine. I was disappointed that the Greek authorities allowed tensions to rise for what felt like about 10 minutes or so before seriously trying to empty the home stands. Once the tear gas reached us we seemed to be let out promptly to try and escape it. The magical mystery tour back to the old olympic stadium was tedious but it seemed to run a lot smoother than the Marseilles operation.

 

[jackalbion]

I do feel this is unfair criticism. It's the home club's responsibility. Anything that BHAFC stewards can add is a bonus in my view and I think they did a great job overall on all Europa away games. Fine in an ideal world they would have been able to push for us to be moved quickly when the tear gas situation occurred but I doubt on the list of things they had a plan for being tear gassed was very high.

I'd say the whole club has done everything possible (within the confines of another countries police control) to make this as good an experience as possible.

I agree, it was far better than Marseille, and BHAFC and Police staff did seem to hang around until we left. I think the Athens stewards and police (or lack of them) was the problem IMO.

 

[Brovion]

Hi FAB guys, I haven't read the whole thread so apologies if this has already been covered, but if not may I draw your attention to this thread https://www.northstandchat.com/threads/club-shop-online-another-moan.405114/ where people are raising, imo, valid concerns about the club shop and club merchandise in general. It IS a subject that has come up on here several times in the recent past.

Thanks

 

[Colonel Mustard]

I do feel this is unfair criticism. It's the home club's responsibility. Anything that BHAFC stewards can add is a bonus in my view and I think they did a great job overall on all Europa away games. Fine in an ideal world they would have been able to push for us to be moved quickly when the tear gas situation occurred but I doubt on the list of things they had a plan for being tear gassed was very high.

I'd say the whole club has done everything possible (within the confines of another country's police control) to make this as good an experience as possible.

I wouldn’t expect BHA people to have been able to do anything practical on the spot in Athens, no. But I must admit I’m surprised, and a bit disappointed, that there’s been no correspondence from the club since then. I was fully expecting an email to all ticket purchasers expressing regret and asking for individual experiences. I saw some people quite badly affected but I’ve heard nothing about a plan to communicate with AEK about it.

 

[dazzer6666]

I wouldn’t expect BHA people to have been able to do anything practical on the spot in Athens, no. But I must admit I’m surprised, and a bit disappointed, that there’s been no correspondence from the club since then. I was fully expecting an email to all ticket purchasers expressing regret and asking for individual experiences. I saw some people quite badly affected but I’ve heard nothing about a plan to communicate with AEK about it.

I wasn’t.…..it’s not going to achieve anything or change anything and sure they already have a great deal of detail on what happened.

As regards comments further above, don’t agree that there was a ‘lack of BHA officials’. There were many down by the buses post-match explaining what was going on, stopping us walking out into the ‘riot’ and generally making sure people were ok. Wouldn’t have expected many/any to be in the stands to react to what was an unfortunate (if unpleasant) side-effect of some AEK knobs needing sorting out by the police.