[Albion] 10-game ban and 50-loyalty point deduction

[dazzer6666]

Not entirely sure that snarky response was warranted.

You were the one casting aspersions on someone, and I just wanted to say that my view differs. If you look at the chap's numerous responses to people who have interacted with him, the story is all there I think, and it seems he just decided to take one for the team, essentially, and allow his son's to continue to attend games.

My discussion with him has led to think he's a decent chap that I'm inclined to believe, but there's a chance I've been hoodwinked of course.

Agree he sounds a decent chap from the tweets. You posting snippets with no supporting comments isn’t helpful - smacks of a Mr Know-all approach, so it’s a snarky repsonse to a ’look at me I’m superior and know more than you’ smartarse comment.

Personally I am struggling to see how a guy that is a long term STH sitting between his two STH sons at every home game (not sure whether they live in the same household) hasn’t had a ‘clear and obvious’ discussion on who is applying for tickets at what point and for whom for an upcoming away game, and that this total lack of discussion (or duplicitousness) has led to someone suffering the full force of the club sanctions.

They sit together, possibly live together, talk about BHA all the time, but didn’t discuss or agree what they were each doing re an away ticket purchase, despite all the comms from the club and the noise on social media around this ?

 

[drew]

Agree he sounds a decent chap from the tweets. You posting snippets with no supporting comments isn’t helpful - smacks of a Mr Know-all approach, so it’s a snarky repsonse to a ’look at me I’m superior and know more than you’ smartarse comment.

Personally I am struggling to see how a guy that is a long term STH sitting between his two STH sons at every home game (not sure whether they live in the same household) hasn’t had a ‘clear and obvious’ discussion on who is applying for tickets at what point and for whom for an upcoming away game, and that this total lack of discussion (or duplicitousness) has led to someone suffering the full force of the club sanctions.

They sit together, possibly live together, talk about BHA all the time, but didn’t discuss or agree what they were each doing re an away ticket purchase, despite all the comms from the club and the noise on social media around this ?

Tend to agree. Surely there was some discussion pre sale as to who was going and whether the ticket was therefore available?

 

[NorthstandRacoon]

The club are following through...



...feel for the chap involved here, given the circumstances.

Absolutely absurd! Disgraceful way to treat fans, still cannot get my head around this. I've spoken to other lads who support other clubs (none of the plastics) and they are flabbergasted that the club are acting like this. They have a similar loyalty points system and would be fuming if this happened to them. Out of touch from the club yet again. It's so frustrating reading this.

 

[NorthstandRacoon]

That’s a good point, the dickheadery at away games has swelled enormously of late, fuelled mostly by youngsters where you wonder how on earth so many of them managed to amass so many loyalty points at such a tender age. As I said on a thread a few months ago, when you arrive at a town and see hoards of your fellow fans exiting the train station, and the first thing they bellow in front of bemused kids, families, old folks and Saturday shoppers is “xxxxtown’s a SHIThole, I wanna go ‘ome” - well, it’s a bit …..embarrassing.

Ummmm I think we were all like that at that age at football, well, I was. Yeah it's a bit embarrassing but you can see they are just teenagers out with their mates. Just ignore it or have a word. I have with a couple before and tbf they were very understanding. They make the most noise at away days because the old farts won't and nor will those who just like to clap at a pass. Watering down our support yet again with this shite.

 

[NorthstandRacoon]

I dunno. You bring up your kids to support the Club. They are at the stage of life when they can't afford or fit a season ticket into their lives so they use the old man's ticket to make their day out better. What is the problem.

I can see why the club would want to know who is attending a game. But also it is a good thing if younger people are following the club. And if that's at away games then so be it. Sometimes it is better to turn a blind eye - the danger is you make a mountain out of a molehill. I know the arguments - arrests/loyalty points etc. It just looks heavy-handed. A sledge hammer to crack a nut. Just because you can do something does not mean you should.

Agree.

 

[NorthstandRacoon]

It's completely pointless, and wouldn't have happened, were it not for everyone else spoiling it for the 'good guys'.

So passing tickets to your fellow STH mates when you suddenly cannot go, makes you a bad guy? LOL.

 

[NorthstandRacoon]

I see. It's a loyalty points thing. Fair enough.

I can't get over excited about people who occasionally go to away games missing an away game. I assume diehard home and awayers always get their tickets.

This. It's just those who want to go to certain away trips but sometimes can't who whine and blame others for their lack of points.

 

[NorthstandRacoon]

Modern football bollocks, as I told Mr. Barber a few weeks ago. As far as I am concerned: you buy a season ticket, you give it to whomever you choose if you can't use it, and the only time there should be any kind of sanction is if the person concerned behaves like an idiot, which is most definitely your responsibility. It is at that point that this sort of sanction should come in. Stuff like this is ludicrous. It's like a tour promoter telling someone who comes to a gig using a ticket bought by someone else that he's not just banned from the gig but from the next nine dates on the tour as well. Wouldn't happen in any other branch of the entertainment industry. And the argument that the season ticket is discounted and someone else should pay full price is, in an age when we don't know what day or time we're going to be playing because of TV schedules and the huge revenues they bring, absolutely untenable. If the whims of TV mean we can't attend a game then we should be able to pass the ticket on.

Spot on, as always. It is modern football bollocks. I don't get how anyone cannot understand this!

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

I agree, the club should be able to hand down punishments to fans who abuse the system. You're right. It's not fair on other fans. I do think that the punishment is too severe and leaves the club open to be accused of being draconian. I would have a simpler system - points deducted and a one game ban for first offence and then a harsher penalty for second offence. That way it shows a little more care towards the fans. My sense is that by imposing a 10-game ban straight away, then the club really is imposing a parent/child approach to the relationship, and that in itself creates distance.

There should be consequences for actions and that works both ways. The consequence for this particular fan is that they can't go to 10 games. The consequence for the club is that I observe this, think it is unjust, and the club loses just a little bit of my loyalty. In stances like this it becomes the death of a thousand cuts. Small actions become large actions. The club is quick to take a flask of tea of a pensioner but can't muster a decent enough search to stop away fans taking flares into the ground. Why do I use this example? Because we bring in non-common sensical rules that just create distance.

To my mind, when the Albion survived and we as a collective said we were a community club, I thought we would do things differently. It has taken the club an age to introduce the Fan Advisory Board, and even that took the scandal of the European Super League and the threat of government regulation to hasten its arrival. We have a women's team who are playing in Crawley when we have a perfectly good stadium here in Falmer. We are a city that is proud to stand up for LGBTQ+ rights and yet we did nothing to note our disappointment at FIFA's decision to award the World Cup to a country where homosexuality is banned and where women can not make life decisions without the permission of a male guardian.

Yes, we do have Albion In The Community, but every other club has something similar. Our history IS different. We DID save our club. We saved it for a reason. Not just so that professional football would survive in Sussex* but so that we could be a beacon for other clubs. I think we've lost that. Nowadays, I think we are just a footballing project - an example of how you can buy and sell players wisely and work your way up the league. What a lost opportunity. Why are we not also campaigning for safe standing; campaigning for respect for referees; campaigning against corruption in sport and pushing for a proper 'Fit & Proper Persons' test. Where's our courage gone?

All this leads me back to this 10-game ban. It's just an easy solution. It hasn't really taken much thought. That's my issue. Off the pitch, we're not really thinking much anymore.

PS: this is all a build on your point JBizzle, not an attack on it.

Funny really, I agree with much of what you say, and yet take a different conclusion. How the club stopping people taking the piss causes you to lose a bit of loyalty is unclear to me. By contrast I feel more loyal to the club because they are showing they are looking out for people like me. That loyalty felt strained recently as Albion+ Members were not treated well during covid years, it felt like a one-way loyalty scheme. This current action can only be applauded by me. Draconian punishment, perhaps, but hardly poorly-signposted.

It's probable that the club as built by Tony Bloom is not the community club that you desire, that dream probably left with Dick Knight. I wasn't overly happy with the change of Chairman at that time, but Tony Blooms dream, one with a great stadium, footballing talent and competing with the big boys, it's not a bad alternative, and it's not as if it comes at the complete expense of the other aspects.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

What this situation tells us is that we 100% need to have an away ticket exchange scheme as a matter of urgency and priority and that should be a line in the sand for all on the Fans Advisory Board.

It is definitely not right for fans to be buying tickets for other fans so they can keep the points and allow others to jump the queue, the club is right to be stopping it. But it's also not right for someone to be stuck with an unusable ticket for whatever reason, illness, travel, family or work reasons, whatever, without any ability to give it away, make it available to another fan or receive a refund from the club. In 2022 it is easy to issue electronic tickets, cancel and reassign them at the press of a button. So do it, and then the club can justify its punishments.

 

[dwayne]

Not sure if mentioned anywhere but how was he caught ?

 

[Stat Brother]

So passing tickets to your fellow STH mates when you suddenly cannot go, makes you a bad guy? LOL.

Errr no you've taken one line and completely misunderstood by taking one line out of the conversation.

This whole situation is completely pointless and wouldn't have happened if the people recieving tickets, they aren't entitled too, weren't getting thrown out.

In fairness this whole situation is completely pointless and wouldn't have happened had the family just bought another ticket, on general sale, and left dad's ticket at home.

She still goes.
Has a seat with boyfriend.
Dad keeps his seat and points.

 

[Dirty Dave]

I understand checks being made at grounds such as Brentford, Palace, Fulham etc, where tickets sell out to people in the top tier/s.

But at a game that went to general sale / purchase history or whatever it was, just doesn't seem very proportionate for what the club are looking to achieve.

 

[Bozza]

You posting snippets with no supporting comments isn’t helpful - smacks of a Mr Know-all approach, so it’s a snarky repsonse to a ’look at me I’m superior and know more than you’ smartarse comment.

Your attack on me couldn't be further from the truth.

After I opened twitter, saw his tweet, and posted it on here I went back the following day and read through all the various replies to him, and his replies back to those who had asked him about what had happened.

I read far more then than I had the previous day, either because I'd originally missed tweets and/or the conversation had moved on.

What struck a chord, leading to me DMing him, was how his chief regret was that this incident would cause him to miss attending games with his sons for some time, and how those occasions were precious. I don't have time right now to dig through all the tweets to find that particular one.

It resonated because I go with my 12-y-o son and it's the one time in the week (two weeks) when it is just me and him together. In the hurly burly of modern life, those times are important and cherished.

I don't think I've learned new anything about the situation from my discussion with him - it was predominately one dad to another about going to the games with our respective lads. He does however seem a decent chap and I don't doubt his version of events. You think he's lying - a view you're obviously entitled to.

 

[dazzer6666]

Your attack on me couldn't be further from the truth.

After I opened twitter, saw his tweet, and posted it on here I went back the following day and read through all the various replies to him, and his replies back to those who had asked him about what had happened.

I read far more then than I had the previous day, either because I'd originally missed tweets and/or the conversation had moved on.

What struck a chord, leading to me DMing him, was how his chief regret was that this incident would cause him to miss attending games with his sons for some time, and how those occasions were precious. I don't have time right now to dig through all the tweets to find that particular one.

It resonated because I go with my 12-y-o son and it's the one time in the week (two weeks) when it is just me and him together. In the hurly burly of modern life, those times are important and cherished.

I don't think I've learned new anything about the situation from my discussion with him - it was predominately one dad to another about going to the games with our respective lads. He does however seem a decent chap and I don't doubt his version of events. You think he's lying - a view you're obviously entitled to.

Completely with you on the family time, exactly the same here - but how this happened without (seemingly) any knowledge or discussion - even if no more than a but of football chit-chat- is bizarre to me at least. Even now junior is attending far fewer away games due to work, we still have a discussion about each one before tickets go on sale, and the same applies across our wider group. Something doesn’t stack up - if you have more info that explains that then fair enough, but it has been shared as far as I’ve seen.

 

[Stat Brother]

I understand checks being made at grounds such as Brentford, Palace, Fulham etc, where tickets sell out to people in the top tier/s.

But at a game that went to general sale / purchase history or whatever it was, just doesn't seem very proportionate for what the club are looking to achieve.

Maybe it has something to do with fans still abusing the system, taking tickets and points away from others further down the chain, even when games go all the way down to general sale.

 

[BNthree]

What this situation tells us is that we 100% need to have an away ticket exchange scheme as a matter of urgency and priority and that should be a line in the sand for all on the Fans Advisory Board.

Agreed. The other top priority should be fans get notified if a ticket it bought in their name using the Friends and Family feature.

 

[jonny.rainbow]

This is an absolute disgrace.

I suggest we protest against this horrendous scheme by changing our names by deed poll to Simon Lardy.

We can then pass on our tickets to anyone we like again.

 

[Justice]

Sorry, I misunderstood. If you see then you’re not bothered I guess.

Personally it doesn’t effect me as I rarely go to away games now. Back in my younger days It would have annoyed me like it did when I couldn’t get a ticket for last game of the season at Shrewsbury. So yes I do get why people are pissed off.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Completely with you on the family time, exactly the same here - but how this happened without (seemingly) any knowledge or discussion - even if no more than a but of football chit-chat- is bizarre to me at least. Even now junior is attending far fewer away games due to work, we still have a discussion about each one before tickets go on sale, and the same applies across our wider group. Something doesn’t stack up - if you have more info that explains that then fair enough, but it has been shared as far as I’ve seen.

Yeah, I’m inclined to agree. As an Albion supporting family we discuss the club on family chats pretty much all week. It just isn’t possible that any of us would apply for tickets for a game without mentioning it. It’s a big part of our lives.