[Albion] Swansman "vs." Paul Barber

Is it PotG? said:

Whilst I agree about Ring of Fire, you need a hobby.

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Stat Brother said:

We should all be ashamed of ourselves.

All these years we've silently sat by a let OUR club be run into the ground.

I'm so glad Swanman has taken it upon himself to step up and ask the questions on behalf of all of us.

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Is it PotG? said:

Whilst I agree about Ring of Fire, you need a hobby.

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CheeseRolls said:

CheeseRolls "Vs." Swansmen

This is really odd behavior

I think, but I don't know, just my assumption really, that I speak for many of our fans, we really don't want you to summarise and represent the views of supporters to the Chief Exec

Please stop

Many Thanks
Cheese Rolls

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Hotchilidog said:

A very unimpressive set of questions. Starting with Ring of Fire which actually came from the fans singing it when Nathan Jones was briefly in charge. In the WSU the stewards are excellent, no idea where the charge of roughness comes from. As for the third charge, what? Utterly ridiculous. Friction between club and fans? Again what? No complaints from this fan. As for the final question, sheesh, do you really have nothing better to do with your time?

Barber proving that he has the patience of saint in actually bothering to reply at all.

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timbha said:

Are you now representing the Albion fans? No thanks

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Stat Brother said:

We should all be ashamed of ourselves.

All these years we've silently sat by a let OUR club be run into the ground.

I'm so glad Swanman has taken it upon himself to step up and ask the questions on behalf of all of us.

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Swansman said:

Someone said that Paul Barber generally replies to emails, so I sent him a wall of text that I won't post here as a few here would be offended.

I explained I'm an outsider who has never visited Brighton and thanked him and the club for the good job they're (seemingly) doing, and then I brought up some "commonly mentioned issues" that I've noticed around here. I am a curious person and wanted to try how easy it is to communicate with the club.

Few hours later - response from Barber! I dont know if this is interesting or if theres any perspectives from Barber that could be considered new or unexpected, but here it is - a summarizedversion of my "suggestions" and the responses from Barber.

Many supporters feel that "Ring of Fire" is perhaps not the best pre-match music
Barber: "we review our match day build-up and music choices before every season. It doesn’t just have to work for fans in the stadium, it has to work with our players and coaches’ requirements too, and also fit with strict timings determined by the Premier League and its broadcast partners. I agree that it is time to re-fresh it soon, and I’m sure that will happen in the summer ahead of our 10th anniversary season at the Amex."

Many supporters feel the stewarding is a bit rough and could loosen up a little
Barber: "our stewarding isn’t “harsh” at all. In fact, it is rated as amongst the very best in the Premier League. We will not tolerate any kind of abusive or discriminatory behaviour - and I’m afraid that won’t change. With a very tiny percentage of our fans represented on social media, it’s very mis-leading indeed to use it to judge our stewarding or anything else about the club. I suspect your opinion will be very different after visiting."

Some supporters feel a bit worried about expressing their enthusiasm to the fullest while at the AMEX
Barber:"in excess of 27,000 Brighton fans at the Amex for each home game have plenty of opportunity and freedom to generate a great atmosphere at the stadium, as they have done on many occasions since we opened in 2011. Sometimes that atmosphere comes from the team’s performance, other times it is the atmosphere generated by the fans that inspires the team’s performance. It is always a 2-way street".

The aforementioned sometimes occuring perceptions doesnt matter much now now but if the football side to it starts failing, there could be friction between the club and its fans if stewarding etc. remains harsh, and the risk of a future possible "anti-fan" image could damage the club
Barber: "having won “best fan experience” in the Premier League for each of our first two seasons playing at this level, we are a very long way from a reputation as an “anti-fan club” – to be frank, I have never heard such rubbish! The true “vast majority” of fans are, according to fan surveys – which are completed by many thousands of fans each season and after each home match – are very happy with the club’s stewarding."

Some people - actually maybe only me - feel that while you are a great communicator, occurances of language like "we are proud to treat our fans as customers" is a bit alienating - it is as if your church or your wife would call you "a customer" rather than a believer or husband.
Barber: thank you for your feedback on communication. I’m afraid it’s impossible to please everyone all the time in this job! The vast majority of our fans want to be recognised as “fans” and treated as “customers”. That is how our staff are expected to think - and act. We are a growing football club, a developing business, and a significant community asset. We therefore communicate with multiple stakeholders all the time.

Great to see him reply, I'm guessing that in about 19 of the other PL clubs it would be pretty hard to get any type of thought through answer, especially not after just a few hours.

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DarrenFreemansPerm said:

Lol. What an epic car crash.

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Swansman said:

...
All of the things I wrote have been expressed by several fans on this board. If the "some fans believe" dont include you, feel free to write to Barber and express your own opinions. As for "speaking for the fans" - different fans have different opinions and neither you, me or anyone else is able to speak for everyone.

.

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Munkfish said:

Who the **** are you to represent the fans?

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Swansman said:

Many supporters feel that "Ring of Fire" is perhaps not the best pre-match music

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