Levy / ENIC

[Distaste for scouse]

People can disagree but there are plenty of posts on Spurs forums dating back a long long time complaining about the atmosphere at the old WHL

This is not a new problem brought about by the stadium -

The atmosphere at the old WHL could be different gravy on occasion, big European games, derby days etc.
The new stadium doesn't get close.

But I do agree if you were playing Bolton at home it could be even deader than the new stadium. And often people would pile out a few minutes from the end and the stadium would be half empty by the time the final whistle blew. Gazza put something in his biography about it, as he couldn't get his head around people leaving early. But those few minutes could make the difference between getting out of WHL in 20 minutes or being stuck in traffic for an hour.

There is always an element of rose tinted glasses but that doesn't change the fact that it doesn't feel like the football anymore, it feels far too corporate. It's almost like a trip to the theatre these days.

 

[BernardMatthews]

On the flip side it's interesting to hear people talk about legacy fans and atmosphere when I recall the 90's and most of the 2000s and the atmosphere from said legacy fans being absolute dogshit.

Were you doing a lot of drugs back then??

Had some great times through those years.

 

[Fattynomates]

Surely the better protest is just not buy a season ticket?

Trouble is someone else will buy the ticket and come and spend money in the stadium pre and post match , - however if you had a decent amount of people Not spending a Penny inside they would notice match day revenue going down - you would need 20K plus people to have any kind of success which wouldn't be easy to arrange

 

[Fattynomates]

The new stadium doesn't get close

I disagree - Man City and Ajax in the Champions league showed how good the new stadium can be

 

[Nutter-Naylor]

The atmosphere at the old WHL could be different gravy on occasion, big European games, derby days etc.
The new stadium doesn't get close.

But I do agree if you were playing Bolton at home it could be even deader than the new stadium. And often people would pile out a few minutes from the end and the stadium would be half empty by the time the final whistle blew. Gazza put something in his biography about it, as he couldn't get his head around people leaving early. But those few minutes could make the difference between getting out of WHL in 20 minutes or being stuck in traffic for an hour.

There is always an element of rose tinted glasses but that doesn't change the fact that it doesn't feel like the football anymore, it feels far too corporate. It's almost like a trip to the theatre these days.

Of course the atmosphere at the old gaff could be poor at times but it could also be fucking amazing.

We can argue the toss on that for as long as we like but in my opinion the overall 'match day experience' back then was far superior.

I'd take it all day over the sanitised/gentrified product we are fed these days.

Each to their own. If other Yids are happy to keep forking out then good luck to them. It's their money their choice.

I'm firmly in the day tripper category now though.

 

[Brian Fantana]

Trouble is someone else will buy the ticket and come and spend money in the stadium pre and post match , - however if you had a decent amount of people Not spending a Penny inside they would notice match day revenue going down - you would need 20K plus people to have any kind of success which wouldn't be easy to arrange

Plus if you want to go to games or not give up your season ticket because you like going then giving it up isn’t the answer. My idea isn’t a protest at all. Just a way for fans to wrestle a tiny bit of control back over the increase.

 

[cretinousgoat]

I’ve been relatively tolerant of Levy in the past (or at least tried to keep a balanced view).

I cannot and will not defend this. It’s disgusting. Read that the directors had a 68% wage increase a couple of years ago too? (Think Paul o keefe tweeted it).

Levy is taking the piss. And he is doing so coz he knows he’ll get away with it.

Absolute scumbag behaviour. Getting rid of the discounts for elderly people is just abominable. What a way to reward years and years of loyalty.

There is NO defence. None to be made. Zilch.

To anyone who tries to defend it. Go fuck yourself.

 

[AberdeenYid]

Said it before but its the same now, the only way ENIC will listen is if fans show them some pain financially and i don't mean buying a ticket and not going to your seat, I'm talking about the majority of fans deciding they won't spend a penny inside the stadium or in the club shop, of course it would be hard to organise but imagine if even 30K people who normally have a few beers and some grub before a game decide not to, thats the only way things could actually change!

Would be impossible to do I’d suggest. I’m pretty sure the majority of fans aren’t that bothered about this rise and will be happy enough to continue attending matches, buying food, etc. And even if not, the tickets will be snapped up by others wishing to go to the match.

As for the legacy v new fans debate, I can see both sides. Reduce the ticket prices by half and get all the guys in the ground who were supporters twenty years ago and the place will be bouncing. But they all have their rituals on match day and those rituals don’t involve a pint or ten at the ground, but in the surrounding pubs. Whereas, getting these new fans in, spending money on food and beverage, as well as the club shop, that’s where the money is, but not the atmosphere.

I’d like the club to look at a discount reward for season ticket longevity. Reward a 1% discount for every season you’ve had a ticket maybe? Or discount geographically for residents of N17/18?

 

[Fattynomates]

Of course the atmosphere at the old gaff could be poor at times but it could also be fucking amazing.

We can argue the toss on that for as long as we like but in my opinion the overall 'match day experience' back then was far superior.

I'd take it all day over the sanitised/gentrified product we are fed these days.

Each to their own. If other Yids are happy to keep forking out then good luck to them. It's their money their choice.

I'm firmly in the day tripper category now though.

I think a lot of it is Modern day football as well , as much as I loved the old stadium we needed to upgrade to "compete" ( Look how well that is going) however I always assumed with all the extra revenue the new place created we would never dream of fucking over OAP's who many have followed the club for years through thick and thin , I don't agree with the Price rises however I fully understand we are run as a business so after last year it was always coming.
The OAP bit though just stinks though, we are talking pocket change for the club here , what a way to fuck over your fan base, trouble is nothing will happen - I just wish we were more like the Germans when it comes to football clubs as they would never dream of treating their fans like we do.

 

[BernardMatthews]

In the mid 2000s I picked up 2 season tickets with ease and had the choice of a couple of stands. Where was everyone then? There was no queue to join.

I can’t remember when they started the season ticket list.
Late 90s it was a piece of piss to get tickets.
Think around 2008/2009 they started the waiting list maybe?

As for noise I think depending where you sat in the old stadium had the biggest impact.
Paxton road family stand was quiet. Hence the paxton Give us a song chant
West stand - posh and quiet.
East stand - mainly moany fuckers and noisy towards the south stand
Lower South stand. A good laugh but rarely non stop noise.

On the occasions it did go off in each stand there though it was a cauldron of noise. I think it’s easy for people to remember those nights and not stoke 0-0 on a Tuesday night.

And it’s just very sanitised nowadays. Tourists, families, OAPs, blokes with guitars in the concourse and a much nicer environment overall. That’s premier league football. That’s what you pay your money for. It’s pure entertainment.

 

[dudu]

The atmosphere at the old WHL could be different gravy on occasion, big European games, derby days etc.
The new stadium doesn't get close.

But I do agree if you were playing Bolton at home it could be even deader than the new stadium. And often people would pile out a few minutes from the end and the stadium would be half empty by the time the final whistle blew. Gazza put something in his biography about it, as he couldn't get his head around people leaving early. But those few minutes could make the difference between getting out of WHL in 20 minutes or being stuck in traffic for an hour.

There is always an element of rose tinted glasses but that doesn't change the fact that it doesn't feel like the football anymore, it feels far too corporate. It's almost like a trip to the theatre these days.

I don't disagree with anything you say mate - going to watch a top-tier football match is a completely different experience. The whole sport has changed and it will never go back.

That being said the new stadium can, and has, generated some incredible atmospheres - even if the overall experience is completely different.

 

[Fattynomates]

I’d like the club to look at a discount reward for season ticket longevity. Reward a 1% discount for every season you’ve had a ticket maybe? Or discount geographically for residents of N17/18?

Trouble is these days going to the football is similar cost to going to see a west end musical - where the fuck did it all go wrong?
We are no longer Football fans, we are just consumers and Football is the product.

 

[dudu]

Were you doing a lot of drugs back then??

Had some great times through those years.

Some great times, and also a lot of very mediocre fan experiences. Obviously it's easier to recall the amazing ones but fuck me were there some miserable afternoons spent sat listening to old wankers chatting shit for 90 mins whilst 80% of the stadium sat in silence.

 

[dudu]

I can’t remember when they started the season ticket list.
Late 90s it was a piece of piss to get tickets.
Think around 2008/2009 they started the waiting list maybe?

As for noise I think depending where you sat in the old stadium had the biggest impact.
Paxton road family stand was quiet. Hence the paxton Give us a song chant
West stand - posh and quiet.
East stand - mainly moany fuckers and noisy towards the south stand
Lower South stand. A good laugh but rarely non stop noise.

On the occasions it did go off in each stand there though it was a cauldron of noise. I think it’s easy for people to remember those nights and not stoke 0-0 on a Tuesday night.

And it’s just very sanitised nowadays. Tourists, families, OAPs, blokes with guitars in the concourse and a much nicer environment overall. That’s premier league football. That’s what you pay your money for. It’s pure entertainment.

Yeah, I think that's a good roundup.

Unfortunately, this is the game nowadays. Like it or not, this would be happening with or without us.

Doesnt change the fact that the owners have fucked it big time with this rise and have just taken away what little goodwill they have from those legacy fans with any left in them to give.

 

[BernardMatthews]

Yeah, I think that's a good roundup.

Unfortunately, this is the game nowadays. Like it or not, this would be happening with or without us.

Doesnt change the fact that the owners have fucked it big time with this rise and have just taken away what little goodwill they have from those legacy fans with any left in them to give.

Yes it’s very easy to be cynical and say that ENIC want to get more fans in with a higher disposable income. Or fans who are more likely to spend big money in the stadium.

Our match going fanbase is ageing though. So it’s interesting that they have made this call. Wonder if other clubs will follow suit. Or if we are going to be the only club that does this.

£4m +profit is the result of these changes?
Saw it guessed we make c£2’m if we hold a non football event.

Hell of a lot easier to put up ticket prices than the hard work that goes into putting on 2 events isn’t it.

 

[Nutter-Naylor]

View: https://x.com/Billie_T/status/1765514234689900738?s=20

 

[Nutter-Naylor]

We are no longer Football fans, we are just consumers and Football is the product.

Amen.

 

[Col_McCafferty]

Modern football is rubbish and the scary news is that it is set to get worse.

Pointless new CL format, a Club World Cup, even more teams added to the WC, the WC being held in abhorrent countries, the rise of the foreign internet fans, crap pundits, poor atmospheres, too much fucking money in the sport which attracts parasites.

Really, we ought to scrap the whole thing and start again.

 

[Brian Fantana]

Of course the atmosphere at the old gaff could be poor at times but it could also be fucking amazing.

We can argue the toss on that for as long as we like but in my opinion the overall 'match day experience' back then was far superior.

I'd take it all day over the sanitised/gentrified product we are fed these days.

Each to their own. If other Yids are happy to keep forking out then good luck to them. It's their money their choice.

I'm firmly in the day tripper category now though.

Not for me. A can of red stripe (probably covered in rat’s piss) in the car park of number 8 followed by a trip to the west lower and a warm carlsberg followed by wading through a river of piss for a wee (nevermind the wife attempting to use the ladies hell hole) combined with a half-time scrum to do anything at the break.

Now is so much better standing behind the goal in the south stand with all that the new place offers. Plus people around me also sing now unlike under Conte.

Only thing not as good is missing the opportunity to bump into a player or ex player going in before the game. I got to meet ledley and Sandro among others.

 

[Mrs Perryman]

Of course the atmosphere at the old gaff could be poor at times but it could also be fucking amazing.

We can argue the toss on that for as long as we like but in my opinion the overall 'match day experience' back then was far superior.

But you didn't know me back then.