Those Boro (h) Ticket Prices Again

didsbury1982

I'm keen to see what the response from the club is about this. Very interesting! I'm definitely noticing a difference this season in ticket sales from last season. There was quite a few games at the start of last season that didn't sell out. However just looking at the Viagogo website for the game Saturday there is still 24 pages of unsold tickets I've never seen anywhere near that many.

Edit to add 25 pages now, over 1200 unsold tickets!

andrew1977

But not unsold in Uniteds eyes, they have the money in the bank already for the viagogo tickets, all season ticket holders who have coughed up the cash, Mr Glazier is counting it already

ralphie88

The problem for the Glazers is that people have bought Season Tickets on the assumption that they will be able to sell games they can't attend/can't afford. It's clear that for all bar the biggest games, selling tickets by Viagogo is actually going to be a real strugge (even Celtic has tickets still available). When it comes to renewing next season these will be the sort of fans who may turn their back on their STs (knowing that they can use Viagogo to get to the odd match anyway).

TheRedFlag

I for one will never be buying a Manchester United season ticket ever again, this is my first season and its been absolute hell.

Fuck off United.

gaffs

Why?

TheRedFlag

£70 for Boro and QPR.

Another £35 for Aalberg.


Fucking great.

B Cantona

I don't have a problem with Aalberg, it's a Champions League game. The Carling Cup is the problem, because we're not gunna field a first choice team, and the opposition isn't of standard. And yet it's being charged full price

It's time they changed the Carling Cup into a competition for non European involved teams for me

TheRedFlag

Quite agreed.

Feedingseagulls

Why should they change their competition just for you?

gaffs

Its only United who are not really bothered about winning it. Maybe Fergie is taking a bit more seriously this season, Brown, O’Shea, Vidic, Nani, Anderson Ronaldo and Giggs all started against Boro and Tevez came off the bench. That’s well over £100mil of talent on the pitch.

That’s a much better line up than against Coventry last season. I wouldn’t mind full price so much for the Carling Cup if a strong team is fielded every round.

gaffs

"absolute hell" "Fuck off United"

Did you not know what you were signing up for?

theimperialinn

I agree with Gaffs here mate. When you get your ST you have to budget for the maximum cup games and the worst case scenario, which so far is obviously happening. It's not like you dont know it's coming. A couple of seasons ago we had a home draw or a replay in every round of the FA cup up to the semi final. If that happens this year I will be having a very skint new year. Just to twist the knife a bit the champs league knockout stage tickets prices are increased so if you are struggling now you might want to start planning for them cause they do hurt.

ralphie88

I don't know about that Imps, United gave the impression that (a) they would be reducing League Cup prices, and (b) that you would be able to shift tickets on viagogo. I imagine a few people feel let down and I can understand their anger.

theimperialinn

I know what you saying but I think to say having an ST is making your life hell is going a bit OTT. You can't bank on the ticket price reduction and personally I wouldn't want to put my tickets in Viagogo as I want to go to all the league games unless a) I'm too hungover and the drive up is dangerous or b) a mate gets married or has a stag doo (although I would consider missing out for City or Liverpool ). You know what your signing up for you know the worst case scenario. Dont know about you but the TO monkey I got my ST off couldn't wait to let me know I had the T&C's in my hand. You can't bank on your ticket selling on viagogo and thats nothing new. From what I recall it's only ever been the big matches and games towards the end of the season that fully sell out on viagogo anyway.

ralphie88

Well yes it is. But if that's the view of some of the new ST holders, who should be giddy with excitement about getting to watch United week-in-week-out, United really should be pricking up their ears.

TheRedFlag

yup.


Take Arsenal for example, £10 tickets all round.

I would not mind paying £10 to see our bench and reserve team, not £35.


At the end of the day we get treated like scum by the club and at the moment I feel sick whenever the thought about going to watch United play comes into my head.

Utd heap

Arsenal is only a decent example regarding cup prices mate.

Their normal ticket prices are the biggest disgrace in the league IMO.

TheRedFlag

tbf they are London prices.


Our prices for cup games are Monaco/Dubai prices.

Utd heap

95 quid for a game of football, is not London prices mate.
And why be punished for living/supporting a team in London?

It's theatre prices

TheRedFlag

I suspect the ones paying £95 are very well paid!

theimperialinn

You knew what you were getting into though before you bought your ticket though and it wasn't like we didn't all know the club would treat us like shite before we got our ST's. I'm not defending the club by any stretch I'm just making the point that you knew what you were getting into when you bought your ST.

I would happily give mine up but I cant the team, supporters, matchday experiences, are so close to my heart I couldn't walk away.

It's a sad fact nowadays that a ST seems to be a luxury for those that can afford it rather than part of ordinary life. It's a shite state to be in really.

B Cantona

I think most of the teams in Europe rest their top players for this competition. Chelsea haven't this season, probably because its a new manager eager for the first competition available to him. That or he thinks this is the FA Cup...

Even if everyone was taking it seriously though, I think it should be changed just because of the demands on players. By the time a player has played in the league, in Europe, in the FA Cup, in Internations (competitive and friendly), and in Uniteds case the World Club Cup; I don't think they need to play in the Carling Cup too. Plus I think the disparity between the number of games a player at say West Ham competes in a season, and a player at United. Quick example, Martin Laursen of Aston Villa started every single league game for Villa last season. But overall, he played just 39 games. Compare that to Rio, who made 51 starts last season. 12 extra games a season is a lot

If you change the Carling Cup so teams in Europe are exempt, lower table clubs have a much greater chance of progressing. Given the teams fielded often, I don't think it loses too much credibility either. And some of the finals it might bring up would be more fascinating than yet another Chelsea vs United final (from a neutrals perspective)

It won't happen, but I'd like to see it

gaffs

As i said before, against Boro we had Ronaldo, Giggs, Anderson, Nani, Vidic, Brown, Tevez, O'Shea, Rafael, Possebon and Welbeck playing - thats not a bad team.

Treated like scum? Not sure about that.

Sorry, but you really come across as a fool. You knew that you had to sign up to the ACS. You mush have known that there was a very good chance of us getting home draws in the carling cup and teams like Aalborg in the Champions League.

You could have opted out of the Carling Cup games.

gaffs

I wouldn’t like to see that happen. It really would devalue the competition. The competition would loose revenue through sponsorship and TV money.

For lower league teams, drawing United at Old Trafford can be a massive financial boost for them - Barnet cleared their overdraft from the game a few seasons back.

I doubt teams like Portsmouth and Spurs, who are both in Europe this season, would want to be excluded from the Carling Cup.

Poor Rio, having to play more games than Martin Laursen. Any first team player for a top four club knows they may have to play 50+ games a season - that’s why they get paid the big bucks.

Im sure Marin Laursen would love to be playing 51 games for United, winning league and European titles and earning £100k+ like Rio.

B Cantona

Fair enough, I think some things are beyond the impact of finances though. Lower league clubs would still have the chance of drawing about what 12 top flight teams, and of course they have the FA Cup to draw all of them

Yes the competition might be devalued, but it isn't particularly highly valued at the minute. And yes a club might miss the revenue of a game against United, but they might also have a better chance of progressing further through the competition, which means revenue and further glory, the thrill of a cup run

You have 'limited participation' cups all the way through the football league structure. You've got the Setanta shield for just non league sides. You have the Johnstons Paint trophy for League 1 and League 2. You have the FA Cup for everyone, down to your local pub team if you wish. I think there's a gap there to turn this competition into a contest for non European competing teams, and I think in the long run it would actually add to its credibility

gaffs

I agree to a certain extent, but I just think it would hold very little value without the top teams.

Look at the last 4 finals...

2005 - Chelsea 3-2 Liverpool
2006 - United 4-0 Wigan
2007 - Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal
2008 - Spurs 2-1 Chelsea

With the exception of United V Wigan, imo, they have all been good, competitive, memorable finals.

Without looking it up, do you remember the final of 2004?

Good quality, competitive finals, involving the top 4 has helped to rejuvenate the Carling Cup.

TheRedFlag

You're right in one respect and wrong on the other.

I should have known better but last season v Coventry the prices were reduced to an affordable price. Why not this season? Both 'Boro and QPR would agree to it as has already been told by those two clubs.

B Cantona

Without looking up, was that the final Bolton lost to Boro?

Thing is, in 2007, competitive as it was, Arsenal were playing a reserve team in a cup final. That says it all for me

gaffs

Yes, that classic final, Bolton 2 up in 7 mins and Kev Davies scoring after 21. Finished 2-1.

ralphie88

It's conjecture, but I would assume that it has something to do with the scrapping of the ACS for League Cup games. Crowd drops by around 15,000 but the income remains the same. And of course we know why the income is so important.

WeWonItTwoTimes

Still no reply

I'm going to the Celtic game so I might pay them a visit.

ralphie88

They have yet to sue QPR and Boro though, I see! Perhaps they don't fancy going up against Bernie Ecclestone's lawyers!

WeWonItTwoTimes

On that theme, did you know the Glazer's banking and legal fees since the takeover total over £70m?

ralphie88

That buys a lot of pin-striped suits!

theimperialinn

Surely most of that is incurred in setting up the finance, de-registering from plc status, sorting out the old shareholders, etc. That wont continue into the future.

ralphie88

True, but there will be refinancing that is needed, sooner rather than later. I doubt that will come cheap.

gaffs

Source?

WeWonItTwoTimes

Well the total cost of the takeover was £831m (£790m for the shares) so £41m was spent on bank/legal fees.

The August 2006 refinancing notes which were circulating in the city last year showed £29m was spent on bank/legal fees during the refinancing. To the best of my knowledge there isn't a copy on the web so you're going to have to take my word for it.

WeWonItTwoTimes

Still no reply to my emails so I phoned the TO. The official response is that it was the ''board's decision'' to charge full price for the Boro and QPR games (Brilliant).

However I was told they would try and locate my emails (they rather conviently couldn't find them) and send me a reply within a couple of days.

For some reason I get the feeling they're trying to ignore me.

theimperialinn

Hmmmm now let me think. Which bunch of ginger inbred yank ketchup covered gimps make up the majority of the board nowadays ....................

MUFC Board Meeting

'Any new business'

'Yes we have been drawn against QPR in the Carling Cup this would be a good chance to reduce ticket prices and show a bit of goodwill to our loyal support, afterall imperial has three league games on the roster to go to during his november pay day, has paid to sit amongst the liverpool blue scousers as we only give our away allocation to our touts, sorry execs. Oh and we will be taking 30 days credit off him for the Aalborg match when we steal the money out of his account next week.

'But what about the interest?'

'Good point - full price. Meeting closed!'