Newcastle tickets on open sale, fans voting with their feet | tickets never went on open sale

[yumtum]

I was trying to compare my trip yesterday.

Probbo about £60 petrol, from 180miles away, £33 Travelodge (not as flash as you ), £3.50 programme, £4metro, £40 ticket (of course), £8 food.

£150 all in. Probably about as skimped down as you can do it as a solo drive, with a stop over, unless you're into the lotto of hostels!

In fairness, I used to do it cheaper, when I had someone come up with me, and without doing the overnighter, so that would trim about £55 off.

You went yesterday? How was the atmosphere?

To be fair, I could do it for less than 400-500, but if I'm taking two days off work and driving that far, I would want to have a night out, food etc, so that would easily cost me £500, if I wanted to do something cheaper I'd just watch it on TV with a few beers.

Maybe if I was a little better off I'd make the trip more often (also I'm a relationship so couldn't really justify buggering off for 2 days and spending £500)

 

[JMack1234]

So many tickets for the Arsenal game. Last year Arsenal at home was a total dead rubber with literally nothing riding on it and I don't recall it ever getting to a membership sale. This is a crucial game in the middle of the season and it's on sale to members with plenty of seats still available with less than a week until the game. Fans voting with their feet now.

 

[Sandikan]

So many tickets for the Arsenal game. Last year Arsenal at home was a total dead rubber with literally nothing riding on it and I don't recall it ever getting to a membership sale. This is a crucial game in the middle of the season and it's on sale to members with plenty of seats still available with less than a week until the game. Fans voting with their feet now.

Midweekers are always more available than others. The mess they're making with the travel and roadworks doesn't help either.
But it still seems a little alarming

 

[Sandikan]

You went yesterday? How was the atmosphere?

To be fair, I could do it for less than 400-500, but if I'm taking two days off work and driving that far, I would want to have a night out, food etc, so that would easily cost me £500, if I wanted to do something cheaper I'd just watch it on TV with a few beers.

Maybe if I was a little better off I'd make the trip more often (also I'm a relationship so couldn't really justify buggering off for 2 days and spending £500)

Good atmosphere...from the away fans.
You wouldn't have known there were any home fans there until we scored.

 

[The Mad Manc]

Moved overseas before the start of last season, so not been to a game since 2016/17.

I would never not go to a game because I feared the football on offer would be gash. I would decide to not go if I wanted to show my discontent with the current management/ownership. This only works if there's a coordinated effort between the fans though. Significantly reduced revenue and a half-empty stadium seems the only way to get through to the powers that be.

I totally get that some fans simply can't do that and that it's easy for me to say living abroad. But if you want change then sometimes drastic measures need to be taken.

I am 100% convinced that things will not get better under Mourinho. He needs to go by any means necessary.The owners too but that's a much more difficult problem to resolve.

 

[Maticmaker]

Midweekers are always more available than others. The mess they're making with the travel and roadworks doesn't help either.
But it still seems a little alarming

It's on TV, the traffic around Manchester as a whole is bad, around OT it's a nightmare, almost gridlock at certain times and the way we are playing, all add up to a 'can't be a**ed' attitude from many.

 

[SammyUnited_83]

It's on TV, the traffic around Manchester as a whole is bad, around OT it's a nightmare, almost gridlock at certain times and the way we are playing, all add up to a 'can't be a**ed' attitude from many.

Unless I fell asleep I don't think they have bothered embarrassing themselves reading out a made up attendance on Tuesday.

Tickets are available for most games, there are always spares to be had with the Ticket Office. We are no longer the hottest ticket in town, but, perhaps aside from Liverpool who does have genuine waiting lists.

 

[philipos]

I was trying to compare my trip yesterday.

Probbo about £60 petrol, from 180miles away, £33 Travelodge (not as flash as you ), £3.50 programme, £4metro, £40 ticket (of course), £8 food.

£150 all in. Probably about as skimped down as you can do it as a solo drive, with a stop over, unless you're into the lotto of hostels!

In fairness, I used to do it cheaper, when I had someone come up with me, and without doing the overnighter, so that would trim about £55 off.

Why don’t you join a local supporters club? Until recently I was doing the same as you for an evening match but now I go on a coach so the travel costs £27 - that’s for a 180 mile journey. Where are you based?

 

[Sandikan]

Why don’t you join a local supporters club? Until recently I was doing the same as you for an evening match but now I go on a coach so the travel costs £27 - that’s for a 180 mile journey. Where are you based?

Ta bud. Same distance as you actually to the mile!
The nearest is the Oxfordshire one.
I tried it once, and used the Banbury pick up (the other 2 pickups were nearer, but spent ages pissing about going back on themselves!).
Banbury is 50miles from home, so only 130miles to go, but it took longer for that 130miles than I take for the 180!

And this way is flexi, breaking it up with overnighters etc.
Rather than getting back to Banbury at 1am or something, and still having an hour drive, having left the car in some random road!

The start time of the trips was pretty ridiculously early too. I hate to think how early they have to go these days as midweek travel is so slow, as I often go at about 1pm myself to be sure as a car driver! Bet they have to go around midday!

Really soulless environment the coach as well.

 

[JB7]

Some incredibly spoilt people in this thread. You support the team, it’s part of who you are so watching them is the minimum you should be doing really. Not wanting to watch the team because they’re not great at the moment is fecking ridiculous and something I’ll never understand.

My Mams the United fan in our family so my dad took me to watch our local non-league team growing up. This has led to me growing up watching both teams on a regular basis, at times it’s been the sublime to the ridiculous with seeing United win trophies for fun to watching the abysmal standard of football in non-league. A few years ago my second team went 30 league matches without winning FFS, we still followed them all over because that’s just what you do when you support a team and finally winning a match was almost as good as winning a trophy

It’s not always good times supporting a team and watching United certainly isn’t easy at the moment but you just follow them because that’s what you do as a supporter. Saturday was shite, Tuesday wasn’t great but a wins a win in the group stages. I’ll never understand how some people can’t even be arsed to watch their own team on tv it’s mental.

 

[BeforeKeanetherewasRobson]

If I was closer to Manchester I'd definitely go with a free ticket!, The drive from Wales to Manchester is too much for me though, for me to take 2 days off, hotel, fuel, drive there and back, would cost me around £400-500 quid, atmosphere aside, there's nothing in it for me, for that money I'd like to be entertained.

Where from, Milford Haven?

 

[yumtum]

Where from, Milford Haven?

Cardiff, it's about 4.5 hours on a non match day, god knows on a match day, last game I went to was about 3 years ago, Everton away, honestly travelling kills me.

 

[BeforeKeanetherewasRobson]

Cardiff, it's about 4.5 hours on a non match day, god knows on a match day, last game I went to was about 3 years ago, Everton away, honestly travelling kills me.

Less on the train isn't it? 3 and a half hours to centre, tram out to ground?

 

[clarkydaz]

Unless I fell asleep I don't think they have bothered embarrassing themselves reading out a made up attendance on Tuesday.

Tickets are available for most games, there are always spares to be had with the Ticket Office. We are no longer the hottest ticket in town, but, perhaps aside from Liverpool who does have genuine waiting lists.

This happened towards the end of LVG, a similar game with lots of empty seats with no attendance announced. I assume as it will be a media talking point and bad PR

 

[Carlsen19]

Some incredibly spoilt people in this thread. You support the team, it’s part of who you are so watching them is the minimum you should be doing really. Not wanting to watch the team because they’re not great at the moment is fecking ridiculous and something I’ll never understand.

My Mams the United fan in our family so my dad took me to watch our local non-league team growing up. This has led to me growing up watching both teams on a regular basis, at times it’s been the sublime to the ridiculous with seeing United win trophies for fun to watching the abysmal standard of football in non-league. A few years ago my second team went 30 league matches without winning FFS, we still followed them all over because that’s just what you do when you support a team and finally winning a match was almost as good as winning a trophy

It’s not always good times supporting a team and watching United certainly isn’t easy at the moment but you just follow them because that’s what you do as a supporter. Saturday was shite, Tuesday wasn’t great but a wins a win in the group stages. I’ll never understand how some people can’t even be arsed to watch their own team on tv it’s mental.

Sorry but that's bollocks. Last year I finally started going to the games through my local supporters club. For a midweek game we'd get picked up at half 2, it was about 2 and a half hours to get there and we weren't allowed to drink on the bus. Then I'd sit bored to death watching a complete shower of shit for the best part of 2 hours in a silent stadium full of tourists taking pictures. After the game we'd rush back to the bus to sit in traffic for an hour or longer, then face another 2 and a half hour journey back.

Absolute waste of time and effort - now that was mental. I'll still watch on TV if I've got literally nothing else to do but gone are the days of revolving my plans around the game.

 

[JB7]

Sorry but that's bollocks. Last year I finally started going to the games through my local supporters club. For a midweek game we'd get picked up at half 2, it was about 2 and a half hours to get there and we weren't allowed to drink on the bus. Then I'd sit bored to death watching a complete shower of shit for the best part of 2 hours in a silent stadium full of tourists taking pictures. After the game we'd rush back to the bus to sit in traffic for an hour or longer, then face another 2 and a half hour journey back.

Absolute waste of time and effort - now that was mental. I'll still watch on TV if I've got literally nothing else to do but gone are the days of revolving my plans around the game.

And what? Last Friday night I drove up to Darlington to watch my team, back home and then back up to Manchester on the Saturday to watch United. I appreciate that’s a little extreme compared to most but it shouldn’t be too much effort for a supporter to follow one team on tv for two hours on a weekend...no one has any problems doing it when we’re doing well

To be honest getting there 3 hours before kick off does sound ridiculous, can’t see why that would ever be necessary. That said I don’t think I’ve ever travelled with one of the supporter clubs so I wouldn’t know.

 

[yumtum]

Less on the train isn't it? 3 and a half hours to centre, tram out to ground?

Hate public transport, and it'd still be an inconvenience, considering there isn't anything in it for me, I like experiencing the atmosphere when I go to games, maybe I'm getting older, and I've got to prioritise what I blow my money on, but spending two days (could realistically do it in one day obviously) and £400-500 on something that would just bore me if I'm being honest, doesn't seem the wisest investment.

Clearly I'm not a top red, just think football should be a form of entertainment, and as much as I love United, I wouldn't commit my time or money watching them in the stadium when I know what's going to happen, tumescent football.

 

[Carlsen19]

And what? Last Friday night I drove up to Darlington to watch my team, back home and then back up to Manchester on the Saturday to watch United. I appreciate that’s a little extreme compared to most but it shouldn’t be too much effort for a supporter to follow one team on tv for two hours on a weekend...no one has any problems doing it when we’re doing well

To be honest getting there 3 hours before kick off does sound ridiculous, can’t see why that would ever be necessary. That said I don’t think I’ve ever travelled with one of the supporter clubs so I wouldn’t know.

As if. That's where I'm from.

 

[JB7]

As if. That's where I'm from.

What are the odds of that

 

[Jam]

Didn't even know there was a Darlo coach @Carlsen19 - know there's the Hartlepool one, and I used to know of a few reds that get the train from Darlo.

 

[BeforeKeanetherewasRobson]

Hate public transport, and it'd still be an inconvenience, considering there isn't anything in it for me, I like experiencing the atmosphere when I go to games, maybe I'm getting older, and I've got to prioritise what I blow my money on, but spending two days (could realistically do it in one day obviously) and £400-500 on something that would just bore me if I'm being honest, doesn't seem the wisest investment.

Clearly I'm not a top red, just think football should be a form of entertainment, and as much as I love United, I wouldn't commit my time or money watching them in the stadium when I know what's going to happen, tumescent football.

I like the train, can watch my downloaded TV series which can't do in a car..... legally. Less of a trek for me tho, I'm N Wales.

And not going doesn't make you less of a fan ... I still go when I can (or SKY/pub or radio) but not easy to watch at the minute?

 

[Carlsen19]

Didn't even know there was a Darlo coach @Carlsen19 - know there's the Hartlepool one, and I used to know of a few reds that get the train from Darlo.

It was with the North East branch of the supporters club. It didn’t start in Darlo but it had a pick up here and Exelby services.

 

[Burkie7]

I'm from Ireland and used to be a season ticket holder. I moved to Australia 2 years ago so I had to give it up. I have being back home twice since then and went to a match both times. Nil all vs Southampton and 3 nil defeat vs Spurs.

I'm moving to South Wales next month so will be looking to join the supporters club there and get up to a few more games. Hopefully I get to at least see a goal at the next one ha

 

[simonhch]

Some incredibly spoilt people in this thread. You support the team, it’s part of who you are so watching them is the minimum you should be doing really. Not wanting to watch the team because they’re not great at the moment is fecking ridiculous and something I’ll never understand.

My Mams the United fan in our family so my dad took me to watch our local non-league team growing up. This has led to me growing up watching both teams on a regular basis, at times it’s been the sublime to the ridiculous with seeing United win trophies for fun to watching the abysmal standard of football in non-league. A few years ago my second team went 30 league matches without winning FFS, we still followed them all over because that’s just what you do when you support a team and finally winning a match was almost as good as winning a trophy

It’s not always good times supporting a team and watching United certainly isn’t easy at the moment but you just follow them because that’s what you do as a supporter. Saturday was shite, Tuesday wasn’t great but a wins a win in the group stages. I’ll never understand how some people can’t even be arsed to watch their own team on tv it’s mental.

As always, any post full of absolutes is also going to contain a lot of poor assumptions and falsehoods. For many of us, it’s not as simple as just watching them on TV. Every time I want to watch a game, for instance, I have to make a conscious choice to sacrifice something else.

Midweek games are a ‘mare to watch as they happen right in the middle of my work day (around 2pm Chicago time), and given I have a very demanding and high stress job - the consequences it causes me to skip two hours work to watch a game, it better be fecking worth it. These days it never is. Not because of results, but because we are so fecking dire to watch, and there is no passion or love in anything we do.

Weekend games either come very early on the one day I get off a week, and I may not want to wake up for it and lose my only lie in - just to end up annoyed. Or, they are late morning, and i have to give up precious family time with my 3 year old daughter. Given I only have about one day a week where I can be focused properly on her, I am loathe to lose time to watching shite games.

Everything in life has to have a priority, and as you get older and develop more meaningful relationships and responsibilities, bloody football slips down the pecking order. I’d barely missed a United game for about thirty years, but in the last two I’ve missed more than I’ve watched. I love the club, I love what it’s meant to me, and my late father, but I’m not putting work or family on hold to watch something I get zero pleasure from anymore. And I don’t see that Philosophy coming under any pressure until there are major changes at the club.

Fergie said it best, and said it many times; it’s the job of the manager and team to entertain the fans. Fans who spend their money to watch the games and buy the shirts to pay the players wages. I have flown back from Chicago just to go to games, and it cost me a fortune. Zero chance of me doing that in the foreseeable future. A multi billion pound organisation, staffed by multimillionaire players, and a narcissistic, cockwomble of a manager, doesn’t need my blind support. And I am totally comfortable with my current apathy towards the club.

 

[yumtum]

I like the train, can watch my downloaded TV series which can't do in a car..... legally. Less of a trek for me tho, I'm N Wales.

And not going doesn't make you less of a fan ... I still go when I can (or SKY/pub or radio) but not easy to watch at the minute?

I actually wouldn't mind the commute if it was an hour, but anything more than that it'll grate me.

Suppose, I just used to watch the youth back in the day too, and I just feel like my interest in football is waning (I used to watch loads of games, not just United), I barely watch us play anymore, I agree it's becoming a chore to watch rather than entertainment, I'll watch us this weekend as my girlfriend is away, but normally I couldn't make her watch United if even I'm struggling to watch!

 

[philipos]

Ta bud. Same distance as you actually to the mile!
The nearest is the Oxfordshire one.
I tried it once, and used the Banbury pick up (the other 2 pickups were nearer, but spent ages pissing about going back on themselves!).
Banbury is 50miles from home, so only 130miles to go, but it took longer for that 130miles than I take for the 180!

And this way is flexi, breaking it up with overnighters etc.
Rather than getting back to Banbury at 1am or something, and still having an hour drive, having left the car in some random road!

The start time of the trips was pretty ridiculously early too. I hate to think how early they have to go these days as midweek travel is so slow, as I often go at about 1pm myself to be sure as a car driver! Bet they have to go around midday!

Really soulless environment the coach as well.

That's understandable. My pick up is 5 miles from where I live and the last but one before the long trek up the M1/M6 so not too bad. We do arrive pretty early but given the state of traffic currently, we have to play it safe.

At least at the moment we can console each other when we get back on the coach after another dull game …..

 

[Eggberto]

Tickets on sale for both Arsenal and Fulham. Thought I might take my 8 year old daughter to her first match. Having looked at the ticket prices with the membership lumped in its £80 excluding parking.
As others have said, the current state of the football makes it very difficult to justify the expenditure before Christmas to watch a 0:0 bore fest.

 

[BeforeKeanetherewasRobson]

I actually wouldn't mind the commute if it was an hour, but anything more than that it'll grate me.

Suppose, I just used to watch the youth back in the day too, and I just feel like my interest in football is waning (I used to watch loads of games, not just United), I barely watch us play anymore, I agree it's becoming a chore to watch rather than entertainment, I'll watch us this weekend as my girlfriend is away, but normally I couldn't make her watch United if even I'm struggling to watch!

And the Autumn International's have finished too

 

[Moriarty]

I've always admired the lads who make the trip to Old Trafford from far away. Back in the 70s, we used to get coaches from South Wales, Devon, Gloucester, and some from Cornwall. Fans used to come from Sweden, Norway, and, of course, the Irish contingent. They must have spent a lot of money following United as I'd see the same faces home and away. The Scandinavians, especially the Swedes, were prodigious drinkers because the cost of a pint was far less in Manchester than it was in Stockholm.

 

[Sandikan]

I've always admired the lads who make the trip to Old Trafford from far away. Back in the 70s, we used to get coaches from South Wales, Devon, Gloucester, and some from Cornwall. Fans used to come from Sweden, Norway, and, of course, the Irish contingent. They must have spent a lot of money following United as I'd see the same faces home and away. The Scandinavians, especially the Swedes, were prodigious drinkers because the cost of a pint was far less in Manchester than it was in Stockholm.

Traveling regularly from a different country is incredible support really. Although i suppose with Ireland it's technically closer than south england! But all that hassle with flights etc must really be an arse. Fair play.

I remember going past a torbay supporters coach on the motorway once. Now, torquay is about 3hours from me, so double my trip is just amazing support!

 

[Lastwolf]

Traveling regularly from a different country is incredible support really. Although i suppose with Ireland it's technically closer than south england! But all that hassle with flights etc must really be an arse. Fair play.

I remember going past a torbay supporters coach on the motorway once. Now, torquay is about 3hours from me, so double my trip is just amazing support!

I remember taking a coach/ boat combo a few times, it was also shit.

 

[Sandikan]

I remember taking a coach/ boat combo a few times, it was also shit.

When there's about 10mins of the game left, I'm already starting to think about making a hasty getaway on the final whistle to get away. With a coach/boat combo I'd be utterly dreading it!

 

[Sauldogba]

This might sound like a stupid question but can anyone tell me how season tickets work because i am kind of confused.

You buy a season ticket for x amount.
But you still have to pay another amount seprately for fa cup and champions league games?

 

[Burkie7]

This might sound like a stupid question but can anyone tell me how season tickets work because i am kind of confused.

You buy a season ticket for x amount.
But you still have to pay another amount seprately for fa cup and champions league games?

Season ticket gets you all home league games. You must pay for any home FA Cup games and home Champions League games.

If we are in the Europa league you can opt out so you don't have to pay for them, the same with the Carling cup.

You can only apply for a away game if you have being a season ticket holder for 3 years and have opted into ALL home cup games.

That's the way it used to be when I was one up to 3 years ago. Not sure if its changed now.

 

[Sandikan]

Season ticket gets you all home league games. You must pay for any home FA Cup games and home Champions League games.

If we are in the Europa league you can opt out so you don't have to pay for them, the same with the Carling cup.

You can only apply for a away game if you have being a season ticket holder for 3 years and have opted into ALL home cup games.

That's the way it used to be when I was one up to 3 years ago. Not sure if its changed now.

Spot on.
The main conundrum for the season ticket holder, is do you take the extra expense/hassle of taking more games, for the possible chance of a cup final.

2 years ago, you'd have had about 10 League cup and Europa games to deal with
Last year, it was just ONE league cup game, and you'd have been gutted to have no chance of an FA Cup final, just because you opted out of one game!

This year, I risked it, I opted out of the league cup, as we had Derby, and could easily have ended up with 3-4 homes. My northern pal couldn't take it, so it would have been too much. We went out anyway, so all that was lost, was no away applications for the rest of the season.