A bit worrying

[Behindu]

The answer to your second point is in my response to Behindu. I find it odd that you can only get single seats in a stadium where rows of empty seats are available.What the reason is for that, I have no idea.

So you confirm that you don;t actually bother to read the responses to your 'proncouncements' ?

Is it any wonder people find discussing things civilly with you a little 'taxing' when you so openly admit that even when they do respond to you you just don;t read what they say ?

[Platypuss]

Perhaps the games that are less attractive to "floating supporters" are the same matches which are less atrractive to sponsors and other such third-parties.

Hah! Even more proof that demand has fallen!

I would suggst that the lack of "novelty factor" affecting our away attendances works in precisely the same way in reverse for the attractiveness of the MadStad.

Either that or the club are deliberately not selling tickets that could otherwise be sold.

[Wycombe Royal]

The answer to your first point is that expanding a business on the strength of one year's exceptional data is a risky thing to do, it would be more prudent to ensure that the level of demand is going to be maintained at the level of last season rather than that being a blip.

The answer to your second point is in my response to Behindu. I find it odd that you can only get single seats in a stadium where rows of empty seats are available.What the reason is for that, I have no idea.

As for the cheap comments, I suggest you read your own posts.

So the club should stand still, only having single seats available each week, rather than expand and have spare capacity. I fail to see your logic. How many seasons should we give it? Even if we get relegated the club will want to get back to the Premiership and they would like a ground capable of getting in all the people who want to come. Even in the Chapionship we sold out every game for the last half of the season - there is no reason why that would happen again. So basically we aren't far off two complete seasons of complete or very near sell-outs, and we are constantly losing the chance to bring in more revenue. It seems a no-brainer to me.

As for the second point, it has been pointed out to you in quite a few posts now as to why seats could be empty and also asking as to why the club would lie about having only single seats available.

As for the cheap comments, I still can't see them so maybe you could quote then for me?

[Platypuss]

I'm a little concerned that Frimmers has hijacked Schards' login.

[Schards#2]

If you can't see the logic, that's fine, but there's not a lot I can do about that.

[Behindu]

If you can't see the logic, that's fine, but there's not a lot I can do about that.

Think before posting perhaps ?

[Platypuss]

Call me simplistic but rows of empty seats that are only there for games that are not sold out suggest to me that these are the very seats that haven't been sold.

Call me simplistic, but you are theerfore clearly suggesting that the club is lying when they say only single seats are available.

Please explain any apparent flaws in my logic.

[Schards#2]

Call me simplistic but rows of empty seats that are only there for games that are not sold out suggest to me that these are the very seats that haven't been sold.

Call me simplistic, but you are theerfore clearly suggesting that the club is lying when they say only single seats are available.

Please explain any apparent flaws in my logic.

I have absolutely no idea what the club has or hasn't said to anybody so am in no position to accuse them of lying.

If they are indeed saying only single seats are available when whole empty rows are visable then it's perfectly feasible that these is due to a cock up or admin problem. I don't believe this would be the first time this would have happened. Wasn't there an issue at a couple of games last season when a bank of seats in the South Stand were empty?

[Behindu]

Could you point out where I have done that.
.

I believe Platypus has done it. You are the master of the snide insinuation. Float an idea then hastily backtrack when it gets shot down.

Once you've done that, could you explain why this phenomenon of rows of empty seats didn't occur at single game last season, or at game sold out this season, only at games where, coincidentally, the game hasn't sold out?.

The mind boggles that you find the games so tedious that you spent EVERY game last season looking at patterns of seat sales. Might I suggest you actually have no idea about this, you are (once again) trying to 'discover' 'facts' to support your 'obsession'

And once you've done that, presumably corporate tickets that have been sold would be included in the attendance whether used or unused so how come the gates when this happened are lower? Another coincidence??.

No idea to be honest. If these seats aren't actually 'sold' but are simply not allowed to be sold then they wouldn;t be included in attendance figures.

You assertion that you are calm would have held more water if you hadn't referred to my post as "patronising". Why can none of you (with the exception Dirk) discuss a simple matter like this without reverting to personal insults?

Hypocrite.

Still following the traditional Scards line of not responding to questions.

Why would the club lie about seat availability ?

Why would the club deliberately fail to sell tickets that they had available ?

[working class hero]

For the Wigan game 4 of my seats were vacant. No way to sell them - I couldn't even give them away!

The seats were not available as they are ST places.....

This thread must surely peter out soon? My opinion is that if the club were to expand and then cut prices the ground would still be full[ish]. As I have said elsewhere I have some doubts about Mr M using an imaginative pricing policy. And if we were to splash out money on big names we might see a pricing along the lines of the Abramovich model!!!

[PieEater]

Whilst not wanting to join the argument, surely the TO can only sell tickets in blocks that are released to them, if the seats in blocks are not released then they can only sell what they have.

The question is why some blocks are not released to them for general sale. Corporates not releasing them back seems like a better explanation than incompetence or short sightedness in the other parts of the club

[Platypuss]

Call me simplistic but rows of empty seats that are only there for games that are not sold out suggest to me that these are the very seats that haven't been sold.

Call me simplistic, but you are theerfore clearly suggesting that the club is lying when they say only single seats are available.

Please explain any apparent flaws in my logic.

I have absolutely no idea what the club has or hasn't said to anybody so am in no position to accuse them of lying.

If they are indeed saying only single seats are available when whole empty rows are visable then it's perfectly feasible that these is due to a cock up or admin problem. I don't believe this would be the first time this would have happened. Wasn't there an issue at a couple of games last season when a bank of seats in the South Stand were empty?

The discussion of the least few pages has been predicated on the acknowledgement that the club have been saying that only single seats have been available. You seemed to happily accept that as a basis for discussion, so to challenge that now is rather disappointing.

However, your acknowledgement that there may well be other reasons for less than full houses beyond a possible fall in demand is noted. Thank you.

[Wycombe Royal]

If you can't see the logic, that's fine, but there's not a lot I can do about that.

Again, pick on one comment that you then then seem to think wins you the argument. Priceless.

[Platypuss]

I have absolutely no idea what the club has or hasn't said to anybody so am in no position to accuse them of lying.

I suggest then that your position may not be as well-informed as it might be.

Are you sure this isn't really Frimmers?

[Wycombe Royal]

Just for Schards:

http://www.readingfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/TicketNews/0,,10306~1128204,00.html

http://www.readingfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/TicketNews/0,,10306~1120058,00.html

[Riseley]

Schards is the Amir Khan of hobnob and is wiping the floor with all opposition.
It is time to throw in the towel guys and admit you are all beaten.

[weybridgewanderer]

The club are obliged to reserve seats for all sorts of people, league sponsors for example (not club sponsors). I believe that the sponsors are supposed to inform the club if they want the seats for each game and if the club know they are not needed they can resell them. If they don;t know, or if they are told they are wanted and then they are not used there is nothing they can do..

.

Surely this theory would only make sense if the tickets were all allocated to one source. It's the fact that nobody in the block was there that's surprising.

In the real world, the club does give blocks of seats to sponsors, the league, school groups etc so this perfectly explains why, on occasion blocks can be left empty when the club has not been told the seats are not going to be used.

Sorry but we had over 23000 in a stadium that holds over 24000 on starurday, around about 1000 Derby tickets were unsold so the reading seats were, bar a couple of hundred perhaps, all sold.

200 out a home support capability of 22000 is less than 1%. This does not suggest there is no need to expand.

That also does not mean that demand is the same as it was last season, it may be harder to sell 8000 more seats this season than it would have been last season, but then that is what we employ a sales manager for no? i would expect, if we stay in the premier league and have 8000 extra seats that in the first 2 years we will seldom be at capacity. That does not mean we should not expand

[Schards#2]

Just for Schards:

http://www.readingfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/TicketNews/0,,10306~1128204,00.html

http://www.readingfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/TicketNews/0,,10306~1120058,00.html

Fascinating but the games in question when there were rows of empty seats were Everton, Wigan and West Ham.

[Schards#2]

Could you point out where I have done that.
.

I believe Platypus has done it. You are the master of the snide insinuation. Float an idea then hastily backtrack when it gets shot down.

Once you've done that, could you explain why this phenomenon of rows of empty seats didn't occur at single game last season, or at game sold out this season, only at games where, coincidentally, the game hasn't sold out?.

The mind boggles that you find the games so tedious that you spent EVERY game last season looking at patterns of seat sales. Might I suggest you actually have no idea about this, you are (once again) trying to 'discover' 'facts' to support your 'obsession'

And once you've done that, presumably corporate tickets that have been sold would be included in the attendance whether used or unused so how come the gates when this happened are lower? Another coincidence??.

No idea to be honest. If these seats aren't actually 'sold' but are simply not allowed to be sold then they wouldn;t be included in attendance figures.

You assertion that you are calm would have held more water if you hadn't referred to my post as "patronising". Why can none of you (with the exception Dirk) discuss a simple matter like this without reverting to personal insults?

Hypocrite.

Still following the traditional Scards line of not responding to questions.

Why would the club lie about seat availability ?

Why would the club deliberately fail to sell tickets that they had available ?

Oh do calm down Behindu.

1. Platypuss has done no such thing. No where have I stated or even implied that the ticket office are lying.

2. Sitting in the East Stand, you don't need to look at patterns of seat sales, you merely notice rows of empty seats where there were not rows the whole of last season. It's not difficult or scientific, it just involves a pair of eyes.

3. Again, I have not said the ticket office are lying

4. Why wouldn't the club sell tickets that are available? Maybe, just maybe nobody wanted to buy them. Is that such an incredible theory? Maybe Those that state they were told that it's single tickets only were stipulating a specific stand. Who knows. What I find hard to believe is that these rows of seats were are set aside for sponsors who turn ever game where the match has sold out or all but sold out but all, uniformaly, don't turn up when it hasn't.

5. I've spent the best part of an hour answering every single question everyone has put despite the unpleasent nature of the questioning, your posts included.

Snide? Insinuating? patronising? hycocryte? I thought you were better than all these cheap insults, evidently not.

[Schards#2]

Call me simplistic but rows of empty seats that are only there for games that are not sold out suggest to me that these are the very seats that haven't been sold.

Call me simplistic, but you are theerfore clearly suggesting that the club is lying when they say only single seats are available.

Please explain any apparent flaws in my logic.

I have absolutely no idea what the club has or hasn't said to anybody so am in no position to accuse them of lying.

If they are indeed saying only single seats are available when whole empty rows are visable then it's perfectly feasible that these is due to a cock up or admin problem. I don't believe this would be the first time this would have happened. Wasn't there an issue at a couple of games last season when a bank of seats in the South Stand were empty?

The discussion of the least few pages has been predicated on the acknowledgement that the club have been saying that only single seats have been available. You seemed to happily accept that as a basis for discussion, so to challenge that now is rather disappointing.

However, your acknowledgement that there may well be other reasons for less than full houses beyond a possible fall in demand is noted. Thank you.

I haven't accepted that as a basis for the discussion. I have not accused or implied that the ticket office are lying.

Can you either post where I have or post categoric unambiguous confirmation that I have not for the removal of all doubt.