Man City (A) players' gesture

[Royal Lady]

If they are concerned about whether they can afford to get there, they are hardly likely to join STAR then are they?

[Dirk Gently]

If they are concerned about whether they can afford to get there, they are hardly likely to join STAR then are they?

Did anyone say they were? You make it sound like this whole thing is a STAR recruiting exercise, wheras it's anything but that.

[Riseley]

This whole is exercise is nothing but a STAR recruitment campaign and no help whatsover to the non geriatrics who go to away games via airplane or Mercedes Benz luxury.

[The 17 Bus]

This whole is exercise is nothing but a STAR recruitment campaign and no help whatsover to the non geriatrics who go to away games via airplane or Mercedes Benz luxury.

It's a BMW now

[Dirk Gently]

This whole is exercise is nothing but a STAR recruitment campaign and no help whatsover to the non geriatrics who go to away games via airplane or Mercedes Benz luxury.

It's a BMW now

Come off it, we alternate between the BMW and the Mercedes.

[Winchester Royal]

This whole is exercise is nothing but a STAR recruitment campaign and no help whatsover to the non geriatrics who go to away games via airplane or Mercedes Benz luxury.

It's a BMW now

Come off it, we alternate between the BMW and the Mercedes.

Pleb.

I like to go in my Bentley.

[readingbedding]

If they are concerned about whether they can afford to get there, they are hardly likely to join STAR then are they? :wink:

Did anyone say they were? You make it sound like this whole thing is a STAR recruiting exercise, wheras it's anything but that.

Exactly, it's just a gesture from the players, nothing sinister, just that.

I don't see myself as a better or worse fan than someone who goes on a STAR coach, it's the easiest way to make a gesture like this, fair play and good luck to them.

I don't feel left out.

STAR is the official link between the Reading FC supporter and the club itself.
So let this concession go there.

It'll be the same people on these coaches, the hardcore that have always used the coach, young families and OAP's.

Even if they laid on free coaches for 1,000 fans I wouldn't go on a coach, STAR or otherwise, I prefer to drive or train it there.

Like it or lump it.

[Behindu]

I would have thought giving a voucher for food or drink or whatever would have benefitted EVERY single AWAY fan attending the match. I rarely eat the food at an Away game, but I wouldn't say no to a free coffee or something.

Show me a football ground that serves decent coffee.....

Food vouchers would potentially benefit a lot of fans in the same way as discounted travel does,

In both cases plenty might chose for all sorts of reasons not to take advantage

Personally I would it a bit bizarre if the players offered to buy me a cup of foul tasting hot liquid but then I've expressed my preference for 3 points over a few quid several times.

I'm sure the debate as to which token gesture would be 'best' will rumble on. HNA specialises in esoteric and ultimatley futile debate after all !!

[rob the royal]

I'm sure the debate as to which token gesture would be 'best' will rumble on. HNA specialises in esoteric and ultimatley futile debate after all !!

this last comment proves you've completely missed the point. the point was whether it might have been more useful to do something that would boost our away following instead of just make a 'token gesture' to thank the fans.

[Royal Lady]

[quote="Dirk Gently"]But when deciding whether or not to go to an away match, no-one has the decision point "Can I afford a cup of coffee when I get there?"

But it's quite conceivable that for some people the decision point is "Can I afford to get there?" So the way this is being done may well get more people there than giving everyone a small reward might have done.[/quote]Dirk - my point is that surely if someone thinks they won't be able to afford the away travel, they wouldn't have joined STAR in the first place in order to travel by STAR coach, therefore, I was disputing your point made above. I don't see how subsidising the coach travel will get more people there than would normally be attending. I really am not complaining as such, I was trying to think of ways in which ALL the travelling fans would be offered some sort of "reward" rather than a chosen few, who, I believe, would be going anyway! As with the other threads in which my point of view is shot down by the likes of Behindu - I shan't bother on this thread again.

[Dirk Gently]

I'm sure the debate as to which token gesture would be 'best' will rumble on. HNA specialises in esoteric and ultimatley futile debate after all !!

this last comment proves you've completely missed the point. the point was whether it might have been more useful to do something that would boost our away following instead of just make a 'token gesture' to thank the fans.

That could only be done with a much larger donation, which is a different debate completely.

And even then, it's likely that people who go to games regularly would bleat that they're the loyal ones and they weren't being rewarded.....

[Behindu]

I'm sure the debate as to which token gesture would be 'best' will rumble on. HNA specialises in esoteric and ultimatley futile debate after all !!

this last comment proves you've completely missed the point. the point was whether it might have been more useful to do something that would boost our away following instead of just make a 'token gesture' to thank the fans.

No it doesn't.
There are inevitably loads of points that crop up in a thread, you assume every post made is commenting directly on your first post whereas I was making a wider comment.
I don;t really think there would be much the players could do to persuade lots more to travel to this game (winning at Fulham might have helped). If they'd stumped up 50k then perhaps they coul dhave laid on a fleet of free coaches but let's be honest when a day out costs near enough £100 you aren;t going to suddenly triple your support for a mid season game at a middle ranking team 200 miles away when you have had a poor spell of form at away games
An arguement that just says 'the players should have given more money' is not one that I find very persuasive.

And as for a gesture of thanks not boosting away support, making people feel valued is probably the best way of increasing their motivation. A thankyou direct from the players will motivate more people to travel than a cash bribe.

[Skin]

double edged sword...

good gesture all the same, and unless its a case of anyone who buys a match ticket gets a free train/coach ticket, some oxf*rd will moan at anything.

[The 17 Bus]

I thnk H&P got it about right, our away support has never been great, many went last season due to historical reasons, but this season it is a bind and expensive, what does it matter? The lower teams from oop north do not always bring loads down to the Madstad, and we are not measured on how many we take away.

[rob the royal]

I'm sure the debate as to which token gesture would be 'best' will rumble on. HNA specialises in esoteric and ultimatley futile debate after all !!

this last comment proves you've completely missed the point. the point was whether it might have been more useful to do something that would boost our away following instead of just make a 'token gesture' to thank the fans.

No it doesn't.
There are inevitably loads of points that crop up in a thread, you assume every post made is commenting directly on your first post whereas I was making a wider comment.

fair enough

[Behindu]

As with the other threads in which my point of view is shot down by the likes of Behindu - I shan't bother on this thread again.

What a weird thing to say....

[working class hero]

I fail to see why STAR is getting flak over this - and I have often criticised STAR in the past [and may do so in the future too]. The players offered the Trust a set amount of cash to help defray expenses. This has been passed on to the regulars first - which seems fair. It is then open to other punters to invest a tenner in STAR membership to then save £15. A pretty good deal.

I also tend to drive when I go away - but do use STAR coaches at times. They are cheap [relatively] and convenient. The only real gripe I have is that some regular users seem to think they have a right to have seats reserved for them even though they are not getting on at the first stop....

Other than that Colin and Melanie run a really good service.

[EASTENDER MARKY]

Anyone know how many tickets have been sold ?

[Kitsondinho]

Well Me and My Dad have one each...so thats 2

[AndyRFC]

Stockport > Reading

http://www.stockportcounty.premiumtv.co ... 63,00.html