season tickets renewals

[Graham's dad]

I couldn't agree more with your comments Royal & Ancient. In more than 25 years supporting this club I have never felt so disillusioned. The whole concept of "ballancing the books" cannot be achieved by simply cutting costs (by disposing of our best players) because the result will inevitably be falling gates resulting in reduced income. What do you do then? Cut costs even further? This would mean the better players out the door, relegation, relegation again and so on. When will the club be happy, when we are non-league? Sometimes you just have to speculate to accumulate. If the chairman had been prepared to do that we would have avoided relegation from the Premier League or at the very least have gained promotion last season when we had a manager who knew what he was doing. As it is we have a much weaker squad, albeit with good potential but with a manager who thinks that these young inexperienced or journeyman players can play the Chelsea system which is only achieveable with world class players. I fear the worst.

[working class hero]

Good post R&A.

I can understand why we are strapped for cash - and accept that it was all spent on wages.
What I find hard to accept is that we negotiated such extravagant sums for some pretty ordinary players....hardly great management of limited resources.

As to a supporters club being well meaning amateurs then that was probably fair. What we now need is the Trust which replaced them being much more vociferously PRO-FAN - and less pro club. If there are disagreements then tell the fans where the fault lines lie.

[Royal & Ancient]

Quick response to Para.
I can remember the bad times but somehow, in those days, we were not so 'hyped' up with expectation. In the Elm Park days we soldiered on, supporting come what may.Just went to enjoy the game, whatever the outcome. But we have all been built up (brick by brick!!!) so the let down feels almost personal. And it costs so much more and (at 77)I start to measure value for money.Perhaps I should put the S/T on e.bay?

[Matt de K]

I think that some posters on here think that not renewing means never going again!!!

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Is BDC still a couple of seats along from you R&A, if so you wont get a lot.

PS 2-0 here in casee you missed my morphing into new names

[Graham's dad]

The only reason to have a season ticket is to guarantee getting your seat. I won't renew because with crowds of around 10,000 in Div1 there won't be a problem getting a ticket and financially it makes sense if like me you can't face seeing every single home game when we are served up such dross.

[Graham's dad]

I'm with R&A on this one. It's all to do with expectations. Back in the Elm Park days losing 2-0 at home to Darlington in front of 2500 didn't hurt like it does now because we were a lower division club run on a shoestring with little if any expectation of getting to the 2nd tier never mind the 1st.
Madejeski changed all that for ever. He gave us expectation and now he's taken it away, possibly forever. That's what hurts, that's why there is such a groundswell of anger and disillusionment and it will be a long time before we get used to being a lower league club again.

[Royalwaster]

9/10 WCH. But Oxford??? You are surely having a tin bath. There is absolutely no way I would pay to watch that lot. Same goes for that inbred bunch of sheep shaggers down the M4.

For me it is a choice between Maidenhead Utd, Windsor & Eton or Bracknell Town. Woking may just come into the reckoning as it is not too far from home.

Why not Oxford - I doubt Reading would have the kind of atmosphere and attendance figures if they were in the conference. They managed a crowd of over 10,000 a couple of seasons OK - that's pretty close to what we'd get in League 1 for some games ....

[Row Z Royal]

No definitely not.




Except that I know I will anyway.

[winchester_royal]

Plastics.

Realists who actually have a life! Try getting one some time.

Coming from a guy who spends most of his time attacking people on an internet forum that is priceless.

[winchester_royal]

So the fair weather fans are buggering off as soon as we hit a bad patch.

Good, oxf*rd off then.

[Silver Fox]

LOLz @ this thread, although I can see why people would be upset having been promised promotion in return for our ST money this year, what? We weren't promised anything?

BTW I'm surprised abotu WCH still having a ST as he beefs on pretty much every year about how it's so very expensive for him and his family to attend games, you'd have thought in the current economic climate a luxury such as a season ticket would be the first to go

[brendywendy]

Why not Oxford ?

wtf?!


this is whats wrong with football nowadays



JUST PISS OFF THEN

[fridays child]

Paid for two Season Tickets when it looked like we were making a decent attempt at the Premiership again, and even if we missed out we had another year of parachute money to support a second go in 2009/10.

Since then there's be very little value for money as we gave away our position and then decided to give up on 2009/10 and settle for staving off relegation.

Between us we've already missed three games between us due to illness and couldn't give the tickets away!

If we haven't picked up by the end of the season I won't be renewing, rather picking and choosing the best games/deals available, following the rest via the radio.

[Alan Partridge]

I didn't renew this season, had my ST since 1999.

Mainly due to playing commitments but secondly, i rarely enjoyed any games last season at home, especially not after Xmas. Wasnt' the fact Reading were losing, but the sheer inevitability of it all along with an attitude of having absolutely no answer to it. Was awful. Lost to appalling sides like Ipswich and Bristol City, and comfortably at that. Wasnt' inspired by the new manager or anyone with a tiny bit of talent being shipped out. £545 again for the pleasure? No Fanks.

As it happens, I got a freebie in the corporate for the Forest game, a ST holder (handbags) did the get a m8 in for free deal for me against Watford, so I've paid for one Reading home league game, plus the two cup matches. The others I've missed due to playing/holiday. So already it was totally un worth me getting a ST. I don't regret it a jot. I can still select where i like (including my seat for the last 10 years) I've managed to take advantage of a couple of offers and saved myself a packet.

The only thing I sort of miss is the bant(er) around the block where i sat, the guys around us were good fun and put up with my shit for a LONG time, kudos! But the football, nope. I didn't think it could get any worse than last season, but my oh my how i was wrong.

Needless to say I won't be returning as a ST holder next season. I'll still catch a few more games this season and next but giving it up hasn't been at all difficult. Thought i may really miss it but nope, not in the slightest really.

[surrounded by saints]

i have had a season ticket for quite a few years now. however,living,and working night shifts in southampton means i have to miss a couple of games a season. This wipes out any advantages of having pre-paid for the season.I am seriously thinking that next season,i will just book several games in a block and take advantage of the offers available to the seemingly favoured casual fan. can,t help thinking though, that before too long, we,ll be back to being able to pay at the gate!! (appologies in apdvance for bad grammer,and,.'dodgy punctuation.)

[Royal Lady]

So the fair weather fans are buggering off as soon as we hit a bad patch.

Good, oxf*rd off then.

Come now w_r, you're not the imbecile you're trying to imply you are! They're not "buggering off" they're stating that they won't be renewing their season tickets - they'll go to games as and when they can, but not pay upfront. And I can sympathise with that wholeheartedly. I'm contemplating doing the same myself - perhaps the club will realise that not having 11,000 people paying up front is going to dent their pockets somewhat - that's only one of the ways that we, as fans, can show our unhappiness with the situation.

[John Peel]

So the fair weather fans are buggering off as soon as we hit a bad patch.

Good, oxf*rd off then.

Come now w_r, you're not the imbecile you're trying to imply you are! They're not "buggering off" they're stating that they won't be renewing their season tickets - they'll go to games as and when they can, but not pay upfront. And I can sympathise with that wholeheartedly. I'm contemplating doing the same myself - perhaps the club will realise that not having 11,000 people paying up front is going to dent their pockets somewhat - that's only one of the ways that we, as fans, can show our unhappiness with the situation.

And as much as people hate it, we need the 'fair weathers' coming to the games too. They'd be missed. Clubs don't remain/become successful just based on how many hardcore fans they have.

Having said that I will be renewing my season ticket!

[Maguire]

Didn't have one last year, do have one this year. This is the best season since 05/06 imho.

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

If you look at the poll results on HNA the renewals next season will be down by at least 50%, 11,000 down to 5,500.

More realistic figures with relagtion to League 1 will be 8,000 - 7,500 renewals.