Potentially to save the wages of the pitch perimeter gate stewards, the vomitory stewards and the catering staff. Say 20 people at £60 including on-costs, that's £1,200. However, the stewarding, at least, would be deductible from the receipts before the gate money is shared, so in practice you only save 45 per cent of that. Treating all the casual staff as allowable expenses, let's say the net benefit to Charlton from closure is £540.
They can also save staff time on cleaning the stand afterwards, but that is not a cash saving of itself.
Let's say 200 people decide not to go as they can't sit where they usually do, which is quite likely in my opinion. The prices are £10 and £5, including VAT, so the average net revenue per ticket is maybe £6.50. Charlton keep 45 per cent of that, which is about £3. Overall, on these figures the club makes a loss on closing the east stand and also suffers a potential reputational damage from loss of goodwill.
These numbers might not be accurate and you can scale them up and down as you wish, but you can see the club's decision is probably based on the assumption that everyone who prefers the east will move, which in my opinion is not valid. They are giving those people a reason to stay away.
I should probably add that you can apply these arguments to the north and west upper too (and they don't have pitch perimeter gate stewards). In the past we took the view that providing a view from the same side of the pitch was probably a reasonable compromise as the crowd would be too sparse spread across five home areas (plus quadrants). However, it's in the public domain that the club responded to supporters' feedback over shutting the whole of the north a few years ago.
what is one of them ?
Exit tunnels and the stewards on duty by them. It's how they are described in the plans and on the safety certificate, etc.
'We got 6,657 for an all-Championship clash against Huddersfield last season, we're unlikely to get more home support against a League 2 side that we've already played this season. Don't understand the uproar'
lets assume 5,500 were home fans. If those all turn up again then the West Lower and North Lower are gonna be pretty rammed. It's also false economy as AB succiently pointed out. It's not about the East being closed, although it is unprecented, but the lack of space. There will be plenty of moans afterwards ie couldn't sit together, someone in my seat wouldn't move, queue for bogs at h/t, queue for food.
But none of this will matter when we're cruising at 6-0 up at halftime, Large...
It's not a JPT or League Cup match on a Tuesday night, it's the FA Cup on a Saturday. There is still a difference. The club doesn't know and won't know until the kick-off how many home fans are coming, because everyone has to buy and many do so on the day
I agree that it's unlikely to be more than 7,500, but it's likely to be more than 5,000, although that could be affected by a takeover (which remains inevitable in my opinion) and results in the meantime.
Most will choose to sit on the side of the pitch rather than low down behind the north goal. In addition to what I said before, the more full a stand becomes the lower the catering spend per supporter because of congestion. So the club will take less per spectator by forcing people into the west.
Also when the club forced people into the lower west for the JPT there were a lot of issues on the day as people didn't sit in allocated seats. That's why it wasn't repeated.
I don't suppose it matters that much in the grand scheme of things, but since when did that become a reason not to discuss it.
BECAUSE ITS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO HAVE A DIG AT THE CLUB AND IT'S BORING
Ignore it then. It's what most people do with most threads that don't interest them. Why do you think you have a veto on what others discuss?
As it happens, Large was the first person to raise this issue on here. I just moved it to a new thread as it wasn't what the original one was about.
I must be getting old. Been going for 45 years but cannot recall us playing Norwich in the cup 5 years ago. Thinking about it now didn't we lose after a replay?
I must be getting old. Been going for 45 years but cannot recall us playing Norwich in the cup 5 years ago. Thinking about it now didn't we lose after a replay?
Championship relegation season. We won after a replay (1-0 at Carrow Road), our first victory in about 3 and a half months. Beat Palace 1-0 later in January to bring to an end 4 months without a league win. A far bleaker and more hopeless season than the one we're in at the moment.
I must be getting old. Been going for 45 years but cannot recall us playing Norwich in the cup 5 years ago. Thinking about it now didn't we lose after a replay?
It's not a JPT or League Cup match on a Tuesday night, it's the FA Cup on a Saturday. There is still a difference. The club doesn't know and won't know until the kick-off how many home fans are coming, because everyone has to buy and many do so on the day
I agree that it's unlikely to be more than 7,500, but it's likely to be more than 5,000, although that could be affected by a takeover (which remains inevitable in my opinion) and results in the meantime.
Most will choose to sit on the side of the pitch rather than low down behind the north goal. In addition to what I said before, the more full a stand becomes the lower the catering spend per supporter because of congestion. So the club will take less per spectator by forcing people into the west.
Also when the club forced people into the lower west for the JPT there were a lot of issues on the day as people didn't sit in allocated seats. That's why it wasn't repeated.
I don't suppose it matters that much in the grand scheme of things, but since when did that become a reason not to discuss it.
Agreed. That JPT game v Dagenham was a poxy experience (and we won...)
I wasn't aware that the club had closed stands for an FA Cup before. I do feel as though one of the 'perks' of having a season ticket is that you get to sit in your own seat for every game, but as it has been clear for a long time, now, that the club don't consider this to be a first team fixture I guess that the 'perk' doesn't apply.
I had already decided that I wasn't going to go this year. I will start attending again as soon as the club play the first team in these fixtures, opposed to half a team of reserves. However, if I hadn't already made my mind up, or if there was any chance I would change it and go after all, I would have chosen not to attend when they removed the option to sit in the seat I've had for 19 years.
Maybe that's me being childish, but that's how I feel.
Win the oxford game draw 1 of the big guns at home , and watch the rush for tickets , all the glory hunters will come flooding back sell out at the valley etc , charltons my team and all that shit , then the stands being closed will be all forgotten .
Win the oxford game draw 1 of the big guns at home , and watch the rush for tickets , all the glory hunters will come flooding back sell out at the valley etc , charltons my team and all that shit , then the stands being closed will be all forgotten .
I doubt that will be the case, we could draw Man Utd at home and when their team walk out the tunnel not recognise anyone of them. That is the problem, the magic has gone from all of the cup competitions because all the big teams care about is staying in the Prem and Champions league.
I doubt CP will field a full first team in any cup game this year no matter who we are playing simply because 3 points are more important than risking an injury.
Win the oxford game draw 1 of the big guns at home , and watch the rush for tickets , all the glory hunters will come flooding back sell out at the valley etc , charltons my team and all that shit , then the stands being closed will be all forgotten .
I doubt that will be the case, we could draw Man Utd at home and when their team walk out the tunnel not recognise anyone of them. That is the problem, the magic has gone from all of the cup competitions because all the big teams care about is staying in the Prem and Champions league.
I doubt CP will field a full first team in any cup game this year no matter who we are playing simply because 3 points are more important than risking an injury.
The big clubs still need trophies ie liverpool going ok in prem but the fa cup would be a big deal to them and the way utd are at the moment probably to them also?
The saddest part of all this is that I don't, necessarily, think it's a mistake to give the first eleven a rest during the period when we play so many games. I was a little jealous when Millwall had a day out at Wembley last season, but as we are unlikely to get a similar day out I'm happy for us to play a team of reserves - I'm just really not interested in watching it.
Maybe they should save all the trouble and play it at Sparrows Lane like they do those 'arranged' friendlies?
Or just do what Man Utd did a few seasons ago and not even enter the FA Cup, or the League Cup, for that matter.
The oxford league cup game was probably the best atmosphere in any of our cup games for years and that was with loads of the ground closed off and we won 4-0 which is also unheard of. Don't see what the big deal is.
The oxford league cup game was probably the best atmosphere in any of our cup games for years and that was with loads of the ground closed off and we won 4-0 which is also unheard of. Don't see what the big deal is.
Agree about the atmosphere. Was part of it...in my East Stand seat.
Comments
Conga on the West Stand concourse, anyone ?
As it happens, Large was the first person to raise this issue on here. I just moved it to a new thread as it wasn't what the original one was about.
Home support for FA Cup ties:
Huddersfield (third round, 2013) 6,158
Carlisle (second round, 2012) 7,040
Barnet (midweek first round replay, 2011) 4,346
Luton (second round, 2011) 5,812
Norwich (third round, 2009) 9,444
West Brom (third round, 2008) 12,662 (this includes away fans)
Away defeat to Sheffield United possibly?
I had already decided that I wasn't going to go this year. I will start attending again as soon as the club play the first team in these fixtures, opposed to half a team of reserves. However, if I hadn't already made my mind up, or if there was any chance I would change it and go after all, I would have chosen not to attend when they removed the option to sit in the seat I've had for 19 years.
Maybe that's me being childish, but that's how I feel.
I doubt CP will field a full first team in any cup game this year no matter who we are playing simply because 3 points are more important than risking an injury.
Maybe they should save all the trouble and play it at Sparrows Lane like they do those 'arranged' friendlies?
Or just do what Man Utd did a few seasons ago and not even enter the FA Cup, or the League Cup, for that matter.
Would rather be in the East Stand though. However it seems a fait accompli.