The reason that priority causes such problems is because the criteria constantly change. Where has the need to have gone to Boro and Derby suddenly come from? I am a STH and have been to 9 away games inc Huddersfield, Rotherham and Wigan. I am sure that I will get a ticket in phase 3, but as has been said time and time again, there needs to be a clear structure for priority in restricted games.
If I'd been working out the phases, I think, rather than using the Boro or Derby restriction, I'd have said anyone who has bought a ticket for Cardiff - thus attempting to maximise the away support at an up-coming match.
What's the train situation ? I thought trains aren't stopping at London Bridge ? Sorry to be lazy. Choo choo.
From Bexleyheath take Victoria train to Peckham Rye then change to South Bermondsey
Be aware that South Eastern is operating a Sunday service on Good Friday. There appears to be a 15-minute interval service from South Bermondsey to London Bridge.
Trains are stopping at London Bridge - just need to be on a Cannon Street bound one
Good Friday - 3 April & Saturday 4 April
An amended Saturday timetable will operate on these days.
No Southeastern services will operate to or from London Cannon Street, London Bridge, London Charing Cross or London Waterloo East. Train services will start or terminate at New Cross, London Victoria or London Blackfriars. Hastings services will operate via Tonbridge, Redhill and East Croydon, and run to and from platforms 10 or 11 at London Bridge.
There will be no trains serving Deptford, Greenwich, Maze Hill or Westcombe Park.
Replacement bus services will operate between Lewisham and Charlton calling at Deptford, Greenwich, Maze Hill and Westcombe Park.
The reason that priority causes such problems is because the criteria constantly change. Where has the need to have gone to Boro and Derby suddenly come from? I am a STH and have been to 9 away games inc Huddersfield, Rotherham and Wigan. I am sure that I will get a ticket in phase 3, but as has been said time and time again, there needs to be a clear structure for priority in restricted games.
I agree. Part of the purpose of the restrictions is to manage demand in phases and part is to protect VG/VIP STs and regular away travellers from missing out. The Middlesbrough/Derby stipulation is pretty useless from the first point of view because only 240 and 311 people went to those games and many of those will already be eligible within priority one, as VIP or Valley Gold season ticket holders. Equally, you can have attended a dozen away games without qualifying because you missed those two. That's a purely arbitrary distinction and necessarily unfair.
Priority two is pretty much a waste of time and priority three too broad. If they wanted to single out the people who went to Derby or Boro they could have just put them all in priority one as there would be no detrimental effect. It may not matter if it gets to general sale, but if the club was confident of that now it wouldn't need to have four levels of priority in the first place.
Can I be massively and cynical and suggest they've introduced the Middlesbrough and Derby requirement to make it more confusing, then next season they can introduce their loyalty card and say "see how we've solved the problem" ?
Trains are stopping at London Bridge - just need to be on a Cannon Street bound one
Not from Bromley North according to the trainline.
Looks like, what VG says, for me. Bromley South to Peckham Rye & change for South Bermondsey or London Bridge.
Who wants to go straight to South Bermondsey though ?
Surely just go Bromley North - Grove Park - New Cross and then walk?
Oh god it's happened - a good, manly debate about away ticket allocation has been taken over by choo choo stuff!
You're forgetting the beer
New Cross is decent for drinking. It's a bit irritating that virtually all the pubs have followed pretty much the same template for success - shabby chic furniture, menus on chalk boards, food served on a piece of slate or a slab of wood (plates seem to be completely out of fashion these days), too many customers wearing skinny jeans etc, but they do tend to look after their beer quite well.
It's only when you pass New Cross Gate and go round the corner where New Cross Road becomes Old Kent Road that the pubs stop being "shabby chic" and start being just "shabby".
Can I be massively and cynical and suggest they've introduced the Middlesbrough and Derby requirement to make it more confusing, then next season they can introduce their loyalty card and say "see how we've solved the problem" ?
I'm not sure - can you be massively ? Does that involve anything to do with Sheffield or surgical procedures ?
I think the reason they have picked the Boro and Derby games is because if you just went on the last two away games they would both have been weeknights (Tuesday at Derby and Friday at Wigan) and you would have had people moaning that its unfair as they work during the week and wouldn't be able to make both.
Trains are stopping at London Bridge - just need to be on a Cannon Street bound one
Not from Bromley North according to the trainline.
Looks like, what VG says, for me. Bromley South to Peckham Rye & change for South Bermondsey or London Bridge.
Who wants to go straight to South Bermondsey though ?
Surely just go Bromley North - Grove Park - New Cross and then walk?
Oh god it's happened - a good, manly debate about away ticket allocation has been taken over by choo choo stuff!
You're forgetting the beer
New Cross is decent for drinking. It's a bit irritating that virtually all the pubs have followed pretty much the same template for success - shabby chic furniture, menus on chalk boards, food served on a piece of slate or a slab of wood (plates seem to be completely out of fashion these days), too many customers wearing skinny jeans etc, but they do tend to look after their beer quite well.
It's only when you pass New Cross Gate and go round the corner where New Cross Road becomes Old Kent Road that the pubs stop being "shabby chic" and start being just "shabby".
If so I take it back - was sure we'd charged them over £30 in the past. Either way it's a good price and being a bank holiday 3pm we should sell this easily.
But they charge adult prices for everyone between 16-60.
Nearly every club has a points-system. Why aren't Charlton able to do this?
The NEW IT and smart card system should make this easier.
People moaned about the 1m on air Con (another misquote) but this is an example of the need for and benefits of spending on non sexy infrastructure.
what would be useful is asking fans to contribute ideas on how it should be structured.
It will never please everyone but it might help it please the majority.
Thing is, whilst a points system would be good, I don't think there's a desperate need for it. I've not failed to get a ticket for an away game I wanted to go to since the Bolton cup quarter final. I know there's been games where some proper diehards have missed out - Swindon in the play-offs, Brentford at the start of this season for example, but those supporters didn't miss out because of a lack of points system, they missed out because the club got the buying criteria completely wrong.
They frequently seem to make it a lot harder than it is (not just under the current ownership either). The Millwall game will get to general sale, same as it has the last few years, but it's ridiculous that you could be a season ticket holder who's also gone to 16 away games this year but if you happened to miss Boro and Derby then you get no more priority than a season ticket holder who's been to no away games. Also, I presume it's the Derby league game that qualifies you for a ticket, would be interesting to see what response you get if you turn up at the box office waving your Derby away Carling Cup ticket, as the instructions don't specify that it's the league game you need to have attended.
Don't get why the qualifying people are entitled to two tickets either - if you're a VIP season ticket holder or a Valley Gold member then no complaints at all that you're top of the priority list, you deserve to be. I don't understand why you're allowed to bring along your next-door neighbour who isn't really interested in football, hasn't ever been to a game and vaguely supports Chelsea.
Really doesn't need a genius to get this stuff right.
Nearly every club has a points-system. Why aren't Charlton able to do this?
The NEW IT and smart card system should make this easier.
People moaned about the 1m on air Con (another misquote) but this is an example of the need for and benefits of spending on non sexy infrastructure.
what would be useful is asking fans to contribute ideas on how it should be structured.
It will never please everyone but it might help it please the majority.
Thing is, whilst a points system would be good, I don't think there's a desperate need for it. I've not failed to get a ticket for an away game I wanted to go to since the Bolton cup quarter final. I know there's been games where some proper diehards have missed out - Swindon in the play-offs, Brentford at the start of this season for example, but those supporters didn't miss out because of a lack of points system, they missed out because the club got the buying criteria completely wrong.
They frequently seem to make it a lot harder than it is (not just under the current ownership either). The Millwall game will get to general sale, same as it has the last few years, but it's ridiculous that you could be a season ticket holder who's also gone to 16 away games this year but if you happened to miss Boro and Derby then you get no more priority than a season ticket holder who's been to no away games. Also, I presume it's the Derby league game that qualifies you for a ticket, would be interesting to see what response you get if you turn up at the box office waving your Derby away Carling Cup ticket, as the instructions don't specify that it's the league game you need to have attended.
Don't get why the qualifying people are entitled to two tickets either - if you're a VIP season ticket holder or a Valley Gold member then no complaints at all that you're top of the priority list, you deserve to be. I don't understand why you're allowed to bring along your next-door neighbour who isn't really interested in football, hasn't ever been to a game and vaguely supports Chelsea.
Really doesn't need a genius to get this stuff right.
We have nothing to play for and its in the easter holidays so I think we will end up 2500 or so.
I just hope they sell top tier first as prefer to be up there.
The "Millwall" aggro factor is always a dampener on demand anyway, and this year with Millwall plunging into L1, the aggro might be greater than normal...
It puts me off from attending this fixture at their place a lot. Last went a couple of seasons ago for the 4-0 humiliation.
However the thought of seeing them depart this league is tempting me to go even with the aggro factor :-)
If there's genuine potential for aggro - i.e. we've broken the habit of a lifetime and actually beaten them, and/or the result effectively relegates them - then I'd be less worried about being attacked by Burberry-clad time travellers from the 80's and more worried about the prospect of a long and boring hour locked in after the game before being forced to get the train from South Bermondsey regardless of whether you want to or not.
We have nothing to play for and its in the easter holidays so I think we will end up 2500 or so.
I just hope they sell top tier first as prefer to be up there.
I know what you're saying but nout to play for?? I've never seen us beat them. I think I can forgive that if we go there, thump them and rub salt into their relegation wounds.
Bank Holiday , 3pm, chance to get that win at last and really damage them in the process and 'only' £26.
I can't bloody wait and we should sell it out easily.
It does seem strange that they've picked Boro and Derby as games you had to have gone to. Why not Wigan or Leeds? Better still, why introduce that restriction at all? Not doing Boro or Derby doesn't mean you're not a dedicated away traveller.
I'm not a season ticket holder or a VG member (I'm a student in Southampton so neither would make sense). This season I will have done 7 aways after Saturday at Cardiff (actually 8, but I got my ticket for Brighton on the day). I went to Boro so hopefully I will be able to get a ticket in Phase 3, although I'm busy in the morning so won't be able to call the ticket office until later.
Surely we will sell this out? We have a chance to help condemn them to relegation.
Comments
An amended Saturday timetable will operate on these days.
No Southeastern services will operate to or from London Cannon Street, London Bridge, London Charing Cross or London Waterloo East. Train services will start or terminate at New Cross, London Victoria or London Blackfriars. Hastings services will operate via Tonbridge, Redhill and East Croydon, and run to and from platforms 10 or 11 at London Bridge.
There will be no trains serving Deptford, Greenwich, Maze Hill or Westcombe Park.
Replacement bus services will operate between Lewisham and Charlton calling at Deptford, Greenwich, Maze Hill and Westcombe Park.
Looks like, what VG says, for me. Bromley South to Peckham Rye & change for South Bermondsey or London Bridge.
Who wants to go straight to South Bermondsey though ?
Priority two is pretty much a waste of time and priority three too broad. If they wanted to single out the people who went to Derby or Boro they could have just put them all in priority one as there would be no detrimental effect. It may not matter if it gets to general sale, but if the club was confident of that now it wouldn't need to have four levels of priority in the first place.
Oh god it's happened - a good, manly debate about away ticket allocation has been taken over by choo choo stuff!
edit - not sure about those without a ST
It's only when you pass New Cross Gate and go round the corner where New Cross Road becomes Old Kent Road that the pubs stop being "shabby chic" and start being just "shabby".
People moaned about the 1m on air Con (another misquote) but this is an example of the need for and benefits of spending on non sexy infrastructure.
what would be useful is asking fans to contribute ideas on how it should be structured.
It will never please everyone but it might help it please the majority.
They frequently seem to make it a lot harder than it is (not just under the current ownership either). The Millwall game will get to general sale, same as it has the last few years, but it's ridiculous that you could be a season ticket holder who's also gone to 16 away games this year but if you happened to miss Boro and Derby then you get no more priority than a season ticket holder who's been to no away games. Also, I presume it's the Derby league game that qualifies you for a ticket, would be interesting to see what response you get if you turn up at the box office waving your Derby away Carling Cup ticket, as the instructions don't specify that it's the league game you need to have attended.
Don't get why the qualifying people are entitled to two tickets either - if you're a VIP season ticket holder or a Valley Gold member then no complaints at all that you're top of the priority list, you deserve to be. I don't understand why you're allowed to bring along your next-door neighbour who isn't really interested in football, hasn't ever been to a game and vaguely supports Chelsea.
Really doesn't need a genius to get this stuff right.
We have nothing to play for and its in the easter holidays so I think we will end up 2500 or so.
I just hope they sell top tier first as prefer to be up there.
However the thought of seeing them depart this league is tempting me to go even with the aggro factor :-)
Bank Holiday , 3pm, chance to get that win at last and really damage them in the process and 'only' £26.
I can't bloody wait and we should sell it out easily.
But you're probably right.
I'm not a season ticket holder or a VG member (I'm a student in Southampton so neither would make sense). This season I will have done 7 aways after Saturday at Cardiff (actually 8, but I got my ticket for Brighton on the day). I went to Boro so hopefully I will be able to get a ticket in Phase 3, although I'm busy in the morning so won't be able to call the ticket office until later.
Surely we will sell this out? We have a chance to help condemn them to relegation.