Talking to Fax fans yesterday I thought they might be up for their visit to our place especially after their win.

A lot said they would not be coming because of our ridiculous ticketing arrangements. Of course they mentioned the delay in actually getting their tickets. One lad in his thirties said it was 3-20pm when he finally got his last season and so he deliberately asked for and was given a concessionary ticket.

I know it is not our clubs fault and explained and mentioned tickets could now be purchased online. A howl of protest from fans who have not got internet access.

Looking on the Fev board we have not sent them any tickets for tomorrows game ? I wonder why ?

I would have thought the LSV would have sorted this out with our club by now but it seems not.

A bit of trust from the LSV on this would be appreciated and maybe if they read this post they might give us their thinking on it.

The other thing which is mentioned a lot is folk turning up late and thus the queues. No wonder in view of the prices of beer and other things sold at the stadium by the caterers. This really needs to be addressed by the LSV management in my view.

Couldn't agree more Frank, i've got a mate who's a Widnes fan who finished work at 7 o'clock on thursday in Leigh and didn't bother going as he said he didn't want to miss kick off.

I agree. The online ticketing is a big step forward but we desperately need pay on the gate.

I trust you've sent them an email as well as doing this?

Why not send it to LSV instead of hoping someone reads it

Pay on the gate would help but if people turn up at 5 to 3 then what do they expect?

Ive put the link to our new online store on their forum, they can purchase their tickets online, come in the North stand if they want for £14 too if they so wish.

Frank,

After the Halifax game last year, I picked up on the complaints of 'Fax fans and emailed them all to the Club, who passed them on to LSV. I had a phone call from the Chief Exec (of LSV) offering me a tour of the stadium! I agree with you - we (the Club and LSV) need to listen to the views of away (and home!) fans to improve things. After all it's in everyone's interests to get as many people as possible, through the turnstiles.

The way things have been managed, I have wondered if LSV is remotely concerned with the bleedin' obvious.

feeble excuse... answer? turn up earlier.

as for fev, have they asked for any tickets?

Pay on the gate required urgently, cant see why not.

while we may not like it, thats how it is at the moment. After all you don't turn up at the pictures 2 minutes before a film is advertised to show. Come on guys 20 minutes less in the pub isn't going to hurt plus you have park inn that have offers on match days plus leigh east. Get your ticket at 1 even and walk across to easts. Away supporters i can understand but leythers, come on now, you know the deal. Things cannot always remain the same, embrace it, move with the times and if you want a reminder of bygone days get yourself a scarf and join the twiddlers!

Well I have never missed a kick off at the LSV or an away match come to that. It may surprise some but I like watching RL and can do without a pint for a couple of hours but that is hardly the point.

The more folk that go into the stadium the better for our club and the LSV. The LSV should open two cash turnstyles and although I am a season ticket holder we should be bending over backwards to make sure we do not lose one person from missing a game because they do not like queing for tickets despite the stated policy or us living in an internet age or heading for a cashless society.

It is the customer who counts and if the customer wants cash turnstyles if it was my buisness I was running I would provide it.

For those who think latecomers would still have to queue in a cash turnstyle queue we are talking about employing 2 extra people for 2 hours and the ticket office last minute queue would be shorter too.

also advising visiting supporters coaches to leave 30 minutes earlier than they used to would go along way to alleviating the queues...simples

What reason do the LSV give for not doing the bleeding obvious and opening a cash gate?

cash turnstiles were open for the pre season friendlies, so I cant see it being a problem.

Well ok but why should they then hang around in a stadium for 30 minutes charging £3 a pint for Carling or smooth flow bitter when they could be in Easts Miners Goose Boars Head Spoons or Ali's kebab shop.

We do not sell out every match we need to be realistic. To get people to turn up earlier you need to have something to do inside the stadium while they are waiting for the match to start.

Best off match entertainment I have seen this season was that high ball competition at HT maybe that at 2-30pm Sundays between opposing supporters or a tug of war.........kept a lot of people in their seats at Gateshead last season.

Some individually do not mind being there early but that is not the point is it ? To get people there earlier there has to be something to entertain them and until we do that we will still have this problem. It is solutions we need not this it does not bother me so why should they be bothered.

The cash turnstyle thing is obvious for one thing and sending tickets to opposing clubs is another which is obvious as is letting our club sell tickets in pubs and shops in the town during the week.

If its been done before for the cash turnstyles the why cant we keep doing it?

I understand there is a cost issue due to employing someone to do it, but how much can that cost for 2 hours? £10-15 per turnstyle?

That would quickly be paid for in increased ticket sales and larger attendances.

Hardly rocket science is it?

It'd just be the same people operating the turnstiles now, with tickets and season tickets going through one turnstile and cash on the other. Just a shame that they didn't consider the facility of cash turnstiles when designing the stadium - you might notice that there is literally nothing between the turnstile operator and the person actually going through the turnstile, and therefore there will be a risk of somebody trying to rob the operator if cash was being taken. A huge design flaw.

Two reasonably cost-neutral ways forward....

Option 1 - Take two staff out of ticket office and open a cash turnstile

Option 2 - Tell the punters to stop whining and turn up earlier.


Which of the above is most likely to result in an extra punter going through the turnstiles?

Because they DO read this.

But do they reply? a direct email may get a response?

Maybe yes.

To be fair we commented on the same as we where waiting to get in on Thursday.

They actually did a cash turnstyle for us which was good but im not sure it saved any more time that getting a ticket as you would at the LSV or even at Widnes.

There where only two turnstyles open and for the reasons Matt has explained above the two 'older' operators seemed to be conscious of holding onto the notes.

Il pre-empt any response by saying that possibly that was just due to our visit.

This is what does my head in, we either can or can't have cash turnstiles stop pussy footing around and make your frigging mind up!

i give up frank, its not my problem or a problem for me, despite living in warrington i manage just as you do coming from salford. If my suggestions are so ridiculous theres no point in me showing i care about others, and suggesting to people how to get round things at the present time. It isn't law you know to have to buy drink and finish it at 2.58 before strolling through a turnstyle.