Quote: GT "Go on then...
For a start, I've heard on the grapevine that Salford as a club are actually very unhappy with the stadium, the way in which things are being run and the deal we've ended up with. So I'm struggling to find any sort of comfort in that.'"
Well, leaving aside the grapevine's well known reliability issues (remember Kevin Sinfield?) isn't the fact that the club aren't happy with the stadium a sign that they're aware of the problems? I'd be worried if the grapevine was telling you they think everything's great.
Quote: GT "The team is doing as well as can currently be hoped and only an increase in budget could continue to push that forward. That is where I think most of us expected to be at and I think most of us would, looking at it objectively, be happy with that..'"
I'd say better than we could have hoped. We were written off by many people (including some of our own fans) at the start of the season. Also, we will likely finish the season with the second lowest average attendance in SL, yet we're in with a reasonable chance of a play off place. Better than we could have hoped, I think.
Quote: GT "Ticket pricing. I've spoken to many people who would be interested in coming to a game, both as casual fans and supporters who've drifted away over the years. They've all said that £20 is too much for them to justify. Drop the price to £15 around the ground and I think more people would start to drift in to see what happens. If they like what they see, they'll start coming back.'"
I agree ticket prices are too high, but you have to be careful here to avoid 'doing a Bradford'. I think we can agree that the club struggles for money. In order to keep the levels of income up at their current relatively pathetic levels, every pound you take off the ticket price has to be replaced by an increase in attendance of approximately 5% (not including money spent on peripherals, like programmes and the like). 5% of our current average attendance is around 250 people (probably a bit more). Could we guarantee that level of increase? Personally, I doubt it. So, the lost income would have to be replaced from somewhere, and that somewhere will no doubt be the directors who, despite what some people on here seem to think, don't appear to have bottomless pockets.
Quote: GT "Membership. The whole membership/season ticket package has been confusing and far more complex than it should have been. A simplified system, say a set advertised price for a ST which automatically makes you a member coupled with a competitively priced membership system giving discounts on match tickets is all that is needed. As nice as supporter packs, replica shirts and other extras are, I'm not sure they're really necessary and what is needed to attract people to hand their cash over in the first place?'"
Agreed, at least partly. The membership scheme started off as a reasonable idea because it allowed members to take other people along for half price. That seems to have gone this year, and the current scheme is a crock. It's not a sign that the club has been run badly for 30 years though is it?
Quote: GT "Advanced tickets for members....'"
How much of this is the club's fault? As you say further down, ticketing isn't in the club's hands. And the club aren't happy.
Quote: GT "The online shop requires sorting. There are basic templates out there that even the smallest of businesses can use to get a shop up and running. It doesn't have to be flash and fanciful - just professional and functional.'"
Agreed, but a functioning web site costs money. And we haven't got any.
Quote: GT "Ensure all advertised email addresses are set-up to go to a specific computer and people know who's responsibility it is to check and answer them.'"
Yup. But then I've not experienced any problems in my dealings with the club.
Quote: GT "Have at least two members of staff on hand in the club shop, ensuring breaks can be taken without having to shut for an indefinite length of time. Even having a member of staff from another department covering for half an hour would make a huge difference if another wage would be a struggle.'"
Again, money. Taking someone from another department isn't always possible because the other department might not be able to spare them.
Quote: GT "Season ticket sales. '"
Again, was this the club or Ticketline?
I'm still not convinced that Salford are a badly run club rather than a club run on a shoestring.
