Topic: Our fantastic away support

[redgriffin73]

What happened to that 20th minute turn your back protest?? I looked around and literally couldn't spot one person who had even bothered to do it. No one really seems to give a fuck.

Don't know anything about it, haven't seen anything on here/SOS.

As for that picture, Jesus wept. But the club is selling this shite. I'm just surprised they're not wearing wanker hats and half and half scarves too.

[redgriffin73]

The ticket sales for this game were part of the problem.
I understand that loyal attending fans get first pick - that's absolutely fair. But it was impossible to get tickets other than from touts for the likes of me.
I go to around 10 games a season. It involves flights, usually accommodation and costs a fair whack. On top of that, I usually have to score tickets at Anfield at well over face value, or sit in with home fans for away games. I cannot build up ticket credits.

If you're going to 10 or more home games a season I don't see why you can't build up credits like the rest of us have? Also, you could have joined the ACS or got this season's FA Cup homes pretty easily which all but guaranteed you a ticket for yesterday.

[Redman0151]

Sorry but if you're buying from touts then you are the problem. If nobody buys the tickets then there aren't touts, it is that simple. You can't buy a ticket off of a tout and then complain that they exist when you personally are facilitating their existence.

Spot on.


When you buy off a tout you're supporting them and taking the ticket off a red who actually goes the game and kick him off going the big matches

[Crosby Nick]

I think blocks 500 onwards are the upper tier aren't they? I was lucky to get one in there from a mate who worked at Wembley for the League Cup final in 2012. He got them for me through an internal ballot for Wembley employees. I was lucky in that he's a mate who gave it to me at face value but from looking around me at the time and chatting to a couple of the lads around me it seemed like big numbers had paid through the nose through touts. I remember looking over to behind the goal where it looked and sounded louder.

It's no wonder so many tickets end up in the hands of touts though when such a large number are available to people with no connection to either side.

[That Kennedy moment]

Don't know anything about it, haven't seen anything on here/SOS.

As for that picture, Jesus wept. But the club is selling this shite. I'm just surprised they're not wearing wanker hats and half and half scarves too.

They were out in force yesterday.

[redgriffin73]

They were out in force yesterday.

Yep, saw quite a few wanker hats too.

[nfletcher23]

I saw a lad on twitter who's mate was selling a ticket so said i was interested (presuming FV), turns out he was selling for 120 as he doesn't support Liverpool and just wanted to make a profit so i asked him how the fcuk did he get himself a ticket and apparently he knows some coaches who work at the club, so essentially the club are giving them away to touts as well, fantastic 

[Red_Potato]

Spot on.


When you buy off a tout you're supporting them and taking the ticket off a red who actually goes the game and kick him off going the big matches

Yeah, that's just the lazy answer that's wheeled out time and again and doesn't address the problem - there isn't a bag of tickets magically supplied from the touts.
The club needs to find out which supporters, that currently qualify for tickets, are abusing their privilege. It would take a bit of effort, but could be done. Weed them out and take them off the list. Easier that trying to convince hundreds of thousands of foreign supporters not to buy off touts, because, you know, that makes them the problem.
At one point last week I got branded by a supporter in Liverpool as time waster for not getting back to him after he offered 3 tickets for Ł700. Apparently he couldn't go, so he decided he was entitled to make a mint off me.
Touts are the problem, not the market demand, coupled by the lack of action by the club. It's also not helped when support groups refuse to blame core (qualified) supporters for profiteering off the popularity of the club. They should be removed - they're blocking the genuine fan.
 

[Redman0151]

Yeah, that's just the lazy answer that's wheeled out time and again and doesn't address the problem - there isn't a bag of tickets magically supplied from the touts.
The club needs to find out which supporters, that currently qualify for tickets, are abusing their privilege. It would take a bit of effort, but could be done. Weed them out and take them off the list. Easier that trying to convince hundreds of thousands of foreign supporters not to buy off touts, because, you know, that makes them the problem.
At one point last week I got branded by a supporter in Liverpool as time waster for not getting back to him after he offered 3 tickets for Ł700. Apparently he couldn't go, so he decided he was entitled to make a mint off me.
Touts are the problem, not the market demand, coupled by the lack of action by the club. It's also not helped when support groups refuse to blame core (qualified) supporters for profiteering off the popularity of the club. They should be removed - they're blocking the genuine fan.
 

Both are the problem, the fall doesn't have to lie solely at the feet of the touts, or solely at the feet of the people buying off the touts.

The touts are taking tickets off proper match going fans, and the people funding touting are taking the tickets out of the hands of match going reds.

I'm not proposing a solution here, because frankly I don't know what you do, but neither party should be absolved of blame.

[butchersdog]

Yeah, that's just the lazy answer that's wheeled out time and again and doesn't address the problem - there isn't a bag of tickets magically supplied from the touts.
The club needs to find out which supporters, that currently qualify for tickets, are abusing their privilege. It would take a bit of effort, but could be done. Weed them out and take them off the list. Easier that trying to convince hundreds of thousands of foreign supporters not to buy off touts, because, you know, that makes them the problem.
At one point last week I got branded by a supporter in Liverpool as time waster for not getting back to him after he offered 3 tickets for Ł700. Apparently he couldn't go, so he decided he was entitled to make a mint off me.
Touts are the problem, not the market demand, coupled by the lack of action by the club. It's also not helped when support groups refuse to blame core (qualified) supporters for profiteering off the popularity of the club. They should be removed - they're blocking the genuine fan.

But why are you buying off them mate? The point people are making is a perfectly valid one; if people don't buy from touts, touts don't exist. It would have been a case of ticking a box for auto cup scheme at the start of the season and you'd have had a ticket off the club.

[TheTeflonJohn]

Only wish it was a 7pm KO yesterday so we could have had more time in the pub and continued the great atmosphere and songs.

Wembley really is a soulless fucking pit isn't it. Fucking horrible place.

Anyone with 2 home games through the Auto-cup got a ticket yesterday and it showed.

Cant wait for West Brom Saturday. Reckon it will be the usual bunch of regular supporters there as the JCL's wont have a ticket or wont be arsed now we only have effectively just an extreme outside chance of 4th place.

Been thinking about this since yesterday Pete. I wouldn`t be surprised to see a drop in ticket demand now with the glory hunters seeing less glory to hunt.

[Red_Potato]

But why are you buying off them mate? The point people are making is a perfectly valid one; if people don't buy from touts, touts don't exist. It would have been a case of ticking a box for auto cup scheme at the start of the season and you'd have had a ticket off the club.

Pardon me for being daft, but I've never manged to get a ticket of the official ticket office.

[butchersdog]

Pardon me for being daft, but I've never manged to get a ticket of the official ticket office.

Have you got a membership? It's a bit of a joke being charged for the privilege of being able to buy a ticket, but if you're wanting to go semi regularly, it's 30 quid well spent versus sticking it in a touts pocket. Then it's just a case of making sure you're available to get online/on the phone etc when the tickets go on sale. No way you wouldn't get one for most normal games, and you can go on the auto cup scheme etc like I mentioned before.

[Red_Potato]

Both are the problem, the fall doesn't have to lie solely at the feet of the touts, or solely at the feet of the people buying off the touts.

The touts are taking tickets off proper match going fans, and the people funding touting are taking the tickets out of the hands of match going reds.

I'm not proposing a solution here, because frankly I don't know what you do, but neither party should be absolved of blame.

The problem is I am a genuine supporter. The tickets are going from the club to supporters qualified to get tickets - match going reds. THEY are then either touting the tickets themselves, or selling on to touts. Obviously not all, but too many.
The problem is that the touts seem to get their hands on so many tickets, all the time.
Match going reds who had gone to 2 FA cup games this season could get tickets from the club. I disagree that people like me buying from touts are denying match-going reds access. The club should be more proactive in both acknowledging supporters who struggle to get tickets officially and hammering those who tout their tickets.  Blaming supporters like me is achieving nothing.

[Redman0151]

The problem is I am a genuine supporter. The tickets are going from the club to supporters qualified to get tickets - match going reds. THEY are then either touting the tickets themselves, or selling on to touts. Obviously not all, but too many.
The problem is that the touts seem to get their hands on so many tickets, all the time.
Match going reds who had gone to 2 FA cup games this season could get tickets from the club. I disagree that people like me buying from touts are denying match-going reds access. The club should be more proactive in both acknowledging supporters who struggle to get tickets officially and hammering those who tout their tickets.  Blaming supporters like me is achieving nothing.

I'm not trying to achieve anything though, i'm just saying that people buying off the touts are at fault as well as the touts.

I'm not talking about Wembley specifically, but for example Arsenal away, lads who went to 9/10 away games last year couldn't get tickets whilst people who show up with Ł100 were getting in. Touts are c*nts, but the people funding these people, and accepting "I am screwing a match going red out of this game because I have more money than them" are at fault too regardless of how they try to spin it.


If these people buying tickets for Liverpool vs United/Arsenal/Chelsea are "genuine reds" then they should just come and watch Liverpool vs Sunderland or Hull instead, since genuine reds don't care who we're facing, it's all about watching Liverpool, and they can legally get face value tickets for those games with ease

[Grobbelrevell]

Pardon me for being daft, but I've never manged to get a ticket of the official ticket office.

I'd have to ask you how you're attempting to get them in that case.

As others have said, for the majority of games, if you want tickets then you can get them.

[nfletcher23]

Pardon me for being daft, but I've never manged to get a ticket of the official ticket office.

I'm pretty sure almost every game this season had some form of a general sale going for it bar around 4/5 games which required previous credits and sold out quickly, the cup games especially are usually on general sale for a few days, if you haven't managed one ticket through the ticket office this season then you're surely not trying

[adwhite40]

Embarrassing today on and off the pitch, we only make some noise for a minute when it kicks off and just after we score, getting a joke, i had two guys on the left of me say nothing and sing nothing, they left after 65 minutes!!!  had about 10 of us in the whole block of 522 willing to sing, and from about row 1-8 were just sat down, fair play to villa fans they made a decent racket, even if they had about three songs still made use of them

I was in row 11 and it was dire up there. People give you strange looks when your trying to join in the singing or shouting for the team!!!

Absolutely terrible and afraid its only going to get worse and worse

[redgriffin73]

I was in row 11 and it was dire up there. People give you strange looks when your trying to join in the singing or shouting for the team!!!

Absolutely terrible and afraid its only going to get worse and worse

If you can't get up for a semi-final at Wembley you really should take up another hobby, it's just bizarre. You wonder if these people are looking over at the Villa fans thinking what a terrible racket they're making or do they go home and tell all their friends what a great atmosphere there was?

[livesound]

I'm not trying to achieve anything though, i'm just saying that people buying off the touts are at fault as well as the touts.

I'm not talking about Wembley specifically, but for example Arsenal away, lads who went to 9/10 away games last year couldn't get tickets whilst people who show up with Ł100 were getting in. Touts are c*nts, but the people funding these people, and accepting "I am screwing a match going red out of this game because I have more money than them" are at fault too regardless of how they try to spin it.


If these people buying tickets for Liverpool vs United/Arsenal/Chelsea are "genuine reds" then they should just come and watch Liverpool vs Sunderland or Hull instead, since genuine reds don't care who we're facing, it's all about watching Liverpool, and they can legally get face value tickets for those games with ease

This. Perfectly said mate.

[youll never walk alone it]

Just watched in the alehouse, thought we were real loud when we were winning, quiet when losing..im sure if we had won it would have been rocking.

[nfletcher23]

I was in row 11 and it was dire up there. People give you strange looks when your trying to join in the singing or shouting for the team!!!

Absolutely terrible and afraid its only going to get worse and worse

I was on 13 mate! tried our best but was just a joke, nobody even bothering, couple lads behind me were talking about how they actually bought the ticket and the loyalty system during the game torch and globe and the walk down to the ground were the only highlight of yesterday, shambles on and off pitch

[adwhite40]

If you can't get up for a semi-final at Wembley you really should take up another hobby, it's just bizarre. You wonder if these people are looking over at the Villa fans thinking what a terrible racket they're making or do they go home and tell all their friends what a great atmosphere there was?

It's beyond belief. When we got one of those late corners, I started making some noise and the women in front of me turned round and looked at me like I was mad!!!

Sadly its like that at Anfield in most areas of the ground now too!! Sad state of affairs

[Red_Potato]

I'm not trying to achieve anything though, i'm just saying that people buying off the touts are at fault as well as the touts.

I'm not talking about Wembley specifically, but for example Arsenal away, lads who went to 9/10 away games last year couldn't get tickets whilst people who show up with Ł100 were getting in. Touts are c*nts, but the people funding these people, and accepting "I am screwing a match going red out of this game because I have more money than them" are at fault too regardless of how they try to spin it.


If these people buying tickets for Liverpool vs United/Arsenal/Chelsea are "genuine reds" then they should just come and watch Liverpool vs Sunderland or Hull instead, since genuine reds don't care who we're facing, it's all about watching Liverpool, and they can legally get face value tickets for those games with ease

I agree that there are fair weather fans for the big games. But there are others that go to any game they can. Tickets are available at silly prices as some "match going reds" get to make a few quid off tickets for a less glamorous game. Obviously going to Wembley was a big deal for me this weekend. But at a big cost.
I don't think you can really blame people buying off touts if the system allows for tickets to be supplied to touts, via regular match-going reds, lets be honest. The club could do a lot more. People like us don't really have a choice until the touts are taken out of the supply system. The answer isn't to coordinate thousands and thousands of individuals spread across the world to boycott touts, or simply repeat the line, which I've seen trotted out so often as gosple truth, that they're as much to blame as the gougers who abuse their privileged relationship with the club.

[Red_Potato]

I'm pretty sure almost every game this season had some form of a general sale going for it bar around 4/5 games which required previous credits and sold out quickly, the cup games especially are usually on general sale for a few days, if you haven't managed one ticket through the ticket office this season then you're surely not trying

It's not as easy as that, I guarantee you.

[youll never walk alone it]

And btw having the semis at wembley stinks to high heaven but if their going to, at least give the clubs a lot more tickets..

[redgriffin73]

I agree that there are fair weather fans for the big games. But there are others that go to any game they can. Tickets are available at silly prices as some "match going reds" get to make a few quid off tickets for a less glamorous game. Obviously going to Wembley was a big deal for me this weekend. But at a big cost.
I don't think you can really blame people buying off touts if the system allows for tickets to be supplied to touts, via regular match-going reds, lets be honest. The club could do a lot more. People like us don't really have a choice until the touts are taken out of the supply system.

Like keeps being said, you did have a choice though - the ACS was open to all members, or both Blackburn and Bolton home cup tickets were easily available.

[Grobbelrevell]

I don't think you can really blame people buying off touts if the system allows for tickets to be supplied to touts, via regular match-going reds, lets be honest. The club could do a lot more. People like us don't really have a choice until the touts are taken out of the supply system.

I agree with your point on Reds profiteering and the club not doing nearly enough to prevent it, but you're kidding yourself if you think that in buying from the touts you're not helping to sustain them.

It's not as easy as that, I guarantee you.

Care to expand on that? You keep saying that you can't get tickets direct, but you've not yet stated why.

[Max999]

I agree that there are fair weather fans for the big games. But there are others that go to any game they can. Tickets are available at silly prices as some "match going reds" get to make a few quid off tickets for a less glamorous game. Obviously going to Wembley was a big deal for me this weekend. But at a big cost.
I don't think you can really blame people buying off touts if the system allows for tickets to be supplied to touts, via regular match-going reds, lets be honest. The club could do a lot more. People like us don't really have a choice until the touts are taken out of the supply system. The answer isn't to coordinate thousands and thousands of individuals spread across the world to boycott touts, or simply repeat the line, which I've seen trotted out so often as gosple truth, that they're as much to blame as the gougers who abuse their privileged relationship with the club.

If you all stop buying from touts then that takes them out of the system.

[Redman0151]

I agree that there are fair weather fans for the big games. But there are others that go to any game they can. Tickets are available at silly prices as some "match going reds" get to make a few quid off tickets for a less glamorous game. Obviously going to Wembley was a big deal for me this weekend. But at a big cost.
I don't think you can really blame people buying off touts if the system allows for tickets to be supplied to touts, via regular match-going reds, lets be honest. The club could do a lot more. People like us don't really have a choice until the touts are taken out of the supply system. The answer isn't to coordinate thousands and thousands of individuals spread across the world to boycott touts, or simply repeat the line, which I've seen trotted out so often as gosple truth, that they're as much to blame as the gougers who abuse their privileged relationship with the club.

People absolutely do have a choice though. The 2 home games in the FA cup went to general sale, and anybody who had both games recorded was able to get a Wembley ticket if they wanted one.

All you are doing is deflecting blame and operating under the false assumption that only 1 group of people are to blame, as I said before touts, and people who use touts are both to blame for the current climate. On Friday QPR tickets will be on general sale, and anybody who wants a ticket will no doubt get one. If you want to go to (most) home games then you'll get tickets, simple as that, but the reality is that lots of those buying off touts aren't interested in a game against Hull or Stoke, they want to show up for United or Everton or Wembley and screw over those who regularly go

[Solomon Grundy]

I'm convinced some 'fans' just turn up to sing YNWA you know. Why else would you then sit down and spend the entirety of the game surfing the web on your smart phone or being a nosy little gossip on facebook?

[Dhlfc92]

I'm convinced some 'fans' just turn up to sing YNWA you know. Why else would you then sit down and spend the entirety of the game surfing the web on your smart phone or being a nosy little gossip on facebook?

Haha .. Some people don't even know the words to YNWA either lad it's gone beyond a joke.

[butchersdog]

It's not as easy as that, I guarantee you.

It seems to me (and correct me if I'm wrong) that you just want to cherry pick 'big' games mate, games that you'd need creds for, hence your beef. People on here know how the ticketing system works, it's fairly straight forward these days, unless you live on a desert island and you're trying to get them online, using an old laptop tethered to a satellite phone for your connection, I don't really see how you could go wrong. If general sale doesn't work for you, get a membership. Simple.

[sidneyroughdiamond]

I've been a season ticket holder since 2000 and after Athens I swore I'd never go abroad to follow the team. After yesterday I've come to the conclusion that I will also never watch us again at Wembley. Of course winning covers over a multitude of annoyances but I felt embarrassed by a significant proportion of our support. As many have mentioned previously the day tripper type of fan seemed to be in the majority. Also loads of inebriated idiots looking to cause trouble. Disdain from those originated from Liverpool to those who dare to follow the team from outside the city. The Wembley 'experience' also didn't help by subduing our efforts to vocally support the team. All in all I felt dissapointed as I was leaving as I know this will be my last time that I'll see us play in the semi final / final of a domestic cup competition due mainly to the type of supporter that these games encourage.

[MJohnson2]

Still pissed off about the support yesterday. Me and my mate Harry did our very best in 512 to get things going, yet nobody joined in. At half time I spoke to a little kid, no older than 8 yyears old, and I told him to not be afraid to start singing, to be proud to raise his voice in support for the reds. He seemed really pleased for the idea that he could do this, yet his dad then said, Don't San, you'll make yourself look like a right pillock.

Sorry but that's me done ladies and gentlemen.

[Grobbelrevell]

At half time I spoke to a little kid, no older than 8 yyears old, and I told him to not be afraid to start singing, to be proud to raise his voice in support for the reds. He seemed really pleased for the idea that he could do this, yet his dad then said, Don't San, you'll make yourself look like a right pillock.

That's genuinely sad.

[Alan_X]

If you all stop buying from touts then that takes them out of the system.

Exactly - if you can't get one through the club for what ever reason, and cant get sorted through the exchange or other face value method - don't go. I've been so busy with work that I haven't been able to plan ahead and haven't used my membership. Before that though, I'd easily get to a fair number of games a season (ten or so) by picking and choosing the right game. That means no Cat A games but if I don't qualify then the lads who do should get first dibs. If someone I know offers a spare then I;ll take it and have been relying on spares/ exchange for the last couple of seasons.

But I wouldn't pay a tout. Not because I couldn't afford to but because it keeps them in operation. We all know that there are touts who have a load of membership cards or who buy off people who want to keep up credits or pick and choose their games. But if they could only get face value for the tickets they would be out of business.

It's easy to say that if you don't buy them someone else will but that's still no excuse.

[redprodigal]

Liverpool haven't had a majority of local lads as supporters since about 1970 based on my own observation of watching us and going to away games for 50 years. So that's 45 years where people from other parts of the UK and abroad have formed the majority of our fanbase.

We used to get to places like Ipswich on the first football special of the day around 1970-71 to find that there were thousands of local Liverpool fans behind the goal already. So I doubt the local lads element of our support will ever again be a significant factor.

I personally don't get this idea that people aren't really proper supporters if they don't sing, aren't local and want to take the odd photo on their phones, or do stuff on Facebook (I personally don't go near social media sites, but that's just me) while at the match. We're all different and have different ways of showing our support and enjoying the match-day experience, so it's not a subject I get too worried about

Load of bollox from start to finish.

[Alan_X]

...personally don't get this idea that people aren't really proper supporters if they don't sing, aren't local and want to take the odd photo on their phones, or do stuff on Facebook (I personally don't go near social media sites, but that's just me) while at the match. We're all different and have different ways of showing our support and enjoying the match-day experience, so it's not a subject I get too worried about

At home up in the Main Stand with your flask of tea and blanket maybe. This is about the away support where you are in the minority and you need to support your team.

[stevo7]

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