Town switching the age at which fans are entitled to senior citizens' concessions from 60 to 65 and the move of Cobbold Stand season ticket holders to elsewhere in the ground at the Leeds game next month proved the most controversial issues at this evening’s PLC AGM at Portman Road’s Sir Bobby Robson Suite.
The meeting, which was live-blogged by TWTD here, saw Blues managing director Ian Milne answer questions on a number of topics from the 58 shareholders present, while academy manager Lee O’Neill (pictured speaking at lecturn) and head of coaching and player development Bryan Klug talked about the academy and also responded to questions from the floor.
When the 2016/17 season tickets were launched in March the Blues increased the age at which fans are entitled to a senior citizens’ concession from 60 to 65 in line with other clubs.
Those who were already paying a senior concessions price for a season ticket but were 64 or younger had to switch to an adult ticket, although their seat was subsidised by 50 per cent for this campaign. Around 800 supporters were affected with a number refusing to renew their seats in protest.
"I can understand the issues about the season ticket increase,” Milne told TWTD after the AGM. "I think that’s been well and truly answered over the last few months and I do apologise for that. But it was made by the powers that be and there we are.
"But I think there was a very positive message coming through from the academy. I think people really enjoyed that part of [the AGM].
"And the [comments regarding] Galloway’s coaches and all the rest of it I think was constructive criticism, which is always very welcome and I hope me and my colleagues do get around and listen to it.”
Might the club look at the senior citizens situation again? "I do understand particularly the movement in the [60 to 64 price] but commercial organisations do change ages, it does happen and there was a need to change it to bring it in line.
"I hear people ask, ‘Why do we have to follow other clubs?’. We have to move on, we are a commercial business, it’s heavily underwritten by the owner but, including the fans, we’ve all got to do our bit to support the club.”
As reported last month, Leeds are being given most of the Cobbold Stand for the match on Saturday 13th January, taking their allocation to more than 3,000, which will require season ticket holders to move elsewhere in the ground for that game, something some supporters were annoyed by at the AGM.
"This is a difficult one,” Milne admitted. "There are a number of reasons behind it. Some away clubs that come here have wanted to have more seats. And yes, it does mean more money for the club.
"But also as part of reciprocal arrangements we give us extra room as well. And also we’re trying to get more atmosphere into the club, so that’s what we’re trying to do by having more away support.
"Of course, we’re not going to end up having 10,000 away supporters in the ground but it is a 30,000-seater stadium, a large one in the Championship, and we’re doing our best to fill it. And if one way of doing it is to bring more away supporters in then I think we should do it.
"If you’re bringing in another 1,000 fans that’s £25,000. But there are not many games where that’s going to happen, it’s going to be three or four. We watch the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves.”
Does he understand why the fans affected wouldn’t want to move? "I totally agree and I think we’ve got to understand that there are a lot of people who have been sitting in the same seat for very many years.
"But there have been people who have have left who don’t support us or have moved around and so there are a lot of holes, so to speak.
"There aren’t big sections which we can just give to opposition fans, we have to move people about.
"We don’t just do it wholesale, we have meetings, about eight of us sit around a table and there’s no easy answer.
"I think people understand the theory, they may not want to move but they understand what we’re doing. It’s a difficult juggle to try and get more atmosphere in the stadium.”
Earlier in the evening the Blues announced a loss of £4.3 million for the financial year to the end of June, a figure in line with expectations.
"Again the owner supports it all,” Milne continued. "We, the Portman Road side of the business, try and keep costs down and support the owner because he’s going to have to spend a lot of money on the squad.”
Town’s wage bill was up just over a million from £16.57 million in 2015/16 to £17.78 million last term but is still less than a third of the oney paid out in salaries at a number of other clubs and probably lower mid-table in the division as a whole.
"It is a long way behind a lot of other clubs but it’s also a lot more than some other clubs,” Milne said. "But it’s a case of what the owner can afford and I think we have to respect that.
"Yes, it’s not going to be as much as Middlesbrough but whether they do that next season or other clubs who are coming out of parachute payments [do that remains to be seen].
"I think we all know a number of clubs who are tightening their belts, look at what [Norwich City chairman] Ed Balls was saying.”
Looking ahead to the January transfer window, Milne says he’s not aware of any additions currently being worked upon.
"I don’t know any specific targets at the moment but I know Mick and Marcus talk and if there’s holes to be filled then they will do it,” he added.
"But let’s face it, we do have a pretty good quality squad and it’s a case of what infilling there needs to be done.”
Manager Mick McCarthy wasn’t at the AGM, he was already committed to being elsewhere this evening when the meeting was scheduled late last month, and one shareholder asked if he could be absent from the club permanently.
McCarthy is out of contract in the summer and has hinted that he might look to move on at that point, although owner Marcus Evans has an option to keep him at Portman Road for two more campaigns.
Asked when that situation might be addressed, Milne said: "His contract’s not up until the end of the season. I know that Marcus hasn’t made his mind up one or the other and Mick understands that and knows that and I think is in the same place. So it’s to be discussed. As far as I’m concerned it’s not an issue between Mick and Marcus [at present].”
Milne also paid tribute to long-serving staff member Dick Parker, who died suddenly over the weekend.
"I was very sorry to hear about his passing,” he said. "Our deepest condolences to his family and his friends. He was particularly well known at Playford Road, a unique figure.
"It was very sudden, we were away at Middlesbrough when it happened. Quite a quiet giant, but a very pleasant man.
"I know the academy and the first-team squad were very sad to hear of his passing. The tweets from the players today spoke volumes, they were quite attached to him and what he did for them. It was a shock.”