By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions. We in turn value your personal details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
Read it if you want. Rip it to bits, too. I'm pretty easy.
Dear Mr Milne
I regret to advise that after almost 20 years as an ITFC season-ticket holder, I shall not be renewing next year.
I have some sympathy with the state of current football, and, indeed, the ever-increasing sums that Mr Evans would have to spend to render our club competitive within this league - however, this sympathy, and any inherent goodwill that might be garnered as a result of said, is significantly outweighed by the utter pigs-ear you've made of this year's Season Ticket renewal.
Putting prices up 500% for kids, removing any mature student concessions (in a town with one of the highest mature student populations in England), removing the 60-year old OAP concessions - you appear to be on a mission to remove the old fanbase, destroy the new fanbase, and take away any interest from a sizeable passive population in a small provincial town, where, to be frank, there is very little else to do on a Saturday afternoon (I love my town, but it's pretty crap).
And this is before we even factor in the remarkable 5% discount offer, which appears to been calculated on the basis that all existing Season Ticket holders will 'double up' next year (how on earth did this particular idea make it off the 'brain-storming' whiteboard?)
You've got this so, so wrong - and, to my great sadness, you will shortly realise just how wrong you've got it.
I sit in a part of the North Stand, surrounded by the same people I've been with for the last 20 years. These are people who have become friends of mine, simply through ITFC. We talk about our dysfunctional families, drizzle, the ever-awful trains into London - but, always, and most regularly, ITFC.
Even within the last 15 years, these are people who have put up with administration under Sheepshanks, no money under Magilton, the contempt shown to everyone associated with ITFC by the Royston Keane's Official Travelling Circus, the ineptitude of Paul Jewell, the brown paper envelopes grasped by Michael Chopra, and who, by and large, have been supportive of Mick McCarthy, who, in spite of the various clowns who preceded him, appears to be a genuinely good man (despite some truly medieval football at times over the last 2 years).
These are people who watch ITFC because, like me, we've been watching too long to really know any better, or different.
These people, like me, have had enough. We see this club, drifting without direction or purpose. I can take mediocrity. I can take poor team selection. I can even take having to leave my seat 10 minutes before half-time, to guarantee getting a pint of warm cider in a cracked plastic cup before the 2nd half starts (as an aside, think how much more beer you'd sell if you employed even 4 extra people at half-time in the North Stand) - anyway, all of this is really just background noise, as long as I know that the fans, the team and the board are all looking roughly in the same direction.
Alas, we've reached the point, in my opinion, where you're not looking in the same direction as us. You're taking my loyalty for granted, and, to my pain, I'm not having it any more; neither are a lot of my friends in the North Stand. Incredibly, despite all of the guff we've put up, we've finally reached a tipping point.
You're a busy man, and so, because I think you'll skim-read this at best, allow me to summarise.
You're getting this all wrong. All of it.
I await your reply with interest. If you're going to send me the same generic reply as my peers on TWTD, please take the bit about the shirts out.
They've somehow made me more annoyed by this season ticket pricing strategy and yet I'm one of the very few it benefits.
It's just the treatment of elder fans like factors, the stock answered replies to emails from fans and the sheer arrogance like the comments to the EADT from Milne.
Just makes me sad tbh.
Tbf you cant go about making plans around people like Facters at his age.
I was saying the other day, pre-prices coming out, that I could never envisage not renewing my ST whilst I lived in Ipswich.
But with all that's come out since with the pricing, the terribly written stock responses and the pissing 5% bollcks, it really feels like the powers that be need a massive wake up call.
I think ultimately the draw of the Town will make people like me buckle in the end and renew, but for it to even be a consideration right now means that they've made a huge balls up somewhere along the way. Tossers.
0
Funge's email to club on 22:11 - Mar 21 with 2395 views
Funge's email to club on 22:08 - Mar 21 by JakeITFC
Very well said, mate.
I was saying the other day, pre-prices coming out, that I could never envisage not renewing my ST whilst I lived in Ipswich.
But with all that's come out since with the pricing, the terribly written stock responses and the pissing 5% bollcks, it really feels like the powers that be need a massive wake up call.
I think ultimately the draw of the Town will make people like me buckle in the end and renew, but for it to even be a consideration right now means that they've made a huge balls up somewhere along the way. Tossers.
Just so I feel like I'm doing something, I'm going to cancel and await the second early bird offer deadline to renew
Funge's email to club on 21:37 - Mar 21 by AdmiralFunge
Proposed draft:-
Dear Mr Milne,
Further to my previous email, I wish to make a minor redaction - I note that child tickets have increased by 400%, as opposed to 500%. Please note your files.
I think, like Herbivore said, that if you get no response or the copy and paste reply, we should follow suit and all send a copy of this in. Perhaps with an apology for 'if you're hearing similar from other fans'.
0
Funge's email to club on 08:09 - Mar 22 with 2000 views
Funge's email to club on 21:36 - Mar 21 by ElderGrizzly
I think it is a momentous cock-up and one so bad it deserves whoever came up with it to be sacked.
Someone presented this to Evans as an idea and he was stupid/ignorant enough to ratify it.
I've tweeted link/image of your letter as it required a wider non-TWTD audience too. The club need to respond and try and salvage something from this mess.
And on our disagreements, i don't hold a grudge and to be honest i have no idea why we fell out anyway! COYB and all that...
I am not sure on that. I reckon that ME was advised that raising prices was bonkers but he ignored that advice. I don't think that this is a case of ME ratifying somebody else's idea.
I am not sure on that. I reckon that ME was advised that raising prices was bonkers but he ignored that advice. I don't think that this is a case of ME ratifying somebody else's idea.
Sorry meant to say GREAT EMAIL as well. I feel like I'm going through a massive breakup at the moment. I will always love the Club, but I really really hate it at the moment and part of me is so disconnected that I have stopped caring.
I am not sure on that. I reckon that ME was advised that raising prices was bonkers but he ignored that advice. I don't think that this is a case of ME ratifying somebody else's idea.
I agree with this from all I've heard. Like the academy opt in/opt out fiasco, not only does ME have the final say he also just does what he wants and lets his minions try and defend it
Funge's email to club on 08:22 - Mar 22 by itfcjoe
I agree with this from all I've heard. Like the academy opt in/opt out fiasco, not only does ME have the final say he also just does what he wants and lets his minions try and defend it
Yes, much as Milne gets the stick he has been completely thrown under the bus here — and it doesn't take a great leap to deduce that he's not especially happy about it himself.
The term is 'Mind Mapping' as it seems 'Brain storming' can be considered offensive..
Very well put and I can't help thinking that in a couple of months time there will be a meeting somewhere where there will be a lot of shifting in seats and uncomfortable looks as the board are forced to deal with the situation of only shifting 6,000 season tickets and facing a substantial hole in the budget.
The reaction to that from the powers that be will be when it gets very interesting
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
