| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger 06:42 - Feb 26 with 1046 views | LA_Tractor_Boy |
As we approach the 5 year anniversary of Gamechanger, I've been thinking about how lucky we are that they chose Ipswich.
Putting the back-to-back promotions to one side, our situation under ME was similar to Sheffield Wednesday, who's buyers have just pulled out because they can't justify the investment needed to refurbish Hillsborough and their training ground.
In terms of infrastructure, Gamechanger have now funded in (sort of) date order :
new dugouts
big screen
digital advertising boards
new and refurbished hospitality areas
new pitch & undersoil heating
TownTV
new website, app & resale platform
memorial garden
away end improvements
modern TV studio, TV gantry, press box, media areas & press conference room
modern changing rooms, players lounge and tunnel area
new floodlights & SAR illumination
new offices & reception
new outside broadcast area
Cat 1 & £40m training ground rebuild
Amazing. Gamechanger deserve every penny of the return on their investment. |  | | |  |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 06:51 - Feb 26 with 987 views | hoppy |
Yeah, but apart from all that, what have Gamechanger ever done for us? |  |
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| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 07:03 - Feb 26 with 949 views | suffolkpoker |
Land purchase off staples |  |
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| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 07:15 - Feb 26 with 942 views | bluelagos |
All of that is welcome, but they have also failed miserably (or Ashton has) to engage constructively with Blue Action to improve the match day atmosphere. Hospitality capacity & revenue is persued whilst the lower tiers could easily be made safe standing.
We have to pay £40 membership for the right to purchase away tickets. We get charged admin fees for putting a ticket in an envelope. Match day prices are higher than ever.
Match days we have to listen to piped music and what passes as pre match entertainment. Coach travel more expensive than ever and I stopped looking at the cost of shirts when they sailed past £50. Away fans charged over £40 for poor seats.
We have been seemingly following the "tourist" model, Ashton's head no doubt turned by way Premiership clubs seek one off visitors and the extra revenue they bring.
I am not for a minute suggesting the ownership hasn't been positive but to suggest our owners are hero's, they've already got their investment back. They know sfa about football from what I can see and everything about maximising income.
How many of our current squad came through the youth team?
McKenna's appointment has been inspired and we have invested lots, but from where I am sat there is a gaping hole when it comes to improving Portman Rd, namely by excluding the traditional/poorest/working class fan we are continuing the journey of sanitising the game. The pace.of that is increasing imho.
And game changer are probably more responsible for that than anyone. If I wanted to go to a light show I'd go to a Taylor Swift concert ffs.
5 positive years for sure but let's not pretend everything is perfect. |  |
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| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 07:31 - Feb 26 with 847 views | Keno |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 06:51 - Feb 26 by hoppy |
Yeah, but apart from all that, what have Gamechanger ever done for us? |
spoken like a true member of the Hadleigh Independent Supporters Club |  |
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| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 07:44 - Feb 26 with 800 views | bluelagos |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 07:31 - Feb 26 by Keno |
spoken like a true member of the Hadleigh Independent Supporters Club |
Haverhill wouldn't take him? | |
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| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 07:57 - Feb 26 with 766 views | Keno |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 07:44 - Feb 26 by bluelagos |
Haverhill wouldn't take him? |
Of course!!
Having seen the ruined wedding mentioned earlier the Haverhill not Hadleigh Independent Supporters club came to mind
Why are places that begin with an H in Suffolk all such dumps renowned for weird people? Haverhill, Hadleigh, Halesworth | |
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| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 08:07 - Feb 26 with 728 views | bluelagos |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 07:57 - Feb 26 by Keno |
Of course!!
Having seen the ruined wedding mentioned earlier the Haverhill not Hadleigh Independent Supporters club came to mind
Why are places that begin with an H in Suffolk all such dumps renowned for weird people? Haverhill, Hadleigh, Halesworth |
I quite like Hadleigh tbf. They've even pretty much sorted out Benton St which was a nightmare for years.
Haverhill though, couldn't they donate it to Essex? Proper brings the tone down :-) | |
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| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 08:09 - Feb 26 with 727 views | bsw72 |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 07:15 - Feb 26 by bluelagos |
All of that is welcome, but they have also failed miserably (or Ashton has) to engage constructively with Blue Action to improve the match day atmosphere. Hospitality capacity & revenue is persued whilst the lower tiers could easily be made safe standing.
We have to pay £40 membership for the right to purchase away tickets. We get charged admin fees for putting a ticket in an envelope. Match day prices are higher than ever.
Match days we have to listen to piped music and what passes as pre match entertainment. Coach travel more expensive than ever and I stopped looking at the cost of shirts when they sailed past £50. Away fans charged over £40 for poor seats.
We have been seemingly following the "tourist" model, Ashton's head no doubt turned by way Premiership clubs seek one off visitors and the extra revenue they bring.
I am not for a minute suggesting the ownership hasn't been positive but to suggest our owners are hero's, they've already got their investment back. They know sfa about football from what I can see and everything about maximising income.
How many of our current squad came through the youth team?
McKenna's appointment has been inspired and we have invested lots, but from where I am sat there is a gaping hole when it comes to improving Portman Rd, namely by excluding the traditional/poorest/working class fan we are continuing the journey of sanitising the game. The pace.of that is increasing imho.
And game changer are probably more responsible for that than anyone. If I wanted to go to a light show I'd go to a Taylor Swift concert ffs.
5 positive years for sure but let's not pretend everything is perfect. |
True, not everything is perfect but it also needs to be looked at in context and priority as to what has been achieved in what is really a very short period of time. It's interesting what is important to some and not others . . .
Safe standing is a complex issue, and maybe one or two sections could be moved over to it, but not everyone does want to stand at football anymore, and we have a lot of younger or elderly fans and families which benefit from having an all seated ground, not just in the allocated junior section.
Investment in the ground, team and infrastructure has had to be made, and promotion to the PL in 2024 meant that ground, team and infrastructure priorities had to be bumped up the list far quicker than expected so other things were pushed down the list.
Membership at £40 is not unreasonable - I took a look at Burnley (first one I looked at) as a club which are recently in and out of the Prem. Their £35 membership only gets you access to the 4th Window for away tickets, to be any higher you have to pay a £150 premium membership at least before points are factored in.
One other thing is that by having a paid membership scheme, it is designed to limit the "tourist" model you refer to, and I doubt we are out there competing with the likes of top 6 PL teams and European sides for fans flying in.
Not sure I understand the point about piped music and pre-match entertainment, as what are you expecting / what do you want, especially when you state "If I wanted to go to a light show I'd go to a Taylor Swift concert ffs.", not sure what options the club have. Personally the fan zone is good and now that there are more food options at half time in the fan zone that's even better (appreciate it is West Stand only).
Football Shirts are a wider issue, not specific to Ipswich - maybe the club could do more, but while people pay that price then that is a supply / demand issue.
As for the youth team - that is a longer term investment that needs to be achieved through the training ground and academy status change - 5 years is not long enough to turn around a system which had been poorly invested for a long period before that . In addition it is was harder to attract youth players while we have been further down the pyramid, this is compounded with the the likes of Arsenal, Spurs, West Ham etc expanding scouting and training camps out from London into East Anglia and the Home Counties for their pre U11 intakes.
I agree it's not perfect but I also think that a number of the points you raise are a lot more complex and nuanced than just expecting Ashton and co to make immediate changes - plus what is important to you is obviously not as important to others (for example me) as I really do not care about in-ground pre-match entertainment or safe standing areas, and have no issue with a membership scheme. |  | | |
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| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 08:24 - Feb 26 with 664 views | bluelagos |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 08:09 - Feb 26 by bsw72 |
True, not everything is perfect but it also needs to be looked at in context and priority as to what has been achieved in what is really a very short period of time. It's interesting what is important to some and not others . . .
Safe standing is a complex issue, and maybe one or two sections could be moved over to it, but not everyone does want to stand at football anymore, and we have a lot of younger or elderly fans and families which benefit from having an all seated ground, not just in the allocated junior section.
Investment in the ground, team and infrastructure has had to be made, and promotion to the PL in 2024 meant that ground, team and infrastructure priorities had to be bumped up the list far quicker than expected so other things were pushed down the list.
Membership at £40 is not unreasonable - I took a look at Burnley (first one I looked at) as a club which are recently in and out of the Prem. Their £35 membership only gets you access to the 4th Window for away tickets, to be any higher you have to pay a £150 premium membership at least before points are factored in.
One other thing is that by having a paid membership scheme, it is designed to limit the "tourist" model you refer to, and I doubt we are out there competing with the likes of top 6 PL teams and European sides for fans flying in.
Not sure I understand the point about piped music and pre-match entertainment, as what are you expecting / what do you want, especially when you state "If I wanted to go to a light show I'd go to a Taylor Swift concert ffs.", not sure what options the club have. Personally the fan zone is good and now that there are more food options at half time in the fan zone that's even better (appreciate it is West Stand only).
Football Shirts are a wider issue, not specific to Ipswich - maybe the club could do more, but while people pay that price then that is a supply / demand issue.
As for the youth team - that is a longer term investment that needs to be achieved through the training ground and academy status change - 5 years is not long enough to turn around a system which had been poorly invested for a long period before that . In addition it is was harder to attract youth players while we have been further down the pyramid, this is compounded with the the likes of Arsenal, Spurs, West Ham etc expanding scouting and training camps out from London into East Anglia and the Home Counties for their pre U11 intakes.
I agree it's not perfect but I also think that a number of the points you raise are a lot more complex and nuanced than just expecting Ashton and co to make immediate changes - plus what is important to you is obviously not as important to others (for example me) as I really do not care about in-ground pre-match entertainment or safe standing areas, and have no issue with a membership scheme. |
I'll stick to safe standing (or could end up with an essay!)
A thought: How many of our fans chose to sit at away games? I've been to many games and looking at the front rows (where people could sit) the vast majority stand.
So I'd have no issue with all our bottom tiers being safe standing, starting with the North and Chirchmans. Might annoy a handful of fans but nothing stopping moving to another part of the ground.
No one ever asked fans about sitting, it was forced on us all by legislation introduced at a time when football fans were seen as thugs. If standing up is inherently dangerous then why is it allowed at Rugby or Horse racing?
Truth is it was brought in as the govt a d football wanted to gentrify the game, yet no one ever asked the fans if that was what they wanted.
And still no one asks us despite literally everyone in the North stand standing up. If we introduced it to all the lower tiers we'd still have more seats than standing spots and no one would be excluded.
It would improve the atmosphere no end but is barely being considered from what I can see... | |
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| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 08:31 - Feb 26 with 635 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 07:15 - Feb 26 by bluelagos |
All of that is welcome, but they have also failed miserably (or Ashton has) to engage constructively with Blue Action to improve the match day atmosphere. Hospitality capacity & revenue is persued whilst the lower tiers could easily be made safe standing.
We have to pay £40 membership for the right to purchase away tickets. We get charged admin fees for putting a ticket in an envelope. Match day prices are higher than ever.
Match days we have to listen to piped music and what passes as pre match entertainment. Coach travel more expensive than ever and I stopped looking at the cost of shirts when they sailed past £50. Away fans charged over £40 for poor seats.
We have been seemingly following the "tourist" model, Ashton's head no doubt turned by way Premiership clubs seek one off visitors and the extra revenue they bring.
I am not for a minute suggesting the ownership hasn't been positive but to suggest our owners are hero's, they've already got their investment back. They know sfa about football from what I can see and everything about maximising income.
How many of our current squad came through the youth team?
McKenna's appointment has been inspired and we have invested lots, but from where I am sat there is a gaping hole when it comes to improving Portman Rd, namely by excluding the traditional/poorest/working class fan we are continuing the journey of sanitising the game. The pace.of that is increasing imho.
And game changer are probably more responsible for that than anyone. If I wanted to go to a light show I'd go to a Taylor Swift concert ffs.
5 positive years for sure but let's not pretend everything is perfect. |
Am I going to get wooshed here ?
Blaming Gamechanger for the atmosphere, Light shows and player not coming through the youth team despite funding the club for a CAT 1 academy is certainly an interesting take. |  |
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| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 08:56 - Feb 26 with 564 views | bluelagos |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 08:31 - Feb 26 by TRUE_BLUE123 |
Am I going to get wooshed here ?
Blaming Gamechanger for the atmosphere, Light shows and player not coming through the youth team despite funding the club for a CAT 1 academy is certainly an interesting take. |
The club absolutely can influence matchday atmosphere. They have chosen to invest in hospitality rather than safe standing. That is their right (as owners) - I think it is prioritising income ove the ordinary fans.
They prioritised the changes needed for the Prem (fair enough) but now we get investment in new lounges rather than in introducing safe standing. We get light shows which add nothing, much like the flame throwers.
It's step by step death of the game, has been happening for decades and continues a pace. Progress is possible without the game becoming sanitised. Have been to matches in Germany and South America where fans watch safely in stadiums where pyro, noise, singing are encouraged.
Instead we look to the clubs that are borderline ticket touting as they repackage grossly inflated hospitality offers to day trippers at prices akin to robbery. My bro' paid over £800 for three padded seats at Chelsea last season. How on earth has football got to that being accepted with barely a shrug. [Post edited 26 Feb 8:58]
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| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 09:08 - Feb 26 with 514 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 08:56 - Feb 26 by bluelagos |
The club absolutely can influence matchday atmosphere. They have chosen to invest in hospitality rather than safe standing. That is their right (as owners) - I think it is prioritising income ove the ordinary fans.
They prioritised the changes needed for the Prem (fair enough) but now we get investment in new lounges rather than in introducing safe standing. We get light shows which add nothing, much like the flame throwers.
It's step by step death of the game, has been happening for decades and continues a pace. Progress is possible without the game becoming sanitised. Have been to matches in Germany and South America where fans watch safely in stadiums where pyro, noise, singing are encouraged.
Instead we look to the clubs that are borderline ticket touting as they repackage grossly inflated hospitality offers to day trippers at prices akin to robbery. My bro' paid over £800 for three padded seats at Chelsea last season. How on earth has football got to that being accepted with barely a shrug. [Post edited 26 Feb 8:58]
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There is no doubt that football is becoming more sanitised in this country but yeh I'm not sure on some of these.
We are still able to generate a good atmosphere without safe standing as multiple other clubs do around the country but even in our home wins this season maybe Norwich aside the vast majority of the fans in the stadium aren't interested in making an atmosphere. Cant blame the owners for that.
The light shows and flame throwers, I mean if that is a criticism of them then we are truly blessed.
I would love tickets to be cheaper so we agree there, the hospitality is optional though of course. | |
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| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 09:12 - Feb 26 with 499 views | bsw72 |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 08:24 - Feb 26 by bluelagos |
I'll stick to safe standing (or could end up with an essay!)
A thought: How many of our fans chose to sit at away games? I've been to many games and looking at the front rows (where people could sit) the vast majority stand.
So I'd have no issue with all our bottom tiers being safe standing, starting with the North and Chirchmans. Might annoy a handful of fans but nothing stopping moving to another part of the ground.
No one ever asked fans about sitting, it was forced on us all by legislation introduced at a time when football fans were seen as thugs. If standing up is inherently dangerous then why is it allowed at Rugby or Horse racing?
Truth is it was brought in as the govt a d football wanted to gentrify the game, yet no one ever asked the fans if that was what they wanted.
And still no one asks us despite literally everyone in the North stand standing up. If we introduced it to all the lower tiers we'd still have more seats than standing spots and no one would be excluded.
It would improve the atmosphere no end but is barely being considered from what I can see... |
All valid points - like you say, being asked the question and having a choice would be a start to at least understand the demand and interest. | | | |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 09:16 - Feb 26 with 484 views | ITFC_Forever |
And thank you Frank Yallop.
Pushing 400 appearances for the club, and his greatest contribution came 25 years after he left the club. |  |
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| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 09:19 - Feb 26 with 453 views | bluelagos |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 09:08 - Feb 26 by TRUE_BLUE123 |
There is no doubt that football is becoming more sanitised in this country but yeh I'm not sure on some of these.
We are still able to generate a good atmosphere without safe standing as multiple other clubs do around the country but even in our home wins this season maybe Norwich aside the vast majority of the fans in the stadium aren't interested in making an atmosphere. Cant blame the owners for that.
The light shows and flame throwers, I mean if that is a criticism of them then we are truly blessed.
I would love tickets to be cheaper so we agree there, the hospitality is optional though of course. |
I don't really object to hospitality (if people want to eat sandwiches and sit in a box that's for them). It's that the club is chasing that and not even discussing the introduction of safe standing. It's clear the direction off travel, crystal clear.
I'd wager that if you polled fans on which you'd rather see, another lounge for the prawn sandwich brigade or safe standing in the North, the fans would go for the latter.
And I might be wrong, but it would be nice if the club asked would it not? You know, those of us who kept watching at Portman Rd during the Evans years without whom the club would have sunk even lower.
Anyhow,.made my points... We don't have to all agree.on everything. | |
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| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 09:23 - Feb 26 with 444 views | norfsufblue |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 08:24 - Feb 26 by bluelagos |
I'll stick to safe standing (or could end up with an essay!)
A thought: How many of our fans chose to sit at away games? I've been to many games and looking at the front rows (where people could sit) the vast majority stand.
So I'd have no issue with all our bottom tiers being safe standing, starting with the North and Chirchmans. Might annoy a handful of fans but nothing stopping moving to another part of the ground.
No one ever asked fans about sitting, it was forced on us all by legislation introduced at a time when football fans were seen as thugs. If standing up is inherently dangerous then why is it allowed at Rugby or Horse racing?
Truth is it was brought in as the govt a d football wanted to gentrify the game, yet no one ever asked the fans if that was what they wanted.
And still no one asks us despite literally everyone in the North stand standing up. If we introduced it to all the lower tiers we'd still have more seats than standing spots and no one would be excluded.
It would improve the atmosphere no end but is barely being considered from what I can see... |
One step at a time with SS in my opinion.. The North lower is an obvious place to install this as nobody has ever really sat down there. Churchmans is a different story now. Historically yes but more than one generation of fans have sat down there since 1992 and i dont think it would be that popular tbh.
The abolition of standing though did raise the base cost of attending football as regular standing was very cheap and sort of regulated the seating prices. Those days are gone now though and will never return
Member of the 38,010! |  | | |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 09:28 - Feb 26 with 417 views | Miaow |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 08:07 - Feb 26 by bluelagos |
I quite like Hadleigh tbf. They've even pretty much sorted out Benton St which was a nightmare for years.
Haverhill though, couldn't they donate it to Essex? Proper brings the tone down :-) |
We don't want it. |  |
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| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 10:07 - Feb 26 with 344 views | Churchman |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 09:23 - Feb 26 by norfsufblue |
One step at a time with SS in my opinion.. The North lower is an obvious place to install this as nobody has ever really sat down there. Churchmans is a different story now. Historically yes but more than one generation of fans have sat down there since 1992 and i dont think it would be that popular tbh.
The abolition of standing though did raise the base cost of attending football as regular standing was very cheap and sort of regulated the seating prices. Those days are gone now though and will never return
Member of the 38,010! |
Fellow member of the 38,010.
No problem with safe standing in the NS either. I’d leave it at that. How about the lower tier of West Stand? Mind you, that is a family zone so that might not be an option. If East Stand is rebuild one day (five years time?), maybe that’s the opportunity to increase SS?
The cost of football? That changed with ending shared gate receipts in 1982 that previously had evened the playing field to some extent, Hysel, Hillsborough, Bosman and particularly the creation of the Premier League 1992 with its headlong naked pursuit of money for a select group of clubs at the expense of the rest.
From there such things as the FA Cup died, youth leagues and set ups for smaller clubs and in many ways so did, for me, the soul of football. I dislike it intensely. But it is what it is and if you love the sport you will always want your club to be the best it can be.
Make no mistake, this club was dying by just about every measure you can dream up under Evans. I really don’t care if his intentions were honourable. Don’t know the bloke, don’t wish to.
I watched a club that had already over reached itself under the incompetent Sheepshanks and his hapless Board be flogged off to a bloke who had no idea. Not as bad as Chansiri, Oyston or a load of others? No, but so what. The club was heading for L2 and lower with disintegrating infrastructure propped up by a few people that cared.
Then Gamechanger came along. They saw a good opportunity and were right in their judgement. The things they’ve done well have been largely listed and regardless of how this season pans out, progress in most areas has been astonishing. Did anyone really predict the last five years?
I’m just staggered there are people out there that would swap it for 10 years ago where everything was decrepit from the anti-football we played to the stadium along with everything associated. The newest part of the football club was 20 year old stands and the mouldering indoor training dome.
They’ve not got everything right but it’s fair to say Gamechanger, including the now maligned by some (those that believed the Bristol City monobrow knuckle draggers) Ashton have delivered.
Yes, there is patchy communication (see last seasons seat moves), Brentishness, salesman elements, a hit and miss recruitment process (MA), a misfiring team (KM) and many other things but by any measure, we are in a different place to getting kicked around at Accrington or stumbling about at home to Cheltenham.
The trick is for Gamechanger if they still have the hunger is to keep pushing which is why, like him or loathe him, people like Ashton with energy and drive are so important. There’s no such thing as standing still. |  | | |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 10:11 - Feb 26 with 319 views | Keno |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 10:07 - Feb 26 by Churchman |
Fellow member of the 38,010.
No problem with safe standing in the NS either. I’d leave it at that. How about the lower tier of West Stand? Mind you, that is a family zone so that might not be an option. If East Stand is rebuild one day (five years time?), maybe that’s the opportunity to increase SS?
The cost of football? That changed with ending shared gate receipts in 1982 that previously had evened the playing field to some extent, Hysel, Hillsborough, Bosman and particularly the creation of the Premier League 1992 with its headlong naked pursuit of money for a select group of clubs at the expense of the rest.
From there such things as the FA Cup died, youth leagues and set ups for smaller clubs and in many ways so did, for me, the soul of football. I dislike it intensely. But it is what it is and if you love the sport you will always want your club to be the best it can be.
Make no mistake, this club was dying by just about every measure you can dream up under Evans. I really don’t care if his intentions were honourable. Don’t know the bloke, don’t wish to.
I watched a club that had already over reached itself under the incompetent Sheepshanks and his hapless Board be flogged off to a bloke who had no idea. Not as bad as Chansiri, Oyston or a load of others? No, but so what. The club was heading for L2 and lower with disintegrating infrastructure propped up by a few people that cared.
Then Gamechanger came along. They saw a good opportunity and were right in their judgement. The things they’ve done well have been largely listed and regardless of how this season pans out, progress in most areas has been astonishing. Did anyone really predict the last five years?
I’m just staggered there are people out there that would swap it for 10 years ago where everything was decrepit from the anti-football we played to the stadium along with everything associated. The newest part of the football club was 20 year old stands and the mouldering indoor training dome.
They’ve not got everything right but it’s fair to say Gamechanger, including the now maligned by some (those that believed the Bristol City monobrow knuckle draggers) Ashton have delivered.
Yes, there is patchy communication (see last seasons seat moves), Brentishness, salesman elements, a hit and miss recruitment process (MA), a misfiring team (KM) and many other things but by any measure, we are in a different place to getting kicked around at Accrington or stumbling about at home to Cheltenham.
The trick is for Gamechanger if they still have the hunger is to keep pushing which is why, like him or loathe him, people like Ashton with energy and drive are so important. There’s no such thing as standing still. |
another member of the 38,010!!
Maybe Glory Days could do a commemorative T shirt [Post edited 26 Feb 10:12]
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| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 10:55 - Feb 26 with 168 views | ParisBlue |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 07:15 - Feb 26 by bluelagos |
All of that is welcome, but they have also failed miserably (or Ashton has) to engage constructively with Blue Action to improve the match day atmosphere. Hospitality capacity & revenue is persued whilst the lower tiers could easily be made safe standing.
We have to pay £40 membership for the right to purchase away tickets. We get charged admin fees for putting a ticket in an envelope. Match day prices are higher than ever.
Match days we have to listen to piped music and what passes as pre match entertainment. Coach travel more expensive than ever and I stopped looking at the cost of shirts when they sailed past £50. Away fans charged over £40 for poor seats.
We have been seemingly following the "tourist" model, Ashton's head no doubt turned by way Premiership clubs seek one off visitors and the extra revenue they bring.
I am not for a minute suggesting the ownership hasn't been positive but to suggest our owners are hero's, they've already got their investment back. They know sfa about football from what I can see and everything about maximising income.
How many of our current squad came through the youth team?
McKenna's appointment has been inspired and we have invested lots, but from where I am sat there is a gaping hole when it comes to improving Portman Rd, namely by excluding the traditional/poorest/working class fan we are continuing the journey of sanitising the game. The pace.of that is increasing imho.
And game changer are probably more responsible for that than anyone. If I wanted to go to a light show I'd go to a Taylor Swift concert ffs.
5 positive years for sure but let's not pretend everything is perfect. |
Ticket prices are the one for me >20% increase in ticket prices compared to 23/24. And very high away ticket prices for away fans.
It gets hushed a bit because season tickets are low by comparison (<£20 for a matchday ticket costing £34, and your money back if you cant attend) but for anyone reliant on 5-10 games a year it's noticeable. The £2 reduction on matchday tickets on purchase of the £40 membership was also silently removed this year.
Of course it's been an incredible 5 years, but football is a cycle. Once the fairweather glory hunters and/or tourists have gone and if we end up settling back in the championship it'll be the same group who were here before (plus a group who got the bug during the good times)
As a start I'd like to see championship replicate the PL and introduce the £30 cap on away tickets. What we charge is embarassing imo (I'm sure the club will say revenue is important, but....) |  |
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| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 11:31 - Feb 26 with 103 views | Churchman |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 10:55 - Feb 26 by ParisBlue |
Ticket prices are the one for me >20% increase in ticket prices compared to 23/24. And very high away ticket prices for away fans.
It gets hushed a bit because season tickets are low by comparison (<£20 for a matchday ticket costing £34, and your money back if you cant attend) but for anyone reliant on 5-10 games a year it's noticeable. The £2 reduction on matchday tickets on purchase of the £40 membership was also silently removed this year.
Of course it's been an incredible 5 years, but football is a cycle. Once the fairweather glory hunters and/or tourists have gone and if we end up settling back in the championship it'll be the same group who were here before (plus a group who got the bug during the good times)
As a start I'd like to see championship replicate the PL and introduce the £30 cap on away tickets. What we charge is embarassing imo (I'm sure the club will say revenue is important, but....) |
That only works if you reduce it for home supporters too. Otherwise there will be sitting a poor dude in a legroom free seat wearing an ITFC shirt while a mush 20 yards away from timbucktoo fc will be sitting in the same ageing stand for less.
As it goes, I am really couldn't care a less about the away supporters. They’d be in hot air balloons floating above Churchmans freeing out space in the ground for more home supporters and local giveaways (schools, clubs etc) if I had my way. It’s not compulsory - but there is an impact on their clubs reciprocating on our away supporters.
A more general way forward would be to standardise pricing throughout the leagues.
As far as ITFC goes, as long as there’s reductions for children (future support), I don’t think £34 is too bad. A round of cheap beer for four is £20 minimum and half again in London (unless you go to Wetherspoons). A season ticket for an old crusty like me is frankly dirt cheap for professional sport. | | | |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 11:48 - Feb 26 with 23 views | ParisBlue |
| 5 Year Anniversary of Gamechanger on 11:31 - Feb 26 by Churchman |
That only works if you reduce it for home supporters too. Otherwise there will be sitting a poor dude in a legroom free seat wearing an ITFC shirt while a mush 20 yards away from timbucktoo fc will be sitting in the same ageing stand for less.
As it goes, I am really couldn't care a less about the away supporters. They’d be in hot air balloons floating above Churchmans freeing out space in the ground for more home supporters and local giveaways (schools, clubs etc) if I had my way. It’s not compulsory - but there is an impact on their clubs reciprocating on our away supporters.
A more general way forward would be to standardise pricing throughout the leagues.
As far as ITFC goes, as long as there’s reductions for children (future support), I don’t think £34 is too bad. A round of cheap beer for four is £20 minimum and half again in London (unless you go to Wetherspoons). A season ticket for an old crusty like me is frankly dirt cheap for professional sport. |
We charge high prices for away tickets, and that then gets reciprocated when we play away. So with higher home matchday tickets as well it's a double whammy. | |
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