Town have dismissed claims that 20 per cent of its allocation for Saturday’s East Anglian derby at Norwich City was reserved for players and staff.

Since the game, which the Blues lost 1-0, posts on the TWTD Forum and on social media have suggested that 400 of the 2,022 seats in the Jarrold Stand were kept back to be sold to staff and their family and friends and not included in the regular sales process.

In the summer, the Blues introduced a new Super Blues membership package, costing £39.99, with fans building up their total of points by attending away games throughout the season. The higher the points total, the higher up the priority list fans are pushed and the more likely they are to get tickets for games with smaller allocations, such as Saturday’s.

Town say the claim that 20 per cent of the seats were given to staff and players was untrue but that a “limited allocation”, believed to be around half the reported figure, was set aside as is the normal process for an away match.

A club spokesperson said that the club was “disappointed” by the reaction. However, they added: “Whilst we won't get every decision right, we will continue to review our processes in all areas of the club and make improvements where necessary.”

Photo: Matchday Images

Europablue added 09:57 - Apr 9 I'm not sure why people feel an injustice about not getting to watch that match live at Carrow Road. I only watched it on TV and I feel like it was an injustice that I lost 2 hours of my life I'm never getting back!
11

pennblue added 10:07 - Apr 9 We can do a post mortem on this at the next club <> supporters meeting, where it seems more discussion needs to take place for the club to fully understand why people are upset by this. There is no doubt, mixed into this is an added sense of anger (and upset) due to the result at the weekend. Right now, we have to move on and try and use this as energy to rebound strongly tomorrow night.

8

Barty added 10:18 - Apr 9 pennblue - spot on mate. Saturdays result and performance was uncharacteristically poor and disappointing but its gone and we need to concentrate and focus on the remaining 5 games and hopefully secure a top 2 place. The ball is still in our court and us supporters can still play a big part. COYB.
8

joshITFCporter added 10:35 - Apr 9 As one of the fans that went to the game, I do agree that the atmosphere was "flat", however I don't believe for one second it was due to part-time fans. At the end of the day, we had nothing to cheer or get hyped up about, because it was a very uneventful game. If we were creating chance after chance like our usual performances suggest I'm sure it would've been a far different scenario.

14

OliveR16 added 10:48 - Apr 9 This is the kind of hassle we could do without at such a stage of the season. Irrespective of whether it is in some sense true, this belongs at a later meeting with the club, not on social media when all that matters is 5 wins..
13

LancsBlue added 11:23 - Apr 9 Even if it was 'only' 200, and I think the club needs to be transparent about that figure, it is still wrong. Why did Bailey Clements and others deserve to be there more than someone who has clocked up miles and points all season? Secondly, if this is usual practice, then the club needs to make that very clear when taking £40 from supporters for memberships. "The club reserve the right to to take the ticket that you have earned and give it to someone else at our discretion".

6

Steelmonkey added 11:25 - Apr 9 Well if the atmosphere was flat whose feet does that ultimately fall at, not those eleven players on the field, perhaps if the vocal support had been better they would have felt more comfortable with the game. We keep hearing how vital the twelfth man is at a match, so not just a weak showing from the team but also our support. Do we really have to wait for the team to do something on the pitch before we show the support that this team who are in the top two of the championship deserve. You could see from the reaction of the Narrich players that they have learned far better then us on how the game is played today, the slightest touch and they go down poleaxed, the leaving of the leg a split second longer to make it look like we have committed the foul. It’s not a part of the game I like to watch but that’s how it’s played, the times Sargent did this and out smarted the officials. Narrich aren’t better then us they just played the game smarter with Premiership savvy winning the day.

3

mflory1376 added 11:29 - Apr 9 Saturday against Norwich was an awful performance both from us fans and players but us fans got behind the players at 2-1 against Southampton and the bounced back cos Portman Rd was loud, I feel if our fans still showed some passion and give the players some belief then maybe it would of got them fired up,tomorrow and Saturday are huge so we need to show passion and get behind the players like we did against Southampton, the team deserves that from us, the last 2 years the players have given everything, so let's get Portman Rd bouncing

7

VanDusen added 11:31 - Apr 9 The atmosphere wasn't flat at the start and there was a spell of "Blue and White Army" early in the second half which was gathering momentum but ultimately not pushed on by the chances we desperately craved. But the nerves - as we're all SO desperate to get rid of this Norwich hoodoo - won out at the end. If it was any other opponent I've no doubt we'd have been all over it. Agree with others here though - this is not a public row that is helpful at this time. And the reality is clubs always put aside tickets for players and other guests for EVERY game. The system is a lot fairer now for prioritising the hardcore fans than, say, last season's Cambridge debacle (altho I'd still say taking into account 2 or 3 seasons would have been fairer still). But even if these other 200 tickets had been available anyone under 25+ points still wouldn't have got a look in I'm afraid. However - remember they'll be forced to give us more for the playoffs semi (if the away support rules for those games still exist)!

0

bobble added 12:00 - Apr 9 the system is made for the elites...
-4

cressi added 12:10 - Apr 9 I never paid gor a membership happy with season ticket. But for all those fans who go all over the country to stupid 0 clock kick offs and went to Rotherham twice should definitely have got tickets . The club has come on leaps and bounds and we are all grateful from where we have been to where we are. But the club have got this completely wrong and the reply given is short and almost dismissive not particularly tactful.

2

HorshamBlue added 12:10 - Apr 9 Why didn't Norwich allocate 10% to away fans?
0

RegencyBlue added 12:30 - Apr 9 I’m still not convinced the 400 figure is wrong. It would certainly explain why Norfolk police were talking about only 1600 ITFC fans making the trip before the match. The Club haven’t made many mistakes since the takeover but this seems to be one and continuing to defend it with what comes across as a dismissive statement makes it worse. Just admit the mistake, apologise and say it won’t happen again. Having said all that we have five cup finals coming up and cannot afford for this incident to drive a wedge between the Club and supporters. Everyone needs to be on the same page starting tomorrow night!

3

blues1 added 12:53 - Apr 9 Regencyblue. Tge reason norfolk police were saying there were only 1600 town fans travelling , is bcse we were only allocated 1600 tickets.
0

blues1 added 12:55 - Apr 9 Penneblue. Read the story properly. Clearly states it didnt happen. They gave away the same amount of tickets for this game as they do for all away games. Which is common practice.
2

Edmundo added 12:56 - Apr 9 Park this and get behind the badge until the next Supporters' Meeting. Unnecessary noise at this stage.
4

churchmans81 added 13:06 - Apr 9 Well I’m looking forward to breaking the long spell without a win when we steamroller them at Wembley in the Play Off Final.
2

JewellintheTown added 13:23 - Apr 9 Not sure I agree with the idea that if "regular fans" & not staff, family & friends had 200 more tickets it would have improved performances or atmosphere, personally. I think if my nan or a mate or the staff I see and work with regularly were there, I'd play just as well if not better for them than a loyal, noisy fan instead. With the possible exception of corporate hospitality allocations, I suspect they're just as much fans & loyal as the rest of us anyway, if not more. Some of those freebies may well turn into millions of pounds contracts or attract better players or give deserving supporters a chance that might not otherwise get in. Lets give the club some trust & respect & until proven otherwise assume it's in all our best interests. There are far worse owners & clubs than ours doing much dodgier things.

1

hamish added 13:30 - Apr 9 I've got membership and some away points, but it's still hard to get tickets, so i have been to several away games in the "wrong" part of the ground, including this one. To be fair, there were a few of us dotted about. I thought the "real" away area made a decent amount of noise, but certainly not as much as some of the games this season (Southampton, Blackburn etc). Almost certainly a consequence of the magnitude of the occasion, which clearly also got to the players. Anyhow, as many have said, we just need to focus on the remaining 5 fixtures, starting tomorrow. And remember Leicester & Leeds have got some tough games to come...

1

Nomore4 added 13:38 - Apr 9 I feel sorry for the hardcore ITFC fans who do the hard yards up and down the country. They pay membership and play to the points system. Therefore every available fan ticket should be available. I would also add any other fixture this would not have been mentioned. It’s not a situation that affects me personally. Although I am a season card holder, I’m always content knowing we have a 12th man at away games. We gave up many tickets for Sally from retail +1 amongst others. Which is wrong because it was Norwich, and because it’s unfair….

0

December1963 added 14:30 - Apr 9 Sounds like someone online is trying to undermine the unity between the club and the supporters.let’s stick together, the next five games are the most important in the last 20 plus years of our club we all need to be as one and get behind the team on and off the field. COYB.
1

RegencyBlue added 15:00 - Apr 9 Wrong blues1, we were allocated 2022 tickets according to the ITFC website before the game, and the 1600 travelling Ipswich fans comment from Norfolk police leaves a 400+ discrepancy which ties in with what is being alleged! There is something not right here and the club would do better to come clean before it gets further out of hand.
1

pragmatic added 15:03 - Apr 9 Like the result get over it, & spend your energy supporting the team,
0

MickMillsTash added 16:41 - Apr 9 I got in but would have been annoyed had I been in the top 1800 and not got a ticket because Fabio Wardley had decided to go and trumped my efforts by being 'famous' England publish the number of fans on e.g 40 games , 42 game etc- so you can see where you are in the merit points table and likelihood of getting a ticket - I suggest Ipswich do the same
0

Carberry added 07:49 - Apr 10 So where did these tickets go and how many of them were there. The club need to come clean rather than managing a cover up. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-68764374
0

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls