Barnsley FC Reply: West Stand Update

Not entirely the point but even in a holding letter where a company has seriously alienated part of its client base you would hope for a financial compensation offer.

At this stage very broader terms would have done. “Having reviewed our decision though made what is we feel in the best interests of the fans we acknowledge the hurt and distress this has caused and will look to put together a compensation package with details to be confirmed later”.

it’s my view that the public relations have been so poor the west standers should be offered a full refund and alternative seating or alternative seating and a 50% reduction next year. These are the most loyal section of their customer base. The ones proper businesses fight very hard to keep.

 

I don’t know unless some went upstairs

 

Possibly. But why close the West Stand Upper?

 

I can only assume Mr Jobsworth has said to *someone* "there's no way we can get people to go back to their seats in the lower, whilst simultaneously stopping folk from getting into the Upper".

So someone has taken a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

 

it’s my view that the public relations have been so poor the west standers should be offered a full refund and alternative seating or alternative seating and a 50% reduction next year. These are the most loyal section of their customer base. The ones proper businesses fight very hard to keep.

100% agree

 

"Morning mate, hope you had a good weekend, how are you settling in? Have you worked out how to use the coffee machine yet?"

"Morning, yes, the machine works great, I'm settling in nicely thank you. Oh, and by the way, I've closed the west stand."

 

.... the following day.

"Morning. Did you manage to rectify that horrible mess with the West Stand?"

"Yep... I sure did, I've banned all home ticket sales. All sorted boss."

 

I think I'll reserve judgment until the club have been asked about it a billion times and released a few hundred statements... I mean, aliens might have landed and be holding them at gunpoint to not say everything just yet, you just never know do you...

 

Opinions eh.
To me it reads as the only time he uses we/our is to say the Club is responsible for safety and the statement from the club, both these are true statements.
From there he goes to I and says “a decision I had to take”.
No harm as you say asking for clarification.

 

It’s a long time since I sat there, but doesn’t the WSU only have one entrance?

 

We're getting 2nd hand information whichever way you look at it. I am sure you and the rest of the Trust will do you very best to relay the message accurately and I do appreciate the work you're putting in free of charge, but at the end of the day those not in attendance will get your interpretation of what was said rather than the real deal. Each fan group will relay a slightly different message, that's just human nature and will never be changed. With the techonology available, there's no reason this couldn't be opened up wider with people able to put questions into a chat function.

Good luck with the evening though and I look forward to finding out what gets said.

 

Personally, I think the best option is a meeting followed with an open letter confirming the meeting discussions.

 

The statements are likely all true. But they can also be stand alone statements and not connected. It's a very corporate way of wording things and we're taking our own inference rather than the statement being explicit and obvious.

From a personal perspective, if a CEO of mine took a unilateral decision to undertake such an action, they wouldn't be making it to the end of their probationary period.

 

Yep, it would be very surprising indeed, especially one so early in his tenure.
I just think the fact he put I had to, removes wiggle room Thursday.

 

No it has several entrances from the back.

 

Surely Mr Transparecy wouldn`t disagree with cameras in the meeting so all fans can see his reasoning.

James and his mam int East Stand then is it Sunday?

 

As a long term Barnsley fan, I have been told that I must move my place in the ground on two occasions. Indeed, any long term fan who has not been sitting in the West Stand upper tier (centre or south) has had to relocate for a period at least once. The West Stand is no longer fit for purpose, as the wide spread abuse of the law during the rainy Millwall game demonstrates. The CEO will have been made aware of his legal responsibilities for safety and adherence to the laws of the land when he took the job. His solution has been to take the bull by the horns. I sympathise.

 

I’m discounting the part near the North Stand. From memory, there’s one in the middle and one near the Pontefract Road end. But my memory isn’t great admittedly…

 

Would you close the Ponty end aswell given the number of people acting illegally standing during games towards the disabled stand? Why was the west upper closed as no one was acting illegally standing there?
If people honestly think a small number of people standing is a valid excuse to close an entire stand then I despair.