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I have a friend who is a Leeds supporter. He lives in Watford but goes to all the home and away games. He buys all his rail tickets well in advance and expects to have to waste three or four a season because of fixture date changes. Obviously it annoys him but reluctantly accepts it as one of the hazards of being a loyal football supporter.

Anyone know how many fans have been financially inconvenienced by the change of dates? I'm assuming at least 100 by the tone of this board.


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John_c wrote:Anyone know how many fans have been financially inconvenienced by the change of dates? I'm assuming at least 100 by the tone of this board.


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John, even if it's only 2 or 3 that's 2 or 3 the club can't really afford to piss off.

If you're a premier league club with a waiting list for season tickets and you up set 2 or 3 people who stop coming then you can absorb that. If you are a 5th tier club that regularly has less than 1000 home fans through the gate pissing off 2 or 3 people is a bloody stupid thing to do.

Edd1 wrote:

John_c wrote:Anyone know how many fans have been financially inconvenienced by the change of dates? I'm assuming at least 100 by the tone of this board.


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John, even if it's only 2 or 3 that's 2 or 3 the club can't really afford to piss off.

If you're a premier league club with a waiting list for season tickets and you up set 2 or 3 people who stop coming then you can absorb that. If you are a 5th tier club that regularly has less than 1000 home fans through the gate pissing off 2 or 3 people is a bloody stupid thing to do.

That'll be assuming the club are doing it deliberately?

With respect to the folk who prebook in advance the club can't be expected to cater for that when having to make these decisions. It's not the clubs fault that people choose to book way in advance.

The faux indignation is a bit tiresome.


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John_c wrote:

Edd1 wrote:

John_c wrote:Anyone know how many fans have been financially inconvenienced by the change of dates? I'm assuming at least 100 by the tone of this board.


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John, even if it's only 2 or 3 that's 2 or 3 the club can't really afford to piss off.

If you're a premier league club with a waiting list for season tickets and you up set 2 or 3 people who stop coming then you can absorb that. If you are a 5th tier club that regularly has less than 1000 home fans through the gate pissing off 2 or 3 people is a bloody stupid thing to do.

That'll be assuming the club are doing it deliberately?

With respect to the folk who prebook in advance the club can't be expected to cater for that when having to make these decisions. It's not the clubs fault that people choose to book way in advance.

The faux indignation is a bit tiresome.


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Are you outraged at the outrage?

hoofer2 wrote:

John_c wrote:

Edd1 wrote:

John_c wrote:Anyone know how many fans have been financially inconvenienced by the change of dates? I'm assuming at least 100 by the tone of this board.


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John, even if it's only 2 or 3 that's 2 or 3 the club can't really afford to piss off.

If you're a premier league club with a waiting list for season tickets and you up set 2 or 3 people who stop coming then you can absorb that. If you are a 5th tier club that regularly has less than 1000 home fans through the gate pissing off 2 or 3 people is a bloody stupid thing to do.

That'll be assuming the club are doing it deliberately?

With respect to the folk who prebook in advance the club can't be expected to cater for that when having to make these decisions. It's not the clubs fault that people choose to book way in advance.

The faux indignation is a bit tiresome.


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Are you outraged at the outrage?

I raised an eyebrow slightly, yes


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I don't really expect the club to re-imburse people, but I don't think it is unreasonable for the club to acknowledge that their decision is both inconvenient and leaving people out of pocket and to apologise for that.

While I'm not out of pocket, the postponement of Tuesday's game and it's subsequent re-arrangement for too weeks later was highly inconvenient as I had made both work and personal arrangements to fit round the fixture list and I have now had to mess around both work colleages and my family in order to be able to attended the re-arranged game. I am relatively fortunate that my wife at least is very tolerant of my addiction to football.

I got a email reply from the club this evening- it talked about various things including giving some more background info on the postponements so am sharing the main points here:

*They apologised for the inconvenience around the postponement and for the relatively brief nature of the intitial announcement. Apparently the third of the call ups only came the "day before the match" (I think this must mean the day before the Torquay game), so their priority was to get the message out as quickly as possible, hence the relatively short message that was put out. I reckon that's fair enough and can appreciate the value of them moving quickly. Wording of website stuff wasn't super but having done various comms roles in the past, I can appreciate from experience it can be tricky getting stuff right (especially the tone) when you are short on time

*The email also seemed to say that league rules/protocols *required* a club to postpone a match if they had three players called up for international duty. If so, then I assume this would mean the club had no choice in the matter. I (and I think others on this board) had thought it was the club had the *option* as opposing to being *required* to re-arrange. I am not an expert on the regulations here (perhaps Jerroll can help?!) and there doesn't seem to be anything either way in the National League Rules (http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/art ... 013?page=0) about international call ups + postponements so asked the club if they could clarify this.

*The wording didn't directly say what the club had decided about any specific things on compensation/reimbursement. I asked if they could clarify that as well.

barnetjohn wrote:I got a email reply from the club this evening- it talked about various things including giving some more background info on the postponements so am sharing the main points here:

*They apologised for the inconvenience around the postponement and for the relatively brief nature of the intitial announcement. Apparently the third of the call ups only came the "day before the match" (I think this must mean the day before the Torquay game), so their priority was to get the message out as quickly as possible, hence the relatively short message that was put out. I reckon that's fair enough and can appreciate the value of them moving quickly. Wording of website stuff wasn't super but having done various comms roles in the past, I can appreciate from experience it can be tricky getting stuff right (especially the tone) when you are short on time

*The email also seemed to say that league rules/protocols *required* a club to postpone a match if they had three players called up for international duty. If so, then I assume this would mean the club had no choice in the matter. I (and I think others on this board) had thought it was the club had the *option* as opposing to being *required* to re-arrange. I am not an expert on the regulations here (perhaps Jerroll can help?!) and there doesn't seem to be anything either way in the National League Rules (http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/art ... 013?page=0) about international call ups + postponements so asked the club if they could clarify this.

*The wording didn't directly say what the club had decided about any specific things on compensation/reimbursement. I asked if they could clarify that as well.

Some poor sod at the club is having to deal with this?


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John_c wrote:

barnetjohn wrote:I got a email reply from the club this evening- it talked about various things including giving some more background info on the postponements so am sharing the main points here:

*They apologised for the inconvenience around the postponement and for the relatively brief nature of the intitial announcement. Apparently the third of the call ups only came the "day before the match" (I think this must mean the day before the Torquay game), so their priority was to get the message out as quickly as possible, hence the relatively short message that was put out. I reckon that's fair enough and can appreciate the value of them moving quickly. Wording of website stuff wasn't super but having done various comms roles in the past, I can appreciate from experience it can be tricky getting stuff right (especially the tone) when you are short on time

*The email also seemed to say that league rules/protocols *required* a club to postpone a match if they had three players called up for international duty. If so, then I assume this would mean the club had no choice in the matter. I (and I think others on this board) had thought it was the club had the *option* as opposing to being *required* to re-arrange. I am not an expert on the regulations here (perhaps Jerroll can help?!) and there doesn't seem to be anything either way in the National League Rules (http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/art ... 013?page=0) about international call ups + postponements so asked the club if they could clarify this.

*The wording didn't directly say what the club had decided about any specific things on compensation/reimbursement. I asked if they could clarify that as well.

Some poor sod at the club is having to deal with this?


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Must be awful to be the poor sod who has to send an email back saying nothing. Imagine the inconvenience.

Almost as inconvenient as the club postponing a fixture to a Tuesday night costing supporters 40 quid a days annual leave and a 10 hour round trip in a minibus.

Oh no, wait....

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"Some poor sod . . . ."

Poor? You new here?

Bee_Forever wrote:

John_c wrote:

barnetjohn wrote:I got a email reply from the club this evening- it talked about various things including giving some more background info on the postponements so am sharing the main points here:

*They apologised for the inconvenience around the postponement and for the relatively brief nature of the intitial announcement. Apparently the third of the call ups only came the "day before the match" (I think this must mean the day before the Torquay game), so their priority was to get the message out as quickly as possible, hence the relatively short message that was put out. I reckon that's fair enough and can appreciate the value of them moving quickly. Wording of website stuff wasn't super but having done various comms roles in the past, I can appreciate from experience it can be tricky getting stuff right (especially the tone) when you are short on time

*The email also seemed to say that league rules/protocols *required* a club to postpone a match if they had three players called up for international duty. If so, then I assume this would mean the club had no choice in the matter. I (and I think others on this board) had thought it was the club had the *option* as opposing to being *required* to re-arrange. I am not an expert on the regulations here (perhaps Jerroll can help?!) and there doesn't seem to be anything either way in the National League Rules (http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/art ... 013?page=0) about international call ups + postponements so asked the club if they could clarify this.

*The wording didn't directly say what the club had decided about any specific things on compensation/reimbursement. I asked if they could clarify that as well.

Some poor sod at the club is having to deal with this?


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Must be awful to be the poor sod who has to send an email back saying nothing. Imagine the inconvenience.

Almost as inconvenient as the club postponing a fixture to a Tuesday night costing supporters 40 quid a days annual leave and a 10 hour round trip in a minibus.

Oh no, wait....

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But I suspect you guys use your annual leave for all this anyway? That's not a cost then?

It comes across a bit needy. It's almost as if you enjoy having to moan about it.

Did I ever tell you about the time we persuaded the club not to move a Torquay away game because we had hotel and train booked? You guys must be doing it wrong.


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barnetjohn wrote:I got a email reply from the club this evening- it talked about various things including giving some more background info on the postponements so am sharing the main points here:

*They apologised for the inconvenience around the postponement and for the relatively brief nature of the intitial announcement. Apparently the third of the call ups only came the "day before the match" (I think this must mean the day before the Torquay game), so their priority was to get the message out as quickly as possible, hence the relatively short message that was put out. I reckon that's fair enough and can appreciate the value of them moving quickly. Wording of website stuff wasn't super but having done various comms roles in the past, I can appreciate from experience it can be tricky getting stuff right (especially the tone) when you are short on time

*The email also seemed to say that league rules/protocols *required* a club to postpone a match if they had three players called up for international duty. If so, then I assume this would mean the club had no choice in the matter. I (and I think others on this board) had thought it was the club had the *option* as opposing to being *required* to re-arrange. I am not an expert on the regulations here (perhaps Jerroll can help?!) and there doesn't seem to be anything either way in the National League Rules (http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/art ... 013?page=0) about international call ups + postponements so asked the club if they could clarify this.

*The wording didn't directly say what the club had decided about any specific things on compensation/reimbursement. I asked if they could clarify that as well.

To be fair John I have no idea or inclination to look this up. I share everyone's disappointment at being left out of pocket but am making a deliberate effort not to get wound up by such things anymore...

jerroll wrote:
To be fair John I have no idea or inclination to look this up. I share everyone's disappointment at being left out of pocket but am making a deliberate effort not to get wound up by such things anymore...

Fair point Jerroll. I share your feelings on this! And if you aren't sure then we know it can't be too obvious! I guess it should be fairly straightforward for whoever dealt with postponement paperwork at club to clear up.

Main reason it'd be good to know is for future planning purposes. If club is required to automatically call a game off if there are three call ups then this increases likelihood of future postponements, compared to case where club has discretion. Not a massive deal for this season as games on international dates are nearby. But could matter in future seasons especially if our collection of talented young players grows and develops - which I very much hope it does!

barnetjohn wrote:

jerroll wrote:
To be fair John I have no idea or inclination to look this up. I share everyone's disappointment at being left out of pocket but am making a deliberate effort not to get wound up by such things anymore...

Fair point Jerroll. I share your feelings on this! And if you aren't sure then we know it can't be too obvious! I guess it should be fairly straightforward for whoever dealt with postponement paperwork at club to clear up.

Main reason it'd be good to know is for future planning purposes. If club is required to automatically call a game off if there are three call ups then this increases likelihood of future postponements, compared to case where club has discretion. Not a massive deal for this season as games on international dates are nearby. But could matter in future seasons especially if our collection of talented young players grows and develops - which I very much hope it does!

Agreed it would be good to know for the loyal few. But don't see why the club should have an obligation to provide for/compensate/apologise etc.


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