I’m in a wind up mode on the MSN site taking the mick out of the Mackems for giving away tickets. A Mackem is doubting whether this is true, whilst I can get documentary evidence from home I want to keep winding him up. Have you chaps got any details. He admits to cheap cup tickets but I think I can give him more.

This is what he says…

Dave, where do you get all this about everyone getting in for free??? I sit behind goal in North Stand and pay £345 per year for season ticket. They have concession corners for Unemployed and families, but they are still paying, just a bit less than everyone else. People in other areas are paying more than I do. We often reduce tickets for cup games ie £15 and £5 for kids, but this is because the club are aware that not everyone has the money to pay for season tickets AND pay full price for cup games. Is it such a bad thing that a football club takes into account the financial difficulties of its fans??

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

Answers

My Mates a teacher in NORTH Shields, hes also a mackem he reckons his school gets a few tickets every game as do a load of other schools.

Mind you you cannit knock em for that. Ken

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

Dave are you Intravenus?

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

I am Kegsy, I like to play the obnoxious one on that site. Same on here really!!!

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

You couldn't really give the spare tickets at St James' away to kids though as the sight of spawny unclean yobs from Benwell would upset the better class clientel from Darras Hall that occupy the Milburn stand.

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

It doesn't stop them letting you and me in tho Rik ;-)

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

Why dont mackems not admit they just havent got the Toons demand?????

I mean its almost as if Bob Murray could be covering the cracks on a PR exercise, fancy saying this,

'Is it such a bad thing that a football club takes into account the financial difficulties of its fans??'

One one hand its having a dig at the Toon for just having a demand (a demand which puts in a great bargaining position for stratigical future transfers), and hiding the reason why more than 50% (22000 of their average crowd of 44500 pay concessions - thats not including the freebies) of his crowd pay concessions (his public just wont pay the prices of the toons catchent areas of North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Most of Durham and Northumberland etc). Belive me if SAFC had our demand they would charge our prices.

MACKEMS=CHEAP IMITATIONS.

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

On the other hand, if we'd had a cheaper ticketing policy for the Villa FACup game we might have got a full house.

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

Take your pick,

52,000 tickets sold at £10 each = £520,000

42,000 tickets sold at £15 each = £630,000

32,000 tickets sold at £20 each = £640,000

It is putting it very basically but you can see why we wouldn't throw them away, especially when you consider the normal demands.

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

Yes, DeB, your figures make sense...............but only to an extent. Let's keep it simple:

32,000 tickets sold at £20 each = £640,000

That leaves 20,000 unsold tickets. Now, I'm not suggesting that these should be given away or anything as daft as that. But let's jst suppose we had a scehem whereby for such games when we know there's going to be some spares that we could let schools have them for (say) £5 each. Even 25% of them being sold would generate enough to pay the wages of a player for the week. Not to mention the brownie points we'd get from PR (I bet outside here, the Mackems are looked upon favourably in that respect) and we'd likely do a great deed for mankind by encouraging kids to support Toon instead of the Mackems.

Yes, it would take some organisation, but worth it, IMHO.

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

Sure it's a good idea to let some kids in to the match at a cheap price but what about those who have already bought a season ticket for themselves & kids at full price, wouldn't they feel a little agrieved & possibly would not renew their season tickets in th ehope of getting hand-outs. The most the club should do is allow 500 or so tickets to be made available to kids who are nominated by their school. The schoold should nominate their best performing/ best attending / most improved kids to receive tickets. Then kids would be encouraged not to go on the rob & attend schoold & we wouldn't end up giving tickets to charvers.

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

Dave, I'm not suggesting it should be for matches where STs are valid. We get a near-capacity crowd at all EPL games so that wouldn't apply. But for the likes of the Worthy and the early rounds of the FAC (you know, the ones ManUre might play in - or not) I think it would be worthwhile. I for one wouldn't mind if they were sold via organisations such as sports clubs, schools (I like your "reward" scheme - Platinum spares, eh??) etc.

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

Delurk...

Once did a stint as a supply teacher in Blyth Tynedale Comp. Every Thursday form assembly, courtesy of a Mackem head of P.E. and her conniving ways, I was obliged to offer free S.O.L. tickets to any kid that wanted one. Always only managed to read as far as "Stadium of ..." before the delightful Cowpen youngsters collectively yelled "SHITE!" Should have really done them all for swearing, but in that particular instance - naarh.

...Relurk

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

The Makems are offering £5 cashback to schools for every parent and kid that goes, with the package costing £15 for parent and kid.

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2001

Dougal - I'd have thought cashback-on-kids was illegal, especially after all the hoo-har last week about buying kids on the internet. Have they found a loophole?

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2001