Just had a letter from Steve Wraith who has been speaking to various supporters groups from around the country and is reporting back on their comments. Points raised: Empty seats were annoying

Match announcer is dull

a flag and scarf day would be a good idea

official website is poor

scene@stjame should be revamped

need a singing area

fan loyalty (home and away match attendance) should be better recorded

East stand afcilities are poor

9 people interviewed on an away trip said they weren't renewing their season tickets but just attending on a game by game basis

corporate hospitality was killing football

atmosphere should be natural not manufactured

Must have a scoreboard if the tannoy remained so bad

what about an away game season ticket

reserves should return to playing at SJP

level 7 prices in Milburn were too high

neeed to attract more kids

people like the new strip but would like to be involved in designing the next one

season ticket holders details should be updated

Many of these points were repeated by lot sof people.

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

Answers

Can't reall agree with playing reserve games at St James with the state of the pitch every season.

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

i'll do the website...

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

Match announcer is dull - can hardly even hear him in the Milburn Paddock.

official website is poor - understatement of the year!

scene@stjame should be revamped - I've heard they are thinking of scrapping it.

Must have a scoreboard if the tannoy remained so bad - agree.

reserves should return to playing at SJP - not good for the pitch and the organisation for the games that were played there last season was poor.

neeed to attract more kids - definitely.

season ticket holders details should be updated - agree. Hopefully I will have my name on my own ticket next season but my name is on somebody else's ticket and they would like to get it changed!

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

Reserves at SJP is a ridiculous suggestion. The pitch can't handle an extra 11 games. Full stop.

A trip to SJP should be an event, and anyone who has ever seen a reserve game will tell you that they don't fit the bill. Save SJP for Finals and Semis in the various cup competitions by all means, but try to keep crap, listless, half paced football away from SJP. Now, if we can only get the first team to understand then we will all get along fine.

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

and i'll be delighted to help you swifty m'lad....

currently looking for werk so if anyone knows anything....

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

Your deliberately leaving out the reams of complaints about queuing for beer to wind me up aren't you Mac.

Clarky you have a problem with the Bovril supply don't you, we must be heard (c:

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

I could get you a straw with a hole in it, that should make you heard

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

Get me a work permit, and I'm happy to join the web team!

Never did understand why SJP doesn't have a scoreboard/video replays. Every other stadium I've been to has it. Plenty of room on top of the Gallowgate and East stand corners where they meet the extensions. Visible to all and wouldn't block seats(the excuse I got when I asked one time)

Scene @St James - From what I've heard the latest management shake up has thrown whatever plans they might have had for it back up in the air again. Some kind of club publication would be good. I've heard S@SJ is too expensive to produce so they were thinking of some kind of less glossy format. They might want to pull their fingers out and come up with something. The season is less than 2 mos away.

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

Don't know about the rest of the stadium, but the catering service in the East Stand is at best laughable.
Untrained kids thrown in and left to 'wing it'.
No thought or organisation whatosever - Stone Age stuff.

Anyone who has ever visited a stadium catering kiosk in the US will know instantly what I mean - the art of serving as many people in as short time as is humanly possible, by first studying the ergonomics of what the servers physically have to do.
This also happens to dovetail very neatly with the art of "hosing" as much money as possible out of the punters pockets!

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

Did he say how Charles Bronson's getting on?

Why has that w@nker got anything to do with our club?

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

This also happens to dovetail very neatly with the art of "hosing" as much money as possible out of the punters pockets!

No kidding!! I think I've been to the most greedy of US arenas now. The MCI center in DC. Gorgeous facilities, catering staff not only fast and efficient but friendly and smiling(!!). They even had attendants in the bathrooms keeping the paper towels and tp stocked. It does come at a price though. $10.50 for a tiny pizza. $5.50 for a tiny burger. $7.75 for 3 tiny chicken tenders and a basket of fries. Etc, etc.

Insanity!

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001