other teams have had 82000 people come to watch them play in pre-season? That's how unloyal we are. Going to all the summer games has cost me £62, my season ticket was £392 and I have just been ripped off to tune of £28 for Chelsea away. Most people on here have done likewise. So anyone suggesting that the attendance on Saturday had anything to do with loyalty can f..k right off. So there.

-- Anonymous, August 13, 2001

Answers

Oooooh - still touchy after a p!$$-poor performance, eh Dougs? Only joshing. I agree. Even the most die-hard fans would have to think twice (or thrice) about stumping up another £20 with the prospect of (even more) European football to come. I wonder who's decision it was to price the tix at £20? And of course, we now learn from Roly that the game was televised ;-))

-- Anonymous, August 13, 2001

Did you know etc. etc.

Did you know Lee Dixons testimonials crowd was 16000, and was 70% full of kids?

Did you know that Glasgow Rangers brought 11000 fans dow to Garry Bennets testimonial, and the crowd was 20000?

-- Anonymous, August 13, 2001

Screacher it wasnt televised but a camera was present pre- the match to give some kind of link up..... maybe a video was being made or summat.....

at least i didnt watch it if it was (yuck!!)....

-- Anonymous, August 13, 2001

Thanks for putting me straight Roly. I need chastising now and again. And I'm pleased to hear you didn't watch it - I'd hate a Mackem to see how p!$$-poor it was ;-)) I guess you were recovering from your trip to Holland???

-- Anonymous, August 13, 2001

I didn't put this well, but the point I'm trying to make is that most of say we will spend so much on the footb all, then spend a bit more if there's a Cup run etc. However, an additional £20 for a benefit for a millionaire is hard to stomach. Bearing in mind how shameful the whole thing was, I wish I'd given the £20 to charity or to my sister who earns the minimum wage.

-- Anonymous, August 13, 2001

It is very hard to stomach Dougal. That's why I reckon that for the Premiership, at least, players should not be allowed a testimonial, unless there are extenuating circumstances.

It would still be nice to mark the career of a loyal player with an exhibition match. Make it a real show, proceeds to charity. Live Aid, Band Aid and Comic Relief have shown the popularity of such things. Such games would earn the players so many brownie points, I'm sure they'd clamour to take part.

-- Anonymous, August 13, 2001

Wouldn't it also be better to do these things once the player has actually retired?

-- Anonymous, August 13, 2001

.........sorry, I thought Rob Lee had ;-)

-- Anonymous, August 13, 2001

Or at least had the 10 years under their belt.

-- Anonymous, August 13, 2001

Exactly Tony. It's not even 9 years since he signed for us let alone ten. I'm afraid the whole episode was an exercise in pure greed.

-- Anonymous, August 13, 2001

It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise: Rob Lee is so famously tight with his cash that Alan Shearer is able to take the piss out of him for it.

-- Anonymous, August 13, 2001

Good lord! How tight? Have to agree with Jonno, it's very well saying ta very much and paying five or ten poond for charity but it seems tpo have had its day in 90% of occasions (don't think Beardo's was full was it?)

-- Anonymous, August 13, 2001

As a matter of interest did Lee seem happy with the turnout .. and dint the Bilbao players forget to give a penalty away so the lad could score a goal , or has even that been taken out of the equation nowadays ?

-- Anonymous, August 13, 2001

Always seemed a tad sad that the player got a free penalty. I recall thar beardo missed his and they let him take it again.

-- Anonymous, August 13, 2001

In retrospect, I think YBR has to take some responsibility for turning it into a pre-season run-out: I mean there were about 7 substitutions from half time onwards. Equally, if he refused to let Tino take part, you can assume he refused to let others take part, meaning that this just wasn't a testimonial. It was almost like watching a training session.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2001