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27.07.2009 Before anyone criticises
me as a fairweather fan, let's get some credentials on the table.
I'm 44 this year and have been watching
Spurs since I was eight. I've stood in the East Stand Shelf and seen
all of the games, finals, second division, fantastic players and those
that you don't want to even remember.
I've been to away games - the most recent being in the Stretford end at
Man U (never a penalty !) last season.
Those who know me, know I am Tottenham mad. My twin boys at age
three wore identical Spurs kits.
However, I have given up my season
ticket. I have cancelled my Sky subscription and I never even
considered getting a Setanta subscription (thank God).
Why ?
Because I have become disillusioned with
football as a whole. Not necessarily with Spurs - but just football
generally.
Why ?
Well consider this.
My season ticket was over £800 for the
year. In order to see the European games I had to shell out for Gold
membership, for which I reckon in the last three seasons I have had to
pay at least another £250 per year. I have to pay my travel to and
from Chelmsford. Plus the parking fee to park in the car park since
Haringey decided to make it impossible to park anywhere on the road on a
match day. I have to pay for my programme, which is really
re-constituted out of date news I can get for free on the internet. Add
a pie and a pint on match day. Add another £400 a year for Sky Sport
subscription. Add a new shirt every year around the £30 mark on
average.
Add it all up, and for me, as what I
would call a typical fan, I was splashing out about £2000 a year on my
favourite pastime. Thank God I never bought an Opus. For this
privilege, I get an uncomfortable seat with a restricted view (thanks
again to Haringey council for not allowing the East Stand to be
pillar-less), to park my car in a place I don't want to take my wife and
kids, hoping it will still be in one piece when I get back. That is of
course not forgetting the hour it takes to get away from the ground
because of the stupid road system that means everything ends up on the
High Street or North Circular. Surely soak-away traffic is better than
down two pipes for getting it all away ? As for the toilet facilities,
just ask yourself the question if you spent £55 on a ticket to the West
End to see a show, would you stand for that sort of toilet?
Now look at the players. Players like Bellamy on £70K a week. Jermaine
Jenas and Robbie Keane as captain of Spurs. Captain. Can you really
compare them to Dave Mackay, Mike England, Steve Perryman, Gary Mabbutt
? Really ? Do you really think in years to come when my kids ask
me of the great Spurs captains I will even remember they WERE captain ?
Now look at the number of people you know being made redundant,
losing their jobs, struggling to pay the mortgage. It just doesn't add
up.
We are being exploited.
You think maybe I am over-reacting ?
Well after giving up my season ticket
after all these years, I was duped into buying a ticket for the Wembley
Cup game against Barcelona. Three weeks earlier, I was coerced into
going to a Take That concert at the very same stadium.
It cost me £45 for my Take That ticket - and whilst I don't profess
to be a fan - I had a great time, saw the support band and a
fantastic show extravaganza.
Compare that with the expectation against seeing my beloved Spurs v The
European Champions - and probably the best team in the world right now.
Surely I could make an exception for this
?
Yes I did. £65 for the ticket (including
booking fee), parking fees on top at Wembley (£25) and by the time you
throw in petrol around £100 - but surely it's worth it to see such a
great team ?
Let's be honest, we'll never play them in the Champions league.
What happened ?
They sent their B team, and for the
second half their C team. Compare and contrast this with the Take
That concert - imagine spending £65 on a ticket to see them, and they
send either just the support band or a tribute band. You'd ask for your
money back wouldn't you ?
Lads - we are being ripped off. I
actually can afford to spend all this money, but I object to being
ripped off. I object to the falseness of it all. If they had said
'Barcelona will not put out a full team' then maybe I wouldn't have
gone. Maybe I should have been streetwise enough to know that is what
would happen, but what other event that you would spend this kind of
money on, would you have to be 'streetwise enough' to ensure you don't
get ripped off. Now have a think about where Chelsea, Man City,
QPR, Arsenal, Man U etc. will all be when the Ogliarchs, Sheiks and
bankrupted businessmen have got bored. The clubs will make Southampton
look like a well-run club.
I hate to say it, but I have lost my love for football.
Not the game itself. Not wanting Spurs to win, but the whole
circus act has got too expensive for too little product. I have
friends who pay LESS, yes LESS for a season ticket at Man U or the lot
up the road. Now even though I wouldn't pay a penny to watch either,
you have to ask, Champions League football, some of the best players in
the world (apart from Berbs - Man U haven't attempted to steal anyone
else - and apart from Teddy can you remember a single player signing
from Man U to Spurs?) and you have to ask whether we get value for
money.
The Setanta/England thing has meant most people don't give a stuff about
England any more - because they can't see it on terrestrial and the
cost of going to the game or Setanta just means they would rather not.
I always have, and always will love Spurs, but I have come to the
same conclusion.
ray h |
