Everton FC E-mails 168

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Why Can't We Score Goals?

Having watched our start to the season knowing full well we needed a goal scorer. I'm still scratching my head and wondering yet again why we were linked to mr owen as last year to mr smith to find that we never bought a striker, Davie has had the cash and like all Evertomians sat there up until midnight on deadline day to see no striker turn up. I'm watching the game in Bucharest and I am pig sick as a lot of us are. We CANNOT SCORE GOALS. Can Davie tell us why? Frustrated. EFC fan Wakefield. (16/09/05)

Message From David Moyes

Dear Evertonian,

This is my first Newsletter direct to you, a registered user of our club website. Our focus this week is Thursday's UEFA Cup game in Romania against Dinamo Bucharest. It is a game we are looking forward to but also one we know will not be easy. I made the long trip to see Bucharest play on Sunday night in a league match. They won the game 6-0 and showed they are a good side, so we are going to have to go there and defend very well. Bucharest are a very good side at home but they don't travel so well so we have to make sure we come away with a good result to give us a chance in the second leg. With that in mind, it is important we try and score a goal and that we give ourselves a chance when we come back to Goodison. We will work with the players over the coming days to achieve that and hopefully prepare the side correctly to get a good result.

We had a great following for our last European game in Villarreal and I know we have plenty of fans making the long trip to Romania. The level of support we had at Villarreal was obviously a great help for myself and the players. But, more importantly, it showed exactly how important it was for the supporters. We realised what it meant to them because so many had put themselves out to be there and we are aware of how much it costs to follow a team into Europe. On the night in Villarreal the fans and players together did everything possible to get the tie back. This game is slightly different because it is the first leg and we need to go there and come away with a positive result. The Stadium in Bucharest is nothing what would expect here in England. It is a small stadium that is very open with a running track around the pitch that means the stand is quite far from the pitch. It is not the best viewing point for a game and I suspect the atmosphere will be fairly hostile. There wasn't a big crowd at the game I was at but against us they are expecting it to be sold out on Thursday. We appreciate any supporters who will be making the trip to Bucharest and they will be heard, I have no doubt about that, as they were in Villarreal. It will be a full house, with tickets selling at just £3.50 each. And I hope it will also prove a memorable night. Thank you once again for your outstanding support, David Moyes. (15/09/05)

Simon Davies

I was on here moaning when his name was mooted as a transfer possibility and I am back again now. S. Davies is
another mediocre midfield player, he is no sense of the word a winger. A winger has speed, trickery and can beat people on the outside. This fella disappears during matches and at over 3 million quid he is overvalued. I was really hoping for a signing with real pace that could frighten defence's. Simon says that Davies is not that man. Mike Weir. (15/09/05)

Portsmouth Game

What, how, who, did I just wake up from a very long dream and we are still shite? Please someone help me. We were so poor, my words fail me! More beer needed? maximus Wirral. (14/09/05)

TICKETING YET AGAIN !

For years now this subject of selling in the main cup tickets has riled and exasperated many Blues. We all remember the Orient, Boro, Preston, Man Utd cup and derby ticketing /entrance problems. I warn you it's fairly long but so has our ticketing frustrations been as well. Below is our latest experiences and recommendations for positive change.

Well ticketing has got worse this season with our first venture into Europe for years. The home tie ( Villarreal ), selling arrangements I won’t go much into that. It was well documented and a big insult especially too season ticket holders and heads should have rolled on this debacle.
Villarreal home tickets could have been printed weeks before ,sold to season ticket holders in an orderly fashion with a ticket on it a date and opponent to be announced later on. Not hours of queuing by panic stricken fans being allowed six tickets at a time ( given to anyone )with no preference to season ticket holder’s who weeks before paid out a substantial chunk of their yearly income

Let’s analyse the away part of our European Champions league qualifier. We had a whole summer to sort out ticketing polices ,we should have asked European veteran clubs for guidance. For a week Everton held back the away tickets for this game to discuss how to sell them why?
A week later on means that travel deals get more expensive, it drove thousands to get their own tickets in the home end at great cost but delight to enterprising ticket seller’s. There could have been trouble with the locals but thankfully there was not. Did Everton ask for more tickets than the paltry 1600 at a stadium not filled on the night by the locals? And it was never going to be filled I was told by Villarreal fans because of the price hike in a town of just 40,000 and a ground holding 21,000. After no faith in our ticketing and waiting many of the hardcore fans got tickets in Spain.

The club then came unstuck and from going to twenty vouchers or a lounge member( later on) and none for Shareholders they went on general sale all because we don’t have a fairer implemented ticketing scheme in place. Again ill feeling came towards our club.
Why is there not a system in place were a scale of away tickets are sold on a rigid bases after years of experience and arguments. The club card /loyalty system is used by many of the big clubs and it needs to be brought in as soon as possible, just a swipe of a card is all it takes or a phone call no long queues. All the information is at hand and a gold mine for a customer base to boot. Some of the money on the ill feeling corporate lounges spent should have been on this much maligned service.

But until modern technology at that level in this department comes to Goodison lets implement the following : For example if we get 1500 tickets, the lowest offered by most club unless improvement works on stadiums in the past, Then at least 950 go to the voucher system for the loyal fan, 300 to supporters clubs (scaled down to averages), the rest sold to lounge members and shareholders with at least 4 away stubs on a first come first served basis. With 3000 tickets (the norm at most Premier grounds) 1800 to the voucher system, supporters clubs 500 the rest to lounge members and Shareholders with at least two away stubs.
NB The voucher system is a system were away stubs of tickets for previous games are kept glued to a sheet and used for away ticket buying at the box office .If you have 20 away tickets stubs on this card you normally get first chance to buy a ticket for a forthcoming away game .As the days go by on selling these away tickets so does the amount of stubs required.

But you see the above is only for the really big games, football fans on Merseyside are finding it very expensive to follow their team away now.
We never filled our first away game at Bolton very close geographically and the first time this has happened in my experience of following Everton for years. I was told by a lad it will be cheaper to see Real Madrid or Barcelona with a nights stay than to watch Chelsea away this season, with early booking low cost air travel. So you could go and see Tommy Grav rather than pay the extortionate Chelsea fare .I believe many are already talking about boycotting this game.

Why do I come down so greatly on the travelling fan with the voucher system? Two reasons .One is that many of these fans live week to week and support the team everywhere they can no matter what the teams form ,the other reason is that if you never followed Everton away you would have enough money saved to buy into one of the lower cost lounges and be guaranteed a ticket for anywhere. But would we want no support away from home ? Two years ago a document about ticketing by a working party from the Shareholders Association with recommendations was given in. Again six weeks went by for a reply and no positives taken out of it.

Communication as to why there are delays in announcement of sales of tickets with Villarreal and Dinamo .Was it UEFA being involved with ground concerns etc. Just inform us, most of us are adults. Time with travel booking is precious to an low income fan ,please take note a week before games selling tickets is not finance friendly to any fan. No news is not good news to a eagerly awaiting fan wanting to book travel to support our team. Time delays can push fans into getting tickets themselves in home ends.

The club must remember that most fans are not on the internet still and had to rely on the beat of the drums lately with short notice European sales. Information on the local radio and paper ( see below ) as soon as possible. Refusal to address the inadequacies of selling tickets with an outdated system that hurts its own front line staff and greatly inconvenience the fans.

Why no ticket office with an on line computer in town still after years of asking ? Customers like to shop at convenience and town may be more acceptable to many fans rather than Walton. Many tickets may be sold on a whim for Johnny’s birthday instead of a gift voucher etc for low grade home games.

Why not use the Echo back inside page (free of charge I believe),for ticket announcements on a regular basis for league and cup games ? As the reds do . Why was the selling of Dinamo away tickets not allowed last Saturday when it would have been more convenient to out of town fans, especially with the short notice of sale.? Postal applications with season tickets passports etc are a bit extreme don’t you think ?
Why are we going to a hotel in Bucharest to pick up the real match ticket as we only have a voucher up to now .I’m sure there is a valid reason but just inform us please . There was a handy print out for the Bucharest trip on tips when there by the box office ,which is quite good but lost to many as the ill feeling pent up trying to secure the away ticket on hard line technicalities . Why was the ticket voucher stopped at 12’0clock on Tuesday when there are tickets left ,surely last thing Wednesday would have done as these vouchers must be going over with staff to meet fans in a hotel in Bucharest . A list complied would just be added too . Hopefully if we get through this tie this list can be used in a positive way for future games to save time .

This is a letter I sent to Bill Kenwright ( Chairman ), Keith Wyness ( CEO), David Harrison ( secretary) and Maxine Brown ( box office manageress) early Monday morning after days of frustration and hardship uncalled for by our fans.

Dear All,

On behalf of our group of supporters, can you afford me a valid explanation, and reason, as to why our group-booking list, with the same criteria as others, was not acceptable for the Bucharest game?

The Croxteth Blues, Mark Denny's party and other groups did exactly as our group did, without unnecessary hassle. It’s particularly maddening that these groups are using the same holding travel company!

It has caused a lot of grievance, hardship and confrontation for our
supporters at the box office when there was clearly no need.

Late on Tuesday night I was informed that tickets for the Bucharest game went on sale the following morning. I rang the travel firm and they emailed me the necessary criteria for bookings. The next morning I then gave some supporters individual booking slips - those who I knew were arriving early to queue and a concise list for others going later in the week with the asked for criteria.

This was as much as anyone could do at short notice for a large party.

It's only a month into the season and yet again there is chaos and ill
feeling over ticketing - when will this stop? Our fans don't need the
frustration and I'm sure the staff at the windows of the box office doesn’t need these confrontations.

I have genuine sympathy for those at the coalface directly dealing with the fans at the box office.

We should be treated as valued customers; attendances are on the decline at 80% of Premier league grounds, more reason then that our customers be treated with the respect they deserve.

We are not Manchester United, where a disgruntled fan shuffles off only to be replaced by another.

You are driving good loyal fans away and that is a crime to present and future generations of supporters.

The bad atmosphere towards the club is mushrooming as more and more fans become disgruntled. I can't believe you want it this way.

Communication is poor, particularly in reference to ticketing, giving little or no information as to why delays in ticket sales etc.
You honestly make a rod for your own back.

I am in constant touch with most supporters' groups and they are of the same ilk, losing patience with the club.

It saddens me that this has become a continuing criticism of the club – year in year out - with ticketing and there is no need at all in this present age.
We can only come to the conclusion that this facet of the club does not
care, or will not learn and is, to put it mildly, not up to the job.

Yours sincerely,
Ian Macdonald Independent Blues

PS Emma - can you make sure Bill gets this message as I would not like him to walk into a hornet's nest, not knowing why our fans are feeling so frustrated. It's not directly his fault.

As yet no reply from the club, hands up who is surprised by that? Only Bill’s secretary rang to ask what it was about and yet again he is unaware of a problem at Goodison.

With the above letter I suppose more pettiness will come my way but I’m only saying what most fans think about ticket selling arrangements amongst other negatives. I am the messenger or soft one taking the flack . It has to stop as soon as possible .And by publishing our experiences and recommendations this problem may be resolved at last . For every good story emanating from Goodison there are at least eight bad ones.
I don’t care what they do against me anymore with the stopping of me talking with the local media etc. Believe me Pravda is alive and well at Goodison .

What I do care about and many others are of the same ilk is the ever growing refusal to listen and learn. Queuing for hours at a time only to be turned away on hard line bizarre rules is no fun for any customer . When you go to an airport with a block booking for your family would the staff at the check in turn you away because you never had individual bookings ? Would they hell, they try and treat you as a family and more importantly a customer .Fourteen times I had to go home from work and send individual confirmations on travel when common sense should have prevailed and the compiled list provided at very short notice. adhered too I heard of fans arguing in the rain last Thursday after seeing their name on a list and being turned away .

The criteria asked for European travel is your passport ,season ticket and letter of confirmation of travel and accommodation which is fair enough for security but as one fan said “it’s easier to get a mortgage than an away European ticket “ Liverpool don’t have any of this fuss.
True the reds have more years of experience than us but why was there not a European travel club card set up in the summer ? We knew we would have at least two games in Europe unless unfairly displaced by the reds with the four teams from our country argument .
It really is the crystal maze at times .One fans dad paid for four season tickets and because they were all in his name not acceptable for the rest of his family ,after arguing it was relented ! The police had to intervene on several occasions .How sad is this getting with ticket sales .

Surely it’s better for Everton that we travel in organised parties or are they trying to channel us into their more expensive official travel?
An Everton fan working for Fords asked me “Would Ford treat a customer like this ? If they did the customer would buy another make and soon we would all be out of jobs ”. But there’s the rub where do we go after years of lack of customer care ? Is a sad case of emotional blackmail until common sense which is very little when it comes to a football fan and its love for a club kicks in and you walk away .Insulting your intelligence once to often can make a fan leave their second home .And once the fan finds something on a match day to do instead its hard to get him/her back .Remember the cost of going to a match these days compares with a short flight or stay somewhere else as pointed out previously .

Why do Everton want yet more confrontation, do they care about their own staff at the front never mind the fans? The box office girls and boys must be at their wits end and asking themselves is it worth the hassle at times. You draw your own conclusion and let’s hope this article does not fall on deaf ears and be taken in for the constructive view intended .Some the above may seem hard but its been hard on loyal away followers for a long time now .An ever increasing amount of fans are fed up of the atmosphere towards our club off the field ,it really needn’t be like this .Lets stop it now ,and then and only then will we be considered ‘The People’s club’. There is a sting in the tail of the dynamo tickets ,hopefully I’m wrong we’ll see . Keith are you listening mate it’s not to late to make things better . It takes a big man to admit things have been wrong .

Ian Macdonald. (13/09/05)
PS Please don’t bother with another nasty letter from your communications guy. Just get this sorted please! After dealing with Everton yet again I must go and book a rest!

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