Latest cfcuk Fanzine Article (125) from the CSG
Coming Home to Roost?
It will be interesting to see what the Club have to say about the rumoured 6000 Chelsea supporters that did not renew their season tickets for this season. Will they acknowledge that the price increases that they implemented were a step too far in these hard pressed economical times?
The fact that new season tickets were available to members with zero loyalty points and still did not sell is surely an ominous sign for the future especially when you consider that only a few short years ago members had to have 90 loyalty points to qualify for a season ticket. Any extra income that the club hoped to raise from the season ticket price increase has been quickly swallowed up by compensation payments to Carlo Ancelotti and his backroom staff and a huge compensation fee to Porto for Andre Villas Boas.
The massive 33% increase in ticket prices for the Champions League group games also looks likely to affect attendances. At the time of writing (10 days before the game) there are many tickets available in all home areas of Stamford Bridge for the Bayer Leverkusen game.
The group games will probably eventually sell out but what type of people will attend? Will it be genuine, passionate Chelsea supporters who will get behind their team or tourists to London looking to attend a Chelsea Champions League game who will sit on their hands for the duration of the match?
Following the Carling Cup draw that sees us face our neighbours Fulham, the news is that they intend to take all 6000 tickets for the Shed End. Will this be the biggest ever following that Fulham have taken to an away game in this country? Hopefully the 25% increase in ticket prices from last season will not put Chelsea supporters off and we will continue to put the small boys from down the road in their place! Remember, “We don’t hate you, you’re just s**t.”
With money obviously still aplenty at Stamford Bridge it’s good to see that, at last, the big screen above the Matthew Harding End is to be replaced. When the screen at the Shed End was replaced for the start of last season, parts from the old one were to be used to prolong the life of the one at the MH end.
Unfortunately this cost cutting measure did not work too well and for large parts of last season and all of this the screen did not work. What a shame that the club did not do this work in the summer and it will now be Christmas before a new one is installed and working. Let’s hope the price of a new screen has not gone up too much in the last couple of years!
As previously stated the CSG will continue to lobby the club to provide travelling supporters with subsidised or free train and coach travel for some domestic away games. Interestingly the club coach travel for the Stoke and Sunderland away matches are £1 cheaper than last season and the Man Utd coach is £4 cheaper. We, along with our colleagues from cfcuk, will be pushing hard for a train to be provided for the Swansea midweek away game in January as there will be no possible way travelling supporters will be able to get home on public transport. Initial discussions are under way and there could well be some good news in the near future.
One travel scheme that is under review is the lift share scheme that the club has promoted over the last few years. Although numbers are quite good for the people that have registered on the website the club feels that they could be better. For those that are interested in joining the scheme details are available on the Chelsea official web site.
The friendly match between Chelsea and Rangers supporters was held on the all weather pitch literally across the road from the Ibrox main stand and proved to be part of a very good day, which included raising a fair amount of money for the Erskine Appeal that collects money for ex service personnel.
Unfortunately the result went against our team and pressure is mounting on the teams manager who has the appalling European record of played three, lost three…..at least he’s consistent!
Cliff Auger – CSG Juvenile Rep