Christian Purslow - Resigned

[N'ZMAV]

It strikes me from these comments that some of the areas he is being criticised are outside his responsibility. Hopefully the new guy from Barca will take the front foot on all future managerial appointments and Lange should have dictated how the Joe money was spent.

That said, we appear to be missing an individual in charge of the supporters’ needs; so everything from creating new ones, community engagement and what happens on match days.

This is the problem. Purslow is good at networking, he might be good at the commercial side in the long term but everything about him to date indicates that he sees supporters customers as a necessary evil to be taken for every possible penny.

[Monty]

He does look juuuust a bit too much like Gavin Williamson...

[ChicagoLion]

It seems like he keeps coming back to the Well because he isn’t generating anything like he should be from other commercial activity.
Alienating the fan base in the process is a very slippery slope to go down.

Alienating the fan base? There's a 30,000 waiting list and we sell out every game.

They are not mutually exclusive and I think you know that.

[Ads]

It seems like he keeps coming back to the Well because he isn’t generating anything like he should be from other commercial activity.
Alienating the fan base in the process is a very slippery slope to go down.

Alienating the fan base? There's a 30,000 waiting list and we sell out every game.

They are not mutually exclusive and I think you know that.

We're the most consistently we'll supported we've ever been. The fan base has never been more engaged.

[edgysatsuma89]

I'm more than happy to admit my dislike for him is immature and childish and should therefore hold no weight. I can't stand Alan Titchmarsh and that's literally because of his smile. The gurning prick 

Similar here. He (Purslow, I harbour no ill will towards Titchmarsh) reminds me of an oleaginous mid-ranking Tory cabinet minister, which is just too much for me tolerate.

Yeah I agree, I definitely get those vibes. Also as Monty points out, he has a bit of the 'Gavin Williamson' about him which automatically puts you on the 'smarmy dickhead' footing.

[Drummond]

It seems like he keeps coming back to the Well because he isn’t generating anything like he should be from other commercial activity.
Alienating the fan base in the process is a very slippery slope to go down.

Alienating the fan base? There's a 30,000 waiting list and we sell out every game.

They are not mutually exclusive and I think you know that.

We're the most consistently we'll supported we've ever been. The fan base has never been more engaged.

To be fair to Chicago there are some in the fan base that are being alienated; Chicago and Flin5tone, for starters.

[ChicagoLion]

It seems like he keeps coming back to the Well because he isn’t generating anything like he should be from other commercial activity.
Alienating the fan base in the process is a very slippery slope to go down.

Alienating the fan base? There's a 30,000 waiting list and we sell out every game.

They are not mutually exclusive and I think you know that.

We're the most consistently we'll supported we've ever been. The fan base has never been more engaged.

To be fair to Chicago there are some in the fan base that are being alienated; Chicago and Flin5tone, for starters.

It’s an outrage.

[Clampy]

I dont mind Purslow too much personally but I get why some fans are not keen. The season ticket hikes for a start were too much and also whilst I didn't hate the idea of that Terrace View, the charge to use it is outrageous. It also goes without saying the Joe money could have been better spent but getting £120m for him and Chucky was good business. At least we have a CEO who seems to know what he's doing I suppose. Who the last one, Steve Stride?

[Percy McCarthy]

I dont mind Purslow too much personally but I get why some fans are not keen. The season ticket hikes for a start were too much and also whilst I didn't hate the idea of that Terrace View, the charge to use it is outrageous. It also goes without saying the Joe money could have been better spent but getting £120m for him and Chucky was good business. At least we have a CEO who seems to know what he's doing I suppose. Who the last one, Steve Stride?

Yes, after years of players leaving for nothing at the end of their contracts, getting consequential money for some we actually we wanted rid of is a welcome development (Targett, Ings). It’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if a few leave this summer, even though I’d be slightly disappointed if our Cam is one of them.

[Monty]

I dont mind Purslow too much personally but I get why some fans are not keen. The season ticket hikes for a start were too much and also whilst I didn't hate the idea of that Terrace View, the charge to use it is outrageous. It also goes without saying the Joe money could have been better spent but getting £120m for him and Chucky was good business. At least we have a CEO who seems to know what he's doing I suppose. Who the last one, Steve Stride?

Yes, after years of players leaving for nothing at the end of their contracts, getting consequential money for some we actually we wanted rid of is a welcome development (Targett, Ings). It’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if a few leave this summer, even though I’d be slightly disappointed if our Cam is one of them.

I'd be flabbergasted if Cam was one of them!

[Chico Hamilton III]

To put it into context - I'll be paying £69 to watch Spurs vs Palace at the weekend from high up in the single tier home stand, a view that's nowhere near as good as the upper Holte.  I imagine these are not far off the cheapest tickets in the ground.

I reckon you’ll be sitting amongst a totally different type of supporter than you would if you sat in the upper Holte. The gentrification of Spurs since they moved grounds is shocking. And if this season’s atmosphere at Chelsea is an example of what happens when fans have been priced out then I’m very worried about the future for Villa Park.

[Nev]

I've renewed for next season but I know the clock is ticking. Once we lose the Holte, and Terrace View is the thin end of the wedge, then I can see me relinquishing my ST. I got fed up in the Witton Lane where any expression of passion, rage, vocal opinion or loud support was almost frowned upon. And this was 15 odd years ago.

I was relived to see that little had changed in the Holte when I returned last season but it won't be long until the level of support will in some way upset or offend those who have paid a small fortune to take their clients out for the day.

The game is moving on and will eventually leave me behind.

[john e]

I don’t think we have much to worry about with the tourist supporter
I honestly don’t, Birmingham isn’t London and we aren’t and probably never will be a globally supported club hopefully

I reckon 99% of our support on match day will be from a 50 mile radius of the ground or people who have once lived in the area and left

Probably very similar to Everton, Leeds, Newcastle, Sunderland, the Sheffield clubs, even Man City the reason they don’t get sell outs all the time is because they’re still basically supported by people from Manchester
They’ve been winning the league for a few seasons now and there’s still no new City fans around where I live (175M away) but still half the town is liv/mu

The London clubs will always be more open to travelling tourist and then you’ve always got the global franchises in the north west which will always be on a different scale

we are the biggest club in the Midlands and always have been in my lifetime
Hopefully that is where our Support and any new Support will come from

[paul_e]

I've renewed for next season but I know the clock is ticking. Once we lose the Holte, and Terrace View is the thin end of the wedge, then I can see me relinquishing my ST. I got fed up in the Witton Lane where any expression of passion, rage, vocal opinion or loud support was almost frowned upon. And this was 15 odd years ago.

I was relived to see that little had changed in the Holte when I returned last season but it won't be long until the level of support will in some way upset or offend those who have paid a small fortune to take their clients out for the day.

The game is moving on and will eventually leave me behind.

I don't think that's what they want for the Holte at all. The sort of people you're describing are exactly who they're targeting with the North stand and Trinity redevelopment.

[Villan82]

The last few pages are an interesting read which really got me thinking. A lot of us identify as working class because that is our background, certainly for me. I wonder how many of us are still working class in reality? Things change - social mobility innit. I wonder to what extent changes in the game reflect changes within society rather than reflecting a game trying to bypass its traditional bedrock.

Just a thought.