Chris Heck - President of Business Operations

[ozzjim]

Depends how close to the SCR rules are PWS. £4m might be very important. I also wonder had you asked every single fan 6 weeks before the end of the season last year if they'd take CL qualification but it's going to cost £90 a tickets, they would have all snapped your hand off.

[eamonn]

It does seem chump change. We sell kids/reserves for more than £4m these days.

[edgysatsuma89]

It does seem chump change. We sell kids/reserves for more than £4m these days.

Exactly, sell me a kid I have barely heard of any day of the week and charge me £20 less thank you very much. Or put a sponsor on McGinn's arse.

[ChicagoLion]

This is the point, it seems like he enjoys pissing people off.These are marginal gains at the expense of a lot of goodwill.
I look forward to the day this bloke pisses off back to where he belongs.

[john e]

Depends how close to the SCR rules are PWS. £4m might be very important. I also wonder had you asked every single fan 6 weeks before the end of the season last year if they'd take CL qualification but it's going to cost £90 a tickets, they would have all snapped your hand off.

Hospitality did not sell out for the Arsenal game and whilst matches v Bayern & Juve will be popular at any price other games not so much
you have to sell this expensive stuff to make it work and we’re not doing that yet

charge what you like to get the higher turnover but if you can’t sell the new endevours it the inflated price you don’t increase anything

[ozzjim]

Agreed john, but I think his remit is to push everything to the max to allow the on the pitch element to give us the chance to compete. I doubt he cares one jot what the fans currently think, and I get the points about being alienating fans etc. He has timed it poorly in my view, but some of the comments flying about around profiteering, stealing from the fans etc are just pointless grandstanding. Heck is there to be the unpopular person that does whatever it takes to help raise revenue to have any chance of consolidating our current position. He may be going too hard at it too soon, we'll find out if the ground isn't sold out. If it is for all 4, he's done his job. Only really the Bologna game I think they might struggle with, the other 3 will sell out.

Some 4 game packages would have been a good option.

On another note, I read Atairos had increased their stake in V Sports - interesting move if true.

[frank black]

This chap hasn’t got a clue how to take the fans along on the crest of our current wave. He’s just chasing the “bottom line” and will cut costs at all costs and raise prices at every opportunity.

It’ll be interesting to see how much more fans can take, he’s betting on the team performances papering over his actions.

[Nii Lamptey]

Heck is just after a shiny 'Premier League' stamp on his CV. Once he's bled us dry, he'll jump ship (*before he's pushed) and take advantage of the next poor sap.

[john e]

Agreed john, but I think his remit is to push everything to the max to allow the on the pitch element to give us the chance to compete. I doubt he cares one jot what the fans currently think, and I get the points about being alienating fans etc. He has timed it poorly in my view, but some of the comments flying about around profiteering, stealing from the fans etc are just pointless grandstanding. Heck is there to be the unpopular person that does whatever it takes to help raise revenue to have any chance of consolidating our current position. He may be going too hard at it too soon, we'll find out if the ground isn't sold out. If it is for all 4, he's done his job. Only really the Bologna game I think they might struggle with, the other 3 will sell out.

Some 4 game packages would have been a good option.

On another note, I read Atairos had increased their stake in V Sports - interesting move if true.

It all comes back to knowing and understanding your customer base though
I don’t think he does. He thinks we’re Chelsea or Tottenham Man United Liverpool where they can sell this stuff to a queue of corporate customers and wealthy punters
We don’t have that

I keep saying this but his remit only works if it sells

[Chris Smith]

I understand why he has become the focus for fans anger but I do not believe he took this decision in isolation. It’s a club wide failing and how they react will be telling.

[Nunkin1965]

I understand why he has become the focus for fans anger but I do not believe he took this decision in isolation. It’s a club wide failing and how they react will be telling.

They should offer something but judging on recent evidence the silence will be deafening.

[caster troy]

Is this all a tactical move to tee up a new stadium announcement? 'We've tried to make Villa Park work but it's clear we will be unable to generate the revenue needed...'

If PSR is staying it does seem like the only way we can leverage the wealth of NSWE without falling foul of the rules.

[Dogtanian]

I don't think you need underhanded tricks to announce a new stadium, really. I think all the evidence you need is already plain for most people to see.

Yes, there would be a backlash from some, but that would be coming regardless.

[Gareth]

I understand why he has become the focus for fans anger but I do not believe he took this decision in isolation. It’s a club wide failing and how they react will be telling.

Operationally the buck stops with him.

Negative publicity from the Arsenal game and this decision will hopefully lead to questions from above hence every bit of ire from fans and media should be directed at him.  He should be made answerable but suspect he is only capable of the scripted ‘fluff’ pieces.

[algy]

Agreed john, but I think his remit is to push everything to the max to allow the on the pitch element to give us the chance to compete. I doubt he cares one jot what the fans currently think, and I get the points about being alienating fans etc. He has timed it poorly in my view, but some of the comments flying about around profiteering, stealing from the fans etc are just pointless grandstanding. Heck is there to be the unpopular person that does whatever it takes to help raise revenue to have any chance of consolidating our current position. He may be going too hard at it too soon, we'll find out if the ground isn't sold out. If it is for all 4, he's done his job. Only really the Bologna game I think they might struggle with, the other 3 will sell out.

Some 4 game packages would have been a good option.

On another note, I read Atairos had increased their stake in V Sports - interesting move if true.

Yeah.  In reality, the Bayern and Juventus games will almost certainly sell out, even at these eye-watering prices.  Celtic probably will, the only chance it doesn't is if it's a pointless match for us.  Bologna may not be a sell-out, but you could argue it was always the least likely to in any case.  And if 3 of the 4 matches sell out, then that alone justifies the ludicrous prices - we make an extra £1m/game, which then gets justified as the reason we don't need to sell Jacob Ramsey or whoever the following summer.

Ultimately Heck's job isn't to be our mate, it's to increase the club's revenue by a set amount.  And if he does that, he keeps his job regardless of how much we all think he's a prick.