Are you taking the piss?

[Risso]

This will probably be my last year with a season ticket. I still like going down, but with the journey, and the traffic afterwards, it's the best part of a whole day gone, and I don't enjoy it enough to compensate for missing out on family life and other stuff I'd rather be doing.

Feels like I'm rapidly coming to the same conclusion, I was finding midweek games an absolute chore last season to be honest and the robdog pricing this time is not going to ease that feeling at all.

Yep, everything's such a bind, midweek games especially.

[dave.woodhall]

Dave - a question for you really. Over the years you seem to have had good relations with some "insiders" in the club. Have you heard from any of them about how the club is reacting to the uproar this has caused?

Great piece, as always.

I know hardly anyone there these days.

[Steve kirk]

You summed things up brilliantly Dave

[Steve kirk]

You summed things up brilliantly Dave

Apologies Alex Whybrow summed things up brilliantly.

[Dominic22]

Really good article. I have decided that it is my last year. I think I highlight the problem that I am sure the next set of owners and new chief exec will face when this lot has upped the asset value and gone and Heck has hit his performance bonus for his short-term gain and moved on also.

I have missed approx 8 domestic games home and away in the last dozen years and have 2 tickets in the holte and full away points (210) so I have put some time in for the club.  I started in Holte as a kid then when I got married and had kids moved to the family stand then as they got older moved to the Holte again. My son who's season ticket is next to me has been once last year and a couple the year before that. He is now married and really has better things to do.  My daughter uses his ticket but is at Uni this year and honestly going out with her friends is a bigger priority. The club is never getting those back now they will be tourist supporters I suspect for the odd game as a treat to their families when they have them.

I don't want to add up, but I suspect over 25% of my take-home pay goes to Villa and maybe 2 weeks of my Holiday entitlement for Away games etc as I just don't recover as quickly with late away trips so book the next day off.  I have a very understanding wife but there is a limit and I know she thinks that the money could be better spent.

I have said for 12 months that Emery had saved them from real issues as we would not have stood for it if it was not for him working miracles. Two big rises, messing with concessions and cheaper young adult zones, rubbish match day experiences, priority for GA plus etc all mixed with modern football of variable game times massive salaries, and a general disconnect.

My away day experience changed little, I get the bus from Villa park with the same people who I have for years but the home experience this year has finished me. We were moved from L3 to L2 with no real notice just an email that I did not see and i  noticed when I went to pay my renewal. I have all different people around me, nice people but not my "Villa friends" who I see every season for the duration of the season and then don't speak to until the first game again. I now see them moved to different areas and they feel the same. That connection and frankly, a big reason to renew has gone.

I will not buy Champions League tickets at the price as much out of principle as anything else.  I am sure we all have friends and relatives who once they stop going never go again and honestly don't miss it like they thought they would.  I think that will be a lot of people next year.

Imagine a Madrid, Barca etc come calling for Emery or he misses his family etc and we lost him. We could easily end up 8th or lower next year as we have all seen with the Villa cycle. They will have massive issues as they will not fill it for some Conference league for another year in my view and will be back to the days a few years ago when the ticket office would be calling us to beg to renew,

[eamonn]

This will probably be my last year with a season ticket. I still like going down, but with the journey, and the traffic afterwards, it's the best part of a whole day gone, and I don't enjoy it enough to compensate for missing out on family life and other stuff I'd rather be doing.

Feels like I'm rapidly coming to the same conclusion, I was finding midweek games an absolute chore last season to be honest and the robdog pricing this time is not going to ease that feeling at all.

Yep, everything's such a bind, midweek games especially.

And this is when we're playing well and both of you are H&V lynchpins so clearly love the team/club.

What the heck's he done?

[olaftab]

This will probably be my last year with a season ticket. I still like going down, but with the journey, and the traffic afterwards, it's the best part of a whole day gone, and I don't enjoy it enough to compensate for missing out on family life and other stuff I'd rather be doing.

Feels like I'm rapidly coming to the same conclusion, I was finding midweek games an absolute chore last season to be honest and the robdog pricing this time is not going to ease that feeling at all.

I get what you boys are saying but it's a temporary phase tied up with work and family life. I went through this about 15 years ago but now I have stopped working and "kids" have long gone I am into "watch all matches mode" anywhere when it's Villa or England cricket. 

And I admire people like you Risso who travel a fair amount just to make it to home games. (not that it's any easier from Castle Brom )

[Hookeysmith]

I often use the line from a favourite song of mine

"The problem with success is that you become what you detest"

If / when we continue to upset the establishment and win the league or even the Champions league (Don't mock as even SUE has stated these are his targets) you just wait to see all the Johnny come latelys that turn up at VP with their half and half scarves who will think nothing of a few hundred quid for a match day "experience".

To think i used the away day trains every other weekend and queue up at Mold Trafford to pay £1.50 to get in with my working wages of £26.50 per week. Everything in them days were proportinonate today it is almost the opposite on everything not just football.

I hope the media backlash has prompted a rethink

[tomd2103]

This will probably be my last year with a season ticket. I still like going down, but with the journey, and the traffic afterwards, it's the best part of a whole day gone, and I don't enjoy it enough to compensate for missing out on family life and other stuff I'd rather be doing.

Feels like I'm rapidly coming to the same conclusion, I was finding midweek games an absolute chore last season to be honest and the robdog pricing this time is not going to ease that feeling at all.

Yep, everything's such a bind, midweek games especially.

And this is when we're playing well and both of you are H&V lynchpins so clearly love the team/club.

What the heck's he done?

I don't think it's Heck in particular, I think it's the way football has gone.  It's hard to love something you feel increasingly detached from and despise much of what now surrounds it. 

[The Edge]

Unfortunately I don't see the owners getting involved as others have said Heck's a useful lightning rod. Given that the statement about the off field shit show (literally) for the Arsenal match didn’t actually contain an apology we ain't about to get an olive branch offered from Heck. I know he's been given a mandate to raise revenue but the guy is an absolute wrecking ball when it comes to relations between the club and fans. He's rode roughshod over the ordinary fans and he seems to be aloof and arrogant. As far as I'm concerned he can fuck off and keep on going as far away from my club as possible. Bring in someone with the same remit but someone who understands what it's like to follow a football club in this country for your whole life following in the footsteps of your forefathers. Heck is a hard nosed American capitalist who's more than happy to trample all over the little guy. The type of wanker I've spent my whole life despising.

[wozwebs]

If you refresh the Bayern page Under 18 changes to Under 14 - https://www.avfc.co.uk/news/2024/september/05/Bayern-munich-ticket-details/

Hoping it is a glitch as initial info said U18 were £20. If it has changed to Under 14 that means my 15 year old would need to pay £73.50 a game in which case they can GTF

[Accent Guy]

  Very good article which I read in the voice of Henry Hill. “Business bad? Fuck you, pay me. Oh, you had a fire? Fuck you, pay me. Place got hit by lightning huh? Fuck you, pay me.”

Fuck Heck!

I misread this at first and was trying to read it in the voice of HARRY Hill. Didn't quite have the same impact.

[RamboandBruno]

A really good article that I really wish didnt have to be written.

I think the Bologna game may actually end up being an unorganised protest. I just dint imagine enough people paying that much for that particular natch.

[darren woolley]

Spot on Alex.

[Accent Guy]

A really good article that I really wish didnt have to be written.

I think the Bologna game may actually end up being an unorganised protest. I just dint imagine enough people paying that much for that particular natch.

I think every game will be a sell out. Including Bologna. Apparently so do the club.