If we judged Wolves divisional status by the efficiency of the Wolves ticket office, we’d be playing Luton Town next season, never mind, potentially, Man United.
Once again in a huge public relations disaster, over the poor handling of the sale of tickets to the general public, if not to season ticket holders, begs the question as to whether the club listens to the fans feedback.
Firstly, some season ticket holders have been stating that the tickets they ordered were far removed from what eventually arrived on their doormats. Ok, they’ve got a ticket even if the view isn’t as good as the purchaser was hoping for.
However, if you weren’t a season ticket holder, a club member, or a good friend when the extra ticket offered when four were bought at the same time was purchased, the odds were stacked against you.
No announcements were made as to what was happening with the sale of the ‘remaining’ tickets, which caused confusion. This was drawn out and eventually fans being camped outside the stadium seemed to force the club’s hand.
Add to this that Wolves fan base extends far beyond the immediate City limits and most people have to work for a living and your chances were reduced to nil.
Die-hard fans would have taken time off work to queue. It seemed to be going well until the inevitable queue jumping occurred and pandemonium set in.
The club’s response was, very bizarrely, to offer vouchers. Fare enough, but with a reported 5,000 in the queue only half of those people got vouchers as they had a 2 tickets for 1 voucher scheme.
Now we see incredibly inflated tickets on offer on the Internet and the Express and Star and it really annoys everyone.
Just because I’ve been lucky enough to get a ticket, as a season ticket holder, doesn’t mean I feel like stating, “I’m alright Jack”.
As a fellow distance traveler from Manchester to home games, if I hadn’t bought a season ticket this season, I too would be watching the game on Sky TV.
It was only when I heard the permanently engaged tone of the ticket office before the Walsall game that I thought ‘No more’ and splashed the £260 out there and then for a seat in the Stan Cullis.
It’s a shambles. Jez Moxey hasn’t really answered the criticism carried in the Express and Star and we’d all like to see the breakdown of the 4,000 tickets that have gone the way of ‘corporate stakeholders and sponsors’.
The club could see a backlash from this as ‘true’ fans have long memories.
It has soured the occasion for many already. If we could be guaranteed that they’d learn the lessons from this and change things for the future people will be prepared to forgive. However, for the last two seasons we’ve seen the same poor management of the ticket distribution and processing so it seems nothing’s been taken from experience so far.
Let’s just hope the football players display more professionalism on the pitch on Monday. Then the club has 3 months to sort its administration.
E-mail me with any comments/feedback to: dave@wolves-mad.co.uk