Can’t help re car parks in Hillbottom Road I’m afraid, @Homerblue but the club say the stadium team have been out clearing snow and gritting paths around the stadium itself.
Cannot believe the report in the East Anglian Daily Times suggesting that the pitch should be ok because the temperature is expected to reach +4 before kickoff (doubt whether it will) without any reference to the two/three days of extremely expensive undersoil heating. Good job we’re expecting nearly three thousand Ipswich fans, one at least of whom will be paying handsomely for the privilege of Woodlands hospitality.
One negative aspect. Frozen pipes in the Frank Adams stand are expected to affect kiosks and some toilets. Portaloos are being installed behind the Valley Terrace.
Enjoy the match and hospitality. The Woodlands Lounge is splendid (or so they tell me). I don’t get to games these days but the Woodlands Lounge was my pre-match location before it was dramatically upgraded and became unaffordable.
For better or worse that’s football finances @micra. We have to ‘sweat the assets’. What was unaffordable was letting one of the clubs prime facilities be a loss making tea and biscuit drop in centre when it needed to be a real money maker. Which the Woodlands Lounge now is. It stretches the fan offering up to an executive level, not for everyone sure, but occupancy levels suggest it meets a demand and makes money. It is the one match day offering that is to Championship standards and yes, I get it, Championship pricing. The Sky team that did the pre match from there a couple of weeks back were very complimentary, as indeed were ‘The Padded Seat’ (an incredibly popular social media site) when they visited. @FriendlyTractor is going to have a top ‘match day experience’ (Chairman’s words not mine), and as his moniker suggests it is nice to provide a facility where home and away fans can mix in festive harmony and cheer.
Spaces still available for the Boxing Day visit of the horse punchers I understand.
I understand the club have issued an email asking fans using the executive boxes and the Woodland lounge to not wear replica shirts in fear of annoying visiting fans. What the f…k is going on at our club? Not only asking fans to give up seats but now you can’t wear your colours. Are they going to ask us not to cheer and shout when we score! Total disgrace Couhigs.
I totally agree @perfidious_albion that the decision to convert the Woodland Lounge into a de luxe hospitality suite made absolute sense from a business point of view. I almost always ate before I left home and was one of those people who enjoyed a pint (occasionally having my arm twisted for an additional half pint !) but little else. Spoilt rotten I was, although the club did charge a modest subscription of about £150 a season for the privilege. Several others on ‘my’ table spent little or nothing so the writing was on the wall.
I knew it couldn’t last but failing health and the much more basic alternative room we were offered, looking out at the car park rather than rolling hills and farmland, combined to persuade me to call it a day.
Why is the club so desperate for this game to played? Loo's out of order, reduced kiosk service, huge cost of the undersoil heating... would they really lose any revenue if it was played midweek in February or March? It'd still be a big crowd (2.5k from Suffolk) and it's not as if the last Saturday before Xmas is a good time for a game.
If they implement a hard 'no outside food or drink' rule, a lot of people will vote with their feet. I'm sure they know this (although I'm sure they also don't give a toss).
In fairness to the club if there is a problem with pipes / water then can you imagine the backlash if people have no access to hot drinks on a day like today.
I understand the club had a burst pipe earlier this week in the main building, so could easily have one in a kiosk where water had been run for a few weeks.
Sometimes it feels like people are determined to get themselves wound up and have a pop at the club. The policy here goes something like this:
1) Club don't really want fans to bring their own food and drink into the ground (not good business sense if they do)
2) Club don't set this as a hard and fast rule though and don't ever enforce it (as they don't want to piss everyone off)
3) On freezing cold days like today, and when things are broken, it's prudent to warn people that they may want to bring warm drinks. So they try and word it in a way that doesn't undermine 1) long term.
Some times you have to give them a break I think. They're a lot more relaxed on this stuff then many other entertainment venues!
100% , reminds me of the VPN thing when people were pushing the club to confirm if it would work. Of course they can't announce it and asking them to do so can only bring a ban from the league or providers.
Whilst the club have seemed to be a bit more stand offish and chasing £ (rightly or wrongly) it's not fair to say that the staff don't care if nobody turns up as on another thread.
Criticise individual decisions by all means but it's a bit weird when some people talk of not being engaged any more by anything the club does then they go on to be outraged by every tweet that is released.
These club statements will be partly (possibly in the main), due to the need to reinforce the ground safety planning and management. It's important that no issues should emerge to lay blame with the club, if there are some problems that require follow up review from the EFL.
Good on the club who have engaged with the local community behind the scenes, lots of local youth football teams will have kids doing pre match and other clubs doing half time guard of honours over the next few games.
It’s probably added best part of 200 paying adults / children / grandparents to the attendance alongside fantastic memories for all involved.
Lets give these kids a loud cheer and clap when they do their walks around the pitch, it’ll make them feel a million dollars.
Comments
Enjoy the game @FriendlyTractor, you'll have a cracking view from my season ticket seat.
Yes heating is on and players training on it this week
I'm doing it in style (Woodlands)!
On the subject of Saturday. Could any Wycombe locals please give me a heads up on the state of the roads around the ground?
Is there any laying snow/ice that is likely to impact parking?
Thanks.
Can’t help re car parks in Hillbottom Road I’m afraid, @Homerblue but the club say the stadium team have been out clearing snow and gritting paths around the stadium itself.
Cannot believe the report in the East Anglian Daily Times suggesting that the pitch should be ok because the temperature is expected to reach +4 before kickoff (doubt whether it will) without any reference to the two/three days of extremely expensive undersoil heating. Good job we’re expecting nearly three thousand Ipswich fans, one at least of whom will be paying handsomely for the privilege of Woodlands hospitality.
One negative aspect. Frozen pipes in the Frank Adams stand are expected to affect kiosks and some toilets. Portaloos are being installed behind the Valley Terrace.
He's not the best of journalists.
We’re familiar with the syndrome, @FriendlyTractor !
Enjoy the match and hospitality. The Woodlands Lounge is splendid (or so they tell me). I don’t get to games these days but the Woodlands Lounge was my pre-match location before it was dramatically upgraded and became unaffordable.
For better or worse that’s football finances @micra. We have to ‘sweat the assets’. What was unaffordable was letting one of the clubs prime facilities be a loss making tea and biscuit drop in centre when it needed to be a real money maker. Which the Woodlands Lounge now is. It stretches the fan offering up to an executive level, not for everyone sure, but occupancy levels suggest it meets a demand and makes money. It is the one match day offering that is to Championship standards and yes, I get it, Championship pricing. The Sky team that did the pre match from there a couple of weeks back were very complimentary, as indeed were ‘The Padded Seat’ (an incredibly popular social media site) when they visited. @FriendlyTractor is going to have a top ‘match day experience’ (Chairman’s words not mine), and as his moniker suggests it is nice to provide a facility where home and away fans can mix in festive harmony and cheer.
Spaces still available for the Boxing Day visit of the horse punchers I understand.
You and me both @drcongo .
I understand the club have issued an email asking fans using the executive boxes and the Woodland lounge to not wear replica shirts in fear of annoying visiting fans. What the f…k is going on at our club? Not only asking fans to give up seats but now you can’t wear your colours. Are they going to ask us not to cheer and shout when we score! Total disgrace Couhigs.
I totally agree @perfidious_albion that the decision to convert the Woodland Lounge into a de luxe hospitality suite made absolute sense from a business point of view. I almost always ate before I left home and was one of those people who enjoyed a pint (occasionally having my arm twisted for an additional half pint !) but little else. Spoilt rotten I was, although the club did charge a modest subscription of about £150 a season for the privilege. Several others on ‘my’ table spent little or nothing so the writing was on the wall.
I knew it couldn’t last but failing health and the much more basic alternative room we were offered, looking out at the car park rather than rolling hills and farmland, combined to persuade me to call it a day.
I can’t stop the club leasing my seat to opposition fans but I draw the line at being told what to wear .
The current custodians of the club need to remember who the bloody supporters are.
When did the hot drinks ban come into place? https://twitter.com/wwfcofficial/status/1604023594257854464?t=9Zgnvg7s9klda09P7E7vVQ&s=19
Why is the club so desperate for this game to played? Loo's out of order, reduced kiosk service, huge cost of the undersoil heating... would they really lose any revenue if it was played midweek in February or March? It'd still be a big crowd (2.5k from Suffolk) and it's not as if the last Saturday before Xmas is a good time for a game.
Oh yeah, plus a train strike!
We'd get a fraction of the gate midweek and have to offer refunds
There was something along these lines for that scorcher of a game wasn't there?
The club didn't have enough water knocking about so said for this game you can bring bottles of water in.
As if other games you can't?!
If they implement a hard 'no outside food or drink' rule, a lot of people will vote with their feet. I'm sure they know this (although I'm sure they also don't give a toss).
PR flannel isn't it, no actual ban has been mentioned
In fairness to the club if there is a problem with pipes / water then can you imagine the backlash if people have no access to hot drinks on a day like today.
I understand the club had a burst pipe earlier this week in the main building, so could easily have one in a kiosk where water had been run for a few weeks.
Sometimes it feels like people are determined to get themselves wound up and have a pop at the club. The policy here goes something like this:
1) Club don't really want fans to bring their own food and drink into the ground (not good business sense if they do)
2) Club don't set this as a hard and fast rule though and don't ever enforce it (as they don't want to piss everyone off)
3) On freezing cold days like today, and when things are broken, it's prudent to warn people that they may want to bring warm drinks. So they try and word it in a way that doesn't undermine 1) long term.
Some times you have to give them a break I think. They're a lot more relaxed on this stuff then many other entertainment venues!
100% , reminds me of the VPN thing when people were pushing the club to confirm if it would work. Of course they can't announce it and asking them to do so can only bring a ban from the league or providers.
Whilst the club have seemed to be a bit more stand offish and chasing £ (rightly or wrongly) it's not fair to say that the staff don't care if nobody turns up as on another thread.
Criticise individual decisions by all means but it's a bit weird when some people talk of not being engaged any more by anything the club does then they go on to be outraged by every tweet that is released.
And probably get a heavy fine from the EFL for not making reasonable efforts to get the game on.
‘Spec we’re mostly upbeat, aren’t we (said he from the warmth and comfort of his home) ?
Or, in the wider context, do @aloysius’s repeated pleas to wait and see now look slightly more valid ?
People are getting wound up because the club keep doing things to wind them up
Perhaps being ‘wound up’ is the price of survival (or at least sustainability)..
That might be easier if we definitely were getting more sustainable whereas there does seem to be a gambling element.
You can only sell once though, has to be some acknowledgement that the owners get to make some decisions.
These club statements will be partly (possibly in the main), due to the need to reinforce the ground safety planning and management. It's important that no issues should emerge to lay blame with the club, if there are some problems that require follow up review from the EFL.
Good on the club who have engaged with the local community behind the scenes, lots of local youth football teams will have kids doing pre match and other clubs doing half time guard of honours over the next few games.
It’s probably added best part of 200 paying adults / children / grandparents to the attendance alongside fantastic memories for all involved.
Lets give these kids a loud cheer and clap when they do their walks around the pitch, it’ll make them feel a million dollars.
Amazed they’ve got the game on, ‘hats off,’ to all involved.