Match day experience

[JLW]

The footlong sausage rolls are pretty good.

They still taking the skin from the roof of your mouth off like Goodisons? Its like they have been in a microwave for 2 hours

 

[davek]

Agree with this.

The experience of going has gone and with the usual routines everyone had, coupled with the crap we have to watch, its no wonder so many of us are at the end of our patience with the club.

I pity the season ticket holders tbh. Patterns of behaviour over decades destroyed and replaced by a trek down to the new stadium and back and mostly seated among people you never knew before.

People were surprised that there'd been a high renewal rate, but a 3% drop off for a brand spanking new facility like that is alarming IMO. I can see more ditching them and getting tickets as members.

 

[Tom Hughes]

If you live on or near a Merseyrail station the travel experience is quite good for most (unfortunately only a realtively small proportion of the population do). However, if you have mobility issues it's still a fair walk though, and probably not really practical for some. The Shuttle buses to and from town/Bootle get you much closer and are quite good before the game, but have mostly been poor afterwards (towards town) in my experience. Mainly because there are still too many selfish car drivers insisting on getting as close to the stadium as possible, causing grid lock and stopping the shuttles from working effectively. I know a few disabled fans who have parking permits on/near site, who all say that their matchday is at least twice as long as it was at Goodison, where let's face it, you could get dropped off practically right outside 10 mins before and most roads were relatively clear of traffic not that long after FT. If they properly enforce the parking restrictions and put in a solid bus lane, with priority at lights and better management at a couple of key junctions.... then the system will work far better. Two of my older mates have called it a day, both after over a 50yrs of being season ticket holders. They both have quite serious mobility issues and it was just far too much hassle for them, particularly night matches.

 

[barneygumble]

They could also provide buses from certain areas around the city at say 1pm for a 3pm game then make the food and drinks affordable, and it would be rammed 1 half hours before the game, i guess it would build the atmosphere also benefits the fans players and the whole experience.

They would actually make more money if it was cheaper, more fans would go earlier.

I said before a ball was kicked, the club made a massive howler not having it cheap for the first season.

Such a unique situation where no one has a routine yet, get people into habit of going in early and if the prices rose slightly this upcoming season, people have their routine.

Spurs did it with their stadium "the cheapest pint in London", before raising the prices.

Everyone in early, ease congestion and spending money. I know they have a "happy hour", but just feels a missed opportunity

 

[Toffe3m4n]

Town before & after the game pretty much. Usually try to make time for at least one pint on Bramley Moore before entering the concourse.

 

[Lanolin]

It was genuinely hard to compare last year because of the ridiculous amount of midweek games. For a weekend game I don't think the options for going for a drink and something to eat are any worse than around Goodison personally, but obviously if you've got like a sacred ritual that you've been doing for 20 years you're not going to replicate that in the space of a couple of months so it isn't going to feel the same.

 

[Alanbileysfeathercut]

Bound to different faces after the capacity has jumped up by 13 K.
Accessibility was never looked at properly prior to the move.
Hopefully access to the higher levels can be configured for the less able ,after all we are considered customers firstly .

 

[duncs pigeon]

I'll always miss the authenticity of Goodison. I anticipated the difference to be similar to Highbury to Emirates.

I think the biggest issue was what was on the pitch - was it only two times in our entire history we've had worse home form than last season?

In 5/10 years, around the stadium and access to and from it will be considerably better.

I think most of us will tbh. The first season was always going to be difficult, but lets embrace the change, move on and find new routines. Me personally, I love the new stadium and its surroundings but difficult after going to GP for 50 odd years. Someone put on here a 3%drop off is bad, I think its a brilliant return tbh. There were always going to be people who were only going to have one season at HDS.

 

[Drico]

I'll always miss the authenticity of Goodison. I anticipated the difference to be similar to Highbury to Emirates.

I think the biggest issue was what was on the pitch - was it only two times in our entire history we've had worse home form than last season?

In 5/10 years, around the stadium and access to and from it will be considerably better.

It really is largely about what people are watching on the pitch. Right now, it's a lovely new stadium containing a pitch littered with rubbish.

Goodison had memories and a collective culture to fall back on, the ghosts of great players, teams, and managers of the past. When we were rubbish, we could still feel their presence in the rafters. Today we have a triumph of packaging over content. We need better players and a manager who plays attractive football. Right now, we have semi-functional stubborness to endure.

I'm just pleased the club won't really be able to sell the novelty of the new stadium over the summer. It's no longer the fig leaf that covers a lack of on-field or transfer market excitement. The difference between now and this time last year even on here is stark. Then it was all about the new stadium. Now people no longer care. Except me. They still haven't screeded the roof...

 

[GrandOldTeam]

I think most of us will tbh. The first season was always going to be difficult, but lets embrace the change, move on and find new routines. Me personally, I love the new stadium and its surroundings but difficult after going to GP for 50 odd years. Someone put on here a 3%drop off is bad, I think its a brilliant return tbh. There were always going to be people who were only going to have one season at HDS.

The club worked to mitigate that drop off - I assumed that included the thousands who had to sign up for 3 years.

 

[duncs pigeon]

The club worked to mitigate that drop off - I assumed that included the thousands who had to sign up for 3 years.

They probably have mate, but a massive increase in st's from GP to HDS, so just to have a small % drop of is still a good return.

 

[GrandOldTeam]

They probably have mate, but a massive increase in st's from GP to HDS, so just to have a small % drop of is still a good return.

How big was the increase?

 

[JLW]

If things dont improve on the pitch very very soon i can see many walking away from it altogether.

For some the matchday experience has been lost a little, the club need to keep us interested because listening to our fans lately many are losing interest fast

 

[RomanReigns]

it would be a lot better if we won more games

3rd worst home record ever out of 127 isn't the best start

 

[JLW]

If you live on or near a Merseyrail station the travel experience is quite good for most (unfortunately only a realtively small proportion of the population do). However, if you have mobility issues it's still a fair walk though, and probably not really practical for some. The Shuttle buses to and from town/Bootle get you much closer and are quite good before the game, but have mostly been poor afterwards (towards town) in my experience. Mainly because there are still too many selfish car drivers insisting on getting as close to the stadium as possible, causing grid lock and stopping the shuttles from working effectively. I know a few disabled fans who have parking permits on/near site, who all say that their matchday is at least twice as long as it was at Goodison, where let's face it, you could get dropped off practically right outside 10 mins before and most roads were relatively clear of traffic not that long after FT. If they properly enforce the parking restrictions and put in a solid bus lane, with priority at lights and better management at a couple of key junctions.... then the system will work far better. Two of my older mates have called it a day, both after over a 50yrs of being season ticket holders. They both have quite serious mobility issues and it was just far too much hassle for them, particularly night matches.

I wanted to take my dad for the first time and his answer was the same, too much hassle for him.

I wonder if the club are aware or even arsed about the general matchday issues/concerns?
The experience should be amazing but im not so sure it was what everyone was expecting.
It not just about sitting in a seat without an obstructed view.