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Uefa cup sell out!!!!

I try not to knock Pompey, I hate doing this, as I love the club more than most other things in this world - and I think this is pretty clear, but at times you just have to...

Whilst in the previous article when the 6pm kick off was first announced I have looked to lay the blame for this mostly at the door of the TV companies and uefa, lets be honest Portsmouth Football Club have shown us, the fans that always have and always will be followers of the club we love - even if we are priced out - such a lack of respect here and shown that money means more to them here than we do now!

In the dark days - the most recent dark days - a decade or so ago we were always there, we were always told how much we were appreciated, we collected money for the club to save it from extinction and kept going regardless - I know I did and I went all over the country watching us... this was respected and we were told how important we were, we believed this as we knew it was true - when told this now do we still believe it as much?

You just have to think about this, the first ever European tie in our 110-year history, which is something the vast majority of us never thought we would see is something that should see us rewarded for this loyalty. Yep, £20 per ticket is good - it is just a shame that Ticketmaster will look to shaft us out of 'booking fees' and so on - so for that I take my hat off, but by taking the money and running, which is in essence what we have done here we have almost said 'well sod you, you might have been here all your life but if you cannot make it at 6pm ah well never mind the money means more to us than this and someone else probably will'...

Had this not been that first ever game, or even been abroad it would be an easier pill to swallow, or accept but being in England would it really have hurt Pompey to have said, you know what we need the money but the best fans in the world deserve more, and deserve a fighting chance to be able to get to this game, which a 7.45pm or 8pm kick off would have given - 6pm makes it increasingly difficult for so many.

It's not like all bosses will allow you to leave early will they so you 'might' miss out - luckily I am ok, but I think of others and not just myself and I know they might not be so fortunate!

At this moment in time I am left thinking Portsmouth Football Club really does not care about the fans anymore, and money means much more to them than we do - did we ever think that when this club was dying? Do most of us still think that way despite the extortionate costs of following the club we love?

No!

Yep, TV and uefa must hang there heads in shame but so too must Portsmouth Football Club - we have sold out and screwed over fans that deserve to be at this prestigious event, but might not be able to now at what basically amounts to greed!

Also, these 'supporters club groups' that act on our behalf? Who the hell are these people?

They acted on our behalf on the 'we will wear all blue' this season issue - I have never come across a Pompey fan that would willingly want us to wear all blue from our traditional blue, white and red - these same people seem to believe that as fans we would mostly be happy with a 6pm kick off! Are these people really acting with the best interests of the fans at heart?

I think not!

These 'supporters club groups' repetitives that act for us need to also take a look at themselves and ask 'do they really do what is best for us' - yep you will not please everyone all of the time, but some of the things they agree to are bizarre to say the least...

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Writer: pompeyrug

Date:Wednesday September 3 2008

Time: 7:08PM

Your Comments

Rug - I totally agree with all you have said but let me ask one question. If 10 years ago you had been asked would you like to watch Pompey in a UEFA cup game at Fratton Park on a Thursday at 6pm what would have said? No need to answer of course because you would have jumped at the chance. How expectations change.

eastneydave

Bigger ground needed folks but welcome to the wonderful world of UEFA!

merlin

... but Ticketmaster would have been given the ticket allocation to ditribute irrespective of kick -off time.. so surely this is just down to the TV money... . but what's the difference between this game and say playing Liverpool at 13:00 on Boxing day.. I get the fact that it's the first European game but I'm not convinced Pompey believed they would sell out even before the kick off time change.. Ticket prices were lowered for this game last week .. and for the Carling Cup Game too .. before the opposition was known.. I'm not sure this is as much of a sell out as you think Ruggers.. There was always a chance we were gonna be on Telly and it the return leg is too we'll all be watching it... 6pm at Fratton and watch the return leg or 7:45 at Fratton and watch Man City second leg ...

Chix

Sorry but I have to question the problem here. I appreciate that 6 pm is a difficult time for many. Not least myself, who will have to leave home at 3pm top get there in time, and yes, I usually work until 6 or 7. Many fans moaned about the 7:30 kick off which was always traditional, movng to 7:45 and then to 8, despite that making it easier to get to games for many workers. We moan about Sunday kickoffs from our traditional saturday, yet many of our fans struggle because they work a six day week. Truth is, we are frustrated that we needed to sell Muntari and Mendes to balance the books, yet then feel aggrieved that Pompey are 'selling us out' because of a 6pm kick off and the use of ticketmaster! Wjhile I do share some of the frustrations I challenge you to look at the pot half full, not half empty.

wakey

mate i am one of the most 'glass or pot half full as opposed to half empty people you will ever meet' those that know me, will tell you this - but i just feel so let down by this, its the first ever uefa cup game at fratton and by having a 6pm kick off, so many people that have so much right to see this game might have to miss it
personally i will have no problem - even tho i have to travel from devon, so i wish i could leave at 3pm! - getting to the game, im lucky but im not looking at this purely from my point of view, im looking at it from others.

pompeyrug

'maybe' i have gone a bit over the top, but that it me - when i feel strongly about something i go at it, i was previously covering the short comings i thought pompey had done by accepting the 6pm kick off, and whilst it is still alot down to tv and uefa we could have stood our ground more and said 'look this is the first ever european game we have played, why not let us have a 7.30, 7.45 or even 8pm kick off so the fans that have earned this can have more of chance of seeing it?'

pompeyrug

I'm deffo not going to get off work and down to the coast in time which is a bit of a bummer but as a Hammersmith resident, I can't expect any breaks here. Agree about the "consultations" with fans being a bit of a fairy story (because that's the sort of consultations we do at work when we want to do something people won't want!)

hammersmithblue

Can I just say, and this is off topic here (i'm too lazy to post on the forums), I'm really not looking forward to the impending rumours of Harry Redknapp going to West Ham or Newcastle. In fact I'm hideously bored of it. There, I got it off my chest.

stillthewhizz

i might be wrong, but can't help thinking why would Harry go back to West Ham? Curbishley quit because he wasn't able to maker decisions about buying and selling. The windows shut so he'd be stuck with the dross thats already there till January. by then it could be to late.

Steve C

No doubt those that do go & I hope I can, can make their feelings felt on the night as well as over the coming weeks.

storagematt

Glad you will be able to make it then Rug, despite travelling much further than me. Where in Devon you hiding? I wonder if any attempt was made by the club to argue. I do understand where you are coming from, but having blooded my footballing youth in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th divisions, I am not sure that I would swap the success we currently have for traditional starts in the lower leagues again. (Although I will still be there if we do end up down there again one day). I have to agree with Stillthewhizz too, I am bored already with the speculation we will see about Harry.

wakey

Hi Steve, hope all OK

wakey

im just outside of plymouth - been here for about 20yrs now, which makes getting to games difficult these days, especially not driving but i manage it by hook or crook :-)
trust me ive been through it with us too, and would still be with us now no matter, or will be regardless and would of course much rather be where we are now - but areas of where we are at now leave sour taste in my mouth, such as this situation, which again i feel more for others than myself in this instance.

pompeyrug

as fo the HR to west 'am talks, i gave it a couple of lines at the end of one article - but as also said there, that was as much as it was getting on vital pompey...

pompeyrug

Eastneydave, there is no reason why we cannot have Uefa cup action at another time then 6pm, it is not a choice of Uefa cup at 6pm or not at all - its Uefa cup at 6pm or what ever time the club decides. Saying that it does suit me better to be there at 6pm watch the game and be back home at a reasonable hour - but it does annoy me when people say what would you prefer a top 6-finish or the FA Cup, these are not one or the other choices, I would prefer both but may not get either!

jac_nrfstnd

I hope too many genuine fasn don't miss out on your big game

Red Wimp

ahhh a bloody middle of the night kick off for us! 2:30 am this game would almost be worth getting a new job for wouldnt it Rug?

nodster

Seems we win some we lose some.. what's that expression.. You can't please all of the people all of the time...

Chix

Personally the earlier the better for me. Against United the other week I didn't get home til mid-night and I usually get up at 5.

ChrisW

It does mean taking time off from work to go to the game, but this can be used to an advantage, meaning I can take my time getting down to Pompey rather than rushing like a blue @rse fly. Plus yes I can be home probably by 9 rather than half 11!

sneakay

Very rarely disagree with you rug, but this time i do. Pompey have 3 players on the books they wanted to offload, they have a chance of making some big money from Channel 5, and by getting a reasonably timed and priced game for UEFA... yes UEFA, something we have never been in before, i think its unrealistic to expect Pompey to turn down the TV money in favour of trying to please everyone. If we get through to the next rounds, we stand to make more money from the TV company. If we had saod no now, we would not have been given coverage next rounds, and if we had, at what time? 3pm? Sorry, but there has to be give and take, we are taking the great price, so we have to give on the time.

Midge

i know what you mean Midge, and on reflection i think i might have let my emotion at the time get the better of my in some areas of what i wrote - i felt bitterely disappointed, but to be fiar i covered a wide range of differing opions in a number of articles i wrote on this issues yesterdaym and when all are covered i think i covered just about every scenario...
i often act on impulse and let my emotions get the better of me, and at the time of writing this i wasnt best please, really felt let down - but as i say i do like to think that in each of the bits that i wrote i covered most angles so looked at it from all sorts of views and opions.

pompeyrug

Rug i agree with you having a rant it does us all good, and i am very much like you in shooting from the hip and letting my angry bullets hit anyone in erashot, as i spit bits of pie in anger. But thats what makes this site, its OUR oppinions, agree or disagree with them, and between us we probably ALL spill more truth then them Media Mogules like the Mirror and Sun, and get more stories on to news Now... Play up Pompey, and Speak up Pompey Fans lol

Midge

It is a pain, but I understand why they have to do it - they need the TV money, not just this game but if we refused we'd be frozen out by the TV channel if we get further in the competition. Personally its tight - I can't afford to take more time off work, so I finish at 5 in Havant, but I'm going to let the train take the strain - it doesn't get stuck in traffic and I don't have to park it. Oh and hope to be let out 10 mins early! Of course there are people who won't be able to make it at all and I feel for them, but it could have been worse. Channel 5 are showing 3 matches, the first one is Villa's they've got a 3pm kick off!

tracyc

thats right Tracy Villa fans will have to finish work early for a 3pm kick off & its in Bulgaria ha ha!

pompeyyong

It may be in Bulgaria, but its still 3pm so even watch that one on TV will mean an early finish for the Villa fans.

Midge

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