The Administration Thread

[uttoxram75]

14 minutes ago, DarkFruitsRam7 said:

Tricky one, isn't it. Going to the pub until the last possible second is such a big part of a lot of supporters' days out.

 But I think if a real effort was made to improve the experience at Pride Park, it would be worth it.

I'm as bad as anyone at arriving at the stadium late but on the odd occasion I have been there early I was surprised to see how many were using the outdoor bar at the back of the South Stand.

[Rev]

20 minutes ago, DarkFruitsRam7 said:

Tricky one, isn't it. Going to the pub until the last possible second is such a big part of a lot of supporters' days out.

 But I think if a real effort was made to improve the experience at Pride Park, it would be worth it.

 

4 minutes ago, uttoxram75 said:

I'm as bad as anyone at arriving at the stadium late but on the odd occasion I have been there early I was surprised to see how many were using the outdoor bar at the back of the South Stand.

Who wants to go in early, queue up for  amazingly disappointing beverage/food, served by someone who either doesn't care or hasn't had training? 

Heres an idea, especially if we do end up with PP under council ownership.

They also own the velodrome next door, which I presume is empty on Weekend matchdays? 

Open it on matchdays as the fan park, whack a big screen in there showing the days early kick off, get @TomBustler1884 or someone else with experience involved in the food and drink offering, loads of independent food and drink offerings, the odd live band or DJ, before cutting to the RamsTV build up when appropriate. 

Lay on free buses from the City centre for the first few weeks, to get everyone on board, then stick with with it. 

We did something similar a few years back with the free buses, but without a reason to spend in the ground it soon fizzled out, give people a compelling reason to get there early and it may work.

[jono]

36 minutes ago, Rev said:

Americans are always obsessed with improving the match day experience, aren't they? 

Maybe because their sporting culture is very different to ours, with their sports take a while longer to play, with frequent built in breaks in the action?  

Our culture is very different, mostly involving getting to the ground at the last minute possible after spending our cash elsewhere on route. They'll have to seriously up the catering provision to change that. 

I went to a game at the Tottenham stadium when it first opened, and you could tell it had been designed as much around the fans as the team.

Massive outdoor area with multiple food and drink options, loads of seating and artificial grass to sit on, and a decent amount of toilets. The prices were genuinely reasonable too, cheaper than the surrounding pubs and food vans. Inside the stadium, they're not concourses as such, but massive food halls.

A pint of Beavertown ranges from £3.80 to £5, depending on the drink, far cheaper than the pub prices in London, and indeed around here.

We've taken a step forward recently with the reopening of the Fan Park, and the Yard was a welcome addition, but if we had the vision, and funding, we could do so much more, a Yard on each home corner would be good, not a coffee bar. Coffee takes 5 times longer to serve, and offers far less profit than a pint.

The question is, would whatever they offer change fan behaviour? 

 

 

It’s not easy. How do you re invent the wheel. Huge numbers want to do what they have always done. Pint (or 3) and a pie or Bovril and a waggon wheel. That IS the matchday experience. I have my little routine too. I certainly don’t want razzmatazz and HT entertaining.. yuk .. I’m watching our gladiators vs theirs. End of story. But .. if there is quality food, a cut above, then I’d put my hand in my pocket. It really bugs me that in stadium food, sold with an eye watering margin of profit is cheap junk. It’s a pee take. As is the taking the lid off a bottle of water what half wit designed that rule ?  I bring my own now or buy outside. Never buy a HT drink. Queue management is none existent. 
 

Anyway, open to ideas .. an automaton Rammy in the corner with a chain saw chopping down trees if we score ?

[Caerphilly Ram]

I really hope there is constructive work going on at pace behind the scenes to get this done.

He’s making all the right noises on Twitter at the moment, which I understand is not to everyone’s taste. What I’ve taken from it is he allegedly has people who know what to look at doing the due diligence, he has stated he has the money and it is his own not borrowed (also previously provided proof of funding when bidding for the club in 2021), Rooney is allegedly committed to the project they want to create, and a number of other points that give me cautious optimism that the club does have a future. 
The reality of the situation is we have no control at this point and have to wait longer to find out if he is the real deal or if, as many seem worried by, he is yet another charlatan. There is nothing we can do other than to wait and see, let’s hope we’re not waiting too long either way.

[jono]

7 hours ago, AndyinLiverpool said:

It's  not me

Duhhhhh I knew that cos you gave it away with your name ( I’m sharp as a razor I am ?) 

[DarkFruitsRam7]

35 minutes ago, europia said:

Didn't CK state somewhere that he'd recently bought an aeroplane for £22m cash ? So he must have some dosh. Come to think of it, he could have bought a football stadium with that money.....

It’s whether you believe that claim or not.

18 months ago, I wouldn’t have even thought about questioning his wealth. My paranoia is purely down to The Fake Sheikh and Erik Alonso.

[Van der MoodHoover]

1 hour ago, DarkFruitsRam7 said:

His recent tweets about improving the matchday experience are really encouraging. It looks like he's going to bring a fresh perspective, which is great.

If he actually has the money, I'm fully behind him.

It's just a big 'if'. 

Let's face it, you've had far more varied matchday "experiences" than most of us already. 

What are you after now? ?

[Gee SCREAMER !!]

1 hour ago, DarkFruitsRam7 said:

His recent tweets about improving the matchday experience are really encouraging. It looks like he's going to bring a fresh perspective, which is great.

If he actually has the money, I'm fully behind him.

It's just a big 'if'. 

I can heartily recommend not being 5 wins behind everyone else and signing a few players.   

 

[Rev]

3 minutes ago, jono said:

It’s not easy. How do you re invent the wheel. Huge numbers want to do what they have always done. Pint (or 3) and a pie or Bovril and a waggon wheel. That IS the matchday experience. I have my little routine too. I certainly don’t want razzmatazz and HT entertaining.. yuk .. I’m watching our gladiators vs theirs. End of story. But .. if there is quality food, a cut above, then I’d put my hand in my pocket. It really bugs me that in stadium food, sold with an eye watering margin of profit is cheap junk. It’s a pee take. As is the taking the lid off a bottle of water what half wit designed that rule ?  I bring my own now or buy outside. Never buy a HT drink. Queue management is none existent. 
 

Anyway, open to ideas .. an automaton Rammy in the corner with a chain saw chopping down trees if we score ?

I'm the same.

Two buses into town, a few pints in the Tap, catch the bus to the ground, in and at my seat just in time for kickoff.

For a decade or more, a group of friends and I would do 3 days at Cheltenham Festival. 

Wake up, breakfast then up to the course, always a few hours before the first race.

Loads to do to while away the time, from bands in the Marquee to the shopping village, and of course loads of food and drink offerings. 

After the racing, no need to rush off in the crowd, they'd always be a band or something happening to keep you there, while the punters thinned out. 

Obviously that's a once a year event with a much larger crowd, but there's no reason we couldn't scale it down to fit.

[Eddie]

37 minutes ago, europia said:

Didn't CK state somewhere that he'd recently bought an aeroplane for £22m cash ? So he must have some dosh. Come to think of it, he could have bought a football stadium with that money.....

He ought to paint it to resemble a crow, then fly over Nottingham Forest - and you know the rest.

[SandiacreRam]

Developing income streams is logical and sensible , live music makes sense pre and post match ...Cheap post match beer?

Accrington do the pre match music and post match cheap beer ..different scale and due to type of club do not seem to get issues with away fans ...

I occasionally go by train, the amount of folks who get something to snack on and a coffee while waiting for train...No shops near Pride Park...I am sure we could generate post match income from looking at say cobs, sweets, drinks ..just need to get organised and get pricing right!...don’t rip folks off 

[B4ev6is]

I like concourse area I like pies in pp and I used like burgers in pp I have missed them this season.

[uttoxram75]

26 minutes ago, Rev said:

 

Who wants to go in early, queue up for  amazingly disappointing beverage/food, served by someone who either doesn't care or hasn't had training? 

Heres an idea, especially if we do end up with PP under council ownership.

They also own the velodrome next door, which I presume is empty on Weekend matchdays? 

Open it on matchdays as the fan park, whack a big screen in there showing the days early kick off, get @TomBustler1884 or someone else with experience involved in the food and drink offering, loads of independent food and drink offerings, the odd live band or DJ, before cutting to the RamsTV build up when appropriate. 

Lay on free buses from the City centre for the first few weeks, to get everyone on board, then stick with with it. 

We did something similar a few years back with the free buses, but without a reason to spend in the ground it soon fizzled out, give people a compelling reason to get there early and it may work.

Potential there Rev. 

Maybe a collaborative effort with other councils as well. Free buses from agreed places in east Staffs could work. I could put them in touch with a nice little pub close to the bus station in Uttoxeter for example.

[curb]

1 hour ago, europia said:

Didn't CK state somewhere that he'd recently bought an aeroplane for £22m cash ? So he must have some dosh. Come to think of it, he could have bought a football stadium with that money.....

But he couldn’t have flown to the masters in it.

[angieram]

1 hour ago, Rev said:

Americans are always obsessed with improving the match day experience, aren't they? 

Maybe because their sporting culture is very different to ours, with their sports take a while longer to play, with frequent built in breaks in the action?  

Our culture is very different, mostly involving getting to the ground at the last minute possible after spending our cash elsewhere on route. They'll have to seriously up the catering provision to change that. 

I went to a game at the Tottenham stadium when it first opened, and you could tell it had been designed as much around the fans as the team.

Massive outdoor area with multiple food and drink options, loads of seating and artificial grass to sit on, and a decent amount of toilets. The prices were genuinely reasonable too, cheaper than the surrounding pubs and food vans. Inside the stadium, they're not concourses as such, but massive food halls.

A pint of Beavertown ranges from £3.80 to £5, depending on the drink, far cheaper than the pub prices in London, and indeed around here.

We've taken a step forward recently with the reopening of the Fan Park, and the Yard was a welcome addition, but if we had the vision, and funding, we could do so much more, a Yard on each home corner would be good, not a coffee bar. Coffee takes 5 times longer to serve, and offers far less profit than a pint.

The question is, would whatever they offer change fan behaviour? 

 

 

Shall I let you into a secret? At least 50% of us do go to the stadium early and are bored rigid with the lack of atmosphere and decent facilities while we wait around for the drinkers to come and stand in front of us, push past after kick off and generally ruin the first 15 minutes of the game.

If I had my way, I'd make the buggers wait until an interval before allowing them up to their seats! 

And I used to love a coffee and cake before the game. I really miss the Backyard.

[uttoxram75]

35 minutes ago, Van der MoodHoover said:

Let's face it, you've had far more varied matchday "experiences" than most of us already. 

What are you after now? ?

I can confirm that he is a reformed character now and behaves himself impeccably during the match (he is next to me in the South Stand), admittedly he does tend to disappear at half time but I'm sure its nothing like the Rodney Marsh anecdote of when being told he would be "pulled off at half time" replied with, "bloody hell, we only got an orange at Man City"

[Gee SCREAMER !!]

1 hour ago, Rev said:

Americans are always obsessed with improving the match day experience, aren't they? 

Maybe because their sporting culture is very different to ours, with their sports take a while longer to play, with frequent built in breaks in the action?  

Our culture is very different, mostly involving getting to the ground at the last minute possible after spending our cash elsewhere on route. They'll have to seriously up the catering provision to change that. 

I went to a game at the Tottenham stadium when it first opened, and you could tell it had been designed as much around the fans as the team.

Massive outdoor area with multiple food and drink options, loads of seating and artificial grass to sit on, and a decent amount of toilets. The prices were genuinely reasonable too, cheaper than the surrounding pubs and food vans. Inside the stadium, they're not concourses as such, but massive food halls.

A pint of Beavertown ranges from £3.80 to £5, depending on the drink, far cheaper than the pub prices in London, and indeed around here.

We've taken a step forward recently with the reopening of the Fan Park, and the Yard was a welcome addition, but if we had the vision, and funding, we could do so much more, a Yard on each home corner would be good, not a coffee bar. Coffee takes 5 times longer to serve, and offers far less profit than a pint.

The question is, would whatever they offer change fan behaviour? 

 

 

Spurs also have a cheese room.  Turning up at a football ground to sample cheese. No thanks.  Those pubs in town rely on the match day trade greatly.  Staying in a pub till 2.40 and trying to get a Yellow taxi to get there by kick offs part of the fun.  If I take my nephews though, I get there in plenty of time.  At least for a few more years, till they take up the trying to get a yellow taxi  having been in the pubs in town till 2.40. And on we go in perpetuity. 

[Foreveram]

Here’s an idea 

[B4ev6is]

27 minutes ago, angieram said:

Shall I let you into a secret? At least 50% of us do go to the stadium early and are bored rigid with the lack of atmosphere and decent facilities while we wait around for the drinkers to come and stand in front of us, push past after kick off and generally ruin the first 15 minutes of the game.

If I had my way, I'd make the buggers wait until an interval before allowing them up to their seats! 

And I used to love a coffee and cake before the game. I really miss the Backyard.

The backyard is open angieram 

[TuffLuff]

2 hours ago, DarkFruitsRam7 said:

His recent tweets about improving the matchday experience are really encouraging. It looks like he's going to bring a fresh perspective, which is great.

If he actually has the money, I'm fully behind him.

It's just a big 'if'. 

Kinda made this point a week or so ago, but in strict business terms derby has a very loyal fan base and can attract 20,000-30,000 to Pride Park (you’ll see the higher echelon of that with the Rooney factor). Any prospective owner should be looking to get every penny it can do out of that fanbase. Get more fans in early and staying later, family meal deals, better merch, decent local beer, early day ko’s on the screens, post match analysis after games.

The survival of Derby County isn’t about who has the most money, it’s who has the best business strategy to keep the club viable for many years to come. Ofcourse there’s more to it than this but it’s about using what’s available to you.