Season tickets 2018-19

The last 2 times I’ve been to St James’ Park I’ve been in the 2nd to back row. On both occasions I’ve had the pleasure of watching WFC coloured ants (yellow black and red) score more goals than the black and white coloured ants. Long may that continue.

 

News about when the news about season ticket renewals has been published.

www.watfordfc.com/matches/tickets/season-ticket-renewals-201819

Apparently the whole of the Rookery is to be designated 'the singing stand', suggesting that people are more likely to stand and if you don't like it, you can pay more to sit somewhere else. In other words, the club won't move the 1881 to the middle because that would upset too many fans already there.

Should take about 30 years to work then, with Rookery seats freed up by current ST holders gradually dying off. Assuming also that the singing section will expand and that we'll still be in the Premiership by that time, both of which will almost certainly never happen. Call me cynical but I'm not sure that Rookery fans will be leaving in their droves to make way for singing fans who stand up a bit more than usual! More likely that you'll hear Rookery stalwarts shouting 'Siddaaahhnn' at anyone who stands unnecessarily.

Or does it mean that Rookery fans who don't sing are to be treated as pariahs? Perhaps reported to the club by their singing neighbours via an anonymous text number? To then be confronted by 15yr old stewards with 'singing enforcer' on the back of their dayglo jackets, encouraging you politely to sing or else...?

What a big steaming pile of sh... of an initiative from the club!

 

Describing it as an 'initiative' is overstating things a bit I think. This is just the club pointing out some home truths to people and offering the awkward squad an exit where they can save face and dosh too. That way any moany letters the club get in 2018/19 from Rookery ST holders whining about standing and singing and the like can go straight in the shredder.

 

It won't work. It's a lame attempt to artificially create an atmosphere (not as cringeworthy as playing crowd noise over the tannoys, mind!). The average Watford fan is middle aged and middle class - part of GT's legacy with his focus on a family friendly atmosphere. That crowd have grown older and the core still remain, holding on to the values that GT instilled, with the average age of our fanbase probably increasing year on year.

As a middle-aged, middle class fan myself I don't mind standing if that's what the majority are doing and occasionally I even sing! But if someone insists on standing when everyone else is sitting and in doing that, blocks my view, I'll shout 'sidddaaahn' at them! The majority in the Rookery won't want to stand and the club telling us that we might find ourselves doing so won't make the slightest bit of difference.

 

I highly doubt we're going to get the Arsenal fans in the Rookery to sing Watford songs.

 

What won't work? All the club have done is state a fact that was already obvious to the vast majority - supporters sitting in the Rookery Stand should be aware that there are likely to be significantly longer periods of standing and singing than in the other stands inside Vicarage Road Stadium. I don't see anything new in that. But maybe it'll underline it to some of the more persistent complainers.

 

The club's plan to designate the Rookery as the singing stand. If they don't have a plan, why would they bother promoting the idea? If there are that many persistent complainers, I don't think this very indirect way of telling them to shut up or move will make any difference.

For most of the crowd, including the Rookery, the choice whether to sing or stand is influenced by what we see on the pitch anyway.

 

I'm sure they're just promoting what already happens. I expect that in the last 12-18 months, as the 1881 have done larger and more involved displays before ko, the number of complaints has gone up from fans not happy at having flags over their heads and steamers distracting them during the game or whatever. Now the club can respond by saying 'we warned you and offered you an exit, bad luck'.

 

I'm delighted with what the club and the 1881 have done over the past few seasons to liven up Vic Rd., even some L*t*n fans at work have said how impressive the flags look as the teams come out.

However, PLEASE aim those streamers in a different direction as I can't see bugger all when they get stuck in the netting in the roof of the stand.

 

This - it may also be the first step in introducing safe standing in the not too distant future

 

I’m taking both my kids to Burnley and Palace and had to change where I sit so we can all sit together. It was surprisingly easy to get 3 together in the LGT near the rookery.
I’m always sorry to hear of people giving up their ST but it certainly is not impossible to get tickets but picking and choosing where you sit is not so easy.

 

Suppose it depends how you define 'poor position'. I've sat there a few times when I've not been able to get the Rookery and you're right that's one of the blocks that tends to have good availability for matchday sales. But outside the back couple of rows of the Lower GT I'd say everything else at that end is pretty poor. It's all personal preference.

 

Now that's a new angle. It's all GT's fault that Watford fans don't sing enough. What a *******.

You might have a point though.

 

Have you seen the atmosphere the Huddersfield faithful have created at the John Smith stadium. I think the idea that the football needs to be good in order to get the crowd going is a complete myth. Palace and Huddersfield have very good atmospheres and I can assure you that they aren't playing anywhere near the standard of 'sexy football'.

Personally, I think the idea of a singing stand is good but in order for it to come into full effect, I think the club would have to make it safe standing. Otherwise, the stubborn lot will just stick two fingers up and say "I paid for these seats so i'm going to sit down"

 

Vicarage Road has no atmosphere, yawn. Watford fans don't have passion, yawn. What is this mythical atmosphere that our supporters seem to think is at every other ground in the country but due to Watford fans being apathetic we don't have? Having been to more than half the away games this season I can assure you that the home support of virtually every team I have seen is quieter than ours. The only exception was perhaps Swansea and at best that probably matched the volume of the Vic most Saturdays.

 

You're deluded if you think we have one of the best home atmospheres. I'm not saying we are the worst, it's just that we can definitely improve it

 

I think I said that discussion about "a fantastic atmosphere" at other grounds is a myth. I wasn't judging if we have a good atmosphere or not. All I can say is that my experience is that our ground is typical of most grounds around the country. The whole discussion about "atmosphere" is boring because I haven't seen anything at other grounds which lives up to the what our fans think happens at other places.

It feels like our fans watch a few exciting highlights on TV and hear the improved sound produced by the TV companies and think we somehow have to match that level for 90 minutes to create some sort of atmosphere. My experience of away grounds and not just watching a few highlights is that most of them are the same as the Vic, quiet when there is very little action and loud when the game has some excitement.

As we don't live in a Communist country I think it is highly unrealistic to expect 20,000 to sing in unison for 90 minutes to create the atmosphere that some think happens everywhere else except the Vic.

 

Renewing mine again, it's an easy way to see Utd, City, Liverpool and Chelsea. Doubt the club will do anything about me not turning up for the other 14 or 15 boring matches.

 

Why does singing = standing up?

 

Diaphragm, posture ... best results standing up ...

 

Har, har...
Hence the subleties and nuances of harmony allied to the deceptively simple libretti that is so frequently to be encountered by the 1881 club and with the away supporters. Is that canon singing being employed again? No, one lot are out of sync with the other lot...

 

Renewal prices now up on the website. £708 for an adult in the Upper GT!

 

Exactly, we could have a Val Doonican sit down singing section.

 

Only for glory hunters. £545 for loyal fans.

 

It’s an odd business model, to treat badly the new customers you attract.

 

Not really - showing loyalty to those who've been on the journey more like. It's not like there was a waiting list under Rodgers, Malky or Dyche. All of those people who signed up for the PL are getting a pretty reasonable deal, it's just that the old ST holders are getting a better one.
In fact I find the practice (with internet providers, telecoms, utilities etc) of offering special deals to new subscribers to be insulting to existing customers.

 

I also mildly note that rumours that we may have to sell a player in he summer, the first time any such rumours have circulated in the Pozzo era, are doing the rounds just as the renewal prices are announced.

On the whole we of course get a decent deal compared to the madness of ticket prices elsewhere, but I hope we are not going to see endless hikes in the future, well beyond inflation, simply to fuel the wage madness in the PL.

 

But they get a one off, like most of us do on joining a provider and then are treated equally.

What will happen is that the high price is thereby established as the market rate and eventually we will all pay it. It's not good news for those of us who have endured the decades, far from it.

 

I have to agree. I see greed in those prices, it's a bit of a shock to be honest. It's not the reason I'm giving up my ST but if that's how they want to play it they may be surprised at the uptake.

 

Last year I went away during the early bird renewal window and forgot to repurchase my ST.

I got home, about 3 hours after the window had shut and instantly messaged them realising my mistake. No doing.

I’d been a ST holder continuously for about 12 years.

Now I’m phase 2 and stuck paying high prices for ever essentially. With the latest hike, I’m very unlikely to bother renewing.

 

You'll be okay. I did the same thing last year, waiting for a mate to renew. Whilst they couldn't help out last year, they assured me that I could get early bird in future seasons.

 

For some 'the journey' only started with a half season ticket in promotion year, with the team already in the auto places.

If the club is serious about becoming/being an established PL setup I think this is the last summer the club should hark back to Championship times in this way. It's just a bit tinpot.

 

Jumpers all round!

 

What was the early bird price for this season?