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Notts County Supporters Trust |
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2005 Fans Survey Results - Your Comments[ 2005 Fans Survey Results | You and Notts County | Matchday Experience | Notts County Supporters Trust | Your Comments ]
Your comments from the Survey Form sorted into topics Management After recent upheavals, the only place left where we are not moving forward is on the pitch, what a shame that is where it really matters! Maybe Richo can sort this out for next season and all will be rosy in the garden Crying out for a good experienced manager. Players telling management what they want is unacceptable The club should convince the supporters that they are ambitious and determined to se the team do all that is possible to gain promotion next season. The decision regarding the manager must be made with due care, as this may be the key to the future of the football club. Richo with Howard’s help is my choice. I’d like to see the scoreboard better maintained. I’d like to see Richo afforded enough respect by the board in case of disagreements or moves to replace him as manager Ian Richardson should be given a 2 year contract for keeping the club in div 2. bearing in mind the quality of the squad he has work with. 10 years at the the club, will give us stability to go forward. He will make a good manager with the boards support. He is the man for the job The club needs a period of stability. We have had too many changes of management and a considerable turnover of players in recent years. Would like to see Ian Richardson confirmed as manager for next season before the end of the this season Agree with club’s recent decision not to buy players due to financial constraints. Would like to see a new manager in place asap. Tannoy /music needs sorting – please give us something to run out to. Trust = excellent. Keeps me informed and has the long-term future in perspective. We as a club should remember what happens when our outgoings are greater than our income. I would like the Trust to know that myself and some of the fans I know feel that Ian Richardson should have been given more support ie Mr Nelson and Mr Thompson and without the fans there is nothing. IAN HAS MY FULL SUPPORT. After recent upheavals, the only place left where we are not moving forward is on the pitch, what a shame that is where it really matters! Maybe Richo can sort this out for next season and all will be rosy in the garden The board need to act quickly re the manager’s position for next season I think Ricco has done a reasonable job and a decision needs making now. I kno we don’t want to pay players more than we can afford but we do need to keep players of the quality of Stefan Oakes. Surely this can be funded by getting rid of deadwood eg Mike Whitlow, Matty Williams etc or a small increase in prices as we did for Craig Ramage. Ian Richardson must be appointed manager No disrespect to Ian Richardson, must have an experienced manager for next
season. After the last few turbulent years the main thing needed at meadow lane is stability. But no according to the notts spokesman at RN Richo is not to be offered the job so much for loyalty. what sort of manager do you think we will get with HW watching from the Gods? Regarding info from the Trust , we are told no more of any importance than non-trust members (disillusioned) Fed up with reading in the press about players coming to the club and then the manager not being allowed to buy them. Give Richardson the manager’s job before you lose him. He is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. I think he will only get better. Have some faith in him I feel strongly that Notts must go for continuity and reappoint Mr Ian Richardson and Mr John Gaunt as management team for 2005/6. They have black and white blod in ther veins and with the right support can take Notts forward even under financial constraints – also Notts must never again allow any manager to disband youth teams of any age group. These are and will continue to be the lifeblood of this club and any other in the lower divisions Reading steve Thompson notes, gary mills was just a hatchet man to reduce the wage bill and release the experienced players. Brought new players in at no extra cost and used the heavy hand. Richardson took up the reigns and did a good job but was outspoken the new manager will be allowed to bring in new players, why not Richardson? Many thanks to the supporters trust for a grand job. ( I have supported Notts and followed them for 60 years – Nigel clough for notts county) The trust should support ian richardson to become the new manager of notts.his 9.5years at the club will give us the stability to move forward as a club whilst he would be the first to admit he is anovice it should not be forgotten he kept this club in the league.he & debbie are notts supporters which is very important, he gives his all on the pitch & has given his all to keep us in the league. We do not want paul hart at this club, ricco is the man, he should be given a two year contract one year as player manager & one year as manager assuming he is fit enough to play next season.how many players wives stood shaking their buckets outside asda to raise funds for the saving of our great club.i have been supporting notts for 55 year The football club better seriously consider the idea of replacing the manager in the close-season. taking into consideration that the maximum wage is c£1500 per week (£78k) I would find it very difficult to find a manager who is prepared to accept around £100k per year to get more out of this squad of players than Gaunt & Richardson have achieved. Quite what Mills thought when buying some of the guys in the squad is amazing. The club would be walking on very thin ice by making management changes in the near future. I am happy with the decision regarding Ian Richardson provided he gets his playing contract and testimonial next season. I think the timing is right. It gives all prospective new managers the chance to see the payers in action for 3 games at the end of the season. I hope any new manager will persevere with our young players and not bring in more older players. We need to build for the future. Former member of trust - must renew now that the right decisions have been taken re Mills and Richardson. clarification - don't think the club keeps supporters that well informed. Don't think it should. Some things need to be kept under wraps Ian Richardson was in the same boat as Stuart Pearce at Forest a few years ago : the internal candidate on temporary promotion. I'm sure the Board has made the right decision : it needs a fresh face to motivate this squad of players, and to get rid of several of them ! I live in the North West and attend a handful of away games each season so I'm not best placed to comment on prices at Meadow Lane etc.I keep informed thru' NEP online & fans websites. To me the club has seemed in disarray this season but I was pleased with the appointment of Howard Wilkinson onto the board. I was disappointed that an experienced manager was not appointed after Gary Mill's departure as several suitable candidiates seemed to be available at that time eg Danny Wilson. I understand that finances might have been an issue in this matter and I fully believe that the board are doing their very best for the club in difficult circumstances. I regularly read the message board on the Notts County Mad site and cringe at some o The club seem to be making all the same mistakes as they have made in the past. Again we look at the situation in appointing a new manager. No information and no appointment before the end of the season so the new man will have no time to look at his squad before the new season. I do not see the board giving the club any sort of plan to move forward. I think the club can only go one way – they’ve hit rock bottom. If they get the choice of manger right he will have an immediate impact – I would suggest a great job to get – please pleae do let Patrick nelson say ever again what a good squad of players we’ve got – the forwards are the worst I’ve seen in 30 years watching Notts Seating more notice must be taken of reserved seating arrangements and fans not allowed to just sit anywhere if not got tickets for that area. stewards on Jimmy sirrel Y block have been agressivily abused this last season when asked by so called suporters to show their season/matchday ticket or make all areas unreserved and charge same price for season ticket One of the biggest moans I have is sitting in z block which is true about the state which are in a poor dirty state covered in pigeon droppings people spend a lot of money and should at least be able to sit on a clean seat. More should be done to rid the stands of pigeons Atmosphere Having a match day DJ/ MC would be a boost to home atmosphere & support. Having the team wave to fans when they come on would be the same. have a good matchday expreince Stop the drum. The atmostphere has declined since it's introduction. Chanting was more spontaneous and not interupted by the wrong beats! Pre-match and interval "music" of poor taste and MUCH TOO LOUD. Have to shout to hold conversation with person in next seat. Otherwise - carry on the good work (and win more home matches !). The televisions in the JS stand should be moved away from the snack bars . it causes congestion The televisions installed in my opinion have been placed in wrong location.I use Jimmy Sirrel stand aroung halfway line and a tv has been set just at bottom of stairwell,this causes massive congestion to the stairs and ladies toilet but also clogs up access and exit from bar and catering area.Good idea but bad placement. More knowledge is neede on the use or non-use of noise enhancement devices such as air horns, rattles and flags or banners as to what is and what is not allowed and why not in some cases. Guidance please – example air horns legal on continent We don’t want a band or that drum at the ground playing – and get some better music not that rubbish you play now – also we don’t want paul hart as manager. He’s no good Scoreboard Could you get the scoreboard sorted out and play some middle of the road music not the present row try Gilbert and Sullivan or classical music/opera Electronic scoreboard needs repair – improve quality of loudspeakers (ie this would benefit current attempts to improve pre-match build up and atmosphere, particularly for the young – open more turnstiles on ‘big’ match occasions One improvement to facilities would be a fully functioning scoreboard – my season ticket (OAP0 is good value but I would think carefully about attending if I had to pay 16 minimum. My son, who is in work agrees. Admission prices have reached their maximum for the standard of football on offer. PA PA system still poor – Litter still allowed to blow onto pitch after half time Public address system needs improving – club aims / ambitions/ targets need to be shared more fully – pre-match entertainment could be improved. Would stagger arrivals and lead to more sales from shop/kiosks etc. eg junior matches, ladies matches, displays rather than at ½ time Communication If you have not got access to a computer and the internet you feel outside the info loop and you have to rely on other media outlets ie Radio Nottingham Forest I have not got access to a computer so any info put on the website I cannot get so rely on RN and paper The football club has got to be more customer friendly to attract new support I don’t think the club has got the message over clearly to the fans what the financial restrictions are next season and in the future. The tpic of money is still very secretive. I am not sure what the trust will do in future , unless we have another crisis. Questionnaire design - its no good giving people the middle option, you need 4 or 6 choices not 5: why do we need to own more of the club. The bigger share ownership of the club, the less likely outside resources will get involved. From the outside the club is giving out the symptoms of an organisation run by committee – i.e. in a form of paralysis. It needs to improve communications overall Didn’t answer q5 because the PR from the club is still very poor despite repeated promises from the various MD’s the club have had over the years. As regard media coverage ie NEP should be renamed the ‘red mag’s sports page’ along with RN you would not think there were 2 teams in the city. Ban them from the ground and negotiate with another local less impartial radio station ie trent, saga, century. No information on reserve matches given out at first team games. So easy to do over the tannoy perhaps, we don’t need the support or the money - its called good PR Who are the directors? Who is the ceo? All are far too low profile. Would the directors have been satisfied finishing third bottom? There is a lack of info regarding upcoming games i.e. reserves and youth team. Ticket prices for non-league games, this could easily be remedied by notice boards being put up in the refreshment area around the ground and the info displayed in these board. All that’s needed is a4 paper off a computer printer to pass on this info. NCFC must listen to the views of the normal supporters. Public relations are
at an all time low. Steve Thompson must respect all views not just views to suit
himself I feel the club doesn’t advertise enough for example in the NEP Forest’s up and coming matches and promotions are advertised and on century 106 forest tickets are often given away in competitions. Living in the shadow of forest we really need to raise our profile and sell this great club to the ever increasing number of disheartened forest fans For far too long public relations at Notts County have been disgraceful. Ever since I first followed our great club we have had to put up with people at the club costantly damaging the brand by carping and generally talking the club down particularly in ralation to another team in Nottingham. We are now told even at this dire level that Notts have no money. What we should be saying is that inrelation to virtually every other club in this division Notts can compete financially. I will not accept for one minute that Notts financial plight and ability to pay and attract players is less than Macclesfield Town. Notts realy do need a good media spin doctor, someone who can talk the club up. One start would be to maniplate the gate figures The club had big problems answering the phone in the week leading up to May 8th re season ticket renewals I live in London so rarely get to see matches. The internet is my main source of information, and the club site is pretty dull. I work in the design and communications industry, and the efforts of the club when it comes to attracting new fans and keeping the ones they've got seem pretty piss poor to me. That applies to website design, merchandise and communications in general. Sadly, it's about so much more than just the footy these days, we've got to realise that to survive and progress. strongly recommended they listen to all fans members or non member. The club still needs to listen to the fans and some of the fans requirements (understandable financial implications) these are off-filed comments if hopefully we survive in league 2. – repair/replace scoreboard. This is embarrassing – better PA system with more clarity like away announcers generate enthusiasm and excitement when match to start or goal is scored. Tickets After 15 years of being a Notts County supporter, I will not be re-newing my season ticket for next season. My passion for the club has decreased due to the un-committed performances of the players over the last 2 years. I will pick and choose my matches next season. I am fed up with the idiots who sit at the back of the Z block, and will be changing location next year. (please do something about them). I signed up for the supporters trust at the very first meeting back in 2003-04. Put £100 in the bucket collection v Luton, I did this because I thought Notts supporters would at last get a chance to have a voice. I did not renew my membership for this season, because I have not seen any clear indication of this. Until 2003/4 lifeline members received a 5% discount on season tickets. Geoffrey Richmond stopped this. Can this be re-introduced next season in a re-launch of lifeline aimed also at selling more season tickets. Can lifeline numbers be made more prominent on nottscofc.co.uk and reprise previous week/months numbers. Lifeline rules or should do if more people knew about it. I am an exiled fan living in Reading who attends 5-10 away games a season and 5-7 home games on average. After the lean years I am confident that the club is heading in the right direction. Suggestion: there are many "occasional fans like me who are unable to attend as many games as they would like. Can you consider a "country membership" style of season ticket and some way of coordinating our activities and information flow. I d feel that season ticket prices and the added 30 special season ticket top up represent great value and savings, but no one is fooled this is just a gimmick to keep people coming and I’m sure that once the teams performances improve and the team play sells tickets then all these added bonuses will disappear as no carrots will be needed to entice fans also the renewal eadline date seems to get earlier and earlier , may 8th does seem a bit soon for discounts last year was 4th June I do not agree with season ticket sales discount starting on 15th may, rather than the last week in june as normal. After the last 4 years, the worst being this season. I want time to reflect before I commit myself to a season ticket – who the manager will be – will any new players be brought in – and whether a lot of the present playing staff will be kept on after letting all the supporters down this season As a season ticket holder (50 years +). I would have thought the club would put a reserved notice on the seats. I get fed up removing people from my seat I have been a regular at ML for the last 33 years. I have been in lifeline since it began I am now on a low income as a one parent family so I cant afford to join the trust. I am pleased to see that season ticket prices have remained the same price again this year and think that childrens are very good value. I I think the trust are doing a very good job and thank you for your help with Notts Pay ST by direct debit over 4 months, april may june july. Can this be arranged by post ? Although ticketing arrangements are quite good – I’m a tudent I have to buy a matchday ticket from the ticket office – not treally a problem, what is a problem is that in block y JS stand is reserved seating and it can be difficult to sit next to friends who have season tickets. Why not put stickers on seats reserved for season ticket holders and let everyone else sit where they want The vouchers you get at home games (and I have a pocket full). Do we get the last home game free as we’ve collected them through the season!? I hope so as I am a pensioner and regular in the family stand I state poor value for money as what is paid through the turnstile & the lack of quality entertainment over the past few years has been so bad Like alot of my friends, due to shift work it is impossible for me to attend any midweek matches therefore its uneconomical to buy a season ticket, however would like to see a reward package for those of us who have to pay full price all season(the six pack tickets where excellent) in stead of offering free tickets in local papers which fans may not read and allows people to sell these 'free' tickets on the gate insencing those of us who pay full price reguarly. If this happens again i and my friends, no matter how mutch we love Notts would consider staying at home and not paying £18 each to the club. Every year many notts fans voice the view that home fans should sit in the kop, I would not come to meadow lane as much if this was the case as i cannot abide watching football from behind the goal. For this same reason i do not tke my family in the family stand and feel that the same discounts in the family stand should be applied to the jimmy sirrel stand. Ticket prices are just far too high i have 4 children who want to come with me so it costs me at least £48 (with the discounted prices) to attend each home game (assuming my partner comes). then i hve to buy at least 4 burgers for each and for a little bit more i could take them to alton towers for the day (which they`d enjoy more). I would love to attend every home game but at The trust is a good idea and I wish them well. However the club hasn't been a fun place to be for many years. I continue to attend whenever I can out of loyalty, not for the entertainment provided which is very poor value for money. I appreciate the club was in a mess financially and this was none of the doing of anyone currently associated with Notts County. Still, I can't honestly say I've been excited by anything I've seen since Mick Walker, which is a long time ago. Although I have said that Notts prices are not value for money (q.8), this is for football in general and as football goes, Notts value for money is average. This season has been extremely poor value for money. Of the 13 home gamesI have attended, 7 have been lost in overall disappointing performances. The key priority for the club has to be improving performances on the pitch, especially at home ( away form is quite good)This is essential to improving customer( oops sorry , loyal supporter) satisfaction. It is only my blind loyalty to the club and desire to support the club in a way that I can afford, that has made me purchase another season ticket for next season, even though I know i will not break even on my purchase. Improving our dismal home record and performances at home, has to be a key priority. The club are doing a very good job in difficult circumstances. Bums on seats on matchdays is still critical. Perhaps matchday pricing and publicity and added attractions and a drum beating are all required Match day ticket prices are too expensive I was a season ticket holder for about 10 years but with the arrival of children have found it too costly to renew. The oldest is now at an age where he would be interested but match day prices just aren't value for money when we are playing so poorly at home I'm sorry to say. Admission prices to watch division 4 football, are overpriced for the quality of football which has been provided in season 2004/5. 18 for the main stand is a staggering high figure to watch an extremely poor side. Football in france, league 1, or spain, primera can be watched at lower prices for far better quality. Fans have been treated abjectly this season by the players with lacklustre performances. The craven capitulation to yeovil’s request to switch the easter game was an example of fans being treated like dogs. There was no good reason to cave in to a request to move this fixture. A long trip to a new ground many were looking forward to visiting and fans have been badly let down by the club’s pusillanimous actions. No smoking in any confined areas inside – website is excellent and was improved every season – club shop a little expensive – discounts 5/10 % for trust members increase membership 5 to compensate – the supporters trust is excellent model for club to follow in terms of open lines of communication – ticket prices too high for level of football also not competitive with other forms of sport in city eg panthers (13), rugby (8) – less advertising in programmes Kit ruined by sponsors logos. Ticket prices still too high – but they are high in football generally. £18 to watch some of the rubbish I’ve seen this year (and having travelled from Sheffield to do so) is hard to swallow. Ticket office and club shop inexplicably closed at certain times – eg during Christmas holiday Ticket prices lower them – attract bigger crowds The whole experience is becoming far too expensive considering what we have to watch on the pitch. The club needs some leadership on and off the pitch. I was disappointed that the club did not have the six pack ticket offer for the second half of the season. I had one for the 1st half. If you had run this again I would have attended more games this half of the season After the inconsistency of the team this season, I think it is totally wrong that to get the reduction on season tickets prices you have to purchase before the end of the season. I think it should be at least to June. I think the club needs very much to focus on getting youngsters and families in to create a committed set of supporters for the future. If ticket prices were substantially reduced for such people gates would go up to compensate Over the seasoni have noticed a tendency for there to be conflict between what is said in the press and what finally happens (ie incoming players) also the club say there is no increase in season ticket prices. Yet since there will be no reserve games, the cost per match has increased The club in the old days used to update a match ticket from senior to adult if senior cit could not attend for any reason. Also this season tickets remained at the same price as last seasons yet my ticket increased by 30 and lifeline member had a discount cancelled on season ticket renewals. Have cancelled my lifeline in total disgust at the decision not to give discounts. The club needs to do more to entice families to the ground on a matchday, possibly through school promotions, youth clubs, scouts etc. the club also needs to look at ticket prices you expect us to pay 16-20 watching paul bolland. Get real Meadow Club The meadow club has become very dirty and poorly run, the tilets are unacceptably dirty and the staff in the meadow club seem badly trained , presented and motivated. The toilet facilities in general at the ground are in need of some attention I am not happy about the state of the meadow club . it is dirty , the bar staff are not sure what they are doing and do not seem to have been told about hygiene when handling food. I was so pleased when the MC re-opened as I always went in before the match but if things do not improve I shall have lunch at home before I come to the match Alcohol prices are too cheap, an opportunity is being missed, £2.00 at a leisure event is not enough and I say that as a drinker Please sort out the extraction in the meadow club, I wont use it until its sorted. Keep up the good work. Needs to look hard at the meadow Club facilities There are big queues at the meadow club on matchdays – there has been a recent lack of communication about the trust and its objectives – how is NCFC doing? Kop Still want the kop back for ourselves I love this club but feel we let ourselves down at times by failing to get the basics right. We need to focus on the little things such as the catering staff who although only kids have no idea about customer service. Also the scoreboard need to be sorted- this could be a valuable source of income thru advertising etc yet it is badly in need of repair and is poorly situated, most notts fans cant even see it. Not much good for local companies if their adverts are mainly seen by away fans! We also need to seriously consider using the kop for home fans, the noise made by a few away fans is exaggerated by the acoustics in this stand – worth a goal head start. You need to put the wishes of notts fans first. when are we going to have the KOP back as I have stated before it must be worth ten points a season to the opposition its like a home match to the away side Give back spion kop to notts fans. Away fans to go in x block and expand along county road as necessary the close proximity would generate some good banter. make away stand into home stand- allow students in free for first three matches of season & start a students section of trust- tout for funds from elsewhere i.e other investors- creep to media-pr job under any pretext whatesoever get ground full just for once to see what accoustics are like then re-arrange- don't forget committee decisions take longer than informal ones - at a cost eg manager replacement options- give richardson more than players status and allow to take coaches qualifications- recruit north of border or across the irish sea- get a more stirring entry tune- invite old Anglo italian clubs from ancient times to friendlies- cut the whinging- work voluntatily for the club for free on anything that can raise m Is there any chance of the home supporters being in the spion kop stand ? Are there any developments towards making this happen ? We should try to make the Kop End into a home seating area to create a better atmosphere! Loads of Notts fans singing the "Wheelbarrow Song" from the Kop will rival "You'll never walk alone" coming from Liverpool fans, and home form will almost certainly improve with a better home atmosphere. In 2004 we won all of 6 games at home, im sure we would have won more if the lads were being backed by a good atmosphere coming from the Kop. The club should seriously look at this, and i know some fans who have already said they will gladly help with any fundraising needed for money for the switch to be made possible. Please, please can we remove away supporters from the kop enclosure. It is a perfect ‘sound box’, which should be utilised for our supporters only. We hear the objections – but this is a problem that needs to be solved for next season. I feel a way must be found for Notts supporters to occupy the kop end in order to generate a better atmosphere which will help the team and encourage people to attend on a more regular basis ( no one likes to sit in a football stadium which from a NCFC point of view is like a morgue at present ) I can not believe that arrangements can not be worked out to satisfy all the concerned parties as regards safety and security and a trouble free environment. Would like to see home fans given back the kop. I find it completely crazy that the largest stand in League Two (the Kop) is given over solely to away fans. The acoustics in that stand are wonderful (even if there are only 200 fans in there), and by giving the Notts fans an opportunity to sit in there, you will once again re-introduce that little known thing called atmosphere into the ground. No wonder the team struggles so badly, the atmosphere inside the ground is bloody awful and akin to a public library. Surely seeing Notts fans behind both goals would give the players a boost? The players play better and the club moves up the league. The club moves up the league and gains additional cash.... I can't believe the club won't even give this a trial, and yes, I do know tha I sit with my dad in z block the speaker system is not clear or nosy enough please can you fix this when we go to away grounds and ther team scores they play music to get the fans happy can we do this i like it a lot why is the score board brok we like it it makes us laf my dad thinks its bad he say it dont do us good and makes us look stupid why do tere fans make so much noise wye dont notts fans go into the cop end put ther fans in kids corner i think x block can we get a good ref for games It would be great to see notts fans back in the kop(and still in the family stand) -Would welcome more supporters trust news/updates etc. dropping through the letterbox (don’t seem to have had anything for ages) -Well done to the trust for all it has achieved and is doing, thank you- Promoting young talent does seem to me to be the way forward – well done for finding Reuben how far abroad does our scouting system go- Thank you to Howard Wilkinson for giving his input for free – his supporting Richo could work Shop More emphasis on merchandise in the club shop. Better features in the programme, ie more interaction with the fans. Particular attention to get fans motivated. Better PA system in Z block; although things are improving significantly I think rather than asking if the club merchandise is good value for money, we should be asking if the overall quality and range is worth paying money for. I haven't spent any money in the club shop now for two seasons simply because there is nothing worth buying, I was going to buy an errea tracksuit when I heard they were going to have some in the shop, until I saw it and found out it was blue??? where is the black and white? Also we have a terrible habit of sewing a notts badge on anything and sticking it in the club shop, it looks cheap and nasty. Well done to Notts on letting the fans vote for next seasons shirt, this should be repeated every season with both home and away shirts. Notts should also try and release next A sign of things to come this season was the fact that the club shop was closed on the club’s open day! Nowhere could you buy any NCFC merchandise on the day The merchandise at the club shop could be improved – in both range and availability. More matchday crowd involvement – penalty shootouts for adults sms text quizzes etc. need to involve crowd on matchdays more – create atmosphere Toilets I am still disappointed by the level of sanitary facilities in the ladies toilets I mentioned this last year and I still feel it needs looking into Ticket sales In the JS unreserved 5/10 mins before end of games crowd gathers in the areas to the steps to go out – when seated you cant see the game nobody does anything about this (where are the stewards) selling of tickets/season tickets – when ticket office closed not properly sign posted and not very helpful (I know its only a job – but no encouragement given to understand what you want or selling of) Ticket sales on matchdays far too slow I find the ticket office very slow and not very nice in poor weather. Middlesborough Game Club not geared up for big matches – bought reserved seats for fa cup tie v boro to find seats occupied – stewards would/could not assist. Not happy. I did not know we had a supporters trust – I have been following the pies for over 30 years. Send me some info please. NCFC desperately needs a liaison officer to address issues raised by the fans eg why the website is poor and slow, why were the tewards at the Boro game unwilling to enforce ticket numbers leaving ticket holders with no seat wher they had bought them. These things present a very amateurish image of the club to outsiders. On the odd occasion we get a big crowd the ticket situation becomes a joke. With stewards telling us we can sit anywhere but people want to sit in the seat that is numbered on their ticket. This has caused arguments among our own supporters. Not good! Language Not happy with the foul and abusive language (chanting) in the JS stand. The stewards do not try to stop it. Entrances and exits to the gents toilets underneath the JS are totally inadequate and create congestion. Foul language should be stamped out – that would encourage more women and children to attend Stopping foul and abusive language would encourage more children to be taken to matches I have been a Notts Co supporters for over 30 years and have supported them through thick and thina nd will continue to do so but the foul language we have to listen to every time we go to a match is very off putting and women and children should not have to do so. Catering Please could you bring up the problem of catering staff in the JS stand as they are useless, also if queuing for beer why do then have to join another queue for food? The club are losing so much money every game due to this problem as peole have not got time to queue for both Food is cold Can we have Sunday matches. Food is not warm enough (cold!) Catering is appalling. Why go to the expense of giving a ticket a turnstile which is of no use Trust doing a very good job – please keep it up. Friends say it is pointless trying to get a pie or pint at ½ time in JS. Twice I have taken my 7-year-old to a game this season and had to go thru separate turnstiles – fortunately a friend stood with him until I got through. This was flagged up in 04 survey. The introduction of bottled beer instead of pouring pints has speeded things up no end. Well done... but does it have to be carling?? almost ANYthing else would be better. If the new shirt is £40, about 20% of fans will buy one. If the new shirt is £20, everyone will buy one. That's just my opinion. Don't appoint Hart. Well done in all your hard work. More healthy food available at tea bars please eg jacket potatoes, cobs etc. too much chips and burgers – smell food – in Derek pavis stand when walking in near tea bar often thick with foul chips and burger smell. Even pervades the toilets. And please ban smoking in the stands. oh and put sanitary bins in the ladies toilets. Introduce a similar scheme to forest for 7 year olds with a free shirt on their birthday – the queue for refreshments before the match and at half time are a free for all – no barrier to help a swift service – introduce a price for admission plus match programme like the vip day does – music and entertainment outside the ground before kick-off to build up atmosphere Catering in the JS stand could be much improved, taking could be 20% higher I very much appreciated the lawton’s bar after the Lincoln City game owing to the meadow club being used as a private function. Many thanks to NCFC Smoking Smoking should be banned at the ground entirely. IMO most of the ‘older’ so-called fans attend matches so they moan about the players. Smoking is a problem in some areas of the ground. Info to supporters regarding re-arranged fixtures in the local press/radio is very poor I feel very strongly that smoking should be banned in all seated areas. Several times I have had to move seats due to someone blowing tobacco smoke in my face. Please restrict smoking to designated areas only. I would like to stress further my feelings on fans smoking whilst at the match. I realise that there is a smoking free area in the family stand but I don’t really wish to sit there, no matter in which other stand I sit or whereabouts within that stand I am subjected to smoking. By the time the game has finished I feel that I have smoked about 20 cigarettes. Why cant we introduce a no smoking policy similar to other clubs – Aston Villa and Plymouth are good examples. Smoking is a problem – it’s a sports club – ban it (in stands) ladies toilets are awful – need renovation. Improve some ‘promotion matches’ info i.e. reduced ticket prices – we travel from north Yorkshire for every game so aren’t able to access local press details – should advise in previous matches. Should improve pre-match build-up for games to try get crowd behind teams ie ½ hr prior to kick-off – pleas consider ½ season tickets but can pick and cjhose games to use them or sell as ‘budle tickets of 5-1. I work shifts so this would be ideal, as would love to buy season tickets but am unable to come to all games . – could provide more ‘rewards’ to loyal fan base at end of season with more promotions and crowd involvement – range of items for sale in club shop is improving but still could do with more improvement. Overall has been some positive changes by club to fans. I would attend more games if smoking were banned. Also i would like to see the family stand just for adults with chidren and more to be done for the junior magpies. Iris and Alan do a great job but I think the club needs to do more for the kids who are after all the supporters of the future. Season/Players I would like the club to try hard to achieve promotion to coca-cola league one. I realise we had to stabilise this season after coming out of administration, but with Notts County’s facilities and to attract more fans to ML, we need to be in a higher division to take this club forward to a better future. Pity the players (some) are not so dedicated as notts fans are. Keep up the good work thanks I live in Berkshire, have done so for 18 years so it is difficult to get to games. Hopefully once the team improves so might the situation at the club as a whole I have to make a 300 mile round trip to watch home games and frankly have'nt bothered this season because of the rising costs of fuel and the poor entertainment value on the pitch. I know its a difficult issue but we need more entertainment on the pitch. Everything is of no consequence if the team continues to perform in this season’s manner. Please , a few more home wins and goals. Then the ratings will soar. Trust seem to be doing a decent job after the piss poor season 04/05 club needs to pull its socks up! Stop treating fans with contempt! Give us the kop! Make meadow lane like a home game, not an away trip with 50 fans making all the noise. In my opinion the players do not share the same ambition as the supporters, trust, management, why? I get the feeling that whoever the manager is if the players do not want to play for him. They don’t/wont or at least do not give 100% My attendance falling due to quality of football. Family stand good value admission prices. Home kit replicas poor quality. Stewards can be antagonistic. Trust needs to provide more info on its activities The atmosphere at the home games has been poor – due to the fact that the teams performance has been so poor There is a need to provide stability from a football management viewpoint. The last 2 home games have been poor and frankly boring. For someone who travels a 120 mile round trip for each home game I need to see a real sense of direction and purpose on the field of play. Without such a consistent approach long distance supporters will undoubtedly drift away. If the players put as much effort and interest into their game as a large proportion of their supporters put into keeping this grand old club going we wouldn’t be in this position – I mean near the bottom of the old style fourth division a lot of their play is sloppy and lazy and one of the worst offenders is Kelvin Wilson, yes golden boy! They played well today though (Lincoln city) even bolland Important to get things right on the pitch next season. Fans have been patient but now need to see progression. The annoying thing is we have quality players but not a quality team. Q8 has been answered as poor value because of the on the pitch activity this season. I don’t understand why a new kit is being issued again at extra expense to many fans otherwise no complaints. For the 1st time in 27 years I cannot get enthusiastic about the coming season. Many feel the same as their loyalty is being truly tested by awful players who don’t share the same passion. If notts loses fans and fails to attract new ones the consequences are dire. Supporters direct should be doing more to drive down ticket prices – particularly in the lower leagues where ‘value for money’ is clearly a problem. One more season f failure, without any serious drop in admission prices and the fans will disappear in droves –not what we need Can we buy Thierry henry I think overall it has been a poor season, the atmosphere matters on and off the pitch have all influenced the team performance. I am personally very frustrated with decisions the board has made and for the 1st time in many years I often think twice about whether to attend the matches. At present I am very uncertain whether to renew my season ticket as to me it’s not good value for money If only the players showed the same amount of passion as that of the trust board and the fans then we would have gone up this season Club well run and friendly but lack of results have stopped me going so much We cannot afford premiership standards on the park, but 100% fitness and enthusiasm can take us up from division 2. the youth players must be encouraged and pride in the club and its traditions fostered at all levels. Having watched Notts County for approx 50 years, the good and the bad, I feel the last few seasons have been very disappointing. The fact I get my season ticker at a reduced price is the only factor that may sway me to renew, but a lot of home games are very very poor and I may decide not to renew. Trust Interest in NCFC in 1920’s, season ticket 57 yrs. In main stand, member of lifeline from star, life member of trust, member of 1862 club, 20 odd years in supporters club in 50’s/60’s, seen ups and downs over the years. Enjoyed every season (Approx 80 yrs). In my judgement I cannot think of a better club to support. I hope the trust can take the club to better times. I am now 87 I have supported notts for twenty years and the fans are and have always been poorly comunicated to by the club . there has been a slight improvement since the introdution of the trust but as a fan the club are slow comunicate with their fan base. I also feel when the club sets finacial targets they need to be relistic take this season we set target for a average attendance of 5000 when our average for this season was 4750 so we were aways budgeting for a successful season , you should budget for a average season then any success means extra revenue. There are many fans like myself who don't live in Nottingham or the surrounding area - this often appears to be overlooked by NCFC & the Trust. There are opportunities to improve here (e.g. the problems of all ticket matches) and potentially more members out there (perhaps using distant fans to rope others in). The Club wrote off this season VERY early indeed. No ambition at all. I remember reading in the programme for the Mansfield home game that THEY were challenging for a play-off spot. We had by then I assume given up. It was FEBRUARY !! Since becoming a Trust member I have not been asked for an opinion on any subject. The first knowledge of issues still seems to be after the event or when a "Trust welcomes" statement is proclaimed. The trust should contact members if it has any intention of buying more shares in the club. It should not do so until full consultation with members Keep up the good work! the supporters trust is excactly that....'supporters' trust but seems to run around one person!! that is why there are not more members. Communication is poor along with representation, down to the supporters and even more so the none We need to be even more aggressive in our marketing of both club and trust to the world outside of notts county – q8 value overall is poor because of how appalling the home form has been this season. Everything else is fine, but the football is why we are here. I wish the board at ML would try to be more clear to the supporters about their aims for the future The blaming the trust for everything is boring and irrelevant the internal politics is also dull notts have a chance of gaining ground and support against the ‘evil empire’ now is the chance to take advantage, we must not waste it. The club needs stability and the best route is via increased shareholding of the supporters trust. I apologise for the low number of matches attended , but our daughter is an impoverished student and a passionate wednesdayite (she finds notts too small and too quiet) so I end up following them home and away when I would otherwise be at a notts match. the rift between the Wednesday board and the club’s own supporters trust will hamper progress for years and is surely an example of how not to operate The formation of the trust was a big step forward In the last 18 months the running of the club has got worse I have moved to the pavis stand because of the poor behaviour (aimed at our
own players0 by certain members of the JS stand. I am proud to be a member of
the trust and a notts supporter and would like to congratulate the trust board
for their hard work – it is really appreciated by the silent majority Keep up the good work that you will do at the club Living so far from the lane it is impossible to attend all matches and although its been a disappointing season results wise, I think the trust is doing a fantastic job of helping to keep out club afloat in increasingly difficult circumstances. I would like to give heartfelt thanks to everyone who gives up their time and energy helping the club move forwards. ‘come on you pies’ Individual officers are very hardworking on behalf of Trust and the club. Think Steve Thompson is in an almost impossible situation at times and handles it very well. members you should be vying to get on board. NCFC the club is heading in the right direction, however i would add that to make the club successful at home, you have to mirror other clubs and stop giving the away supporters the bset spot in the whole ground. Your should use the family stand for them!! it'll hold 1500 and no one has bought more than two clubs this season, policing is easy....coahes pull up and drop into ground, as for trouble outside....the fans always mingle!! read ALWAYS mingl Notts is now run by people who care passionately about the club. They are accessible to all fans....how many other clubs offer the opportunities to question, chief exec, supporter / director / chairman, and the team manager?....not many i suspect!! Keep up the good work Although I have marked the catering staff low, I believe that the problem is the facilities, and that the staff do the best job they can with them. The Trust takes on board the views of its members - I have marked this very low because apart from a few meeting sometime ago we now only get informed via email or mail. When the trust started and got a member on the board. I and others were lead to believe that none board members would have an influence on decisions that the club make. When questioned about this during the few public meeting that have been held the reply was "it's not possible to vote every decision that needs to be made at the club". I would agree that it is not possible to vote on all decisions as nothing w Keep up the good work - don't spend any money we haven't got!! Its about time more NCFC fans took on membership of the Supporters Trust. I have spoken to fans and it is just laziness. Maybe we can send out details from the clubs database? The Trust provides a real interface between the fans and the club. Trust members get decent access to information and club officials to be able to make informed decisions. I feel the trust rules with its head where as the supporters club is more 'heart based. We have to be realistic. This club will take off once we get a team to put in consistent decent performances. Just keep doing what you are and we'll make it in the end!! Club is going nowhere. Although Board appears to have a grand 3-5 year plan it is just talk without any action seen. Board should be more realistic with fans - no use saying the team is doing well by beating top teams when they are at the wrong end of the table. It may be because geographically I am some distance from Nottingham and therefore miss much of the local media coverage but I feel even as a Trust member that beyond saving and ensuring future existence of NCFC I am unsure of the Trusts aims and objectives. As a member living away from Nottm, I have found the Trust essential for keeping me informed, especially during the period of administration. I am extremely impressed by the way the Trust has contributed to the survival of NCFC. Excellent newsletter and a real feeling that everyone associated with the Trust is 110% committed . well done everyone NCFC has never told its supporters what’s happening, only now do they give good info to the trust and the trust only came into being due to NCFC being on the verge of collapse; if they want our help , why not keep us more informed, after all, it is our club. The trust was set up to give fans an opportunity to have a say in how the club is run – or at least to be able to voice our opinions to the board. While I believe that the trust still offers that opportunity to the fans and works hard on our behalf, the club are clearly not listening , or worse, not interested in our opinions – the current manager situation being a classic example Please would the trust have info handed out at other turnstiles besides main entrance. Also when certain players could be brought to meadow lane, but a lack of money to do so perhaps approach trust members asking if it would be possible to help in purchase or loan expenses. Trust doing an excellent job. Matches limited due to family/children and partner working weekends. Ticketing/organisation v Boro terrible What right as an organisation have you got to ask supporters what their household income is, unless there’s a hidden agenda. Also you seem to have missed the masson suite of your list in Q8 or do people with money dictate to you The club and supporters trust seem to be working hard to get the football club back on track financially and this is a good thing. Sometimes both are guilty of not answering emails/offers of help which can lead to frustration through the supporters trust is, IMO, the only way NCFC is able to survive in the future. We have to ‘make haste slowly’ seek in on pitch success but not at a cost we cannot afford. I think the Trust are doing their best to get the club on an even keel, and in the long term it will pay and we can look to better things in the league The Trust is very good at communicating on 'everyday' matters such as facilities, ticket prices, etc. However, I would appreciate more information on the broader issues such as club finances and future direction of the Trust. The fans appear to have a say on the small matters, but are less involved when it comes to more strategic and wider-reaching issues. The Trust should aim to control the club, as a minority stake is only just more valuable than none at all in terms of true power to run the club. Keep up the good work and commitment which is appreciated. I'm a Southampton based member of the trust and thank you for all your hard work and excellent communications which keep me fully up to speed with what is happening at the club From a fan that is too far from home!!! Great feedback and info supplied by the trust. Well done The trust is keen to promote ideas and bring them into action. The trust is the way forward for NCFC and could do with wider membership Keep up the good work and thanks for all the hard work you do/done in saving this club I always buy a 50/50 ticket. I would think that half the time last year there was no ticket seller. – supporters trust life membership is too expensive. Should be 100 and 50 for under and over 65 respectively. Would you pay 200 if over 65 and yearly costs 5. Miscellaneous Fantastic . keep it up. Loved ya for 25 years. Love ya forever super notts I’m loving it Off-street parking around the ground poor The public areas of the ground including the bar behind the executive boxes needs tidying up Keep the faith I would like to see the club make better use of an excellent staium- England U21 games perhaps? Free parking close to the stadium would also help soften the effects of a 3 hour trip to home games NCST asked for additional funds to be started for player purchases, salaries, loans etc – never taken up. Would attend more matches if I lived nearer. Bristol is 157 miles away Was sorry the building of new stands to be more important (seasons after 1992) than securing better players and moving into higher football leagues. Do we really want the finest ground in the conference league? Pleased about reinstating reserved match programmes Although I was previously a season ticket holder for almost 30 years I have covered notts county events from the press box for the nottingham topper for the last ten years so I am currently not well qualified to comment on ticket prices or catering facilities When I come down I stay at derby friend’s house. Have you got any supporters who could give me and partner a lift to the club and back. Willing to pay. Interesting that I as a full time coach could not afford to work fo rthe club that I support 50/50 tickets I enetr the ground at on of the county road stiles nearest the city. I have heard on the grapevine that saul deeney has been offered less money next year than he already receives allowing him to go on a free this summer. If this is true I amongst many others would be very disappointed as this lad is a bloody good keeper who has prospered this season and will only get better. Try and remember saul deeney’s and Stefan oakes contracts – big playes for notts – executive packages – 3 carvery etc excellent prices. New season ticket offer – 30 seems very good value I am unable to help further after 58 years I have had to stop attending games owing to illness I think both the club and trust could do more to encourage a more diverse fan base. Nottingham has a large black/asian community who rarely attend games. Perhaps a more positive message that NCFC is a friendly welcoming club Notts County should promote the fact that we are the oldest football league club a lot more Why is it impossible to sell away programmes. There is a guy on stand opposite the ncfc shop selling 2.50 away programmes at 3, so its hardly unviable. There are two options, do the same or take a non-refundable 10 at the start of the season 50 people = 500 in bank surely you cant lose that sort of money selling programmes Fans given bans under PACT need to be given a fair hearing by the club. The majority of supports banned under PACT are season ticket holders, trust members and most significantly from families that have supported the club for generations. If the club think that non-attendance is limited to the growing number of individuals banned they are serverly mistaken! I live in Glasgow and attend as many games as I can. Can you send me details of the supporters club please. I am concerned over the involvement of Patrick Nelson - will he be involved in the club next season and if so, who will be paying his wages? As far as I can see, his involvement this season has brought very little benefit to the club. The club should maximise the facilities at the ground more. EG. During the summer other clubs make money from Concerts which Notts should look in to. There is little income during the summer, except from conference facilities. Season in season out all at the club fail to miss one VERY big point. The
majority would like to see an old fashioned style Black & White Striped shirt
return on the backs of the players. No student ideas or fancy frills. Bring back
true sharp and powerful Black & White. Even Newcastle (not the original Magpies)
have a more dominate Black & White. Start getting the tradition back at the
club. PLEASE!!!!! Tony Emslie, lifelong supporter since late 1968. I find that some of the publicity and newsbytes that emanate from the club are very frustrating. Often they are not genuine items of hard, breaking news and encourage an element of cynicism, particularly from people looking at the club from outside. Newbytes. Often these contain quotes from players that I am very sceptical and as a supporter, embarrassed about. I think it unlikely that players said what is credited to them and could prove a rod for the back of the players concerned when things are not going too well. New Signings. Over the last few months the press, radio and the club's website have frequently carried reports of imminent signings - this is not my imagination or that of other fans - but in the end there are no new signings. When these statements are made and nothing material follows the club looks foolish and people do not believe it when further reports promise the same. This came to a head at transfer deadline when it was promised that two players were coming in. This was in the press and on the club's website. It was not until I received my Evening Post at 4:00pm on transfer deadline day that I found the Directors had vetoed these signings. Why was the club made to look so foolish over this matter? Why, if there was no money available, was this not clearly stated and the club's supporters told unambiguously that there would be no signings, rather than allow lan Richardson to proceed and then have the rug pulled from under him at the last minute? Following this the Chief Executive said that lan Richardson had been allowed to make new signings. In saying this he sited Wayne Henderson and Rob Elliot, who were direct replacements for Steve Mildenhall and thus, not an increase to the playing establishment. Only Reuben Zabkovic has been an addition to the squad, although in my eyes he replaces Kudosovic, who was mistakenly allowed to further his career in Ireland, because the club would not offer him a contract, despite him turning in excellent performances for the reserves. I know there are many supporters that were very impressed by his brief appearances for the first team. Reuben, at eighteen years of age, is in any case an investment for the future. Having seen him play his last reserve match, I think the club would have to have been blind not to see his immense potential, as a player and a financial investment. Season Tickets. The statement that season ticket prices have not risen seems fine on the surface, but as someone who watched all nine home reserve matches this season, I feel that taking these matches out of the games covered by the season ticket increases the average cost per game. If the reserve games are taken out of the contract I feel that something of equal value should be substituted in. I would also add that having my dinner at Meadow Lane before matches is not a consideration that particularly attracts me. The last two years I have been settling down after going through a divorce and after retiring from work early on health grounds. The pleasure I have had from attending the reserve fixtures has been something that I value. I know this is the same for hundreds of other people. It has also been a chance to see young players at other clubs who are making their way in the game. In addition, I worry for the match fitness of players not consistency in the County first team. To jump from youth team football to Division Two football seems a big step. I have seen a proposal by Carlton Palmer at Mansfield reported, suggesting the establishment of a league of Midland reserves sides meeting on a friendly basis (ie. no points) to give the chances for youth players to get the chance of playing with more seasoned professionals. I never thought I would agree with him on anything, but I do find the proposal sensible and prudent. If supporters had the freedom to watch these matches, all well and good. The website. When I went onto the Internet, at the end of January, I registered on the NCFC website. I find now that I cannot get beyond the opening page, since it does not recognise my user number, email address or password, however carefully I key them in. I have emailed the club about this, but without reply, or a change in my experience when trying to get onto the site. I find it ironic that I have none of this problem with non-league sites that I regularly visit - the secret is the absence of any logging-in procedure! All I want is news about the' club, not to tap into state secrets, or invest
heavily in merchandising. [ 2005 Fans Survey Results | You and Notts County | Matchday Experience | Notts County Supporters Trust | Your Comments ] |
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