5,000 sold

[Regiment]

From that article it would appear that you CAN buy them on the day despite what we're being told.

I think that would be the sensible option, but is anyone miffed that the cheap tickets are now being increased?

i am a little miffed to be honest. i requested a £36 ticket, behind the goal/singing section, and instead got a £36 ticket in the corner. I'd have rather paid £26 and been in the singing section (despite my decision being based on the fact i wanted to be slightly further back from the pitch), but now the £26 tickets are being spread into the corners, can i expect a £10 per ticket refund ???

[Dave]

Should imagine the football league would have had to book the venue for the play-off finals before the season started,had Accrington made it through then OldTrafford would have been seen as the right place,and its not that easy to change at such a late stage,they just can not ring Reading and say,its Torquay/Stevenage any chance we can use your ground.

maybe the football league could have booked an alternate venue,say Villa park in case two southern teams made it then you might have had a situatuion of the league 1 play-off final being played somewehre different,however dont think it would have gone down to well with Manchester united had the football league switvhed the match at a late stage.

The klux of the issue to me is the football league giving a space of just 1 week between the semi and the final,clubs like Torquay and Stevenage do not have the man power funds,or ultra modern phone systems,to handle such a big game in just a week.

I phoned Old Trafford Tuesday moring to book a car park space,there phone system told me where i was in the queue,and after a minute or so gave the option to press 9 and enter my phone number for a ring back when it was my turn,5 minutes later i got a call,spoke to a very plesent lady,the very next morning my pass arrived in the post.

There is one major difference here they are Man.u we are Torq.u ,our club has done its best under circumstances hopefully for all those waiting all will end well.

[HRG]

It's a shame but as others have said times are tough and since it's on the telly the cheaper option is to watch it at home.
Not that it matters now but I would have got a £26 pound ticket, add on the £5 postage charge and it would have cost me £31. Yesterday I discovered a hole in my daughters school shoes. The money I would have spent on a ticket will replace these shoes and her need is greater than a football match.
Maybe this makes me a bad supporter but I'd rather be a better parent.

Damn the recession, damn Clarks and damn the FL.

[royalgull]

a) if it was booked at the start of the season, what odds were Accy to make it?
b) Why should they get preferential treatment? also Accrington wouldn't have sold 20,000 tickets anyway.

Simply book the venue in the middle of the country somewhere, there are a host of clubs with a 25,000+ capacity ground that would cover fans of all League 2 clubs pretty much. There isn't any club that averages more than 11,000 so play it at Villa Park. 45,000 ish capacity, 20,000 tickets each, sorted.

[diamondgirl]

Although it's lovely to go to Wembley Old Trafford etc. I think the Football League should look the teams contesting these finals, look at their average gate, add a few on and choose a ground of appropriate size. As I say it's wonderful to go to these places, but cr*p if the stadium is half empty. It would also help if they could take into account the distance that fans have to travel.

[royalgull]

it's all about money diamondgirl. They couldn't give a monkey's toss about fans that go to games, it's all to feed the armchair supporters that pay them their subscription money.

The Football League has an agreement with the FA and Wembley Stadium to stage all Football League finals at the national stadium. They have had to wriggle out of this contract to host the Champions League final instead, because of the money it generates to help pay off this sensational debt that Wembley Stadium has. It leaves them a day and a half to turn it around, get rid of UEFA and set up for the Championship Play Off final. I know they usually like a week minimum to set up everything for this and they've got a day and a half, they are shitting it. But they'll move the LEague 1 and 2 finals over to make way for UEFA and their £Â£Ã‚£Ã‚£'s but they wouldn't move the Championship final, why's that? Oh because the crowds going to be 80,000! and could Wembley afford to miss out on that? now there's a thought....

The decision to host the games at Old Trafford will be down to money and not conveniance for those actually involved. Either that or knowing them it will be a case of 'old Trafford then' because it's the biggest. Despite the fact you've got Torquay, Stevenage, Peterborough and Huddersfield going there.

[exmouthgull1]

that stevenage article just shows how out of touch people at the football league and MUFC are from the real world, do they not realise that we ordinary fans reel at having to pay £20 to get into bradford and chesterfield, whu on earth do they think many of us will be interested in paying up to £56 for a ticket?? just because OT gets filled with 80,000 every week doesnt mean that we'll be doing the same. hopefully the next days final should have a reasonable crowd, at least treble ours i imagine (because of hudders huge turnout?) but stadium will be 3/4 full at best.

good to hear that cheap seat been extended but theres only tomorrow to go to buy tickets before the inevitable announcement that tickets will be sold on the day

3/4 full is a bit hopeful, going on what the stevenage chairman has said and some newspaper articles I would be very surprised if its even half full.

[Plymouth Gull]

He is talking about the Huddersfield - Peterborough game, exmouthgull.

I'd expect about 55,000 for that one, personally.

[exmouthgull1]

oh my bad

[Dave]

a) if it was booked at the start of the season, what odds were Accy to make it?
b) Why should they get preferential treatment? also Accrington wouldn't have sold 20,000 tickets anyway.

Simply book the venue in the middle of the country somewhere, there are a host of clubs with a 25,000+ capacity ground that would cover fans of all League 2 clubs pretty much. There isn't any club that averages more than 11,000 so play it at Villa Park. 45,000 ish capacity, 20,000 tickets each, sorted.

It is not about Accrington,or whehter league 2 is a northern or southern based division,the football league would have to have booked the stadium before the season start,they could not have waited to see who gets into the final,you have arrange police/security,print tickets,programme,match day hospitality and list goes on and on ,also you have to factor in clubs that wish to carry out close seaon work on there grounds,you just cant ring up a club and say it two southern based team's can we use your ground on saturday.

The point is where ever the league had booked this there would have been complaints,just imagine they had booked Reading's ground instead on Old Trafford,and it was a Bury v Macclesfield final,personaly delighted to be going to O/T,can't stand Man.u,however allways wanted to go Old Trafford.

[DavetheRave]

If Saturdays game was on at Wembley do you reckon we would have got 35-40,000 for it, surely?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 382167.stm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Torquay v Ebsfleet 40,186 in 2008

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 038429.stm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Torquay v Cambridge 35,089 in 2009

[royalgull]

If they'd booked a fair size ground in the midlands and said this was done to cover all eventualities, could anyone honestly moan too much? Considering these are all 30,000+ grounds and not one side in LEague 2 gets more than 12,000 as a home gate.

Booking it in Manchester or booking it in the South isn't fair.

I find it hard to believe that one of, Aston Villa, Derby, Leicester, Stoke, Wolves, Coventry or Forest couldn't have staged this event and done it well. Certainly for League 2 anyway.

[Fletch]

The decision on OT was made in January according to the FL site. Still pants though...

[bixieupnorth]

assume you mean CAN'T stand man u forever?? i feckin hate em with a passion, and would rather it was anywhere than there!! makes me shudder to think i'm gonna be stood where they assemble quietly every other week in their stupified masses!!

[Dave]

If they'd booked a fair size ground in the midlands and said this was done to cover all eventualities, could anyone honestly moan too much? Considering these are all 30,000+ grounds and not one side in LEague 2 gets more than 12,000 as a home gate.

Booking it in Manchester or booking it in the South isn't fair.

I find it hard to believe that one of, Aston Villa, Derby, Leicester, Stoke, Wolves, Coventry or Forest couldn't have staged this event and done it well. Certainly for League 2 anyway.

Dont diss-argee Villa Park would have done just fine,however my general point is,the decision would have been taken a while ago i thought probaly before the start of the season,however Fletch has pointed out January,which does not surprise me with all goes into the organization for this type of match.

That decision was Old trafford and nothing could have been done to change it once signed,we have to accept it and get on with it,for me if this match was at ibrox i would have got there some how.

And think of this way one and all,saturday the mighty Torquay united get to take the streford end,how about that then