Right from the initial game against Banik Ostrava, Boro have confounded the supporters regarding ticket applications. Credit to the club in the first instance for giving priority to the longest serving season ticket holders.
However, Boro stressed that supporters should not arrange travel arrangements before they get a ticket, only to find that on the application form for tickets you had to include details of your travel arrangements!
In the case of the Egaleo game the problem was compounded by the short lead-time and the late arrival of tickets. But even so, with the demand so low it would have been simple for the club to contact those supporters applying by post, just to say you will be getting a ticket, go ahead and make any travel arrangements.
Details for the Villarreal game were announced over four weeks before the game, yet with just a week to go Boro have announced that they have requested extra tickets.
Surely it would be easy to keep a check on the number of applications and on, or soon after the closing date, make the request for additional tickets. But no, Boro wait a week before they announce that the ticket application has been over subscribed and additional tickets were being requested.
In addition, I have heard a number of disturbing rumours that applications, which included White Book holders, were being discarded. There was definitely no mention that Red Book holders would get priority treatment over White Book holders, when the details were announced.
I think one of the main issues is communication, of which there has been little. Keep the supporters informed, thats all that most of us want, instead of us hounding the Ticket Office staff, and enduring several minutes of the dreadful Pig Bag tune.
I could go on but it gets me wound up, how a well established Premiership club with a superb stadium and training facilities, can run such a ‘second division’ Ticket Office. Gripe over.
Editors Note! – well nearly over, just to rub salt into the wounds, yours truly was successful in his application for tickets, however, our great institution called the Royal Mail has gone and lost them!!!