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ale shark

Quote:

MikeGC
When discussing these things why does nobody ever mention Sunday afternoon games.

Zero corporates on a Sunday. Saturdays maybe, Sundays they're not interested.

I'm sure that's why the franchise won't do it but it doesn't answer the "why don't the FANS discuss it ?" point

Quote:

MikeGC

Quote:

ale shark

Quote:

MikeGC
When discussing these things why does nobody ever mention Sunday afternoon games.

Zero corporates on a Sunday. Saturdays maybe, Sundays they're not interested.

I'm sure that's why the franchise won't do it but it doesn't answer the "why don't the FANS discuss it ?" point

Iirc we did discuss it a lot as an option when we first moved to the AJ Bell...and it finished third in a poll. Main reason was family time I think...

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In the Telegraph article linked to the "Premiership Turnover etc."thread, a location just off a motorway and close to a major city is described as ideal.

I find that thought provoking, even though I regretted the move from EP ... for mostly selfish reasons I confess!

I know hindsight is marvellous but if the money that Sale have now lost on ticket sales had been invested in EP then the stadium would have met everyone's expectations by now. Also the 4 or 5k spectators minus could have been 4 or 5k plus.

phrased more constructively, the drip feed of losses from running a non owned stadium with infrastructure which will be no better than serviceable for several years hence, could be better spent as a lump sum on a location which micht be fully fit for purpose on day 1.

The problem with harking back to the extra 4-5 thousand that we wouldn't have lost was that they had already gone.
I remember the last season at EP and the stands were empty
The 'official' figures included st holders who had given up going and who, in all probability, wouldn't have renewed wherever we were.

Dismissing the official stats because they don't support your contention is the same tactic that Sean Spicer used about Trump's inauguration crowd, just in reverse, and just about as credible.

Clearly the attendances were significantly down from the full-houses of the seasons we were in contention for honours, but, unless I was hallucinating, "empty" is a gross overstatement. We'd be pretty pleased if we could get around 8000 now!

The idea that a large proportion of ST holders would desert en masse part way through a season seems far-fetched. I had one, as did the three friends I regularly attended with, and continued to attend even when the experience wasn't likely to be rewarding!

Rather than the location, it was the change of matchday that scuppered my attendance as I had family commitments on Saturdays. And since then of course I had to find other things to do Friday evenings!

Any new stadium needs to be in South Manchester / Cheshire boarder, with lots of parking and near a train station.

It is death by a thousand cuts at the AJ Bell.

The last seasons at EP were disappointing because of KJ & then Brewer. The loss of CH was highly significant - as is the loss of Chips now.

EP was good at attracting walk-ups but not corporates. Hardly any walk-ups come to the AJB - the bums on seats there are only ST holders & corporates.

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There are no ants in Antarctica despite the name.

I find my self agreeing with Mts T..

Resign!

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There are no ants in Antarctica despite the name.

Thought this was worth a bump after last nights chaos?

Same old same old. Not sure if the bridge will solve our problems, even once its decided who will adopt it

It is strange. Other than a stoppage on the M6 we got through to the AJB without any problem. The A57, fortunately, is no use to anyone other than those coming from the west. I say unfortunately because if it were useful to a significant number of supporters it would be clogged up just as the other roads are. It's all very well someone in a report saying that new stadia need to be close to motorways but the AJ Bell is too close to a motorway which is probably one of the busiest in Britain. Ther is just too little choice of for the bulk of the supporters to get there, other than the worst (when congested) route. Friday nights Are usually the most congested time, and while I much prefer them it is (unfortunately) a complete nonsense playing the majority of games on a Friday night (at the AJ Bell).

There are two answers 1) gat a better placed stadium 2) play on a Saturday or Sunday.

It would be interesting to know how many, or perhaps how few, the free Warburton bridge actually helps. Obviously it's not enough to alleviate the pressure on the main entry routes.

Just to add on, there must have been a couple of thousand last night who missed a significant proportion of the game. I wonder at what time the last to arrive did arrive. Perhaps, as well as the attendance, we could have guess the time of the last arrival and/or the slowest average speed taken to get there.

Quote:

DaveAitch
Just to add on, there must have been a couple of thousand last night who missed a significant proportion of the game. I wonder at what time the last to arrive did arrive. Perhaps, as well as the attendance, we could have guess the time of the last arrival and/or the slowest average speed taken to get there.

or set off for the game and never made it at all!

I'm still struggling with the fact that we didn't make it from Ashton on Mersey and ended up turning round and going home to watch it on TV. Feel sort of robbed. Tickets are not cheap and you don't expect not to be able to get to a game at all

At 8pm we were still a mile away from our parking spot at Eccles RLFC and the traffic on the A57 on the Eccles side just didn't move at all. We couldn't even get on to the A57 as all the roads leading onto it were backed up and also not moving at all. The queue actually extended off the A57 and along Barton Rd towards the swing bridge when we gave up

I've always been very positive about the stadium and I'm a glass half empty sort of person. In the 5 years at the AJB the first issues we had were the last game v Toulouse when the journey took us c40 mins instead of 20-25. This time I think we would have missed most of the 2nd half as well if we had carried on

My thinking is that its the A57 going to a single lane and being diverted down Stadium Way that has caused the major change for the last 2 games. Without that this sort of crowd used to be just about manageable with a some delays for some people but nothing like the carnage of last night



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 28/10/2017 14:48 by ashtonshark.

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ashtonshark

Quote:

DaveAitch
Just to add on, there must have been a couple of thousand last night who missed a significant proportion of the game. I wonder at what time the last to arrive did arrive. Perhaps, as well as the attendance, we could have guess the time of the last arrival and/or the slowest average speed taken to get there.

or set off for the game and never made it at all!

I'm still struggling with the fact that we didn't make it from Ashton on Mersey and ended up turning round and going home to watch it on TV. Feel sort of robbed. Tickets are not cheap and you don't expect not to be able to get to a game at all


At 8pm we were still a mile away from our parking spot at Eccles RLFC and the traffic on the A57 on the Eccles side just didn't move at all. We couldn't even get on to the A57 as all the roads leading onto it were backed up and also not moving at all. The queue actually extended off the A57 and along Barton Rd towards the swing bridge when we gave up


I've always been very positive about the stadium and I'm a glass half empty sort of person. In the 5 years at the AJB the first issues we had were the last game v Toulouse when the journey took us c40 mins instead of 20-25. This time I think we would have missed most of the 2nd half as well if we had carried on

My thinking is that its the A57 going to a single lane and being diverted down Stadium Way that has caused the major change for the last 2 games. Without that this sort of crowd used to be just about manageable with a some delays for some people but nothing like the carnage of last night

I think your last paragraph is absolutely right

I would agree too as that was my experience at the Gloucester game, which was the first time that the "old" route to Barton wasn't available. I had to miss the Toulouse game but the anecdotal evidence seems to stack up.

You're very negative about the toll bridge, Dave. No, it clearly didn't alleviate the pressure on Barton Bridge last night but there were a confluence of problems on main arteries; added to that, many people might not know about it. The first I knew that the toll bridge existed was the previous game when it was made free - I've never had cause to be anywhere near that route or to know about it. I experimented last night and it saved the evening for me. It was a cruise down towards Barton and if you say two people per car, an extra 500 cars spread over an hour or two should be manageable - that's 1,000 on the gate.

(I've no idea if my maths of cars per minute makes remote sense or is undercooked, but it's an example).

If you are capable of walking, park on the Eccles side of the motorway. 20 minute walk. I was home in Stockport on Friday bang on 10pm.Took me an hour and a half to get there though.

One hour and twenty minutes. Dreadful.

I took 2 first timers to the game on Friday. Given the traffic and awful service in the West stand, both said they would not come again. They wished we had stayed in the Brook and watched it on TV.

The service was as bad as the traffic. Staff are incapable of pulling 2 pints at the same time. And both steak pies were taken back. Burnt base, resembling a house brick. Exchanged for a different variety after the staff said they were all like that.

On the plus side, even though we lost, we all enjoyed the game.

A friend of mine went last Friday for the first time, with 3 other newbies.
They arrived in time to watch the teams coming out at half time - sadly, he told me today that he/they won't be coming back again.

I think we need to see what impact the new bridge and new road have when/if they open

If the M60 was as logjammed as Friday, you are still going to get stuck getting to the new bridge imho. Hope I'm proved wrong.

Timperley and Flumpty, I'm sure you will find those first timers' experiences of Friday aren't the reason they are not coming back. No, it'll be because of something one of the "negatives" has written on here that has made the decision for them. Or so some would have us believe.

I would expect the new bridge will help slightly, as will using the Warburton bridge, but, and it's a big but, the two combined won't make enough of a difference. Another few hundred on the gate and it'll be back to square one, if you don't mind a reference to football.

The new bridge has quite a few roundabouts from memory so I'm not sure it is going to be the saviour which a lot of people hope for.

Certainly the last two games have been impacted by the A57 traffic coming up stadium way and past the Barley Farm as opposed to continuing on up the A57. Traffic flow has been at the mercy of the traffic management controllers who allow stadium traffic to cross the main flow and come up to the stadium.

Swanny - can you confirm what the plan is for the Sarries game in a couple of Friday's?

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DaveAitch
Timperley and Flumpty, I'm sure you will find those first timers' experiences of Friday aren't the reason they are not coming back. No, it'll be because of something one of the "negatives" has written on here that has made the decision for them. Or so some would have us believe.

I did point out that it was the worst trip to Sale that I'd had in 6 years and that generally, whilst the last couple of miles can be a bit snarly,its never stopped me seeing all of a game - but I'm not sure that I convinced him.

Maybe, possibly, perhaps he'll take me up on the offer of a lift when the games move to Saturdays.

The daft thing is, Flumpty, that I got through quite easily (on A57 from the west), and parked in the stadium. Had they come with me they would have been quite impressed how easy they got to the ground, and if they stopped for a drink afterwards they wouldn't have known about the lock-down for fifteen minutes or so after the game, so the journey out would have seemed good too. (The lock-down is a bit of a pain but I quite understand the need for it - parking elsewhere is an option for me, but not for at least two of the other three who come with me.)

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Timperley Shark
One hour and twenty minutes. Dreadful.
I took 2 first timers to the game on Friday. Given the traffic and awful service in the West stand, both said they would not come again. They wished we had stayed in the Brook and watched it on TV.

The service was as bad as the traffic. Staff are incapable of pulling 2 pints at the same time. And both steak pies were taken back. Burnt base, resembling a house brick. Exchanged for a different variety after the staff said they were all like that.

Agreed. I don't think the staff in the West Stand kiosk could have served slower if they had tried when I was queuing for a half time pint. Despite being fairly close to the front off the queue it took me nearly all of the break to get served. Around me in the queue there were plenty of comments about this.

Traffic was the worst we've ever had. Arriving at the ground at around 7.55 I breathed a sigh of relief, at least I'd made it, only to be greeted by a car park attendant telling me that I'd have to wait as he had no change...

Quote:

DaveAitch
The daft thing is, Flumpty, that I got through quite easily (on A57 from the west), and parked in the stadium. Had they come with me they would have been quite impressed how easy they got to the ground, and if they stopped for a drink afterwards they wouldn't have known about the lock-down for fifteen minutes or so after the game, so the journey out would have seemed good too. (The lock-down is a bit of a pain but I quite understand the need for it - parking elsewhere is an option for me, but not for at least two of the other three who come with me.)

I'd looked at carrying on down the M6 last Friday and taking the A57, but the matrix signs were showing 1 hour delay between M6 junct 27 & junct 26, so I'd have have like the Christmas turkey if I'd taken that route as well.

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Bull Shark

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Timperley Shark
One hour and twenty minutes. Dreadful.
I took 2 first timers to the game on Friday. Given the traffic and awful service in the West stand, both said they would not come again. They wished we had stayed in the Brook and watched it on TV.

The service was as bad as the traffic. Staff are incapable of pulling 2 pints at the same time. And both steak pies were taken back. Burnt base, resembling a house brick. Exchanged for a different variety after the staff said they were all like that.

Agreed. I don't think the staff in the West Stand kiosk could have served slower if they had tried when I was queuing for a half time pint. Despite being fairly close to the front off the queue it took me nearly all of the break to get served. Around me in the queue there were plenty of comments about this.

Traffic was the worst we've ever had. Arriving at the ground at around 7.55 I breathed a sigh of relief, at least I'd made it, only to be greeted by a car park attendant telling me that I'd have to wait as he had no change...

In general terms the stadium experience is a bad one when purchasing food and drink, which is why I now bring my own! It makes me smile that for the LAST FIVE YEARS people have been bemoaning the standard of service AND STILL the stadium operators don't engage with the people who use the facilities to improve their service.

Timpers, which way do you go to the stadium. M60 or Warburton Bridge?

There are exceptional issues with the roads right now around the stadium, even in relation to the last five years. As much as it frustrates the hell out of me I still think we need to remain at the AJB. A lot of people are speculating on the success/failure of the new road infrastructure/bridge when they open. We need to judge our long-term position when they are fully operational. In all honesty, a new stadium is IMHO just a pipe dream that's easily 10 years away if not more.