Disgrace

[St.Ricky]

Suggestion.  Clubs should advise visiting fans when their Ticket Office will Open before a game  e.gg. 2pm. I asked beforehand but could get no information. Had it been open in the morning I could have bought my ticket before going for lunch and been able to both reduce the pressure nearer the start of the game and got in on time.

[Al Bundy]

21 minutes ago, munoz said:

I suppose they're relatively new to the championship having been a lower league team for a number of years, so this might explain their inability to cope with a large traveling support. 

I think that's making excuses for them Munoz as they've already played Falkirk at home this season not to mention Hibs and Dundee Utd last season.

As far as I'm aware the clubs involved in a league match discuss the operational issues beforehand e.g. is there a clash of strips, how many visiting fans are expected and such like. If Dunfermline's games are all-ticket like ours then it seems odd that they didn't bother sending SMFC any tickets to beforehand to gauge the likely size of visiting support which would help them plan catering, stewarding and policing too. The fact our website clearly states 'entry by pay at the gate' suggests DAFC didn't indicate that tickets were required. Suggestions that only a few hundred visiting fans were expected seem ridiculous unless they're going by their own piss-poor travelling support.

I got to the ticket booth at about 3.05pm having queued since about 2.40pm, at that point one of those in the booth was asking a steward to get more tickets as they were about to run out!

At the very least DAFC should issue an apology to all those visiting fans that missed the kick off due to utter incompetence.

[Gordon Urquhart]

There was a clash of strips. Far too close for any planning.

[Foxy Saint]

The 

2 minutes ago, Al Bundy said:

I think that's making excuses for them Munoz as they've already played Falkirk at home this season not to mention Hibs and Dundee Utd last season.

As far as I'm aware the clubs involved in a league match discuss the operational issues beforehand e.g. is there a clash of strips, how many visiting fans are expected and such like. If Dunfermline's games are all-ticket like ours then it seems odd that they didn't bother sending SMFC any tickets to beforehand to gauge the likely size of visiting support which would help them plan catering, stewarding and policing too. The fact our website clearly states 'entry by pay at the gate' suggests DAFC didn't indicate that tickets were required. Suggestions that only a few hundred visiting fans were expected seem ridiculous unless they're going by their own piss-poor travelling support.

I got to the ticket booth at about 3.05pm having queued since about 2.40pm, at that point one of those in the booth was asking a steward to get more tickets as they were about to run out!

At the very least DAFC should issue an apology to all those visiting fans that missed the kick off due to utter incompetence.

Great post when it says "pay at the gate " I expected to get to ground wait in MOVING queue pay and get in not have to wait in one queue for ticket then join second long NOT MOVING queue to get in so your right an apology should be the least we should get which we won't as Dunfermline Stewart's seemed to think we had nothing to complain about

[Guest TPAFKATS]

The 

Great post when it says "pay at the gate " I expected to get to ground wait in MOVING queue pay and get in not have to wait in one queue for ticket then join second long NOT MOVING queue to get in so your right an apology should be the least we should get which we won't as Dunfermline Stewart's seemed to think we had nothing to complain about

I think the Dunfermline stewards were just young guys who were inundated and totally out of their depth. It'll be good experience for them, if they're there long enough experience another large travelling support.

 

[Warwick Hunt]

Whilst I do sympathise with anyone who travelled and missed part of the game, from what I read...
Someone arrived at 2.25pm and was seated before kick off even after queuing for scran.

The two people who missed a good part of the match joined the queue at 2.45pm and 2.50pm.

Whilst it would be great is a massive queue could be magically teleported inside at the one time, how realistic is it to turn up 10 minutes before kick off when a large crowd is anticipated and expect to get in straight away?

It was hardly a "large crowd" FFS! The gate was just over 6,600!

How realistic is it to turn up to a Scottish Championship match and take 40 minutes to get into the game?

That mob should get a serious fine for that. It's an utter disgrace what they did yesterday.

[3 moffat buds]

41 minutes ago, St.Ricky said:

Suggestion.  Clubs should advise visiting fans when their Ticket Office will Open before a game  e.gg. 2pm. I asked beforehand but could get no information. Had it been open in the morning I could have bought my ticket before going for lunch and been able to both reduce the pressure nearer the start of the game and got in on time.

We arrived just after half one and because we were passing it on the way to the Elizabethan for a beer and something to eat we called into the main ticket office where they couldn't have been more helpful.  They didn't even check that our two concessions were genuine.  If it had been made more obvious to our fans that it was possible to buy away tickets from the main office I am sure that would also have helped to reduce the pressure on the ticket kiosk.  

Having said that the Elizabethan wasn't prepared for a larger crowd since they weren't accepting any orders for food !

[St.Ricky]

Thanks for this.  Communication seems to have been key here. 

[oaksoft]

On 16/09/2017 at 5:38 PM, proudtobeabuddy said:

 

I missed a third of the game today because of the incompetence of Dunfermline FC. Forget the score line it has nothing to do with that. I was queuing from 10 to 3 to almost half past. I will be making a formal complaint. Where should I complain though? My suspicion is that complaint to Dunfermline will fall on deaf ears. So who do you actually complain to about these matters?

 

 

On 16/09/2017 at 11:21 PM, BuddieinEK said:

Whilst I do sympathise with anyone who travelled and missed part of the game, from what I read...
Someone arrived at 2.25pm and was seated before kick off even after queuing for scran.

The two people who missed a good part of the match joined the queue at 2.45pm and 2.50pm.

Whilst it would be great is a massive queue could be magically teleported inside at the one time, how realistic is it to turn up 10 minutes before kick off when a large crowd is anticipated and expect to get in straight away?

Both latecomers and the club have to share the responsibility on this.

Having only 2 people collecting money when around a thousand are expected to attend is not acceptable.

Clubs need to get into the 21st century because this is how the game will die. All hates should have been open.

All gates should accept credit cards.

All seats should be unallocated.

In this day and age it is ridiculous that cash only is the only option available.

If that had been a music gig, fans would have turned up at a sensible time - about an hour before kickoff.

Turning up to such a crucial game with 10 minutes to go and then complaining about not getting in on time is pathetic.

[kevo_smfc]

On 16/09/2017 at 10:43 PM, faraway saint said:

4 times? Feck having you complaining. 

When i went to post via my phone the page was hanging. Must have posted it each time i hit the post button to try and get it to work lol.

[kevo_smfc]

On 16/09/2017 at 11:06 PM, Eric Arthur Blair said:

It looks like Dunermline have recently implemented a similar system  to what we have, buy a ticket and then scan it at the turnstile.

However, when we expect a "large" away support we send tickets to the away club so that the majority arrive with tickets and only those who make a late decision have to queue up.

Dunfermline  may well have expected 1500 Saints fans but f**ked up by expecting them to queue up at hut with 2 windows and queue again to get in.

 

Think i've started a trend

[shull]

Was there any queuing at the new Bridge ?

[faraway saint]

6 minutes ago, shull said:

Was there any queuing at the new Bridge ?

Aye, I think Dunfermline FC were behind this................stop our support getting behind the team. 

[oaksoft]

Oh and the twat who was moaning at the stewards outside the stadium at 2.15pm needs to have a word with himself.

The stewards were not in charge of what happened on Saturday.

The club were. The rest of us with our brains intact understood that.

You were almost as embarassing as the old obese f**ker at the back of the stand screaming at the ref and a 20 year old player of ours when we were already 3 down. Pipe down you stupid twat.

[Warwick Hunt]

Both latecomers and the club have to share the responsibility on this.
Having only 2 people collecting money when around a thousand are expected to attend is not acceptable.
Clubs need to get into the 21st century because this is how the game will die. All hates should have been open.
All gates should accept credit cards.
All seats should be unallocated.
In this day and age it is ridiculous that cash only is the only option available.
If that had been a music gig, fans would have turned up at a sensible time - about an hour before kickoff.
Turning up to such a crucial game with 10 minutes to go and then complaining about not getting in on time is pathetic.

Nonsense.

Taking 40 mins to get a few hundred folk into a ground is ridiculous.

The website said it was pay at the gate yet they made fans queue twice to get in.

[Isle Of Bute Saint]

13 hours ago, TPAFKATS said:

I think the Dunfermline stewards were just young guys who were inundated and totally out of their depth. It'll be good experience for them, if they're there long enough experience another large travelling support.

 

Group 4 I think hired by Dunfermline FC. The girl and boy steward outside the stadium had clearly not been trained. They passed me onto the supervisor who fixed my problem I told him you are going to have problems there is not enough gates added to the fact fans will have to cue at a hut for a ticket also. Got a beleaguered look from him.

So glad we were early for this game even though we did not play well.

[kevo_smfc]

On 17/09/2017 at 1:28 AM, jkd said:

Steward at front told me that was the last guy in and it was 40 mins in the game got told to only expect 300-400 fans and that was the same with pie stall, club only told them to put the ticket box window up and not man the gate. He said that the club made an arse of it as that was the biggest support they have had there since the ugly sisters visited them and was surprised at how many we had took threw there.

I was talking to someone at half-time who said that St. Mirren made Dunfermline aware of the kind of numbers to expect (around 1500) well in advance. Sounds like zero communication from the board at Dunfermline to their stewards and catering teams.  Regardless of winning on Saturday or not, fans have every right to complain at the time it took to get us through the turnstiles. 

[oaksoft]

1 hour ago, Warwick Hunt said:

 

Nonsense.

Taking 40 mins to get a few hundred folk into a ground is ridiculous.

The website said it was pay at the gate yet they made fans queue twice to get in.

 

Did you even read my post? 

I specifically criticised the club.

[oaksoft]

3 hours ago, Yflab said:

He was older than this.

 

[miss budd]

5 hours ago, oaksoft said:

 

Both latecomers and the club have to share the responsibility on this.

Having only 2 people collecting money when around a thousand are expected to attend is not acceptable.

Clubs need to get into the 21st century because this is how the game will die. All hates should have been open.

All gates should accept credit cards.

All seats should be unallocated.

In this day and age it is ridiculous that cash only is the only option available.

If that had been a music gig, fans would have turned up at a sensible time - about an hour before kickoff.

Turning up to such a crucial game with 10 minutes to go and then complaining about not getting in on time is pathetic.

Turned up up at 2.45pm and got in at 3.15pm. Not my fault that Dunfermline didnt bother to tell us of their ticketing plans. Think its harsh to have a go at fans.  Only 1 turnstyle opened at 3pm for hundreds of folk.  If Dunfermline had stuck their avertised policy of patg and opened  4 or 5 gates  as  it would normally then it wouldnt have been an issue.. Dunfermline have made a right arse  of it. 

 

In terms how fans get buy tickets football clubs are still living in the dark ages.

 

 

[East Lothian Saint]

9 minutes ago, Isle Of Bute Saint said:

So glad we were early for this game even though we did not play well.

Sorry we missed you Ian.  The Elizabethan was a brisk 10 minute stroll away except for maybe the "the old obese f**ker at the back of the stand screaming at the ref "  that oaky mentioned who may have done it in 20 barring heart attacks, seizures etc. We kept a seat for you and your good lady but it turned out the organisation at pub was run by the same crew that were stewarding the ground.

At 1.15pm we were told they couldn't take any more food orders because people had sat at the two big tables and they were dealing with their order first. Maybe it was the old obese F**ker and his mates who had ordered an awful lot of food but It was quite bizarre that a pub/restaurant that clearly advertises its speciality in serving food couldn't cope when lots of tables were spare. It wasn't football traffic they were turning away, it was old wrinkly regulars who looked like they had eaten there every Saturday for the last 70 years.  Maybe Dunfermilne is a really quite place that is only able to cope with crowds smaller than 4 men and a dug. 

2 hours ago, oaksoft said:

Turning up to such a crucial game with 10 minutes to go and then complaining about not getting in on time is pathetic.

Anyway after meeting our friends and having a small refreshment we did the 10 minute brisk walk having chosen to leave it late. Why sit in a poxy football stadium watching an empty pitch staring at obese old F**kers when you can have a pint instead. A day out at the football is not just about the football for some of us. If our entry had been delayed because of like minded supporters and I missed the start. Fair do's I would accept that. It's a risk of the strategy I adopt.

The reason most of us missed the start of the match was not because of the time we turned up but because the stewards were inept. The system the club had employed was seriously flawed and the chief stewards couldn't deal with a situation and system that was clearly adding to the problem. Fans who's tickets didn't open the turnstiles were being sent by the turnstile operator (not really a good description of someone who couldn't open an automated turnstile) to the steward who would open another gate, tear the stub from their ticket and let them in manually.

About 1 in 5 tickets didn't work which meant every one behind the stranded defunct ticket holder had to back out the turnstile and move back the queue to get out. This was even more complicated if the said useless ticket holder was was an old obese F**ker.

The organisation was a complete shambles and the chaos was exacerbated by inept leadership amongst the stewards who would have been better deployed at gates tearing off ticket stubs instead of watching people sometimes going through turnstiles that didn't work 20% of the time.

Being late wasn't the problem. The issue was Dunfermilne FC ,who like the Elizabethan weren't geared up to deal with anything more than the statutory 4 men and a dug and if they had been the only ones who had turned up and they had deviated from their normal routine, let's say the dog stopped for a pish at a different spot than normal, it would probably have flummoxed the head steward and two of the men and probably the dug would have missed the start of the match as well.

The only thing more pathetic than the stewarding fiasco was Oaksy's suggestion than late coming fans are somehow inferior to the punctual ones like him, unless they are old, obese f**kers of course.    

[Callum Gilhooley]

I got fed up waiting in the queue for the ticket booth and went to the main stand to let the Dunfermline security guy (Not a G4s) know about the debacle at our end. " We`re having issues with the turnstyles " was his reply !!

When i pointed out that the vast majority hadnt got anywhere near the turnstyles yet because of the ridiculous ticketing issuing situation, he hadnt a clue . Whats the point of having all these jobsworths kitted out with earpieces & comms systems like f**king CIA agents if they are not going to communicate.  Poor planning & no viable back up plan 

When i went back to join the queue , they had opened one turnstyle at which the guy was magically now able to accept cash ,  yet three stewards occupied the adjoining turnstyle which wasnt opened !!

[Isle Of Bute Saint]

6 minutes ago, East Lothian Saint said:

Sorry we missed you Ian.  The Elizabethan was a brisk 10 minute stroll away except for maybe the "the old obese f**ker at the back of the stand screaming at the ref "  that oaky mentioned who may have done it in 20 barring heart attacks, seizures etc. We kept a seat for you and your good lady but it turned out the organisation at pub was run by the same crew that were stewarding the ground.

At 1.15pm we were told they couldn't take any more food orders because people had sat at the two big tables and they were dealing with their order first. Maybe it was the old obese F**ker and his mates who had ordered an awful lot of food but It was quite bizarre that a pub/restaurant that clearly advertises its speciality in serving food couldn't cope when lots of tables were spare. It wasn't football traffic they were turning away, it was old wrinkly regulars who looked like they had eaten there every Saturday for the last 70 years.  Maybe Dunfermilne is a really quite place that is only able to cope with crowds smaller than 4 men and a dug. 

Anyway after meeting our friends and having a small refreshment we did the 10 minute brisk walk having chosen to leave it late. Why sit in a poxy football stadium watching an empty pitch staring at obese old F**kers when you can have a pint instead. A day out at the football is not just about the football for some of us. If our entry had been delayed because of like minded supporters and I missed the start. Fair do's I would accept that. It's a risk of the strategy I adopt.

The reason most of us missed the start of the match was not because of the time we turned up but because the stewards were inept. The system the club had employed was seriously flawed and the chief stewards couldn't deal with a situation and system that was clearly adding to the problem. Fans who's tickets didn't open the turnstiles were being sent by the turnstile operator (not really a good description of someone who couldn't open an automated turnstile) to the steward who would open another gate, tear the stub from their ticket and let them in manually.

About 1 in 5 tickets didn't work which meant every one behind the stranded defunct ticket holder had to back out the turnstile and move back the queue to get out. This was even more complicated if the said useless ticket holder was was an old obese F**ker.

The organisation was a complete shambles and the chaos was exacerbated by inept leadership amongst the stewards who would have been better deployed at gates tearing off ticket stubs instead of watching people sometimes going through turnstiles that didn't work 20% of the time.

Being late wasn't the problem. The issue was Dunfermilne FC ,who like the Elizabethan weren't geared up to deal with anything more than the statutory 4 men and a dug and if they had been the only ones who had turned up and they had deviated from their normal routine, let's say the dog stopped for a pish at a different spot than normal, it would probably have flummoxed the head steward and two of the men and probably the dug would have missed the start of the match as well.

The only thing more pathetic than the stewarding fiasco was Oaksy's suggestion than late coming fans are somehow inferior to the punctual ones like him, unless they are old, obese f**kers of course.    

Shambles Malky it really was. We went down front at halftime as someone put 50p into the meter a walcome warmth. Gave you a wave on the way out but you were fixed on the game. We left 10min to go so got a quick get away in the car. If you are going to Sundays game drop me a pm. I going to watch it on TV

[oaksoft]

5 hours ago, Yflab said:

I was referring to you ya daft twat. 

FFS. Whoosh.

Why on earth did you use a photo of your sister though?

She is NOT looking her best there bud.

Edited September 18, 2017 by oaksoft

[oaksoft]

2 hours ago, miss budd said:

Turned up up at 2.45pm and got in at 3.15pm. Not my fault that Dunfermline didnt bother to tell us of their ticketing plans. Think its harsh to have a go at fans.  Only 1 turnstyle opened at 3pm for hundreds of folk.  If Dunfermline had stuck their avertised policy of patg and opened  4 or 5 gates  as  it would normally then it wouldnt have been an issue.. Dunfermline have made a right arse  of it. 

 

In terms how fans get buy tickets football clubs are still living in the dark ages.

 

 

Again I stress that I said BOTH the club and fans need to take responsibility.

I don't know who you are trying to convince here TBH. If you turn up at that sort of time you will always risk something going wrong because you leave almost no margin for error - a traffic jam, problems at the turnstile etc.

You can't control what Dunfermline do but you can control what you do.