Andrew Gravett

Yet again, loyal supporters are the ones paying the price while commercial interests take priority. At some point, the core supporter groups across all clubs need to come together for a serious conversation about a coordinated response. Not isolated complaints, but a unified, organised effort carried out in tandem. That’s the only way the @premierleague might start to take notice, though even that isn’t guaranteed. What is certain is that if nothing changes and nothing is challenged, the situation won’t improve. @WeAreTheFSA is running the #StopExploitingLoyalty campaign, but I think it needs more support and acceleration in terms of action.

@thebmstand Well put. Do you think us die hard fans who are left could give it one last go as a collective across clubs to try to influence? Get games on TV called off. Agreed non-attendance at MNF games etc? All clubs are the same now the majority are US owned.

As someone on Spirit of Shankly pointed out, this is just the original concept for the Premier League being delivered. The vision was to move football up a couple of social classes, which to me means price out the less wealthy and encourage a "better" class of clientele with more disposable income. They focused only on the vast riches the PL would bring and they were right. However that model only works long term with regeneration of new fans. It works if you are never gonna get relegated because the group of die hards whose loyalty and love for the club could not be quantified on a balance sheet, have already left and they are now doing something else with their match days. Most of them likely realise that it's quite useful getting the time back and similar to when you break up with an ex, there is rarely any going back. Without the diehards, who indoctrinated the next generation into being obsessed with the team, where does the next generation of fans come from? Good luck convincing a young person to spend what little they have left after paying their rent and other increasing costs, to allocate a big chunk of what's left for an overpriced season ticket. Not happening, football is not high on the importance scale when you can watch every game on telly. As for the "better" clientele they attracted, they will abandon ship as quickly as they arrived come any form of hard times. What the clubs are doing right now with ticket price rises is simply ensuring that they have no loyal die hard fanbase left in 10-15 years. These changes will be forever. No more capacity crowds for just playing in the PL, owners will be forced to try and actually win stuff. If they don't, goodbye fans. If they do, those fans will demand they do it again. I'm from an era that did not place expectation on clubs, we just handed over our money and went to football, because that is the way it was. I'm still clinging on but with next year being my 50th watching West Ham and having been banned this season for breaching health and safety, I'm pretty sure it will be my last one. Unless the owners who fucked my club up completely, finally get the message and fuck off back to their mansions. The people who own clubs know the square root of fuck all about the generations of fans who helped build that club to be the thing it was before they demolished everything they inherited. They do not comprehend love or loyalty because in their world, those things are cash transactions. Football as we knew it is on life support, but the owners won't realise until one day they look around that vast stadium and see a handful of fans watching the latest pile of average they decided to serve up. #BSOUT

@GNev2 used to be a hero of mine back in the day but seriously getting into bed with Goldbridge et al is a step too far. Thought better of you. Goodbye.

Terrible night for VAR & refs in general. @PGMOL_FA choosing to re-referee some things eg hair bobble pull but not other things which are an issue for player safety. VAR is ruining the game with every unwarranted interference from a bloke sat in an office desperate to be involved

The victory of the opposition in Hungary yesterday, like the Polish election in 2023, is a victory for democracy, not just in Europe but around the world. Most of all, it’s a testament to the resilience and determination of the Hungarian people – and a reminder to all of us to keep striving for fairness, equality and the rule of law.

The ball was bundled into the net at the far post and the visiting supporters went wild. While the celebrations continued, I was sitting 136 miles away, in a dark corner of a TV studio in west London, fearing the worst. As the video assistant referee (VAR), I had spotted three potential offences in the build-up. As I worked through the checks, it felt like the walls were closing in, the darkness was intensifying and my mouth was getting drier while my heartbeat rose. In 20 years as a referee on the pitch, I never felt the kind of pressure that goes with being a VAR. Eventually, more than three minutes after the goal had been scored, I confirmed that it could stand. It had felt like a waste of everyone’s time, that a joyous and spontaneous moment had been ruined by a nerd desperate to find cause to wreak misery. Nothing could be further from the truth. Referees are people too, and feel the pain inflicted by a video review system that is simply not fit for purpose. Graham Scott, The Athletic's new referee columnist. 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/71836…

@premierleague is run by suits lining their own pockets with TV money. All the decisions are made by @SkySportsPL & @footballontnt & @PrimeVideo with no consideration for fans. It 100% will eventually kill the product they are selling unless they change. #STOPMNF

@DaleJohnsonBBC @WeAreTheFSA Football sold its soul to the devil.The match going experience for fans is getting worse by each season with more games shown live on TV.Soon loyal fans will disappear meaning the game is no longer the TV spectacle it was.Then Sky will not provide the same cash &football will die

How Sky can ignore a limit on its TV picks & why fans are fed up Max number of times a team can be shown on Friday or Monday is 5. Four teams break the limit: 🟥 Man United 8 🟦 Everton 7 🟪 West Ham 7 ⬜️ Leeds 6 Here's how Sky Sports can do it. 👇 bbc.co.uk/sport/football…

Good stuff. @ManUtd and @Everton supporters have been completely stocked up by broadcasters this season. Please continue to fight for all fans. Monday night football should be banned. It has a massive negative impact on the local boozers and food outlets too compared to Saturdays

Great to see. Football is nothing without fans. Listen to the fans before you kill the game @FA @premierleague @SkySportsPL @footballontnt

@Nigel_Farage So I’m guessing ITFC now means Ipswich Town Fascists Club?

Best of luck to Ipswich Town Football Club for the rest of the season. 👏

@StevenRailston There are almost no regular match going fans that want a new stadium. It’s just a folly for Ratcliffe to get his money back.

United have finally confirmed how a new stadium will be funded: "Our proposed new stadium will be financed privately, and we continue to have positive conversations with potential investors." 🏟️ #mufc manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football…

@BBCMOTD Yeah. And the contact was more than for Bournemouth penalty.

Should Manchester United have been awarded a second penalty? 🤔

Match suddenly upside down. Maguire with a hand on Evanilson that was lighter than Amad received for his penalty claim - but this time adjudged foul + red. Can’t square those calls. #MUFC

Explain the difference in those two penalty decisions @PGMOL_FA @premierleague @SkySportsPL Ref bottles giving United a second and VAR bottled overturning it because Bournemouth scored.

@SkySportsPL the paid for coaches by @ManUtd are not “to show their appreciation “ they are to help out fans for yet another ridiculous ko time away from home. #stopskyruiningfootball

@TraMufc An under utilised insult these days. Most recently aired to Jamie Redknap. It was so loud back in ‘84. Atmosphere that night was insane.

Asked my wife if she could remember any Utd songs from when she last went in the 80s. ‘Maradona, yer a wanker! yer a wanker!’ 👏🇾🇪🇦🇷 Any guesses to which game she picked that up from?

@OhCheesesChrist What a joke. How many Monday nights now? Local pubs and food stalls should sue @SkySportsPL and @premierleague for loss of earnings. Let alone the spoiling of weekend football for the biggest stadium in the league. #skysportsruinedfootball

Mon 13 April: United v Leeds (20:00) Sky Sat 18 April: Chelsea v United (20:00) TNT Mon 27 April: United v Brentford (20:00) Sky Brentford to move again if they're involved in the FA Cup

@AndyMitten @TheAthleticFC It’s rich to question migrants when he is one himself in Monaco. It’s rich that he says too many people are on benefits in the UK when he continues to make hard working people redundant. It’s rich that he says the UK is failing, when he sits in Monaco in order to avoid UK tax

On Sir Jim Ratcliffe For @TheAthleticFC nytimes.com/athletic/70411…

@theawayfans Complete waste of time and money. Most real fans go to watch the football. Not a lights show or fireworks. Literally nobody cares about this stuff.

The light show at The Emirates tonight. Does football really need this kind of thing? 😒