Snik-Snok

That should be interesting because due to sight lines (assuming the people in the standing areas are actually standing) then, unless they stand, people in the seated sections in large part of G1 won't be able to see the goal at the Kop end, about a quarter of J3 (who will be paying quite a lot for their seats) won't be able to see the goal at the other end, and the back portion of P1 not be able to see about a third of the pitch. Has nobody at the club even considered that?! Why not just do it properly and convert a whole end?

SemperEadem where did you get this from? Yesterday at some point I saw one of the stadium maps that showed the configuration like that (can't remember if it was here or the LCFC website), but either way the official website is now only showing a narrow slither of G1 as being included.

What an absolute mess that it. Why not just do it properly and convert one large area, surely that's common sense. Anyone at the back of J3 won't be able to see the goal to their right, similarly people seated in G1 will have their view blocked of the goal at their end, and those seated in P1 next to the standing area won't see much to the left of the 6 yard box. I understand not converting the whole Kop end, as the people in there are mainly the same people that have been there for 20 years with an average age that must be 50+ and are not the type of people that want it. As I've said before though, the other end is ideal. A1 round to M3, start with the back half with the intention of eventually all rows. It's a younger demographic there as those in P/P1 are generally those that reached the age limit for the family stand, and those in the family stand know that they have to move when they reach the limit (16?) and so they already know they won't be in those seats long term, so would be less resistance to moving, and as a whole the stand would be more receptive. The family stand can move elsewhere, and it would mean the singers could congregate in one place and be heard by the away fans (unlike now) which would get a bit of atmosphere back again.

Since they first introduced cards (which must be 25 years or so ago as I had one at Filbert Street) it never failed to work. I've used NFC half a dozen or so times for cup games, and one time it failed. Same phone, same process, just didn't work (NFC or QR code) for me (NFC didn't work for my wife's ticket either, but QR code did!). I had both tickets together on my phone, so she went in and I was stuck outside!. That's the problem, sometimes it just doesn't work and I can see by the amount of people turning round at the turnstile every game that it's a common issue. I use NFC for card payments etc. and have no issues with it, and have a up to date Google pixel phone, but I don't want to be forced to use it for my season ticket as I don't want to get there 10 mins before kick and risk having to join hundreds of people in queue to get it sorted. I have no issues with NFC, just 1) the lack of choice for people who'd prefer not to use it for whatever reason, and 2) the way the club are implementing to make passing the season ticket to a friend for the occasional game inconvenient, and sharing a season ticket (as people have done since the beginning of time) very difficult. They say that it's only being forced on us being the Premier League are making it mandatory, so let's see if the club back down if/when we're in the Championship next season.

The survey itself was flawed as, from what I remember, it basically asked if you like to see standing implemented in your part of the stadium, and if so would you like to use it. That meant that anyone who is in favour of it being introduced, but doesn't think their block is the ideal place would have answered no. Might be wrong, but I'm sure there wasn't a question to guage if someone was in favour generally.

Went tonight, and also last season in the league cup. The extension at that end of the ground really doesn't help the atmosphere at all, it's so open any sound just gets lost. Perhaps at the back of the upper tier where the roof is lower it may be ok, but the lower tier now is awful. Maybe it was intentionally designed like that to stifle the away fans?

Generally on one of the streets off Tudor Road.

Anyone who says they leave early to beat the traffic needs to find somewhere else to park. I leave on full time, 15 mins walk to the car, clear roads up to Groby Road via New Parks, then onto the M1. 35 miles to home and always back between 6:15 - 6:30pm at the latest for a 3pm kickoff. If people are getting stuck in traffic why keep parking in the same place and taking the same route?!

Another point to make is that people are saying that the club won't want to upset anyone currently seated in the designated standing area, wherever is it, by encouraging/forcing them to relocate. However, the expansion plans clearly show that most of the East Stand (excluding L and the block at the other end towards the kop end), from about a third of the way up, up to the top of the stand as it currently is, will become a new 'corporate' area. People will face a choice of paying the premium rates that will go with that, or be forced to move, probably to the upper tier where there will be plenty of seats. I'm sure they'll be some double standards from the club when they use disruption to current Kop season ticket holders as a reason to not convert the whole stand to standing, whilst having no qualms about sticking a few hundred pounds on the cost of an East Stand season ticket holder if they want to retain their seat post-expansion. Quick note on L and K blocks as they've been mentioned above. K will be within the corporate section once the expansion is done, and L will border it. There's no way there will be any standing installed in either of those.

Of those options, option 1 is without doubt the best, but only if it's done properly. If the plan is to just add a barrier in front of the seat, then the same people will be in the same seats, sitting down, and nothing will change. The aim has to be to create an standing area. I'm not sure what the regulations are, but ideally the seats should be locked in 'standing' mode (and only ever in 'seating' mode if/when the competition rules states it has to be all seater, like e..g if the stadium hosted an international game). If it was made clear that the area is to be designated as a standing area, and people were given clear incentives to move, e.g. half price season ticket for 2 years if they relocate out the standing area, if could be a fairly easy process to do. The standing area shouldn't be tucked away in the corner, should definitely be behind a goal. Worse thing would be for it to be in SK1 and wrapped around the corner, as the sound doesn't travel from there. From L1 I've never heard anything from SK1. If L1 is quiet, all we can hear is away fans mocking us. The only time anything from that end of the ground can be heard is the once or twice a year then kop sings 'You don't know what you're doing' to the ref. If the standing area is in that corner, the perception of us from other clubs won't change. Personally I think the best plan would be to make the North Stand all standing. People in the family stand blocks have to relocate anyway when they are a certain age (over 16), so unlike in the kop, it's not their seat for life. The family stand could be relocated to perhaps SK1. The blocks between the family stand and away end are basically overspill from the family stand who rea he'd the age limit, and are far more likely to want to stand anyway. The away fans can temporarily be shunted along by 1 block into L1 to give the whole end behind to goal (and one corner) to home fans, with the away fans being in their current corner, which can be converted to standing. L1 will on the short term be the seated away area, until the expansion is done, at which point they can be split into 2 levels and move into the end block of the upper tier, and L1 return to home fans.

What the fans want: A method of entry that works. In 3 decades of having a card, it's never failed. 3 times I've had to use a digital ticket, twice it worked, once it didn't. I don't want to have to be forced to arrive an hour before kick off to give me time to join the queue when it fails. What the club want: to prevent people giving their ticket to friends and family (something that's always happened and is facilitated most clubs) when they can't go, forcing them to use the resale option (which by the way think should be boycotted), so make an extra markup on the seat.

I've not read all of the pages, so maybe this has already been suggested, but... As this affects over 20,000 season ticket holders, could UFS not organise a poster protest, get everyone to bring along a sheet of white paper with 'NO' printed/marked/daubed on it, and hold it up in the 25th minute against Blackburn. Minimal cost and effort for everyone, not inconvenient to bring to the game, easy to sneak in (in case the club wanted to prevent any form of protest), and it would get the message across. Even those happy with mobile ticketing or those ok with the £25 surcharge still recognise that this, as well as being a blatant rip-off, is all about the club denying us the choice, and primarily aimed at stopping people passing on tickets to friends and family when they can't go, something that has always happened, and is seemingly accepted and accommodated by most other clubs.

The allocation has mysteriously been reduced to 2,022 now, which I assume means the club have now taken just the upper tier. Hopefully that's just the initial allocation and we'll get the full 2,975 if required.

I can understand having a drum to provide a beat which maintains the tempo, but for the last couple of seasons the drum in L1 has been trying to play melodies instead of just maintaining a beat. Yesterday was a new low though, it was like a 3 year old was doing it. It doesn't even sound like a drum either, it's like someone hitting a corrugated iron fence with a stick. It's yet another thing about going to a home game that I'm starting to really dislike.

I opted to continue to get my season ticket by card this season. When it comes to cup games, presumably I will be forced to use mobile tickets only in place of the usual print at home ticket. That means I will probably have to buy a new phone as I don't think my phone has the tech to do it. The hassle of that will probably affect sales as I'm sure others are in the same situation. If I want to buy a couple of pairs of extra tickets for cup games for friends and family, as I often do as tickets are available and cheaper than league games, will that mean that I will have to tell those people that they will need to download the Apple/Google pay apps for their phones (which some people don't want to do), and potentially buy a new phone, as that's the only way they would get in? I couldn't scan them in, assuming I myself have decided to buy a new phone so I can actually go, as I'd be in different parts of the ground. Again, this is going to affect ticket sales, especially for early round cup games against lower league sides. Surely they won't enforce the phone ticket only option for all cup games?

It's going to be an absolute nightmare when we start playing cup games. The option to retain a season ticket card means that those that don't have a phone capable of it working, or don't want to install the pay apps, can carry on as before. However, if the club insist on all those season ticket holders with cards using their phones as tickets for cup games, there's going to be a lot of empty seats, and probably complete chaos at the turnstiles.

Just clicked on the link to do the survey, only to find out it's already ended. Annoying that they didn't mention on the email that we only had about 3 days to do it. These things usually last for at least a few weeks.

I got some masks off Amazon a few weeks ago for a recent holiday in Italy (and by the way, flying Ryanair from East mids anyone not wearing a ffp2 one as they boarded the plane was being sent back to the departure lounge to buy one from Boots or wherever). Anyway, the ones I got were a bit small for me, so I did a quick look round at the weekend and found those cheap ones from screwfix and bought a pack. Same problem, the ear straps are too short! Anyway they are the correct mask so you'll be fine with them. Tomorrow, I'll have 3 hours on a plane, followed by 4 hours on a train, with my ears pulled forward so hard by the mask that blisters will form behind them, but can't wait. 3 weeks ago when I went, they were quite strict on trains needing an ffp2 mask, but in hotels, restaurants etc (which no longer need masks anyway) surgical masks were OK.

As I mentioned on the other thread a couple of days ago, East Midlands to Treviso, flying Weds morning returning Friday late afternoon is (still) £16 return. Trains every hour between Venice Mestre and Roma Termini, about £50 each way and takes about 4 hours, can be pre-booked on the trenitalia website.

East Midlands to Treviso still only £16 return, flying weds morning return Friday late afternoon. Hourly trains between Venice and Rome, each way approx. 50 euros and about 4 hours.

I was about 10 yards away when that photo was taken, having a pint in the car park of the pub, near Blackburn's ground. At various stadiums around the country, I've often heard disturbing grunting and shuffling noises coming from the toilet cubicles, only for Bernie to emerge not long after, sometimes followed by (regardless of which division we're in or who we're playing that day) a quick "Grimsby Town aaaaarrghh!". I remember him walking along the entire front of the away end at Southend once, with one by one every policeman and steward doing a double take as he passed them. I did have the misfortune of being 2 seats from him at Brighton once though, well within range of his 'fragrance'. Fortunately he didn't return for the 2nd half. RIP Bernie

Perfect thanks. Think I've got it now.

... And for the covid test to return to UK, I assumed this had to be a pcr test done at a laboratory (and pay a fortune to get it back in time) either before I go, or somehow in warsaw. From comments in here, I get the impression I can order a test kit to take with me, do it in the hotel on my own the day before I fly back and then just sent the result back to a website. Is that right? And then I need to result of that before I can fill in the return journey details. Is that form something I need to print off or is it just submitted online?

I'm getting confused by all this. Do we need to do any sort of covid test to gain entry into poland? I had assumed we had to have a negative test before we leave the UK, and another to get back, and then a third 2 days later. Or do we just need to fill in the locator form, and show the Polish our vaccine proof (on NHS phone app?) on arrival.

Good idea, just checked, my seat is unavailable and it won't let me buy another, so I assume everything's OK. Strange though that the confirmation that I'd bought the package, that was showing the other day, is now gone!