Player Meet & Greet/Signing Session

[Rain King]

I took my 7 year old son to this yesterday with Ndidi, Silva & Diabate, did anybody else go?

I have never been to one before as I can think of much better things to do with my time but my son was desperate to go when he found out about it. I wasn't expecting to stop and chat etc but the way we were treated by the staff in the shop was horrendous.

 

We queued for 2 hours in the freezing cold with my son on the verge of tears from the cold, I offered to forget it and take him home but he was desperate to just say hello to the players. We eventually got into the shop and he got to the signing table with the biggest grin on his face and tried to say hello to Ndidi but the lady firmly told him “no talking just signing, move on quickly”. I tried to take the quickest photo of him near the players to give him some positive memory of the experience and again was shouted at “no photos allowed – hurry on”.

 

Another staff member at the end of the table then scolded him for not being quick enough to pick up his newly signed ball, picked it up and firmly passed it to him smudging the signatures of the players.

 

I am not one to complain about things usually and I wasn't expecting a lot but the way they treated the young kids was awful. Several people walked out clearly unhappy at the event. Over 2 hours queuing for less than 10 seconds and a football with smudged signatures none of which are decipherable as to whom they belong to. I let it go at the time but the more I have thought about it since the more it has pissed me off.

 

[jammie82uk]

I’m not saying it would solve anything but You could always email [email protected] 

[Rain King]

Just now, jammie82uk said:

I’m not saying it would solve anything but You could always email [email protected] 

Have done so already, got a quick email from Jim saying there were more people there than they expected. Not sure what they were expecting at half term? I'm sure there have been numerous signing sessions before.

[Always Next Year]

Stop complaining, you got to see them, we got turned away, if you and others had not taken so long then we might have got in and got a smudged signatures on a ball.

[themightyfin]

Kinda feel sorry for the club here. No win situation. First you go on about waiting 2 hours in the cold and then you say you didn’t get enough time with the experience with the players and felt rushed. You can’t have it both ways. If they were not rushing people through your wait would have doubled and then you would have been complaining about that even more. 

[Wymsey]

I thought the point of these is for fans and players to bond with each other.

[Rain King]

7 minutes ago, themightyfin said:

Kinda feel sorry for the club here. No win situation. First you go on about waiting 2 hours in the cold and then you say you didn’t get enough time with the experience with the players and felt rushed. You can’t have it both ways. If they were not rushing people through your wait would have doubled and then you would have been complaining about that even more. 

I have no problem being rushed through, I am more annoyed at the way young kids were being spoken to by the staff. Saying hi would not have slowed down the process but to be pretty much shouted at for trying to say hello is not right. And for the person saying we got to see them, we got to see the tops of their heads. I do feel for the people that got turned away as they decided to do this very late after many people had been queuing for a very long time. I don't blame the players as they were obviously rushing through the signing - not one of them looked up at any time.

 

Don't advertise it as a meet and greet (as they did online) if you are not even allowed to say hello.

[Sambiasso]

I had to pop by around 11am and there was kids and adults queing outside and quite a few in store. Think the staff hada bag on because how many people were in the shop at one time, you know they can't handle more than 10 at a time  I'd put a quid on it being the slimey ginger lad that works there, proper creep that one.

[RowlattsFox]

Been to a few of these over the years, as a child and an adult and they've always been chaos. I remember waiting for ages to see Emile Heskey and Neil Lennon at the old LCFC shop in town.

 

Must be a better way for young fans to meet the players in a more organised fashion, occasional school visits or maybe school trips in the training ground or something.

[Fox92]

If the club/the players want to sit and sign autographs for fans, they will. I remember reading about Pickford (I think it was) earlier in the season - he stayed till about 6pm to ensure he met everybody.

 

The connection with fans and players dies season by season. I remember at Filbert Street you could walk right up to players cars, now we're all fenced off.

[Rain King]

I don't really blame the players, they were doing what they were told and they had the two big security guys either side of them in case anyone tried to get too close .

 

I think the main thing is it just needs to be better organised. Put a rope up or something and tell people that beyond that point they won't get in, so that they don't have to queue for an hour only to be then turned away as they were yesterday.

 

I was lucky as a kid living close to the training ground. Used to go in most days during the holiday and watch them train under Brian Little and players were happy to stop & sign things and had little kick-abouts with you at the end.

 

 

[Voll Blau]

1 hour ago, Fox92 said:

If the club/the players want to sit and sign autographs for fans, they will. I remember reading about Pickford (I think it was) earlier in the season - he stayed till about 6pm to ensure he met everybody.

 

The connection with fans and players dies season by season. I remember at Filbert Street you could walk right up to players cars, now we're all fenced off.

Or right up to Callum Davidson as he got off the bus. 

[willie-bell-in-rothley]

44 minutes ago, pds said:

Have done so already, got a quick email from Jim saying there were more people there than they expected. Not sure what they were expecting at half term? I'm sure there have been numerous signing sessions before.

Yes usual type of answer, 

Jim is a waste of space, just a club ''yes'' man

[red5]

54 minutes ago, jammie82uk said:

I’m not saying it would solve anything but You could always email [email protected] 

 

52 minutes ago, pds said:

Have done so already, got a quick email from Jim saying there were more people there than they expected. Not sure what they were expecting at half term? I'm sure there have been numerous signing sessions before.

As said waste of time going to jim, you need to go higher up, it was advertised as meet and greet so that's what you should have got, email or write to the ceo explaining your dissatisfaction.

 

But then what do you expect from lcfc shop

[Always Next Year]

I would just like to say this, I have been in the Fans Store many times like I am sure lots have.

I can not believe the the way some so called fans speak to the young people at the tills, as if they are expected to know everything that's going on in the club. They are only small cogs in a big machine.

These people would not get away with such insults in a big department store in the city, so why behave like it in the fans store, must be something about us when we have our football heads on, where all so hard.

So next time you witness someone having ago at the youngster at the till, ask yourself this.

What would I do if that was my child.

[Karljohn]

No sympathy for the club. If they are rushing people through it should have been a ticketed event, everyone gets a chance of a free ticket in a ballot. Its more controlled, id rather tell my son we didnt get a ticket than have to put up with some snooty cow moving him along and hurrying up. 

[urban.spaceman]

I spent an hour waiting for Steve Claridge at Filbert Street once. Tried to get a picture but he was in such a rush it came out blurry. Still got the autograph on the Coca Cola Cup programme through!

[red5]

5 minutes ago, Always Next Year said:

I would just like to say this, I have been in the Fans Store many times like I am sure lots have.

I can not believe the the way some so called fans speak to the young people at the tills, as if they are expected to know everything that's going on in the club. They are only small cogs in a big machine.

These people would not get away with such insults in a big department store in the city, so why behave like it in the fans store, must be something about us when we have our football heads on, where all so hard.

So next time you witness someone having ago at the youngster at the till, ask yourself this.

What would I do if that was my child.

Enlighten us, what was said to the sales staff, what would a department store do that lcfc shop wouldn't do?

[CosbehFox]

For years the biggest problem with lcfc retail staff whether that be ticketing or otherwise is this insane feeling that they are doing you a favour. They can abuse this has they are an exclusive source of what they are selling. 

 

Very rarely get treated with a smile or a bit of courtesy. The whole set up was summed by how you’d see big groups of them patrolling the streets on our European awaydays with an arrogance and a three day trip all paid up by someone else. I personally feel very few of them recognise how extremely lucky they are to work for the club. 

 

Its one of the areas the owners have really failed to change which admittedly I expected to sharpen given their retail background 

[evil jack]

1 hour ago, Wymeswold fox said:

I thought the point of these is for fans and players to bond with each other.

If you want to see something truly depressing, watch the Liverpool players signing this kids shirt (2:08):

 

https://youtu.be/tDqqhBhT8OU?t=2m8s

 

His heroes. 

 

 

[Illusion35]

I was there and also queued with my kids in the cold. I was quite disappointed that I wasn't allowed a quick photo of them with the players. Also thought that the 'minders'were rude, intimidating and very shouty, clearly stressed by the amount of people which seems silly, it's half term and it was well advertised. Obviously there was going to be high demand. 

 

However, the players themselves were nice to my children, they did say hello and smile and look happy. Longer would of course be nicer, but there were a lot of cold people waiting so seemed fair enough to be as quick as possible. Silva spoke to both my kids and seemed happy to be there. Really annoying  that the staff smudged your signatures though. 

[Rain King]

3 minutes ago, Illusion35 said:

I was there and also queued with my kids in the cold. I was quite disappointed that I wasn't allowed a quick photo of them with the players. Also thought that the 'minders'were rude, intimidating and very shouty, clearly stressed by the amount of people which seems silly, it's half term and it was well advertised. Obviously there was going to be high demand. 

 

However, the players themselves were nice to my children, they did say hello and smile and look happy. Longer would of course be nicer, but there were a lot of cold people waiting so seemed fair enough to be as quick as possible. Silva spoke to both my kids and seemed happy to be there. Really annoying  that the staff smudged your signatures though. 

Yep no problem with the players, looks like you go to see their faces too!

Edited 15 February 2018 by pds

[kingfox]

This is what you get when you're now an established Premier League club.

 

Back when we were shit you were allowed to take pics with the players and actually engage in conversation. Getting allowed to have your pic taken with Wayne Brown, those were the days.

[Legend_in_blue]

Look, it's not overly difficult to organise is it?

 

The system for this is exactly the same as it is when you take your kids to see Santa for example.  Or, at least, it should be.

 

You book online, pick a 15 minute slot and go at your allotted time.  No need to queue, no panic, just turn up when you've booked your time.  Join the conveyor belt of people and have an enjoyable, relaxed time. 

 

But I'll stop talking sense right there.  The shop at LCFC doesn't do sense.

[Captain...]

It is a pretty common thing to have in store events. It is not difficult to manage, if you are expecting high demand you ticket it, limit it to members, ballot it and have a contingency plan if you are overrunning. If you were not expecting a high turnout and you get it, you count back and start turning people away, or warning people their wait might be in vain. Especially on a freezing cold day.

 

It is just baffling the levels of incompetence, this isn't exclusive to Leicester City, but just a complete lack of common sense in all walks of life.