Club statement re the Middlesboro game

[Guest MattP]

This is surely someone from here on the moan in now?

[Bluetintedspecs]

This is surely someone from here on the moan in now?

Yes Matt it was me!

[Guest MattP]

Yes Matt it was me!

Good call as well fella.

[The Year Of The Fox]

Everyone said it'd be on purely because of Sky. I gambled on it being on because of this. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who could've forseen that, especially after we all know the farce with Ipswich

[coolhandfox]

The money for sky is hardly a euro millions win.

It went ahead because there was no reason for it not to.

You believe that and you will believe anything!

Do you real think they put all that effort on to make sure the game went ahead for the fans, there was one reason and that was SKY!

[anstey9]

Potentially this situation could happen again for the wolves game.Presumably given the clubs stance the game would be on again .Wouldnt rush to buy your tickets wait till the day of game and check the weather forcast carefully,if it looks like snow save your cash .

The club or police whoever was responsible for crowd safety outside ground made a mistake a big one allowing 1000s of fans to head for the city in such weather was madness and the fact nobody died was more luck than judgement.

I walked to the game wouldnt have wanted to be in a car and certainly wouldnt have took my son with me .Not sure how much you get for being on sky,but think the club should use the money to compensate the fans who quite rightly stayed at home.

[Bluetintedspecs]

Good call as well fella.

Cheers pal, it fkn killed me not getting down Friday and people saying folks took an easy or can't be arsed attitude incensed me!

[The Year Of The Fox]

You believe that and you will believe anything!

Do you real think they put all that effort on to make sure the game went ahead for the fans, there was one reason and that was SKY!

I'd say they were expecting more people to attend than did.

The cost of the gritters, the ground staff, stewards, police. I'm sure because of all that they wouldn't have made as much of a profit with the low attendance.

The club at no point fooled anyone into thinking the game was off. Not during last week, nor during the evening of the game. There was a rumour started by the police about an hour before kick off. I can't imagine that putting many people off, as it was basically only over Twitter.

I know for a fact some (maybe the majority) simply couldn't get. I saw the traffic with my own eyes at 5pm. I was mayhem. Having said that, a car load of my mates DID turn up, leaving here at 7pm and sailed straight through into town, so it WAS possible for some if the intention was there. The others as has been said, probably looked out their window, assumed the game was off only to find out too late that it was on. That's their own fault. No sympathy

[coolhandfox]

I'd say they were expecting more people to attend than did.

The cost of the gritters, the ground staff, stewards, police. I'm sure because of all that they wouldn't have made as much of a profit with the low attendance.

The club at no point fooled anyone into thinking the game was off. Not during last week, nor during the evening of the game. There was a rumour started by the police about an hour before kick off. I can't imagine that putting many people off, as it was basically only over Twitter.

I know for a fact some (maybe the majority) simply couldn't get. I saw the traffic with my own eyes at 5pm. I was mayhem. Having said that, a car load of my mates DID turn up, leaving here at 7pm and sailed straight through into town, so it WAS possible for some if the intention was there. The others as has been said, probably looked out their window, assumed the game was off only to find out too late that it was on. That's their own fault. No sympathy

Does not make any difference to the club how may attend once they have brought a ticket, they have the money!

No need for sympathy, club needs to be encouraging fans not be alienating fans.

They have missed a chance to turn a negative in to a positive.

[flowwolf]

I think it's pretty fair tbh.. What they are saying Is that they did all they could do to get the game on and the relavent authorities agreed it was enough which it clearly was, with the state of the pitch. It wasn't their call to make on calling It off after that and let's be honest, without sounding too crude, every other stadium this weekend didnt look as empty as ours and the weather was fu**** everywhere over the weekend. Spurs had a pitch inspection an hour before kick off yet they're ground was full..

No SKY did all they could to get the game on. If it had not been televised does anyone think for a minute it would have gone ahead ? All the other matches you mentioned were not on a Friday night in a snow storm with gridlocked traffic there is no comparison. Sorry but yours is an empty arguement.

[Bettsj2]

Its really unfortunate that some couldnt get there. And those that genuinly couldnt have lost out, however the reaction of, 'the club dont give a fvck' or 'all they want is the money' etc etc is a real disappointing thing to see. The club throughout the day said they were working hard to make sure the game was on. They confirmed on more than one occassion that the match was on yet, up to half an hour before kick off, Twitter was full of posts saying, 'is the game on?'

The club did all they could to get the game on, but a number if fans did not do all they could to get to the game.

If the club said, next home game, you can use your pie and pint voucher along with the season ticket exchange, I very much doubt this forum to be full of messages of thanks and support. The truth is, the bitterness of football supporters in general is such that no matter what a club do, it will always be met with negativity. The second the pie and pint game was announced, season ticket holders went mad. When no offers are put on, non ST holders moan that nothing is done to encourage a bigger crowd etc etc.

We all acknowledge that football is as much a business as it is a sport but we accept this with a massive chip on our shoulders.

This is the most exciting team for years and we have a genuine chance of going up. I fear that the negativity shown on here will spill into the stands and inevitably spill onto the pitch as it always does.

Such a shame.

[foxaholic]

No SKY did all they could to get the game on. If it had not been televised does anyone think for a minute it would have gone ahead ? All the other matches you mentioned were not on a Friday night in a snow storm with gridlocked traffic there is no comparison. Sorry but yours is an empty arguement.

Agreed it is much easier to get to a game in London but what it does show is how much of our support comes from outside the city boundary .

[Jordan]

You believe that and you will believe anything!

Do you real think they put all that effort on to make sure the game went ahead for the fans, there was one reason and that was SKY!

No; the one reason was because the club are obligated to do whatever they can to ensure the ground is in good condition and the pitch is safe and playable at whatever time the game is scheduled to be played.

I can understand people blaming Sky for moving the game to an inconvenient time, but I think some folks need to relax with the complaining directed at the club.

[flowwolf]

Not the clubs fault so they're under no obligation to refund you. They put the game on so it's not their fault that you couldn't attend the game.

If the game was called off then yes, they should refund you, but as the game went ahead, there is no need to.

So are you saying the club had no knowledge that the vast majority of fans would not be able to attened due to the fact it was a working day a night match and a snow storm resulting in grid locked roads ? of course they did. If we knew it they did.

Our club and every other club now dances to Murdoch's tune , he is at the core of every thing that is rotten in modern day football. The real ones who have been shafted on this one is the season ticket holders, they don't give a fvck about us, well guess what next season even if we get promoted I will pay back in kind and not bother.

[flowwolf]

Agreed it is much easier to get to a game in London but what it does show is how much of our support comes from outside the city boundary .

I live in Wigston how long do you thing that would have taken me to walk in the snow and then walk back again ? nothing to do with outside the city.

[Jordan]

So are you saying the club had no knowledge that the vast majority of fans would not be able to attened due to the fact it was a working day a night match and a snow storm resulting in grid locked roads ? of course they did. If we knew it they did.

Our club and every other club now dances to Murdoch's tune , he is at the core of every thing that is rotten in modern day football. The real ones who have been shafted on this one is the season ticket holders, they don't give a fvck about us, well guess what next season even if we get promoted I will pay back in kind and not bother.

They knew plenty well that the roads and motorways were treacherous, but Leicester City Football Club is not responsible for ploughing streets and making them safe for driving, nor are they allowed to postpone a game themselves because of this.

[Guest MattP]

They knew plenty well that the roads and motorways were treacherous, but Leicester City Football Club is not responsible for ploughing streets and making them safe for driving, nor are they allowed to postpone a game themselves because of this.

I thought you were allowed to do so if a significant number of fans would struggle to make the game?

That was the reason Arsenal used for the postponement of the boxing day fixture against West Ham after the tube strike?

[flowwolf]

They knew plenty well that the roads and motorways were treacherous, but Leicester City Football Club is not responsible for ploughing streets and making them safe for driving, nor are they allowed to postpone a game themselves because of this.

So what about the health and safety regulations for fans attending the game if they knew plenty well that the roads and motorways were teacherous ? have they no responcibilty at all ? You know and everyone else knows this game would never have taken place if it were not on televison, that says it all.

This club thinks more of SKY money than it does of it's fans . If you can't see that then you deserve to be ripped off.

[Corky]

Kingfox.

It's should HAVE.

Please stop saying should OF.

That's the most important point.

Well said Bilo.

[steveherbe]

Interesting read all this. Also more than interesting is that a fan from Hampshire - I wont name him - managed to get to the game. Ok, he had to allow extra travel time, but he made it. And people from Wigston are moaning they couldn't get there? For us 'out-of-towners' a 3 hour journey is normal. Seems like some locally based fans almost expect a chauffeur driven Roller to pick them up, then a Police escort to the ground. Just an observation from afar you understand

[danny.]

Interesting read all this. Also more than interesting is that a fan from Hampshire - I wont name him - managed to get to the game. Ok, he had to allow extra travel time, but he made it. And people from Wigston are moaning they couldn't get there? For us 'out-of-towners' a 3 hour journey is normal. Seems like some locally based fans almost expect a chauffeur driven Roller to pick them up, then a Police escort to the ground. Just an observation from afar you understand

You have no idea what you are talking about.

[flowwolf]

Interesting read all this. Also more than interesting is that a fan from Hampshire - I wont name him - managed to get to the game. Ok, he had to allow extra travel time, but he made it. And people from Wigston are moaning they couldn't get there? For us 'out-of-towners' a 3 hour journey is normal. Seems like some locally based fans almost expect a chauffeur driven Roller to pick them up, then a Police escort to the ground. Just an observation from afar you understand

So this fan from Hampshire did a full days work and still managed to travel all that way and attend the game ? that's some allowing . Not an observation just stupidity understand.

[danny.]

So this fan from Hampshire did a full days work and still managed to travel all that way and attend the game ? that's some allowing . Not an observation just stupidity understand.

Where did he say that?

[flowwolf]

Where did he say that?

So if he did not have to work like the rest of us he bloody well should have had time to get there. my point was most people had to work on a Friday they then had to try to get home and then tried to get down too the match. All in conditions we have already been over. Bringing up some person who got to the ground from Hampshire and comparing that to all the people who had actually been to work first was ludicrous in the extreme.

[Jordan]

I thought you were allowed to do so if a significant number of fans would struggle to make the game?

That was the reason Arsenal used for the postponement of the boxing day fixture against West Ham after the tube strike?

So what about the health and safety regulations for fans attending the game if they knew plenty well that the roads and motorways were teacherous ? have they no responcibilty at all ? You know and everyone else knows this game would never have taken place if it were not on televison, that says it all.

IIRC the Arsenal decision, and decisions like the ones flowwolf are describing, are made with respect to decisions made by, and consultation with, the police. When the club says, “While we appreciate that, very regrettably, the adverse weather made it difficult for a significant number of supporters to attend the game, only the match officials, the city’s Safety Advisory Group or the police can initiate a postponement. Once both playing squads, the match officials and essential stadium staff had arrived and the requisite conditions had been deemed fit for play, there were no grounds on which the match officials or relevant agencies would take such action," do you not believe them?

If the police say a game cannot be played as scheduled, the game is postponed and that is that. Leicester City have changed kickoff times (and have had kickoff times changed on them) in the past due to police advice before. The police could have done the same thing here, but nothing indicates that they did anything of the sort, so they club continued to prepare for the game.

Whether all of these decisions were made because every decision-maker is in Sky's pocket is another story, though perhaps one for the conspiracy theorists. I do believe the club would have at least made the pitch playable even if this weren't a Sky game, as they are blessed with good equipment and a great groundskeeper. You'll have to ask the police and health & safety advisors about the rest.