IMUSA News
ViaNoGo as the Coventry game hasn't sold out.
25th September
Taken at the Carling Cup match v Coventry 26th September 2007
The early rounds of the League Cup used to be the time when new things could be tried, where managers could experiment with new players and where new fans could be introduced to the game because the tickets were a bit cheaper and there were plenty of them around
but these days we have the compulsory cup scheme...
On paper that means a virtual sell out for every game but the reality is something different, as thousands of fans have been forced to buy tickets they can't possibly use.
In other rounds of the cup people might be able to get rid of these through the clubs official touts, Viagogo but thanks to the rule that says fans can only sell the tickets they don't want once the club has sold all their tickets, for this round they can't because it's not an official sell out.
The expectation is that today's game against Coventry will be the first time the official attendance says 72,000 or thereabouts but there are large gaps in the crowd.
That is a shame.
Not a shame for the Glazers of course because money towards the interest charges is money towards the interest charges
but a shame because thanks to the compulsory cup scheme yet another United tradition, of blooding young and often local fans at these cup games, has gone to the wall as, even though there might be large numbers of empty seats in the ground, not enough of them have been left unsold to enable these new fans to buy tickets from official sources on the day.
From the Daily Mail
Glazers test fans' loyalty Fury at 'must-buy' United tickets
By IAN LADYMAN
Last updated at 23:48pm on 25th September 2007
The ruthless business approach of the Glazer family will hit home at Old Trafford tonight after it emerged that 56,000 Manchester United season ticket holders have been forced to buy seats for the Carling Cup tie against Coventry City.
The sold-out signs will go up at United's ticket office today ahead of a match that will — on the whole — see Sir Alex Ferguson's reserve team face opposition from the Championship.
For every United fan who wanted a season ticket for the 2007-08 campaign was told that they must commit to buying a ticket for every round of the Champions League, FA Cup and Carling Cup. The cost of these tickets is taken from the season ticket holder's credit card before each round of the competition until United are knocked out.
Rather than lose a precious season ticket they may never have got back, 56,000 agreed to the scheme and it now remains to be seen how many turn up tonight.
Mark Longden, of the Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association, said last night: 'I can't even begin to estimate how many tickets I have been offered at knock-down prices by season ticket holders who don't want to go to this game. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating and we will see if there are empty spaces for the game.
'Nevertheless, many will go simply because they have been forced to. What a shame that seats couldn't have been given to local schoolkids at knock-down prices instead. I didn't renew my ticket this year and this is one of the reasons why.
'This is just another example of the loyalty of traditional supporters being exploited by a big club.'
Although the Glazer family (pictured above), who bought United three summers ago, have largely left the running of the club to chief executive David Gill, it is understood that ticketing and price structuring is one of the key areas over which they have had control.
United were quick to point out last night that the controversial scheme has been in force on a voluntary basis since 1999 and 75 per cent of fans were already signed up.
erm... only half of the old season ticket holders volunteered to be in the scheme pre-takeover as this was put in place to make things more convenient for fans that did want to go to every game.
but joining the cup scheme has been condition of sale of all new season tickets since the takeover and there are twice as many season tickets now than there were then. Hence,the true figure is that
75% of all current season ticket holders have been forced, one way or the other to join the Automatic Cup Scheme...
A spokesman said: 'We also reduce prices for Carling Cup games, provided that the opposition club agrees. For the Coventry game, for example, ticket prices will be reduced by 25 per cent.'
United fans will see a team featuring the likes of Gerard Pique, Phil Bardsley, Jonathan Evans, Danny Simpson and Chris Eagles tonight.
Owen Hargreaves has an outside chance of playing, while Anderson and Nani are expected to start with Louis Saha and Wayne Rooney figuring at some stage.
The Daily Mail, 26th September 2007
