|
 |
DAVE ALLAN
INTERVIEW FEEDBACK 10-1-06
Dave Allan, Boro's media and PR manager gave us an extensive and interesting interiew at the end of December to which several readers responded with their own comments.
We forwarded the feedback to Dave and he has provided his answers to the comments that he received.
The views and opinions expressed in the reader's comments are
not necessarily those of ComeOnBoro.com
Read the original
interview here
READER'S COMMENTS TO THE ORIGINAL INTERVIEW
First I think it's great that Dave has taken the time to give
such a positive and informed interview. He has explained the
club's position very clearly and I certainly understand some
issues better now.
I do have a couple of reservations however. Dave has admitted that there is a good deal of 'spin' going on, in that an image is carefully projected to the media. However Teesside is an area which would not usually respond to spin and reacts to honest truth - the traditional passion that the supporters have for the club is fired by honesty and hard facts not on image. The comments by players and fans after the Man City match on New Years Eve show that perhaps cracks are beginning to show and truth could be emerging? Is there just a fabricated image which is causing a division on and off the pitch?
I'm also wondering if Dave's point about keeping the season ticket holders sweet is as valid and reasonable as it sounds. What he says is undoubtedly absolutely right in part and makes sound business sense, however the economic make up of Teesside is such that many people leave and I would have thought that a significant part of those who do have proportionally more disposable income - I would be very interested in knowing if there was a business case for leaving out this proportion of fans.
There is so much emphasis on increasing the income of the club - I understand that the brand is still very much regional for the most part but the profile can be increased significantly if ex-pats were more visible. ComeOnBoro are probably doing more to raise the profile of the club globally by our T-shirt comp (which was of caused nicked by the club!) and links with the other European fans - I have the feeling that it may be a grave mistake to assume that there is a lack of interest in Europe on Teesside by reflecting on the attendance figures at The Riverside. The club want to increase revenue but football is stupidly expensive as it is, and realistically can they take any more dosh off the local people in what is still one of the less wealthy areas of the country?
I think that it is clear that Dave is doing a very good job for the club and we definitely need someone with his vision, talent and drive. Unfortunately he does not have any influence in performances ON the pitch and it seems that this is the root of the majority of the current dissatisfaction.
You know - people may slag off the X Factor but 3rd place act Journey South could do a lot for the club. They are 2 brothers from Boro who are actually v good and big Boro fans. They were on the pitch at half time on Boxing Day. They have just signed a record deal and their momentum is high currently. The club need to exploit this connection if they want to expand- there will be a lot of young fans of the band both now and in the future, and this will be nationwide. A good number are likely to have not formed an allegiance to any other club yet.
*************************
The points system for those who buy tickets on a match by match
basis is a good idea, but the way it was described would either
mean only the person who purchased say four tickets for them
and their friends would gain points or each ticket would have
to be named (like airline tickets) and this would give the club
the opportunity to charge 'admin fees' to change the names on
the tickets if someone couldn't go to a game.
Two Way Dialouge with Fans; A lot of fans feel the club just
sees them as cash cows - a lot of poor and contradicting information
from the club and press. You hear too many disgruntled fans
on the Legends in Century on an evening saying when they phone
the club they get conflicting information from different departments.
In the end when people don't feel like they're getting value
for money either on the pitch, in the shop or on the concorse
they get annoyed and look for other things to spend their money
on. I know these people could be argued as not being the 'real'
fans but are these fans who can be described as the fence sitters
or fairweather fans those who need to be targeted? In targeting
the part timers don't forget the hardcore of week in week out
fans, that has been a salient point in the past.
*****************
I've just sat and re-read Dave's interview. As regards feedback, I'd start by saying that it is an excellent read and it is good to hear a lot of this info from the horse's mouth. Too often the club is criticised (often fairly imo) for being unresponsive to the fans' wishes, and it is therefore good to read that the club are aware of many of the major gripes (eg. pricing) and have considered them.
Personally I'm not overly satisfied with his response on the issue of selling merchandise down south here however. I don't see why the club would need to go to the major chains like JJB; they could use independent retailers (eg. 'Soccerscene' in London) and avoid the problem he has highlighted. By restricting sales to the Club Shop, imo they are missing out of potential revenue streams from people like myself, who can't get back to Teesside often enough, and don't use the internet for shopping.
But that is a minor issue. I (and I'm sure many others) appreciate
his frankness and in fact, I'd love to see Dave do more of these
Q&A type sessions as I think it is an excellent way of communicating
with the general fan base. Perhaps you should suggest he makes
it an annual event!
*****************
Dave, the fact that you actually want some feedback on how your interview and question session with COB went speaks volumes about your attitude in my book. It shows you actually give a damn and are prepared to listen and act accordingly. As a true fan you care and it shows in the interview.
I enjoyed the article overall, and found it very insightful,
at times frank and candid and very informative. I was pleased
that you expressed your own personal opinions while staying
within your professional boundaries as an MFC employee. A big
plus was also when you took the Alkmaar debacle on the chin
mate and the final sentence in answer to Natalie Morrell speaks
volumes about your intent:
"It's a delicate balancing act and I am looking to start an open two-way dialogue with fans to get more feedback from them on the key issues that affect the supporters."
That dialogue is here and now by simply keeping in touch with ComeOnBoro.com through this channel you'll certainly get a fans eye view and opinion.
I, like Simon Dixon, would like to see our merchandise available worldwide and as the Aussie correspondent of this very website wrote an article on that very subject in early October which I've included here for your perusal.
THE MERCHANDISERS OF VENICE
*****************************
I thought it was an excellent interview and DA answered all the questions with full answers (not like Zenden's two word interview).
It's good to know that people within the club acknowledge the frustrations
of the fans but I would suggest that in light of DA's answer about
the Alkmaar tickets, the fans are kept more informed of these developments
at the time. If you read DA's answer, you have sympathy for the club, but
if they'd let the fans know all of this information at the time, some of
the criticism wouldn't have been aimed at the club.
On the whole, I'd praise DA for taking the time to answer the questions
because it can only do the club's image good if people within the club
take time to address the fans during a low part of the season.
***************************
I get sick and tired of hearing that supporters are staying
away because of affordability. Whilst that may well be the case
for a number of supporters I genuinely believe that for the
majority of stay away supporters it is the other factors that
DA eluded to in his interview. With this in mind I think it
would be in the clubs best interests to kill the myth once and
for all by at least offering the £5 a ticket offer to all fans
at a future non Premier League game. Its the only way to get
rid of this argument once and for all. If it works and the club
increases its attendance dramatically then they are in a win-win
situation. As a season ticket holder who attends all home games,
my enjoyment is decreased dramatically before a ball is kicked
by viewing games in a half empty stadium and may well stay away
myself because of this factor alone. How many other fans will
have similar thoughts?
With regards to the club keeping its cards close to its chest in relation to potential transfer targets, I don't go along with the theory that it may jeopardise the success of a potential transfer by revealing the interest until it is done and dusted. DA indicated in his interview that agents themselves usually put stories out to create additional interest in players they represent, so the club keeping quiet just puts the supporters under the illusion that nothing is happening behind the scenes to bring players in, hence adding to the apathy and general malaise that exists around the place. Being more up front about potential transfers keeps any interest going in fans that may otherwise just walk away with the feeling that the club are doing nothing on this front.
**************************
Regarding Harry Haverton's question, I guess Harry is talking about me here and it is reassuring to think a points system will come in. In reality I spent more money on away tickets than the average season ticket holder did last season but of course I do not know whether the Boro get all the profit of this or how much of it goes to the home club. That may be a factor in the above policy. I understand the need for rewarding the ST holders as you need to keep your house in order first but giving fans who travelled to x away games in a season (as logged by the club's database) the same rights as ST holders may be a good idea.
Regarding the Alkmar tickets situation, why wasn't this communicated in the press at the time - as there would have been no criticism if it had been (or if it had been effectively communicated). It is good to hear the idea of a two-way dialogue being developed between club and fans for reasons described above but it needs to be committed to the fans, to be open and to be advertised well so ALL fans know where it is and how to make their views heard. It can't just be a one month or one issue thing and then swept under the carpet.
STUDENT TICKET PRICES. The key may be young fans - fine, I agree,
but the Uni of Teesside is expanding, it is full of local students
and there is a captive market there. Surely student ticket prices make sense?
Erm attendances are down largely because of the poor unmotivated football that is being played. Granted the TV stuff and the Uefa Cup sides we play are valid points but in the end people don't want to shell out £20-£30 to watch a team that clearly can't be bothered, as has too often been the case at home this season. Maybe this would have been an honest comment too far?
The rest of the interview however provides a rare and in-depth
insight into the internal workings of the club. I accept that
Dave probably could not say any more without jeopodising his
position or the integrity of the football club and I commend
him for his frankness and honesty. He was also very direct and
his answers looked at many of the opinions that have been frustrating
the fans - demonstrating that maybe the club do have people
in its ranks who do understand the fans. This is reassuring
at the very least!
This interview will help in the necessary quest for the club
to get more contact to the fans but more needs to be done. The
fact that it clearly shows that Dave is a fan of the club will
allow the supporters to feel more reassured about the fact that
it is fans running the club and that they have similar interests
to the average consumer. Sometimes it can feel that these people
are businessmen in suits trying to extort as much money out
of the fan as possible and this brings a personable angle to
the staff at the club - and one to which the fans can relate.
The other thing is that he allowed the fans to ask him questions and he took the time to give in-depth and considered answers. This bodes well but needs to be built upon. More interviews with websites and the local media should be conducted as it will allow the fan to feel a part of the club rather than distanced from it. They like to be keep abreast of current development and current workings inside the club and for the money they pay for season tickets I would say they have a right to be expect this. The good thing is that many of the issues I have personally pointed out in previous columns have been discussed and it is good to know now what the direction of the football club is, particularly with respect to its pricing policy. It is also reassuring to hear they are reading sites like ours in an attempt to understand what the fans are thinking. I understand what Dave says about reducing ticket prices and how it has attacked overheads but the way they have done this is only really going halfway.
£5 for kids and OAP's, fine but not great if adults are still
too expensive. Maybe go for £5/£8 or something for a game that
you know is not going to sell out and just see what happens.
Also advertising needs to be a lot better - the ONLY way I can
find this out being a non-regular attendant at the Riverside
is through the official website- and I have to open an account
to log in there! If it was advertised more readily (I've noticed
that the club is advertising in the Cleveland Centre now which
is a promising development) then maybe more people would turn
up to the games. Generally though this is a VERY impressive
and honest interview with Dave and I commend him in this. If
he can find a way to build on this, particularly in the local
media then the fans will be won back and things will start to
look a lot more positive again. I await the developments with
baited breath.
DAVE ALLAN'S ANSWERS TO THE READER'S COMMENTS
A lot of the comments made are very interesting and I am very happy to respond to them.
I can't recall admitting there is "a good deal of spin", as one of the readers suggests. "Spin" is just a word the media have come up with in recent years in an apparent attempt to undermine public relations. To use their own terminology, it's their "spin" on what they think public relations is about. If spinning is trying to ensure that MFC is shown in the best possible light, then fine. It doesn't, as is often suggested, mean we lie.
The comments made by players after recent games about the fans has, I feel, been fair. Having read Anthony Vickers' article in the Gazette about this issue, you'd have thought the players had been saying that the fans were rubbish or had no right to give their view. The truth is - and I've checked this in the Gazette's own articles quoting the players - that the likes of Franck have said the booing was "disappointing" because the players need the fans to stay on their side. To quote him: "The fans need to be behind us even more in hard times, like at the moment. They didn't respond well at times against Manchester City and that's a bit disappointing for us because it doesn't help anybody. It only helps your opponent. We need the fans to get behind us even more to lift us up."
Now, I know some fans will argue that Franck has no right to say booing during the game is disappointing, but I personally think it's best saved until the end if that's how you feel - and I believe most fans would agree with that view. Franck wasn't even "slamming the boo boys" as the Gazette wrote - he was asking fans and players to stick together. It makes me laugh when I then hear Bernie Slaven saying players shouldn't criticise as there's a page in his book that I wrote with him about the time he did exactly what Franck has done and why he thinks it was the right thing to say.
The points about Journey South are good, but I have a feeling Simon Cowell will ensure they are very busy for the next year or so. But we do have a close relationship with them and who knows what might happen in the future.
The Alkmaar comments are interesting. We really did make these points over and over again - but they were usually hidden away at the bottom of the local press articles about "outraged" fans. I feel the Gazette in particular thought it was a good headline story that fans were angry. They put our response in, but the following day there would be more of the same.
I don't foresee a situation whereby we sell Premier League tickets for a fiver each, mainly because it would upset our season ticket holders who have paid good money up front. Any schemes that involve cheaper tickets to encourage casual fans have to be done whilst keeping in mind our "core" fans. And if we reduce ticket prices across the board that will undoubtedly decrease our income, which weakens our position in terms of strengthening the squad. As Keith Lamb has said recently, we would then have to "cut our cloth accordingly". Of course, what we want is for fans to stick with the club because without them we will never achieve the aims we all have for the Boro.
What is also important to remember is that when we say we want to maximise the income into the club, it's not about making anyone rich. It's about building the football club. All the money we bring into the club goes into the playing squad and the infrastructure of MFC. Like it or not, to compete at the highest level needs finance. Some of that has to come from the fans.
I agree we need to look at more advertising for tickets. At present, the Gazette is used fairly extensively - and they are very good at publicising ticket information as news articles, as opposed to just advertisements - but we do little beyond the Gazette and our inhouse media (eg. website, programme, PA announcements, concourse TV, electronic messageboard).
Dave
Read the original interview here.
DISCUSS THIS INTERVIEW IN THE NEW HOLGATE MESSAGE BOARD
BACK TO INTERVIEWS INDEX
|
|
|
|
