Tag Archives: Champions League

Cheap Arsenal tickets and Cologne still not sold out

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Numerous times in the past I have blogged about my dislike for Champions League football.

A mixture between having the same old opponents, the same predictable performances from Arsenal, my dislike for UEFA and their money making machine, and my total dislike for mid week football.

Whilst I understood the annoyance of many when we made the Europa League, both due to finishing below Spurs and the financial implications, I really was not that bothered. At least we are in a competition we might win.

Making the Europa League also saw my season ticket drop dramatically.

There are 11 of us going out to Germany for the match against Cologne – trains rather than flying – and it is going to be a quality 3 day bender with a good bunch of people. But I digress.

For years many of us have complained about match ticket prices. Season tickets are too expensive. Single match day tickets are too expensive – peaking at £126.It is alienating the normal fan. A dad can no longer take his 2 sons to a game without taking out a second mortgage.

Taking into account how many people complain online about ticket prices, it came as a shock that tickets for Cologne in the Europa League were still on sale.

 

Tickets are now on sale via the Friends and Family service to all valid members of the Arsenal membership using the Ticketfast print at home facility. This service allows Arsenal members to buy an additional 4 tickets on their membership account.

So a member can now buy an additional 4 tickets on their membership account – on top of the one they are already allowed to buy, making it 5 in total.

The reason I am surprised tickets are on sale is due to how cheap the tickets are:

Junior Gunners can but tickets for as low as £4.25. Adult tickets start at £15.50 and the most expensive tickets are £23.50. These are dirt cheap.

Even if your lads are not  Junior Gunner’s, a dad can take his 2 kids for around £75 max, if he go’s for the most expensive tickets.

What has happened to all those people who constantly moan about ticket prices? Why have they not picked up tickets for a Thursday night game?

Last season in the Champions League we played PSG at the group stages. My ticket for that game was £64. The most expensive tickets were £126. The game sold out in no time, and I was able to shift my ticket on the ticket exchange with no problem.

What I am getting it is how so many people seem to pay lip-service to ticket prices. They use it as an excuse not to go to games, but when tickets are more than reasonable – it is cheaper to go to Cologne v Arsenal than the next Leyton Orient home fixture in the Conference – they also do not go.

It is no surprise tickets are so high when people eat up the Cat A tickets within seconds, yet the Cat C and EL4GS tickets struggle to sell out.

My theory is ticket prices are not the problem. The problem is too many fans want to pick and choose what game to go to. They do not want to go to Stoke, Doncaster or Cologne. They only care about going to see Arsenal play Man U, Chelsea or Bayern Munich.

When I go to games, home and away, over land and sea, I only care about seeing Arsenal. I go for the Gunners. Sadly it seems many of our fickle fan base only want to go to the big games.

If you are one of those who moans all day on Twitter about ticket prices, and are not taking advantage of £15.50 ticket prices for Cologne, then you have no right to moan about the £126 tickets for when you want to see Arsenal play Man U.

Go for The Arsenal, not the opponents.

Keenos

 

Arsene Wenger was RIGHT about Leicester in the Champions League

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Fake news seems to be the buzz word of 2017. Football fans have had to put up with it for decades. Journalists twisting words for hits, creating transfer stories to fill column inches.

After Leicester’s brilliant victory over Sevilla last night, many Arsenal fans have started regurgitating fake news with the sharing of the following Evening Standard headline:

But has anyone who has shared it, tweeted it, actually read what Arsene Wenger said?

“If you play at Barcelona on Wednesday night, you have to fight for every single ball and again on the Saturday in the Premier League then of course it will be difficult.

“I cannot predict what the future of Leicester is, but the only thing I can say is it’s much more difficult once you play in competitions like the Champions League.”

At no point did Arsene Wenger say Leicester will struggle in the Champions League.

Reading what he actually said, it is clear the point he was making. It is harder playing Wednesday Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday then it is playing just once a week. And Leicester’s struggles in the Premier League this season shows this.

There results in the Champions League have been brilliant this season, through to the Quarter Final beating a very good Sevilla team. But there Premier League form has dropped as a consequence.

Currently 15th in the league, they are 3 points off the relegation zone. From runaway league champions to relegation contenders in 12 months. They were also knocked out of the FA Cup a couple of days before the 1st leg tie against Sevilla.

Whilst being in the Champions League is not the only contributing factor, it has played a part. As Arsene Wenger says, playing mid week and then the weekend is not easy. Especially for a side like Leicester who relied on little possession, high work rate and have a small squad.

Further proof of Wenger’s point is seen in Chelsea. They have benefited from a lack of European football this season.

Whilst watching Chelsea v Manchester United in the FA Cup on Monday night, the commentator said “this is Chelsea’s 35th game of the season, Manchester United have played 47”.

It is undeniable that Chelsea have been massively helped by only playing once a week. It reminds me of Liverpool a few years back when they mounted a title challenge. Leicester last season did not have European football.

I have actually seen many Arsenal fans, some of whom criticise Wenger all day, every day, say they would not mind not having Champions League football next year so that we can concentrate on the league. So why spread the fake news, when essentially you agree with what Wenger said? That it is harder when you are in the Champions League to perform on all fronts.

That’s right, you change the narrative to suit the agenda.

Dropping from 1st to 15th proves that being in the Champions League makes things more difficult.

So before you spread fake news, actually take the time to read what was said under the headline. You will probably actually agree.

Keenos

Proof that the Champions League draw is flawed?

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So Arsenal get Bayern Munich in the Champions League knock out stages again. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

At least it has saved me £500 on tickets, flights, hotels and booze. But whilst watching the draw, I noticed a massive flaw which could lead it to be fix and / or flawed.

The runners-up are drawn first from a single bowl. Once the runners-up are drawn, some UEFA suit picks out balls from the bowls of the teams they can face. These balls are then put into a bowl that is infront of Ruud Gullit, who is drawing the winners.

A courtesy mixing of the balls round the bowl, and Gullit then draws the side.

So Gullit can see which balls are taken from which bowl, sees these balls go into a bowl infront of him, and then watches as they are ‘mixed’ up, remaining in the order they were in the bowl.

Anyone who has ever been to Spain and play the “find the ball” game with a lookielooklie man will know how it works.

As the ball go’s under the cup, you keep an eye on that cup. And as long as your eye speed is quick enough, you can almost always find out. Of course, they are usually a scam, with a quick slight of hand trick removing the ball. Or whilst you are watching what is going on, pick pockets work the outside stealing wallets and phones whilst you concentrate on the cups.

We all know the game.

So back to the Champions League draw.

The balls go in the bowl infront of Gullit. He knows which ball is which, keeping an eye on the one he wants as they spin around the bowl, and can then pick out the ball he chooses. Made even easier in a situation like Arsenal’s where there were only 4 balls in the draw.

The UEFA Champions League draw is badly flawed and it is no surprise we got Bayern Munich once more.

Keenos