Letter: Don't close the upper tiers at the Macron Stadium

I am a season ticket holder in the East Stand Upper (Lofthouse Stand) and am concerned about the possible closure of this area in the coming season.

I have had my seat since we moved to the stadium and had the similar-placed seat at Burnden Park so I am very reluctant to be moved to another part of the ground.

Many of the people where I sit are now friends and we have built up a supporters' social circle within our area.

I have experienced the lower-tier-only games at previous cup matches and found it very uncomfortable with massive queues for toilets and bars, and constant problems of having to stand up to see the game when we were attacking because looking down the line isn't easily viewed.

Everybody gets wet when it rains, especially if you are on the front six rows.

The view from the upper tier is brilliant and gives a better appreciation of the game whereas the view in the lower tier is too flat with no appreciation of width.

I notice the upper tier on the West side is not closing – surprise, surprise! The reason given is corporate entertainment which puts us in a second-class category.

It is the old problem of the general fan not mattering – a mistake made too often by BWFC management.

These corporate seats are half empty, especially when we are struggling.

I bet the Lion of Vienna Club is not being shifted, so that part of the upper tier will still be open and need stewarding.

Why not see how many upper tier season ticket holders renew – I have already – and then cluster them around the Lion of Vienna area. That way stewarding can still be reduced but, more importantly, we customers will be happy.

I have not been consulted. Why aren't the upper tier season ticket holders only consulted?

The club needs to look after its supporters, the same supporters who stick with them through thick and thin. We are going through a thin time, and we are the true supporters.

Statistics can give off-beam opinions to give a wrong decision credibility. This is a prime example.

Stephen Tonge

BWFC season ticket holder 2016/17

Station Road

Kearsley

Bolton

Source

I'll second that- it expresses my view as well. As I've said elsewhere in another thread- if the East stand Upper, where I've been a season ticket since the Reebok/Macron opened  closes, I'll be asking for a full refund. So BWFC,leave it open- or lose even more revenue

Third it. I sit in the West Stand Upper, cracking viewing angle. Don't close it and punish us that cough up every season. Get things reet on't pitch and start filling up th'empty seats around us.

The club is bigger than some selfish twats who want to sit in the same seat they've always sat in.

Listen to yourselves, it's like being back at school. Who gives a fuck where you sit. You still see the game.

If it saves the club money all well and great, but it's the atmosphere that's more important - 10,000 people can sound like 20,000 if they're all sat together.

Twats like this really piss me off.

it's a tricky one, i've been in the same seat in the ESL since it opened and i'd not be too happy about being moved, but it does make sense to look at closing the upper tiers as painful as it may be for regulars up there

Norpig wrote:it's a tricky one, i've been in the same seat in the ESL since it opened and i'd not be too happy about being moved

When I was in year 2 I always sat next to Peter Leighton. I was really pissed off when Mrs Stopforth moved him away from me because we talked too much.

But I didn't refuse to go to school again.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

When I was in year 2 I always sat next to Peter Leighton. I was really pissed off when Mrs Stopforth moved him away from me because we talked too much.

Is that what she told you?

I have it on good authority that Peter Leighton requested the move.

Something to do with an odd smell and "inappropriate touching."

All the boring twats that don't sing and chant sit in the upper tiers, bad idea.

They'll be complaining about me, I'll end up getting kicked out by some spotted stewards.

Natasha Whittam wrote:The club is bigger than some selfish twats who want to sit in the same seat they've always sat in.

Listen to yourselves, it's like being back at school. Who gives a fuck where you sit. You still see the game.

If it saves the club money all well and great, but it's the atmosphere that's more important - 10,000 people can sound like 20,000 if they're all sat together.

Twats like this really piss me off.

Fuck off.

There were times when we were getting 26,000+ and the atmosphere was still flat as a witches tit.

Do you honestly think closing the upper tiers is gonna turn the place into Galatasaray?

I can't believe the club are even considering it, really. Like it or not, most of the people that attend just wanna sit on their arse, sip from a flask and watch the game, and a lot of them are willing to pay a fair bit more to sit in some of the brilliant seats on offer in the East and West Upper.

Stop romanticising over this idea of us all packed in like sardines, singing away. It's daft.

doffcocker wrote:
Fuck off.

There were times when we were getting 26,000+ and the atmosphere was still flat as a witches tit.

Do you honestly think closing the upper tiers is gonna turn the place into Galatasaray?

I can't believe the club are even considering it, really. Like it or not, most of the people that attend just wanna sit on their arse, sip from a flask and watch the game, and a lot of them are willing to pay a fair bit more to sit in some of the brilliant seats on offer in the East and West Upper.

Stop romanticising over this idea of us all packed in like sardines, singing away. It's daft.

You fuckwit, you're about 12 years old. No wonder you've never experienced atmosphere, Dougie Freedman is the best manager you've ever witnessed at Bolton.

Natasha Whittam wrote:
You fuckwit, you're about 12 years old. No wonder you've never experienced atmosphere, Dougie Freedman is the best manager you've ever witnessed at Bolton.

Oh look. A patronising comment about my age. I never saw that one coming.

I've no doubt that the atmosphere at Burnden Park back in the day absolutely shits all over anything I've ever witnessed at the Reebok.

That doesn't mean we can now just recreate that by clumping everybody together in the lower tiers. OK, it might make a marginal difference to the volume. So what?

You're not telling me it'd make a massive difference to anything.

doffcocker wrote:

Oh look. A patronising comment about my age. I never saw that one coming.

I've no doubt that the atmosphere at Burnden Park back in the day absolutely shits all over anything I've ever witnessed at the Reebok.

That doesn't mean we can now just recreate that by clumping everybody together in the lower tiers. OK, it might make a marginal difference to the volume. So what?

You're not telling me it'd make a massive difference to anything.

If you're dim enough to think a fully open ground will be no less atmospheric than a lower tier only ground, then fair enough, no one will be surprised.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

doffcocker wrote:

Oh look. A patronising comment about my age. I never saw that one coming.

I've no doubt that the atmosphere at Burnden Park back in the day absolutely shits all over anything I've ever witnessed at the Reebok.

That doesn't mean we can now just recreate that by clumping everybody together in the lower tiers. OK, it might make a marginal difference to the volume. So what?

You're not telling me it'd make a massive difference to anything.

If you're dim enough to think a fully open ground will be no less atmospheric than a lower tier only ground, then fair enough, no one will be surprised.

Well and truly fucked that up by trying to be clever, didn't we....?

Come and join us miserable old bastards in the WSU. 

Flask and flat cap compulsory.

boltonbonce wrote:Come and join us miserable old bastards in the WSU. 

Flask and flat cap compulsory.

Depends what you have in your flask.

For once I agree with Nat. The sad fact is the gates next season are going to be under 10K for the most part. While I certainly understand some people's reluctance to move from seats they've held for several years (in some cases since the Reebok/Macron opened) I think we have to be realistic about where the club is at both in terms of our league status and financial position.

If closing the upper tiers saves money (and it will due to lower stewarding and policing costs, cleaning etc) and helps to improve the atmosphere somewhat then I think it has to be a good thing. I'd hope it would only be for one season anyway and that we'd re-open them on our return to the Championship but even if it was for two or three years I still don't think it would be a calamity.

People often don't like change but generally they get used to it when it happens and I suspect this will be the same. A lot of fans will moan about losing "their" seat but by Christmas they'll have got used to being sat somewhere else and may even find they prefer their new location.

I'm not belittling anyone or saying those who don't want to change are idiots. I'm simply asking them to give it a chance if the top tiers do close. I wasn't exactly keen on going to the Reebok at all and missed Burnden Park badly for the first half season but I got used to it and came to appreciate the better facilities and easier transport links in the end.

I'm OK up in the WSU.

The elite.