Norgethistle Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 With all the good that has came out the club on the park over the last season plus the North Stand, it seems to me that we keep shooting ourselves in the foot off it. We had the Season ticket prices carry on, no increase then an increase then wrong prices posted, plus the form couldn't get filled in on line The season ticket finance plan being not what it stated The TAG scheme going quiet No DVD as of yet (Strike when the irons hot etc not 6 games into the season if were on a bad run and enthusiasm is down) The shirts and replica gear apparently being poor quality and the location being off the beaten track Now we have the catering being slated (or nearly condemned) and this was apparently the hospitality, the catering (pie sheds has been getting slated all year) and now it seems the hospitality food is re-heats going by sporting solutions "A spokesman for Sporting Solutions, who provide the catering for Partick Thistle, said: “All the issues raised in the report have been rectified. We were advised by an inspector that we did not need to keep food safety records because all food is pre-prepared.” These are all revenue streams the club should be pushing and maximizing the catering company is staffed by "back to work" press ganged folk, the office is manned by volunteers, It wasn't so long ago our hospitality was classed as the best in Scotland with it nearly full every home game, its now open 3 or 4 times a season thats not just down to finances from the punters its down to the quality of the product being served (or re-heated) up. We have on our board David Beattie who made his fortune in pies, Ajay Chopra who basically runs supply chains, then the 2 or 3 from Europa, surely to god these guys should be up to sorting this out or are we only really interested in the ticket and TV money 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cup Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 Great. I've now got that Paula Abdul song stuck in my head. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jukebox Rebel Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 ^ Straight up? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeredStirlingsrightfoot Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 Opposites Attract. That was the first thing I thought of unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel Edmonds Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 All very minor issues. We've just won the league and will soon be playing in the top flight. That in itself, not to mention the planned financial reforms of the newly merged setup, will see us earn riches that we've haven't known for quite some time. Chill out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pie Of The Month Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 All very minor issues. We've just won the league and will soon be playing in the top flight. That in itself, not to mention the planned financial reforms of the newly merged setup, will see us earn riches that we've haven't known for quite some time. Chill out. Well said. I've been guilty of a moan myself but when they are all put in the one thread most of them are incredibly ridiculous things to be upset about when we've got SPL football to look forward to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SussexJag Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 Well said. I've been guilty of a moan myself but when they are all put in the one thread most of them are incredibly ridiculous things to be upset about when we've got SPL football to look forward to. Agree. But why are people so negative? Really gets my goat. We've had some joke boards / managers who deserved to be burned at the stake (so to speak) but we don't now. It must still be hard running a club on limited funds, so let's just acknowlege the effort and forgive a few things. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 I would suggest that "pre-prepared" could be used for most pies bridies sausage rolls bought in any shop/supermarket/bakery in not only Maryhill but the whole country - chill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Stevenson Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 All very minor issues. Which, adds up to a lot of ineptitude and bad organisation. One way or another, that comes back to bite you eventually. I experienced hospitality at the Dunfermline game in April thanks to my workmates chipping in for my 50th birthday. I had a great day, but not because of the hospitality experience. It was because we came from behind to grab an equaliser with the last kick of the game on the day we were presented with the 1st Division trophy. Enjoyable football covers up a host of other defects, but it doesn't sort them out. To describe the hospitality experience as poor would be an understatement. It was definitely the worst I have experienced having gone probably half a dozen times over about 20 years. It has been declining in quality consistently over that time. A poor experience in this "industry" results in loss of repeat business. That's why it was available so rarely last season. They won't miss my occasional expenditure, but if they are trying to squeeze money out of businesses using hospitality to impress clients, the club will find itself on a loser and with a lower income stream than should be the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_mac Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 (edited) I don't see how you can class the catering problem as a minor issue. Sporting Solutions have basically just admitted that they reheat food for corporate hospitality. It's now public and out there for everyone to see. Would you take clients/friends/family there, paying very good money for what you now know to be reheated food? Is that really a great advert for hospitality at Firhill? I can't really see how the club can continue with sporting solutions after this forced admission from them. In any other business the contract would be terminated and a new tender process would begin. As for TTL (all they have done is pay to use the joma name) - for me the jury is still out. The season ticket issue, the lack of progress on the DVD and of course the north stand fiasco I would say on their own are concerning, but added together I really don't see how you can class these as minor issues. For anyone who thinks I am being overly critical I'd ask you to read back over my posts. I have supported the club on many issues throughout last season and beyond. It's quite clear and obvious that we are severely in need of someone to take control and responsibility for the administration of the club. We need extra bodies in there who have the experience and skills to get all the above issues rectified. Instead we are turning away folk who have done a tremendous job on the accounting side of things and helped remedy the constant financial haemorrhaging that was going on under McMaster, Cowan and Hughes. Those clowns are probably the reason why we are taking such an interest in the inner workings of the club today. Edited July 16, 2013 by ian_mac 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel Edmonds Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 I don't see how you can class the catering problem as a minor issue. It has literally zero relevance to the current or potential footballing, or even business progress that the club is making/will make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_mac Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 It has literally zero relevance to the current or potential footballing, or even business progress that the club is making/will make. So you don't think it will affect hospitality numbers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenziejag Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 All these issues are add ons to the fundamental purpose of the football club, which is to put a team on the park that can compete. The main source of income for the club this year will be the amount of money we receive from the league. While it would be great if all these things were top quality, I have never met anyone who hasn't gone to a game because they can't get a pie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norgethistle Posted July 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 It has literally zero relevance to the current or potential footballing, or even business progress that the club is making/will make. At charging up to £120 a head does not affect the business progress then we obviously have a lot more money than we let on, add to that a person taking clients for a meal, who being impressed decide to sponser the club (or invest) instead of being put of or poisoned and sue the club in worst case scenario Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norgethistle Posted July 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 All these issues are add ons to the fundamental purpose of the football club, which is to put a team on the park that can compete. The main source of income for the club this year will be the amount of money we receive from the league. While it would be great if all these things were top quality, I have never met anyone who hasn't gone to a game because they can't get a pie. And as has been muted for long enough, the club cannot survive only on ticket money it has to look for alternative revuenue streams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Scruff Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 I don't see how you can class the catering problem as a minor issue. Sporting Solutions have basically just admitted that they reheat food for corporate hospitality. It's now public and out there for everyone to see. Would you take clients/friends/family there, paying very good money for what you now know to be reheated food? Is that really a great advert for hospitality at Firhill? I can't really see how the club can continue with sporting solutions after this forced admission from them. In any other business the contract would be terminated and a new tender process would begin. Isn't the vast majority of hospitality catering (and I don't just mean in football) pre-prepared and then heated as required? I'm sure it is called "cook-chill" and if you've ever been to one of those large events in a city hotel this is precisely how you will have got your food. The issue for me isn't in the manner of the preparation, but in the overall level of the hospitality experience which I think the club have been complacent about for a number of years. What was once a market leader is now just a bit ordinary and not worth the additional expense as a rare fan treat or a business investment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillresigned Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 I agree that our club has a history of shooting itself in the foot, particularly when it comes to things like Public Relations and admin. I also agree that as annoying as theses things are to most supporters they are not as important as the product on the park. However I believe the club is making an effort to focus on the interests of its supporters and I'm willing to overlook amateurish organisational difficulties for a time. Of course the rub is, that if we struggle on the pitch, then these issues assume an ever increasing importance to the eponymous ordinary supporter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel Edmonds Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 So you don't think it will affect hospitality numbers? Whether it does or not will have no relevant lasting impact on the club in a footballing or business sense. The vastly increased income from playing in the top flight dwarfs the lost income of a few people giving hospitality a miss. Without doubt it's an issue, but only a minor one considering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_mac Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 Whether it does or not will have no relevant lasting impact on the club in a footballing or business sense. The vastly increased income from playing in the top flight dwarfs the lost income of a few people giving hospitality a miss. Without doubt it's an issue, but only a minor one considering. It's already having a lasting impact though. Hospitality used to run at every home game. It was full of corporate clients and some ordinary fans on a day out. Now it only runs for big games and is rarely full unless they are offering some cheap deal. The number of corporate bookings these days is nothing compared to a decade ago. You are basically saying that we don't need to worry about hospitality any more as we are in the SPL. I would say that this kind of thinking is complacency of the highest order. We are in the SPL now but for how long? If we go down in the next few years and the TV revenue dries up we will once again be forced to look for alternative revenue streams. If the club do as you say, by that time the damage done to the reputation of the hospitality could be permanent. We need to start acting like a professional organisation in every area. If we can afford to spend £100k on moving the directors back to the main stand then there is simply no excuse for standards elsewhere not to improve. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 I wouldn't describe issues to do with hospitality as minor even on a relative basis. Profit from sit down catering isn't judged on a pro rata basis. Talking arbitrary but say you've got covers at a third full you might be only breaking even. Double the covers and you're making a reasonable profit. Run above that heading towards a full house and you start to make serious profit. The point being it's that last third that make you the real money but it's also obviously that last third who are the most difficult to sell to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norgethistle Posted July 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 (edited) Its about customer satisfaction, treating them right and giving a fit for purpose product on and off the park, whether its £90 meals £3 pies or £40 tops they all bring cash in and leave an impression especially to the new or not so regular visitor. Yes we have telly money (mystery value) but with games being live we need to ensure the punters enjoyment is maintained and food poisoning or crap hospitality or amatuerish running won't do that. Let's see how much the telly deal makes us on a cold wet december friday night on a losing streak Edited July 16, 2013 by Norgethistle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 All these issues are add ons to the fundamental purpose of the football club, which is to put a team on the park that can compete. The main source of income for the club this year will be the amount of money we receive from the league. While it would be great if all these things were top quality, I have never met anyone who hasn't gone to a game because they can't get a pie. This is precisely the problem with the game in Scotland. Football is much more than just winning games. It is a spectator sport and if the spectators are not catered for then they will stop attending. What will we have then? Games played behind closed doors for the TV? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_mac Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 This is precisely the problem with the game in Scotland. Football is much more than just winning games. It is a spectator sport and if the spectators are not catered for then they will stop attending. What will we have then? Games played behind closed doors for the TV? We're not far off that anyway. With admission prices rising every season, it's almost as if the clubs don't want people going at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potty trained Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 All very minor issues. We've just won the league and will soon be playing in the top flight. That in itself, not to mention the planned financial reforms of the newly merged setup, will see us earn riches that we've haven't known for quite some time. Chill out. Noel, what sort of riches will we earn? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel Edmonds Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 Noel, what sort of riches will we earn? Those brought about by having substantially higher attendances every week as well as getting our cut of a TV deal that never existed in the First Division. Quite simple really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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