So Long, Old Trafford

Today was the last day of the season, the last day of my Manchester United season ticket, and the end, at least in terms of a regular event, of all this:

I hope I’m not going to sound like I’m whingeing. I expect I will sound like I am; after all, the team are champions, playing the best football in the country, and fielding at least one, arguably two of the most exciting players in the world. Most football fans in the country would love to have all this at their club, wouldn’t they? Why would anyone walk away from that?

I’m done with being screwed over tickets. My season ticket in 2007/8 would cost £760. This is a 14% rise over 2006/7, which would be shocking in itself. But over and above that:

  • My season ticket went up by 10% last season, and by 10% the season before. This is a 40% rise over the last three seasons, and you just know they’re going to keep on making similar increases. The only thing that will stop them is supporters refusing to pay it. This is the only option available for the disgruntled.
     
  • Last year’s 10% rise was explained to us by the club. They told us that the increase was necessary to offset the fact that United hadn’t actually done well enough on the pitch in 2006/7 (they didn’t get out of the group stages of the Champions League), and that revenues were therefore down and the money had to be recouped. OK, so firstly: you’re playing badly, and so we have to pay more for the privilege of watching you? Oh, thanks. And secondly: does that mean that if you exceed expectations (say, by winning the Premiership, reaching the FA Cup final and getting to the CL semis), should we then expect the prices to come back down again? Apparently not, for some reason.
     
  • Season ticket holders will, in 2006/7, be forced to join the cup ticket scheme. This demands a commitment by the ST holder to buy their seat for any cup matches played at Old Trafford. According to cup draws and successful progress, or not, in the cups, this could mean any where between 3 and 14 extra matches over the season, including the Carling Cup in which United would be certain to field a reserve team. (Although United have promised a price reduction for Carling Cup matches, when you take into account the 14% increase, this reduction brings the CC ticket down to just under the full price ticket for 2006/7. Oh, and there is no word on potential increases in ticket prices for high-profile games – as an example, the club unilaterally increased prices for the Champions League semifinal at OT this season. My seat would have cost £45 if I’d gone, compared to the usual price of £35.)

How desperate is the club to get cash in? They were the Premiership’s lowest (net) spenders last summer, and next season they will get around £20M more than they did this season from the new TV deal.

Did I whinge too much? Sorry.

Now Playing (Part 2)…

After putting the “Now Playing” stuff in the sidebar, I’ve now added the clever stuff that links to Amazon. The code uses Amazon Web Services to pull back the album art (where it can find it from my iTunes artist and album tags) and a hyperlink to Amazon’s site. The URLS for the link and the art are cached in a local table at this end, so that I don’t overstep the limit of the number of requests that I’m allowed. Whatever that is.

Tangled Up In Blue

I tried out the new tent for the first time today. It took me THREE HOURS to put it up (including a break for lunch), but (with Vince’s help) about ten minutes to bring it down and put it all away again. Should be much quicker to put it back up when we do it “live”.

Tent

First Outdoor 10K Of The Year

It was misty first thing, so spent the morning indoors doing the housework; but when I finally ventured outside I felt the sun on my back and decided not to put it off any longer. Put my kit on and got outside for the first outside run of any kind in 2007, and because I felt good I decided to go for the full 10,000m.

Soon decided that I’d set off too quickly. Made the first kilometre in 5 minutes 30 seconds, which left me panting because there’s a steep climb up Handforth Road in that first kilometre. But I pushed on, taking the Turing route, and got back home in 56 minutes 2 seconds.

Now Playing…

Finished stage one of the “now playing” item on the right-hand column. This takes my iTunes Library, loads the track names into mySQL, and shuffles them to simulate a never-ending playlist reflecting, for better or worse, a snapshot of my tastes.

The next step will be to add a link to Amazon using the Amazon API.

New Guitar

I now own this guitar – it’s an Epiphone Les Paul Custom. Pretty, ain’t she? All I have to do now is learn to play it…

Lessons start on Monday!

Boats. Burnt.

Today was the last day at BOBJ/ALG/Armstrong Laing. Fifteen years was enough, I think, although I’ve been incredibly lucky to find myself in the situation that I’m in.

I am surprised that I’m the only one jumping ship, though.

Hope it’s the right thing to do.

Yeah, it’s got to be.

Hasn’t it?

Manchester Great Run 2006

I came 8201st, with a time of 55 minutes and 13 seconds!

You Bastard.

Barton Rides Again

They ran the Joey Barton competition again, so I got to send it in. Here it is on the Guardian site.