Excellent read Johnny, you have captured the Wolves fan journey of modern times and this sad situation perfectly. Today feels a long way from the joy of when you hosted the end of season dinner of the promotion season in Telford.
Superb piece JP - not sure I can see a Liverpool esq reversal of these prices in those days ticket prices were announced before the end of the season so the Reds fans had a platform to demonstrate ie the walk out which triggered the climb down - however with no matches now as prices set after the season end social media has grown in importance and is the only way fans views can be expressed - the Wolves board read the comments and we know they do the next few days are vital to restore any damage - it will be a big decision but like Liverpool’s could be greatly received.
Thanks, Steve. I hope the club reconsiders the impact of the price rises and makes the changes. They do listen to feedback and complaints don’t fall on deaf ears.
I defy anyone to argue these points with Johnny. Seeing as how he was there in the dark days his words have more impact, as opposed to the Netflix tinged gobbledegook written by Jeff Shi. Fans were more important to the club during our late 1980s rebirth., as the club was genuinely at risk of going bust. Each person who attended felt a connection to the players on the pitch (and car park) and acted like the oft-mentioned '12th man'. I remember feeling guilty if I missed any match between 1986-90, so went out of my way to attend 95 per cent of games, both home and away. I wrote endless columns for A Load of Bull and lived and breathed every aspect of Wolverhampton, despite living in London. However, by 2008 I was feeling exploited by football in general and gave up my season ticket, content to attend only a few matches per season. Oddly, I suspect people are having similar thought processes over the current season ticket rise, communicated in a way that makes Paula Vennells look like a patron Saint of virtue. The Shi has certainly hit the fan over this increase but fans need to realise that our position of power has diminished over time, to the extent that our attendance is needed only for background noise. We are largely expendable as the globalisation of football fandom has rendered our match day presence redundant, our seats taken by the tourist, assuming they can locate Wolverhampton on a map. Football is no longer a working class game at the top level, despite this being a familiar cry from many. No, it is now a strictly middle class entertainment, with the change of clientele being a natural spin-off. We can protest, sign a petition and launch all manner of campaigns to make us feel better but, in reality, we are looking at football through the lens of nostalgia, for a chance to reclaim our working class credentials. Sadly they are gone. Gone forever.
Bobby, good to hear from you. The point about the “guilt” of missing games will register with many. It arguably lies at the heart of the emotional attachment, and as you point out it is this sense of connection which may have been lost for a lot of the fan base who have moved on as football changed its ecosystem. With each passing season many more could be in a similar position if the game they know continues to marginalise them.
Great article Johnny …..approaching my 70s now and more than 50+ years of it supporting Wolves …..I would gladly die on that hill if I could take Jeff and Fosun with me …..and of course leave my Wolves intact for the rest of my Molineux Family
Great article...we will suffer with this and our relationship with fosun will be fractured permanently...I fear they will sell up and we will once again return to mediocrity in the lower divisions.
Really well written piece that captures the facts , the emotion and the possible outcomes of this latest speed bump in the road we travel as Wolves fans …thanks
Had the Steve Bull Stand been rebuilt, to mirror the Stan Cullis Stand, that would have pushed the capacity up, as well as bigger capacity in corporate areas. However, I don't believe that FOSUN have ever had any intentions of developing and enhancing Molineux, no ROI. Sadly, FOSUN don't think with emotion or care, it is in their nature to be cold and calculating, they are all about making profit, who else would basically try and evict the children and disabled supporters from their seats? It will be interesting to see how they try and coax the tourist day-trippers when we're back in the Championship...
Thanks for the comments, Dave. I understand the frustrations. There are no plans to rebuild the Steve Bull Stand, for the reason you outline, so it is a situation that won’t improve for the foreseeable future.
1) we're the only club in the league who have had price increases every season since 2018/19 before this weeks immoral price hikes.
2) Who are we benchmarking against? Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Palace, Everton, Leicester and Forest have all announced their prices with the cheapest tickets starting at *at least* £170 cheaper than Wolves.
3) Comment on the season tickets in the Graham Hughes? which is nothing more than a cynical attempt at price manipulation, 700/23000 seats at £525 which lower the cost of our cheapest season ticket from 5th to 11th. Top 5 prices for bottom 5 ambition.
4) Comment on the state of Molineux. A Steve Bull stand that is rapidly approaching unfit for purpose, paint peeling off the exterior. No pride. Yet we as supporters are supposed to swallow this and pay through the nose.
Thanks for the comments, Mike. I absolutely take on board all your points, which are important and can be backed up. I wasn’t really looking to pile into Fosun further. It would have been an easier piece to write, of course, but there’s been a lot of well-publicised criticism over the last few days. What we need now is to find a solution that best serves the supporters. The piece is attempting to give an overview of where the club is at in a historical context, where it could be and why a rethink has to be the best way forward.
Well said JP. You make a valid point about season tickets vs match day tickets. While in the lower leagues, most clubs welcome season ticket sales for the certainty of income, but in the Premier League, where full stadiums are the norm, you’re right, clubs would likely wish to have a greater % of match day sales to full price adults, who would be happy to spend on refreshments and merchandise on their rare or only visit to the ground. If this is the club trying to force that switch, then it’s a shameful attack on loyal Wolves fans who have stood by the club through thick and thin.
Excellent read Johnny, you have captured the Wolves fan journey of modern times and this sad situation perfectly. Today feels a long way from the joy of when you hosted the end of season dinner of the promotion season in Telford.
Thanks, Nigel. Great night wasn’t it, hopefully that optimism returns soon.
Superb piece JP - not sure I can see a Liverpool esq reversal of these prices in those days ticket prices were announced before the end of the season so the Reds fans had a platform to demonstrate ie the walk out which triggered the climb down - however with no matches now as prices set after the season end social media has grown in importance and is the only way fans views can be expressed - the Wolves board read the comments and we know they do the next few days are vital to restore any damage - it will be a big decision but like Liverpool’s could be greatly received.
Thanks, Steve. I hope the club reconsiders the impact of the price rises and makes the changes. They do listen to feedback and complaints don’t fall on deaf ears.
Excellent piece 👍🏻
I defy anyone to argue these points with Johnny. Seeing as how he was there in the dark days his words have more impact, as opposed to the Netflix tinged gobbledegook written by Jeff Shi. Fans were more important to the club during our late 1980s rebirth., as the club was genuinely at risk of going bust. Each person who attended felt a connection to the players on the pitch (and car park) and acted like the oft-mentioned '12th man'. I remember feeling guilty if I missed any match between 1986-90, so went out of my way to attend 95 per cent of games, both home and away. I wrote endless columns for A Load of Bull and lived and breathed every aspect of Wolverhampton, despite living in London. However, by 2008 I was feeling exploited by football in general and gave up my season ticket, content to attend only a few matches per season. Oddly, I suspect people are having similar thought processes over the current season ticket rise, communicated in a way that makes Paula Vennells look like a patron Saint of virtue. The Shi has certainly hit the fan over this increase but fans need to realise that our position of power has diminished over time, to the extent that our attendance is needed only for background noise. We are largely expendable as the globalisation of football fandom has rendered our match day presence redundant, our seats taken by the tourist, assuming they can locate Wolverhampton on a map. Football is no longer a working class game at the top level, despite this being a familiar cry from many. No, it is now a strictly middle class entertainment, with the change of clientele being a natural spin-off. We can protest, sign a petition and launch all manner of campaigns to make us feel better but, in reality, we are looking at football through the lens of nostalgia, for a chance to reclaim our working class credentials. Sadly they are gone. Gone forever.
Bobby, good to hear from you. The point about the “guilt” of missing games will register with many. It arguably lies at the heart of the emotional attachment, and as you point out it is this sense of connection which may have been lost for a lot of the fan base who have moved on as football changed its ecosystem. With each passing season many more could be in a similar position if the game they know continues to marginalise them.
Thanks Johnny, keep on with the good work. Perhaps A Load of Bull should come out again as a special issue. I'll get onto Charlie pronto...
Great article Johnny …..approaching my 70s now and more than 50+ years of it supporting Wolves …..I would gladly die on that hill if I could take Jeff and Fosun with me …..and of course leave my Wolves intact for the rest of my Molineux Family
Hi Dartmouth Wolf, it’s a tough pill to swallow for supporters but hopefully there can be a resolution.
Great article...we will suffer with this and our relationship with fosun will be fractured permanently...I fear they will sell up and we will once again return to mediocrity in the lower divisions.
Thanks Chris, I hope there’s a resolution where we can move forward productively.
Really well written piece that captures the facts , the emotion and the possible outcomes of this latest speed bump in the road we travel as Wolves fans …thanks
Thanks Jack. Appreciate the comments.
Had the Steve Bull Stand been rebuilt, to mirror the Stan Cullis Stand, that would have pushed the capacity up, as well as bigger capacity in corporate areas. However, I don't believe that FOSUN have ever had any intentions of developing and enhancing Molineux, no ROI. Sadly, FOSUN don't think with emotion or care, it is in their nature to be cold and calculating, they are all about making profit, who else would basically try and evict the children and disabled supporters from their seats? It will be interesting to see how they try and coax the tourist day-trippers when we're back in the Championship...
Thanks for the comments, Dave. I understand the frustrations. There are no plans to rebuild the Steve Bull Stand, for the reason you outline, so it is a situation that won’t improve for the foreseeable future.
Sorry JP, far too wishy washy.
1) we're the only club in the league who have had price increases every season since 2018/19 before this weeks immoral price hikes.
2) Who are we benchmarking against? Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Palace, Everton, Leicester and Forest have all announced their prices with the cheapest tickets starting at *at least* £170 cheaper than Wolves.
3) Comment on the season tickets in the Graham Hughes? which is nothing more than a cynical attempt at price manipulation, 700/23000 seats at £525 which lower the cost of our cheapest season ticket from 5th to 11th. Top 5 prices for bottom 5 ambition.
4) Comment on the state of Molineux. A Steve Bull stand that is rapidly approaching unfit for purpose, paint peeling off the exterior. No pride. Yet we as supporters are supposed to swallow this and pay through the nose.
Still, we beat United. Sound.
Thanks for the comments, Mike. I absolutely take on board all your points, which are important and can be backed up. I wasn’t really looking to pile into Fosun further. It would have been an easier piece to write, of course, but there’s been a lot of well-publicised criticism over the last few days. What we need now is to find a solution that best serves the supporters. The piece is attempting to give an overview of where the club is at in a historical context, where it could be and why a rethink has to be the best way forward.
Excellent as ever Johnny. You should be on the board.
Thanks, Colin.
Well said JP. You make a valid point about season tickets vs match day tickets. While in the lower leagues, most clubs welcome season ticket sales for the certainty of income, but in the Premier League, where full stadiums are the norm, you’re right, clubs would likely wish to have a greater % of match day sales to full price adults, who would be happy to spend on refreshments and merchandise on their rare or only visit to the ground. If this is the club trying to force that switch, then it’s a shameful attack on loyal Wolves fans who have stood by the club through thick and thin.
Thanks for the comments, David. Hopefully the club will take on board the feedback from supporters.