I’m a big one for the whole “Man on the street” arguement, and Q.P.R. have seemingly screwed over the fans.

The club, owned by multi millionaires Bernie Ecclestone, Lakshmi Mittal and Flavio Briatore, have put up the ticket prices to £40 for most games, and £50 for some, according to the BBC.

In a statement, Q.P.R. said this

“The board has considered it a necessity to increase match-day prices to maintain budgets previously set. We are totally committed to building a sound financial base for the future.”

Q.P.R. will be a Premier League side in a few years, fact. But when you consider that their tickets cost more than every single Premier League club (with the exception of Chelsea and Manchester United), it sort of smacks a bit of driving the things away that make any club great, the fans.

Your thoughts?

A report on the BBC has stated that football clubs should pay for policing at all football games.

As it currently stands, the clubs play for any policing required within and around the ground, and any extra policing laid on for the match is paid for by the taxpayer.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s unreasonable for football clubs of premier league stature to pay  for extra police in and around the ground, I just wonder when it will stop.

Take for example a policeman intercepts a known hooligan in the city centre on match day. What should happen then? Or what should happen if an off duty policeman at a match stops a crime? I walk around a my 20,000 population town on a Saturday and see the place teaming with police. Why’s that? “Because there’s a match on”. Most of the fans are in one bar, and then make their way up.

I don’t like the whole “bash the Premiership” attitude, as generally it filters down to local clubs without big budgets to operate, and it’s rather unnescessary overall at lower league level. Some games do need the extra police, but for your average Yeovil vs. Rotherham, it’s completely unnescessary.

What are your thoughts?