I think the difficulty there would be they knowing what non-local fans are planning to do after the game. For instance, when Liverpool play Man United in the Europa Cup do Liverpool need to give the addresses of ticket purchasers to Man United so Man United can estimate how many LFC fans might head back to Liverpool after the game? If not they could arrange extra and strengthened services to Liverpool, only to find Chester and Southport bound services can't cope with the numbers of away fans.
Not generally. Manchester Untied will only care about the number of tickets sold not where people come from.
You may have to be a club member to buy away tickets but I doubt the personal details of fans are passed on between clubs. How would it help anyway when my mate buys 4 tickets for our group and passes them on to us.
I think that could make the problem worse after cup games as everyone will allow for extra time and penalties meaning in the event of a win within 90 minutes, some trains leave with a load of empty seats while thousands of football fans are waiting around for later services.
if a special is run it tends to be timetabled for the worst case of extra time and penalties.
One possible option would be that away tickets would be sold only including coach transport. Some may not choose to use that coach transport at their own risk (and would still have paid for it, so it wouldn't matter if the seat ran empty), but the vast majority would.
Clubs like Man U would still have an issue with regard to "home" fans from far away, but it would help the situation substantially.
no. no. NO! That makes the risk of confrontation even worse as all fans are in one place at one time. It makes the policing costs so much higher and fans don't want it. I doubt the clubs want it either.
Look at the Sunderland/Newcastle games where this has been done and the response from both the police and fans. No one likes it! The police have to export a convoy of 40 coaches long distance and it puts lots of strain on their resources and creates a massive target for trouble.
You cant have a drink on supporters coaches, you get to the ground at 14:30 and they are quite dull once you are older than 14. We want to travel, have a few pints and watch the match.
AND we want the police to arrest the trouble makers
If indeed there was serious agro, which I somewhat doubt, it does show the naivety of Network Rail. Arriva Trains Wales are used to planning the flow of fans after events at the Millenium Stadium. Network Rail would have known about this game well in advance and that the FA Cup allows more away fan tickets than league games. They should have had plans in place to deal with this. If railways are to be taken seriously, then they should be able to deal with this rather than suggesting that they should use other means of transport, as some posters have stated. Would you rather have 100 coaches coming into Manchester , fouling up the local road network and then fouling up the M6 and M1 afterwards? I would suggest that there is stock available and I'm sure enough staff to get volunteers from, to deal with these occasional events. There just isn't a will!
That would be Arriva Trains Wales AND Network Rail AND GWR AND XC who work out plans for Cardiff.
once upon a time the trains would have run from Old Trafford station, keeping the idiots away from normal humans
they still do - although perhaps not an 11 car pendo!
As the game was shown on TV, why do the fans need to be there at all? Seems ridiculous that everyone else had to suffer.
Why go to the pictures - the film will be on DVD soon. Why go to the theater - you can read the play
People want to go and support their team and watch the match. It is about being part of it and being able to say i was there when..........
(BTW it isn't on everyone's tv. It was on subscription TV.)
It would be nice to see some serious pre-planning for such events - with the travelling needs of fans given a higher priority than the needs of the tv broadcasters.
Won't happen!
That's Commie talk that is!
I doubt the fans merit even a millisecond of consideration. I doubt contact is made with NR/TOCs ( other than to inform of semi/final date sat Wembley) to look at the implications of such a descion.
If the TOCs can't put on additional services, the police should refuse permission to hold games at such times.
The police aren't bothered unless there is the potential for serious disorder. This was barely disorder let alone serious disorder!
