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Post by deliasmith on Dec 17, 2014 19:08:38 GMT
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Post by sheikhmomo on Dec 17, 2014 19:22:41 GMT
Old Tarquin's main gripe seems to be with Richard Branson who denied him access to his premium facilities. Get some money back on your ticket and join the campaign for the re-nationalisation of The Railways Comrade.
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Post by Olgrligm on Dec 17, 2014 19:28:51 GMT
'They should be the target of the blogs'
Those eight words seem to say an awful lot.
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Post by stokesaint1 on Dec 17, 2014 20:02:14 GMT
Just sums up the arrogance that is Arsenal. Smudges article in the Sentinel opened with the wrong club. United would be nice but Arsenal would be delightful. There is absolutely nothing I admire about them.
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Post by AlanHansen on Dec 17, 2014 20:21:27 GMT
It would have been a 9 or 11 coach train, not 12, the thick Cockney twat...
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Post by Malcolm Clarke on Dec 17, 2014 21:15:29 GMT
After the Spurs away game, the end 2 first class coaches on our train were sealed off at Euston for the Stoke City team, and the Stoke team coach was driven right on to the platform at Euston so the players didn't have to take the same route to board it as everyone else - and we'd just won, so there would have been no hostile reception from returning stokies, quite the reverse ! So in all fairness, it wouldn't be any different if we had just been well beaten and a Stoke manager were getting the kind of abuse Wenger was. I'm afraid that's the way it is these days with PL players often treated like royalty with the rest of us kept at our distance. A far cry from the days when Sir Stan had to travel to the game on the bus with the fans !
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Post by stokesaint1 on Dec 17, 2014 21:45:58 GMT
Malcolm,
Those were the days, I still remember getting the train home at Stoke station and John Mahoney, with wet hair more often than not, jumping on, into the same carriage as us, many times.
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Post by Lesalanos on Dec 17, 2014 23:00:14 GMT
Malcolm,
One big difference , the train the arsenal players boarded was for their use only. Just the front two carriages were used!!
As a regular commuter I struggle to see how a train can be commissioned to carry just the arsenal team and no one else. Where can Virgin find the rolling stock for this, but leave me standing on the next train?
As he describes most of the Arsenal fans clapped the first few players, but all bar welbeck and Campbell blanked them completely.
I've traveled back from Euston on the same train as manure and they mingled with the other passengers!
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Post by skip on Dec 17, 2014 23:01:23 GMT
I bumped into the travelling Stoke squad at Stoke station a couple of seasons ago when we played Arsenal on a Sunday. All the players relaxed and chatting, Pulis with a face like a slapped arse and Dave Kemp with a tactical clipboard. It all felt weirdly Dave Bassett.
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Post by Malcolm Clarke on Dec 17, 2014 23:16:02 GMT
Malcolm, One big difference , the train the arsenal players boarded was for their use only. Just the front two carriages were used!! As a regular commuter I struggle to see how a train can be commissioned to carry just the arsenal team and no one else. Where can Virgin find the rolling stock for this, but leave me standing on the next train? As he describes most of the Arsenal fans clapped the first few players, but all bar welbeck and Campbell blanked them completely. I've traveled back from Euston on the same train as manure and they mingled with the other passengers! Right ! I had missed that. Extraordinary. Presumably Virgin can find the rolling stock on a Saturday evening. It would of course have been nice for them to offer their fans a lift back on the same train. I can see why their fans were annoyed. It would certainly annoy me. I wonder how much it cost Arsenal to hire a train ? Although as a regular Virgin traveller myself, I quite like the idea of Arsenal funds being used to subsidise my fares  ( naive assumption, I know) Boyan spent most of our journey in our carriage with his spanish friends, and willingly did selfies and autographs. |
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Post by creweoatcake1 on Dec 18, 2014 6:41:55 GMT
Malcolm, This is a lucrative business for the train company now. Quite a few clubs use this method of travel and hire the first 2 1st class carriages for players and officials. Both Manchester clubs, ourselves Blackburn, Bolton (I worked the train that took the Bolton lads to London for the semi final and the train that Owen Coyle came back on the day after Ha Ha) and the London clubs regularly travel north by train! However it is unusual for them to have a complete train to themselves. They must have chartered it (Very expensive). When travelling north Chelsea charter trains for their fans and subsidise the fares, i suppose in the same way that we give free coach travel!
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Dec 18, 2014 7:48:43 GMT
Malcolm, This is a lucrative business for the train company now. Quite a few clubs use this method of travel and hire the first 2 1st class carriages for players and officials. Both Manchester clubs, ourselves Blackburn, Bolton (I worked the train that took the Bolton lads to London for the semi final and the train that Owen Coyle came back on the day after Ha Ha) and the London clubs regularly travel north by train! However it is unusual for them to have a complete train to themselves. They must have chartered it (Very expensive). When travelling north Chelsea charter trains for their fans and subsidise the fares, i suppose in the same way that we give free coach travel! Cheers for the info. I'm rather chuffed that clubs still use the train, and hiring two first class carriages makes perfect sense all round. But as others have said, hiring a whole train seems well OTT and not allowing the fans to use the empty carriages seems to be exactly the opposite of customer care. If our club did that I'd be well pissed off - as well as being anti social, it is hardly environmentally friendly is it. Perhaps the MP for the Highbury area should ask in Parliament how such behaviour contributes towards the country meeting its Carbon reduction targets. Perhaps Malcolm Clarke could have a word with some of his FSF colleagues and get the local MP involved? |
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Post by creweoatcake1 on Dec 18, 2014 8:48:42 GMT
Lakeland, I have not heard of a club hiring a train exclusively for the team & Officials! But, If that is what they requested and were willing to pay, I am certain they would get it! As i said in my previous post it is most unusual! Not having seen this particular train myself, I wouldn't like to comment as to whether it actually happened.
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Post by nott1 on Dec 18, 2014 10:16:23 GMT
Who the hell was responsible for the decision to privatise our trains? May they rot in hell!
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Post by Malcolm Clarke on Dec 18, 2014 10:21:51 GMT
Malcolm, This is a lucrative business for the train company now. Quite a few clubs use this method of travel and hire the first 2 1st class carriages for players and officials. Both Manchester clubs, ourselves Blackburn, Bolton (I worked the train that took the Bolton lads to London for the semi final and the train that Owen Coyle came back on the day after Ha Ha) and the London clubs regularly travel north by train! However it is unusual for them to have a complete train to themselves. They must have chartered it (Very expensive). When travelling north Chelsea charter trains for their fans and subsidise the fares, i suppose in the same way that we give free coach travel! Cheers for the info. I'm rather chuffed that clubs still use the train, and hiring two first class carriages makes perfect sense all round. But as others have said, hiring a whole train seems well OTT and not allowing the fans to use the empty carriages seems to be exactly the opposite of customer care. If our club did that I'd be well pissed off - as well as being anti social, it is hardly environmentally friendly is it. Perhaps the MP for the Highbury area should ask in Parliament how such behaviour contributes towards the country meeting its Carbon reduction targets. Perhaps Malcolm Clarke could have a word with some of his FSF colleagues and get the local MP involved? I will do some digging among my Arsenal contacts to confirm that it did actually happen. The guy who wrote the blog was there, so he should know, but it does seem quite extraordinary to hire a complete Pendelino train for one football party, and then leave your own fans standing on the platform rather than use the other empty carriages (unless it hadn't got the right staffing levels). Not sure how the environment equation compares with going by road using a coach, John. |
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Post by chayzenbacon on Dec 18, 2014 10:25:42 GMT
Who the hell was responsible for the decision to privatise our trains? May they rot in hell! There's no reason to suppose that a publicly owned "British Rail" wouldn't have been just as willing as Virgin to let Arsenal spend their money on a whole train to themselves. Is there? |
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Dec 18, 2014 10:30:45 GMT
Cheers for the info. I'm rather chuffed that clubs still use the train, and hiring two first class carriages makes perfect sense all round. But as others have said, hiring a whole train seems well OTT and not allowing the fans to use the empty carriages seems to be exactly the opposite of customer care. If our club did that I'd be well pissed off - as well as being anti social, it is hardly environmentally friendly is it. Perhaps the MP for the Highbury area should ask in Parliament how such behaviour contributes towards the country meeting its Carbon reduction targets. Perhaps Malcolm Clarke could have a word with some of his FSF colleagues and get the local MP involved? I will do some digging among my Arsenal contacts to confirm that it did actually happen. The guy who wrote the blog was there, so he should know, but it does seem quite extraordinary to hire a complete Pendelino train for one football party, and then leave your own fans standing on the platform rather than use the other empty carriages (unless it hadn't got the right staffing levels). Not sure how the environment equation compares with going by road using a coach, John. I wasn't knocking them going by train Malcolm. A FULL, or nearly full, electric train is, apparently, the most environmentally friendly form of powered terrestrial transport. But a 10 carriage train, of which only 2 carriages are occupied, can't possibly be considered an environmentally friendly way to travel!  |
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Post by dadofsam on Dec 18, 2014 10:46:18 GMT
and Dave Kemp with a tactical clipboard. Ah Kempy - I have a mental image of that program Coach Trip  |
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Post by mrcoke on Dec 18, 2014 11:24:02 GMT
Who the hell was responsible for the decision to privatise our trains? May they rot in hell! Just to rub salt in your wounds Bexhill, not only are the railways privatised they are still massively subsidised by the taxpayer, currently over 30% despite present government cutbacks: fullfact.org/factchecks/taxpayer_subsidy_train_network_nationalisation-3391About a decade ago I went to a "Quality Company" seminar (I lived in the North East) and listened to a presentation by a company telling us how successful they were. They had improved service in all respects of customer satisfaction (price, flexibility, delivery on time, standard of catering, toilets, product range, etc. etc.) Who was this fantastic company : GNER. I continued to listen and wondered about their finances/profitability. Eventually they got to it; yes they had substantially cut the tax payers subsidy during their operation. By the way I didn't mention that they didn't actually own anything. The stations, track & signalling (Railtrack), rolling stock, etc. was all owned by other companies. GNER are just the operator. Subsequently the owners of GNER, Sea Containers, went bankrupt in 2006 and subsequently GNER lost their franchise to operate in 2007. (Just thought you would like to know where you taxes go.) |
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Post by OldStokie on Dec 18, 2014 11:35:32 GMT
Personally I can't see anything wrong with what they did. The club had booked a private train; Virgin wouldn't go to London with just two carriages because they needed 9 or 11 for the return journey, so what's the problem apart from a few prawn sandwich eaters feel snubbed?
OS.
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Post by tuum on Dec 18, 2014 12:37:55 GMT
I assume the reason for Arsenal hiring a full train for themselves is that it would not have to stop on its way back to London. Thus cutting 30mins? off the journey time.
Imagine the inconvenience of having to stop at Brum or Rugby to let the prols on and off.
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Post by Kjones9 on Dec 18, 2014 14:30:07 GMT
From Dominic to Myles.
Enough said.
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Post by sheikhmomo on Dec 18, 2014 15:06:14 GMT
Personally I can't see anything wrong with what they did. The club had booked a private train; Virgin wouldn't go to London with just two carriages because they needed 9 or 11 for the return journey, so what's the problem apart from a few prawn sandwich eaters feel snubbed? OS. Why keep first class ticket holders out of the lounge they've paid for because a few young lads who can kick a ball have to walk through it for 10 seconds? I have no time for first class paying Arsenal Tarquins but even less for cosseted footballers acting like deities. I'd sue Branson if I was Tarquin. |
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Post by RAF on Dec 18, 2014 15:12:47 GMT
Who the hell was responsible for the decision to privatise our trains? May they rot in hell! It was John Major, although your Labour mates said they would re-Nationalise the industry when they got back in. That went well. H |
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Post by Lesalanos on Dec 18, 2014 17:23:17 GMT
Is that really you OS my labour supporting friend!? You really can't see a problem with a football club hiring a train with 9 empty carriages, whilst the great and the good had standing room only on the next train. I didn't have you down as a supporter of privatisation. I might hire a whole train myself and leave my fellow stokies in London next time I'm down. Clearly as you're becoming more of a conservative you wouldn't see a problem with that!?  I was there Malcolm and can confirm it was only the players and officials on the train. |
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Post by creweoatcake1 on Dec 18, 2014 19:25:58 GMT
Ay up! The true blue, everything in the gardens rosy brigade are out! Surely not even you can believe that rail privatisation has been anything other than a total disaster!
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Post by Lesalanos on Dec 18, 2014 19:50:38 GMT
I know Crewe, and the card carrying labour man OS sees no problem in a train being hired by the rich football club, whilst us regular commuters continue to struggle. I'm in the re nationalise camp myself. Raffer in fairness is a bit of a Tory boy, but Old Stokie, !? He must have drank something |
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Post by swampySCFC on Dec 18, 2014 22:58:26 GMT
Must have changed their MO these days. They used to travel up by coach and stay at Crewe Hall.
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Post by RAF on Dec 18, 2014 23:22:12 GMT
I know Crewe, and the card carrying labour man OS sees no problem in a train being hired by the rich football club, whilst us regular commuters continue to struggle. I'm in the re nationalise camp myself. Raffer in fairness is a bit of a Tory boy, but Old Stokie, !? He must have drank something :) The lady can only protesteth too much Les, especially after becoming a reborn nouveau riche pottery magnate, selling cream jugs to the Yanks. It was only a matter of time before he turned. He was round mine last night reading the memoirs of The Great Thatcher to my boy. H ;) |
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Post by greenbaize on Dec 19, 2014 2:22:01 GMT
I was on the same train that took the team down to London for the Bolton semi, aprox 11ish Saturday morning, all our players sat outside the first class lounge on Stoke station and signed autographs and had pictures taken with all of us that wanted them, no problem whatsoever, privileged position they are in should not turn them into utter scum bags. What that scum club did his unforgivable leaving fellow passengers waiting on the platform whilst they fucked off on the entire train, so it was standing room only on the next train. Malcolm in your position I would be asking their fans to make a statement on this and get it into the public domain, football fans (I hate arse nal) or Joe public shouldn't be treated this way, if our team had done it and left me waiting on Euston you can be assured I would of made a meal of it.
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( naive assumption, I know) 
