Johnny Haynes Stand and the new TV gantry - merged topic

[Tonywa]

Far from being towards the back of the JH stand as implied in the email from the club, the new extra TV gantry is attached to one of the pillars in the middle of the centre of the front block of seats.  This now renders dozens of seats as badly restricted view and my own view from my season ticket seat had nearly all the goal at the Hammy end blocked from view together with a big chunk towards the corner flag.  This is simply unacceptable and the club will be sure to find themselves in considerable trouble if they allow this to stay permanently.  Several people (including myself) complained and were re-seated in the JH lower (not a very good view from there either) and I think the club is acting illegally in charging people full price for an unobstructed view which has now been altered effectively breaking the contract between Fulham FC and the seat holder.  Several people sitting near me are threatening legal action and the club has surely admitted culpability by moving us. The fact is that I have been sitting in my current seat since we moved back to the Cottage, saw my first game as a child in 1962 and have been a season ticket since 1979.  I do not want to move as I sit with a group of five or six others with whom I have become very friendly over the years and unless the club can either remove the obstacle or reseat us all together somewhere with a similar view it will be unsatisfactory.  The poor beleaguered stadium manager, who told me this monstrosity was only wished on them a few days ago by BT Sport has given several of us his business card and asked us to get in touch this week.  Trying to watch a football match through a metal gantry occupied by a cameraman and his camera is certainly not an option and I think the club will be fielding a considerable number of complaints about this.  To allow this to go ahead, especially without properly informing those likely to be affected is crass in the extreme and almost certainly illegal.  It certainly made for a very unpleasant atmosphere in the JH this afternoon as so many people were complaining to the stewards or demanding to be re-seated.  I would be interested to hear the thoughts of any others affected by this.

[epsomraver]

I hope you get a good result Tony, the club never consider the ordinary fans

[nose]

i wasn't quite as badly affected but now have an obstructedview where before I had a near perfect view.
For the first time ever i am absolutely devasted at the way the management of the club has acted, waiting to e-mail us on thursday was a nasty surprise, the gantry was far worse tan they said.
We all need to complain immediately!

[Otley]

Agree absolutely.  I've tried for years to change my restricted view seat in F Block and having just managed it this season it's worse than ever now

[Tonywa]

Agree absolutely.  I've tried for years to change my restricted view seat in F Block and having just managed it this season it's worse than ever now

I suspect you were the person I was talking to who was sitting in Row G just behind me.

[Tonywa]

I have to make a hospital visit tonight, but if someone is able, I think it would be a good opening gambit to make a call on the subject to one of the national football phone-ins tonight

[SKSW6]

Seen a picture of it and it's ridiculous. My seat is restricted view in the Hammy End with that thin pole in the way, and I get £50 off the full price. For that enormous thing to be in the way, you should be getting at least £100 off IMO, if of course you stay there. Unfortunately this sounds like just another example of the TV companies thinking they can do whatever they want. BT sport have done this at other grounds too with similar problems to STH.

[Tonywa]

It's not just the money aspect, but we have a good little social scene in our section as we have all sat together since we re-located back to the Cottage and the interaction between us is one of the great pleasures of the afternoon.  I'm sure some sort of refund is entirely justified, but it would be pretty poor compensation for having lost not only my formerly excellent view, but also the company of my friends. I wish I hadn't taken out that BT Sports Channel subscription now ;-)

[nose]

all the club have to do is remove the gantry and tell the PL it is not acceptable!
End of. They will actually accept that.

[Tonywa]

That depends on how much influence the money put into the game by BT Sports has on the decision.

[nose]

actually whilst you are correct it is only up to a point because they are not allowed to ask for things that are unreasonable and the goegraphy and age of the stadium make it unreasonable. i do not think threatening legal action is correct but i do think we must all write and express our total disapointment and displeasure.

[fulhamben]

That depends on how much influence the money put into the game by BT Sports has on the decision.

sky, itv and channel 5 manage to survive without it. why not skip the club and go straight to bt. im sure they wouldnt want negative press about there new venture. and im sure 100s of fulham fans being unable to watch the games form where they always do will make them think about it

[Rhys Lightning 63]

That depends on how much influence the money put into the game by BT Sports has on the decision.

sky, itv and channel 5 manage to survive without it. why not skip the club and go straight to bt. im sure they wouldnt want negative press about there new venture. and im sure 100s of fulham fans being unable to watch the games form where they always do will make them think about it

Is this just a BT thing or will it be there for all games to record highlights for MOTD and Game Of The Day on Sky?

[nose]

the e-mail from the club says
'As you may be aware, the Premier League recently announced enhanced media guidelines that offer greater access to broadcasters, plus a wider range of TV camera positions.'
Nothing to do with BT.

[fulhamben]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2401403/Fulham-fans-express-anger-BT-cameras-block-view-750-seats.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

[Rhys Lightning 63]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2401403/Fulham-fans-express-anger-BT-cameras-block-view-750-seats.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

That last line says it all really

'We're sorry if any fans at Craven Cottage are upset by the camera position, but hope that thousands of Fulham and Arsenal supporters, who couldn't make it to the match, enjoyed the game on BT Sport.'

[Peabody]

Looking at the offending gantry from the Riverside, it is obviously going to restrict people's view of the game and just why the club allowed it to be installed defies belief. Have you e-mailed the club yet? Because I am sure that they have broken their contract with. I bet the seats they moved you too made you very wet.

[MJG]

My question to Bt and others is who asked for that camera view in the contract?

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 4

[Otley]

 If the photo on the link that Fulhamben posted looks bad you should see it from about three seats further left. 
I took a photo and it shows that the gantry blocks out quite a lot more of the pitch.

Is it possible to upload a photo? If so how? The help menu doesn't explain and the Image Icon just comes up with

[MJG]

John Cross of the mirrors view