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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2015 4:01:57 GMT 1
Outsourcing does not abrogate responsibility, neither does blaming outsourcing. The catering reflects upon, and is the responsibility of the club. Develop some balls and challenge the caterers.
Get service level agreements in place, It is in their interest to maximise their revenue, they are your partners.
In my day job, no fucking way would I put up with running out of stock, not being able to sell/feed people.
I know Sodexho, they do our canteen. It has been a little challenging but they can, if pushed, deliver.
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Post by smj1 on Jan 23, 2015 6:15:31 GMT 1
Agree with FMUK - lets get back to the point and let's see what happens.
However in response to your post - don't worry we have balls!!!. I wish you could see what we see
Sadly they are not accountable to us - they are to KSDL (v complex deal). They are not a partner of HTAFC they are a partner of KSDL who provide catering on our matchdays. We DONT put up with it but we have little power to change them - it is Sodexo that have to drive change with KSDL despite us demanding change.
Hopefully this dialogue with the supporters is a first step - I look forward to the positive changes being implemented.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2015 10:26:19 GMT 1
In response to Sodexo's latest post, Seabrooks crisps would be a very welcome addition IMO.
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chinaski
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Post by chinaski on Jan 23, 2015 10:30:41 GMT 1
How are they supposed to start doing locally sourced bacon sandwiches!? Just eat something before you go to the ground and wait another two hours before you stuff yourself ya fat gets!
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Post by mids on Jan 23, 2015 10:34:52 GMT 1
KSDL have had the easiest of easy lives for oh so long....clearly now Sean and Nigel and Dean have more of an active involvement things must change...and will change. Unfortunately change often takes time to gain any momentum. I know for a fact that the HTFC Board do care. I've seen it firsthand and have previously aided them in my own small way.
If nothing else its refreshing that our club feel comfortable to partake in discussions on message boards and face to face at regular fans meetings...as well as social media. There won't be many other clubs, if any, that do the same or similar.
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Post by upthetown on Jan 23, 2015 12:00:00 GMT 1
Agree with FMUK - lets get back to the point and let's see what happens. However in response to your post - don't worry we have balls!!!. I wish you could see what we see Sadly they are not accountable to us - they are to KSDL (v complex deal). They are not a partner of HTAFC they are a partner of KSDL who provide catering on our matchdays. We DONT put up with it but we have little power to change them - it is Sodexo that have to drive change with KSDL despite us demanding change. Hopefully this dialogue with the supporters is a first step - I look forward to the positive changes being implemented. "We have balls!!! I wish you could see" No thanks mate, I'm good! |
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Post by upthetown on Jan 23, 2015 14:49:07 GMT 1
Agree with what others say re dedicated queues for beer, pre pulled etc. If I get a beer at halftime I anways wait until the whistle, by the time I've got served there's usually about 3-4 mins before second half starts.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2015 17:34:50 GMT 1
I say do your own research, profit margins are the only thing it boils down to for you.
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Post by Frankiesleftpeg on Jan 23, 2015 20:28:56 GMT 1
If this company (& senior management at the club) are serious about wanting to provide a decent product & a realistic alternative for more customers the first thing they should do is send senior managers "undercover" to see the whole experience for themselves...they would soon see the problems. I refuse to pay ridiculous prices for awful products served by incompetent/cant-be-arsed staff. I'm positive that neither Deano, nor a senior representative from this customer could honestly actually claim to have enjoyed the catering & think it decent value for money...I'm afraid that neither the club nor the catering company actually care enough to do something about the situation, yet in reality how hard is it to produce a decent pie & peas at a reasonable price? Just back from London and I have and continue to watch this thread with interest. Some great ideas and comments from our supporters and I hope Sodexo implement them. Feedback and engagement with supporters and the Club on this subject is to be welcomed. I am afraid I do completely disagree with the comment that the CLUB (I can't comment for Sodexo but by the nature of thier two posts demonstrate a positive step) do not care about the subject. In fact it is just the opposite we (the Club) care very much! Each week we provide Sodexo with our feedback from the boardroom to the terraces. We have those documented and would be happy to share those if you wanted to meet me at the club. Each week we hope they improve. Equally we have been champions of local produce and would welcome Sodexo working with us on our Partners ( I.e. haighs - who invest in your club to be a partner and are big Town fans) or potential partners. I have indeed sent an email to Sodexo this evening to help create a win win win situation for the Club, the fans and indeed them. I await their response. We also provide our feedback to the KSDL board meetings and insisted in the last board meeting that the comments we made on Sodexo were included. We also provide feedback to Sodexo that is given to us by mystery shoppers implemented by the football league. This is excellent independent feedback. On the reports given the catering has sadly been the underperformer and scored points below other parts of the business - this is something we want to change - but is not under our control as opposed to retail or the lotteries for example. What's more Dean is a champion of value for money and that includes the terraces and the experience of fans. Lastly for clarity it is KSDL that appoint the caterers and are ultimately responsible for their performance. We suggest and welcome dialogue to Sodexo but they will make thier own choices including prices as per their contract with KSDL. As I say we really do hope they listen to what you have said and work closer to the club on local produce - this ultimately helps the local economy and local employment. Once again we care a lot about the experience provided - it is Very important to us and to imply otherwise is wrong. Rant over Sean Feel free to rant on here anytime you like. The rest of us do. I just wish other members of the board would come on here from time to time. It could help to dispel a lot of the fears that we have about a whole host of things, not least the seemingly lack of transfer activity in the areas where its needed. Not all of us have the time or means to attend supporters meetings and this would be the ideal place to keep us informed of the stuff that matters to us. |
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Post by Terrier Ramone on Jan 23, 2015 21:10:39 GMT 1
If this company (& senior management at the club) are serious about wanting to provide a decent product & a realistic alternative for more customers the first thing they should do is send senior managers "undercover" to see the whole experience for themselves...they would soon see the problems. I refuse to pay ridiculous prices for awful products served by incompetent/cant-be-arsed staff. I'm positive that neither Deano, nor a senior representative from this customer could honestly actually claim to have enjoyed the catering & think it decent value for money...I'm afraid that neither the club nor the catering company actually care enough to do something about the situation, yet in reality how hard is it to produce a decent pie & peas at a reasonable price? Just back from London and I have and continue to watch this thread with interest. Some great ideas and comments from our supporters and I hope Sodexo implement them. Feedback and engagement with supporters and the Club on this subject is to be welcomed. I am afraid I do completely disagree with the comment that the CLUB (I can't comment for Sodexo but by the nature of thier two posts demonstrate a positive step) do not care about the subject. In fact it is just the opposite we (the Club) care very much! Each week we provide Sodexo with our feedback from the boardroom to the terraces. We have those documented and would be happy to share those if you wanted to meet me at the club. Each week we hope they improve. Equally we have been champions of local produce and would welcome Sodexo working with us on our Partners ( I.e. haighs - who invest in your club to be a partner and are big Town fans) or potential partners. I have indeed sent an email to Sodexo this evening to help create a win win win situation for the Club, the fans and indeed them. I await their response. We also provide our feedback to the KSDL board meetings and insisted in the last board meeting that the comments we made on Sodexo were included. We also provide feedback to Sodexo that is given to us by mystery shoppers implemented by the football league. This is excellent independent feedback. On the reports given the catering has sadly been the underperformer and scored points below other parts of the business - this is something we want to change - but is not under our control as opposed to retail or the lotteries for example. What's more Dean is a champion of value for money and that includes the terraces and the experience of fans. Lastly for clarity it is KSDL that appoint the caterers and are ultimately responsible for their performance. We suggest and welcome dialogue to Sodexo but they will make thier own choices including prices as per their contract with KSDL. As I say we really do hope they listen to what you have said and work closer to the club on local produce - this ultimately helps the local economy and local employment. Once again we care a lot about the experience provided - it is Very important to us and to imply otherwise is wrong. Rant over Sean Sean, I appreciate you coming on this thread & replying and for showing some passion about the subject. Don't get me wrong, I love the vast majority of what Deano and you & the other members of the board are doing for/with our great club but football fans are continuously ripped off with stadium catering prices. Have you, personally, ever queued up at half time, received the service we get, eaten/drank the atrocious products we are served at what are, quite frankly, scandalous prices at our stadium? What is your honest opinion as a customer? IMO, the stadium catering has been appalling for years so I don't see why something hasn't been done about it already, hence my comment about the club not caring. If that is incorrect, I apologise, but why not be trailblazing, why not go against every other football club in the land & provide tasty, value for money grub? I'm not talking posh nosh but bacon sarnies, pie & peas etc. It's not just HTFC, to be fair, its all other football clubs, cinemas & service stations etc. where quality & value are so poor I just don't buy from them anymore. The last time I bought a cheeseburger at the stadium was probably the season before last, I was informed by a mumbling server that there was no cheese, when I asked how much I was getting off the advertised cheeseburger price for no cheese, he looked totally bemused...needless to say I had to still pay the full price (can't remember how much exactly now but pretty sure it was over £3), the actual product could never have seen a cow...it wasn't unpleasant, just totally tasteless & lukewarm. That is the last catering item I have bought at the stadium. I appreciate that some folk arrive straight from work or from far away so have little choice but to pay up but I would love to know if anyone who buys owt in the stadium does so because they feel it is a great value, tasty product. To sum up, I love HTFC, I love Deano, I love you, (The Baron's a bit miserable though), but I hate the matchday fodder at the stadium I love Canalside catering & Timmy Taylor beer, that is where I'd recommend anyone go if they have time before a game. Could we transport some of their delicious meat & potato pie to the stadium? |
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Post by Armchair Pundit on Jan 23, 2015 22:08:04 GMT 1
As with other posters.
The staffing is appalling. The last two times I have been I buy a pie and pint meal deal. The staff didn't know about the deal and put it through individually. Then they couldn't void the transaction so we had to wait 5 minutes for a supervisor to attend to cancel the transaction.
I appreciate you probably get temporary staff in. I have worked temp on a bar before but I've never seen bar staff so incapable.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2015 23:05:43 GMT 1
I honestly think that the club is as frustrated with this as the fans if not more (Seans post more than proves this). Unfortunately their hands are clearly tied on this and it seems to me Sodexo is only interested in profit margins, thanks for trying though Sean etc but Im afraid this threads main objective is only to be seen to be trying to improve things. The only way I see things changing is if we hit them were it hurts, the pocket.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2015 23:10:41 GMT 1
Sodexo at the John Smith’s Stadium are pleased introduce themselves on Down at the Mac. This will be a great platform to inform you of new changes, future plans and for you the fans, to submit constructive feedback / suggestions for improvement. We are a relatively new team at the stadium and really want to improve the entire match day catering service. We are positive with your assistance we can make the John Smith’s Stadium the best in The Football League. Sodexo Team Every club in the country will be green with envy when they hear that were getting cuppa soups and seabrooks crisps suicide |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2015 23:41:28 GMT 1
Sodexo at the John Smith’s Stadium are pleased introduce themselves on Down at the Mac. This will be a great platform to inform you of new changes, future plans and for you the fans, to submit constructive feedback / suggestions for improvement. We are a relatively new team at the stadium and really want to improve the entire match day catering service. We are positive with your assistance we can make the John Smith’s Stadium the best in The Football League. Sodexo Team Every club in the country will be green with envy when they hear that were getting cuppa soups and seabrooks crisps suicide It's clear your frustrated with the catering, and rightly so, its been poor for years, but lets not forget, we had a mass boycott of the catering outlets a few years ago. I wouldn't be surprised if the figures have ever recovered to what they were prior to the shares issue, I know when I was in the kilner last season, the tunnel never seemed to have the buzz about it that it had a few seasons earlier, even though the share issue was settled. The Sodexo team are determined to make the improvements needed, its not just about profit margins, of course that's the ultimate reward but I believe they want to achieve profit through providing a good service and products, it will never be cheap, we are a captive audience, but there's no reason why the catering cant represent good value. The problem wont be reversing the standards of the catering though, the real challenge will be reversing the preconception that its never going to be any good. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2015 23:55:15 GMT 1
I honestly think that the club is as frustrated with this as the fans if not more (Seans post more than proves this). Unfortunately their hands are clearly tied on this and it seems to me Sodexo is only interested in profit margins, thanks for trying though Sean etc but Im afraid this threads main objective is only to be seen to be trying to improve things. The only way I see things changing is if we hit them were it hurts, the pocket. Not sure I entirely agree that hands are tied here, although financial penalties may well not be an option. Many companies operate with partners, not all of which are contractually bound to the lead. To spot there is a problem, then  it away as we have no contractual recourse is unacceptable. There are many ways of influencing and improving a third parties performance; performance reviews, implementing controls, working with them in a co-operative way to improve their business model, working in a bonus structure and yes giving out a good bollocking and positive feed backs when needed. Brands need protection when they are exposed to third party performance. This can't be done by pointing to a contract between 2 companies unrelated to the brand, identifying where failures are happening and then deciding that legally nothing can be done so sod all will be done. It sounds like the Board are now making the right noises and have a result already. I do like the Seabrooks crinkle cut salt and vinegar. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2015 0:17:46 GMT 1
Hi Mel, Im not really that frustrated with the catering although it is shocking, I rarely use it and was under the impression kdsl contract it out to sodexo so there isnt too much the club can do about it so didnt really give it much thought, although after reading Seans post it sounds like theyre doing a lot more about it than us idiots that put up with it and just complain about it(me included). My frustration was more at Sodexo talking of making it one of the best in the country and then basically saying nothing could be done about the witch piss and dog food, I could be premature with my judgement on this and hope Iam... but I very much doubt it!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2015 0:51:18 GMT 1
under the impression kdsl contract it out to sodexo so there isnt too much the club can do about it Don't really want to hijack the thread further, but theres a few comments like this (including from Sean), and I think its worth remembering exactly what KSDL is. Its a company that is 40% owned by Hudds Town FC (the shares haven't been put into Trust, but that's another discussion!), no person or group owns more than that; and Dean Hoyle is a director. To suggest 'the football club' has no influence and has no basis for enforcing and driving change is frankly ridiculous. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2015 1:10:23 GMT 1
under the impression kdsl contract it out to sodexo so there isnt too much the club can do about it Don't really want to hijack the thread further, but theres a few comments like this (including from Sean), and I think its worth remembering exactly what KSDL is. Its a company that is 40% owned by Hudds Town FC (the shares haven't been put into Trust, but that's another discussion!), no person or group owns more than that; and Dean Hoyle is a director. To suggest 'the football club' has no influence and has no basis for enforcing and driving change is frankly ridiculous. Fair commet. I suppose this is the first step the club are taking, surely though the club would struggle to force change on the current sodexo contract. I cant see them winning the next one. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2015 9:09:36 GMT 1
What the food like in the VIP/corporate areas ?
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Post by Terrier Ramone on Jan 24, 2015 16:05:50 GMT 1
What the food like in the VIP/corporate areas ? Dunno...but I'm hoping I can take Sean for a burger from our stadium catering & then he's gonna take me for a boardroom lunch next game  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2015 16:22:12 GMT 1
The staff are morons
The food is expensive and crap
As the dragons say ......I'm out
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2015 16:30:30 GMT 1
What the food like in the VIP/corporate areas ? I've heard that the beer has run out, especially after the Giants have played on a Friday night, leaving box holders more than frustrated. If you ever get chance to dine in the boardroom though, don't turn it down. It's fantastic. ;) |
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Post by Porrohman on Jan 24, 2015 16:56:25 GMT 1
What the food like in the VIP/corporate areas ? I've heard that the beer has run out, especially after the Giants have played on a Friday night, leaving box holders more than frustrated. If you ever get chance to dine in the boardroom though, don't turn it down. It's fantastic. Well you'd have to find something interesting to do for 80 minutes if you were there wouldn't you Sent from my SM-G900F using proboards |
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Post by garyroberts'leftfoot on Jan 25, 2015 1:03:16 GMT 1
Thank you for all your suggestions and comments so far, there's already been some great ideas and we appreciate your time. We would like to take this opportunity to respond to some of the comments. Based on your comments we have brought in Soup2Go in cup, initially its Knorrs Tomato Soup but if it goes well we can always extend the range to encompass more flavours. Hope you enjoy the hot soup; it will be available at the next game across the stadium. We could also change the crisp supplier to Seabrook Crisp’s if that's the general consensus? (That customers prefer Seabrooks?) We would love to bring in some local ales but as you correctly stated the John Smith's brand is owned by Heineken and therefore due to sponsorship deals and contracts, Sodexo aren't allowed to sell any other Brewery related products other than Heineken products (hence Fosters, Bulmer & John Smith's). Heineken do have a limit range of ales but they can't supply them in plastic bottles, so the only option would be draught (which we are looking into). A lot of people have also mentioned the speed of service surrounding pints. Once again Heineken supply all the fonts/ equipment. We have recently requested faster service equipment's and more fonts / T-bars, which we will continue to chase up. However, we aware there is some stuff we can be doing to speed it up like faster staff & more accurate prepours. We have recently managed to recruit enough staff to not have to use agency, so there should start to be some more consistency. Having said that, good staff are hard to come by and if anyone knows anyone (over 18) who could bring some reliability and consistency to the matchday team then please message me. Lower FM have different food facilities because when we took the contract on there was no kiosk provided for us to sell from in lower FM. So we had to out source it to a food van. However, we are realistically looking at building a kiosk down there ready for next season. We will provide an update as soon as that is 100% confirmed (which should be relatively soon). Name badges are a great idea and we are in the process of purchasing them. We will have them in place for all staff no later than the end of March but hopefully a lot sooner. Apologies if there's some points I've not responded to however let me reassure you that we read all your comments thoroughly and we are acting behind the scene to improve the service. Thank you again for all your comments. Wigan sold knorrs tomato soup and it was not very good. Surprisingly yellowly orange for something that was supposed to contain tomato and tasteless. You'd be better off having a big heater full of Heinz tomato or selling the condensed tubes Heinz do with a cup of hot water. |
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Post by Porrohman on Jan 25, 2015 1:49:11 GMT 1
Name badges always remind me of the Peter Kay show when he's working as a steward at the MEN Arena "my names not Mohammed", " it's all we've got left son"
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Post by Porrohman on Jan 25, 2015 1:50:01 GMT 1
So no chance of anything decent to drink til the stadium changes main sponsor
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Post by smj1 on Jan 25, 2015 12:02:01 GMT 1
Just caught up on the comments.
The stadium catering is on our agenda and we bring this to the KSDL board at every meeting. We are very strong in our comments on them good or bad. Yes we are 40 % shareholders - but the other 60% seem content - but obviously difficult for me to comment on thier behalf. Why not ask them (Giants and KSDL for thier views) ?
KSDL and thier staff - appointed Sodexo - we feedback to both KSDL and Sodexo. They have to make the changes to improve. They are sadly not accountable to us - that's where sometimes it can be frustrating.
Would it surprise you that I have requested the contract for Sodexo but have been refused to have sight of it by the MD of KSDL? I personally disagree with thier approach to this but in fairness they will have thier reasons which you have to respect.
PPG Canalside is answerable to us - we are 100% in control of its destiny - the food is bought by us - using TFS and Haighs - both partners of Town and local companies. Interestingly we had a complaint last night about the food and service. We will now investigate why and how and will put things in place to make sure this is a one off.
Back to the stadium ...
I can only give you my word we are doing everything we can to apply pressure/feedback in a professional manner to improve our fans lot on catering. And will continue to do so. The companies that are involved in the stadium have to have the same desire too. I hope they have.
For info I have had a reply from Sodexo on a local supplier and whilst they haven't said they will immediately make it happen they have said they will keep me in the loop prior to making a change. I will keep you informed!
To be fair I see Sodexo's comment on DATM (which we were unaware they were going to do) a positive step. I hope they continue to make them.
Finally - I am definitely up for a burger (I did buy one a while ago - and the experience was very poor!). We also have people around the stadium as mystery shoppers - this research is undertaken by our Supporters Partnerships Dept and is fed back also.
Happy to meet whoever on a matchday to see first hand again - if you want.
Great win yesterday and CC defo meant that!
Sean
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Post by Terrier Ramone on Jan 25, 2015 12:29:00 GMT 1
Just caught up on the comments. The stadium catering is on our agenda and we bring this to the KSDL board at every meeting. We are very strong in our comments on them good or bad. Yes we are 40 % shareholders - but the other 60% seem content - but obviously difficult for me to comment on thier behalf. Why not ask them (Giants and KSDL for thier views) ? KSDL and thier staff - appointed Sodexo - we feedback to both KSDL and Sodexo. They have to make the changes to improve. They are sadly not accountable to us - that's where sometimes it can be frustrating. Would it surprise you that I have requested the contract for Sodexo but have been refused to have sight of it by the MD of KSDL? I personally disagree with thier approach to this but in fairness they will have thier reasons which you have to respect. PPG Canalside is answerable to us - we are 100% in control of its destiny - the food is bought by us - using TFS and Haighs - both partners of Town and local companies. Interestingly we had a complaint last night about the food and service. We will now investigate why and how and will put things in place to make sure this is a one off. Back to the stadium ... I can only give you my word we are doing everything we can to apply pressure/feedback in a professional manner to improve our fans lot on catering. And will continue to do so. The companies that are involved in the stadium have to have the same desire too. I hope they have. For info I have had a reply from Sodexo on a local supplier and whilst they haven't said they will immediately make it happen they have said they will keep me in the loop prior to making a change. I will keep you informed! To be fair I see Sodexo's comment on DATM (which we were unaware they were going to do) a positive step. I hope they continue to make them. Finally - I am definitely up for a burger (I did buy one a while ago - and the experience was very poor!). We also have people around the stadium as mystery shoppers - this research is undertaken by our Supporters Partnerships Dept and is fed back also. Happy to meet whoever on a matchday to see first hand again - if you want. Great win yesterday and CC defo meant that! Sean Very interesting post again Sean, thanks for taking the time, at least we are far more informed of the situation now & don't worry, not gonna insist on making you "enjoy" a burger at the stadium...but I will buy you a pint next time I see you at Canalside  Absolutely brilliant, and crucial, 3 pts yest....did CC say he meant it or is that your opinion? |
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Post by Porrohman on Jan 25, 2015 12:45:27 GMT 1
Could the club encourage people not to buy from the ground while KSDL are being pricks ?
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Post by Detective Boyle on Jan 25, 2015 21:21:28 GMT 1
All I ask is for them to improve the balti pies. Please
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it away as we have no contractual recourse is unacceptable. There are many ways of influencing and improving a third parties performance; performance reviews, implementing controls, working with them in a co-operative way to improve their business model, working in a bonus structure and yes giving out a good bollocking and positive feed backs when needed.
