Former Fulham full back Paul Parker has blasted the club’s ticket pricing policy as ‘obscene’.
Parker, who made 182 appearances for the Whites in two spells at Craven Cottage having broken into the first-team under Malcolm Macdonald, attacked the Fulham hierarchy for profiteering off the backs of loyal supporters after the home fans protested before and during the narrow defeat to Manchester United, for whom he also played on Saturday.
The England international, who was part of the side that reached the 1990 World Cup semi-finals under Fulham legend Sir Bobby Robson, provided punditry for BBC Radio London at the weekend’s game and said:
“I cut my teeth as a player at the club in the early 80s. They are not a ‘Big Six’ club in the Premier League, but the die-hard fans are among the best I played for during my career. I am angry because I feel they deserve to be treated better. I’m delighted they held up yellow cards in protest during the game against the price hikes – and I was pleased to see the Manchester United fans joined in too.
The game itself was so drab and heading for one of the worst goalless draws you could ever watch until Bruno Fernandes’ late winner for United. You watch 0-0 or 1-0 games and they can be end to end and lift you out of your seat. This one was awful. It just annoys me that fans are expected to pay the rate however high clubs set the prices – and then have to witness a bore fest like Saturday.
If I paid £140-£160 to go to a show or concert at the Royal Albert Hall, I know I’d be royally entertained. I just don’t feel it’s fair for the football fan to have to cough up these extreme prices to watch a second rate game of football for what should be an elite sporting event. How can they justify increasing the price of tickets by 18 per cent – with the way the cost of living is today in this country?
Of course it would be the perfect protest by boycotting games, but I know that will never happen. Football fans – and the Fulham supporters in particular – are incredibly loyal.”
Well said Paul I totally agree with you the prices are obscene and are trying to rip off loyal fans who can’t afford them.
Mo gave us Premier League football at a very reasonable cost. He also rebuilt the Putney and Hammersmith stands. We went through a period of uncertainty at Loftus Road and although not perfect, the fans were happy enough, when we returned back from exile.
However, the Khans came in and began their custodianship, starting to treat the Fulham fans in the same way, as those sheep that follow the NFL, with contempt. We have accepted their incompetence in the Club’s financial matters, (including it’s on field (FFP)trading) and of course the Riverside Stand fiasco. Shahid Khan calls it “SUSTAINABILTY”, and now, we the fans are paying for it.