Brazil trip - the verdict

[Rog H K]

There are always people that will follow the crowd like sheep and leave the detective work to others, we are probably all guilty of that at one time or another. Neil was the unofficial tour guide on the official tour, he was the detective sorting out or helping assist with City/Thomas Cook and us with all our queries times of departures, arrivals, costs,day trip bookings etc. The list was endless. Things also did change while in Brazil like KO times for 2 of the games so Neil was always on hand and a very good shepherd and via email or word of mouth took to rounding people up at the correct time and place and I thank him for all his work with the trip. Neil made life very easy for many folk and he didn't have to and that silly thing around his ear was never switched off so people could and were contacting him night and day. The Politics should be left out IMHO. I had a great time and anyone who went 12,000 miles round trip to watch a few friendly games I take my hat off big time,official trip or not! Some even went the extra mile and went further south into the Argentine and were in the Racing Club Stadium in Buenos Aires for the exact date we played them 100 years before.

 

[IndoMike]

[QUOTE=Bittners a Legend;1440765


Once again a good, balanced post from you, Bittners.

I don't even know who NLM is -I'm not interested at all in the personalities of the club- but I join you in being confused about the comment "If it had not been for the original people who booked to go on the official tour there wouldn't have been a game for them to go to" ?? This once again seems to contradict the club's constant mantra that the trip was sponsored and that the sponsorship and/or Flum were covering all the costs. I'm glad everyone enjoyed it : just commenting about the financing.

 

[Rog H K]

Mike. The coach transfers to the games may not have taken place had the official tour people not pre booked via Thomas cook. Thomas cook said if there wasn't enough interest then they may not have had these coaches. It worked out £15 a game. There was space and Independents did make use of these coaches. This may be what Neil is alluding to. For the record if any independents turned up they all paid the £15 per game on what ever trip they chose.
There have been many sponsors, Fluminese, Exeter Uni. The British Consulate with Promoting Great Britain, we can speculate others. If the conspiracy theory is true that it could also be Thomas Cook who may have top sliced a portion of the profit of the official trip in City's direction to make the trip possible then I am happy with that.

 

[IndoMike]

Mike. The coach transfers to the games may not have taken place had the official tour people not pre booked via Thomas cook. Thomas cook said if there wasn't enough interest then they may not have had these coaches. It worked out £15 a game. There was space and Independents did make use of these coaches. This may be what Neil is alluding to. For the record if any independents turned up they all paid the £15 per game on what ever trip they chose.
There have been many sponsors, Fluminese, Exeter Uni. The British Consulate with Promoting Great Britain, we can speculate others. If the conspiracy theory is true that it could also be Thomas Cook who may have top sliced a portion of the profit of the official trip in City's direction to make the trip possible then I am happy with that.

OK Roger. Thanks for the further explanation. I agree that of course it's normal for Thomas Cook to make a profit on the trip.
I'm not into conspiracies : just interested to know how the trip was financed. As I've said before, usually sponsors sponsor to get some publicity, so it just seems surprising that the sponsorship-side was low key. If that's the way the different parties wanted it, so be it. Looks like the trip was fun.

 

[Ian_Woodward]

Hants,

Nope I'm afraid that doesn't hold water at all! I was an independent traveller who refused to pay the £125 "package" price & sorted out my own ticket directly with Fluminense.

Although our group had previously all signed up to become Fluminense members - thinking this would increase our chances of obtaining tickets locally - it ultimately wasn't necessary. Flum were selling tickets quite openly in the week prior to the match, R$60 non-members (c£15) or R$50 members (c£12.50). We went along with the Chairman of their supporters club (the most friendly, charming, helpful chap you could wish to meet) who did all the necessary translations. Eric (who wrote the piece you have quoted from gnet) was also present when we purchased our tickets. The idea that independent City fans in some way bullied the "poorly-educated" [sic - utter rubbish] Flum ticket staff into selling them tickets is frankly laughable!!! Tickets were still on sale on the day of the game. Ironically local fans on the Flum members Facebook page were moaning about the "high" cost of the tickets (R$50-60)!

> However, Exeter fans will have other benefits, Fluminense's fans and members will not:
> tickets for Fluminense x Santos + transfers + tickets for the museum + buffet and drink
> + beautiful printed photograph of 1914's match.
>

1-month Flum membership £7.90
Flum/City ticket £12.50
Ticket to Flum/Santos game £10 (this was for seats, terrace could have been had for £2.50 for members!)
Travel to both above games £15 (Thomas Cook coach price)
Museum tour: included in Flum membership
Buffet: was £7.50 to purchase independently, but of course not compulsory

So a total of £52.90 versus the official ticket package of £125. Where the additional £72 x 48 (no. who purchased ticket package) = nearly £3,500 went I don't know.

You forgot to add the opportunity to attend a samba party...

 

[flakey pasty]

There are always people that will follow the crowd like sheep and leave the detective work to others, we are probably all guilty of that at one time or another. Neil was the unofficial tour guide on the official tour, he was the detective sorting out or helping assist with City/Thomas Cook and us with all our queries times of departures, arrivals, costs,day trip bookings etc. The list was endless. Things also did change while in Brazil like KO times for 2 of the games so Neil was always on hand and a very good shepherd and via email or word of mouth took to rounding people up at the correct time and place and I thank him for all his work with the trip. Neil made life very easy for many folk and he didn't have to and that silly thing around his ear was never switched off so people could and were contacting him night and day. The Politics should be left out IMHO. I had a great time and anyone who went 12,000 miles round trip to watch a few friendly games I take my hat off big time,official trip or not! Some even went the extra mile and went further south into the Argentine and were in the Racing Club Stadium in Buenos Aires for the exact date we played them 100 years before.

Well said. Rog.
There so much character assassination on Exeweb, it's depressing.
FFS can't we try and see the good in people sometimes instead of the constant barrage of toxic posts?

 

[angelic upstart]

I ain't here to put a downer on NLM, but every club that has played in a European game will have fans that travel totally independently to any "official" tour. I would suggest its the norm.

30k pretend scousers manage it everytime they get to a European final and no one bats an eyelid.

 

[chunkymorrinmunter]

Well said. Rog.
There so much character assassination on Exeweb, it's depressing.
FFS can't we try and see the good in people sometimes instead of the constant barrage of toxic posts?

well said , i get cheesed with people trying to find something wrong with things that the club do.why dont they migrate to sandy park where everything is perfect?

 

[Colin B]

well said , i get cheesed with people trying to find something wrong with things that the club do.why dont they migrate to sandy park where everything is perfect?

Well said that man!!

 

[tavyred]

What essential duties do you think he needed to be available in person for as opposed to being at the end of an e-mail/Skype/whatever?

I don't doubt that thanks to technology he could wing his duties several thousand miles away, but the fact is that his job is at ECFC, a job that is vitally important on the cusp of a new season. I'm pleased on a personal level that he made the trip, but as I've said if this were a steely eyed business he'd be told to stop at home and help get the club out of the financial mire, his core task.