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  1. #1
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    Default Aron Winter just called me(!)

    So I'm sitting at the office working, the phone rings, I see MLSE on the call display.

    I pick up, Aron Winter is on the other end, asking me about why I'm not renewing my three seats.

    Had a great chat with him about the direction of the club, the moves he's made, and about how my dissatisfaction is largely with the business end of the club, and not with his direction.

    "You know better than I do that you guys have to fix the backline" was my one piece of advice to the guy, who seemed very friendly and laid back on the phone.

    Anyway, we ended on a nice note with him saying it sounds like he'll see me back at BMO next year, and me responding by saying that I'll be there in some way, shape or form, but not as a season ticket holder. He said fair enough and we hanged up.

    Whoever at the club thought this up is a pretty good PR man. Was nice to talk to the gaffer and I'm sure those of you not renewing will get a similar call too.

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    Wow! That's pretty cool.

    FO really doesn't want to see people walking away anymore. Previous years they had lineups for tickets. Now you get a call from the coach when you don't renew.

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    now I wish I didn't renew, just to get a call from Aron Winter. He was my favourite player when I was growing up.

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    Not near good enough PR. He needs to convince everyone by posting in _wowza's Approval thread. It's way more important than one on one or face to face communication.

    Good initiative.
    FORMER FULL TIME KOOL-AID DRINKER

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    Yeah, he talked up the "12th man on my roster" in terms of fan support, but there definitely was no attempt at a hard sale of any kind in terms of getting me back on board as a season ticket holder. He just said "I hear that you're unhappy," and I told him why (pricing, having to renew existing seats before the chance of relocation). He said, fair enough, talk to the reps and see if anything is possible regarding alternative options.

    I'm half expecting an email from MLSE now saying "hope you enjoyed your chat, would you like some ransom packs?"

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    I fully expect a phone call from someone over there thanking me for renewing.
    Proud Supporter of: FC Bayern München, AIK Solna, Toronto FC, Nottingham Forest FC

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    Quote Originally Posted by ACSertL View Post
    I fully expect a phone call from someone over there thanking me for renewing.
    ROFL.... oh man....the irony
    RPB Road Warrior: supporting Toronto FC anywhere on planet earth

    TM: YYZ Red Patch Army #18, FC

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    Wow... I wonder how many calls like that he has to make? I can't see him enjoying hearing people complain about why they didnt renew.

    Can you imagine Preki having to do this? LOL

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    Wow. The numbers must be way way down.

    Emails for our seat relocation is also a chance to buy another ticket. Honeymoon is over boys. Expect 15,000 per game next year.

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    That is neat. It must be a pain in the ass for him to call people so I'm sure he could choose not to do it even if though they asked him to ...so he probably actually cares that the fans are happy.

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    Quote Originally Posted by dupont View Post
    That is neat. It must be a pain in the ass for him to call people so I'm sure he could choose not to do it even if though they asked him to ...so he probably actually cares that the fans are happy.
    I think it also speaks to the fact he is not paying lip service when he talks about the importance of the relationship between the fans and the players. And I'm sure he's savvy enough about the business of football to know this as well.

    Why the TFC FO could not have seen this plain truth 4 years ago is beyond me. Better late than never ... I guess.

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    I'm sure he won't be calling all the fans that didn't renew. The FO probably know which fans are the hardcore fans...I can't see him calling somebody the FO might think is a scalper.

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    Interesting. I had an email from a rep I've never heard of asking me why I didn't renew and I told them that the FO has lost my business and I wouldn't consider anything other than year 3 pricing.

    I didn't even get a response. This was a month ago and clearly they've been over confident given the anecdotes I've seen on here if they're getting Winter to personally reach out.

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    he called me to ask if i saw this weeks episode of the walking dead.
    i told him i didn't and he said "that sucks, it was really quite good".

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    He called me this week and asked me to ease up on him on these boards.

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    Desperate times, desperate measures, huh.

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    Quote Originally Posted by __wowza View Post
    he called me to ask if i saw this weeks episode of the walking dead.
    i told him i didn't and he said "that sucks, it was really quite good".
    Really?! He must have low standards in entertainment! It was a slow episode! Let's hope he doesn't have the same standards for the entertainment at BMO next season!

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    He called me and asked to speak with Ruud... so I told him he had the wrong number.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Roogsy View Post
    He called me this week and asked me to ease up on him on these boards.
    Maybe he'll wine and dine you ala Seattle Sounders to get your support back.

    Roogs and Winter sitting in a tree...

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    Quote Originally Posted by Roogsy View Post
    He called me this week and asked me to ease up on him on these boards.
    Ha. That's funny!

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    Danger - where were your tickets? Just wondering if this is directed at folks that were spending big $$$ on tix.

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    Quote Originally Posted by TorCanSoc View Post
    Wow. The numbers must be way way down.

    Emails for our seat relocation is also a chance to buy another ticket. Honeymoon is over boys. Expect 15,000 per game next year.
    Oh but 50k will be chomping at the bit to see them at the skydome :/
    (not a jab at you TorCanSoc)

    cool he called tho

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    LOL, I thought this thread title was a reference to a recorded message.

    I can't believe Winter actually called you! Danger, he must have read some of your posts earlier in the season.

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    I had my suspicions that ticket sales were low this year when I called up to renew, but to have the GM call someone up like this tells me they must be really hurting. Of course, I could be wrong and it could have been done as a lark, but I'm certainly getting the impression that they are not meeting their targets.

    Of course, even if attendance went down to 15,000 a game, that's still a crowd a few other MLS clubs can only dream of.
    Did the USA , of all countries, just fix soccer? - C. Ronaldo, May 27th commenting on the FBI-led investigations into fraud and corruption throughout FIFA.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Roogsy View Post
    He called me this week and asked me to ease up on him on these boards.

    But you couldn't talk long because you had the potential MVP on the other line.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cashcleaner View Post
    I had my suspicions that ticket sales were low this year when I called up to renew, but to have the GM call someone up like this tells me they must be really hurting. Of course, I could be wrong and it could have been done as a lark, but I'm certainly getting the impression that they are not meeting their targets.

    Of course, even if attendance went down to 15,000 a game, that's still a crowd a few other MLS clubs can only dream of.
    thats's below MLS average...

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    Quote Originally Posted by T-boy View Post
    Really?! He must have low standards in entertainment! It was a slow episode! Let's hope he doesn't have the same standards for the entertainment at BMO next season!
    you guys are on crack - it has zombies therefore it rules. There are no bad Zombie shows. Bad Zombie graphic novels, sure, but once you put them on TV they become amazing.

    I'd love it if we could sign a 6 foot 6 zombie to patrol our back four... oh, wait...

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    when you think about it...great winter is calling, but lets be honest, most of us are not unhappy about the direction of team anymore and the things happening on the pitch, most of us are unhappy with the prices we are paying for this. Think about the sponsorship income that BMO pays for naming rights and kit sponsorship. That represents about 60-70% of what Toronto FC paid for players salaries this year (BMO Field pays $4-5mil, TFC total player salaries paid was $6.5 million). There is absolutely no reason they should be eye gauging us on prices especially when they make a killing of concessions and merchandise.

    If someone does get a call from Winter tell him Winter what your tickets cost in your first year and then tell him what they cost now. If it was me, I'd be talking about the supporters section in that in 5 years, the prices have gone from $200 to $361...that's an 80% increase during this time period. Has the Canadian economy grown 80% during the same amount? NOT even close

    I bet you Winter is sick and tired about hearing about the prices

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    Quote Originally Posted by Roogsy View Post
    He called me this week and asked me to ease up on him on these boards.
    I got a call like that once....(not from Winter)...those with good memories will remember the story!
    Last edited by ensco; 11-11-2011 at 04:19 PM.
    “What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”

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    Quote Originally Posted by ensco View Post
    I got a call like that once....(not from Winter)...those with good memories will remember the story!
    I remember that, LOL.

    Perhaps it's time to start a fake Aron Winter diary.

 

 

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