Town switching the age at which fans are entitled to senior citizens' concessions from 60 to 65 and the move of Cobbold Stand season ticket holders to elsewhere in the ground at the Leeds game next month proved the most controversial issues at this evening’s PLC AGM at Portman Road’s Sir Bobby Robson Suite.

The meeting, which was live-blogged by TWTD here, saw Blues managing director Ian Milne answer questions on a number of topics from the 58 shareholders present, while academy manager Lee O’Neill (pictured speaking at lecturn) and head of coaching and player development Bryan Klug talked about the academy and also responded to questions from the floor.

When the 2016/17 season tickets were launched in March the Blues increased the age at which fans are entitled to a senior citizens’ concession from 60 to 65 in line with other clubs.

Those who were already paying a senior concessions price for a season ticket but were 64 or younger had to switch to an adult ticket, although their seat was subsidised by 50 per cent for this campaign. Around 800 supporters were affected with a number refusing to renew their seats in protest.

“I can understand the issues about the season ticket increase,” Milne told TWTD after the AGM. “I think that’s been well and truly answered over the last few months and I do apologise for that. But it was made by the powers that be and there we are.

“But I think there was a very positive message coming through from the academy. I think people really enjoyed that part of [the AGM].

“And the [comments regarding] Galloway’s coaches and all the rest of it I think was constructive criticism, which is always very welcome and I hope me and my colleagues do get around and listen to it.”

Might the club look at the senior citizens situation again? “I do understand particularly the movement in the [60 to 64 price] but commercial organisations do change ages, it does happen and there was a need to change it to bring it in line.

“I hear people ask, ‘Why do we have to follow other clubs?’. We have to move on, we are a commercial business, it’s heavily underwritten by the owner but, including the fans, we’ve all got to do our bit to support the club.”

As reported last month, Leeds are being given most of the Cobbold Stand for the match on Saturday 13th January, taking their allocation to more than 3,000, which will require season ticket holders to move elsewhere in the ground for that game, something some supporters were annoyed by at the AGM.

“This is a difficult one,” Milne admitted. “There are a number of reasons behind it. Some away clubs that come here have wanted to have more seats. And yes, it does mean more money for the club.

“But also as part of reciprocal arrangements we give us extra room as well. And also we’re trying to get more atmosphere into the club, so that’s what we’re trying to do by having more away support.

“Of course, we’re not going to end up having 10,000 away supporters in the ground but it is a 30,000-seater stadium, a large one in the Championship, and we’re doing our best to fill it. And if one way of doing it is to bring more away supporters in then I think we should do it.

“If you’re bringing in another 1,000 fans that’s £25,000. But there are not many games where that’s going to happen, it’s going to be three or four. We watch the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves.”

Does he understand why the fans affected wouldn’t want to move? “I totally agree and I think we’ve got to understand that there are a lot of people who have been sitting in the same seat for very many years.

“But there have been people who have have left who don’t support us or have moved around and so there are a lot of holes, so to speak.

“There aren’t big sections which we can just give to opposition fans, we have to move people about.

“We don’t just do it wholesale, we have meetings, about eight of us sit around a table and there’s no easy answer.

“I think people understand the theory, they may not want to move but they understand what we’re doing. It’s a difficult juggle to try and get more atmosphere in the stadium.”

Earlier in the evening the Blues announced a loss of £4.3 million for the financial year to the end of June, a figure in line with expectations.

“Again the owner supports it all,” Milne continued. “We, the Portman Road side of the business, try and keep costs down and support the owner because he’s going to have to spend a lot of money on the squad.”

Town’s wage bill was up just over a million from £16.57 million in 2015/16 to £17.78 million last term but is still less than a third of the oney paid out in salaries at a number of other clubs and probably lower mid-table in the division as a whole.

“It is a long way behind a lot of other clubs but it’s also a lot more than some other clubs,” Milne said. “But it’s a case of what the owner can afford and I think we have to respect that.

“Yes, it’s not going to be as much as Middlesbrough but whether they do that next season or other clubs who are coming out of parachute payments [do that remains to be seen].

“I think we all know a number of clubs who are tightening their belts, look at what [Norwich City chairman] Ed Balls was saying.”

Looking ahead to the January transfer window, Milne says he’s not aware of any additions currently being worked upon.

“I don’t know any specific targets at the moment but I know Mick and Marcus talk and if there’s holes to be filled then they will do it,” he added.

“But let’s face it, we do have a pretty good quality squad and it’s a case of what infilling there needs to be done.”

Manager Mick McCarthy wasn’t at the AGM, he was already committed to being elsewhere this evening when the meeting was scheduled late last month, and one shareholder asked if he could be absent from the club permanently.

McCarthy is out of contract in the summer and has hinted that he might look to move on at that point, although owner Marcus Evans has an option to keep him at Portman Road for two more campaigns.

Asked when that situation might be addressed, Milne said: “His contract’s not up until the end of the season. I know that Marcus hasn’t made his mind up one or the other and Mick understands that and knows that and I think is in the same place. So it’s to be discussed. As far as I’m concerned it’s not an issue between Mick and Marcus [at present].”

Milne also paid tribute to long-serving staff member Dick Parker, who died suddenly over the weekend.

“I was very sorry to hear about his passing,” he said. “Our deepest condolences to his family and his friends. He was particularly well known at Playford Road, a unique figure.

“It was very sudden, we were away at Middlesbrough when it happened. Quite a quiet giant, but a very pleasant man.

“I know the academy and the first-team squad were very sad to hear of his passing. The tweets from the players today spoke volumes, they were quite attached to him and what he did for them. It was a shock.”

Photo: TWTD

Currie10 added 16:15 - Dec 12 “I hear people ask, ‘Why do we have to follow other clubs?'. We have to move on " WELL DONE on ' Moving on ' with many people of a certain age CORRECTLY not attending. Absolute melt, go watch Chelsea v Barca Milne you Chelsea fan. Perhaps you can take notes of the AWAY end at the Bridge - that seems to be all you're concerned about, AWAY fans. All well and good this move, however if you lot had treated home fans better we'd have quite a damn site more than 15.500 per week at present.

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thundercat600 added 16:51 - Dec 12 I simply do not understand all the fuss about raising the concessions age, after all the man retirement age is 65, its only above this age that you can claim the state pension, Because in the drop in income that's when help is needed not when you are still at working age
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Swn98 added 17:08 - Dec 12 Thunder cat please don't generalise not everyone is able to work up to 65.
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SpiritOfJohn added 17:19 - Dec 12 @Europablue and others the state pension age for men has never been 60, although it used to be 60 for women. The concession was a reward/incentive for lifelong town fans to continue to support their team. This does not compute with the likes of Evans and Milne who saw an opportunity to 'bring the club into line' with the bean counters from other clubs who have already seized a quick buck by raising the threshold to 65. Presumably this will soon go up to 67 and beyond if they think they can get away with it.

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jas0999 added 17:32 - Dec 12 The Mick debate is more interesting and when the club announce whether he goes or stays. Seems to me many fans still want him to go. Several want him to stay. Really a decision needs to be made prior to season ticket deadline. Suspect league position will dictate. It's a tough one because against Forest we were superb, but then went to Boro to frustrate, be negative and play for a point.

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Seasider added 18:02 - Dec 12 Pity no one pinned Milne down by saying by the powers that be,presume you mean Evans. Also when he said about McCarthy's absence,confirm it was because he was watching the Reading game,and if so a}why couldn't he record it,or b} send Terry Connor. Regarding the figures quoted.I used to analyse company balance sheets,amongst other things.I realise that the above does not give all the information;but from information given,I would construe this as a Company in decline,and would want steps to be taken to reverse the worrying downward trend in ITFC's financial situation. Btw re my non attendance please see previous posting

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alfromcol added 18:20 - Dec 12 £4 Million. It would cost Evans far in excess of that to get the coverage of the ME name on shirts and Sky TV etc.
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wayway added 20:37 - Dec 12 It would be interesting to know how much tax Evans PLC does not pay to the treasury by owning ITFC. It has to be the only reason they own the club. Evans is not a philanthropist, he is not a local man and he knows nothing about football. The PLC are happy to allow the club to stagnate in the championship and will never invest real money. Oh, and if and when, and it's a big IF, McCarthy does go, don't expect a young manager with fresh ideas, the PLC will want a big name to stand in front of the Marcus Evans logo when being interviewed. Is that not why they replaced Magilton with Keane

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itfchorry added 21:17 - Dec 12 Welcome back Penguin!
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woohoo added 21:20 - Dec 12 The change from 60-65 was surely one of the most stupid, 'shoot yourself in the foot' decisions made by the club recently. Easily rectified. Admit you got it wrong. Offer to re-instate the concession for those who qualified previously and phase it in for those who qualify in the future. Or... ..just stubbornly press ahead, pretending that it's somebody else to blame and lose fans (and income) forever. Your choice ITFC

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blueboy1981 added 21:39 - Dec 12 Take note Swn98 - I am not biased enough to disagree with every single post of yours - just for the sake of it, as indeed some are - no names need be mentioned, as they are to a man very much in league with yourself .... !!
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blueboy1981 added 21:39 - Dec 12 Take note Swn98 - I am not biased enough to disagree with every single post of yours - just for the sake of it, as indeed some are - no names need be mentioned, as they are to a man very much in league with yourself .... !!
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Rensham added 01:55 - Dec 13 Putting Leeds fans first.
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RegencyBlue added 11:31 - Dec 13 It would appear that the plan to deal with the relentless decline in our fan base is to bring in more away fans! You really couldnt make this stuff up. Evans ten years of ownership has been nothing more than one c0ck up after another. For those whose only answer to criticism of him is to trot out the 'he saved us mantra' I have one question. Saved us for what? I see no ambition, I see no meaningful plan. All I see is a club increasingly out of touch with its supporters and which, in business terms, can only be described as being in serious long term decline.

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Currie10 added 11:42 - Dec 13 I just don't get the point in needlessly upsetting people - really needs to go back to 60. IF the club have ANY interest in repairing MORE of the damage they have caused the past 10 years..... then I would suggest... 1* Putting the older age back to 60. People WOULD then return and I'd bet the club WOULD have more revenue, even though the cost is cheaper due to a higher volume sold. 2* Adult season ticket prices. Bring them down even if by a small token of 2%. Stop the continual rise / being so damn proud of freezing the price. Other clubs in this league, I will ALWAYS remember Derby back in 04/05. I went to Derby v Nodge 03/04 - don't ask why.... and have that programme to hand. In it, Derby appologised to the fans for such a SHOCKING season and offered 10% reduction in season tickets for the following year..... 3* Abort this upper lower tier £5 price rise. Absolute mumbo jumo....... Wolves/Sheff Utd / Norwich / pretty much ALL clubs in this league now Sheff Weds come to think of it just do ONE PRICE PER STAND. Perhaps split the difference or whatever........ I don't know. Funny how we shifted pretty much every £25 ticket for Norwich but the £30 ones were harder to shift............ 4* Lower matchday tickets a tiny proportion aswell to encourage a few more casuals back. Perhaps £20 - £26 for prices, £20 behind goals £26 on the side. Something like this. 5* If you're going to do what you plan on doing with away fans, then perhaps DON'T sell season tickets in areas where you realise this could upset people?!?!? I WILL however salute the club on the following - * Tickets VERY REASONABLY priced for youngsters. The club cannot be moaned about there. Well done. Will help future generations come through. * Scrapping of the utterly laughable £2.50 matchday hike. Again, well done. * Lowering matchday tickets to 25/30 this year as opposed to 27.50/32.50 last. Again, a good effort. Doesn't seem to have had any knock on effect for people but there we go, you're doing your bit..... * Allowing more away fans to attend. Again, sadly common sense. If we cannot shift the tickets, been unfair 16/17 on Villa/Wendy/ Leeds + Newcastle. Overall - summer of 2017 was a start. You appear to have listened somewhat, however, a lot more to do.

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Rensham added 12:10 - Dec 13 Letting 3000 Leeds fans into a game. What could go wrong?
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Palestine added 12:30 - Dec 13 Agree with most on here above that the Pensioner age could have been phased in so as not to harm those that had already qualified. But on the Leeds away fans - I totally agree with this decision. We should want as many people in the ground as possible, and as many away fans in their as possible (and as much atmosphere as possible)! It is the right thing to do because if it were the other way round Ipswich - who have a good away following - would want as many tickets as possible for away games, and would want other clubs to accommodate that. Great decision.

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Rensham added 12:53 - Dec 13 Give them a stand, xmas, booze and an away loss. Yes Leeds are renowned fro polite good behaviour. Its not as if there is any bad feeling between the club. Give them a half filled stadium a few dozy Suffolk Police what could go wrong??
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chorltonskylineblue added 13:45 - Dec 13 Just adding to what others have said very well already. The season ticket policy change for 60 to 65 year olds is nuts. Milne says that it was made 'by the powers that be'. You're the MD man! If that statement doesn't sum up what a stooge position the MD role at our club is I don't what does. Why hack off some of our most loyal supporters for what must be a small gain overall? And at a time when season ticket sales are declining fast. And why do we have to follow other clubs? What a daft answer. Surely the smart thing would be to offer a better deal than your rivals???!!! Sheepie and co got this club into trouble by overstretching us in the Premier League back in the early 2000s, but the way this club has lost its heart and soul off the field since Evans took over can't be excused by saying that we were somehow 'saved'. If Evans has a plan he needs to come and say what it is and be accountable for it and not keeping putting stooge MDs in the firing line.

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1RWR added 14:04 - Dec 13 Seasider:but from information given,I would construe this as a Company in decline,and would want steps to be taken to reverse the worrying downward trend in ITFC's financial situation. Step 1: Oust MM [influx of 2k season tickets] Step 2: Play more attacking football with an offensive manager not defensive manager Step 3: Crowds come back gate receipts rise Step 4: All sorted, bish-bosh!

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Currie10 added 15:49 - Dec 13 All very well and good having that short term approach 1RWR - then when the new manager does worse than Mick on a crappy budget - then what ? People may not like Mick, however bar lasts seasons mess ( he was well and truly stitched up by Murphy leaving late / zero replacement ) however every other season, the results vs spend have been very very decent. We had a massive crowd under Keane vs Coventry of at least 26,000 from memory, that lasted long didn't it..........

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Rensham added 18:45 - Dec 13 We can't put on a local derby on a Saturday at 3pm but we can accommodate 3000 Leeds fans with a few Suffolk PC's no problem?? What is going on?
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Rensham added 13:51 - Dec 15 Are we going to be selling Portman Road to away fans now that the courts have ruled that the Suffolk Constabulary have to pay for the policing? What's next 3000 Millwall, Sunderland or Wolves fans?
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