Steven Beckwith

Dad - one who is heavenly | Husband | Border Collie Owner | All My Own Thoughts |

[Henry Winter @henrywinter]

Liverpool fans’ success in getting the club to re-think elements of their ticketing strategy will resonate across football. Most clubs have done their ticketing announcements but will note Liverpool’s climbdown. Fans of other clubs will see that well-organised protests work, especially those designed for maximum exposure and embarrassment. Others already have: West Ham fans conducted a successful campaign over the club’s attack on concessions.

Some boards’ behaviour, treating crowds as cash cows, is offensive and counter-productive. It’s wrong for boards to ignore that many fans are hurting given the cost-of-living crisis. It’s wrong to go for multi-year increases. It’s morally wrong and commercially naïve to alienate your most loyal fans. Respect them and they will spend more in the store. Think.

It’s hypocritical when clubs emerged from lockdown, and the soulless, soundless games behind closed doors, promising to appreciate fans more. They did - for a while. It’s also stupid of boards to price out fans who generate the backdrop in sound and vision that TV pays fortunes for. Fans are part of the Premier League spectacle. Tourists are good for the club shop but not for atmosphere. Fans should lobby broadcasters to make clubs see sense.

Clubs brief that hikes are required to cover fees and wages of the stars that fans crave, to improve facilities in the stadium and to guard against PSR breaches. It’s spin. Liverpool would be generating only a reported £1.5m to £2m extra a year from the original planned increases at a club which spent £33m on agents’ fees in a year. That raked in £174.9m from Premier League prize money. That had revenue of £703m last year.

Liverpool fans, ably organised and mobilised by Spirit of Shankly, firmly made their point to club owners Fenway Sports Group with banners “FSG GR££D” and “NO TO TICKET PRICE INCREASES” along the bottom of the Kop during the recent Crystal Palace game. Fans held up yellow cards (75,000 were printed apparently) carrying messages about Fenway. Pictures were immediately posted on social media and beamed by TV around the world. Messaging is instant nowadays.

The campaign was sophisticated. Organisers also targeted club coffers with their “not a pound in the ground” campaign to encourage fans to spend their match-day money away from Anfield. During games, they chanted “you greedy b*st*rds, enough is enough”. It was a PR disaster for FSG and the club. And probably expensive financially given fans’ snubbing of in-stadium outlets.

A club historically celebrated for its bond with fans looked unthinking and unfeeling. It needs acknowledging that, overall, John W Henry and FSG have proved good owners – they’ve redeveloped Anfield, added to the squad and to the trophy cabinet. But they occasionally fail to read the room. They fail to listen to good advice.

They have made this mistake fairly spectacularly before – on the high ticket prices in the redeveloped Main Stand in 2016, seeing 12,000 fans walk out during a game in protest, and backing the European Super League in 2021, bringing a backlash from fans (and players). They backtracked on both. Now they have spoken to fans, heard the concerns and made a U-turn. GA prices will rise 3% for 26/27, but are frozen for 27/28, instead of three seasons fixed to inflation.

Clubs have to understand that many fans are feeling the pinch, that even the movement of a kick-off time has a knock-on effect to travel plans and costs, that even geo-politics affects those driving to games with petrol more expensive. Fans are also having to pay for more subscription channels.

A club’s own costs would be slightly more manageable if they were collectively more sensible in resisting wage inflation – make salaries even more performance-related - and more clubs made the pathway easier from academy to first team. And listen to fans’ groups before risking own goals. You’re on the same side. #LFC

[Steven Beckwith @stebeckwith]

@SoEnergyUK My Dad has never had an account with you. That’s the point!! This was all sorted 4 years ago. You are chasing money (again) from a period before my Daf bought the property. On the day he moved in I personally changed his supplier.

[Steven Beckwith @stebeckwith]

Remember this @SoEnergyUK 4 years later you have a debt collection agency chasing my 80 year old Dad AGAIN for energy used in his apartment before he even owned it. This issue has been resolved but oh no!

[So Energy @SoEnergyUK]

@stebeckwith @MsMonicaColling Hi Steven, I'm sorry you had this experience with us, you're not required to pay for energy before the date you were responsible for. We can get this sorted. Please send me a DM with your account details and I'll look into this for you. Laurence.

[Steven Beckwith @stebeckwith]

@MENnewsdesk Wholly misleading headline. Click bait….changed the headline.

[Steven Beckwith @stebeckwith]

@elonmusk This is why I’d never have a Tesla. I love the joy that driving brings….including the frustration of finding a parking spot 🤣

[Steven Beckwith @stebeckwith]

@megbanksxo Where you been?

[Steven Beckwith @stebeckwith]

@daciauk I think we want to know why your dealerships won’t accept a car under warranty. The RAC diagnosed alternator, so it’s a simple question really. Why wouldn’t they accept the car in order for it to be fixed?

[Steven Beckwith @stebeckwith]

@daciauk my wife’s Duster. 3 years old, under warranty and needs a new alternator. RAC came. Huddersfield/Wakefield/Barnsley/Manchester refuse to take it!! Give me a reason why she should have another Dacia!! Utterly shocking!! She’s a teacher and needs it. You should be ashamed!

[Steven Beckwith @stebeckwith]

In that there London next week…all week!

[Steven Beckwith @stebeckwith]

@nationalrailenq what’s happening at Liverpool Lime Street

[Steven Beckwith @stebeckwith]

@ElonMuskAOC The World Wide Web..

[Steven Beckwith @stebeckwith]

@LFCHelp my son has his email for the Carabao Cup Final. However, when he clicks the link in the email he’s taken to a page that says he needs to enter a 6 digit code, which will be sent to him via email. But he’s not getting those emails (have checked spam). My link worked fine

[Steven Beckwith @stebeckwith]

@paddypower 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Steven Beckwith @stebeckwith]

Check out my latest article: Curation as a programmatic strategy is highly beneficial for brands during the busy Q4 period, including Cyber Weekend. https://t.co/zwrZljjVqF via @LinkedIn

[Steven Beckwith @stebeckwith]

@TRobinsonNewEra People…..you do realise that Dublin isn’t in the United Kingdom right?

[Steven Beckwith @stebeckwith]

Try to book on @Airbnb for June 2025 (Cannes, France). Every host cancels the booking. ‘Prices haven’t updated’…apparently. Only one of two things happening here. Hosts are gaming the system or @Airbnb dynamic pricing system doesn’t work. Which is it?

[Steven Beckwith @stebeckwith]

@Morganholmoore I e seen you in it driving through the village….you should cover up your registration though.

[Steven Beckwith @stebeckwith]

@Paul_Framp I find it strange that we cling on to the ‘value’ of clubs when fans just want memories and trophy’s. Look at Spurs, sitting there in 9th with nothing to show for it in years.

[Steven Beckwith @stebeckwith]

@Paul_Framp It’s a known contributor. Plus players are playing on really hard pitches. The impact on joints etc has to take its toll.