The club have recognised the fact that revenue is based on having a more larger fanbase.
Better carefully choose my words here, but tickets have become easily available for fans outside of Liverpool from what I gather. My cousin, while he hasn't got a season ticket, when he makes a postal application for tickets for a match he never gets one. He resorted to putting his brother's address who now lives in Sheffield and he always gets one now. His brother mails it back to him.
I got talking to a few Danish lads before the Manure game last season and asked them how they got the tickets as they are like gold dust. They seemed amazed as they said you could walk into any travel agent in Copenhagen and get one, obvously as part of the travel package.
Then you've got those Barcelona fans who invaed the Anfield pitch in the 2005 CL semi final against Chelsea? How did they get the tickets when you needed to qualify via the number of times you went in previous rounds
The were Irish fellas in Athens who had genuine tickets from the club who admitted to have never been to Anfield.
This not a rant nor a complaint as I understand the need to have a large fanbase, and making ticketrs available to OOTers is part of that.
Look at the blue sh*te. Calling themselaves the people club. Proud that they have a mainly merseyside fanbase and they are proud not to have outsiders. They turn their noses up at the idea. The don't sell out, they have very little money, the can't get rid of the season tickets.... Good move lads.
I know a few local fans have issues about how the tickets are divvied out but I'm not one of them. I think the reality of it is the bigger fanbase you have, the bigger the club becomes especially in financial terms, the bigger the club becomes the bigger players you can attract and afford. The bigger the players you can attract and afford, the more trophies you win. Quite simple really.
Local lads like me, who in my time lost count of the games I've been to. It's certainly over 1,000 and some of the games from the ealry 80's I can't remember whether I was there or not. But I don't buy any merchandise, don't buy a program, turn up at 2.58 an leave with a couple of mins to go (depending on the current score. I realise if all our fans were like that the club would be very much worse off. That's why the club give OOTers the chance of attending and let them clean out the club store while they are here.
I think the club does have a ticket selling strategy based on what's best for the club.
On a slightly different note, in the city of Liverpool itelf. Contrary to what some people say it is impossible to calculate if one club is supported by Merseside people, more than another. Walking the steets every day looking at who wear what top you'd say it was farly even. I'll be on the lash tomorrow nightwith 7 other mates.We're made up of 4 reds and 4 blues.