LUFCTALK

Alright chaps,I hope this is in the right part, apologies if not.

I hope you're all looking forward to the match in a couple of weeks, hopefully we'll be cheering on our new manager, Karanka, so it should be a good game/atmosphere.

I'm heading to Leeds that weekend with my girlfriend to go Christmas shopping and I've managed to persuade her to go to the game! Anyway, we're staying in the centre on the Friday and Saturday night, so I'm just wondering what's the best way to get to the ground for away fans? I heard there were some issues with late buses for the Boro fans a couple of years ago?

Also, any recommendations for away friendly pubs? I seem to remember the Boro fans getting escorted to Yates' from the train station? I know there's been a few drunken idiots in recent history getting pissed up and looking for trouble (we were locked in a pub in Boro a couple of years ago due to idiots running riot in the street!), so I obviously want to avoid anything like that!

Cheers in advance!

Lewis.

Hi mate, welcome to LUFCTALK.

If your staying in the centre of Leeds and the weather is ok, you can actually walk to the ground as its not really that far, I'd say its about a 20-30 minute walk. There are also some football special buses that run from the dark arches which is the tunnel under the train station. They can get a bit rowdy though.

Not sure I can advise of any away friendly pubs, I'm sure someone else on here can fill in that blank.

Welcome Mate

The Drysalters pub at the bottom of Elland Road is usually the away pub.

Welcome mate.

While we've got you on here, how about your view on borough's season so far, and what we can look forward to? From what I can gather it's been pretty turbulent at the Riverside, with lots and lots of goals flying around. I was pretty annoyed when you landed Adomah, and he seems to have proven his worth.

Interested to hear your views and predictions!

Welcome mate

As Nottingham White says Drysalters at the bottom of eland road is probably your best bet not too sure what best form of transport if you are staying in the center a taxi would only cost about a £5er?

Cheers for the info lads.

Sorry for the late reply.

Yeah, it's been pretty up and down this season. We're scoring a lot but also leaking a boatload due to silly mistakes at the back. It's our new manager's debut on Saturday so I think a few Boro fans will be travelling and it's looking like it'll be a tasty game - although it'll probably be a 0-0 bore draw after saying that!

So, if the first part of the season is anything to go by, expect quick, dangerous-looking counterattacks and clangers at the back which will probably end up in a McCormack goal.

To be honest, there wasn't going to be that many going from what people were saying on the message boards, a lot of people were 'boycotting' it due to the £36 ticket. Which, in my opinion, is a trifle high. But with the new manager in I think the initial 1,500 allocation has been sold and more is on the way.

We sympathise about the price - we get stung all the time like that and we do think it may even be because we charge so much at ER. I am told that the away section is now the worst place to view in Elland Road which makes it even more painful to have paid £36 for it!!! Looks like there will be plenty of goals if your assessment is right - we are not too clever at the back either!

Yeah, £36 for a Championship game with a poor view is horrendous. But like a lot of Boro fans have said, the only way it'll change is if people vote with their feet, otherwise if thousands keep going, the chairman will just keep bumping the price for away games.

We've got a £12 ticket offer against Bolton in a couple of weeks but are charging the away fans £27, which is shocking.

You can thanks Bates for the over inflated ticket prices. Always preferred the away fans in the South Stand as more atmosphere was generated.

When the movement of away fans into the west was proposed I can't remember any dissent, on the contrary, fans were keen to release the south for home fans. Once in the west you have to charge the going rate or the home fans would (quite rightly) cry foul. Boro fans are being charged the going rate as far as I'm aware. Compare with our trip to Blackburn (as just one example) where we are being ripped off with a callous price hike.

Watching football at ER is expensive. If we had a modern, cheap to run stadium I have no doubt we could charge less. Alternatively we could disappoint our south standers who seem extremely pleased that they have season tickets in there once again.

Given that the new smoggie manager cites the superb Boro fans as a reason for taking up the reigns on Teesside you wouldn't expect £4 (we are paying £32 at Ewood and have a 6.8k allocation) to reduce the number of travellers for a Yorkshire derby.

This has absolutely nothing to do with Bates IMO - it's actually a national problem if anything - well that and apathy in the NE.

A weekend in Leeds, even with a loss, will still be a treat though. Enjoy.