That's why I said 'not only'- I'm well aware that we are the source of ridicule from several quarters already!

A stairway to Heaven and a Highway to Hell give some indication of expected traffic numbers

I agree, this isn’t going to end well for anyone.

I don’t understand, why many on here are supporting the creation of an elitist group at the expense of normal supporters.

Possibly the most cynical post I’ve written but……

Maybe Steve Parish didn’t give in to blackmail but orchestrated the whole thing?

Parish is not a stupid person – inheriting The Adplates Group and turning it into one of the most successful Marketing Implementation agencies in the world before selling it on to Williams Lea.

He is surrounded by highly intelligent strategists, consultants and marketing experts. Crystal Palace is a brand and like it or not the HF have been moulded into a large part of that brand. Hence the media and TV coverage they receive (which for a group of 100 is exceptional). I often wondered how this group could afford some of the displays they put on without corporate help so maybe there were deep pockets operating in the background? Parish certainly has the expertise and resource at his fingertips to organise these media displays. Seems to have closed-door meeting with the HF leaders and I also wondered how they could have so many tickets for certain away games put aside in blocks for them to pick up at pre-arranged times.
(seen this happen at the club shop)

Football will surely move into the pay per view arena in the very near future with a global pay per view audience and American backers Crystal Palace need to raise their profile abroad. They need to look good on TV (not only on the pitch but on the terrace as well). To entice an audience in what will be a crowded market you need a USP and that could well be the HF centre stage in full view of the TV cameras with a backdrop of a new main stand, Palace need to be able to show the full entertainment package. Sitting in the corner just doesn’t cut it. They need to spread to cover the whole lower Holmesdale to have the full impact.

Moving loyal block E supporters from centre stage may just be an inconvenience in the implementation of a marketing strategy. There may be an outcry from other supporters but do people really care so much? It seems most think it is an injustice but want the HF cheerleaders back as they miss the noise and entertainment they bring– especially when it’s a dull game…(Think of the HF as the crystals but on the terrace – they are the entertainment during the game – hence why some of them don’t watch the game but have their backs to it conducting the ‘singers’ – if you were a real ‘fanatic’ could you bear to not watch the game?) Sounds like Parish has already sorted out who has first shout on these centre stage seats.

Whatever happens and however much this splits the support, Crystal Palace is a business and supporters are customers – just happens that there are more potential customers outside Selhurst Park than inside. Inconveniencing / sacrificing the 400 E Blockers to implement a corporate strategy will have been considered and agreed as low-risk by consultants, business advisers and legal departments.

I would expect the rejig of the Lower Holmesdale to coincide with a few good signings to improve the team – Palace go in a winning streak and all of this will be forgotten. (Part of me doesn't think it is coincidence that the HF pulling out coincides with poor performances to get the most impact - Palace have a recent history of poor home starts to the season so as an implementation strategy the timing is perfect.)

Successful team with a high profile fan base creating a me-too scenario for armchair audience becomes a marketing man’s dream – can sell that into any media.

As I mentioned at the start of this post maybe cynical – maybe not

It does bring food for thought, especially when you read this.

[Link]

and then this

[Link]

I have been following this with interest and there are questions that I think the E Blockers need to be asking before agreeing to move.

As mentioned in a previous post, who in HF has the inside track directly to Steve Parish. How is it possible that a small group of fans can contact the club's chairman directly and get this kind of request agreed ?

What is stopping the 400 E Block season ticket holders from applying for their existing seats stating that they want to be part of the new singing section ?

Will the season tickets that are sold for the singing section be sold individually by the box office or do they release them to HF to administer. If it is the latter what is stopping them from selling to somebody who is currently serving a football banning order ?

This whole thing is a mess and it isn't going to get any better unless the club perform an unlikely U turn. Our stadium is simply not good or large enough for the club to be able to relocate 400 loyal supporters without compromising a number of things, including view, facilities and who they sit with. How can a family of 4 that currently sit in block E be asked to move but can not be guaranteed that they will be altogether. If they do get 4 seats together it is likely that they are seats that nobody else wants.

Judging the atmosphere without HF this season should only be done after a few games that we actually play well in, score a goal and maybe record a win. Of course it's been a bit low without a goal to lift everybody.

Harsh but probably not true

You claim that it's possibly the lack of atmosphere at Selhurst that results in the players not sparkling and then you refer to the same lack of atmosphere at Arsenal's ground yet their players are sparkling and they are currently fourth in the table helped by their magnificent home record