Rob Mason


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They have decided that a salary position is not needed and therefore Rob is out on his arse. Out sourcing the programme to save pennies in comparison to the wastage at our club.
Not sure i agree with that. I'd be surprised if it even made much of a loss. Excluding cup games, 19 home games, total guess at 10k programmes sold per game @ £3 a programme is over half a million quid in sales.
 
Not sure i agree with that. I'd be surprised if it even made much of a loss. Excluding cup games, 19 home games, total guess at 10k programmes sold per game @ £3 a programme is over half a million quid in sales.

10k sold per game???? Not a chance. Thats 1 in every 4 people buying a programme.
 
I have been getting SAFC home programmes posted to me in Belfast since the 1985-86 seasons. Over the last number of years, Rob's programmes have been an excellent read and highly informative. For the games I am not able to fly over for the matches, he keeps you up to date with all things SAFC. A shocking decision to replace him, he will be a big miss at the Club. Wish him all the best for the future and thank him for many seasons in editing an excellent match programme.
 
I have been getting SAFC home programmes posted to me in Belfast since the 1985-86 seasons. Over the last number of years, Rob's programmes have been an excellent read and highly informative. For the games I am not able to fly over for the matches, he keeps you up to date with all things SAFC. A shocking decision to replace him, he will be a big miss at the Club. Wish him all the best for the future and thank him for many seasons in editing an excellent match programme.
It's a shame,said earlier on in thread he's my old teacher and his temper is tremendous. I hope he gives Bain the hairdryer on way out of door cos I bet it can make fergie blush!
However if he is saying he's gutted to be going I know for a fact that the programme is not losing money,cos even if it was losing a penny he would walk away without question
 
When I was a kid first thing I did when my dad got home was ask if he had a program whether he had been home or away. Then when I started to go to games and he couldn't because of illness he would say get me a program. Can't remember the last time he asked partially because most info is available on the internet now I just think it's a sign of the times that most people aren't bothered about programs these days. Shame for Rob Mason though obviously superb at his job.
 
A matchday programme is an essential buy for me; I have tonnes in the garage. I can't say I wouldn't buy one because it's outsourced, because I will, but it's sad that someone who cares so deeply about the club is being binned to save a few pennies in comparative terms.
 
When I was a kid first thing I did when my dad got home was ask if he had a program whether he had been home or away. Then when I started to go to games and he couldn't because of illness he would say get me a program. Can't remember the last time he asked partially because most info is available on the internet now I just think it's a sign of the times that most people aren't bothered about programs these days. Shame for Rob Mason though obviously superb at his job.

Yep, it's a sign of the world moving on. I used to get a program when I was a kid, but would only get one now if it was huge commemorative occasion like a cup final.
 
I can't get it here so for six season (the first being 03/04) the club posted the issues to me. Rob helped me sort that out. He also sorted me out with a private tour of the ground and home dressing room only about two hours before kick-off many years ago on my first ever visit to the SoL. That was the first time I met him, too. I was shown the stadium by a groundsman who was very kind. Took some pictures in the dressing room where all the players' kits were laid out with a match programme nicely placed on top of each (I touched the shorts of a certain player who then sadly got injured in the game later. That and the fact that it took me four visits to the SoL before I got to see a home win made me think I might be bad luck). I remember being surprised by how the showers looked. Later the groundsman asked me if I wanted to try my seat out and I always get a bit teary thinking back on that. I sat in my seat looking around the big stadium with only the groundsman further down there with me. Apart from us the entire stadium was completely empty. And I still remember thinking how big it was and that my entire hometown of Varde could fit in there four times and there would still be empty seats.

I think that was the time he asked me to take photos of my journey from here to the SoL of every stop I had on my way. I did and he put them together into a piece about me coming over for a game for one of the early Legion of Light magazines. And since then I have been in touch with him over the years and still am. Everytime there has been a Danish (I include Prica in that as he came from AaB at the time) player playing for the club I have up-dated him with what the Danish papers and media are reporting on the players and the club throughout the season. One of the most colourful memories I have of those is when Bendtner played for us and there was a period where the Danish papers had about a full week of frontpages with his stupidities. I posted the lot to Rob and he spinned it around in the most clever way and only used the photos from the many clippings in a montage for the match programme without mentioning the player's troubles at all. I loved that. In recent seasons it has mostly been about how Colin Todd is getting on, especially after he took over as manager of Esbjerg, which is only about eighteen kilometres from where I live. He also has a keen interest in former players and connections and what they get up to now; Carsten Fredgaard springs to mind. And Lars Høgh.

I have very fond memories of Rob and it really annoys me about the news. Him and his lovely wife once took me to a pub somewhere slightly outside Sunderland for a pubquiz. I knew he knows lots about the club but his knowledge on British punk is pretty good as well.

He is a very busy lad especially in the last couple of days leading up to match programme deadline but always finds time for a quick chat or when am in town a meet-up. Met him as recently as last September when I was over and went to the Everton match with a dear, old friend of mine. We couldn't find a place to park so was running late and I was convinced Rob had left by the time we got to the ground as he had his radio slot to do as well. But lo and behold he was still there and happily chatting to a lad who was selling the match programmes. It was so good seeing him again and he was as jolly as he has always been with me.

I hope a solution will be sorted and that he will continue with the match programmes. His shoes will be massive to fill if not.



Years and years ago he invited me to watch his five-a-side team play an indoor match at a centre near the library. Every player in the team worked at the club and it was a good day.
Great post Alex.

I'm sure the club will survive without Rob Mason. If Bain thinks it's necessary then let him get on with it
It will survive but becomes less of a caring club day by day.
 
Disgusting decision
He should have been promoted to club historian and programme editor,
and put in charge of the club museum ( bought in ) and relocated next to the SAFC shop at SoL
 
We (finnish SAFC supporters) met him at the Academy on the ManU-game weekend and he took pictures of us for the West Ham-program. What a great man and what a great knowledge he has on SAFC-history! Another legend George Forster sent us the programs later! :)
 
A matchday programme is an essential buy for me[/B]; I have tonnes in the garage. I can't say I wouldn't buy one because it's outsourced, because I will, but it's sad that someone who cares so deeply about the club is being binned to save a few pennies in comparative terms.

Part of the matchday routine for me....it's written by folk steeped in the clubs history and has won awards on merit...It will be interesting to see what the "outsourced" programme will be like next season. Odds on an inferior and more expensive publication....Bain isn't the financial guru some on here think he is, I meet numerous Rangers fans up here through work and know plenty socially who are Ibrox regulars. Not one has a good word to say about him....
 
Wait until the out sourced programme starts making cock ups.
They will have no understanding of the history of the club. It will probably be written by some one on work experience who thinks football only started in 1992.
 
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