help_shiny

Bradford's ST's are dirt dirt cheap and they're making their first profit in 8 years. They've got big crowds, a real buzz about the city, are selling lots more merchandise and all this for a bog standard Division 4 team. Mr Corney - or anyone else at Latcis - if you are reading this please go out and buy - VEECK AS IN WRECK - I was considering sending it to you a year ago when we allegedly 'couldnt' sell out enough tickets for the home playoff. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Veeck-Wreck-Autobi...6423&sr=8-1 You have got to go out and sell the club, they arent going to come to you - go to them. Without a famous cup run or a promotion the crowds arent going to rocket unless you proactively do something about them. Read that book and if you come away without any ideas as to how to sell a sports club to people then I'd be very very surprised. There are a million and one ways to go about raising the profile of the club - we do next to nowt.

I've had a rummage about on the internet and Bradford reckon they're going to turn a small profit this year for the first time in 8 years. Not bad for a non viable pricing plan. Plus that's coming from the starting position of having to shell out £1.2M on rent

I know Bradford just released 13 players but they're talking about bringing in 6 good quality ones in return. I dont think they are suffering financially through their pricing. I'm pretty sure they're doing better than they would have been with 'normal' priced tickets and they report they're making a shed load extra through programmes, food and kits/scarves etc etc. I dont know much about the Huddersfield situation and if its being done on a proper business model or is coming out of his pocket but next season will be interesting. I know that Port Vale and Swindon are also talking about doing similar deals. If these clubs do ok over the next few years then more and more teams will start doing the same. Meanwhile it'll be about £25 to get into Boundary Park for the dwindling faithful. You say that 2800 ST's is the target, I am sure as sure can be that a proper marketing campaign and cheap prices would get at least 5600 ST's.

I seem to remember more than 13000 turning up when they did let everyone in for free. If Latics did the same deal as Bratfud are doing (and advertised this properly rather than relying on the club website and the back page of the Chron) I am sure they could double their crowds. We'd end up with the same money coming in but a packed ground and a hell of a lot more future fans. If it works for Bradford I dont see why it isnt viable for other teams.

£150 for a season ticket! Not bad eh? Up to 11 years old and it's free! 11-18 is £75. They might be Yorkshire barstewards but I salute them! If only more clubs (HINT, HINT) would do the same

thank you, thank you, thank you - I havent seen this since the actual day. Happy memories! Rogers third is burnt into my mind - I'm glad to see that it happened as I remembered!

yeah, same here - it didnt stop me watching the whole of the World Cup in 1994 though although I'm older and bitterer this time around!

DEUTSCHLAND! (Ich habe Geld Interessen)

The club were Hollandia, commonly known as Brisbane Lions who were renamed Queensland Roar. The chief exec said: "Personally, I might have gone for a more traditional name, but the decision has been made and we stand by it," he says. "We know the traditionalists don't like it, but frankly they are not our target market. "The overwhelming evidence from our research is that people under 25 like the name, and that's the demographic we're after. The young kids who don't watch soccer at the moment, they're the target."

ah but you're one of those traditional cricket fans you see - they dont want your ilk. They want to open it up to a whole new demographic - it's THUNDERMANIA! I've just reminded myself of when the A League was starting off in Australia a few years ago. They changed the names of one of the teams to something daft and when the supporters complained the chief exec said something along the lines of "well, they're not the kind of people we're after". I must go away and find this......

I reckon they might go down the road of setting up 'franchises' in the big cities/places with decent grounds. A couple in London and then 1 each in Manchester,Birmingham,Nottingham,Leeds and 2 from Southampton,Durham & Cardiff. An 8 team Super League with little reference to the current County setup or maybe they'll have those 8 teams and then just tie in each county to one of them for players. 2010 - Manchester Thundercats versus Birmingham Mighty Robot Warriors coming to the 'Greggs Pasties Arena at Old Trafford'

ooooh, there's an idea - let's watch it again: I love those crowd shots after San Tamudo bangs it in.

*runs away and checks internet* - Burton Wanderers!

oh right cool, well I hope you get there and reclaim the glories of Burton's football league days! Amazing that they used to have two FL teams! Swifts and..........I forget.

Our day will come!

I feel United are in such a different universe to ourselves that it's not worth expending the energy on hating them anymore. Plus, they're not bad to watch. Saying all that - if I had explosives strapped to myself back on that terrible day in 1994 I would have quite gladly taken myself out along with dozens of those horrible gloating glory hunting C****'s I got stuck amongst on Wembley Way. It really doesnt matter to me one jot who wins the CL. None of the clubs have any relevance to me - I've too much bad history with Utd and their fans, the scouse fans are feral and often obnoxious, the Chelsea lot are everything that's bad about modern football and as for the second best team from Catalonia - who cares? I'll support whoever I happen to have money on.

Is the Conf Play off final at Wembley??? Isn't it normally somewhere exotic like Stoke?

CGAFF for me as well

p.s - give them full independence, boot their teams out of our leagues, rebuild Offa's Dyke and veto their admittance to the EU.

no way should they be let in the UEFA Cup - well not with one of the places allocated to the English FA anyway. If UEFA want to give them a wild card (in the, God forbid, eventuality they win) then that's up to them. They want it both ways - when Cardiff used to qualify for Europe on the strength of winning the Welsh Cup the English teams who used to win it (Shrewsbury definitely, Hereford?) were never allowed to qualify for Europe.

yep! Further to the Columbia thing - from a quick scan of the net it would seem that the Columbians themselves fessed up they couldnt do it - there is no way the South Africans will do that. Things will have to be pretty f'd up over there for FIFA to take it away - it'd be political suicide for Blatter

I dont think SA was fit to hold the thing in the first place, it was purely a 'political' award rather than one using the usual criteria. I'd be surprised if they took it away now, very surprised. However there is a precedent - Columbia was set for the 1986 World Cup and they took that away and gave it to Mexico, I think it was done in '82 (might be wrong on the year). IF it was moved at very short notice I think the US would be a shoe in.

any of you fellow 'southerners' know of any decent full english breakfasts to be had anywhere near Waterloo Station?

I cheat on Latics regularly, I actually go to more non 'tics games than 'tics games. The shame! This season I havent been out and about much but have chalked up 4 England games, 2 Watford, 2 Reading & 2 Chesham. Have a Fulham and a Schalke on the horizon, not forgetting the shamefulness of that shower and their Italian manager in a few weeks. But however often I may wander, there is only one true faith!

my nephew when he was about 6 came home from BP shouting "Referee you're a wacker, wacker, referee you're a wacker, wacker"