Simon Corney

[danoafc]

Is it?

 

Ok, you said the "floaters" will have turned up, saw the performances against Yeovil and Chelt and thought sod it im not going to Walsall, true?

 

So, all i meant was, by that statement, surely the floaters will have saw the everton game/result and used the same mind process and gone to BP come saturday .. hardly bollocks really is it.

 

 

If you you really believe that one can apply same rationale re fans attending games after either a great win and fabulous team performance (like Everton), and a dire farce of a performance applies to both scenarios (or that I believe that), then you are misguided or are being deliberately obtuse.

 

We all know that it takes a run of consistently good performances (and wins) to get anything like a steady increase in home fans. Conversely we all know that only one or two dire/abject performances (Yeovil, Cheltenham) will turn them off in their droves, and when people get used to not going, it's hard to tempt them back.

 

So, as jimsleftfoot says - why were there a thousand or so more home fans who turned up at Yeovil and Scunthorpe who disappeared last night if these 'floaters' don't turn up unless it's a big game?

 

Perhaps, as I said, it has more to do with the two abject performances at home and the weather/Champs League/£20 than anything else?

[Corporal_Jones]

I would say it's because they are a team on the ascendancy. Since Gannon was there, they've just been rising.

 

I'd hate to say it, but if we dropped a division below, and fought our way back out of it, our crowds would increase like theirs. But knowing us, we'd drop down and end up like Grimsby are now.

 

 

 

I've never been able to understand the thinking of those who try to claim that should we ever be relegated to the basement division we would emerge stronger, particularly when our record of relegations teaches us that our budget, aspirations and stature as a club have shrunk with every drop we've suffered.

 

Would TTA remain at the helm if we ever went down, or would they understandably think they'd given it their best shot but, in the end, couldn't cure the dying patient? Given our problems last time, would anybody even be interested in taking over from them, particularly if wider economic woes rule out the possibility of redeveloping the stadium and club land?

 

Before anybody starts, I'm not trying to spread pessimism-I'm just reminded by such talk of why promotion is a must and what a mortal blow relegation from this division might be to the club.

[LaticsPete]

Have attendances ever significantly improved at any club, over a long-term period, due in the main to better marketing, as opposed to a team bettering a club's league status or achieving cup success? (Genuine question.)

 

 

Almost certainly not. The marketing intiatives at Coventry under Jimmy Hill in the 60s assisted the enjoyment factor of going to Highfield Rd, but it was on the back of a winning team. At Stockport at the back end of that decade the introduction of Friday night football, a marketing device, and the whole Go Go County intiative was again assisted by success.

What it can do is to maximise response to success, and hopefully we'd be in a position to do this on the back of promotion this year .

[jimsleftfoot]

Have attendances ever significantly improved at any club, over a long-term period, due in the main to better marketing, as opposed to a team bettering a club's league status or achieving cup success? (Genuine question.)

 

The football league overall attendances have been ever increasing with the league 1 figure currently at a 36 year high.

 

In the short term, yes. You only need to look at Hudds. In the long term, it would be a lot harder to measure unless a team is stagnant over a long period in which that would be a major barrier to people attending matches anyway as the deemed quality of the product may be seen of questionable standard (which reminds me of which team exactly).

 

Therefore as a chicken or egg scenario, I don’t think we will see an increase in attendances in the long term without us achieving promotion to the Championship. If TTA want to get more supporters in the ground in the short term, promotion of a different nature must be used i.e. advertising, discounts etc, in my humble opinion.

[Diego_Sideburns]

See Diego, you've got the hang of the marketing malarkey. Now why don't the club put that on their website or in an advert in a newspaper.

 

Why doesn't the Club's 'partner', the rarely wrong Chron, write up stories in a positive way, to make readers feel thay would like to be part of what's going on down at BP.

 

The Chron is 'in association'' with the Club for the 'Crossbar Challenge', but it states quite clearly in the advert/entry coupons that it is "not responsible for any part of the competition or prize". The Chron's part is to take pictures of the competitors, publication of which in some cases has probably scarred them for life.

 

In tonight's edition, it says that the two pantomime characters took penalties last night, but it was rarely wrong on that point, as only one of them accepted Kev's invitation to take part.

[jimsleftfoot]

Now that is harsh.

erm that was meant to be 5/10 rather than minus 5. Woops.

[martjs]

Have attendances ever significantly improved at any club, over a long-term period, due in the main to better marketing, as opposed to a team bettering a club's league status or achieving cup success? (Genuine question.)

 

Didn't Hull City have a surge in attendances a few years ago when they moved from the crap ground they were in to the new stadium? (And I'm not talking about when they were promoted.) How or why did that happen? Though part of it is probably due to the fact that they have a much 'easier' catchment area with little or no competition from other local teams.

[NIKI1234]

Okay. Like I said, if that's where you want to be, good luck to you.

 

Once again you have read my comments and made a presumtion..... There is a difference in where I want to be and where we actually are... It was Corney's quote I was basing my comments on....

 

Good luck to you too

[Rocky_Latic]

Like it or not, sitting in a ground freezing your nads off isnt going to be high on people's want/need to do lists. You can come up with idea's all you want but it wont make a difference. Especially not when it's £20 a pop. Only need to compare to what you can get for £20 entertainment wise and for the average fan - there is only going to be one winner. Not to mention the simple fact that when football is on the box, attendances are always on decline to the previous home game. Oh and no one seems to have mentioned that the last two home games have seen absolutely nothing worth inspiring people to get off their backsides for.

Edited November 26, 2008 by Rocky_Latic

[singe]

Didn't Hull City have a surge in attendances a few years ago when they moved from the crap ground they were in to the new stadium? (And I'm not talking about when they were promoted.) How or why did that happen? Though part of it is probably due to the fact that they have a much 'easier' catchment area with little or no competition from other local teams.

On the other hand Colchester have increased by , er minus 13.6%.

[County boy]

What it can do is to maximise response to success, and hopefully we'd be in a position to do this on the back of promotion this year .

 

Absolutely right re: maximising success. Our crowd increases from circa 2000 around the mid 80's was directly on the back of promotion and Wembley visits in the early 90's and then again with promotion to the championship in 1996. After an initial drop off after our first relegation (mainly due to less travelling support) we've kept a constant base of 4500-5000 hardcore fans. Given that we plummeted from the champ to the basement in horribly embarassing fashion (yes, I'm looking at you Carlton Palmer) I'm astounded we kept that level TBH.

[jimsleftfoot]

Like it or not, sitting in a ground freezing your nads off isnt going to be high on people's want/need to do lists. You can come up with idea's all you want but it wont make a difference. Especially not when it's £20 a pop. Only need to compare to what you can get for £20 entertainment wise and for the average fan - there is only going to be one winner. Not to mention the simple fact that when football is on the box, attendances are always on decline to the previous home game. Oh and no one seems to have mentioned that the last two home games have seen absolutely nothing worth inspiring people to get off their backsides for.

 

i agree with that. I keep hearing the comparison that if a fan is not watching Oldham, they are down the pub drinking beer. But when you consider you can get a decent gig ticket for £8 theres plenty of other stuff which is better value.

[Diego_Sideburns]

i agree with that. I keep hearing the comparison that if a fan is not watching Oldham, they are down the pub drinking beer. But when you consider you can get a decent gig ticket for £8 theres plenty of other stuff which is better value.

 

You don't get many decent gigs for £8 but I've got two relatively cheap ones coming up in good Birmingham venues. Tomorrow it's Roy Wood's Rock 'n' Roll Band for £10 and next week it's Eli 'Paper Boy' Reed and the True Loves for £7.

 

Note for leeslover: Both standing tickets!

[martjs]

On the other hand Colchester have increased by , er minus 13.6%.

 

Did TTA try to buy Colchester too? I didn't know that...

[oafckev]

Home crowds so far:

Walsall - 3936 (128) = 3808

Yeovil - 5318 (165) = 5153

Scunthorpe - 6057 (910) = 5147

Leicester - 8901 (2707) = 6194

Hereford - 5468 (334) = 5134

Huddersfield - 7418 (1730) = 5688

MK Dons - 5530 (305) = 5225

Cheltenham - 4673 (159) = 4514

Millwall - 5367 (510) = 4857

 

Average Home crowd = 5080

Average Crowd = 5852

 

We've got a problem if we get the lowest home gate this season when if we win we go into the play-off's. Sure the Oldham public are lazy and would rather sit at home watching United but how come Stockport could get 1000 more fan's than us? Being a cold night is no excuse as the Scunthorpe game was just as cold and got 1339 more home fan's. Sure people will be annoyed at the previous two home games but I can't see that reducing the crowd by that many. Would a lot of the 'floaters' have known that Latics were playing that night? I know I nearly forgot and I go every week! I don't know what the answer is but something needs to be done as Christmas and January are going to be extra tough this year with huge job losses and the recession kicking in.

[jimsleftfoot]

You don't get many decent gigs for £8 but I've got two relatively cheap ones coming up in good Birmingham venues. Tomorrow it's Roy Wood's Rock 'n' Roll Band for £10 and next week it's Eli 'Paper Boy' Reed and the True Loves for £7.

 

Note for leeslover: Both standing tickets!

 

You certainly do Diego, though I’m not talking overpriced MEN tickets. Try Manchester Academy (2 or 3 especially) or Night and Day Café etc. If you know your music you can get to see some good up and coming bands for £6-£8.

 

I’m going to see the Lancashire Hotpots on Friday for I think £8 (though its actually an early Christmas present so not 100% sure). I’m sure you would appreciate that one Diego. They even sing a bit of the “ I’m a bastard” song.

[Corporal_Jones]

Didn't Hull City have a surge in attendances a few years ago when they moved from the crap ground they were in to the new stadium? (And I'm not talking about when they were promoted.) How or why did that happen? Though part of it is probably due to the fact that they have a much 'easier' catchment area with little or no competition from other local teams.

 

 

 

They did-but that was due primarily to a new stadium, not because of better marketing of games in a decaying, partly demolished stadium. (Although I'm not arguing against better marketing of Latics games.)

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

You don't get many decent gigs for £8

 

Complete twaddle DS. May not be the case in Burton/Midlands, but in and around Manchester there's oodles of fantastic gigs for under a tenner.

[Diego_Sideburns]

Complete twaddle DS. May not be the case in Burton/Midlands, but in and around Manchester there's oodles of fantastic gigs for under a tenner.

 

You certainly do Diego, though I’m not talking overpriced MEN tickets. Try Manchester Academy (2 or 3 especially) or Night and Day Café etc. If you know your music you can get to see some good up and coming bands for £6-£8.

 

Yeah, I didn't make myself clear. I appreciate that there are many cheap gigs for up and coming bands, even in the Midlands, but I mentiined it in the context of big name bands. Eli 'Paper Boy' Reed is going to be big, but he seems to be doing a tour of cheap gigs to make a name for himself.

 

I went to the Night & Day Cafe once to see my daughter's band.

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

Yeah, I didn't make myself clear. I appreciate that there are many cheap gigs for up and coming bands, even in the Midlands, but I mentiined it in the context of big name bands. Eli 'Paper Boy' Reed is going to be big, but he seems to be doing a tour of cheap gigs to make a name for himself.

 

Aye. It's rare when I'll go see a 'big name' band outside of a festival scenario or if I blag a freebie ticket to be honest. I think anything over £15 is ridiculous.

 

Anyway, back on track and all that...