danoafc Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 My life has changed a lot since I use to come to Latics... I now have a kid and I live out of the town... For me to come and watch a football match (and this can apply to any football club) these days it would be with the family. I can't justify spending the vast majority of my Saturday away from them with me working all week. Here are some of the things that come to mind if I was to bring the family... Cost - 2 x £20 + £3 ? (if we sat in the Chaddy ?) = £43 WOW that's a lot!! Comfort - Its cold, its wet and the place looks a mess Pre / Post Entertainment - Is there anything to do outside of watching the football match. Kids club for example? Cost / Time relationship /Value for money - Its a 90 min game Language - Do I want my child around some of the language that you see ? My mindset has totally changed since having a kid... I don't honestly think there is anything they can do to bring me back to be honest. I always try to just be honest... I wouldn't say I "cant be arsed"... I want to have fun with the family at end of the day, if that was possible at the football then it would be an option. Its more it doesn't fit my life or what I want from it... I think pretty much all of the points you make giving the reasons why you don't go are absolutely fair enough. £43 IS a lot of cash these days, especially for 90 mins of entertainment. Thing is, I'm not sure there is a lot the club can do presently to alleviate any of those issues (I appreciate you aren't one of those demanding the club does more as you've stated it's your choice not to attend). I think one or two of the other points could be argued against, in as much as the club has already stated that they are looking to build a new stand and redevelop the ground which will result in generally more pleasant surroundings/the re-addition of a Boundary Blues lounge for the kids etc, and they already have family areas which are supposed to be a zero tolerance zone on bad language etc (would know myself, not sat there cos my language at the game is a disgrace! The cold and wet argument it a bit of a non-starter for me as well. This is Oldham mate I'm more interested in hearing what the club need to do from those who are saying that the club doesn't currently do enough to entice them in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimsleftfoot Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 I always try to just be honest... I wouldn't say I "cant be arsed"... I want to have fun with the family at end of the day, if that was possible at the football then it would be an option. Its more it doesn't fit my life or what I want from it... And thats why people and the club need to rethink the stayaway, its not about can't be arsed. Its about the need to spend time and have fun with family and friends which influences the decision making process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lookers_Carl Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 I'm more interested in hearing what the club need to do from those who are saying that the club doesn't currently do enough to entice them in. I imagine alot of fans responses will be football related, along the lines of 'the team is crap, going nowhere etc'. Like 0000 said, do the club do anything re kids entertainment etc to encourage more families to come? It isnt about that for me. Ritchie's team of 1998-1999 in terms of pure ability were far worse than anything I have seen under Dickov, Penney, Shez, Moore etc, and I still loved every minute of it then. For me its about the plan to move forward, or lack of one. Show me what the plans are for the whole BP redevelopment, not just the main stand, and show me how it can facilitate Championship football on a regular basis. Really is as simple as that. A plan to move forward and re-establish the club in the second tier of English football. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_Og Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Wycombe, Easter Monday 1998 lost 0-1, :censored:e game, :censored:e performance…showed Lees' the red card... That was Stop The Rot rather than SAFE but some people (mot me) were involved in both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lookers_Carl Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 And thats why people and the club need to rethink the stayaway, its not about can't be arsed. Its about the need to spend time and have fun with family and friends which influences the decision making process. And a few other clubs have one or two nice touches too. I don't know if anyone has been to a City game (LaticsLee aside) but I think there is so much the club can learn from how they do things on a matchday. A few examples - Their own catering facilities installed outside the ground, so fans can enjoy a pint/food etc before going into the stadium, yet its still money going straight into City's coffers. Don't stockport also have a beer tent outside the cheadle end? How many people here who go to one of the pubs, such as grey mare, rifle range, junction inn etc before the game for a pint, would have a drink at the club inside or outside the ground, even if its just a pint, if the club served decent ale at a good price in either a beer tent, or a pub at the ground where the takings would go straight into latics coffers? - The whole place is literally painted light blue, and covered with Manchester City history. Photo's up everywhere of present and former City players, everything has a city theme (ie Colin Bell catering stand), which I definitely thought in the one game I went to there definitely helped to remove the 'soulless bowl' stigma. - Face painting and kids entertainment. Now obviously we can't do things on the same scale as city, but you get the idea. Theres still alot we can learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lookers_Carl Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Wycombe, Easter Monday 1998 lost 0-1, :censored:e game, :censored:e performance…showed Lees' the red card... How soon after did Lees sell the club to Brierley? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_Og Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 And thats why people and the club need to rethink the stayaway, its not about can't be arsed. Its about the need to spend time and have fun with family and friends which influences the decision making process. People have always stopped going because of other commitments such as young families. The problem now is that they are not being replaced by younger fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafcprozac Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 (edited) People have always stopped going because of other commitments such as young families. The problem now is that they are not being replaced by younger fans. What worries me is the amount of kids I saw at recently televised games at Ewood and The Pie Dome, there's always lots of kids at Citeh too…we simply cannot compete. I've managed to brainwash my two but my lad's head is slowly turning and he's pretty indifferent, simply because he has hardly seen us win in the last four years or so. He doesn't often get to weekend games but usually goes to ten games a season and you can count on the fingers of one hand the times he has seen us win in that time! My daughter is like me, soaks it all up and enjoys the wins and shrugs her shoulders when we put in displays like last week, she'll stay the course i reckon. For me it was different in my first five years of supporting the club I saw us lose at BP just 3 times in over 50 games, that's what gets you hooked the feeling the team is :censored: hot at home…the away defeats are easier to take... Edited September 29, 2011 by oafcprozac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsgrandad Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 I've not read through the entire thread so apologies if my point has already been stated. It seems to me that much of Latics's predicament has been caused by the owners pre-occupation with the provision of a new stadium. Their focus (and what little money was available) has been squandered on trying to deliver the impossible dream of a championship-standard football ground and in doing so have seemingly forgotten that you need a championship-standard football team to achieve it. However, all is not yet lost. Now, having finally accepted the inevitability of failure in the ground development stakes (a half promise to redevelop one stand is imo, a failure), perhaps they will refocus on what matters most - a promotion winning football squad. Hopefully, Paul Dickov will get that elusive balance of skill, tenanicity, youth & experience into the squad and, add to that the copious amount of good luck that we've wbeen sadly missing over the last few seasons and who knows what might happen. Here's hoping..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danoafc Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 I imagine alot of fans responses will be football related, along the lines of 'the team is crap, going nowhere etc'. Like 0000 said, do the club do anything re kids entertainment etc to encourage more families to come? It isnt about that for me. Ritchie's team of 1998-1999 in terms of pure ability were far worse than anything I have seen under Dickov, Penney, Shez, Moore etc, and I still loved every minute of it then. For me its about the plan to move forward, or lack of one. Show me what the plans are for the whole BP redevelopment, not just the main stand, and show me how it can facilitate Championship football on a regular basis. Really is as simple as that. A plan to move forward and re-establish the club in the second tier of English football. I'm sorry Carl, I just dont buy it. oafc0000 has made his reasons for not going very clear and he is honest enough to say that he just chooses to spend his money and time in a different way these days. You say you want a clear plan for moving the club forward. Well, TTA Have spent a huge amount of time and money trying to deliver that with the Failsworth plan. Lets not forget here that they spent a reported £3.5m on acquiring the adjacent land to deliver that vision. For whatever reason the rug was pulled (again) from under them, so they have to come up with yet another plan. As it happens I think the plan to redevelop BP stand by stand is very sensible in the circumstances. And i dont understand why we need to see the whole shebang up front? A new mainstand IS progress and for my money it constitutes at least the beginnings of a solid plan to move forward. And finally, The question still remains about the cost though? How do you expect the club to be able to deliver 'a masterplan to move forward' on dwindling gates of 3500. Surely by not attending BP fans are compounding the problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lookers_Carl Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 (edited) I'm sorry Carl, I just dont buy it. oafc0000 has made his reasons for not going very clear and he is honest enough to say that he just chooses to spend his money and time in a different way these days. You say you want a clear plan for moving the club forward. Well, TTA Have spent a huge amount of time and money trying to deliver that with the Failsworth plan. Lets not forget here that they spent a reported £3.5m on acquiring the adjacent land to deliver that vision. For whatever reason the rug was pulled (again) from under them, so they have to come up with yet another plan. As it happens I think the plan to redevelop BP stand by stand is very sensible in the circumstances. And i dont understand why we need to see the whole shebang up front? A new mainstand IS progress and for my money it constitutes at least the beginnings of a solid plan to move forward. And finally, The question still remains about the cost though? How do you expect the club to be able to deliver 'a masterplan to move forward' on dwindling gates of 3500. Surely by not attending BP fans are compounding the problems. Like what has been said before, its chicken and egg, and I cannot conform to the view that it is the fans fault for refusing to pay £20 to enter a three sided dilapidated :censored:hole to watch mediocre football for the clubs inability to compete. And I dont expect anyone to 'buy it' as such. I am not trying to 'justify' not going as such either, just offering my reasons. All stayaways will have their reasons for not going, these are mine, people are free to agree or disagree. I do not consider myself a 'supporter' of the club any more since I stopped going, rather someone who looks out for the results of the club, and gives a small amount a month to Playershare. Since I have stopped going the money I used to spend on Latics is now spent on other things, primarily on jiu jitsu and thai boxing. However, should things improve at Latics and regular championship football becomes a very realistic possibility, I may come back to watch some games. But after 16 years of seeing the club move backwards and stagnate, I no longer have an interest in putting any significant amount of my cash into a club whose prospects/ambitions are limited to league one survival, which is why I was interested in the whole stadium plan. Whilst I accept circumstances dictate the club have to do it a stand at a time, having three lego stands with bog standard matchday facilities and a main stand with a few nuts and bolts may put us in a better situation than what we are in now, but will not underpin real progress. Don't know what else I can say really. Edited September 29, 2011 by Lookers_Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yard Dog Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Like what has been said before, its chicken and egg, and I cannot conform to the view that it is the fans fault for refusing to pay £20 to enter a three sided dilapidated :censored:hole to watch mediocre football for the clubs inability to compete. And I dont expect anyone to 'buy it' as such. I am not trying to 'justify' not going as such either, just offering my reasons. All stayaways will have their reasons for not going, these are mine, people are free to agree or disagree. I do not consider myself a 'supporter' of the club any more since I stopped going, rather someone who looks out for the results of the club, and gives a small amount a month to Playershare. Since I have stopped going the money I used to spend on Latics is now spent on other things, primarily on jiu jitsu and thai boxing. However, should things improve at Latics and regular championship football becomes a very realistic possibility, I may come back to watch some games. But after 16 years of seeing the club move backwards and stagnate, I no longer have an interest in putting any significant amount of my cash into a club whose prospects/ambitions are limited to league one survival, which is why I was interested in the whole stadium plan. Whilst I accept circumstances dictate the club have to do it a stand at a time, having three lego stands with bog standard matchday facilities and a main stand with a few nuts and bolts may put us in a better situation than what we are in now, but will not underpin real progress. Don't know what else I can say really. Why don't you just admit you've gotten fed up of watching a :censored:e team play :censored:e football in a :censored:e atmosphere ? Most of us won't think any worse of you. Most of us have done the same (unfortunately). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doggy_oafc Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 How's this done 9 pages? Most boring thread ever. Woof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lookers_Carl Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Why don't you just admit you've gotten fed up of watching a :censored:e team play :censored:e football in a :censored:e atmosphere ? Most of us won't think any worse of you. Most of us have done the same (unfortunately). I thought I had Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimsleftfoot Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 How's this done 9 pages? Most boring thread ever. Woof. What an intelligent remark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowl Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 (edited) My life has changed a lot since I use to come to Latics... I now have a kid and I live out of the town... For me to come and watch a football match (and this can apply to any football club) these days it would be with the family. I can't justify spending the vast majority of my Saturday away from them with me working all week. Here are some of the things that come to mind if I was to bring the family... Cost - 2 x £20 + £3 ? (if we sat in the Chaddy ?) = £43 WOW that's a lot!! Comfort - Its cold, its wet and the place looks a mess Pre / Post Entertainment - Is there anything to do outside of watching the football match. Kids club for example? Cost / Time relationship /Value for money - Its a 90 min game Language - Do I want my child around some of the language that you see ? My mindset has totally changed since having a kid... I don't honestly think there is anything they can do to bring me back to be honest. would this not persuade you to attend? Family Football Festival Edited September 30, 2011 by bowl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lookers_Carl Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 would this not persuade you to attend? Family Football Festival Its a good offer, and one which I think the club needs to really really push, put it in just about every local paper they can in Oldham, Rochdale, Tameside and even the Manchester Evening News. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ritchie82 Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 That's me :censored:ed... Ha ha ha ha top drawer laughs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doggy_oafc Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 What an intelligent remark. Using the word 'remark' instead of 'comment' has made you sound seriously clever. I bet you got all your spellings and times tables right at school. I'm in awe. Woof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldhamSheridan Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 The only issue I have with Sky is overkill, I used to look forward immensely to their matches now I simply have it on in the background. Football used to be treat when I was a kid, now it's everywhere, websites, forums like this, front and back pages of all newspapers, 24 hour news channels devoted to the sport, live matches, highlights, previews, reviews…it's never-ending……..oh and Gary 'Rat-Boy' Neville…..there's simply too much football on tv - there should be a cap on televised games to try and encourage people to get out there. We've got MNF, Chumps League, Losers (Europa) League, FL on Friday Night, Lunch Time Prem, FL Tea Time on Sky or MOTD, Prem on ESPN Satdy Tea Time, Scottish Subbuteo League thrown in then Super Duper Sunday, Spanish League on after that and of course throw in Dutch and German Football and if you have Premier Sports like me for the NRL you get Conference and South American Football, THEN add in MOTD, The FL Show and Channel 5's highlights packages from around the world. So what you are saying is you didn't watch Napoli murdering Inter last night? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy_Fent Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 It's evident with most clubs outside the Premiership that crowds are on the decline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBosch Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 My mindset has totally changed since having a kid... same here. i buy my season ticket earlier and try to get to more away games Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc0000 Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 same here. i buy my season ticket earlier and try to get to more away games Lmao! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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