Fans voting with their feet

[PaulineFowler 4]

The fact that there was less than 500 fans there last night says all you need to know about the club.

The fans just won''t waste their time and money anymore.

Carrow Road will still be full but that is only because most people have a season ticket.

If the board can''t see the problem they will have selling tickets next season then they are as blinkered as a handful of posters on here who "In hughton they trust"

[City 2nd 193]

Interestingly enough season ticket renewal letters for season 2014/15 should be delivered around January 17!

Maybe they will vote with their feet even more, particularly as it could end up as Chsmpionship football!

[Wirecanary 34]

I live in north west loyal fan and season ticket holder. But after Newcastle game thought enough is enough. Just wasting my time and money going to away games. manager consistently sets up to hit on break and contain then when we 2-0 down has no plan b never brings on offensive subs and has a real go to try and get something . I would rather lose 4-0 havinga gorather than stick to plan a and just lose 4-0 never really changing things. . This isn''t just once it''s time after time after time. No more excuses . We like lambs to slaughter every away game now . Palace at home wasn''t great but we won. We limping along . It''s not good enough. Need a change.

[yellowandgreenmachine 0]

I''d much rather a full gate, both home and away, with Hughton Out banners displayed.

Financial punishment harms everyone at the club, including the next man in charge.

[Warren Hill 0]

Half the people on here don''t go anyway!!!

[Indy 3,471]

and the other half sit in their armchairs and moan on Canary Call!

[sgncfc 1,330]

I think this is a very good point. Like many, I used to be really excited to watch the games home and away but don''t bother with the away games anymore. I go to the home games because I have season tickets but am not planning to renew them if we keep playing this drivel - my 260 mile round trip to Carrow Road has been fun for 20 odd years, but now it''s just a trial.

At least when we had no money, there was a reason we were 5h*t. No excuse now and I don''t see why I should keep paying a fortune to not enjoy it.

[treacletown07 6]

I struggled up the M6 only to find the M62 near Liverpool to have been dug up and the car parks on Stanley Park had closed at 7.55 pm.

Liverpool should have moved the KO to 8pm given the traffic conditions to allow the fans time to get there safely.

It wasn''t a good decision to schedule Man Utd and Liverpool to play at home on the same night at the same time.

Not happy with the performance or Liverpool FC.

 

 

[Tim Allman 1]

Yes, will be interesting as regards the timing/pricing of the season ticket renewals in 2014/15.

I know of someone who says he was placed at 1500+ on the waiting list in 12/13 but still managed to obtain a pair of season tickets for this season.

[farley 0]

I went last night and was surprised by the small following - however, didn''t realise it was as small as 500! (And I know a few of them were Liverpool fans in disguise!) I don''t think I''ve been in that small a City following for a long, long time!

I love away games and go to 70-80% of them a year. I had the misfortune of being at Man City, as well as Arsenal, Newcastle and Spurs (lucky I was at Stoke too or I''d take it personally!). However, after last night I''m seriously considering that there may be better ways of spending my money until this drivel we seem to be served up improves! I think many others have the same thoughts hence the Baggies at £12.50 a ticket is yet to sell out! This wouldn''t have been the case even back in the dire days of the Championship.

Something is drastically wrong at the moment and I fear all the good work carried out over the last 4 seasons is going to be undone if things continue!

[sgncfc 1,330]

We can only hope Mr McNally reads this messageboard.

[ricardo 8,034]

A glance at my records of the average gate over the last 50 seasons shows that it goes up and down with the fortunes of the club, the general popularity of football and the changing economic environment.The near static averages of the last decade are a function the mainly benign nature of these factors coming up against reduced ground capacity.My argument that we would never fill a 35k stadium on a regular basis was met with skepticism at the time but many seem to be coming round to the reality of our support level.There will always be fair weather supporters.[:)]

[Kolin Kob 0]

[quote user="PaulineFowler"]The fact that there was less than 500 fans there last night says all you need to know about the club.

The fans just won''t waste their time and money anymore.

Carrow Road will still be full but that is only because most people have a season ticket.

If the board can''t see the problem they will have selling tickets next season then they are as blinkered as a handful of posters on here who "In hughton they trust"[/quote]A few other factors to take into consideration are:the date of the fixture (Christmas shopping means fans feeling the pinch and proximity to another (more accessible) away game (not many away fans want to make two big trips in 4 days)timing of the match (very hard for most fans to get to after work)our appalling record against Liverpool over the last couple of seasonsI don''t think much can be read into this small attendance at Liverpool.That said, I used to go to most away games, but no longer do. Part of this is because of practicalities. In Hughton I really DO trust, but I don''t trust him to provide entertaining away football. I think he''s very much our best bet to keep us up though.I wouldn''t be surprised to see away attendances continue to fall, but the football on offer for home fans has been better, and so I wouldn''t expect it to be affected much. Season ticket takeup won''t be affected much.

[PurpleCanary 6,386]

Interesting stuff about away support. As to home support there has been an argument here since the new executive regime took over about whether it has used the excess of demand over supply for casual home tickets to charge too much in a difficult economic climate for fans, particularly by grading matches higher than is fair. As shown by the figures for 2011-12 and 2012-13.

In 2011-12 we had a three tier system, with ten As, eight Bs, and a token C. That contrasts, for example, with the way Southampton used such a system, which was to split the 19 games effectively equally between the tiers.

In 2012-13 we had a four-tier system, with six A+s. six As, six Bs and a token C. Actually not strictly a C but a pre-Christmas offer for Wigan.

This season the club created a seven-tier system of A+, A, B+, B, C+, C and D. With the gradings now set up to and including Man Utd it has worked out at two A+s, three As, four Bs and a reciprocal £20 deal with Swansea. It is a fair assumption that with the possible exception of Hull none of the remaining games will be rated below B.

But already having placed four games in the fourth (B) category (as opposed to some in B+) suggests a more fan-friendly approach from the board. Possible reasons include:

a) Believing that with the mega-TV deal income from ticket sales is even less important than before.

b) That with the debt paid off there is less reason to squeeze every penny from fans.

c) That the hit fans are taking to their disposable income has been noticed and acted on.

d) A combination of some or all of the above.

[Alan 0]

Ricardo''s opinions are held rightly in high regard and I have to agree with his belief that we would not fill a 35k stadium on a regular basis.

[nutty nigel 7,902]

Unfortunately our money is not the key to PL survival. What we spend on tickets etc is important but a drop in the ocean compared to the PL money. TV fans all over the world earn the club much more than us who go to games do. So if the board believe Hughton is the man to keep those riches coming they won''t compromise that even if gates drop by 20,000. You can vote what you like with your feet. The only votes that count are those with tv cameras.