6,033 - Another Poor Crowd

[Behind Enemy Lines]

People can bandy around a few reasons... weather, poor football, financial etc but IF we start to put a run together people will come back. I'm afraid the missing 500 are just fickle, in common with many other football fans. Once we start winning, they will come back. Simple as that.

Have to say though, what a piss poor turn out from Barnsley; by no means a small club and in the play-off places before yesterday's game.

 

[perseus]

It's not true Sneaky George. This what people like Bellotti think.

If you have been in business selling luxury products, you will soon find out it is getting business that is the hardest bit. You can lose a customer overnight, but it will take months or years to get them back and sometimes you may not.

Same with the missing supporters. The Albion have always had 6,000 die hards, so it is near rock bottom when the crowd goes below that figure.

And as for Bellotti, that's why we got the the big heap of shit from that despicable character: he was taking the fans for granted is their attitude, that it is why they were incapable of running the club, because customers/fans for the most part are buying a product and if they get a shit deal they will complain, or more likely show their attitude with their feet.

 

[albiongirl]

Well the drop in attendance has it's plus points for me as it is much easier to get tickets now. I have been to more home games this season compared to last season. I agree the atmosphere does get you down especially when you have been to an away game the previous week.

 

[mona]

Why can't we admit it? We have a lot of fair weather fans. That is why the Goldstone was always noisier with 10,000 crowds than 30,000 crowds.
After that dreadful game against Oldham I can understand the empty seats but I will be very angry with people who stay away next Saturday. Particularly if they live locally and start coming out with the I'm as great a fan as anybody else line.
Before the abuse hits me I'm an exiled Brighton- born season ticket holder with little spare cash.

 

[perseus]

When was the atmosphere best at the Goldstone? I have always found the crowds in the region of 26,000 to 28,000 were the best, under 20,000 and the buzz of a full Goldstone was not there, over 30,000 and it just too darn crowded.

 

[rool]

The poor turnout of away fans is no excuse as there have mostly been poor away turnouts since we have been at Withdean. What has changed is that the club can no longer sell on these tickets so easily.

Stop using this as an excuse for the fallling crowds, it's laughable,

 

[Gary Nelson]

Are we possibly faced with the problem of getting good regular crowds at Falmer because:
Its park and ride and people have said on here its off putting?
You wont be able to pay on the day?

No one can argue that the prices are very expensive for what we are watching and in the facilities of which we are watching at present.

However, I really do think that half of the problem is the way the club promote or dont promote as the case maybe match tickets.
FFS surely 6,500 with 500 'free tickets' is better than a flat 6,000?

WTF dont the club contact 10 local schools and say right, for the x home game, if we have x amount of tickets left over by the thursday you can have x free? Considering the DK is a man who made his money in advertsing I really struggle to see some of his logic. There should be a bigger campaign as said before to get rid of the tickets. Maybe we should do what Reading did to us a couple of years ago (not lose the league!) Right there you go Barnsley, theres 450 tickets. Once youve sold them 7 days before the game come back to us and we will umload another 300.


Is it that difficult?

 

[The Large One]

What's wrong the Park & Ride?

I don't use it any more as I don't need to. But when I did use it, I thought it was OK.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

It's not true Sneaky George. This what people like Bellotti think.

If you have been in business selling luxury products, you will soon find out it is getting business that is the hardest bit. You can lose a customer overnight, but it will take months or years to get them back and sometimes you may not.

Same with the missing supporters. The Albion have always had 6,000 die hards, so it is near rock bottom when the crowd goes below that figure.

And as for Bellotti, that's why we got the the big heap of shit from that despicable character: he was taking the fans for granted is their attitude, that it is why they were incapable of running the club, because customers/fans for the most part are buying a product and if they get a shit deal they will complain, or more likely show their attitude with their feet.

I take the business point about losing customers but only so far as the business - football club analogy doesn't entirely work. What other businesses command the sort of fierce loyalty and passions that football clubs do? First and foremost, I am a FAN not a customer and I'm sorry Perseus but I really don't think that I'm adopting a Belotti attitude and neither is the club. Yes going to the Albion is expensive and fans haven't had value for money all season but we have to accept we've had some exceptional years recently haven't we? We all know that some seasons just aren't very exciting but at least we're still in with a chance of the play-offs so it may take off yet. And as said many times on this board, the real issue this season is Falmer.

I'm not taking the fans for granted and I don't think the club is. But what can it do if people who have brought tickets don't turn up? Someone called Hart's phone-in after the match and said he was a season ticket holder but he was in the pub watching FA Cup football and couldn't be bothered going to the game. Is that what a fan does?

Perhaps one option would be to give or sell the spare tickets very cheaply to school kids on the day of the match?

Yes, some people are staying away because we've been boring to watch but I think again, you have to ask the question, is that what fans should do ?

For what it's worth, I actually thought the atmosphere on Saturday wasn't too bad for Withdean standards; and it was a dreadful game. But I still maintain, IF we can put a run together, the missing fans will come back. People like to see a winning team.

Interesting thread.

 

[perseus]

I do not known the proportion but I definitely know that at least one group of regular supporters that watched virtually every game between 1968 and 1980s until the support fell off during the Barry Lloyd regime will not be going to Withdean or Falmer every game unless:

1) the transport is sorted out to be practical (over 50% eschew park 'n ride)
2) pay on the day is introduced
3) seats are not allocated by ticket, or some flexibility is allowed
4) stewards are not so rude (worst stewards anywhere at Withdean, worst than opposing supporters for causing trouble)
5) public transport price premium or too expensive

That is a fact as I cannot persuade them to go. At least one of them went to every match at Priestfield (he says) but maybe just most of them.

The arrangements for travelling and getting tickets at Withdean are so bad, this is enough explanation for the so called "apathy", not only about the missing fair weather supporters (without the fierce loyalty) but it is discouraging diehards as well! It is dreadful.

I expect thare are other factors like people leaving early or late that are offputting as well.

 

[Gary Nelson]

Iv used the p+r once. What a waste of time it was for me in terms of waiting to get out and waiting to get on the bus. Maybe Im inpatient but I use the train instead (which his what the club want me to do!)
To nulify some of the nimbys regarding traffice at Falmer I believe the club have said there is none or limited parking at the ground and people should use the p+r. Apparantly we are not allowed to buy tickets match days at Falmer. Why is this?

These are 2 issues which look like are set in stone. However, the club can help the cause by creating a better singing section, making tickets more readily available, give them away to kids when there is an excess of say 4,000 on the gate which should not be a problem with a capacity of 22,000. Falmer is going to be the heart of this club, but the men at the top need to improve things to make sure it keeps beating and not go into cardiac arrest very quickly!!!!!

 

[perseus]

Iv used the p+r once. What a waste of time it was for me in terms of waiting to get out and waiting to get on the bus. Maybe Im inpatient but I use the train instead (which his what the club want me to do!)
To nulify some of the nimbys regarding traffice at Falmer I believe the club have said there is none or limited parking at the ground and people should use the p+r. Apparantly we are not allowed to buy tickets match days at Falmer. Why is this?

These are 2 issues which look like are set in stone. However, the club can help the cause by creating a better singing section, making tickets more readily available, give them away to kids when there is an excess of say 4,000 on the gate which should not be a problem with a capacity of 22,000. Falmer is going to be the heart of this club, but the men at the top need to improve things to make sure it keeps beating and not go into cardiac arrest very quickly!!!!!

This serious. I hope Albion have done their homework. I don't think they have! I think they are deluding themselves that fans will go with park 'n ride and if they can't pay on the day. I would categorically say that the idea of always getting tickets in advance will drive some supporters away for good, and discourage new supporters as well (just how many I am not sure).

Under these conditions Falmer could be suicide. It is certainly not a panacea.

If it is ruse to get Planning Permission and then the rules will be relaxed later, it will work . But it would seem like the bitter end to me.

 

[DTES]

Maybe I'm mistaken, and missed something on this thread, but I'm sure you will be able to pay on the day, just not on the gate. You'll be able to buy tickets at the train station or similar.

 

[perseus]

To Sneaky George:

The best clubs get the fan addicted to the "adrenalin buzz". Will the fan go to inordinate lengths to get his weekly or fortnightly hit?

Or perhaps, is the adrenalin buzz dissipated by over zealous stewarding, ticket frustrations, not being with your pals cause of the seating arrangements, getting sodding wet (like the Goldstone chicken run) ... some of the fans have come down and they have forgotten how to get high again! (caught up in the atmosphere of it all)

Now it has a large extent got to be this ahead of watching it on the telly or in the pub. This is what Falmer must provide, as well as a good view and the Withdean view is better than the Goldstone for 80% of the time, the 20% is people arriving late and leaving early. This leaving early seems to caused by the Park 'n Ride as they leave early even if the game goes to the wire.

 

[perseus]

What possible reason could there be for not having "pay on the gate" for most matches? The usual practice is to go with the Police recommendation (which seems to be an outright order) for special matches, which is OK (just about).

If we do not have "Pay on the Gate" I will be seriously annoyed.



This a question to ask Martin Perry or Dick Knight on SCR if anybody gets the chance!

 

[Goring Gull]

I'd blame the team to be honest still can't believe the current shower are 6th in the division shows just how poor this division really is bar Plymouth.

When Falmers built the attendances will be higher just hope it doesn't coincide with a totally hopeless playing side.


Also whats the chances of getting Bobby back looks like Spurs can't wait to off load him?

 

[TSB]

damn barnsley!
we want bobby back,say we want bobby back etc

 

[CHAPPERS]

After that dreadful game against Oldham I can understand the empty seats but I will be very angry with people who stay away next Saturday. Particularly if they live locally and start coming out with the I'm as great a fan as anybody else line.
.

Yet you still feel that it's fine to go on to say....

'Before the abuse hits me I'm an exiled Brighton- born season ticket holder with little spare cash'.

 

[Turkey]

What possible reason could there be for not having "pay on the gate" for most matches? The usual practice is to go with the Police recommendation (which seems to be an outright order) for special matches, which is OK (just about).

If we do not have "Pay on the Gate" I will be seriously annoyed.



This a question to ask Martin Perry or Dick Knight on SCR if anybody gets the chance!

DTES is correct. I remember it coming up before. Pay on the Day but not on the Gate. Bracknell mentioned it.

 

[Yorkie]

You will be able to buy tickets at the train stations etc on the day, but not at the ground.