An interesting initiative by Blackburn Rovers ...

[zego]

... for tonights Carling Cup match against Villa:

www.rovers.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10303~1898488,00.html

quote ------------------------------------------------------------

Free transport for Carling Cup clash

Posted on: Mon 07 Dec 2009

ROVERS have agreed to put on free transport for all supporters wishing to attend the second leg of our eagerly anticipated Carling Cup semi-final tie with Aston Villa next month.

Sam Allardyce's side set up a mouth-watering semi-final showdown with Villa thanks to last week's stunning penalty shootout victory over Chelsea.

The prize for the victors is a trip to Wembley and Rovers hope the offer of free travel will guarantee a big - and noisy - away following for the second leg at Villa Park on Wednesday January 20th.

The offer applies to all supporters using the club's official away travel.
Simon Williams, head of Commercial and Marketing, said: "This will be our sixth semi-final appearance in nine years and we hope this offer will encourage as many fans as possible to get behind Sam and the team."

Further details of the free travel offer and ticket prices will be announced in due course.

Keep an eye on the official club website for further details.

end-quote-------------------------------------------------------------

 

[pasty]

Rovers hope the offer of free travel will guarantee a big - and noisy - away following for the second leg at Villa Park on Wednesday January 20th.

Epic failure. According to the Torygraph this morning, they've sold only 1400 of a 4000 allocation.

For a cup semi-final 2nd leg that is pretty crap to be honest. Even taking into consideration it's midweek.

 

[crodonilson]

Epic failure. According to the Torygraph this morning, they've sold only 1400 of a 4000 allocation.

For a cup semi-final 2nd leg that is pretty crap to be honest. Even taking into consideration it's midweek.

There was a whopping 18,000 for the first leg last week including 5,000 Villa fans.

13,000 home supporters for the first leg of the second most prestigious cup trophy in England is dreadful.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Blackburn = joke.

 

[Napper]

1400 is not bad for them, they have bad away support although Blackburn hardly a massive place

 

[seven stands]

how many went on our free busses to luton in the paint pot ?

 

[surrey jim]

Blackburn is an area hit hard by the recession tickets for tonight are £29, hardly suprising

 

[Questions]

Blackburn = joke.

Blackburn`s population = 105k

Even if you add Darwin its still only 136k Hansy and they have another premiership club in Burnley who are within 10 miles.
They always amaze me just how well supported they really are.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Blackburn`s population = 105k

Even if you add Darwin its still only 136k Hansy and they have another premiership club in Burnley who are within 10 miles.
They always amaze me just how well supported they really are.

When people doubt the potential potential (yes that is a double 'potential') of this club you've only to look at those two for a benchmark. The population of Brighton and Hove alone is over three times the size of Burnley's and one and a half times bigger than Blackburn's and with everything in place a few years into Falmer we should be more than capable of competing with and bettering clubs like those. How much of Jack Walker's money, if any, is still knocking around at Blackburn I don't know. Does he still put money in? Is he even alive?

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

Back in the mid/late 80s i recall going to blackburn and they had about 3-4000 home fans and the ground was a shithole.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Back in the mid/late 80s i recall going to blackburn and they had about 3-4000 home fans and the ground was a shithole.

You're not getting confused with your visit this season per chance?

 

[Bluejuice]

No, he died several years ago. He set up a trust to look after the club following his death but it was never going to be on a level with the likes of Abramovich or the Sheiks. When you think back to the title Blackburn effectively bought in 1995 the investment in the team then would barely buy you one world class player now. Consider Shearer was a British transfer record when they paid £2.5 million for him and they never paid more than £5 million for anyone who was in the title winning side and you can see that the football landscape has changed so much that even accounting for inflation you just wouldn't be able to do that anymore without the unbelievably wealth of impossibly rich Arab businessman or oligarchs.

 

[wigman]

Back in the mid/late 80s i recall going to blackburn and they had about 3-4000 home fans and the ground was a shithole.

Went there in the mid 80s and the crowd was 6k;didnt they play in an FA CUP semi final in Cardiff a few years back and only took 17k?