It's interesting to look at the stats - as, in our case at least, they don't stack up with Cellino's argument:
Our three lowest attendances have been Rotherham, Bristol City and Blackburn. None of which televised, so presumably all driven by the league position of the opponents, and much lower away attendances.
Our three highest attendances have been Ipswich, Birmingham and Bolton - none of which televised, all Saturday kick offs.
The televised games were
- Notts Forest (broadly average attendance - despite being in peak Summer holiday season)
- Middlesbrough (well above average attendance)
- Brentford (just below average attendance but on a par with Charlton, which was on a Saturday, not televised and we were still unbeaten)
So in conclusion? Hard to say really isn't it - yes, it looks as if a few people will stay at home when we're on telly, but it doesn't seem to be hitting us hard.
http://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/brighton/attendances
Our three lowest attendances have been Rotherham, Bristol City and Blackburn. None of which televised, so presumably all driven by the league position of the opponents, and much lower away attendances.
Our three highest attendances have been Ipswich, Birmingham and Bolton - none of which televised, all Saturday kick offs.
The televised games were
- Notts Forest (broadly average attendance - despite being in peak Summer holiday season)
- Middlesbrough (well above average attendance)
- Brentford (just below average attendance but on a par with Charlton, which was on a Saturday, not televised and we were still unbeaten)
So in conclusion? Hard to say really isn't it - yes, it looks as if a few people will stay at home when we're on telly, but it doesn't seem to be hitting us hard.
http://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/brighton/attendances