The glory hunting Albion fans on saturday!

[byf]

Weve got 6000 ish fans on saturday which i think is absolutely fantastic and shows when push comes to shove and a big game arises people will turn out.

This in theory does bode well for Falmer providing we are in a decent postion league wise.

I say all this but it does make you wonder when we cant fill withdean or sometimes even get close to the amount were taking away at a home game........WHERE HAVE THESE PEOPLE BEEN HIDING.....?!

Are these ex goldstone fans who couldnt bare to go to withdean, which I feel would be understandable or are they new born fans or the fence sitters who always look out for the result but never have been since the 1991 or was it 1993 Man United home game in which Becks made his debut.

I can picture the scene at Villa Park of balloons, Big hands and that durge of cheap trumpet like horns that will be blown by people who wouldnt know Gary Dicker if he was on the end of the pier with a seagull on his head!

We do sometimes make out that we have great fans and best in the league bla bla bla....but really when push comes to shove we really arnt all that special as a group of fans, granted for a decent away day we can drum up a good number and were well ahead of a lot of small clubs on our day, but I do wish these people that show up on Saturday that you or I have never seen before dont go and hide back in the cave they come out from for this one match wonder day at a prem ground.

Whoever you are and wherever youve been, pop down to withdean it aint all that bad!

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

While I agree with this, it also adds to the argument that £24 for Withdean takes the piss

 

[LA1972]

Get a grip - been to withdean twice thanks never again. Went to the Goldstone about 200 times

 

[byf]

While I agree with this, it also adds to the argument that £24 for Withdean takes the piss

Agreed 100%

 

[The Wizard]

While I agree with this, it also adds to the argument that £24 for Withdean takes the piss

True but if we didn't charge that we wouldn't be able to pay the rent would we so its not a matter of the club setting ridiculous prices on purpose.

 

[Simster]

Falmer will sell out for at least two seasons running if we're even half decent.

f*** Reading, we'll be more like Hull.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

True but if we didn't charge that we wouldn't be able to pay the rent would we so its not a matter of the club setting ridiculous prices on purpose.

If Bloom can afford a £90 million stadium, he can afford to lower prices significantly next season in order to have it full every week, and increase our chances of winning a few games which will help should we be pushing for promotion to the Championship at Falmer....

 

[KneeOn]

6400 seats, 4500 season ticket holders. Do the sodding maths.

that leaves 1900 seats.

Now given that we average about 6k seats, that measn that the extra 1500 people have been going to games on and off fairly regularly.

I'd say that we aren't bringing 2000 STHs and the rest are all Liverpool/Manure/CHeslki/Arsenal fans.

 

[The Wizard]

I thought we sold 4000 during the period in which only gold members could apply? is this wrong?

 

[Bluejuice]

I'm afraid that whilst we do have our die hards the fact is that Withdean is far too expensive and not very much fun so the floating fans aren't tempted too often to turn up, particularly when we're in a poor run of form.

Let's also not forget that we're in the middle of a recession and people just can't justify the money it costs at the moment to see not very good football at a not very good stadium.

I can't afford to go to Withdean every other week, it simply costs too much, but I do like to show up on the occasions I can make a treat of it with friends, even if it invariably turns out to be a disappointing performance.

I doubt I am alone.

And in the middle you have all the fans that feel a loyalty to their home club but have never known them in their own proper ground so take less interest than they would if there was an excellent stadium full of happy punters to see them in.

I think it's very difficult to judge our fanbase during these Withdean years and it should never be underestimated how unappealing the cost and the setting is to anyone who's not a die hard blue and white blooded super fan.

 

[Djmiles]

I thought we sold 4000 during the period in which only gold members could apply? is this wrong?

We sold 4000 after the gold and blue period.

 

[LeicesterGull]

This kind of accusation annoys me. I for one was a season ticket holder at the Goldstone and travelled to most games at Priestfield. I then moved away to the Midlands, spermed a family and now run my own business against a tight budget. Not for once have I been tempted to take the easy option by turning to Forest, Derby, Leicester or other teams on my doorstep with larger crowds, stadiums, budgets, players etc. So stop talking about all these glory hunters and think about who these extra couple of thousand really are. They’re supporters just like you but probably for one reason or another just can’t be as dedicated as they once were.

 

[redseagull]

This kind of accusation annoys me. I for one was a season ticket holder at the Goldstone and travelled to most games at Priestfield. I then moved away to the Midlands, spermed a family and now run my own business against a tight budget. Not for once have I been tempted to take the easy option by turning to Forest, Derby, Leicester or other teams on my doorstep with larger crowds, stadiums, budgets, players etc. So stop talking about all these glory hunters and think about who these extra couple of thousand really are. They’re supporters just like you but probably for one reason or another just can’t be as dedicated as they once were.

Spot on . I'm exiled in Birmingham , rarely come back to Sussex & only go to the odd away game (consequently seeing them twice this week !) . We can't all be super fans & there's room for us all without having to justify it !

 

[byf]

This kind of accusation annoys me. I for one was a season ticket holder at the Goldstone and travelled to most games at Priestfield. I then moved away to the Midlands, spermed a family and now run my own business against a tight budget. Not for once have I been tempted to take the easy option by turning to Forest, Derby, Leicester or other teams on my doorstep with larger crowds, stadiums, budgets, players etc. So stop talking about all these glory hunters and think about who these extra couple of thousand really are. They’re supporters just like you but probably for one reason or another just can’t be as dedicated as they once were.

I applaud you for not jumping ship considering you live next door to teams with a bigger clout on all fronts than the albion.

The thread of my opinion isnt aimed at an individual its simply pointing out and also asking the question, where do these extra woodwork style fans come from.

Im not suggesting fans arnt fans because they move away or it makes them any less of a fan if this is their first game for the last 6 months. Im simply saying it on one front is fantastic to sell so many tickets but also a mystery why the fans who we wont recognise come saturday dont show up to away games and more albion home games.

Yes its very expensive and not value for money, but its the albion and its a damn site better than settling for MOTD with teams you dont give a toss about generally or even worse an afternoon in MFI/FOCUS do it all/shopping with the missus.

I have a mate, hasnt been all season coming along with us on the train. Says it all really!

 

[Guy Fawkes]

If Bloom can afford a £90 million stadium, he can afford to lower prices significantly next season in order to have it full every week, and increase our chances of winning a few games which will help should we be pushing for promotion to the Championship at Falmer....

Are you willing to pay the rent on Withdean yourself for the rest of the time we are there?

It's very easy to spend other peoples money for them, don't you think funding the stadium project is enough to make fans think that if he is willing to put that much money into the club with no real chance of recovering it, that paying £24 themselves for a match isn't such a big commitment to make?

Also - If you lower prices and basically lose extra money each game, how are you finding the funding of better players wages / transfer fees that we would need to spend to push for the Championship?

Where does all this extra money come from or does Bloom have to fund all of that too so someone doesn't have to pay £24 to watch football in what was always a temporary (and therefore expensive to run) ground?

 

[csider]

While I agree with this, it also adds to the argument that £24 for Withdean takes the piss

but the away day will cost about 100.00 if not more.

plastic mugs.

 

[IKDRF]

Get a grip - been to withdean twice thanks never again. Went to the Goldstone about 200 times

totally agree. ive had enough of this loyal supporter shit. When i was young, single and living at home I went home and away to see the albion for about 8 years. my 'loyalty' was unrivelled. now im older, ive away and have family commitments. i cannot justify spending £25 to sit at withdean stadium on a piss poor saturday afternoon. however, a once in a while trip ) like this saturday is justified. a persons ability to support is proportional to their wealth and commitments. (and a shit stadium doesnt help)

 

[looney]

If you have 6,000 supporters that budget/plan for 6 to 10 homegames a year thats going to average about 2,000 a game.

But people who plan like this will make derby matches and cup matches as one of their selections hence an extra 4,000 before casual and big game followers are added on.

Eactly how many AMS members are there and how many wont be going?

 

[Gully]

While I agree with this, it also adds to the argument that £24 for Withdean takes the piss

Not just that though, add on the cost for a 300 mile round trip and your £24 soon becomes a little bit more than that, all for the pleasure of sitting out under the elements...surrounded largely by people who moan constantly and complain if you shout encouragement at the players or start trying to get others to join in with a little bit of singing...I would rather boil my head!

Somewhat ironically, I would probably make the journey a few times a season if we were still at the Goldstone and I could cheer the team on from under cover of the North Stand roof!

 

[IKDRF]

but the away day will cost about 100.00 if not more.

plastic mugs.

£40 including train.