[Archived] The Old Gate Debate

[ABBEY]

grrrrr looks like im working

[thenodrog]

I think last nights awful attendance v Birmingham proves that I was right all along. The only difference that cheap tickets make is in reduced revenue for the club. I do admit that it's nice to watch 2 games within a week for £15 but it's bloody awful from a business point of view! As I have said many times Blackburn neither deserves nor can support a top level football team.

[CAPT KAYOS]

I think last nights awful attendance v Birmingham proves that I was right all along. The only difference that cheap tickets make is in reduced revenue for the club. I do admit that it's nice to watch 2 games within a week for £15 but it's bloody awful from a business point of view! As I have said many times Blackburn neither deserves nor can support a top level football team.

Not quite TND as ths support thing would apply to many a club - how many did Birmingham bring?

As I and others have said before - last night might have been cheap but there is not as much money to go around to sepnd on Football.

I for one could not afford to go last night even at the cheaper prices as I have other commitments for my monies.

Its not considered an important aspect from the Clubs either looking at the teams put out across the board over the 2 nights so why should fans treat it any different? Bar certain clubs and maybe certain games the draws serve up, traditionally its never reallya good crowd drawer anyway.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Last nights attendance was disappointing theno(probably didn't cover the electric bill ) but it doesn't mean we dont deserve nor can support a top level club,thats far too extreme a statement.Town clubs our size would have seen around the same attendance for such an unattractive fixture.

No use comparing other attendances last night, we just cant compete with the Utd,Arsenal,Spurs and even West ham's and we all know it.

Perhaps we can draw Coventry next and give them the Riverside as well as the Darwen end to fill!

Edited September 27, 2007 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Guest fernhurstblue]

I think last nights awful attendance v Birmingham proves that I was right all along. The only difference that cheap tickets make is in reduced revenue for the club. I do admit that it's nice to watch 2 games within a week for £15 but it's bloody awful from a business point of view! As I have said many times Blackburn neither deserves nor can support a top level football team.

is that why we got 25,000 against bayer leverkusen with reduced ticket prices ..... idiot!

[den]

is that why we got 25,000 against bayer leverkusen with reduced ticket prices ..... idiot!

The reply without the insult would have been nice.

[Ozz]

Assuming Rovers have 14,000 ST holders, I would guess around half of them didn't fancy Brum at home for a tenner last night. Which kinda backs up Thenos point a bit, sadly.

[philipl]

I believe the number now is all but 15,000 season ticket holders.

I hope that last night was a function of:

1) Birmingham at home again ten days from now in a Premiership game which for ST holders is "free" ie nothing extra to pay.

2) Birmingham home being a prospect of a game at best after two sub-standard Rovers' efforts.

3) Everyone saving up their mid-week night out passes for next Thursday when the club really needs another 20,000+ crowd on to cheer the lads forward and make the difference. For what its worth, I am told by friends in Thessaloniki that every man and his dog in Larissa are scraping the readies together to be at Ewood next week and we can expect a huge outpouring of Greek national pride as every Greek waiter in the UK is trying to get the night off to be there as well!

4) It was 24 degrees and balmy here last night with everyone sat outside their front doors in shirtsleeves chatting to the neighbours. In Blackburn it wasn't.

Edited September 27, 2007 by philipl

[Claytons Left Boot]

As I have said many times Blackburn neither deserves nor can support a top level football team.

Blackburn the town probably can't.

Blackburn the town plus tv monies can.

Same could be said about Bolton, Fulham, Birmingham, Portsmouth and a few others.

We have a bigger overall turnover than Celtic and Rangers.

Let's enjoy it.

[stuwilky]

We have a bigger overall turnover than Celtic and Rangers.

Im pretty sure they are both pushing £65m, compared to us at about £40m

[RevidgeBlue]

Im pretty sure they are both pushing £65m, compared to us at about £40m

Ours is now around 50m thanks to the new TV deal.

Don't think you're right about Celtic and Rangers. They were well behind us in terms of turnover even before the latest Sky deal.

Unless Setanta are pumping huge amounts in to their SPL deal which I can't see.

[den]

Celtic turnover - £46m

- just read that again and it's a 6 month turnover figure.

Edited September 27, 2007 by den

[stuwilky]

Don't think you're right about Celtic and Rangers. They were well behind us in terms of turnover even before the latest Sky deal.

Celtic's turnover was £75m last year

Rangers are on about our current level - in the £40m's

[gazsimm]

I think last nights awful attendance v Birmingham proves that I was right all along. The only difference that cheap tickets make is in reduced revenue for the club. I do admit that it's nice to watch 2 games within a week for £15 but it's bloody awful from a business point of view! As I have said many times Blackburn neither deserves nor can support a top level football team.

the stay away fans will be at ewood if we were top of the league all the time though won't they, there are to many glory hunters these days thats the main problem

[Claytons Left Boot]

Celtic's turnover was £75m last year

Rangers are on about our current level - in the £40m's

A Price Waterhouse report that I've just read says turnover for both Celtic & Rangers has gone through the £60m barrier.

I remember philipl saying our t/o was higher than the Old Firm's but that could have been a couple of years or so ago. Time flies.

[philipl]

Celtic and Rangers' turnovers fluctuate greatly with how they do in the Champions League. They have both been increasing their basic income impressively recently but if Rovers under the current media deals achieved a top 6 finish and one of the Old Firm had a season in the UEFA Cup at the same time, the respective incomes would still be pretty similar.

[b12_simon]

the stay away fans will be at ewood if we were top of the league all the time though won't they, there are to many glory hunters these days thats the main problem

If we want to sell out every home game we need more glory hunters. Sorry but that's the truth. If it were just the hard core turning up we'd not fill half the ground.

[stuwilky]

A Price Waterhouse report that I've just read says turnover for both Celtic & Rangers has gone through the £60m barrier.

That is what I saw earlier, but I think it was from two years ago.

The more recent £75m article was for turnover 05/06 - the last released data.

[USRoverME]

Having never had the honor and priviledge to head across teh pond and see a game at Ewood, I need to aks a question. It may be impossible to actually get an answer form anyone but a player, but we shall see...

Is there actually a difference (not financially) to the clubs performance between having 15K or 25K in the stands?

reason I ask is this: if Rovers either with the trust, or with a future backer, can sustain this level of club talent, with the current gates, why do the gates need to increase? Blackburn will never draw 50K plus to home games on a regular basis (even if Ewood was expanded) to keep up with Arse, ManU etc... Once those teams are out of the equation, we are still a tad low, but not overly so, therefore income is no longer the factor, but if the club's management and financial (signings) sence is sharp.. we have overcome it for the past 2 seasons, why can't we continue... Its walking a fine line, but what more can we really expect? where would a groudnswell of "hard core" fans come from? even 'going after the kids' will onlt repalce the likes of the middle-aged ro older currently watching every week.

[bubblerrovers]

Thats be honest if tickets where free last night we wouldn't even get near to selling out,

[gazsimm]

If we want to sell out every home game we need more glory hunters. Sorry but that's the truth. If it were just the hard core turning up we'd not fill half the ground.

no thanks these glory hunters make it hard for real fans to get hold of tickets for big games like cup finals and away to big clubs

[disgruntled]

I don't know what planet you've been living on gazsimm, but when was the last time you weren't able to get a ticket for a match involving Blackburn Rovers?

[stuwilky]

no thanks these glory hunters make it hard for real fans to get hold of tickets for big games like cup finals and away to big clubs

An example of this last occuring?

Wasnt it 1960?

[gazsimm]

I don't know what planet you've been living on gazsimm, but when was the last time you weren't able to get a ticket for a match involving Blackburn Rovers?

united away, worthington cup final i only could get 1 ticket, do i need to go on, i see some of these supporters walking around now in chelsea shirts that really p----- me off

Edited September 27, 2007 by gazsimm

[gazsimm]

An example of this last occuring?

Wasnt it 1960?

don't know i was not born then