[Archived] The Old Gate Debate

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Some 600 sold according to the official site,decent but hardly going to make a major impact on our gates....3,000 is a different story though!!

[cletus]

I fear that Gav is going to lose this bet.... 

I`m starting to think that aswell

These are our remaining home games this season:-

Sunderland (3k following)

Arsenal (3k)

Aston Villa (2-3k)

Middlesbrough (2k)

Wigan (2-8k depends if they`re chasing Euro spot)

Liverpool (8k)

Chelsea (2-8k...will have championship wrapped up by then, so who knows??)

Man City (5-8k....depending on their results)

...If you add those to an average home crowd of 17-18k, it doesn`t look good for Gav`s £50

Yet, we still live in hope!

**BTW**...Wigan only have Man Ure, West ham, Big club, Villa & Portsmouth left to play at home.

[Shaddy]

The bet is definitely gone.

[Hughesy]

Will be interesting to see how many Sunderland bring on wednesday with our club paying the travel costs for coaches.

Hopefully they wll bring alot and help Gav's bet along.

[Hughesy]

The money they will be putting into them rather than us, would make it 'supporting'.

We need to start attracting more from Preston, Blackpool areas etc.

We really need a ticket office in blackburn town centre, like bolton have in their town centre

Not "supporting" Hughsey, "watching" maybe.

They get to see PNE play Brighton & Hove Albion and Crewe Alex. We get to see a 4-3 win v The Red Scum.

383254[/snapback]

[colin]

Wigan (2-8k depends if they`re chasing Euro spot)

Man City (5-8k....depending on their results)

383806[/snapback]

Keeping your options open there with the Wigan crowd

I think that City will sell out the Darwen End, they usually do.

[cletus]

Keeping your options open there with the Wigan crowd

I think that City will sell out the Darwen End, they usually do.

383943[/snapback]

I`m thinking Wigan are a bit of a mystery club this year. They are quite capable of taking 30k to Cardiff or sell out for Old Trafford, but they only managed to get home gates of 20553 vs Notlob & 20639 vs Rovers (2 traditional Lancashire rivals) which makes me wonder if they come here in their droves.....or just not bother . I think alot will depend on if they are still in with a shout of a European spot.

I think you`re right with the Citeh prediction.

[S15]

The money they will be putting into them rather than us, would make it 'supporting'.

We need to start attracting more from Preston, Blackpool areas etc.

383932[/snapback]

I've tried this one, falls on deaf ears.

[blueboy]

I dont buy a lot of this you know. The opinion I have isnt one held by many but the bottom line for me is that this just isnt much of a footballing area anymore, people just seem so apathetic.

I know tons of lads who are supposedly rovers fans and they have the time and means to go but they just dont want to, 'cant be arsed'.

What it comes down to is passion and there is a real lack of it amongst many of our stay away fans. In fact, there is a lack of it in the ground as well. I know quite a few lads with season tickets who aren't really Rovers fans, they just do it as a social thing. i shudder to think what the attendances would be without those sorts as well.

The lack of atmosphere reinforces these views. Even when we produce a good atmosphere it doesn't come close to the type of hostile bear pit that the scousers turned Goodison into on saturday.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

I agree with you Blueboy,your not far off the mark.Lads at work who say they 'support' Rovers but come matchday cant seem to be bothered.Lets face it,Rovers fans have never been the most passionate of supporters, certainly not in the fervent mold of say your Geordies or Man city fans....its just they way it is I suppose.

I also except there are other issues that dont help.

Edited February 14, 2006 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Claytons Left Boot]

Even when we produce a good atmosphere it doesn't come close to the type of hostile bear pit that the scousers turned Goodison into on saturday.

384088[/snapback]

True, but the problem at Ewood is the general make up of the Rovers fan or cross section of our support as compared to that of a big city club.

At places like Birmingham, Everton and say West Ham there is a much higher proportion of males in the 18-45 age group than at Rovers. This is seen even more when these teams visit Ewood. The Man Utd support here seems to be made up solely of vociferous males and is one reason why they are just about the loudest away fans in town.

There are males in the 18-45 age group who are Rovers fans but equally there are a lot of old folk, women and kids ( who generally but not always seem to be quieter). More so than at the big city clubs.

If it were a case of 500 lads from Blackburn singing against 500 lads from Everton I don't think there would be any difference at all.

[cn174]

Even when we produce a good atmosphere it doesn't come close to the type of hostile bear pit that the scousers turned Goodison into on saturday.

384088[/snapback]

I wouldn't have called it a hostile bear pit!! They made quite a lot of noise when they scored and when they were booing the ref, but other than that they weren't that loud. In fact you could even hear the Rovers fans above them on the highlights.

Atmosphere isn't just a Rovers thing. Go to Old Trafford and its quiet as anything. But when but their away fans are something different.

[BRFC4EVA]

I still think that Gav's bet can be pulled out of the bag with a coupla high crowds at the end of the season. Liverpool is a sat 3pm kick off and not on tv so should be close to a 30k crowd and Man city on the final day should also be close to 30k effort which might push us over. The Chelsea match will also have a decent crowd due to large support of celebrating chels fans and us perhaps chasing europe!

It aint over yet!

[cletus]

***GAV`S £50 BET UPDATE***

After a poor gate of 18220 against the league`s whipping boys Sunderland, here`s how it looks:-

Rovers average attendance is 20054 after 12 home games. (down 166)

Wigan`s average attendance is now 20868 after 14 home games.

(Rovers are an average of 814 behind Wigan)

Rovers total attendances are 240645

Wigan`s total attendances are 292152

(Rovers behind by 51507 but have 2 games in hand)

...both teams next 3 home games are:-

Rovers ...Arsenal, Aston Villa & Boro (3 average gates??)

Wigan... Man Ure, West ham & the big club (i`d say 1 guarranteed sell-out there & 2 average gates)

[Exiled in Toronto]

No chance we'll catch them now. Who'd have thought it?

[Neil Weaver]

Am I alone in thinking there's a conspiracy against Gav? Only just over 18k last night? Now I know there were plenty of gaps but I reckon there were at least 3k visitors (the DE Upper was open) and as I looked around I thought there were about 20-20.5k on.

The world's against you Gav.

[Uddersfelt Blue]

The Arsenal game will be a good test of how good our support is.

Attractive opposition

Moderate away following

Category A+ prices

Saturday 3-00pm kick off

Can go 5th above them if we win etc....

Anything above 25k will be a good gate.

Anything below 22k will be poor IMO

[NEARREY]

Looks like the burst pipe has cost Rovers and Gav dear. As before the postponed match Rovers were expecting a crowd of 24k, how much has the 6000 returned tickets cost Rovers and Gav.

[Paul]

The Arsenal game will be a good test of how good our support is.

Attractive opposition

Moderate away following

Category A+ prices

Saturday 3-00pm kick off

Can go 5th above them if we win etc....

Anything above 25k will be a good gate.

Anything below 22k will be poor IMO

384557[/snapback]

I hope everyone has noticed the club's innovative thinking on this one:

* all match ticket holders from the Sunderland game can get a £5 discount for one future home match. Make it Arsenal please guys! Perhaps the Mackems will pop down?

* online booking is now cheaper than phoning for a ticket. There are NO Booking Fees, these have been removed to encourage online sales

* no "ticket history" is required to purchase a home ticket for this or any other game this season except Liverpool. Get an Arsenal ticket and get on the database for Liverpool. You know it makes sense.

[trueblue]

* all match ticket holders from the Sunderland game can get a £5 discount for one future home match.

384564[/snapback]

Bet that doesn't include season ticket holders

[ihateburnley]

* no "ticket history" is required to purchase a home ticket for this or any other game this season except Liverpool. Get an Arsenal ticket and get on the database for Liverpool. You know it makes sense.

384564[/snapback]

That doesn't make sense to me. We're aren't going to sell-out against Liverpool so why go to a game just to make your chances of obtaining a ticket higher?

The attendance last night was very poor, but I think at this time of year when games are coming thick and fast and people aren't exactly loaded, Sunderland at home on a Wednesday night doesn't exactly inspire the supporters. I, for example, was planning to go to the original Sunderland home game as I had nothing better to do. Last night however, I didn't have the money, I had already made plans, and it was the day after Valentine's when I'd perhaps spent money that I wouldn't normally have spent.

People must stop talking about low crowds as purely a lack of enthusiasm, passion or support - and start considering the circumstances! If an Everton fan doesn't want to go to a game, you can bet that there will be another fan waiting to buy their ticket. At the Rovers, if someone doesn't want to go, it's simply another empty seat. We just don't have the required fanbase to match the league position of the club.

Incidentally, Wanky Wanderers only got 19k on against Marseille in the Uefa Cup.

[Shaddy]

I think we should all focus our energies on a double or nothing bet for Gav, because this one really is gone now

[Presty On Tour]

i feel we may have a fair few in for arsenal though, big big big game n all.

[Eddie]

Also, as wigan are on a bit of a slide I wouldn't be surprised if their gates dropped a bit.

[Paul]

That doesn't make sense to me. We're aren't going to sell-out against Liverpool so why go to a game just to make your chances of obtaining a ticket higher?

384603[/snapback]

If you read what I posted and you quoted above it would make sense.

The club have a policy for Liverpool and Manchester United home games tickets will only be sold to supporters who have a history of buying from Blackburn Rovers. In other words for the Liverpool game you will need to have purchased at least once before to get a ticket regardless of if we sell out or not.

I asked JW about this directly earlier in the week. For Liverpool and Manchester games supporters need a history, for all other games they do not.