[Archived] The Old Gate Debate

[RevidgeBlue]

Excellent post.

There is nothing more annoying to read on here than an ex-pat trotting out the tired old line "If I could, I'd love to be at Rovers every game...". To which my response would be "well you can't, so shut up you windbag".

It is almost as annoying as the "Blackburn doesn't deserve a Premiership team." Why not? If we win enough points to remain in the league then why shouldn't we have as much right as any other team to be there...since when were attendances the be-all and end-all?

I'm thousands of miles away and so can't make it to Ewood. Yet why on earth does that give me the right to have a go at those who are nearer but also choose not to go?

As the saying goes...either put up or shut up.

I can't put up in this case so if comes to criticising the locals then I shut up. Hell...the last time I saw Rovers was only last month but I still don't think it is right of me at this time to blame other people for not going when I don't either. 

To be fair to Dave Birch though - he was just stating that with thousands of spare seats it isn't the fault of those who do go, be they businessmen, labourers, workers or even millionaires! 

391040[/snapback]

Then again massive respect to people like Krislu and Dillo who make the effort to get to Ewood every season, in dillo's case it being from Japan.

It would make a big difference if every exiled Rovers fan made just one trip to Ewood a season in the same way that it would if the local "floater" went 2 or 3 times.

[the original david brent]

Last time i saw amoruso he was in roxy in darwen! sums it up!

A major factor that is killing rovers attendances, and its been referred to in previous posts, is the fact that most rovers games are on foreign sky in the local pubs. My local pub runs a bus to rovers home games. When we played man utd at home in the league, there were more rovers fans in the pub watchin the game on turkish tv then on the bus who actually went to the game. There again, the fact it was £30 for a ticket, i can appreciate why the casual rovers fan would watch it in the pub!

The foreign sky in pubs is useful for showing away games. However, regarding home games, its killing our attendances. I believe the only way forward is to reduce ticket prices.

Why not reduce tickets for a one off game for all age brackets, not just kids. Remember when it was a fiver against sheff utd and huddersfield. The latter game was on tv and there were nearly 30k in ewood!

Reducing ticket prices in general would get the proper footy/rovers fan (ie 18-35 lad) out of the pub and back on ewood.

[Ozz]

can you send me some money my way then i am very poor

391072[/snapback]

Erm...no.

If you're skint, sell your PC.

Or at least cancel your ISP contract.

[gazsimm]

Erm...no.

If you're skint, sell your PC.

Or at least cancel your ISP contract.

391082[/snapback]

only joking i am ok thanks

[ihateburnley]

Put another way getting Amoruso alone off the wage bill is like having the income from another 3,000 adult season ticket holders available.

391074[/snapback]

Yeah fair point Rev, but I dont think the problem at Rovers is money. I was merely thinking of a way that we could reduce the prices that season-ticket holders would have to pay, that way possibly attracting more season-ticket-holders as a result.

I think the club should:

o Get rid of the deadwood players like Amoruso, Matteo and Gresko. I think their contracts expire soon anyway, and lets face it even if we do trim the squad, how often have we needed to play these players? It makes far more sense to have the young promising players (Taylor, Derbyshire, Garner etc) as emergency back-up, rather than overpaid mercenaries whos abilities are questionable anyway. This could also attract young players to the club.

o With the money saved, we split it between bringing in new players and reducing season-tickets/matchday prices. On the playing front we can adopt a 'quality not quantity' policy (ala Wanky Wanderers), and on the ticketing front we can drastically reduce prices and possibly attract more long-term fans. Don't reply with the 'the quid a kid doesn't work', because I for one didn't realise this offer was applicable to the Villa game, and I know others didn't realise either.

o Make a 'universal' or as near to a universal price for all areas of the ground. Too many times have people walked away because all that is left is the JW stand - and people just don't want to pay £32 to watch Rovers vs Everton!

o Give the away fans the Riverside - let them be rained on when they are leaving and have to put up with the @#/? facilities.

o Put the cameras on the Riverside facing the JW Stand. Let's portray ourselves as a Premiership 'big-club' not a shoddy little Coca-cola league stadium.

o Get rid of the drummers and promote 'naturally progressive singing' like how it used to be.

o Relocate the family stand. Its current position just does not add up for me.

[Gav]

o  Make a 'universal' or as near to a universal price for all areas of the ground. Too many times have people walked away because all that is left is the JW stand - and people just don't want to pay £32 to watch Rovers vs Everton!

o  Give the away fans the Riverside - let them be rained on when they are leaving and have to put up with the @#/? facilities.

o  Relocate the family stand. Its current position just does not add up for me.

391101[/snapback]

I've absolutely no idea how to address the poor gate situation, if people won't come out and support a club 6th in the Premiership they'll never come out and support us, simple as that for me.

But the points raised above should be looked at closely by the club because they'd make the ewood experience far better from a home supporter’s point of view.

Obviously giving the riverside to away fans will cause problems for some fixtures but our own fans should have the new part of the stadium and its better facilities. We give them the biggest pub in close vicinity to the ground then house them in the best stand when 3000+ home fans get rained on and can't get in the bogs or have a beer!

The family stand should be moved and the Blackburn end on mass should be where the hardcore more vociferous support is located. Having been in the family stand several times in recent seasons it’s only ever half full for the less attractive fixtures so could easily be moved elsewhere.

Lets treat the fans we have with a little more respect.

[bob fleming]

I believe that putting the away fans in the Riverside would do more for improving the atmosphere than anything else I've read. They'd be some right ding dong singing do's.

Yet despite that and the better facilities for home supporters I'd imagine that the police simply wouldn't allow it.

[Flopsy]

Lets treat the fans we have with a little more respect.

391108[/snapback]

yeah Shelving for all!!!

[den]

I believe that putting the away fans in the Riverside would do more for improving the atmosphere than anything else I've read. They'd be some right ding dong singing do's.

Yet despite that and the better facilities for home supporters I'd imagine that the police simply wouldn't allow it.

391120[/snapback]

Yeah, but what about the rovers fans who don't want to sit behind the goals and can't afford the JW upper?

[bob fleming]

Yeah, but what about the rovers fans who don't want to sit behind the goals and can't afford the JW upper?

391129[/snapback]

A good question den. I don't have all the answers you know, just some badly thought out ideas that'll be thrown out by the police.

How's about a "Riversider Relocation Programme" (the RRP) where season ticket holders from the Riverside can pay the same as they did the previous season but for The Jack Walker?

[Exiled_Rover]

Yeah, but what about the rovers fans who don't want to sit behind the goals and can't afford the JW upper?

391129[/snapback]

Believe me, they're not missing out on much, the Jack Walker upper isn't what it's cracked up to be!

[RevidgeBlue]

Obviously giving the riverside to away fans will cause problems for some fixtures but our own fans should have the new part of the stadium and its better facilities. We give them the biggest pub in close vicinity to the ground then house them in the best stand when 3000+ home fans get rained on and can't get in the bogs or have a beer!

Lets treat the fans we have with a little more respect.

391108[/snapback]

Not give away fans the best facilities, you must be joking! This is Blackburn Rovers!

After the Liverpool farce I expect us to start placing a blanket ban on home fans and bussing in away fans for free presently.

On a serious note, excellent ideas from you and ihb. It surely shouldn't be beyond the wit of man to devise a segregated path round to the Riverside for away fans. The Family Stand also ought to be moved.

Doubt it will happen though, our strategy doesn't seem to extend beyond trying to cram as many away fans as possible into the ground and screwing them as hard as possible price wise for the 3 or 4 A+ games.

[Shaddy]

oops. wrong thread

Edited March 16, 2006 by Shaddy

[Yorick]

Just a thought but if exiled fans get such a kick out of watching / writing / reading about BRFC then is their no way that they can be coerced into parting with some of their hard earned? Donating annually half the cost of the cheapest season ticket would be fine for starters. I am sure such a measure would make em feel a lot better and a lot greater feeling of being a part of the club.

[FourLaneBlue]

Just a thought but if exiled fans get such a kick out of watching / writing / reading about BRFC then is their no way that they can be coerced into parting with some of their hard earned?  Donating annually half the cost of the cheapest season ticket would be fine for starters.  I am sure such a measure would make em feel a lot better and a lot greater feeling of  being a part of the club.

391208[/snapback]

Fair enough but other than just philanthropy there would have to be something back. Home-based fans get to go to all the games...if there could be something arranged for the ex-pat fans it would be interesting.

You're suggesting charity though as your use of 'donating' makes clear. As much as I like Rovers I don't think I should be giving them money for nothing. They are not a charity and if I was in need they would do bugger all for me.

Maybe some kind of scheme in which overseas fans were sent programmes and merchandise/newsletters could be explored though.

Edited March 16, 2006 by FourLaneBlue

[ABBEY]

£5.95 at the new Vue Cinema for a Saturday afternoon/night

391057[/snapback]

+ £1.50 off if you go again with your discount voucher!!!

[RevidgeBlue]

Maybe some kind of scheme in which overseas fans were sent programmes and merchandise/newsletters could be explored though.

391210[/snapback]

plus DVD's of games?

[Paul Mellelieu]

Been on the Riverside on and off for 35 years and I ain't leaving for away supporters.

[cletus]

Just a thought but if exiled fans get such a kick out of watching / writing / reading about BRFC then is their no way that they can be coerced into parting with some of their hard earned?  Donating annually half the cost of the cheapest season ticket would be fine for starters.  I am sure such a measure would make em feel a lot better and a lot greater feeling of  being a part of the club.

391208[/snapback]

Excellent!! Howzabout all these rich Roverites living abroad (who cannot get to games) sponsoring a poor Blackburnian child to go to games on their behalf....then the child can write them a nice letter telling them all about the game & how exciting it was??

[Yorick]

You're suggesting charity though as your use of 'donating' makes clear. As much as I like Rovers I don't think I should be giving them money for nothing. They are not a charity and if I was in need they would do bugger all for me.

Maybe some kind of scheme in which overseas fans were sent programmes and merchandise/newsletters could be explored though.

391210[/snapback]

Why should anybody want anything back? It should be regarded as a priviledge and a duty to help fund their main talking point, source of pride and longest lasting memory from these shores. It need only amount to about 40 pence per day (equiv to 10 fags a week / 1pt Guiness a week) to feel like a fully fledged member of 'team rovers'.

[Exiled_Rover]

Excellent!!    Howzabout all these rich Roverites living abroad (who cannot get to games) sponsoring a poor Blackburnian child to go to games on their behalf....then the child can write them a nice letter telling them all about the game & how exciting it was?? 

391243[/snapback]

CheshireBlue should put a mini-bus on

[joey_big_nose]

Excellent!!    Howzabout all these rich Roverites living abroad (who cannot get to games) sponsoring a poor Blackburnian child to go to games on their behalf....then the child can write them a nice letter telling them all about the game & how exciting it was?? 

391243[/snapback]

I have nearly finished my time in the US but I would have happily put 50-100 pound into Rovers at the start of the season if I knew I would have got to see all the games in their entririty delayed. I paid the 20 for Rovers World as it is.

My personal position is that I do feel the club gives me a lot, but as Four Lane says it doesn't really go into the area of being a charitable cause!

[FourLaneBlue]

Why should anybody want anything back?  It should be regarded as a priviledge and a duty to help fund their main talking point, source of pride and longest lasting memory from these shores.    It need only amount to about 40 pence per day (equiv to 10 fags a week / 1pt Guiness a week) to feel like a fully fledged member of 'team rovers'.

391247[/snapback]

Well in that case surely all the home-based fans could do it as well? All they do at the moment is pay for a service from Rovers. Just like I do when I am back in the area by going to the games and stocking up on the merchandise. Would the season ticket holders also be willing to pay that over and above their season tickets?

I'm not going to just give money to a business that has a turnover of over 40million and pays its management the best part of half a million pounds each just for the hell of it. If they, as a business, want to try and arrange some package for fans who can't get to the games then I would be very interested. Why should it be "a priviledge and a duty" for overseas fans to give money away when nobody at home does?

Good shout from Rev, hey even Cletus' sounds like a good cause - bit more sensible then this charity option. There are already charities I do pay into and they sure as hell don't pay their Italian past-it employees not doing anything 20k a week.

Edited March 20, 2006 by FourLaneBlue

[SouthAussieRover]

Then again massive respect to people like Krislu and Dillo who make the effort to get to Ewood every season, in dillo's case it being from Japan.

It would make a big difference if every exiled Rovers fan made just one trip to Ewood a season in the same way that it would if the local "floater" went 2 or 3 times.

391075[/snapback]

Hey half the family have made it twice in recent times.

But 5 as opposed to one?

You do the maths thankyou.

[jim mk2]

It would make a big difference if every exiled Rovers fan made just one trip to Ewood a season in the same way that it would if the local "floater" went 2 or 3 times.

391075[/snapback]

Quite.

There are some on here who went over to the dark side more than 30 years ago and have not returned once to see their family, never mind to watch Rovers.

They should be ignored.