[Archived] Pathetic Attendance

[Uddersfelt Blue]

Just back from Ewood after a 100 mile round trip which I made with a couple of mates and our kids.

Have to say that for a UEFA cup match the attendance of 13000 is absolutely pathetic. The town of Blackburn does not deserve a Premiership club never mind one that is currently sitting at the top of its UEFA cup group.

Now I'm not having a go here at those who can't attend a midweek game for whatever reason. Its those who just can't be a$$ed to turn up. John Williams and Co must be tearing their hair out at their futile attempts to woo supporters out of their armchairs.

This is just not good enough Rovers fans (if thats what you are)

I suppose you've all got your tickets lined up to watch the Manure match next week. Do Rooney and Co hold more attraction than watching your own players progress in Europe?

Answers on a postcard

[AggyBlue]

I blame SuperStella, he kept advertising the fact it was on Eurosport

[modes98]

Why do people place so high a value on attendance?

I had a heated discussion earlier with a birmingham fan, about what makes a "big club". He argued that fan base is the key factor, but my opinion is the history and amount of titles/cups etc.

I think the fact that we are in europe speaks for itself and winning is a massive bonus especially after a lack luster first half. I would have turned out tonight but for the 6/7 injuries we had sported before the game and the fact i all but have a ticket to see us in holland. I will be turning out home and away in the next round.

Rovers attendances will never be amazing so please stop hoping, get drunk instead it's cheaper!

[RevidgeBlue]

Why do people place so high a value on attendance?

It's a "My dick's bigger than yours" thing.

Completely irrelevant when you're supporting a team from a borough with a population of 140,000, half of which don't seem to want to turn up at present.

[Lee]

At the end of the day, when Rovers fans are wondering why we aren't buying player A,B or C, it may well prove to be the difference that additional income that a few thousand on the gate can have.

More fans turn up = more money to spend in transfer market.

[RevidgeBlue]

At the end of the day, when Rovers fans are wondering why we aren't buying player A,B or C, it may well prove to be the difference that additional income that a few thousand on the gate can have.

More fans turn up = more money to spend in transfer market.

But getting x million more in TV money obviously doesn't count??????

[Lee]

We get similar TV money as everyone else (before games are chosen), where the difference counts is in the numbers who come in through the door.

If we had Man City or Aston Villa's gate income we'd be laughing.

[Presty On Tour]

i dunno if this is true or not bit sometimes i reckon the attendences can affect a players performance.

for me playing like local sunday pub footy usually in front of 10 or so people and a man and his dog is alright like because it's done for fun and a laugh.

if i was playing a say a cup final in front of a few 100 people, it's natural you want to raise your game and play your best.

could it be the same for rovers?

13k showed up, do the players think well if the fans cant be arsed can i be bothered, all those empty seats is wel bad.

i know they are pro's and all but if 30k showed up tonight it would of been a different game. the atmo is better and its more support like say a 12 man.

[RevidgeBlue]

We get similar TV money as everyone else (before games are chosen), where the difference counts is in the numbers who come in through the door.

If we had Man City or Aston Villa's gate income we'd be laughing.

That's not true Lee the majority of Sky money is allocated roughly in accordance with wher you finish in the table. And thankfully gate receipts at c6m form a very small percentage of our c40m turnover.

[Lee]

Do the maths Simon, 500k a place, we finish four places above Villa or Man City or Everton then that is £2m. Their gate receipts outweigh anything that we can ever earn. Man Utd earn more in three games on gate receipts than we do in a single season.

And you wonder why we always say we are 'punching above our weight?' Dismiss attendances at your peril.

[LeChuck]

At the end of the day, when Rovers fans are wondering why we aren't buying player A,B or C, it may well prove to be the difference that additional income that a few thousand on the gate can have.

More fans turn up = more money to spend in transfer market.

A bit of maths can show that's not really the case though. Wasn't the average price per game at Ewood last season £13 (I could be wrong but I'll use it anyway)? Multiply that by 3,000 (the 'extra few thousand through the gates') then by 19 (amount of Prem home games) and it comes to rougly £750,000k. Alright, a fairly significant sum, but not one that will really have an effect on the outcome of our season...lets say, a season's worth of Matteo warming the bench.

Edit: As you rightly pointed out...it's £500k per place. Two places higher in the Premiership (didn't we drop more than this on the final day a few years back?) is worth more than a few extra thousand bums on seats.

Attendences are important but we would have to get a MASSIVE increase in numbers to generate the kind of income that would impact success on the pitch. It's probable that Rovers don't even have the required number of fans who are able to attend regularly to make this happen.

Edited November 3, 2006 by LeChuck

[Jan]

Having just driven an over 400 mile round trip to watch the game, may I say to any "fan" who watched the game from anywhere in the Blackburn area which was not Ewood Park (and who wasn't working or sick)- you don't deserve a premier league team.

Don't whine about price, or that it was cold. You're not a fan.

[AxesFirstTouch]

could it be the same for rovers?

13k showed up, do the players think well if the fans cant be arsed can i be bothered, all those empty seats is wel bad.

i know they are pro's and all but if 30k showed up tonight it would of been a different game. the atmo is better and its more support like say a 12 man.

U iz wrong I fink.

[The Harwood Yankee]

All excuses about ticket prices being too high went out of the window tonight. The Blackburn board are treating their fans better than any other in the Premiership with such cheap prices and the Blackburn public have responded by saying that they're just not bothered. A tenner to support your hometown team in Europe against a decent side with Rovers fielding a full strength team playing quality football - and the best we can muster is 13,000?

Pathetic.

[BRFC4EVA]

Boro and Bolton got very similar crowds in this stage of the competition last year, and come from simliar and perhaps even slightly larger catchment areas. Is the attendance that much of a supprise??

[Uddersfelt Blue]

So all the missing Rovers fans thought "Ah! Boro and Bolton fans didn't bother with the UEFA cup so I won't eiher"

Will they be bothered when we get to the Final? Too right they will. Tickets will be like gold dust and the town will shut down for the day.

Your choice Rovers fans, but ask yourselves what you actually want from this Club

[bigfilbar8]

If only 13,000 turn up the club may as well price it higher! This may sound daft but the club have done everything possible to get fans into ewood. I know there are alot of games to pay for at the moment but I can see alot of empty seat for the Man U game.

[Ricky]

Palermo are currently sitting second in Serie A and only got 16000 for thir game against Newcastle last night.

[SuperStella]

I am ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED WITH THE SHOCKING ATTENDANCE. I feel sorry for John Williams - he does his best, but Rovers ''fans'' throw it back in his face. T0ssers

[SD4E]

last night was my final straw with rovers fans- i have defended and defended us against every rival fan that slags our attendances- i get it consistently at work from city, utd, liverpool, everton etc fans.

the difference is with bolton and boro, as far as im aware they didnt drop there prices.

IMO, the club can do no more.

[pleasure]

Don't whine about price, or that it was cold. You're not a fan.

my thoughts too. people who call themselves 'fans', had no excuses for not going last night. #15.00 for TWO games for god's sake!

yeah, we might be a small town team - but 13,000 (a trelleborg crowd) is utterly appalling.

the abuse yelled, from the riverside, at neill, mgp mokoena and nonda was ludacris. atleast those people attended, though!

[Flopsy]

give it a rest - the disposable income so that people can spend it on Football isnt there anymore.

Also football's lost its allure to a number of people - it happens, get over it.

Still im sure Boro were getting sub 10,000 attendances last season, also its a freezing school night so you're not going to get as many kids or people who live further away who can make it on a weekend, especially with it being on the goggle box

[pleasure]

give it a rest - the disposable income so that people can spend it on Football isnt there anymore.

what ? people cant raise #15.00 ?

[SuperStella]

It's all very well and good blaming the weather, prices and tv. But - if we had played Burnley last night would there have only been 13k on? NO!

The weather, price and whether its on TV or not wouldnt come into it.

[Uddersfelt Blue]

Apparently Tottenham didn't have a problem selling out at £40 a ticket