Attendances

[Mattyblue]

1 minute ago, Stuart said:

Waggott has missed a trick twice now (at least twice).

Not getting keenly-priced (or even loyalty rewarded) STs on sale for the Oxford game and now not putting a £10 game on the day after mad-Friday when everyone has spent up or putting a deal on half-STs attached to the ticket price for Saturday.

Crap pricing strategy; crowds remain static or below forecast; blame fans and question their commitment; FF members nod sagely.

“We told the club to market the surcharge by saying standard prices are a ‘buy early discount’ “

Still can’t get over that.

[Mattyblue]

3 minutes ago, Franky said:

Errr Earth to Matty

The club already stated there will be no deals. 

Err £20 for Norwich! Can’t wait to see the queues on Saturday! (The collection queue that is, or they’ll be paying full whack with surcharge!)

Edited December 20, 2018 by Mattyblue

[Stuart]

6 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

“We told the club to market the surcharge by saying standard prices are a ‘buy early discount’ “

Still can’t get over that.

It’s ok, Matt. They don’t represent fans.

[OldEwoodBlue]

7 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Err £20 for Norwich! Can’t wait to see the queues on Saturday! (The collection queue that is, or they’ll be paying full whack with surcharge!)

£1 discount 3 days before Xmas is a stroke of genius.

Of course we cant offer deals unless reciprocal so the blame lies elsewhere but none of that rhetoric increases attendances.

 

 

[JBiz]

12 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Err £20 for Norwich! Can’t wait to see the queues on Saturday! (The collection queue that is, or they’ll be paying full whack with surcharge!)

It’s actually 4 quid for all u18s so I’d hope that a few pick that up. They are the demographic we need to target

[JBiz]

11 hours ago, Franky said:

£1 discount 3 days before Xmas is a stroke of genius.

Of course we cant offer deals unless reciprocal so the blame lies elsewhere but none of that rhetoric increases attendances.

 

 

True, only league position and opponent.

[Mattyblue]

Or a decent offer...

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Why get yourselves into such a lather?,the message from the Bean counters at Ewood is plain and simple...they are not listening to the fans and any further price initiatives will be on their terms and ONLY their terms.

They get what they get through the gates and will have to like it or lump it.

Just hope they don't put prices up again next year!....

[Mattyblue]

Indeed.

As an example, we’ve just seen with Leeds that it is now up to the home club if they allow red button/i follow coverage on a bank holiday.

Now if the club’s priority was bums on seats to improve the atmosphere and help the club long term in rebuilding the fanbase, there would be no chance they’d agree to such a thing for NYD with so many empty seats to fill (and it wouldn’t be £30 to start with). But as it is all about revenue, I’m expecting an announcement soon...

Edited December 21, 2018 by Mattyblue

[Stuart]

Waggott is way ahead of you @Mattyblue

[Mattyblue]

Oh I know, my point being West Brom will be next, even though our ground will be half empty...

[Stuart]

4 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Oh I know, my point being West Brom will be next, even though our ground will be half empty...

I don’t think there is a huge problem with screening away games tbh. That’s probably a selfish view but the away match is ALL about the experience, it’s a day out.

Home games are a different story. Although every home game is someone else’s away so...

Edited December 21, 2018 by Stuart

[Mattyblue]

Exactly. 

Any club that cannot get close to filling the ground, agreeing, in essence, to have not far off half their games shown on Sky is just utter madness and so short sighted.

Edited December 21, 2018 by Mattyblue

[Proudtobeblue&white]

The offer tomorrow for me is good. I want to sit in the JW upper with my 18-year old. It's £28. WBH in the same seats, £53. Almost double. It's not attractive, and we won't be there, even if we beat Norwich and Leeds. Christmas is expensive enough. The club has missed a massive opportunity for a bumper gate on NY day.

[Mattyblue]

Any game that is Category A is only set at that level because the club thinks the away team will bring 2,000+ fans to nab £27 off. Ergo West Brom being that price. Nothing to do with it being an ‘attractive’ fiixture etc.

Only thing is, WBA haven’t sold many so far and considering Rovers won’t either at that price it is just a missed opportunity all round to attract some floating fans for a traditional fixture on New Year’s Day - not that the present execs care less about that.

Edited December 21, 2018 by Mattyblue

[Proudtobeblue&white]

34 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Any game that is Category A is only set at that level because the club thinks the away team will bring 2,000+ fans to nab £27 off. Ergo West Brom being that price. Nothing to do with it being an ‘attractive’ fiixture etc.

Only thing is, WBA haven’t sold many so far and considering Rovers won’t either at that price it is just a missed opportunity all round to attract some floating fans for a traditional fixture on New Year’s Day - not that the present execs care less about that.

Chicken and egg, did the club choose the Category after the fixtures were announced, I presume so? So Waggott gets out his calculator after thinking with his attractive ST prices, he will have a few big pay days, but it hasn't happened. Surely the arrangements are fluid, as has been said, the club can alter arrangements for certain games, so why couldn't they make WBH £20 both clubs, all areas? 20,000 on minimum?

Edited December 21, 2018 by Proudtobeblue&white

[Mattyblue]

Probably because he thought WBA would bring a decent amount.

However, they aren’t renowned for Villa or even a Sheff Wed level of away support, so it will be a pretty pitiful bank holiday crowd.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

2 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Probably because he thought WBA would bring a decent amount.

However, they aren’t renowned for Villa or even a Sheff Wed level of away support, so it will be a pretty pitiful bank holiday crowd.

Like a certain man in history, he is under orders?

[Mattyblue]

As an example Birmingham at home to Stoke on Boxing Day. The club could easily rip off their own fans and a potential big away following - nope, £20 everywhere and they are expecting a sell out.

[JHRover]

Birmingham is 15 quid anywhere in the ground, sell out expected.

I've seen no evidence whatsoever that Rovers have any desire to see 20000+ fans in Ewood. Sadly it is too easy to cart on with 11000 home fans and hand over the Darwen End to big away followings.

If you want more fans to turn up you dont:

Close home stands and force people to move

Put prices up across the board 

Introduce a ludicrous surcharge on matchday 

Move numerous kick offs to inconvenient times sometimes for no good reason.

Until there's recognition that the above will have had an impact of some sort on numbers there's no point doing much else.

[Mattyblue]

£15... on Boxing Day! Well there you go. 

Big crowd, big away following, big atmosphere. The marketing is the product itself and some of the floating fans getting a taste of that will be back for more.

Whereas, in Waggott world...

 

Edited December 22, 2018 by Mattyblue

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

1 hour ago, JHRover said:

Birmingham is 15 quid anywhere in the ground, sell out expected.

I've seen no evidence whatsoever that Rovers have any desire to see 20000+ fans in Ewood. Sadly it is too easy to cart on with 11000 home fans and hand over the Darwen End to big away followings.

If you want more fans to turn up you dont:

Close home stands and force people to move

Put prices up across the board 

Introduce a ludicrous surcharge on matchday 

Move numerous kick offs to inconvenient times sometimes for no good reason.

Until there's recognition that the above will have had an impact of some sort on numbers there's no point doing much else.

They just don't get it down Ewood..wasting your time.

[OldEwoodBlue]

Interested to see the attendance today. 

Waggott’s Xmas offer.... 20K or a flop

 

Back to plan A (there is no plan B )  of flogging half STs

If they suddenly offered 20 quid off an adult half ST if bought today with a match ticket for eligibility, they would shift a few STs I think.

Half price shirt voucher if you buy a half ST today.

Seems some innovative ideas might be more effective than “buy a half ST or you are not a proper fan” plastered on every bus stop.

 

Edited December 22, 2018 by Franky

[Stuart]

Steve Wallett is bringing back ill-feeling when the chances have been there to maintain last season’s feel-good factor and get numbers back through the door. We have been well in games this season and a rousing Ewood crowd could have been the difference in some matches.

We used to have “Be the 12th” and “Take back Ewood” along with imaginative offers. Now we have the patronising “Richie Smallwood has committed, have you?”. (I’d love to know what pay-cut he took in order to demonstrate his “commitment” to the club).

Players got us relegated and had clauses which reduced their wages and yet prices went up. Players got us promoted and they got a wage rise and prices went up again. If prices are to continue to rise then the quality on the pitch needs to increase as well, not just paying existing L1 players more money. It’s hard not to feel short-changed when fans have to pay more to watch the same L1 team in a division higher. Especially when the “offers” being marketed are no longer really offers but simply normal prices disguised as cheaper than the increased prices. That’s just treating fans with contempt.

Plus, take Reed and Dack our of this squad in January - a distinct possibility - and we will struggle.

So we have the double-bubble of an uninspiring strategy on the playing front, unhappily married to an unrealistic strategy on the pricing front.

If your approach is an uninspiring softly-softly rebuilding approach then you need to have the fans onside to make it work. If the club really do want to make lapsed fans feel “left out” then market the benefit/value perceived or otherwise about being “in the ST club”. Right now I’m not sure what that is apart from not having to pay the really stupid walk-on prices.

[Mattyblue]

1 hour ago, Franky said:

Interested to see the attendance today. 

Waggott’s Xmas offer.... 20K or a flop

 

Back to plan A (there is no plan B )  of flogging half STs

If they suddenly offered 20 quid off an adult half ST if bought today with a match ticket for eligibility, they would shift a few STs I think.

Half price shirt voucher if you buy a half ST today.

Seems some innovative ideas might be more effective than “buy a half ST or you are not a proper fan” plastered on every bus stop.

 

Of course it will be ‘a flop’. 

Its £21 in the Riverside for every Cat B game (which this game has now reverted to).

In essence you can pay your standard admission but in a nicer stand like like the Jack Walker, which is nice for the regular attendee, but it won’t pull in many more.