Wheelton Blue

I ended up buying a couple of tickets in the Accy home end behind the goal. There was only a handful of single seats left anywhere.

Yep. As it stands, that's a bottom 6 squad.

It's really interesting what you did. Hats off to you!!!!

As with all people, I judge Waggot on what he does, not on what he says he's going to do. On entering Ewood against QPR, I fully expect to still see rust everywhere, paint flaking off stair rails, turnstiles not open, refreshment kiosks shut, and an exorbitant price list.

That's the bit I doubt, I think it's too big a number. Either way, we're roughly where we were last season.

Our switched on commercial team will certainly know exactly what the numbers are ..... renewed, lost, new. Or perhaps not.

I don't believe that we've lost 2,000 ST holders from last year and gained the same in new customers. That's too big a 'churn' number IMO Alternate theory is that a good number of those missing 2k simply renewed and moved seats, hence were included in Gooze's stats all along.

That doesn't make any sense to me. Give or take the 'churn', I suspect that the vast majority who had a season ticket last season have renewed.

A meeting to talk about what? Pitch improvements?

...or because it's not much more than the bare minimum expected of a tier 2 professional football club.

I read an article on Bolton's season ticket sales earlier. Their CEO is hoping for 14,000.

I'm under the impression that we'll get new cards. I've renewed same seats and paid 'postage' for something!

In summary then: - we have sold 7,610 STs to date (including both renewals and new) - we have a run rate of 26.5 new sales per day - there are potentially 2,256 renewals not yet taken

@goozburgerPresumably the current run rate of 26.5 includes both renewals and new sales? This being true, the run rate for new sales alone would be less, and the prediction of 1,034 overstated.

Their squad of players spent 7 or so seasons in the Premier League, so they won't be mugs, put it that way.

Even if Burnley have to replace half of their first team, they'll still be left with half a team of Premiership experience and quality. Supplement that with solid Championship level signings - which they appear to be doing - and they'll be one of the teams to beat.

I've not read comments from anyone questioning the merits of promoting from within our Academy. That's the point of it after all, and one I'm sure we all agree on. Promoting U23s to the first team has to be a considered approach, though, Promoting just U23s to wholly replace the 6 or so departures would be folly, IMO. There has to be a balance of buy vs promote, experience vs inexperience, which I'm sure JDT and GB will understand.

The best way to 'learn and develop' is by playing games.

Agreed, see my last post.

On the subject of the pitch, it did appear from the early photos released a month or so ago, that there had been work done on the goal areas. The vast majority of the pitch looked like it had been prepared for re-seeding, whereas the goal areas looked different. Perhaps the goal areas only have been 'stitched'?

I don't disagree with most of what you say. I've seen him in the flesh a couple of times; on the first occasion I thought 'Wow'. All I'm (trying) to say, is that while I think he has all the potential in the world, I think it's premature to expect him to become a superstar - or indeed a first team regular this season coming as is being suggested - at this moment in time.

So 2 players out of literally thousands, then. As I said, 'expectations'.

Of course there's something there. The point I was making was not about potential, but around expectations. It's a lot to expect any 17 year old to make the jump from a handful of U23 games to playing regularly at Championship level, especially at centre half.

Sam Barnes is one who I think will be given opportunity. He's now injury free, has played a lot of games as captain of the U23s, and is ready for the next step. He was scheduled to play last pre-season, but got injured early doors. He's with the squad in Portugal.

I fear that peoples' expectations of Phillips are getting a bit much. Hasn't the lad has only played a dozen or so games for the U23s?