I haven't watched a game on TV this season, not MOTM, Euro or whatever. I'd have watched the Krakow game if I hadn't been on the M6. Hardly watched any footie on TV last season and even the WC was low on my list of priorities ~ for all of the reasons above. Blackburn Rovers is my team and these days it's all I'm interested in seeing because the golden goose was murdered many years ago. Yes you are absolutely right. Though many took an opposite view the Basel game was one of the best at Ewood for a long time for the reasons you give. If we had proper football like this more often there would be a lot more interest in the game.

True it is a statement which is relative to me but the problem for Rovers, and the majority of PL clubs, is just how many people is the statement relative to? This is the trick, as I said before, determining the ticket price which provides maximum attendance coupled with maximum revenue. This is the balance Rovers need. Maximising revenue is the simpler task, bang up the prices to the faithful and settle for, at best, a half-empty ground. Maximising attendance? well it's beginning to look as though £5 is too much? Price is all about perceived value. It's something I spend a lot of time on. One is always looking for the value the majority consider acceptable to maximise volume on a core product. There products which are sold way below the perceived value to promote the idea of value for money (different from perceived value), other products have the "I want" factor and can easily be sold for virtually any price. Currently I'm selling two Christmas products, one at a 12.5% margin,the other at 76% margin. The first is driving volume and securing orders, the second is making an enormous contribution to bottom line beacuse it has an "I want" factor which will be prevalent in the three weeks running up to Christmas. I can tell you precisely the type of outlet and the type of person who will buy this "I want" product. She lives in Cheshire, has high disposable income,probably doesn't work, is aged 45-55, regards herself as ten years younger, likes to lunch etc. She doesn't go to football. Finding the true perceived value of a football match is very tough. PL clubs have invested a fortune in attracting families, the difficulty they face is these families have grown up but the parents still face the total cost. My view on STs has gone from "cheap" to "excellent value" as the family has got older. My perception of away games has moved to "too expensive, can't afford it" and we have stopped completely. I'm paying my eldest ST while he's at uni because I know that even if he only sees half the matches it's cheaper than me having to shell out £25-£35 when he's home. I can understand that but crowds have changed and the make-up in Blackburn is not of highly-paid individuals with good disposable income. Agreed but you can't run a business on the basis of hoping your customers will increase their income by changing jobs. Most people hit an earnings peak in their mid-thirties, from there on disposable income decreases until the kids finish university, then we retire with a vastly reduced income. I don't see the relevance. Life is more expensive in London. On my salary supporting four STs at a PL club would be out of the question This is an "I want" factor. I'm not sure at the price which would stop me going. I can imagine paying £80-100 but the wife might stay home....... It's a one-off or rare treat. On that basis I'd pay £25 for me and the kids, as a treat. STs are great value for money. Before I'm in the zimmer frame I'm going to do a Euro trip but right now I can't from both a financial and time perspective. The bottom line for many is the ST represents enormous value and provides significant, and to me, important perks. I can fund this out of our annual budget. What I cannot fund is a perceived cost of around £100 to take me and the kids to Ewood on a walk-up basis. The good lady "We're over budget this week dear and Johnny needs new shoes", The bread-winner " It's Utd next week, I'm just off to get four tickets, it's only £104" Having an ST allows me to go without this discussion and for a few games to invite a friend along at my cost - as I'm doing for the United match. There's the problem, and I know there are cheaper options, our seats for Utd would be £104 on a walk-up basis. My disposable income and many, many other people's does not stretch to that every other week. I fully appreciate your "pay for it or lose it" arguement, it does make sense. The problem is thousands will not pay for it, myself included, at this price. This leaves the club with only one option, reduce prices and reduce costs. The only way to reduce costs is to cut player wages.

I'd suggest Rovers are looking for the magic formula that will allow them to sell the maximum volume at the maximum price. Once we find that the ticket price will be firmly established. Rovers difficulty is discovering the ticket price the highest number of fans will accept/pay. once they do that I feel this will become the standard matchday price with the occassional £5 added for Utd etc. The difficulty is hitting the right spot. Personally I think £25 is the top price price and I certainly wouldn't pay the £30-£35 often bandied about on here. A game of fooyball, Rovers or not, simply isn't worth more than £25.

Could I have some directions to Ewood please, clearly I was at a different game from the majority. From start to finish the match was thoroughly entertaining and Rovers have doen very well to comprehensively beat a good, well organised side who few seem to be giving any credit. It was a comprehensive victory, 3-0 no one can argue with that. I had no expectations of Basel before the game and was surpised by how open the whole gane turned out to be. Basel clearly hoped to suck us in and catch us on the counter-attack but theirs was not a negative way of achieving this which lead to a goalless but very entertaining first-half. Yes we could have been 3-0 down if Brad hadn't been in great form - but that's why he is in the team. If the keeper is making great saves why complain? I don't think you'd see a first-half like this in the PL as most away sides are so negative and scared of losing. Hughes clearly let everyone know the game was there to be won in the second-half. Rovers upped the pace, improved their short passing and made life difficulty for Basel. At no point in the game did I feel we would lose but did wonder if we would win. Then Tugay struck with what is surely one of the finest individual goals seen at Ewood. From perhaps 40 yards out he let rip, the keeper didn't move, I shrugged my shoulders as I thought it was over the bar and then the ball dipped wickedly below the bar - TUGAY! TUGAY! TUGAY! One of those great moments you watch football for. Thousands stayed at home and missed it. Ha! Ha! you reap what you sow. Once we scored the result was never in doubt, Basel looked dispirited and beaten. Great to see Franny grab the ball so ositively for the penalty. Overall a good performance all round by the whole team. The only player who worried me was The Axe who clearly can only play defensively, he's no attacking thought in his game. Thought MGP had a much improved game, especially in the second-half. This needs a sentence on it's own. Mcky Gray is nowhere near as bad as people are saying. I never worry when he's in the team. He may not be the best but he'll give you all he's got every time. Apologies to the rest who clearly didn't enjoy the first half. If we were so bad how come the crowd didn't resort to it's usal half-time, half-hearted booing? I had an excellent night, thoroughly entertained from start to finish, three goals including a Tugay classic that will live in the mind for many years. Bring on the Nancy boys, if you didn't get to Ewood last night get a ticket now for the next one.

Apologies completely misunderstood what you were saying

Don't want to be picky but it was 30,000 or so in 1987. Great day

Must stop reading these at work

Yeah.....he was a pretty average midfielder as well I'll probably get my years all mixed up but it was fun then. We had Steve Archibald, Ardiles, Kevin Moran, Frank Stapleton all arrive at Ewood for a season or two. Anyone remember how many Archibald put on the gate? I was looking at apicture of him and a certain Mr Furnell last night

Osvaldo Ardiles. Won the World Cup with Argentina in 1978, played for Rovers once or was it twice before he got kicked? He also managed the Swindon team that beat us in the play-offs in 1990?

Hadn't noticed there was a picture of the signature till I read the thread again. I have, in front of me now, a copy of "Blackburn Rovers FC - A Pictorial History 1875-1988" by Peter White. Nicky Reid had this signed for me by the entire first team squad and the Simon Garner signature in no way matches the one on the e-bay shirt. On that basis I'd say the signature is false and the shirt is probably not a match-worn Simon Garner shirt. As a matter of interest I have the last Rovers home shirt used by Colin Hendry. It is signed, by Hendry and Kevin Gallagher, and was match worn when he captained the home side in a charity match at Ewood. Also have a photograph of me, Hendry, Gally and my lad stood in the BBE goalmouth from the same event. Hendry is wearing the shirt. What would that be worth? Not that it's for sale.

£201.39 Looked in good condition but that's a lot of money for a shirt

Bought my tickets for Chelsea and the Euro bundle about 2-3 weeks ago. No queue, no problem, no hassle. Folk had three weeks to buy a ticket, get organised people if you want to avoid a queue. Can't say the club didn't give you a chance to buy just 6 hours before the game. I thought 15000 was a good turnout on a miserable night

Yes, I agree it is a serious problem but not one that will be solved if we get the usual round of how useless the TO is. On the whole they do a good job and are very accomodating. Quite what the club can do at present is difficult to say. The one solution I'd offer is all admin staff be trained in selling tickets. There should be spare PC terminals available for busy periods, after all a PC is cheap as chips these days, and when demand is there everyone takes the calls and forgets about their usual job. Only one thing more important than selling tickets and that's winning football matches. When the customer wants product forget everything else and ship it. On the other hand it won't be all bad if word gets around that you need to act early to avoid the queue at Ewood Park or on the phone.

I know of reasons for this......only because I asked and don't ask me to explain the whys and wherefores.... 1. we have a lot of games on sale ~ Chelsea, the Euro bundle, West Ham, Villa, United. That's six games and plenty of folk will be ring for more than one ticket and for more than one game 2. There's people ringhing to enquire about Feyenord 3. The Euro bundle. When I booked mine this took ages. I wanted eight tickets in total for the two games. Although we are season ticket holders if buying the bundle each ticket has to be processed/re-priced for each game. I don't know why but it's what the very pleasant young man on the phone told me. 4. The Euro matches can't be booked online because of the price struture In short we're busy, which must be good news................now wait for the slagging off of the TO for not coping with demand, frustrating those who want to return, rubbish online system etc. etc.

I won't complain. Sunday was a great improvement. If we could have 23000 - 25000 roaring us on to a UEFA final I'd be happy to see everyome inside for £15 all season.

Not sure about that. I think it was end of last season when Chelsea came to EP and put out a much changed side which looked a million miles from winning the PL. Quite agree. We need to win every game. Right now we have as much chance of winning the UEFA cup as the Carling so we must go for a win.

No these were definetely Blackburn people. OK could have been exiles but I doubt it as the fouth member of their group had an ST.

Good response all round I thought to the pricing initiative, I saw plenty of folk walking to the ground or in the stand that I haven't seen for a long time. There was a buzz walking to the ground, it felt like a football crowd arriving instead of the usual wander down and watch a game of footie Three people in front of me at the turnstiles didn't know how to get into the ground. How long is it since they've been to Ewood? took twice as long to get home though

There are many massive over-recations to yesterday's game on here, some from people I would expect to have a more reasoned view. I've quoted this one beacuse it's just plain silly. Rovers put in an excellent performance yesterday, there was no Eurpoean hangover until the last 10-15 minutes when those who played on Thursday were clearly very tired....but even then we kept trying. The game took ten minutes or so to come to life due to a Bolton defender being injured early on in their box. Once the game began to flow it was all Rovers, there is no point in describing different phases of the game because for 85 minutes we totally dominated Bolton. We looked ragged for 4-5minutes after they scored, in seasons gone by under both Sparky and Sounesss this would have signalled a "hell for leather" approach which rarely results in anything. In this game the team quickly regained their composure and continued to play excellent football which almost gave Rovers the deserved result. yes we should have scored from the penalties, they weren't good but sometimes that's how it goes. I suspect we could still be playing and not have scored in the game. I left the ground disappointed but not feeling even close to how angry I'd have been if we hadn't played. Rovers were excellent, really, really excellent and I hope all those who turned out for their first game in many years appreciate just what they would have missed. Onwards and upwards Sparky with a team in this rich vein of form we have a great chance of winning a trophy this season. At the start of the season we would all settle for 10th in the PL and top of our UEFA group at this stage. On top of that we have a team playing great football, a board listening to the fans on ticket prices.....what else do we want? Aplogies for repeating myself but I was amused by the three fans in fron t of me who didn't know how to get through the turnstiles. How long have wew had those bar code readers? PS......much as he is a disgusting individual and a plain cheat I couldn't help but be impressed with Dioujf's football yesterday. What a shame he is such an unpleasant little git in every other aspect.

Bentley, tight hamstring, and Savage, back injury, are both doubtful for Sunday's game. I'm hoping we can avoid a Euro hangover this time and go out at Bolton from the KO. 3-1 Rovers

Some excellent photographs Wislak - thank you

I'd be happy with a draw but have a feel we are going to sneak this one 2-1 with McCarthy and Pedersen scoring. Off to Geordie land now and hoping to be abck intime for the KO!

I'm with den on this. I fully support the club's promotion, I've bought my Chelsea and Euro tickets as soon as they went on sale, but I would have gone to these games price promotion or not. The harsh reality of this promotion is the reaction from the regulars is only important in one sense, namely, do the ST holders support the move? Judging from the response on here ST holders are in favour of the promotion. The success or failure is now down to the Blackburn public, to all those who profess to be Rovers fans while spending matchdays in the pub. If those people respond and attend on Sunday the club will achieve the reward it deserves. I have my doubts. Bolton have 5000 tickets? which means we have 25,500 to sell ~ that will be a fantastic response if it's a sell out. To date I haven't met a single person who knows about this promotion. My next door but one neighbour is a part-time Bolton fan and always goes to the home and away games against Rovers. He doesn't even know the game is on Sunday!! I think Bolton will be an improved but not markedly improved attendance. The Euro games should get up into the low twenties, Basel comes at a good point especially if we've done well against Bolton and Chelsea and the Nancy game could see us needing a win to qualify? Perhaps the ideal situation from the attendance view.

that's cos we don't have 20,000 to lose.............

Anyone who fancies a harrowing night in should get the DVD of The Constant Gardener. Watched it last night, a superb film, fantastic direction and 4 good storylines running through. Le Carre fans will say it misses out chunks of the book, I don't know as I haven't read the book, but at nearly 2 hours 30 minutes it would be very long if more was added.