[Archived] Poll - Falling Attendances.

[cletus]

I`ve been going to Ewood now for nigh on 25yrs.

In recent years, i`ve not been going as often as i would`ve liked (due to financial restraints )

I tend to pick & choose my games these days.

I personally believe BRFC don`t do enough to attract new fans & win back lost fans.

Also, lot`s of little things niggle me about the club....e.g

1...double standard stewarding. Away fans can stand up, we have to sit down. Either we can all stand up or all sit down.Make your mind up!!

2...Making people take down banners etc...(as was mentioned last week on this board)

3...selling our top players (Dunn,Duff,Cole)

4...Ticket prices.

5...Lack of club ambition in cups.(progress in cups can give a 'feel good factor' in a club/town)

....i could go on.

All in all, most of these things are trivial on their own, but put together can make going to watch Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park a less than exciting prospect. Sometimes i look in my wallet & think to myself "Hmmm £25....i could go to the Rovers or have a night at the local with my mates & get a kebab on the way home.......which one??"

At one time, there would`ve been no competition.

[Paul]

Well I regard myself as a dedicated, home, fan. I can't go away often for numerous reasons that are irrelevant here. On Saturday after about 30 minutes I found myself reading the instructions for the new set of bike lights I had purchased enroute to Ewood. Ashamed to admit that? No, we were just as bad as ever, again I was watching a crap game from two crap teams. OK second half was different but I was distracted by a bicycle light!

Why are crowds decling? Simple. For the last 16 months we have watched garbage with hardly a note-worthy performance in that time. Now the decline is long-term but in recent history the complete lack of ambition coupled with appalling performances from a bunch of players that have a couldn't care less attitude has sown the whirlwind. Premiership survival is the target - INSPIRING. Before Souness left I had decided NOT to renew the STs for next year. Currently I've changed my mind on that one.

Saturday had three big plus points for me:

• Mark Hughes
• Matt Jansen
• Jay Bothroyd - this is a cup Blackburn want to win

Until the club demonstrate a more positive attitude to winning things the crowds will not return. I know we can't win the PL, I know the best I can hope for in the league is stirring performances, a decent position and beating Utd, Arsenal etc. from time to time. Blackburn Rovers MUST let me BELIEVE we can WIN a cup - if there is no dream, there is no point and if survival is the target it tells me we don't WANT to win a cup.

EIT and jim make good points above. The key is to present a POSITIVE image. I believe we will see this from Mark Hughes but it will take time to restore the doubters faith.

[Alan75]

Paul, I think we are both singing from the same hymn book.

This season I think I bought my season ticket, more out of habbit than desire. It didnt help either the delay in sending out season details, the longer I waited the more I got disillusioned about where the club was heading. especially with the lack of quality signings.

After the announcement of sky coverage and the first few games I started to regret purchasing my ST and wondered whether subscribing to Sky would have been a more ecconomical expenditure at leaste I could have watched a film on Saturday afternoon, instead of the tripe that was being dished out at Ewood Park.

Now if someone who has followed the club for over 30 years had got into that state of mind, its no wonder that the fair weather supporters arent turning up.

[bob fleming]

I can well understand why people haven't renewed season tickets and aren't turning up, and despite all the lists I happen to think that it' because the football has by and large been absolutely bobbins for the past season. When that improves people will start coming back, but it'll take time and some may never come back.

It still doesn't make it right. It's about supporting the team through the good times and the bad. If people just want to go and watch good football and be entertained then they'd make Old Trafford a 300,000 seater stadium and they'd play Arsenal every week. That would be interesting.

Anyway - Paul, I appreciate that it's short notice but can you post those bike light instructions to me for tomorrow night? Just in case of course.

[Ossydave]

Well there we have it, the solution.

Free bike light instructions should be given out upon entrance into the ground.

Anyone got John Williams' Email address?

[Paul]

As ever bob you can get all the info you need at brfcs.com

Nice light!

Instruction Manual as a PDF

Come on you Blues, and don't forgrt to cheer our Tom. Another shameless plug for tomorrow's mascot.

[Jan]

I don't think there's much to be said that hasn't already been said- apart from I was one of the ones who actually took action over the rubbish we were being served up and didn't renew my season ticket.

Now, however, I have done- but had arranged to do things at weekends to make up for the lack of football, and I'm still unwinding those- hence I won't be there until November.

However I HAVE paid for a ticket, so the club have, and can use, my money until such time as they have my bum on their seat again!

At least I'll have patience with the dross being served up now. Poor Mark Hughes has a much bigger job than he ever thought with the terrible players we have. This time there's no Dunn and Duff to fall back on.

I don't know about you, but hearing that the maggot wants to take Duff to Newcastle kinds rubs our face in it- don't you think?

[Brownie]

I don't think there's much to be said that hasn't already been said- apart from I was one of the ones who actually took action over the rubbish we were being served up and didn't renew my season ticket.

Now, however, I have done- but had arranged to do things at weekends to make up for the lack of football, and I'm still unwinding those- hence I won't be there until November.

However I HAVE paid for a ticket, so the club have, and can use, my money until such time as they have my bum on their seat again!

At least I'll have patience with the dross being served up now. Poor Mark Hughes has a much bigger job than he ever thought with the terrible players we have. This time there's no Dunn and Duff to fall back on.

I don't know about you, but hearing that the maggot wants to take Duff to Newcastle kinds rubs our face in it- don't you think?

I hope the current 'maggot' improves our current position by 20 or so places takes us into Europe and wins a trophy in his 4 year stint.

Mind you, he thinks our current squad is full of talented not terrible players so he doesn't stand much chance.

[Radagast]

Let's see.....Souness wanted to keep Duff but Chelsea offered the amount stipulated in his release clause....now Souness wants to sign a player he never wanted to sell for his new club because the opportunity has presented itself......will this heartless monster never give us peace?

[Hasta]

Why do you have to sign up to the official site for ticket info. What is the point of 'restricting' this information against the casual punters who might just be looking out of curiosity.

At work yesterday I was telling a few people with kids that they could go down to Ewood on Wednesday for tickets £12 or less. I got told today that they tried to look at the official site to check what areas this applied to and the price for kids but couldn't get on as they weren't registered and didn't want to (or couldn't be bothered) to sign up. They might not have gone down but we'll never know now.

For news, interviews reviews etc... then it's fine to require membership but for the ticket info it's just plain stupid.

Lee ?

[Jan]

Believe what you like. You're wrong and always will be so.

Maybe Mark Hughes will divine some talent in the squad. It certainly hasn't been in evidence over the last 18 months. Admittedly it may be down to pathetic training methods and inadequate coaching and management. I guess we'll see now.

I'm hoping and praying for Mark Hughes to succeed.

Edited September 21, 2004 by Jan

[Ewood Spark]

and the rest simply couldn't give a flying fcku about the tradition, history and sentimentality associated with Blackburn Rovers.

Hope you weren't including our celebrity fan Mr Masters (LET 14th Sept) in your thinly veiled sweeping statement.

[Tris]

Believe what you like. You're wrong and always will be so

Is this aimed at anyone in particular or the entire messageboard community ?

[JonnyH]

at leaste I could have watched a film on Saturday afternoon, instead of the tripe that was being dished out at Ewood Park.

I wouldn't Alan. Saturday afternoons on the Sky Movie channels are appalling. Unless you like films like "MVP: Most Valuable Primate" and "Ghost Dog"

[Brownie]

Believe what you like.  You're wrong and always will be so

Is this aimed at anyone in particular or the entire messageboard community ?

Maybe she meant my factually based statement about league positions, cups and Europe was wrong.

Wouldn't surprise me.

[MCMC1875]

Rovers are a victim of their own successes.

Firstly when we were promoted in the days of 1991 we had King Kenny and the club was on a massive upper, we win promotion spend a few bob and hey presto 4th, 2nd then the Championship. It was the following season that set the trend we now find ourselves in.

Rovers failed to build on that championship team which ultimately resulted in the break up of the squad.

after short forays into Europe we ended up with relegation, all the time our crowd dwindling, at the same time add the fact that the cost of watching football soared and unemployment figures increased.

A short stay in the first division helped win some fans back but, as clearly stated previously, after the Worthy Cup win we have been served at Ewood with a mixture of dross, crap and utter sh**e.

Some of us fans are fortunate to get to away games, and I for one can say that our away form is 100% better or was over the past 2 seasons.

That is the simple reasoning behind it all.

No matter what John Williams has promised, no matter what efforts he has put into bringing fans back to Ewood, the fairweather fans (and I am being very diplomatic) have seen fit to still remain away from Ewood due to the performances.

You can add more reasons from the following:

a. becoming a selling club (I dont mean Dunn and Duff)

b. limited budgets resulting in players with limited amounts of skill

c. no commercialism skills whatsoever in respect of merchandising

d. the continued spiralling costs

e. a complete dislike of sourness and his merry men

f. no directiveness on or off the field football wise

g. too many excuses

h. a poor behind the scenes coaching set up

i. a refusal to blood the youth prospects (please dont mention Stead)

j. media reports of the problems within the club

k. continual beratement of referees rather than addressing our on the pitch problems

l. excuses excuses but no responsiblity

m. gross mismanagement of club transfer funds

and finally

a serious lack of communication with the fans and public.

there are probably many more which I have failed to mention and I am sure that other members will add them.

FFS If it's that bad, why don't you go to Turf Moor!

[Paul]

I hope the current 'maggot' improves our current position by 20 or so places takes us into Europe and wins a trophy in his 4 year stint.

Mind you, he thinks our current squad is full of talented not terrible players so he doesn't stand much chance.

The problem with this approach, and I agree Souness had great initial success, is it ignores the total and utter rubbish he served up for the last 15-16 months. Regretably fair-weather fans don't live on past glories, or take great joy from the return of Jansen, they just want to see a thumping good game of football and a Rovers win.

Fortunatley the board recognised this and allowed Souness to go at the first opportunity. Harking back on his success will get us nowhere and, IMHO, is a little blinkered.

When you can't sell out aganst Man Utd there is a very, very serious problem to address. When the excitment of Saturday dies, visiting Ewood had become a chore, it's time for action. I reckon JW couldn't believe his luck when Freddy Shepherd rang.

[Hughesy]

John Williams is doing a great job and I believe he will improve our club over time.

The crap about not liking Souness is utter drivel as until a few months ago most fans were fine with him. He has now gone, has av the backroom team.

We now how a much better set up, with what I would call a better squad, than when Souness 1st took over.

A little bit of direction and better tactics and you will see a massive improvement in the players we already have. You will then see us move further up the league and therefore see some more fans come back.

The fact is: If you don’t win trophies, the supporters stay away.

Success brings supporters back.

[den]

I reckon JW couldn't believe his luck when Freddy Shepherd rang.

and even more so when Souey took Boersma, Saunders and Murray with him.

What a saving in compensation there.

[Flopsy]

Believe what you like. You're wrong and always will be so.

Maybe Mark Hughes will divine some talent in the squad. It certainly hasn't been in evidence over the last 18 months. Admittedly it may be down to pathetic training methods and inadequate coaching and management. I guess we'll see now.

I'm hoping and praying for Mark Hughes to succeed.

Where as, you had the inside track to the negotiations and know everything that went on.

As for Cole leaving, I for one was gutted. As for Dunn going he’s been a fantastic success at Birmingham hasn’t he? He’s a fan favourite already. Oh wait, no hes not, he’s a fat injured playboy who likes to go out on the town the night before the Birmingham derby.

I fear you are letting your hatred of Souness cloud your outlook Jan (again) if I remember no one was that bothered about Dunn leaving for Birmingham, especially for £5.5 million (or Bambi for 1.5 million ha ha ha ha ha ha)

[Eddie]

I really think the clubs transfer policy has nothing to do with the fall in attendances. We could be signing players from amateur leagues, and if they went out their and did the business the fans would come back. I really do feel it's all about the results, and quite frankly, over the past 18 months, the club just haven't been getting them on a consistent basis.

[Scotty]

Poor results, poor performances, sales of popular players, cost, too much football on TV - all of these things are reasons why our gates have fallen recently. They've also been brought up time and time again but some people just don't want to listen.

Until the team starts playing better and getting results then the downward trend will continue. It's the same at any club in the world - if the team is playing well then more people want to watch, if it's playing badly then more stay at home.

[Hughesy]

We aint too bad of a club.

We are currently 9th in the all time premier league table and have many games less played. 76 less in most cases!

Skys all time table

[mhead]

After 34years as a season ticket holder and 30 matches a season you take going for granted.

BUT we still assume too much:

- the ease of getting tickets(always a fag)

- do the casuals know the fixtures?

- bundling big matches with B fixtures

- selling the home-town boys

- not playing the home town boys

- making it more comfortable for Blackburn Asians to attend matches(saw 2 Rovers fans abusing 6 Asian lads on Saturday just outside the ground)

-giving big teams the edge at vital matches by them having 8000 supporters there.

-now giving the shop to a franchise and not selling a lot of BRFC items

Get a big illuminated sign high up near Ewood with the next fixtures and open an outlet in the town centre,Clitheroe and Chorley.See Ipswich and Norwich methods of sales and publicity.

We will get there eventually..keep the faith.

[promoted2001]

Give it time. If we become a mid table club and play games like we did in the second half against pompey then our gates will improve. Remember Pompey were one of the most on form teams and we beat them!