[Archived] Stoke - Away Travel By Train

[gumboots]

Yeah, but it didnt cost as much as a % of your wage - did it? Ticket for Hull, Petrol (car-share) and a few pints (I wasnt driving ) cost the best part of £50, and Hull was one of the cheapest league tickets ... thousands of people just cannot afford £50+ every other week to watch us away.

It's not just that either. we go as a family - that's £98 just for the tickets. since the kids are students they can't alwyas afford their tickets, especially the one who gets no loan. We are relatively speaking well off, but with petrol costs, food and drink (even if you take sandwiches and a flask someone alwyas seems to need a real meal at some point) and other odds and ends it adds up to a fair bit. we are expecting to go to Stoke on our way back from our Easter holidays, but even so we can't make every game.

[CAPT KAYOS]

Yeah, but it didnt cost as much as a % of your wage - did it? Ticket for Hull, Petrol (car-share) and a few pints (I wasnt driving ) cost the best part of £50, and Hull was one of the cheapest league tickets ... thousands of people just cannot afford £50+ every other week to watch us away.

Indeed, and nowadays and that is just for the ticket

You could make a full day /stop over out it.

Oh the memories .... night club - 'oi going Ipswich etc tomorro' , minibus going from (enter location) leaving 4am ... few places spare if you wanna go . .. roll up 4am - stumble into a mass of stench akin a brewery then 5 mins into the journey out comes the blackbin liner full of thwaites/skol /sspecial brew ' ere breakfast get that down yer throat'.......

'and its no nay never'

[Hughesy]

I agree with the above about costs - and thats why im suprised why fans are going to the Emirates.

It costs more, the transport will be expensive and the team we are playing are on their way to thumping someone.

Il be at Stoke, Citeh and maybe Chelsea.

[Gav]

Yeah, but it didnt cost as much as a % of your wage - did it? Ticket for Hull, Petrol (car-share) and a few pints (I wasnt driving ) cost the best part of £50, and Hull was one of the cheapest league tickets ... thousands of people just cannot afford £50+ every other week to watch us away.

Nobody understands the cost implications more than me, let me be clear on that.

But can you explain why West Brom, Middlesborough, Hull, Stoke etc etc are taking thousands away from home every other week?

Not wanting to hijack the thread and all that.

[CAPT KAYOS]

I agree with the above about costs - and thats why im suprised why fans are going to the Emirates.

Maybe they think its the last chance we will be playing them for a while and visit to the Emirates

[gumboots]

Nobody understands the cost implications more than me, let me be clear on that.

But can you explain why West Brom, Middlesborough, Hull, Stoke etc etc are taking thousands away from home every other week?

Not wanting to hijack the thread and all that.

Stoke are enjoying the novelty of playing in the premiership. Hull the same. This is their first year ever in the big time and they just don't know if it will last. there's also a lot more of them as Hull is a big City. Middlesbrough has always been an area of high disposable income for those in work and an area where they don't bother too much about what comes next (believe me, it's my home and I know what the people are like) West Brom - again a big city team. they know they are probably down already barring a sudden upturn in form such as enjoyed by Fulham last year and it doesn't happen often. They are enjoying it while it lasts and if it does by some miracle carry on next year then so much the better. It's not the money - it's will we have to pay it next year too or is this a one off. For many of us this is the umpteenth year we have paid out. We've been to most of the stadia we want to go to. we know which ones we enjoy and which we don't and if we don't go again next year because we're relegated, well, it doesn't matter - we've been there, got the memories. And most of us are still trying to cling to the hope that next year we'll still be in the Prem and will have another chance, perhaps in better economic times.

[SoccerHQ]

Boro barely manage a mini bus for away games!

[CAPT KAYOS]

Nobody understands the cost implications more than me, let me be clear on that.

But can you explain why West Brom, Middlesborough, Hull, Stoke etc etc are taking thousands away from home every other week?

Not wanting to hijack the thread and all that.

I think I might Gav.

Another issue for the Rovers especially, is alot of the hardcore (away followers) has dwindled and nobody has replaced them to the same integrity - yep there are those who still do (Ewood Blues) and also members on here eg Orville, but the likes of the Ewood Blues haven't always travelled as the group they are now even if they have been doing for a while. Not many are arranging the mini bus and 'recruiting' on the Friday night etc. when most didn't have alternate travel ie personal use of cars (8 in a cortina anybody for Barnsley ) - the loss of the 'specials' is another big loss

A lot of fans live further afield now so the 'collective pot ' is not there to be dipped into to a degree which just adds to the above.

We all know cost is a major element amongst all the other mixed bag of reasons but the 'replacements' are just not there in li'l old Blackburn unlike the ones you mentioned, add this to the enjoyment factor of being part of the 'pot of regular faces' and depite the 'run the cauldron' at some grounds there is not the same sort of enjoyment/experience.

[Gav]

The money issue just doesn't wash with me, I think its a desire that has been lost when talking about our away support.

Regardless of the size of the places, both Hull and Stoke have a similar support to us, Boro and west brom also, but those fans find the money and have the desire to follow the team. I could go into the championship and start to look at away followings at that level but it serves no purpose.

My thoughts are the desire has gone, and it went many moons ago. If you have the desire to support the team away you'll do it, regardless of the cost and you'll find many examples to support theory.

Anyway I'm going to Stoke, free travel or no free travel.

[CAPT KAYOS]

The money issue just doesn't wash with me, I think its a desire that has been lost when talking about our away support.

Maybe not Gav but it does for me and my circumstances unfortunately, although in someway I tend to agree with what you are saying hence the other reasons.

However, I still think the collective pot is a big player and effects us more than other clubs due to the size of the area and the other competition. Its just not carried on and put against other P/L clubs may be less but I am sure if we dropped we would reach a steady level, possibly about the same as what you see now in the P/L for away games - who knows.

Going back to Hull and Stoke - from the bygone days I can't say I ever remember them bringing 'hoardes' to Ewood although West Brom have always seemed to have a good following as did Boro.

Given time /occasion I still think Rovers would pull decent numbers for the size of the town - strange memories I have is from the likes of Port Vale , Oxford, Grimsby etc where I have been when not many Rovers Fans have been expected to turn up and we have been there in the thousands.

[only2garners]

The money issue just doesn't wash with me, I think its a desire that has been lost when talking about our away support.

Regardless of the size of the places, both Hull and Stoke have a similar support to us, Boro and west brom also, but those fans find the money and have the desire to follow the team. I could go into the championship and start to look at away followings at that level but it serves no purpose.

My thoughts are the desire has gone, and it went many moons ago. If you have the desire to support the team away you'll do it, regardless of the cost and you'll find many examples to support theory.

Anyway I'm going to Stoke, free travel or no free travel.

What's happening is that there is a gradual reduction in crowds across football whether for money or boredom reasons. It looks worse at Ewood as we have a ground with a lot of empty space and a smaller catchment than anyone else in the Premier League, but it's happening everywhere. You can now often buy a ticket at Old Trafford the week before a game, especially for cup games. Arsenal had spare seats on Sunday for Burnley in the cup. The decline is clearly being masked at teams like Hull and Stoke because of the novelty value and they also have bigger catchment areas than us. Stoke are getting c25,000 home fans every week against our 18,000 to 19,000 and may have got more if their ground was bigger. If they stay up for a few seasons then that's likely to decline once the novelty wears off.

The reasons why fans have stopped going to matches or go less than they used to are many and varied, but lack of money will be one for sure.

[riverside returns]

Agree with the majority on here, the lack of money is a major reason for not attending away games. It is now quite costly to go to most clubs as they do not supply cheap tickets like us.

For the record, for the fifth time this season, a 68 seater is heading to Stoke from the Craven Heiffer Darwen. Lets hope we can continue to watch Prem footy next season.

[Gav]

I'm certainly not trying to criticize anyone for not going to away matches, I don't go away anywhere near as much as I did. But I could almost guarantee if we sat top of the premiership by 15 points at Christmas, almost all games away from home in the second part of the season would be sold-out.

And thats my point about desire really, but then that leads into successful sides, great football etc and thats a whole other discusion for another time.

I can never recall Hull bringing anything to ewood, although Stoke did on a couple of occassions in days of old.

For the record, for the fifth time this season, a 68 seater is heading to Stoke from the Craven Heiffer Darwen.

Thats a good effort.

[gumboots]

For the record, for the fifth time this season, a 68 seater is heading to Stoke from the Craven Heiffer Darwen. Lets hope we can continue to watch Prem footy next season.

Why do you keep going to Stoke? It's not that great a place!

[blue phil]

We're lucky to get 1k following us away!

Given our situation I reckon we'll sell out for this one ....unless we really blow it with the games from now to then .

I shall be making a rare guest appearance for this away match

[Ossydave]

Given our situation I reckon we'll sell out for this one ....unless we really blow it with the games from now to then .

I shall be making a rare guest appearance for this away match

We didn't even sell out for Hull (IMO our biggest game of the season so far).

Although the fantastic vocal support those of us who did go provided seemed to be greatly appreciated by the players judging by their reaction at the final whistle.

[Hughesy]

Money/ Cost is a factor Gav and I think plays a part in 3 ways.

1 - People cant afford to be paying close to £40 a ticket each to go to games. To go to Arsenal it is £28 each just for the coach. So lets say a family of 4 - It is £112 just for the travel alone. Add to that say £35 each a ticket, say £20 for the nippers (Not sure on ticket prices). Thats another £110 - So we have spent £222 before we pay for drinks or food at the services, a programme, pies or drinks at the stadium and a few pints. You are easily talking about something that is getting close to £300 for a 1 hour 30 match!!!

2 - For the last 12 months, more and more people are getting laid off from work, in a ###### poor area like Blackburn its bad enough to start with, prior to people losing jobs!!

3 - Third and crucial point - and to be honest when you see point 1, its easy to see why. People are fed up of being ripped off by the prices. I have refused to go to Old Trafford for the last 2 seasons, purely based on principle. I have enough money to go away, its just im not being ripped off.

[Gav]

Money is certainly a major player, but like I’ve said, other clubs have the same financial climate to deal with, but seem to have supporters willing to spend money following the team in much greater numbers.

I'm going to Stoke and so is Debs and my son, so thats 3 extras confirmed.

[bigcol]

Guys, don't take my word as red but I have heard that Rovers are putting on free coaches for this match. Heard it from someone who knows someone who works at Rovers.........you know the usual, "I heard off my sisters boyfriends, grandmas nephews dog.

[den]

Guys, don't take my word as red but I have heard that Rovers are putting on free coaches for this match. Heard it from someone who knows someone who works at Rovers.........you know the usual, "I heard off my sisters boyfriends, grandmas nephews dog.

It's all to be read on the Fans forum notes. :

"f) Free Coaches to Away Matches

MH noted that Fulham were covering the cost for free coaches to the rearranged game at Craven Cottage in March, following the late postponement of the original game. TF stated that the club were still planning to provide free coach travel to one away game this season, planned to be the match at Stoke. It was to have been the game at Hull until the change of date and kick-off time."

[4ever&ever]

Good idea by the club so long as it doesn't attract the same (JW upper stand) crowd that turned out at the breezeblock.

I've been to Everton, Newcastle, Blyth, West Brom, Wigan, Bolton, Hull so far this season and have to say the atmosphere at most of those games have been excellent from our fans.

However the worst for me was Bolton were we took our biggest away crowd. We were shocking (as was the match) and I really hope that the same fans don't travel to Stoke as we need a strong vocal support imo as we know they will be loud. It's okay saying I go to watch the football and it's up to me if I want to sing but I think the players want to hear the support from the fans rather than see a large number of supporters who aren't getting behind them vocally.

I don't think quantity is an issue as I went to Salzburg and the 700 fans there were unbelievable.

[gumboots]

But the point is, they buy the tickets and it is up to them if they want to sing. it's not a condition of being allowed to travel that you yell yourself hoarse. It might help , but for some of us it's not a natural thing to do.

[AggyBlue]

But the point is, they buy the tickets and it is up to them if they want to sing. it's not a condition of being allowed to travel that you yell yourself hoarse. It might help , but for some of us it's not a natural thing to do.

All players will tell you that vocal support from the fans gives them a great lift.

I'm afraid just being present at away games doesn't benefit the club at all and doesn't help the players in the slightest.

[gumboots]

And I'll continue to go to games and behave exactly as I always do. It may help if people shout and sing all game but there's nothing more embarrassing than people doing it who feel uncomfortable with it. I go to watch my team. if they score, I cheer and jump up and down with the best of them but sing obcenities about Burnley or whatever .....? why should I?

[4ever&ever]

I respect that it may not be a natural thing for people to do but I'm sure that those people could clap along to the song and add something to the atmosphere.

I couldn't care less if they buy tickets for away games as it doesn't affect the finances of the club, were as the vocal support can lift the team and spur them on, you hear players all the time commenting on how the supporters were terrific etc and when we are fighting for premier league survival then spurring the team on is what we need to do.

In my opinion a supporter is someone who supports the club vocally okay maybe financially aswell, were as a fan is someone who likes a club or buys a T-shirt. I go to games to support my team not just to watch them. I understand that people do go just to watch the team which is fair enough but my concern is that like Bolton, we could have potentially 2000 + fans travelling to this game with the majority not getting behind the team vocally because of the free travel.