Attendances: A cause for concern

[SanDimas1988]

Almost 2k fans made the trip to Barnsley today. Maybe people aren’t happy, but there will always be a loyal contingent. 

[47er]

7 hours ago, SanDimas1988 said:

Almost 2k fans made the trip to Barnsley today. Maybe people aren’t happy, but there will always be a loyal contingent. 

Likely to be an increasingly small one unless things change quick though?

[Mashed Potatoes]

1 hour ago, 47er said:

Likely to be an increasingly small one unless things change quick though?

Why would our following get smaller when things are going well ? Surely more fans will want to get behind our promotion push ?

[47er]

10 minutes ago, Mashed Potatoes said:

Why would our following get smaller when things are going well ? Surely more fans will want to get behind our promotion push ?

We're on different time lines here. You are assuming that this good start will continue for the rest of the season.

I'm taking the longer view and, imo, the realistic one. Whatever you want to believe its obvious that our gates are dropping year by year.

[tomphil]

It was a great turn out at Barnsley but lets consider a few things instead of getting carried away and trying to use it as a marker of faith in the manager.

First away game within easy distance on a Saturday afternoon in how long ?

Average prices buying before the day.

Good chance of a point or three and great opportunity for a pint or ten.

Early season, proper awayday and lets be honest a club like us should be taking a respectable number over there on a September Saturday afternoon. 

Sadly there was probably a good number in that following who haven't set foot in Ewood this season. Kind of says a lot.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

You equate a half decent start to the season as a promotion push Mashed?.....forever the blind optimist eh!

Talking up a following of 1,600 like it's something special?..My word,times have definitely changed for the worse.

🙄

Our support is Atrophying at an alarming rate make no mistake.

Edited September 19, 2021 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Ossydave]

14 minutes ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

You equate a half decent start to the season as a promotion push Mashed?.....forever the blind optimist eh!

Talking up a following of 1,600 like it's something special?..My word,times have definitely changed for the worse.

🙄

Our support is Atrophying at an alarming rate make no mistake.

Our away followings aren't suffering quite as bad in fairness. Blackpool sold out in days and suspect we could have sold the allocation twice over

[chaddyrovers]

So Rovers sold out our allocation with 5 days. That's just from season tickets holders 

I've got mine and the group I am going within minutes of them going on sale. 

[Gav]

46 minutes ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

Talking up a following of 1,600 like it's something special?..My word,times have definitely changed for the worse.

🙄

To be fair SG, I’ve been to Anfield, City and Everton under Allardyce with less than half the number that went to Oakwell yesterday. 

That’s a good following and I salute everyone who went.

Edited September 19, 2021 by Gav

[47er]

So its OK?

 

[Mattyblue]

Think people have forgotten that in the PL post about 2003 until relegation a lot of our away followings were in the hundreds, even on a Saturday afternoon. Many reasons, price being the main one

Now we rarely take much under a 1,000 anywhere at a weekend, which isn’t to be sniffed out when we’ve spent the past decade largely watching varying degrees of shite.

I miss those days enormously, and there’s not much to crow about re the modern BRFC, but the away support is one of them .
 

Edited September 19, 2021 by Mattyblue

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

On 19/09/2021 at 11:11, Gav said:

To be fair SG, I’ve been to Anfield, City and Everton under Allardyce with less than half the number that went to Oakwell yesterday. 

Yes indeed Gav but me and thee have been in away followings two and three tmes larger even pre JW days.

The bar seems to have been lowered so much these days.

Edited September 20, 2021 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[tomphil]

I stopped going to the big local games under Allardyce, the tipping point was zero expectation to win coupled with 35/40 quid tickets. That was so long ago as well and the fact most of these games were on live tv had a dramatic negative effect on away support.

In typical Rovers fashion though it didn't really add up because home turnouts were the best they'd been for years around then.

Don't get me wrong i'd love to be in the Prem and face that issue again but give me a day out at Barnsley anytime over a corporate rip off fixture.

Have to say though with the cap on away tickets in the Prem these days we wouldn't have problems shifting plenty.

[Ossydave]

I didn't go yesterday unfortunately due to family commitments but I believe Waggott was there and was in discussion with fans. He openly admitted they need to look at pricing so let's see if he actually follows that through...

[Mattyblue]

6 minutes ago, tomphil said:

I stopped going to the big local games under Allardyce, the tipping point was zero expectation to win coupled with 35/40 quid tickets. That was so long ago as well and the fact most of these games were on live tv had a dramatic negative effect on away support.

In typical Rovers fashion though it didn't really add up because home turnouts were the best they'd been for years around then.

Don't get me wrong i'd love to be in the Prem and face that issue again but give me a day out at Barnsley anytime over a corporate rip off fixture.

Have to say though with the cap on away tickets in the Prem these days we wouldn't have problems shifting plenty.

Yep the £30 cap, from memory by 2012, places like Chelsea were £45+ for us, so obviously followings fell away markedly… though you need to fork out that in Waggottland for a ticket in the Jack Walker to see some second division fixtures these days, so go figure!

[tomphil]

That just sums the guy up, go to great lengths to piss people off and price a lot out then suddenly decide it's an issue.

What an enormous pillock they'll try something now that won't work then write it off again. Stable door after another few thousand have bolted !

[rigger]

13 minutes ago, Ossydave said:

I didn't go yesterday unfortunately due to family commitments but I believe Waggott was there and was in discussion with fans. He openly admitted they need to look at pricing so let's see if he actually follows that through...

Waggot has a long list of things, that he is going to look into.

[Ossydave]

Yep, I can't stand the guy but I will give him credit for actually engaging with the fans on this occasion. As always, actions speak louder than words though. 

[pomster]

Well, i'l probably be chastised for this but here goes

I, like many supporters no longer go to the home or some of the away games. And to be honest i've no longer any intention, i've been a regular since the mid 70's when we moved close to the ground, but time has come where enough is enough.

I think it's because I got out of the habbit of not going (Covid lockdown) coupled with a complete disillusionment of a subpar manager and incompetent board. 

For me personally the ticket price has nothing to do with it, even if it was a tenner or even a fiver i would'nt go. The despair and anguish over the last 10 yrs or so just grinds you down, it's like a bitter divorce

I really do wish all the best for Rovers and I still keep an interest by viewing this forum, but even this can be too much with all the bickering etc

One of the worst things for me is, is that I rarely see the friends now i've made over the years and the comaraderie in the pub or at the ground. It's heartbreaking

I just really wish Mowbray and co would just F...OFF!

 

I have a lot of thoughts of Mowbray and Co but i'l keep these to myself

 

[Mattyblue]

You won’t get chastised, you are a perfect example of how you’ve got to work to build up a crowd, but it’s so easy to lose them, and bloody hard to get them back. 

John Williams operated on that basis, alas these fools have never come close to grasping the paramount importance of it…
 

 

[SanDimas1988]

2 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

You won’t get chastised, you are a perfect example of how you’ve got to work to build up a crowd, but it’s so easy to lose them, and bloody hard to get them back. 
 

 

As a foreigner, I can watch pretty near every game on RoversTV. Is this the same for UK viewers? What games are blacked out for local fans? Only ones on Sky?

[SanDimas1988]

Then that is certainly gotta be one contributing factor to lower attendance, if you don’t have to actually leave the house to see the match. 

[Ossydave]

Yes but it's the same for every team in the country from league 1 upwards, some teams are seeing increased numbers through the turnstiles though. 

[matt83]

1 hour ago, Mattyblue said:

You won’t get chastised, you are a perfect example of how you’ve got to work to build up a crowd, but it’s so easy to lose them, and bloody hard to get them back. 

John Williams operated on that basis, alas these fools have never come close to grasping the paramount importance of it…
 

 

When the Venkys took over if you’d have said to a Burnley fan you have to deliberately destroy Blackburn Rovers in 10 years. Put them into to a worst position than before Jack Walker, decimate the fanbase, whilst simultaneously spending £200 million to do so. There’s no one in that town with the cunning to have done so deliberately. It’s impossible. Just simply impossible. Yet this is our reality and the Venkys have managed to do it while allegedly doing their best.

The most insulting point is we’re somehow still expected to be grateful for this turn of events as it could be worse. WORSE. It’s all just unfathomable to me.

[JacknOry]

8 hours ago, Ossydave said:

I didn't go yesterday unfortunately due to family commitments but I believe Waggott was there and was in discussion with fans. He openly admitted they need to look at pricing so let's see if he actually follows that through...

I'll look at it....

 

 

 

 

Then do fck all

Edited September 19, 2021 by JacknOry