[Archived] Rovers v Charlton

[JHRover]

6 minutes ago, blueboy3333 said:

How many were on for the Liverpool game under Bowyer? 30k?

28,000-29,000 I think. So a good 5,000+ fall in the space of a year or two.

[USABlue]

20 hours ago, blueboy3333 said:

https://chrispowellsflatcap.com/2017/12/16/charlton-forward-converts-in-own-net-again-as-tame-addicks-head-in-wrong-direction/

A good match blog from an Addicks perspective.

Great write up.

[USABlue]

4 hours ago, meadows said:

Yes I read someone on here on here the other week saying:”Football is a more tribal thing these days...” and must admit had a wee chuckle to myself. 

My wife recalls an occasion at Millwall when the 17 fans booked on the Accy Branch coach to The Den were each escorted from coach to turnstile by a riot police officer & Alsation apiece. 

I used to go often and watch Man Uat home In The 70s if Rovers were miles away or without a game....you could quite easily pay on the Stretford End (and the Kop) Back then if you got there early enough and queued and more than once a few of us encountered open hostility at those grounds as the locals sussed out we weren’t locals! Imagine someone at Old Trafford or Anfield being regarded as an unwelcome interloper on account of a broad Lancashire accent today! 

I found the culture of violence frightening and abhorrent in the 70s although much of the internet “organised” bother these days is arranged by those of that era who hanker after the days

Maine Road and the streets around were always somewhere you didn’t want to be identified as a visitor outside and one of the most intimidating trips was The Baseball Ground. 

Bricks thru coach windows were an occupational hazard of travelling away too. 

There is much I dislike about modern football but largely being able to travel to and from it without stark fear is one definite improvement. 

Me being the recipient of one at Southampton.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

4 hours ago, meadows said:

“Any conceivable circumstances” presumably doesn’t include a home cup tie against Man Utd or Liverpool both of which tempted people back in their thousands? 

We may well not play either of those in the FACup at home again in your lifetime.

How many came back to the next home league match ?

[Rover_Shaun]

5 hours ago, JHRover said:

Attendance vs Man Utd in the FA Cup last season was 23,130. On the basis that there were at least 7,500 United tickets sold in the Darwen End that leaves somewhere around  15,000-16,000 in the home ends. This includes 10-11,000 'regulars' who turned up for the league games last season and then 4,000-6,000 who turned up for a one-off (presumably a large chunk of which were United supporters who managed to get tickets in the home ends or people from the local area with little affinity to Rovers but who went so they could see 'Zlatan' etc. in the flesh for probably the only time in their lives.

Take off those sort of people and at a guess there were maybe 2,000 or 4,000 and a maximum of 6,000 additional fans for that United game, with almost 8,000 seats remaining empty.

In the two seasons before relegation under Kean average home attendances were 25,000+.

So whatever the motives of those additional 'home' fans for the United game last season there were less of them by some distance than those who were turning up as recently as 2011 in the Premier League when we had 18,000-19,000 home season ticket holders.

All in all quite alarming that last year we were getting less on Ewood vs Man Utd for a one-off big cup game than we were getting on a regular basis in the league just 6 years ago.

I'm sure a long standing "journalist" will applaud your use of stats to back up an argument rather than throw away comments intended to inflame.

[Tom]

The passion was great to see, one thing that stood out to me was Elliott Bennett, not playing but m at full time he showed more passion than most of our players have in the last few years. 

That feeling seems to be right through the squad as well, loved Raya sprinting the length of the pitch to celebrate the second 

[47er]

13 hours ago, arbitro said:

Reading come out to Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond which seems to be well received by their fans. Arsenal have The Wonder of You by Elvis, West Ham have Bubbles, Stoke come out to a song made for their League Cup final appearance called We'll Be With You, Norwich have On The Ball City and there are many, many more. Who can forget Football's Coming Home from Euro 96?

If we had a club 'anthem' it would be much better but over the years we have had all genres of music which doesn't suit everyone. Personally it doesn't really bother me.

I wish we did have an anthem for the club specific to us though like "Blue Moon" or "Forever Blowing Bubbles". Does make the hair stand up at the back of your neck, particularly at Liverpool where its definitely intimidating. No Nay Never doesn't cut it really.

[Mike E]

Isn't the answer obvious?

A day in the life!

[Rover_Shaun]

7 hours ago, 47er said:

I wish we did have an anthem for the club specific to us though like "Blue Moon" or "Forever Blowing Bubbles". Does make the hair stand up at the back of your neck, particularly at Liverpool where its definitely intimidating. No Nay Never doesn't cut it really.

What about Gerrin to em? ?

[AshleyClifford]

12 hours ago, Rover_Shaun said:

I'm sure a long standing "journalist" will applaud your use of stats to back up an argument rather than throw away comments intended to inflame.

In our last premier league season we bizarrely had higher attendances against Norwich and Wigan than what we did at home to Man U and Liverpool. I think we had 23'000 for a mid week match with Liverpool. And I'm sure Man U was less than 25'000.

although going back to before the reduction in season ticket prices this had become the norm. I'm talking between 2004 - 06 attendances were very poor in general. 

 

[JHRover]

13 minutes ago, AshleyClifford said:

In our last premier league season we bizarrely had higher attendances against Norwich and Wigan than what we did at home to Man U and Liverpool. I think we had 23'000 for a mid week match with Liverpool. And I'm sure Man U was less than 25'000.

although going back to before the reduction in season ticket prices this had become the norm. I'm talking between 2004 - 06 attendances were very poor in general. 

 

Tickets should be the cheapest at Rovers - its got one of if not the lowest average incomes in the country, highest levels of deprivation and also has per capita one of the biggest availabilities of seats, therefore each seat is 'worth' less per person in the area.

It would be ludicrous to even contemplate charging the same as London clubs or as those in the fortunate position of being able to sell out every week.

Between 1995, when we achieved our zenith, and 2011, when we were being systematically dismantled and relegated in humiliating fashion, our average home attendance only once dropped below 20,000, and that was in the 2nd division in 2000. Following our return to the top flight we had a 26,000, 3x 25,000, 1x 24,000 and 2x 23,000 averages.

Between 2004 and 2006 our home gates were between the 21,000-24,000 average range. If we were to apply that to the Premier League today it would put us alongside West Brom, Crystal Palace and Huddersfield and above Watford, Burnley, Swansea and Bournemouth. If we were to apply our 25,000-26,000 averages when the club was making more effort to fill the ground and we had 18,000 season ticket holders, then we would currently be number 14 in the top flight average attendances. Not bad really for a 'small town' club.

Yes our tickets were/are cheaper than many, but not all - Huddersfield being one that springs to mind as offering cheap tickets - but in this day and age ticket revenues for those in the top league are increasingly inconsequential in any event.

Between 2012 and 2015 our average home attendance was a remarkably consistent 14,900 every season. Then all of a sudden despite being in the same division in 2016 it dropped by another couple of thousand to 12,600. Which one is a more accurate reflection of our regular turnout?

[MarkBRFC]

1 hour ago, meadows said:

 If 17,000 turned up for a Third Division game at Ewood I’d be delighted. There were certainly Premier League games down the years with not many more home fans than that on....the 4-3 David Bentley Man U game in 2006  attracted 25,400. The previous home game v Bolton - 18,000. Wigan 20000. Sunderland& Boro 18000 apiece. Champions Chelsea 20,000. They didn’t all have a zero away following. We finished sixth that season 

 

Our first home game of that season against Fulham only had just over 16000 on!

[blueboy3333]

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/rovers/news/15781611._It_is_one_of_many_highlights_supporting_Rovers____Presentation_from_Joe_Nuttall_delights_Norwegian_supporter/?ref=mac

A nice story. I liked this quote:-

"Three points and securing it with a late goal as well made the day perfect. I loved the reaction from the crowd in the stands, in the lounge and from the players. It felt like the ‘good old days’ and it just goes to show how much this club means to people"

 

[Husky]

That Best header. Amazing! If we had a striker like that we'd walk this league

[dingles staying down 4ever]

Best isn't still being paid off by Rovers is he? 

[blueboy3333]

6 minutes ago, dingles staying down 4ever said:

Best isn't still being paid off by Rovers is he? 

Don't know but I hope he got a goal bonus from us last week.