Mattyblue

Just now, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

Pure folly to focus the club's efforts on the Towns Asian population,Cricket is their main Sport.The few who do follow football choose to wear the Red is either Utd or Liverpool.

From my experience they will definitely not pay good money to watch footy at Ewood.

Cricket certainly isn’t anymore for the vast majority. That’s long gone with younger generations.

I spent some time in Pleckgate school (95% Asian intake) recently. Football is massive. By far the number 1 conversation. Unfortunately your second point is sadly true, the bags/pencil cases were to a lad United/Liverpool/City. Rovers just don’t register.

One lad asked me who I supported, ‘Rovers, of course, I’m a Blackburner’. He looked at me like I had two heads. About 10 minutes later he said, ‘but no really, who do you support?’

It will be a long and often frustrating process to get the Asian population in the tent, but it is a must as it is too large a demographic to be ignored in our already small catchment area. But we cannot expect quick results.

However, more short term we can look to ensure that those existing fans now further afield from BwD are chased and chased and the club realise that we are now more than ever a club with a Lancashire wide fanbase.

He’s angry as he knows this is his last chance. I think he envisaged bouncing straight back up and a rehabilitation of his career.

Instead an early sacking/resignation is incoming and that’s him done at a decent level in England.

More fool him for not working out how Evans operates, not the expert he thinks he is, obviously.

‘Passionate north east’ is the biggest myth in football. 3 league clubs for a whole region that stretches from the Scottish border to Yorkshire, so no surprise they get decent numbers.

Old Lancashire is as passionate as they come, we are just chocka with clubs, a double edged sword, as it shows the heritage and passion for football, but makes it fiendishly difficult for non PL clubs to attract big numbers.

Something else Waggott doesn’t seem to get. We are not Coventry that is the main club for a good size city and county (Warwickshire), we are hemmed in by historic clubs, with mega sized clubs also in the vicinity.

I think he understands that the Asian population of the town are small in number at Ewood and wants to change that. Good to hear as it is a necessity if the club wants to continue to thrive in the town itself.

However are they doing enough to entice in and entice back the large and ever increasing numbers of fans that now live across Lancashire? As the further from Ewood you live the more of a palava it is to trek to the ground every other week.

Also, he must be in cloud cuckoo land if he thinks a club based in east Lancashire with its socio-economic factors, can charge £25-48 for match tickets.

As I’ve put on the Attendances thread... why would he expect a big increase? Average season last time, average spend, same price.

Because they’ve put billboards up in Preston, that counts as ‘hard hitting?’

So around 9,500 ‘allocated’ STs thus far then (8500 sold plus 1k complementaries). Probably about 9,700 by the time they go off sale. So fairly flat not counting half ST sales.

Obviously the usual suspects below the line on the LT will lap it up, ‘yeah bang on Steve, WHERE are they!’’

But in reality why would finishing 15th in the second division and a net spend of about a million on players lead to a big increase in season ticket sales that are still priced at £325/350/400/450?

The floating fan who needs to be enticed in aren’t going to be falling over themselves, are they? Knock around the top 6, a play off appearance and maybe next summer will be better (PL being a totally different issue), but not for an average side that has tread water for a near decade.

Just now, AshleyClifford said:

Sorry this may be my mistake, Prior to early bird deadline - I think mine has been the same for 3 years - Either way I can't complain about the price.

Prior to Early bird deadline  in 2017 was £299 in the Blackburn End. 

2018 prior to early bird deadline was £349.

Just now, Bigdoggsteel said:

I don't think it's that. We gave every team a game last season. Bet many of those in the top 6 and should have gotten more points off them. 

There was a shaky nervousness about us at times. I'm not blaming Raya completely, but I think his decision making and command of the box didn't fill the rest of the team with confidence. Particular when holding a lead and under the kosh. 

We finished 15th. And went on a two month run where we couldn’t buy a win. 

We had a good first half of the season, a lot to be said for the momentum and confidence a promotion can bring. However, a lack of consistency is the hallmark of a side that isn’t good enough to last the course. No shame in that, we needed better players.

Just now, DE. said:

Just a mentality thing I think. Failure to cope under pressure. Also the reason we concede so many late goals imo. Getting into the top six this season will depend on this mentality being changed at both management and playing level. Hopefully if the manager shows a bit more courage that will translate to the team as well.

Surely it is also due to not having players of sufficient quality to consistently win enough matches over a full season.

Just now, Mellor Rover said:

Not one to read too much into squad numbers. But number 5 and 6 are currently free. Hopefully signs of another CB still to come.

6 is Smallwood.

5 will presumably be Tosin when confirmed by EFL.

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2019/august/squad-numbers-announced/

Just now, philipl said:

Sorry I had no enthusiasm at all in 2014 knowing the absolute unfolding disaster one step off the pitch inevitably would poison on field.

This season is the first since Hughes I am completely happily anticipating.

I’m talking about us mere mortals and the feel round the ground, not those ‘ITK’.

12pm deadline today to register players for tomorrow’s game. So with 5 outfield players on the books, presumably half the side will be Academy lads (if the pros actually agree to play)

But will this be another rule the EFL bend and the likes of Conway miraculously turn out for them? 

Just now, Madon said:

I can't bloody wait to get back on Ewood tomorrow. 

I've not felt this optimistic about a season since Venkys took over. 

5pm tomorrow I'll probably be crying into my chippy.

2014 felt more optimistic to me. We had put together a real good side at this level  and 15,000+ turned up for a Friday night Sky game against Cardiff. A real buzz at Ewood that night.

Didn't last.

Hope you’re right. We had 13,200 for Milwall last season and they brought up similar numbers. 

Though I suppose that was the first home game, not the first game of the season...

My season ticket went up nearly 20% last season. So not sure where you get ‘prices frozen for 3 seasons’ from.

It seems as if we’ve flogged as many STs as last season, Though hard to tell with all the different figures bandied around by the club.

If so, I’d expect a crowd of around 13,000 for Charlton.

End of the day, we finished 15th last season and this summer we’ve had a fairly flat net spend. So I didn’t particularly expect to see any improvement in sales.

Treading water in the second division fairly consistently for 7/8 years (aberration in League 1 aside) does not lead to big improvements in crowds for a club with our fanbase.

Just now, matt83 said:

Technically Blackburn and Blackpool are unitary authorities. Do we even qualify as Lancastrian from the boundary butchering act. 

Just rename Lancs county council as Greater Preston and be done with it.

1970s bureaucrats have a lot to answer for...

Just now, Brigger68 said:

I'm 51 and obviously I'm wrong because LCCC play in Manchester and also at Aigburth and Southport and even Sedbergh now but not one of those locations is traditional Lancashire. 

YES they are!! (Not Sedbergh). From medieval times!!! The boundary set in 1182 at the River Mersey.

Why else would Lancashire county  cricket club in the 1860s set up their club in Manchester!! How much more ‘tradition’ do you want!

Bloody hell!

Just now, Brigger68 said:

Manchester and Liverpool always saw themselves better than Lancashire. Kid yourself all you want. 

No scouser calls themselves Lancastrians anymore.

But do crack on. 

Because they’ve been out of the modern county for 40+ years, younger Scousers see themselves as ‘Merseyside’, fine, doesn’t change the facts that the historical county exists.

And yes Southport has been a Lancashire coastal town for hundreds of years, despite the 1974 administrative boundary changes.

Always amazes me when Lancastrians inside the ‘modern county’ try and diminish their own heritage.

Anyway. Let people talk about players from Lancashire town clubs, as it could be an interesting thread.

Just now, Brigger68 said:

Throw Southport in if you want. It's not though and never has been. 

 

Well it has. So stop talking nonsense.

Just now, Brigger68 said:

Neither Liverpool or Manchester was actually considered traditional Lancashire. You could put Bury Rochdale and Oldham in traditional Lancashire. 

By who? Of course they are! Just because they are cities. They are as Lancashire as any of those places.

http://www.forl.co.uk

Just now, Brigger68 said:

Lancashire being traditional. Preston Blackpool Blackburn Burnley Bolton Wigan and Accrington. 

That’s not traditional!

Lancashire contained Manchester and Liverpool, plus much more for a thousand years until 1974.

Though the historical county still does exist.

But if you mean ‘town clubs’ then fair enough.

To play for a Lancs club? Matthews was a Stokie.

Real Lancs or the small modern area? So George Best, Kenny too?

‘Brigger’ made me think PNE.

Though plenty of Rovers fans live there too...