Mattyblue

It’s a Mirror group website - I.e. Lancashire Evening Post from Preston.

I went in Jack’s Kitchen on Saturday. Thought it was generally a good set up and it was packed, so they are obviously doing something right. However, the drink on tap is just bizarre. No hand pulled ale and the only ’cider’ is that monstrosity ‘dark fruit’. Get a different guest ale on each week and they’d flog a load!

Not sure with Bank Holidays as our NYD game with West Brom wasn’t.

At Cat A prices for a 12pm red button. And with nothing riding on it, I would imagine we’ll sell very few, if any more than normal.

Exactly right Jim. Just common sense really, though one poster didn’t seem to think so yesterday...

Preaching to the converted with me. We should be trying anything and everything. My point was more about my surprise that merely suggesting that there other things to try for your floating fan than a quarter season ticket was met with uproar from a certain poster.

Now? Has been since day dot.

This Big 6 deal could have worked reasonably well, but unfortunately timed just as our play off surge has ended. C'est la vie. However, as we see with half season tickets, they only ever sell in their hundreds, those willing to sign up for every game in a package usually do so in the summer. Boro is a bad choice for the one off game. Live on Sky with strings attached. Bolton on Easter Monday or the last game of the season, no strings attached, would have been a much better idea. With thousands of extra fans trapping.

Amazing that there’s been such a row over the wholly uncontroversial view that we certainly should do offers like half and quarter season tickets for those that can commit to multiple matches. But also throw in an odd one off ticket offer for those that can’t commit to a run of games.

First point. You obviously do think the club should cater for different needs or you wouldn’t have your idea of a weekend season ticket. Second point. Totally agree there are various factors. However, with 18,000 empty seats the club has the spare capacity to try various things through the season. I don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t support that. There’s a place for a ‘6 games for £100’ offer, but there’s also a place for an odd £10 anywhere in the ground offer too.

I’ve been talking about a 2/3 matches a season match ticket buyers, not potential season ticket buyers. Totally agree that many of the second group will only re-emerge on promotion, the first are a distinct group that don’t buy full/half or quarter season tickets. So also need catering for with some offers. Presume we are now on the same page?

I always looked for their results as a kid because the subbetteo packet with blue and white players always said Blackburn Rovers/Grasshoppers Zurich on the front.

Eh? Are you just being contrary for the sake of it now? We would sell many, many more season tickets on promotion and only promotion. So yes price is secondary to success to that type of fan. However, I’m talking about the kind of fans that never buy season tickets. For that kind of fan, 6 games for £100-£140 doesnt attract them because they don’t commit to that kind of outlay. So for THAT type of fan, single match offers are better. Though we should offer both, considering our spare capacity. I don’t think what I’m saying is remotely controversial.

I’m being a realist. The fanbase is the fanbase. I wish we had 20,000 folk like us, but we don’t. I wish those pickers and choosers committed to the club like we do, but they won’t. But I still want to fill seats, so I won’t cut my nose off to spite my face.

For me? No, because I wouldn’t buy a season ticket at that pro rata price if I thought it was. But we aren’t taking about people that buy season tickets. For a fella that picks and chooses odd matches at say £22, £100 for the Riverside, £110 in the Blackburn End, £140 in the Jack Walker in one go is a lot of outlay. You, like chaddy seem to forget that fanbases are made up of different types of fans. Main two being - the core that buy season tickets (or might) and those that won’t commit to multi match tickets and pick and choose games. Both types need catering to and considering we have 18,000 empty seats, there is much scope to do both.

It’s a good deal for regulars like us but it won’t attract the odd match a season floating fan. Seems fairly obvious to me, so not sure what you’re ranting about?

Exactly! So they’re not die hard fans!

Not to us chaddy no, but surely you’ve worked out by how that a lot of folk aren’t like the likes of me and you! And unfortunately there aren’t 20,000 obsessives like us!

Recruitment ay? Sure he had plenty of contacts in that area...

It is a good deal that’s why the vast majority of our support consists of season ticket holders taking advantage of said price. I’m glad they do a half and now quarter version. My point being, you are not going to get many takers for a quarter season ticket to watch a mid table team when the kind of fans that will commit to such deals are pretty much signed up already. Though we go on a good run through Feb and we may get more signing up. The floating fan is exactly that, they don’t have the time or commitment to sign up for multi game tickets, so one off games at a good price (no strings attached) are something else the club should offer.

I’ve kept renewing and what I want is more folk in the ground. 18,000 empty seats...

I’ve nothing against the deal, a quarter season ticket is a good idea, but I personally don’t think an offer that costs between £17 and £23 a match is one that will do much for a mid table side. What else could we do? Cheap one off games that aren’t connected to ‘bring a mate’ or with other strings attached. Make it an attractive, Saturday 3pm match. Though for me they can undercut my season ticket with pleasure, and they have in the past, I’m sure I can remember ‘3 games for £30’ offers in the past - bums on seats all the way for me.

Of course, just pointing out it isn’t a super deal, just a mini season ticket.

I know this is a thread to be contrary, but Alan Shearer is one of the all time great strikers in this country and we had him when he was one of the world’s top forwards. Newcastle never really had the player that we had after his injury for them in ‘97. The bloke was phenomenal. It was a privilege to see him in the colours of my beloved Blackburn Rovers and I’ll take the memories to the end of my days. So frankly anyone slagging him off can get to f*ck.

Birdy too, of course! I have him on Facebook and I always chuckle when on say a Tuesday afternoon he’ll be checking in at Norwich’s training ground for a youth game!