gumboots

Is it really only 7 years? I occasionally come across a photo I hid on my computer of him out socialising and I feel physically sick at the sight

I very sensibly decided yesterday that, since today was the first match I could attend this season, I'd get tickets there and then. £17 each. Not bad. Printed at home so no queues. But this should be available right up to kick off time or at least up to half an hour before when people can still do it and get there in time for kick off.

Burnley shirts are banned too. If I saw him with one I'd make sure it was accidentally ruined and replaced by a Rovers one but as grandparents both sets are behaving well so far

Edit

Surely too, you could trial it say from now to Christmas in one area. Then extend it if its successful. It's what most places do. Sale sharks have offered free transport from the Trafford centre for years but only this season has it really taken off so that on Saturday they had double deckers on a shuttle run to 2 different points. Sometimes you have to find cash, invest and see what happens. I understand that free buses aren't necessarily possible at Rovers and there is no convenient starting point like the trafford centre with free parking for people to aim for. However, pick ups at Clitheroe and Whalley bus stations plus a stop in langho and wilpshire at a reasonable price shouldn't be beyond doing and I'm sure it's the same for the other areas mentioned

Imagination, vision, realising that what happens on the pitch is not the only thing that matters. Seems our leaders lack all of this

I can't bring my grandson often enough as he's usually doing something with his parents at the weekend anyway. At Sale Sharks it's standing so he can run about in any empty space in front of us. We can see him as the crowd's quite thinly spread so as long as he doesn't go too far away and stays where he can see us, we don't have to watch him all the time. And we're not allowed to bring him too often anyway because his daddy is a Burnley fan so we have, for the sake of family harmony, to refrain from buying him a Rovers shirt or anything like that.

May be but the view for adults is poor

He's in Belgium for the weekend but I am thinking of attending myself as it's the first match this season I've been able to attend as we only came home from hols this week.

They were. Loads of people had brought their kids. We took our 3 year old grandson with us. He had a whale of a time running along the front of the stand copying the subs warm up routines and we didn't think he'd paid much attention to the game but he told his mum afterwards that one man kicked the ball and if somebody caught it then lots of other men jumped on him in a big heap. We bought him a rugby ball afterwards and he was immediately running then lying down and passing it back to his grandad. He cried when he had to leave the ground. Doesn't take much at that age to get them interested

I don't know what the language is like down in th JW lower but yes, possibly. Better view than in some of the seats down there as we sat in the front row but also your kids were out of the way so could go and let off steam by running on the concourse if they so desired without disturbing anyone. Mine never wanted to because as I said, they really just wanted to watch the match but I know some did

I agree some kids might but my kids were never really bothered, perhaps because at that time you'd see our players out and about round Clitheroe and Blackburn

My kids wanted to watch the match not scrabble around getting autographs. The view from the BBE upper was great for seeing the play develop. But it's not just that. Its choice being removed without consultation when consultation was promised. The issues of stand closures should have been dealt with openly, not decided and sent out in a snotty, high handed letter to those about to renew season tickets.

People round us used to scapegoat Lucas Neill and others Pedersen. Even when they got MOTM awards and barely put a foot wrong. Some people have very closed minds

John Williams was not a Rovers fan but he learnt to love and understand us

Cant wait. I've got more and more into rugby over the last few years. Just hope the All Blacks dont dominate as they have done over the last few years, although I'd take a final like the cricket world cup as long as we beat them in the end. Looking forward to seeing how Curry performs for England, and de Klerk for SA as I watch them regularly at Sale.

Yeah but he's lived in Germany more than in England, certainly recently. My grandkids are half German too and living there means they have their mum's English vocabulary and phrases but slightly odd sounding English speech at times

He's German. What did you expect? I loved his enthusiasm though and the fact that he can speak coherently

I did this for my local football club, Clitheroe. The £30 I paid for my season ticket will do a lot for them, and i dont feel i lose out if i dont go. We've also bought Sale Sharks season tickets because my husband has always loved rugby and their ST scheme means that if i cant go to a match i can get an extra free ticket for the next match i can attend for a friend or family member so we can go together. We used to pass our Rovers ST to friends but nobody we know who isnt a ST holder wants to go now. The Park at the Trafford Centre for free and get a free shuttle bus to the ground means transport isnt an issue. The club has injured players outside the ground for photos, working in the club shop and bars, not just on open days but every match day, and fans are highly valued. Compare it to Rovers where we've felt marginalised for years since John Williams left. Parking near the ground is more difficult than it used to be thanks to the new road layout and the travellers park and the club hasn't done anything to make that easier. It's a whole different experience going to Rovers now from when we had ST when Lambert was there. I went once last season and it just didn't feel good being there. It's not lack of premier league football that bothers me but it is the disregard that the club as a whole shows for its fans. Its true that none of the things like weeds outside the stand, or the price of pies matters in itself, but it's the cumulative effect of lack of empathy and understanding that the club has shown towards its fans that means it would take a lot to tempt me back on a regular basis. As for being told I should prioritise Rovers over other things I enjoy doing, that's more likely to make me stay away than have a crisis of conscience and return.

My 4 kids also attended as ST holders back in the day and, as you say, they no longer attend regularly as 2 live abroad, one lives in the north east and the other lives south of Manchester and works some weekends. However, that doesn't mean that getting them in as kids was a bad idea. If we dont engage kids interest there will soon be no fans in the grounds. Some will carry on attending. Some will attend as and when they can. Others will attend occasionally on visits home. But all our kids would still say they're fans and would no doubt attend regularly if distance, work commitments and family allowed. 50% success is a pretty good rate.

An ageing fan base means more former season ticket holders miss matches as they take holidays whenever they get a good deal. That makes a ST less viable. Nothing the club can do about that but you do have to factor it in. For example I've not been at home for more than a few days at a time since the start of June so that made a ST not worth it in the end despite the fact I'm now a senior and they're very cheap. That's why it's important to grow family uptake

Labuschagne

More you do, more potential there is for mistakes and the more people notice them because they're noticing you.

Humble pie?

Beating the weaker teams helps with confidence which boosts fitness ie players work harder in training and matches if they're buzzing, concentration levels - players are more likely to stay focused throughout the match if they think that doing so gets results - and so on. A win is not just a win but a stepping stone to the next one