Conficious said ' The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step'. Right well clever clogs scotty, nobody on this board, and I mean NOBODY has come up with a solution that is aimed at ensuring gates in our local club not in excess of 30,000 but in excess of 40,000 which would level the playing field between us and the really top clubs! Can you remember Jack Walker extolling the idea of 'Think Big'? Often wrong in business was he scotty? I suggest that you do likewise rather than grubbing around for another 5000 or so that will put us up with the likes of such luminaries as Wolves or Forest. The 'lets get immigrants' involved and 'lets get Cumbrians' to come on down whilst noteworthy is doomed to failure in the bigger picture I'm afraid. As for your last sentance have you never heard of a 'Think tank'? Never heard of inventors or ideas men? Many see the way forward although they may not know the nuts and bolts of the proposal. I'm not saying my idea is the best but it's without doubt the best yet, although our resident Ostriches will never agree! (Soon to be Dodo's perhaps ) Anyway enough of me lets hear you have a go please. Lets hear how you propose to move BRFC forward from our current position of relative strength to a vibrant, healthy and self sufficient future. And btw thats a question that I shall in turn ask you every time you come over all smarmy gobshite with me.

Two chances of that Paul........... Slim and Fat!

Question Do the Prem have any control over our prices? I cannot imagine that they would be happy with us de-valuing their product so drastically.

If it hasn't then it's disgraceful and the powers that be need to be sticking their size 10's up JW's lazy arse.

I have Den!

I think that you will have to in the fullness of time aesf. Rem I have been down this falling attendance road before in the 60's. Sod all could stop it then and sod all can stop it now. Too many people have simply already 'bought the Premiership T shirt' as they say. But has any valid and worthwhile research been carried out into the breakdown of the absentees?

Excellent observation Paul. Every response on here appears to suggest that their kids are still going so does anybody know the results of any research which has been done to identify which age group / social class etc is leaving in greater or fewer numbers? Ditto for BRFC or have you forgotten the likes of Ferguson, Amoruso, Gresko, Matteo and dare I say it your namesake?

Much ado about nothing. In fact laughable in it's amateurism. Sam and Arry have hardly been nailed to the mast and both seem innocent of all charges that this poor documentary offered up. Gartside was simply trying to do a good bit of business for Bolton, the Liverpool connection was laughable with the only dodgy stuff being Chelsea's offer for the 15 year old and thats hardly unexpected is it? Funny how that has attracted so little attention compared to Sam n' Arry. Mighty poor showing from the beeb. If they have any more evidence then the FA have done right to call their bluff by asking for it. Shame that it was so poorly done cos I'm sure that there have been many many 'irregular' deals done since the Prem was formed and I suspect some of the 3rd world agents are the most corrupt.

I think I can now understand what I couldn't comprehend a few months ago ..............just why Sam was not offered the England job.

In this instance and if the match was on foreign TV the huge gaps in the away crowd certainly suggest that the screening of away games is just as damaging to BRFC. btw this and the old gate debate appear to be covering very similar ground.

Did we even get to see the goals from Saltzberg? I certainly didn't see them. Just as an aside should John Williams now be expected to fall on his sword for letting the attendances slip so much? He appears to be doing an OK job with everything else but sweet FA in keeping attendances and interest in the club alive. His position in much of the entertainment industry not subsidised by a collective TV deal would surely be looking untenable. Despite excellent results on the pitch crowds (and I expect revenues too) are falling yet the club appears to be as dynamic as a wet dishcloth. The club must not allow itself to be a collective comfort zone for ex Granada staff and the like. In his own best interest and just like the manager of any relegation threatened team he needs to shift deadwood out and draft people in with new ideas. In short he needs to get rid of poorly performing staff....before they get rid of him.

If you've read this board enough John you will find that whilst nobody rates his technical abilities, and that most opposing ch's seem to get the measure of him when he is on from the start, we certainly recognise his talent to come on as sub half way through the second half and cause mayhem and panic in the opposition ranks.... frequently swinging the game in your favour. SuperSub is his best position.

Surely the price of tickets and foreign TV has more to do with home attendances than mere away form? By definition their home form must be at least respectable. That great big shiny new ground too! People really don't know when they are well off do they?

There is much debate on our centre half position on here but the main talent of any centre half is not to be a good footballer or good passer but simply to maintain 100% concentration over the entire 90 mins. Hendry made us a lot of money by making his ch partners appear better than they were, and it is well known that Peter Reids biggest mistake at Man City was preferring Keith Curle to him because in his opinion Curle was a better footballer. We all know that Dailly was prone to losing concentration too. We currently are playing two centre halves who although have ability are frequently guilty of lapses and who both desperately need a partner like Hendry to 'manage' them. Whether it be Todd or Henchoz I dont really care but those two must be split up.

Thanks Pabby. Can anybody explain what Oijer was doing by not tracking back for their first? He was completely awol.

You're dead right there Paul. They'd need to half the toll cost for cars, let kids in for nowt, provide a muslim only lane and offer free fuel to and back before we'd even half fill our end. Alternatively we could order a Millenium replica near Walton summit and completely pay for it by selling Ewood, Deepdale, Bloomfield and t'Turd to B&Q or Tesco.

So admitting to being a self confessed technophobe' can we see these goals or not?

This was a Proper Prem League table! Based on merit rather than wealth. http://www.krysstal.com/league1961.html

Don't think the 60's were too good for Bolton, Burnley, PNE or Blackpool either. All in Div 1 in 1964 all gone within 5 short years.

Jack Walker alledgedly had a sign in his office whioch said 'Think Big'. I suggest that concept is totally beyond the comprehension of many of our contributers.

Good! Obvious from the shennanigins from the start when London 'won' the race for the new National stadium that this would all end in tears. Is it too much to now expect a plethora of rolling heads over this? Now how about an exact carbon copy of the millenium just off that nice M6 toll road? Or is that just wishful thinking?

I suggest thats where we differ then. After my formative years watching us sink lower and lower through the divisions I think of it as a priveledge to see our team BRFC both containing and being regularly pitted against some of the worlds best talent...... sorry to labour the same point but on my doorstep and for £21

C'mon Phil you are not naive enough to believe that. Phil....I keep telling you that those games only cost me £21! £36 should not even enter the equation for people who claim staunch lifelong support for BRFc and who live in or around the town! If I chose to pay £36 I'd only get to see 11 games for the money that I currently watch every home game, 1 free european game and as many reserve games as I choose to attend.

Well said Tris. An injection of reallity serum to this thread was well overdue.

Never mind all that chip shop stuff with the registartion forms....... I just hope we managed to get the cheque to the bank. Has anybody checked?