My point is not necessarily the amount, but the fact that they increased prices at the best possible time to try and boost attendances. Waggott had the perfect chance following promotion, with a price freeze/price reduction and some clever marketing to get more season ticket holders in, ergo regular supporters. Instead he chose to squeeze more pennies out of the current season ticket holders who would have renewed (in the main) regardless, surely not as naive/idiotic as he has tried to come across today as to how that would stunt any prospect of maximising attendances. Surcharges might not affect "much" but even if its a slight impact, its still one that was unavoidable. Dont put words into my mouth. I was personally most aggravated by the Darwen End closure, without consultation or solid reasoning, but not in relation to what we are discussing. I think the main problem is the pricing followed by the surcharges.

Thanks @Red for your very in depth and promising posts. He has only had cameos in his time here, due to the superb form of Danny Graham. Not only is Graham good in his own right but he is perfect to get the best out of Dack. When Brereton did play wide he looked like a fish out of water so that tallies up. He will have to wait for a regular place in his natural position I would imagine. What you say about him running with the ball is very encouraging, it has not been on show yet, hes looked a bit sluggish but mainly weve assumed thats a lack of fitness. I only recall seeing him once, when he ran Arsenals second string ragged and probably accelerated Mertesackers retirement. Unfortunately I have seen him dive and throw himself over quite a few times already, hopefully he will learn from that side of the game as its not good to see and he isnt even convincing doing it! Our fans will give him time but there is a lot of intrigue about a player who cost so much money relative to our recent spending power. His cameos have been ineffective, however I think the brunt of the mystique around him is about us spending so much on a player who is not ready to come straight into the team, and how else that could have been spent.

The problem is you are focusing on uncontrollables, work, logistics, TV choices, and pinning everything on that. Obviously the attendances only have the potential to go up so much, but there are so many things that we can control, all repeatedly mentioned, price, surcharges, when season tickets are released, aggravating fans by moving them, moving kick offs etc, all of which you seem reluctant to accept that they may, to varying degrees, have an impact on attendances. You are asking Waggott to be proactive with some of your suggestions regarding younger fans, something he is yet to prove he is capable of. Absolutely correct. Otherwise there wouldnt be a ticket sales target in the first place! There are so many things that can be controlled and manipulated to increase attendances, that in my opinion simply havent. To then pin the blame onto the fans is very poor of Waggott.

You could flip that and say why do they feel the need to increase it by such a low amount if its so insignificant? Same with the surcharge. If they froze prices or even slightly reduced them, they could really promote that, ideally around the Oxford game at peak levels of fan happiness. Even if it only seems like a small amount, you have to realise that this isnt to people who get a season ticket regardless, who prioritise getting a season ticket and budget accordingly. This is to people that are on the fence. Its much easier to lose season ticket holders than to gain them, and you cant be blaze and arrogant enough like Waggott is to think, the product is much better, they should come back regardless of how much we charge and how we treat the fans. This summer should have been solely focuses on increasing attendances. Assuming the positive feeling remains on the pitch and in terms of fans being united behind the manager and players, once you get people back into the habit by tempting them initially at a point of high interest, you can then look at prices down the line. For me the most startling aspect of the interview is the lack of responsibility and the naivety/arrogance of Waggott as mentioned above. The players and manager have done their bit but he seems oblivious to the fact that he has a part to play and at the moment hes failing. The article today gauging fan opinion of those who dont have a season ticket shows that cost is a primary factor preventing attendances from increasing.

He started v Bolton too. Yeah he probably would, seems to love playing for his country so theres no way we can stop him really.

Agreed, it would be like saying Teddy Sheringham, Dennis Bergkamp and Antoine Griezemann were/are midfielders. I do think he partially thrives off being the main man to be fair, always in his favoured position.

Im not sure we can really complain. Scotlands game yesterday was a competitive one, so he was always going to go. He also reiterated I believe that he wants to play for Scotland for as long as possible.

I never said that he shouldnt be entitled to his opinion. I just echo others that he is arguing against a point that is at best, hugely exaggerated. He mentioned the positive of the difference between Coyles team and todays team and he could have focused on that as a positive individual point. Instead he went well off on a tangent. He is entitled to an opinion just as I am entitled to state that its nonsense and based around nothing. I also feel that your suggestion is unfounded. Mowbray isnt perfect, he will make mistakes and decisions people agree with, we are on an internet messageboard, people give their opinions (as Simon did and is entitled to) and obviously sometimes those opinions are heated in terms of criticising players and the manager when the frustration is raw. You may see Mowbray got it wrong crop up but its never with the punchline that he should go as a result. The fanbase is unifed behind Mowbray and its both incorrect and a bit underhand to state otherwise. As I said before, the fairest way to prove either of us right or wrong is a poll, is Mowbray the man to take us forward.

It was a 35 minute cameo.

I think even smattering is a vast exaggeration.

That interview really paints Waggott in a terrible light. Firstly, he comes across as ignorant with the quote “We’re trying as much as we can. I don’t know historically whether the club has had huge support?" As a man with such a big position within the club, surely do your research. He's also constantly passing the buck, trying to paint himself in a positive light and suggesting that the blame lies solely at the fans feet for not backing their team, the quote "“The team has done ever so well, but we need them to be behind the team" doesnt sit well with me at all. Hes asked "how do we get more in?" I am a season ticket holder but the target is people who arent season ticket holders at the moment, therefore they are less inclined to automatically prioritise a season ticket regardless of circumstance. There are numerous points that both me and many other supporters have reiterated, that you have done the opposite of: - You are right, the team has "done ever so well." It was a perfect time to prioritise trying to attract people back whilst we are successful. What did you do? A considerable season ticket price increase, presumably putting off supporters who may have been tempted back. Your chance may have passed now. - Dont put on a surcharge on matchdays for fans buying tickets last minute. Again, these are fans who are making a last minute choice, not ones desperate to attend regardless of price. - Dont upset your current fanbase by prioritising away support, removing the option of one of the stands being available to them, without consultation. - Dont needlessly move kick offs, ensuring that not only could some supporters struggle logistically, but that we are also in a needless battle with sky via the red button. You claim to often be in contact with the fans. Well if you have, you clearly havent listened. The main person to blame for the underwhelming attendances, relatively speaking, is you.

Spot on. If someone has suggested we get Warnock in, its as ludicrious in its unrealistic nature as getting rid of Mowbray anyway. Ive not seen one person suggest him any time after when Coyle was appointed.

Hes not the only one to use blogs/columns such as this as a vehicle to berate fans for something that doesnt exist. I know this website is not fully representative but it is a decent enough sample size. Would it be worth making a thread solely containing a poll, should Mowbrays job be in question? Im convinced that it would almost be a landslide no and it could debunk this myth. @Biz no one would disagree with your first point, a point Simon could embrace without making out like the fans are still baying for blood irrespective of this. And only the most provocative troll would disagree with the second point. Ive not come across anyone personally who suggests that we should change the manager, and on here only that ive seen jim insinuated it and was understandably derided for it. If its more than him, please point me in the direction of these posts. The fan base is as unified as it has been in a long while behind a manager and crap like this is the biggest threat to that going forward. Simon is frustrated with a figment of his own imagination. Also to your other points. Ive seen people question Smallwoods ability to be effective at a higher level, never once have I seen anyone say to release him. Youre Brereton comment is very vague, what position?

The thing is, for all of his flair, his tricks, his nutmegs etc, the thing that boosts his price up so high is his consistent stream of goals. Hes a poacher but from a 10 position.

Almost certainly not his choice of an assistant. If Brentford appointed Heckingbottom then we could almost certainly rule them out as a contender. Problem at Villa is you could appoint anyone but hes still got to work with the very poor set of 3 or 4 defenders that they can cobble together until at least January.

I see that Dean Smith has been appointed at Villa, a sensible choice compared to the likes of Henry and Faria. That said, I'm presuming that the new sporting director was not hand picked by the manager, and John Terry is a strange assistant. Surely you let him bring his own assistant rather than forcing Terry on him. If he hadnt have played his last and an ultimately failed season there then obviously he wouldnt be near that role now.

Harry Chapman has gone off injured yet again today. We need to stay well clear.

There were plenty of games during the run in that we could have picked up that additional point to survive, the task was not impossible by any stretch. Im speaking purely matter of fact in terms of objective failed, I do appreciate the difficulty. Hes proven his worth since and then some to be fair. I also dont think we are in a stronger position than we were at our peak under Bowyer, not in terms of the team. We had 2 20 goal a season strikers, one of whom did it with enough consistency that he made people on here under appreciate the value of goals! I think there is less crap in our current squad, and also the manager now I trust more in terms of getting results.

Very good post. Agreed on the majority. Totally appreciate that he was dealt a bad hand, a poor imbalanced squad in 23rd place and all not well. It was a difficult task, a difficult task he ultimately failed. He wasnt the main person to blame for relegation, far from it, but he failed in his initial rescue, albeit just. Thats factual, even if there were mitigating circumstances.

Think thats a fair post in the main. His first season is usually overlooked and totally disregarded. Obviously Coyle was the protagonist behind our relegation but for all the talk about where we would have finished if you stretched out his results, and appreciating that the balance of the squad he inherited and the points total we had made the task very difficult, he ultimately failed in his first task, to keep us up. That said, safe to say he has very much made up for that and more since. Agree with you on the signings. Mixed but I do think overall, the feel of the squad is so much better, even if some of the individuals he has signed in his time are very questionable indeed. (Some of whom have already left) Too early to judge the 2 you mentioned properly. Talk of a 6 year deal is absurd, but a yearly one would not be agreed by him and would be too short. Also to financially reward him for potential net spend is a massive conflict of interest and is ludicrous. A 2 or 3 year deal would give us a strong element of stability whilst hopefully giving us an out down the line if all doesnt go to plan.

Definitely deserves a new contract, couldnt keep us up but since has done a very good job and theres no reason we cant keep on improving. A managers job should be based on results and he has certainly got them. Would just give him a 2 or 3 year deal as things do change in football and massive manager contracts tend to bite clubs on the arse but a new deal would be both a reward and additional security.

Think the main reason is injuries for their recent downturn in form. Hernandez, Roofe, and Bamford to name 3 have been injured recently and that would hurt anyone.

That is undoubtedly the case, success and attendances will always correlate. That said, it will never be as cut and dry as that, Mowbray and the players can only do so much. Most of the variables that lie at Waggotts door, he is failing to correctly utilise to increase average attendances at a point of high supporter engagement due to on field success. Season ticket prices, moving kick offs, (both logistically for those with tickets, and creating an unnecessary battle with sky sports for those who dont) ticket surcharges on match days, moving home fans to facilitate away fans etc. We are obviously working between limits either way, there is a hardcore following whose attendance will remain barring exceptional circumstances. There is also a ceiling, even at the best of times the ground obviously wont be full every week. That said, I think it is fair to suggest that Waggott is either not under an objective of "get fans back through the door as the priority" or he is and he is failing. Season ticket sales not meeting the target are proof to that.

The reason that Danny Graham is still our number 1 striker is because of Danny Graham to be fair. Hes been our best player this season. Lay off him? I think I miss all of this abuse he receives.

The thing is, all people have done is commented on games that they have seen, on the admittedly limited sample size of watching him play. He is being judged, just like Reed has been, like Rothwell has been, like Palmer has been, etc. I dont think people are being overly critical, people on here tend to summarise individual performances after every match, and Breretons have been poor so far. His price tag makes him our main signing so of course people will be particularly keen to see him, but he has to live with that pressure, it is not realistic to ask people to totally remove that price tag from judgements from him. But I also dont think that people are going over the top because of his price tag either, look at Smallwood, he has received criticism for poor performances this season and he was a free transfer over a year ago. Conversely, Corry Evans has been here for ages and has as many critics as anyone, yet he has received unanimous praise for his improved performances this season. Danny Graham was written off by some last season, now people have rightly acknowledged how good he has been this season. Obviously I think comparisons to Shearer are totally stupid, but thats very much an isolated poster. As is calling him a dud. If someone said, if Brereton continued his current performance levels from his fleeting cameos, he will be a dud, thats basically a fact, but obviously thats a massive if.