Ok people let's take stock for a minute.

[smudgie]

After the latest post of people moaning about the Exeter game and squad I decided to write this.....

So lets for a minute take stock of where we are as an OVERALL CLUB.

Yes everyone was disappointed with the Exeter result but for gods sake people, we have 6 points after 3 games, far more than I ever expected.

Now that Macclesfield have gone we are the smallest club with the smallest fanbase in the league. Just bear that in mind when people start questioning the result in every way.

As for the attendances nothing I can personally do about it apart from say what I already have a million times....... For the casual fan, our walk on prices are far too expensive. Yes in terms of League 2 we are at the cheaper end, BUT just look at our facilities in comparison to the others........

As per every League 2 season, the target is 40 points, THEN we can start talking about Mid-Table or another crazy playoff push. We have by far the youngest squad in the League, assembled on a shoe string budget and personally I believe Cooky & Leam have done a fantastic job of recruitment this summer. The players look fitter than ever, and ALL are dying to play. Lee Molyneux for instance on Twitter has been saying "Im dying to get on the pitch". You dont hear things like that if the management team are doing a bad job.


The introduction of the Youth team players when needed is also proving fruitful with Carver & Hopper being sent out on loan, which will hopefully work for our benefit in the long run, its seems to be working in Marcus's case anyway!

As for the Boco signing, not something I would personally do, but is it our right to judge a player before we have seen him pull on a red shirt again?? Take Will Hatfield for example, looked average at best when we had him on loan last year, and look at him now. One of our best midfielders.

Rant Over !

[Wynonie Harris]

Originally Posted by smudgie

As for the attendances nothing I can personally do about it apart from say what I already have a million times....... For the casual fan, our walk on prices are far too expensive. Yes in terms of League 2 we are at the cheaper end, BUT just look at our facilities in comparison to the others........

Hadn't noticed that our facilities were appreciably worse than the likes of Barnet or Dagenham when I've been there? As you say, our prices are amongst the lowest, so I don't see how the club can be expected to lower them much further...and I don't reckon a couple of quid off would make much difference to the apathetic masses anyway.

[maccawozzagod]

I don't give a monkeys what other clubs in the League charge or what facilities they have or haven't got, the fact remains that our prices are ridiculous for this area.

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by maccawozzagod

I don't give a monkeys what other clubs in the League charge or what facilities they have or haven't got, the fact remains that our prices are ridiculous for this area.

What price would you charge ?

[fc:stanley]

It's all to do with the pricing . The facilities are bad so for an average no hardcore prawn butty day out fan then why would you pay so much money to watch a football game! £10 adults , £6 for kids and students .

[fatgaz182]

Originally Posted by fc:stanley

It's all to do with the pricing . The facilities are bad so for an average no hardcore prawn butty day out fan then why would you pay so much money to watch a football game! £10 adults , £6 for kids and students .

Adults £10
Concession £7
Kids over 10 £5
Kids under 10 free with paying adult
Family ticket 2 adults 2 kids £20

Season tickets back below £200

Won't be an overnight success, we need to find other streams off income first to cover the lost money, but you have to speculate to accumulate. Once again in my view putting a 800 seat stand with such facilities on the whinney hill side would have been a better option than bolting seats wherever we can fit them, but as always it comes down too cost

[maccawozzagod]

£10 and £5. I'd keep it simple, young 'uns, old 'uns, unemployed, students, all half price. Sit down, stand up, same price. covered or uncovered same price.

Simple price, easy to remember, cheapest in the league to reflect the crappest crowds and crappest ground.

I don't care whether the sums work or not or whether we can make x% more over the season by charging this that or t'other. the fact remains that we have no fan base and at some point or other we have to start getting them in. Getting the maximum possible out of the ones we already have coming in and then hoping for a few extras is not the way (to me).

Some will argue that we have had cheap prices in the past and it didn't make any difference, well I would counter argue that at the time the club was in a right state and people were staying away for a multitude of reasons at the time. Have a look back on the Kipax website at some Conference games (choose one that was neither here nor there of importance), the crowds were way bigger than they are now, despite what the official attendance was given at. Nearly every week if you didn't get out of the bar in good time you wouldn't get on the home terrace for the second half.

[Redraine]

Originally Posted by maccawozzagod

Some will argue that we have had cheap prices in the past and it didn't make any difference, .

Remember the Torquay game (I think)when admission was free and we got a hell of a good gate? Trouble was it was before the roof went on the Clayton end and half the newbies left at half time due to the lousy weather, missing our great last minute winner! It showed that the crowds will come if there's a big enough incentive and adequate facilities, so I think you're right Macca. Twice as many people paying half as much surely has to be good thing to kick things off? Too late for this season of course to be fair to those who bought season tickets, or is it?

[lancsdave]

[QUOTE=maccawozzagod;1010883

I don't care whether the sums work or not or whether we can make x% more over the season by charging this that or t'other[/QUOTE]

Unless the revenue streams are maximised in other ways that's financial suicide.

Obviously as a fan you want to see the ground fuller, which in turn creates a better atmosphere and hopefully transmits to the players on the pitch.

What happens if you reduce the admission fee to a tenner and they still don't turn up ?

If you look at the last 2 home games there is a difference of 800 in the attendance but the real figure if you take the away support off is actually only 260. Bearing in mind teams like Morecambe, Rochdale and Fleetwood will bring large numbers you don't want to be reducing that income by having a general gate fee of £10.

It would be great if the club knew what happened to the missing 260 between Tuesday and Saturday, it would go a long way to finding a solution

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by Redraine

Remember the Torquay game (I think)when admission was free and we got a hell of a good gate?

The turnstiles were faulty too, I didn't get in because they said it was full

[cashman]

To me the main answer to increase attendances is quite simply a good long run, its the thing proven time n time again at most clubs, much easier said than done,at a club like ours, but fail to see how a reduction to a Tenner will do the job.

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by cashman

To me the main answer to increase attendances is quite simply a good long run, its the thing proven time n time again at most clubs,

Proven to a certain degree in a lot of the previous posts too, the references to larger crowds in the Conference, what were Stanley doing right in the Conference ?

[cashman]

Originally Posted by lancsdave

Proven to a certain degree in a lot of the previous posts too, the references to larger crowds in the Conference, what were Stanley doing right in the Conference ?

I know,funny how people seem to not recall that fact.

[Wynonie Harris]

Originally Posted by lancsdave

It would be great if the club knew what happened to the missing 260 between Tuesday and Saturday, it would go a long way to finding a solution

This is what has really disheartened me over the last couple of days. After the Port Vale win, I thought that most people who had turned up on Tuesday would come back on Saturday with perhaps 200-300 more. The fact that a winning run (albeit a short one brought to an abrupt end now!) can actually reduce the gate is puzzling, to say the least!

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by Wynonie Harris

This is what has really disheartened me over the last couple of days. After the Port Vale win, I thought that most people who had turned up on Tuesday would come back on Saturday with perhaps 200-300 more. The fact that a winning run (albeit a short one brought to an abrupt end now!) can actually reduce the gate is puzzling, to say the least!

At a guess apart from the weather I'd say there were 260 shopworkers in attendance on Tuesday night