Poor Gates

Staveros · 03-09-2005, 18:29

I notice that it was another poor crowd today and it is even mentioned in the brief report on the club site.

Can't say im the slightest bit surprised.

When the crowds were fairly good, i.e around 1500 plus, it is because there were a lot of people there, like me, who support another team but would also come and watch Stanley when they can.

The trouble is the club have let the tremendous momentum and interest that bulit up via the promotion and great cup run die a death.

I hardly came last year because I knew that to SERIOUSLY compete several playing additions of a serious good were needed. They didn't arrive. The games I did go on I was bored to tears by some abysmal performances, maybe I just got unlucky I dont know??

From what I read on here and on the site I assume that it is a fairly obvious and recognised problem that gates are falling off. Why isn't it being addressed then??

Moaning about it and hard luck stories wont do anything, what is needed are few additions to the playing staff that will get the pulses racing.

Lets have it right, its not exactly 'cheap' entertainment anymore so I think the least you can ask is that, some entertainment.

I was dumbfounded to see what IMO were the clubs best two players being sold in pre season, Rory and Evil.

I mean, what could make you feel less inclined to come to the game??

At least i'll be ok in the winter though, now the Clayton End roof is sorted. Oh...hold on!!

I read lower down in another thread that in a recent programme some sort of financial trouble was alluded to?? For real?? How?? What has happened to all the Sky money?? They haven't exactly been splashing big on players.

I know some of you may take offence to this but im just offering you an outside perspective. If you're not Stanley 'hardcore' you aren't going to be paying 12 quid to watch dross week after week.

The conference is a really good standard nowadays and you can pretty much pick the serious contenfders from the start. Sorry to say, thats not Stanley at the moment.

Its chicken and egg I know, but the facts speak for themselves.

Build it and they will come.

It has been proven that it wont happen the other way. people need inspiring, hard luck stories and begging columns don't work. Success is what attracts people not mediocrity.

Another thing that has changed since I started coming on is the turnover of players. We used to have a settled side, players you could relate to. Now they chop and change and buy and sell every 5 minutes, its cr@p.

If money really is tight I would suggest going part time again, its the only way.

If the money isn't there to create a 'proper' team then it is futile. They may as well write the pro lark off as a bad do and go back as we were because peole wont come back for no reason.

Robaldo · 03-09-2005, 20:58

Just started watching Stanley this season, and I have to say that we thought long and hard today whether we really want to pay £12 each per match. On Tuesday we went to watch Chorley in the F.A.Cup, at £6 a head, and the quality of footall wasn't as vastly different as one would expect.

The reason the crowds are poor surely has to be because it's so bloody expensive!

Mik Griff · 03-09-2005, 21:43

It isnt really expensive.. poor gates are because people would rather stay at home and watch sky sports.. or sit in the pub : /

Smiffy16 · 03-09-2005, 21:44

Stanley Till I Die, whether its £40 or £1, we support them through thick and thin, the highs and the lows, and thats the attitude some "FANS" need to take.

Today the attendance was shocking, no excuses really except from the England game, which could have been watched in the clubhouse. Staveros, can I just ask you are you a Rovers by any chance?, yes we should be worried about the attendance, but the thing is you come on here and complain about the numbers and you dont even come to Stanley yourself on a regular basis, isnt that contradicting your own post?

Your saying you hardly came last year because you wasnt impressed by the standard of players we had at the club and it put you off.....whats all that about!? just because your not impressed by the playing additions you decide to boycott the games?

Rory and Evil were sold in the summer as you said, why are you so dumfounded about the replacements? Gary Roberts IMO is every bit as good as Rory, yes we miss Evil at times, but he wasnt a gem and didnt help the overall team spirit did he?

Your complaining about the roof? bring a coat!, stand in the shed, sit in the Main Stand, bring and umbrella! If your only bothered about the roof to keep you dry....Yes I'd love it, but the only reason why I'd love it is because we would make much more noise! not for the factr of keeping dry at a football game as you seem to be....

Also, your complaining about not splashing out on big players? why when that will surely just bring financial problems to the club which we dont have and we have a very reliable and sensible setup and the club is run by very sensible people. Your also complaining about the quality of our team this year, TBH with you and I think a lot more will back me up on this, is that we have the best squad at this moment in time than we have EVER had.

You also go on to say about the chopping and changing of players and sayings its crap...so if you was the manager you would play the same team every game, I have full faith in the management team, if they believe that there is a change needed for tactical or other reasons why not change its making the team better overall....Going part time again, you cant be serious thats ridculous....you call us not a 'proper team'...remember were we was years ago? we have a team that are competing in a league with many ex-league clubs in, were winning games, we will be challenging for the play offs in to the football league and you call Stanley not a proper team?

I think you need to look at your post again, this is a Stanley fans forum were we get behind our team and support them because at the end of the day as fans thats all we can do, everyones intitled to their own opinion, yes, but yours I feel is ridiculous

big al · 03-09-2005, 22:20

Admission prices for the Conference were dictated by the FA not by the club. £12 is still not a lot when you consider other modes of entertainment. Alton Towers will cost a hell of a lot more plus travel etc. I was seconded to spy on Burton albion 1st game in their new stadium. £14 for a seat & believe me it is not that spectacular a ground as loyal fans will see next week.
Try looking at the new blood brought in this season. Ok Rory & Lee have gone but the club has never stood in the way of players progress. There is a nucleus of reformating what I consider to be a young new team who will be as good if not better once they have gelled. & just wait for Boco to start. The speculation regarding his arrival at Stanley is purely that, management know nothing other than he is an exiting prospect, brilliant on the ball & has superb prospects for the future, & only 20 yrs old.
OK we are in the shadow of two league teams but I have seen as dull a game at Blackburn for double the money. They may be premiership but are still only a low to mid rated team there & their best gates come from when the top end teams play there.
Stanley still have ambition & drive. We all want to see the club back where they belong, in the league & that will cost & has to be paid through the turnstiles. So yes, the club will bully people to come back & so will us loyal fans because we have faith that Accrington Stanley will restore exiting football & achieve the dreams of its chairman & fans. The best thing is that when it happens we will be able to say "WE WERE THERE!" [I]

Outback Ozzy · 03-09-2005, 22:30

Well said Smiffy and Big Al. I wish I could get to more Stanley games, but due to work commitments (i.e. I work for the emergency services) I can't. I still have 2 season tickets though, and will go to as many home and away games as my budget and work will allow. I can't make Burton next week due to the fact it is my granddaughters 1st birthday, but I shall follow the progress as much as possible. Today's attendance was very disappointing, but we shall just have to get on with it. I also agree about the team. They are just beginning to learn how each other plays and how the manager wants them to play. There are some very exciting prospects and lets face it, we have been somewhat unlucky with goalkeepers this season (even more so than last). Monsiuers Brown and Roberts and Andy mangan look very useful assets, but I do think we need to sort out our defence, Robbie williams is just not reliable at this level and I think we lack a bit of height. Well thats my two'peneth.

mellowyellow · 03-09-2005, 23:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by big al

Admission prices for the Conference were dictated by the FA not by the club. £12 is still not a lot when you consider other modes of entertainment.

Not entirely true. The conference is the body that requests a minimum admission charge which I believe is £10.

Morecambe_Red · 04-09-2005, 08:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by mellowyellow

Not entirely true. The conference is the body that requests a minimum admission charge which I believe is £10.

and prices were frozen at the same as last season here at Christie Park. £11 for ground admission and we stand under a roof !!

Wynonie Harris · 04-09-2005, 08:22

Excellent posts, Smiffy and Big Al, I agree with every word you say.

As for Robaldo, this was the guy who only three weeks ago was enquiring about joining the supporters' club to help boost attendances! Now he's shopping around for another club! So I take it you won't be wanting a Stanley Til I Die T-shirt then, Robaldo?

mellowyellow · 04-09-2005, 08:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wynonie Harris

As for Robaldo, this was the guy who only three weeks ago was enquiring about joining the supporters' club to help boost attendances! Now he's shopping around for another club! So I take it you won't be wanting a Stanley Til I Die T-shirt then, Robaldo?

Pretty much the same situation occurred on the chorley forum a few months ago if I remember rightly.

There's something a bit unseemly about shopping around for clubs. If you're support for a club is affected by items such as results, we'd all be on our fifth or sixth club by now. I know I certainly wouldn';t have stuck with southport under that theory!

stanleybabe · 04-09-2005, 08:55

There's no point having a go at each other about this subject, is there? Of course the gate was disappointing yesterday, but I really do believe that upping the admission price to £12 is a decision the club will come to regret. If that means I'm not a true fan because I question a club decision then so be it. Accrington is a low wage area and lots of people only get paid minimum wage. If you're on minimum wage and you have a family and a mortgage then £12 is a lot of money to pay. Also, when the gate is up to 1500, some of the people on the ground will be Rovers or Burnley supporters who watch Stanley as a second team. At £12, there isn't as much differential between their admission prices and ours and that is bound to put some of them off. Frank Martindale made an impassioned plea for fans to spread the word and bring friends to the Stanley and boost the attendance. I'll try it, obviously I will, but even if I can persuade my friends to come along I know damn well that the sticking point will be the admission charge. Smiffy, you imply that whatever the price, true fans will turn up anyway. Sorry, but if it cost £40, I couldn't afford to go, much as I would want to. The only reason I can go to all the games home and away is because I don't have a mortgage or rent to pay and I don't have any commitments or responsibilities. If I did, I would not be able to go to anywhere near as many games as I do.

Stanleybabe

John_Timmins · 04-09-2005, 09:09

Probably the same amount of stanley fans where at the exeter game as the woking but the figure may have dropped under 1000 becuase of the very few away surport!

I would love it for attendences to be huge but lets face it the major percentage of people from hyndburn dont give a toss for there local club! and thats the what we need to change.... we need to get kids through the gates!!!!! becuase kids will come and parents will follow!

Why arent we offering deals for example family tickets, pay for 4 games get one free!!! etc
Yes it may be a risk at the very beggining becuase but football is a business and stanley needs to take a risk!!!

Also i think we could improve massively by advertising the club!!!

Staveros · 04-09-2005, 10:16

Some good balanced views there, very good.

I think the point some of you are missing though is, as pointed out in the original post, that I and others you are trying to appeal to are not Stanley hardcore.

When you say results/players shouldn't matter you are being naive in the extreme. Likewise comparing Stanley to Alton Towers.

As a fan of another club and not being a charitable trust I expect some entertaining for my 12 spondoolies. To be fair, I think Alton Towers would be way more fun but thats not the point.

The reason I come on Stanley is to support the team and the club.

Personally I have become demoralised though.

The cup run should have resulted in the club really 'kicking on' and giving it a real go for the league. Signing some players of proven quality at conference level or higher.

It didn't though.

Either the money has gone into some prudent rainy day plan, which doesn't tempt me to part with my money anymore, OR it is simply filling a black hole in a business plan.

Either way, it doesn't look good.

Compound that with selling your two best players over the summer and apathy amongst people like me couldn't be any worse.

Someone says Roberts is as good as Rory, I couldn't comment on that ive not seen enough of him. The point is though he should be complimenting Rory, not replacing him. One step forwards two steps back.

Likewise, the clayton end roof.

The roof doesn't matter, its the principal.

How long has that been going on, what is going on??

I dont really care anymore its a joke, a farce.

This sort of debacle is costing the club its credibility.

For me what is needed now is a player who will make back page news in the local rags to get people back interested. Its a basic concept but one that works.

Be it a 'big name' old pro or a real 'current' talent.

Speaking of which, I am happy to see Pawel Abbott doing so well for Huddersfield at the moment.

I was on Stanley a few years ago for a friendly against Preston and I picked this lad out as one to watch. Glad to see he's making his mark.

If we could unearth someone like him or Grant holt at Rochdale, players with the CLASS to make it at a higher level, I think it would get people creaming again.

Tin Monkey · 04-09-2005, 10:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Staveros

If we could unearth someone like him or Grant holt at Rochdale, players with the CLASS to make it at a higher level, I think it would get people creaming again.

What a naive comment!! Every club in the country is 'trying' to unearth talented players and many of them have far greater resources than Stanley have.

John_Timmins · 04-09-2005, 10:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Staveros

The cup run should have resulted in the club really 'kicking on' and giving it a real go for the league. Signing some players of proven quality at conference level or higher.

It didn't though.

Either the money has gone into some prudent rainy day plan, which doesn't tempt me to part with my money anymore, OR it is simply filling a black hole in a business plan.

Either way, it doesn't look good.

This money was used to help turn the club from semi pro to full time! and the wages and extra staff and costs which come with that transition. Which I and i am sure many other stanley fans has thought to be a huge success