Crowds for next season

[Tommy2holes]

Now i like everyone else is getting very concerned that we have not plugged the gaps from last season.

My point is that we have been able to sign good quality signings on the back of good runs in the cup and league and healthy league gates of 8k+ per game.

How do you think having a weaker team and less chance of doing something next year is going to affect gates?

Personally i will go regardless as i have been going since the barry fry days , but the so called new fans who have swelled gates and come along during the last few sucessful years are sure to waver at some point.

I know we have around 5000+ seasos ( i think) , but i cant see us achieving any were near the league gates to wich we have become acustomed to if Ron and Tilly do not start splashing some cash or atleast signing some quality free transfers.

I was hoping for a 10k+ crowd against Peterborough, but unless something is done soon i reckon 7500 is more likely.

We as a club charge a hell of a lot and i think people will not suffer minimal outlay from the club and shoddy performances and signings for the £20 a game or £400 odd season tickets to see minimal transfer activity and a weakened squad, after all certain premier clubs charge that and make million pound signings.

It stands to reason that with sucess comes money and higher gates and with decline comes less income and less fans .

Surely Ron martin must realize this. I cant work out why he hasnt sanctioned the transfers required yet.

 

[Andyhsufc]

Im not covinced we have sold 5000 seasos but i would say that attendences are very much based on short term performance and so if we start well, they will rise to 8500/9000 quickly but if we struggle they will drop to the 6000/6500 mark. I would imagine that Uncle Ron has got a hard job because with the economic downturn, it is going to be more expensive to get loans for the new stadium and also to get tenants for the retail development on Fossetts and he may feel that team performance may have to come second in the short term in order to secure the stadium and long term performance. I would agree and would take two years of medicority for long term success

 

[Tommy2holes]

That is true but we are not the only team building a new stadium are we.

Like i have said before if Ron comes out and makes a statement to the effect that we will not sign any players for cash for two years because the funds are needed for the ground then so be it.

But no news from the club or the chairman makes for concerning times at the moment.

 

[Andyhsufc]

That is true but we are not the only team building a new stadium are we.

Like i have said before if Ron comes out and makes a statement to the effect that we will not sign any players for cash for two years because the funds are needed for the ground then so be it.

But no news from the club or the chairman makes for concerning times at the moment.

No but most of the clubs looking to build new stadiums are either bigger than us (Liverpool, Everton), have already built them when finance was cheap (MK Dons) or have got rich chairmans that can underwrite the new stadiums. We have neither of these advantages and therefore costs are going to have to be cut otherwise we could end up in a situation where our long term future is questionable. On the other point, no chairman would ever come out and say we are not spending any money because their reputations would be hugely damaged

 

[Sherif H]

No but most of the clubs looking to build new stadiums are either bigger than us (Liverpool, Everton), have already built them when finance was cheap (MK Dons) or have got rich chairmans that can underwrite the new stadiums. We have neither of these advantages and therefore costs are going to have to be cut otherwise we could end up in a situation where our long term future is questionable. On the other point, no chairman would ever come out and say we are not spending any money because their reputations would be hugely damaged

Nice theory, but not strictly true.
Everton are basing the funding of their new stadium on development money raised by Tesco who will be occupying the site next door, and the majority of other new stadiums are publically funded. Coventry, Doncaster, Colchester, Shrewsbury....all examples of Council funded stadia.

 

[Andyhsufc]

Nice theory, but not strictly true.
Everton are basing the funding of their new stadium on development money raised by Tesco who will be occupying the site next door, and the majority of other new stadiums are publically funded. Coventry, Doncaster, Colchester, Shrewsbury....all examples of Council funded stadia.

Thats why I didnt include them in my point as I was talking about privately-funded stadiums. Also, Everton still do have the advantage of knowing that they will fill their stadium so the work out reasonably accurate future revenue figures and therefore risk is lower whereas we have little idea of how many we will be getting each week and therefore working out finances for the future will be harder

 

[Sherif H]

[/b]

Thats why I didnt include them in my point as I was talking about privately-funded stadiums. Also, Everton still do have the advantage of knowing that they will fill their stadium so the work out reasonably accurate future revenue figures and therefore risk is lower whereas we have little idea of how many we will be getting each week and therefore working out finances for the future will be harder

Risk Management should mitigate that issue....as with most lower league clubs, when you work on a business plan, you work to extremely conservative (sometimes worst case) scenarios. This is ultimately why Colchester ended up with a 10,000 capacity stadium.

 

[Tommy2holes]

Personally, i would rather know that the reason we are not signing players is that we have a fantastic stadium to look foward to rather than feeling like something sinister is going on behind the scenes.

I dont think the general concensus would be too much anger but more relief if Ron released a statement to that effect.

As is stands people are starting to get on Tilly's and Ron's backs because we have been left in the dark and dont have a clue what is going on.

We have become accustomed to money signings as the norm and with healthy crowds a decent amount of seasos and also the share issue that has been raised, i feel that a statement to calm the fans nerves wouldnt be a bad thing.

 

[BrettieAngell]

We spent on money on Walker, we allegedly bid 200K for Fox from Blackpool but we wouldn't pay his wages (again allegedly) so there is money there, Tilly again said we need at least 4 players but its all a bit too quite for my liking and I am starting to get a little bit worried.

 

[Sammy The Shrimp]

no matter what league or number of players i will be there so we are guarenteed a gate of atleast 1 lol

 

[Sussex Shrimper]

[/B]

Thats why I didnt include them in my point as I was talking about privately-funded stadiums. Also, Everton still do have the advantage of knowing that they will fill their stadium so the work out reasonably accurate future revenue figures and therefore risk is lower whereas we have little idea of how many we will be getting each week and therefore working out finances for the future will be harder

Don't forget that a huge part of the additional income that will be generated by Fossett's Farm will come from non-football activities, viz the attached commercial developments. If we have to tighten our belts a little in the short term then so be it - the new stadium changes the whole landscape of what we can reasonably hope to achieve as a club.

 

[WickfordShrimper]

I reckon our 1st two games seeing 9000 plus crowds so we can build on that.....

 

[KrustyTheKray]

Is it too late to get a refund on your season card?

Ron Martin has sold us short, got our money on the quick and failed to deliver with the money for new players!

 

[Up the Shrimpers]

I reckon our 1st two games seeing 9000 plus crowds so we can build on that.....

We had 9,800 v Orient 1st game last season, Orient brought 2,000. So with Peterborough probably going to bring 1,500+ & similar number of Brighton fans then they might be 9,000 crowds. Depends how many people are still on holiday.

Games with lower crowds will be the Hereford crowd & the Stockport game which clashes with an England home game.

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

Unless we are in a top 10 position and are not playing teams who will bring a decent following, i.e. Dirty Leeds, Brighton and Orient then i dont expect crowds to exceed 6,500.

 

[BoyWonder2]

Is it too late to get a refund on your season card?

Ron Martin has sold us short, got our money on the quick and failed to deliver with the money for new players!

Bla bla bla, change the record will you. Jesus christ.