What gets more 'bums on seats'?

[Concrete John]

Something in the transfer thread made me think - what is more likely to get our attendances up?

Are people more likely to start coming or renew their season tickets based upon entertainment or success?  Would you be happier with a magnificient 6-6 draw or a boring 1-0 win?  What would add more to our average gate - winning the FA Cup or signing a £20m player?

I know the answer most of us have is 'both', but for the purposes of the poll it's a straight choice.   

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Winning, even if it's winning ugly.
I think a trophy would make a world of difference, easier said than done though.

As Mazrim mentioned on the transfer thread, a 'wow' signing (striker) would make a big difference

[pablopicasso_10]

you only have to look at arsenal...

they havent won anything in years, but the demand is such for tickets at their place, they can now charge £100...

so entertaining football for me... with that, there is always the hope and optimism that with some tweaks, you could win something with the entertaining football...

with dull 1-0 wins, there is always the nagging doubt that when you get found out, you will lose with dull football...

[Damo70]

I can't think of many occasions over the years when we have won and I've been depressed because of the performance.

[Concrete John]

you only have to look at arsenal...

they havent won anything in years, but the demand is such for tickets at their place, they can now charge £100...

Yet they're successful enough, as in a regular top 4 side, that their fans know a trophy is a lot more likely than with us, plus they see their team win more often than we do.

They actually score above us in both categories.

[alanclare]

I confess to being one of those who comes to a football match to be entertained. Winning is great, but winning all the time would become boring, because of its unpredictability. Following a football team is to become part of a great, unfolding drama, with all that that implies. The comedy, the tragedy, the exhilaration, the depression. In the end it all comes down to showing that indefinable quality that we call "character". That's what I want - a team with character.

[villasjf]

Take that apparently. i the old days if you signed someone like George Best it would put another 10,000 on the gate or guarantee sell outs, we cannot sell out against manu now which is not good enough, I know times are tight though.

[darren woolley]

I would have to say winning at the end of the season i would like a trophy in the cabinet.

[pauliewalnuts]

Four things, in no particular order, and not all necessarily things we don't have

1. Players people will get excited about coming to watch
2. Entertaining football
3. Good results
4. Winning things.
5. Affordable tickets.

Errm, soz, five things.

[Mazrim]

I think primarily its the belief that when watching your team you have an excellent chance of winning. It shouldnt be that way and for many, its not, but if you want the extra crowds on top of the hardcore you have to offer something. A hope of winning, even if its just the game.

But that alone isnt enough to get big, big crowds. Under MON we had a fair winning percentage but crowds never went into the 41-43k+ average it could do. In only one season (2007/08) did we play the kind of cavalier style people might call entertaining and even then we leaked goals and lost/drew more than we should have done. But we had the highest crowds for years and there was a buzz about the place. We still lacked one or two wow signings though that, in my opinion, would have sealed the deal. For all our endeavour and industry we also lacked a bit of sophistication in our play, a bit of flair that adds that extra bit of entertainment.

So to sum up, you need a bit of both. A chance of winning silverware AND winning with some style. There's no reason why Villa cant get big big crowds, in the 50k range, regularly if both of those criteria are met. But its a big ask and a big financial risk.

I think we're going to be reasonably successful and entertaining once Houllier has had some time putting his plans into motion. Even if he wont be the manager to see it to fruition.

[nick harper]

I can remember a game v Middlesbrough in the Gregory era where we won 1-0 and Ellis made some veiled comment in the press about the dull football and lack of excitement. Gregory responded that winning was everything but it is not the case as others have said. His sides rarely filled the ground.

Winning is important but excitement is what regularly seems to pack villa Park out.

[KevinGage]

If you look at last season -where we had decent spells unbeaten and were in the hunt (largely as outsiders) for 4th right up until the penultimate weekend of the campaign- it still wasn't enough to sell out every home game.

17 wins in total, that's could be viewed as a decent impression of winning football. Yet the football was so turgid at home that there was only so long that could go on before it impacted on attendances. The recession played a part too, obv.

But if you contrast that to 07/08 when we weren't realistically in the hunt for top 4 and had some up and down results the attendances were better. More defeats at home that year, but when we won we tended to win well.

To feel like we're on the move again it will probably need a combination of decent signings and a decent sequence of results. I'd suggest the latter is also dependent of the former so for me it's not an either/ or scenario.

[glasses]

Less football on TV

[not3bad]

No more boom and bust.

[barrysleftfoot]

  Winning, full stop.

  This side will be entertaining, the foward plyers are very entertaining, when the balance/clientele up front is sorted, then we will be very entertaining, and i think bums will be put back on seats.