Gaps & Spaces = the sign of apathy

[MarkM]

If you look at the link I posted above (if it works!) it's only really the last few seasons that have had what we could term large attendances.

When we won the league we had a league average of 34k

In the 80's it was down to the mid - high teens, I remember when breaking 20k was a great attendance.

[ozzjim]

The trouble with football clubs turning the game in to a product is that when it's a bit shit and over-priced, consumers stay away.

Summed up almost perfectly. Indeed, it is a line that the premier league and their members should stick above the door when they negotiate their next TV rights deal. Beacuase I am getting to the point where I have given up going down, and am not even bothered about watching it period. I can watch Villa online, but through my sports channels I have watched about 2 games all season. Not sure if there are other factors, but the money and the lack of competitiveness in the league in general makes it very dull, while for Villa I can predict exactly how we are going to play every week, it is going to be hard to watch, attritional stuff. There is no interesting things happening, there is no ambition to be up there and no plan to get there, which is understandable as you need to spend half a billion quid to do so. The sooner the game is sorted, worldwide, to bring wages into the normal world, ticket prices down and the leagues are much, much more competitive, with teams outside the top 3-4 being able to win the Cup, the league, have a great run and make it to a cup final etc the better.

Eventually the product will get very stale and people will get very bored before long.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

If you look at the link I posted above (if it works!) it's only really the last few seasons that have had what we could term large attendances.

When we won the league we had a league average of 34k

In the 80's it was down to the mid - high teens, I remember when breaking 20k was a great attendance.

In the bad old days in the 60s it would be no shock to get 14/15,000 for a game. As a kid down at the front of the Holte End you never really noticed the size of the crowd.
With the shit we've played this season and the lack of desire to play a passing/possession game and being outdone by really average teams (like WBA!!), I can only see gates falling even further. If we played a bit shit but won every game 1-0 I guarantee people would turn up. More would turn up if we played nice stuff. Supply and demand?

[villa `cross the mersey]

If you look at the link I posted above (if it works!) it's only really the last few seasons that have had what we could term large attendances.

When we won the league we had a league average of 34k

In the 80's it was down to the mid - high teens, I remember when breaking 20k was a great attendance.

In the bad old days in the 60s it would be no shock to get 14/15,000 for a game. As a kid down at the front of the Holte End you never really noticed the size of the crowd.
With the shit we've played this season and the lack of desire to play a passing/possession game and being outdone by really average teams (like WBA!!), I can only see gates falling even further. If we played a bit shit but won every game 1-0 I guarantee people would turn up. More would turn up if we played nice stuff. Supply and demand?

Winning on a regular basis would be a start, as would players at least looking like they care ....and I am looking at  Dunne, Bent, NZogbia and Warnock

[pauliewalnuts]

This summer they sold two of our best players - again - didnt replace them, appointed the bloke who got Blues relegated twice.

Is anyone even remotely surprised crowds are down so much?

Theyve brought it entirely upon themselves, unfortunately. I don't know if it is because they don't care or because they're genuinely clueless. Or both.

[PaulWinch again]

This summer they sold two of our best players - again - didnt replace them, appointed the bloke who got Blues relegated twice.

Is anyone even remotely surprised crowds are down so much?

Theyve brought it entirely upon themselves, unfortunately. I don't know if it is because they don't care or because they're genuinely clueless. Or both.

Precisely my thoughts, if the club want to increase revenue then selling your best players and performing terribly is not going to work. It is pretty desperate at the moment and looks hopeless. If Randy can't see that he may as well jack it in.

[Dave Clark Five]

How many season tickets have we actually sold? Just how low can the crowd go for a league game as season tickets are counted in the attendance whether they turn up or not? 

[pauliewalnuts]

Yesterday was horrible. Not just because of the result, but because of the whole thing.

People weren't even getting angry around us. There's a feeling of resignation and accepting mediocrity.

[PaulWinch again]

There isn't any sense of anger. It's like the Citeh game last week, there was a general acceptance we'd get battered.

[pauliewalnuts]

How many season tickets have we actually sold? Just how low can the crowd go for a league game as season tickets are counted in the attendance whether they turn up or not? 

20,000 according to the club just after the start of the season.

[Ad@m]

This summer they sold two of our best players - again - didnt replace them, appointed the bloke who got Blues relegated twice.

Is anyone even remotely surprised crowds are down so much?

Theyve brought it entirely upon themselves, unfortunately. I don't know if it is because they don't care or because they're genuinely clueless. Or both.

I think it's that the new breed of multi-millionaire owners are clueless when it comes to football fans.

They're all fantastic businessmen, have looked at football and seen the loyalty fans show and have assumed, incorrectly, that no matter what prices they charge and what gets put out on the pitch, the fans will keep on coming.

Unfortunately, football getting increasingly uncompetitive and the impact of the recession has meant the majority of working class fans are starting to think twice about paying £40 to watch us roll over and have our tummy tickled by an average Baggies side.

The bubble will burst eventually but who knows when.  Pretty much since the Premier League started there's been talk of the bubble bursting but that was 20 years ago and it's still getting bigger.

[Gaztonniller]

If you look at the link I posted above (if it works!) it's only really the last few seasons that have had what we could term large attendances.

When we won the league we had a league average of 34k

In the 80's it was down to the mid - high teens, I remember when breaking 20k was a great attendance.

The trouble with football clubs turning the game in to a product is that when it's a bit shit and over-priced, consumers stay away.

Summed up almost perfectly. Indeed, it is a line that the premier league and their members should stick above the door when they negotiate their next TV rights deal. Beacuase I am getting to the point where I have given up going down, and am not even bothered about watching it period. I can watch Villa online, but through my sports channels I have watched about 2 games all season. Not sure if there are other factors, but the money and the lack of competitiveness in the league in general makes it very dull, while for Villa I can predict exactly how we are going to play every week, it is going to be hard to watch, attritional stuff. There is no interesting things happening, there is no ambition to be up there and no plan to get there, which is understandable as you need to spend half a billion quid to do so. The sooner the game is sorted, worldwide, to bring wages into the normal world, ticket prices down and the leagues are much, much more competitive, with teams outside the top 3-4 being able to win the Cup, the league, have a great run and make it to a cup final etc the better.

Eventually the product will get very stale and people will get very bored before long.

@ MM,  those larger attendances also correlates to the times of competing for a top six finish, and dare i say the recent excitement/ expectation of being up for challenging the bigger spenders under MON.

@ Ozzjim, It sounds like a very serious case of apathy. 

[SteveD]

Football crowds are cyclical while the price of watching is going inexorably upwards. The bubble won't burst, it's just leaking slowly, month by month. Blind faith and passion apart, there isn't a sensible reason for paying £35-40 to watch the like of yesterday's entertainment. Maybe we should be amazed that 34,000 did go. And also that football clubs take billions of pounds in TV money and then wonder why some choose to stay at home/pub and watch it there, legally or otherwise.

As for the sense of entitlement that Villa should be on the honours board every season - we have won the League once in 100 years and the FA Cup once in the last 90. The "proud history" is in sepia for the most part, apart from two years of glory 30 years ago, and unless we are owned by an oil billionaire that's unlilkely to change.

All I ask, is we play with a bit more heart, focus and style than we saw yesterday.

[Chipsticks]

I'm still partial to the idea that we become a 'Fan's club', in that we settle for mid-table finishes, but strive for lower ticket prices, and attractive football.

[London Villan]

I wonder if other groups of fans are having the same discussions.