woeful attendance

[oldtimernow]

Liverpool & Bolton  derby produced Anfield's lowest attendance for 7 years so doesn't that also tell us something.

After splashing all that money out where were the Scousers?

Let's get real perhaps RL is ahead of the game and can see that the gate paying public are less likely to stump up the cash for the second rate fixtures and perhaps players need to get real with their wage expectations when the average working bloke is having to make cutbacks to survive an economic downturn.

[lennythekad]

Liverpool & Bolton  derby produced Anfield's lowest attendance for 7 years so doesn't that also tell us something.

After splashing all that money out where were the Scousers?

Let's get real perhaps RL is ahead of the game and can see that the gate paying public are less likely to stump up the cash for the second rate fixtures and perhaps players need to get real with their wage expectations when the average working bloke is having to make cutbacks to survive an economic downturn.

Not sure where you got that stat from as that was virtually a full house at Anfield yesterday, less a couple of hundred. They had 35000 last season for a game when Hodgson was in charge, and regularly flit between 41000 and 44000

[richard moore]

I'm 38 years of age, I've travelled all over England and Europe watching Villa and had a season ticket since I was 15.  I chose not to renew this season and I don't intend to go even on a match by match basis.

I feel so sorry for Randy, he is an amazing owner who has done so much for the club - the problem is he isn't wealthy enough and he's feeling the financial cost of giving O'Neill a free reign to do as he liked giving salaries of the likes of Beye, Harewood, Heskey etc.

I chose not to renew after the Collins/Dunne shenanigans last season, this on top of the stories of Warnock's alleged misbehaviour and the comments made by Stephen Ireland I decided enough was enough. I work my arse off and do over 50 hours per week to provide for my family. As times are getting harder I decided I wasn't prepared to give these millionaires any more of my money.

When we were going through that really shitty time last season and we were looking at relegation it made me think 'would it change my mind if we did get relegated?' - I think had we have been relegated I probably would have renewed, the arseholes would have wanted to stay in the Premier League and I would be watching likes of Barry Bannan, Chris Herd, Ciaran Clark and Nathan Baker slug their guts out for the club instead of the above mentioned arseholes.

I received a letter from Paul Faulkner in the week as i'm one of the 'chose not to renew' people his letter was completely uninspiring, and merely just a begging letter to attend the games when I could.

People are voting with their feet, it isn't so much a Villa problem, but a football problem. We aren't going to win anything, we'll finish somewhere between 8th-15th, we'll struggle to break teams down at Villa Park who play 5 across the middle, it's boring, it's dull, it's predictable. I certainly don't intend to fork out for a match ticket either when I can watch it on an internet stream for nothing or down the pub and have 3 or 4 beers.

My reason is nothing to do with McLeish, I don't like him particularly but I support (or did) Aston Villa - not a person.

Who said you were allowed to be me then? Brilliant post, absolutely how I feel. I just refuse to give up my very hard earned cash to such a morally bankrupt cause as the Premier League. The whole thing stinks from top to bottom and I could list a 100 reasons why my interest is waning by the day and would struggle to find 2 or 3 to justify any maintainenance of that interest. I'm torn between admiring people who turn up week in week out as fantastic, loyal fans and so much 'better' than me in that respect and thinking they are in fact bloody idiots...which I mean in a more general sense across all of the clubs, rather than wishing to insult anyone on here which would be the last thing I wish to do

[wozwebs]

Am close to thinking this also. At times yesterday I thought about what I could be doing instead. I'm also going now out of loyalty to the club and because I have put in all the effort in the past 22 years. As said above it's Football in general not just Villa.

[Ads]

I think the analogy with Alton Towers was more to do with the fact that Alton Towers is a really expensive day out, yet cheaper than Going to Villa park

Exactly. It's the opportunity cost of the money in your wallet. £120 to entertain a family of 4 over the Bank Holiday. What you going to spend you money on? 90mins that will bore the kids and wife for 90mins or a full day out at Alton Towers.

Guess that makes me an unpopular part time supporter because I'd like to try engage the family in my passion - fact is it can be a bit dull and very very expensive.

The Alton Towers analogy is daft in the context of value for money.

While you may spend £43 multiplied by however many family members for 90 minutes of entertainment at B6, at Alton Towers your days is broken down as:

3 hours walking around
3 hours queuing up
23.5 minutes of ride time. If you’re lucky.

I'd choose football everytime and Alton Towers on a work day. Maybe. At least you might get on Ripsaw twice. But then its never been a choice. Asking your kids whether they want to go to the football?

[Chris Smith]

The nonsense spouted about MCLeish being a factor is shown up by all the empty seats in the Wolves end.

It's the wrong game to use to draw any conclusions from as there are so many things that will have impacted on the attendance.

Third home game in a week and this was the most expensive, early kick off, live on TV, bank holiday weekend, middle of the holiday season, Twenty/20 finals day and so on.

Each of those will have knocked numbers ofF the crowd.

Edit: question for those choosing not to go. Do you ever join in with the chants of "where were you when you were shit" when we play Chelsea.?

[DeKuip]

Earlier in the postings someone said the gate yesterday was 8,000 down.

Comparing our gates to the first two home games last season I'd say it's more 3,000.

First game last season v West Ham 36,600. Hammers brought about 2,300 more than Blackburn did so our 32,300 v Blackburn was effectively 2,000 down in terms of Villa support.

2nd game last season v Everton on the Bank Holiday weekend attracted 34,700. Everton brought about 1,000 more than Wolves so yesterday's gate of 30,700 was 3,000 down on that in terms of Villa support.

I would imagine that a 3,000 loss in support is about what the club would have been half expecting in the financial climate and with the negative mood of fans due to a combination things such as a perceived lack of ambition etc.

What the club now have to do though is address those problems. Pricing will only get cut if the outgoings come down - and the transfer fees/wages budget is clearly being tackled right now. And a manager has been appointed who is seen by the club as someone who can work within the tighter financial straits and eventually turn some of the doubters around by results on the pitch.

At least I hope thats the plan!

[garyshawsknee]

For whatever reason,staying at home is the only way fans can really make a protest. If other clubs attendances fall,then hopefully owners will realise that people have had enough of paying over the top prices,and that players wages have become obscene.

 But it needs virtually all of the clubs to do it,plenty of empty seats on the live matches won't look good on that cnut Schudamore next time he's in bed with the foregn T.V companies trying to get more dough out of them.

 But the trouble is that its easier to stay at home when your club isnt doing so well,or playing good football,when your in the top six and on cup runs,people will somehow find the money.

When Old Trafford and the Emirates are ten thousand or so down,then things may change.

[JJ-AV]

I was astounded when that number was announced, didn't look that empty to me.

[oldtimernow]

 

Liverpool & Bolton  derby produced Anfield's lowest attendance for 7 years so doesn't that also tell us something.

After splashing all that money out where were the Scousers?

Let's get real perhaps RL is ahead of the game and can see that the gate paying public are less likely to stump up the cash for the second rate fixtures and perhaps players need to get real with their wage expectations when the average working bloke is having to make cutbacks to survive an economic downturn.

Not sure where you got that stat from as that was virtually a full house at Anfield yesterday, less a couple of hundred. They had 35000 last season for a game when Hodgson was in charge, and regularly flit between 41000 and 44000

sorry misread the the BBC report, that was the attendance for last year..

Still stick by the rest of the post though

[maidstonevillain]

I think the analogy with Alton Towers was more to do with the fact that Alton Towers is a really expensive day out, yet cheaper than Going to Villa park

Exactly. It's the opportunity cost of the money in your wallet. £120 to entertain a family of 4 over the Bank Holiday. What you going to spend you money on? 90mins that will bore the kids and wife for 90mins or a full day out at Alton Towers.

Guess that makes me an unpopular part time supporter because I'd like to try engage the family in my passion - fact is it can be a bit dull and very very expensive.

The Alton Towers analogy is daft in the context of value for money.

While you may spend £43 multiplied by however many family members for 90 minutes of entertainment at B6, at Alton Towers your days is broken down as:

3 hours walking around
3 hours queuing up
23.5 minutes of ride time. If you’re lucky.

I'd choose football everytime and Alton Towers on a work day. Maybe. At least you might get on Ripsaw twice. But then its never been a choice. Asking your kids whether they want to go to the football?

Did you see 23.5 minutes of entertaining football yesterday at Villa Park by any chance.

[mistymopcap]

We've had a poor season and we've had a deflating summer which has seen us lose some very good players many of whom have not been replaced. Add to that the fact that some are uninspired by the managerial appointment and add to that rising disaffection with modern football, the recession, the kick off time, the ticket prices and it should be no surprise that the attendance was so poor.

We have a large floating fan base who seem to turn out when there is the feel good factor around the club. We had unusually good attendances in MoN's second and third seasons for example.

Spot on.
Apart from when he quit, which, when aided by GH's appointmentment, condemned the team to a season of struggle, I can't understand the dissolutionment with MON that I've read on many occasions. He could see what was coming and after the hype and ambition that abounded when RL arrived I think he had justification to leave.
Instead of being alongside Spurs, we now aspire to be with the likes of Stoke and Bolton. In two or three seasons there will be re-balance in the Premiership and we may be nack in the mix. But until then ...

[kippaxvilla2]

Edit: question for those choosing not to go. Do you ever join in with the chants of "where were you when you were shit" when we play Chelsea.?

No.

[kippaxvilla2]

Chris you include a number of factors but don't include McLeish as being a single one of them.  Surely he has to be included.  Whatever way you decide to use stats, the fact is our average attendance across the last 5 seasons has been 38,000.  Two games in and we are at 31,000.  It's a worrying sign whichever way you look at it.

[The Red Fez]

Agree with Ozzjim wholeheartedly.

Used to be a season ticket holder before uni, and last season I went about 15 times at home, more than usual despite the shite offerings on the pitch. However, this was because I got freebies from a mate. I only paid once, and that was the FA Cup game v Blackburn for the umpteenth rematch.

If I didn't have these freebies, would I go? Would I shite! And not because I've stopped supporting them, stopped scanning the news feeds for Positive Villa news, stopped analysing every result/squad/team selection and how we could possibly get better with a little tweak, stopped getting in a right old arse when we lose/draw games we SHOULD win. But because I had a little check and realised for every free ticket I got, it should have cost £37. That is unbelievable. Money I would rather spend with the Mrs/Having a few beers/Putting fuel in the blood car etc. Priorities have changed!

And to think we really arent an expensive club to support!