Disappointing attendances

[Guest Howaythetoon]

I regard our attendances nothing short of fantastic. No club in the land would pull in the kind of numbers we do on such a consistent basis with such a lack of success and with all the trials and tribulations this club has endured not just recently but time and time again over many a generation. I was in York yesterday and the client was a Leeds fan. He couldn't shut up about our attendances last season. He said to get over 50K in that division was staggering, a feat he reckoned not many could emulate. Toon fans are too analytical for our own good, constantly making trivial matters seem a major issue. I guarantee when rival fans see our attendance figures, regardless of whatever club affiliation they belong to, they, just like the Leeds fan, cannot help but admire such large numbers. Our attendances are not disappointing but rather encouraging. They may not be as high as past attendances and may fluctuate quite wildly at times seemingly, but to average what we do on such a regular basis is the main reason why this club of ours remains such a big club, such a top club, because quite frankly there isn't much else to it these days. I travel all over these isles and the one constant when NUFC is being discussed is how highly our following, i.e the numbers, is regarded. Except within NE1 it seems.... but that's Toon fans all over. Far too self critical.

[pedro111]

Semtex, you never heard of the Metro like?

 

Too much hassle to get into town from Forest Hall? Thank fuck you don't live in Whitley or South Shields.

 

 

 

They've got metro stations. I don't.

 

Plus, you're not accounting for how lazy I am.

 

Fuck right off!, You could get to Benton or Palmersville station quicker than some people in Whitley could get to Whitley Bay station.  Goddamn you are lazy my man.

[SEMTEX]

Semtex, you never heard of the Metro like?

 

Too much hassle to get into town from Forest Hall? Thank fuck you don't live in Whitley or South Shields.

 

 

 

They've got metro stations. I don't.

 

Plus, you're not accounting for how lazy I am.

 

Fuck right off!, You could get to Benton or Palmersville station quicker than some people in Whitley could get to Whitley Bay station.  Goddamn you are lazy my man.

 

It's like 25 minutes away. I don't remember the last time I walked anywhere 25 minutes away.

[pedro111]

Semtex, you never heard of the Metro like?

 

Too much hassle to get into town from Forest Hall? Thank fuck you don't live in Whitley or South Shields.

 

 

 

They've got metro stations. I don't.

 

Plus, you're not accounting for how lazy I am.

 

Fuck right off!, You could get to Benton or Palmersville station quicker than some people in Whitley could get to Whitley Bay station.  Goddamn you are lazy my man.

 

It's like 25 minutes away. I don't remember the last time I walked anywhere 25 minutes away.

 

Although it is shocking, I find it hard not to respect your laziness.

[MKSC]

I can't really get too involved in this debate as I don't and can't go to many matches. But I can say with absolute certainty that if I lived within reasonable distance of SJP then I would be at every game I could make, regardless of the section I had to sit in and if I needed a membership or not.

 

But that's just me, everyone is entitled to make their own decisions for whatever reasons.

[pedro111]

SEMTEX=

http://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/laziness.jpg

[Big Geordie]

The club missed out on a real trick by making L7 membership only. Could it be that it's because that was the part of the ground that was more vocal with the anti-Ashley protests last season, and so he wants to know who is where up there so if anyone steps outta line, they can be barred straightaway.

 

One question - are folk still allowed to stand up there during games, of have the stewards got more handy this season?

[SEMTEX]

SEMTEX=

http://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/laziness.jpg

 

Beer and Pizza cost money.

[Disco]

Dan pays a hard price for all his Apple shit.

[SEMTEX]

Bought from the US on a student discount. As cheap as possible.

[Boosden]

The club missed out on a real trick by making L7 membership only. Could it be that it's because that was the part of the ground that was more vocal with the anti-Ashley protests last season, and so he wants to know who is where up there so if anyone steps outta line, they can be barred straightaway.

 

One question - are folk still allowed to stand up there during games, of have the stewards got more handy this season?

 

Not had any problems standing as yet.

Had 6 empty seats next to me on Sunday they were never empty last season.

[Big Geordie]

Great avatar, Boosden. She's a little royster-doyster!

[Disco]

Great avatar, Boosden. She's a little royster-doyster!

 

can't say I've heard that one before.

[Big Geordie]

For royster-doyster see 'goer'

[Guest michaelfoster]

Big Geordie showing his age there

[Guest neesy111]

Hasn't walked anywhere in 25 mins, that's bad I have to say.  I walk 4 miles at least 3 times a week.

[merlin]

Dunno if its been posted:

 

Newcastle’s return to Premier League sets crowd levels on course for record

 

By Brian Sears

28 September 2010

 

Premier League attendance levels have risen year-on-year, and if the trend at this fledging stage of the season remains constant through the campaign, crowds will hit record levels in 2010-11, according to analysis and projections by sportingintelligence.

 

Our statistical reasoning is summarised in the table below, more of which in a moment, but the simple explanation is that Newcastle United’s big crowds are key to the positive change. The Toon Army are back in hefty numbers and they will be key to the making or (not) breaking of a divisional attendance record.

 

Top-flight crowds overall are holding up reasonably well with a few exceptions. As our table shows, Everton’s crowds for their home games in August and September are up 2.1 per cent on the levels in the same months last year, while Fulham, Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham are all up too, albeit slightly.

The biggest fallers are Wigan (down more than 12 per cent), Bolton, Blackburn and Stoke, while the rest of the clubs have dipped just a bit compared to the same time last year, when most clubs had also played three home league games, as now.

 

The key to the predicted overall rise in crowds, possibly to record levels, is the replacement of relegated Hull, Burnley and Portsmouth with Newcastle, West Brom and Blackpool.

The newcomers have respectively averaged home crowds so far this season of 45,019, 23,442, and 15,715, for a total average home gate for the trio of 84,177 (note 1 in the table), whereas Hull, Burnley and Pompey had total average home gates at this stage last season of 61,935 (note 2). So the newcomers collectively, thanks to Newcastle, are attracting more than 22,000 extra people per home match to the Premier League.

But our calculations for the season’s total cannot be based on something as simple as Newcastle bringing in 22,000-plus people per 19 home games. Naw pet; it’s not that simple.

Look instead at the total number of tickets sold in the Premier League in August and September 2009 (2,170,949 in 66 games for an average crowd of 32,893) and then compare it to the numbers this year, or 2,085,366 in 60 games for an average of 34,756 (see note 3).

 

That is the key trend to note: that increase in average gate across the division of 5.66 per cent.

 

Now look at what happened to the average gate for the whole of 2009-10: it grew from 32,893 at the end of September to 34,151 by the season’s end, for all the normal reasons including the slow seasonal starts because of holidays being boosted later during the festive season at Christmas and by run-ins with all kinds of honours to chase and ignominies to avoid.

The “uplift” in the end-of-September average to the end-of-season average was 3.82 per cent or thereabouts last season and if we apply that same uplift to the current average of 34,756, then the season’s average becomes 36,085 fans per game (note 4) and the season’s total will become 13,712,366, or a record number of fans in the Premier League era, pipping the 13,708,875 total of 2007-08.

There are no guarantees, of course. These are early days and that record of three seasons ago could stand unbeaten for a while yet.

 

But the statistics certainly suggest a challenge is in the offing, and there is some spare capacity at key grounds (including Newcastle and West Brom) to allow average crowds to get bigger yet. Newcastle are currently averaging 45,000 in a stadium that holds more than 52,000. As Delia might say: great support from many of the Toon, now let’s be ‘avin the rest of you.

 

http://www.sportingintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/PL-record-crowds-28.9.10.jpg

 

...and after we got relegated, Scudamore, that oh-so-not-so-whizz kid that runs the PL, said the Pl 'wouldn't miss Newcastle at all'...

 

I said he was wrong then, and for the same reason that Sears writes about. Our crowds are still lower than they used to be though.

[Guest Roger Kint]

The club missed out on a real trick by making L7 membership only. Could it be that it's because that was the part of the ground that was more vocal with the anti-Ashley protests last season, and so he wants to know who is where up there so if anyone steps outta line, they can be barred straightaway.

 

 

Its disgusting the fat bastard has given those cheaper seats a further discount AND an easier ticket option than before by introducing a membership, we should all BOYCOUTT the next game for this shit!!!!

[Big Geordie]

Why introduce a membership scheme for that area of the ground at all, Roger?

[Benwell Lad]

The club missed out on a real trick by making L7 membership only. Could it be that it's because that was the part of the ground that was more vocal with the anti-Ashley protests last season, and so he wants to know who is where up there so if anyone steps outta line, they can be barred straightaway.

 

One question - are folk still allowed to stand up there during games, of have the stewards got more handy this season?

 

I sit close to there, not in it, and seemed like everyone was standing as normal. Also despite not being full it was as full as anywhere else and certainly not 1/3 full as someone said, probably 80% full - just like the rest of the ground was.

[Guest Roger Kint]

Why introduce a membership scheme for that area of the ground at all, Roger?

 

I dont know but the theory of locating Ashley bashers is just daft. I said from the start it wasnt something i agreed with but since its here and beneficial to people i cant see an issue. My guess would be easier ticketing as there would be updated cards whenever a game is purchased rather than posting paper tickets each time. As its better than free i really cant see why theres bleating over it at all.

 

 

[Guest Roger Kint]

The club missed out on a real trick by making L7 membership only. Could it be that it's because that was the part of the ground that was more vocal with the anti-Ashley protests last season, and so he wants to know who is where up there so if anyone steps outta line, they can be barred straightaway.

 

One question - are folk still allowed to stand up there during games, of have the stewards got more handy this season?

 

I sit close to there, not in it, and seemed like everyone was standing as normal. Also despite not being full it was as full as anywhere else and certainly not 1/3 full as someone said, probably 80% full - just like the rest of the ground was.

 

With the away section being emptier than last year i think its given the feel of 1/3 full as their fans are further away, like you said its a problem the whole ground has - the 3 rows behind me had 8 people in v Stoke, all students from Yorkshire on a day out and nobody else

[SEMTEX]

Why introduce a membership scheme for that area of the ground at all, Roger?

 

I dont know but the theory of locating Ashley bashers is just daft. I said from the start it wasnt something i agreed with but since its here and beneficial to people i cant see an issue. My guess would be easier ticketing as there would be updated cards whenever a game is purchased rather than posting paper tickets each time. As its better than free i really cant see why theres bleating over it at all.

 

 

 

I'm not particularly anti-Ashley, but I still think this is a stupid scheme, as said before, just makes things a little harder. Scaring off the fair-weather types.

[Benwell Lad]

 

Mick- the whole disscusion started over people wanting to in in L7 for a better atmosphere. but yeah, I accept there is the option of going in another part of the ground, which is how it is going to turn out. But I would have prefered the option of walking up to L7 and paying on the door like I did last season.

 

I preferred standing in the Leazes and was gutted when they pulled it down, I still enjoyed going in to the Gallowgate, even if it wasn't quite as good.

 

Im sure us oldies have been here before- My dad used to take me in the leazes corner next east stand, them fuckers in the middle section then were mental- was that you?

 

 

Btw ive just read TT post our average this seaso is 45k.... wtf is dissapointing about that?

 

We've certainly been there before - but why not harp on about it again - it was an amazing experience which could only be witnessed in some Turkish or S.American stadium nowadays.

It was violent, passionate, crammed, bordering on uncivilised and deafeningly loud but far better than anywhere I've ever stood or sat since.

The "scoreboard" and "corner" which came next in the Gallowgate were decent but didn't even get close to the old Leazes End atmosphere.

[Guest Roger Kint]

Why introduce a membership scheme for that area of the ground at all, Roger?

 

I dont know but the theory of locating Ashley bashers is just daft. I said from the start it wasnt something i agreed with but since its here and beneficial to people i cant see an issue. My guess would be easier ticketing as there would be updated cards whenever a game is purchased rather than posting paper tickets each time. As its better than free i really cant see why theres bleating over it at all.

 

 

 

I'm not particularly anti-Ashley, but I still think this is a stupid scheme, as said before, just makes things a little harder. Scaring off the fair-weather types.

 

I agree to an extent, they could have just left it optional tbh. End of the day its not really a big deal some make out.