St James' Park

[Wallsendmag]

5 minutes ago, Bellis80 said:

You can have more respect but they’re less loyal. For whatever reason they stopped going.

 

That's subjective. I know of one bloke who famously once told me he'd rather watch Coronation Street than a football match who bought a season ticket in the summer when Rafa left and Bruce came in because his 7 year old lad asked for one and "for that price why not?" as they were cheap as chips in Level 7. Half the time I'm not sure he was even aware of the full time score but his Facebook photos at the match got plenty of "likes" so he was happy.

 

On the other hand there was Keith Barrett. Obviously he got banned but even when his ban was lifted he refused to go back as he couldn't stomach what was happening at the club nor could he stomach the like of fight his fellow fans were putting up against Ashley and he'd have many a Facebook rant about that! Nobody is telling me that he isn't as loyal as that fan who bought a ticket for something to do, and there was many more like that!

 

Admittedly I only went to 2 home games during whilst Bruce was manager (Leicester and Oxford) and on both occasions there wasn't a single song came from the home end, not even the Gallowgate, for the entirety of either match. That's something I'd never experienced. No encouragement for the team or anything. Don't think we scored a goal in either game which wouldn't have helped mind!

[JCONA]

20 minutes ago, Bellis80 said:

You can have more respect but they’re less loyal. For whatever reason they stopped going.

I stopped going because I had zero loyalty to Cashly and refused to line his pockets any further. Rafa>Bruce was final straw. But it wasn't easy

[Orphanage]

The fans who stopped going during the Ashley years should be awarded medals 

[NUFC91]

What annoys me is how far people are blowing it out of preportion, going on as if we going to move ground to Glasgow and charge 8k a season ticket.

 

Got a lot of Spurs and Arsenal mate since i moved South and they all said a lot of fans were against movong grounds but sharp went quiet once they actually got into new ground.

 

 

[madras]

28 minutes ago, JJ7 said:

Na totally disagree with that. It’s not easy to stop going if you’ve always been and their reason was totally understandable. In my opinion, by continuing to go, we allowed him to continue doing what he did for longer than he probably would have had the majority of us stayed away. I had an element of guilt for still going. 

Regardless of that argument anyway, I still think we need to consider them, more recent, and future supporters. 

 But it is easier to stop going when it's a constant relegation battle.

 

Everyone had their reasons for stopping or going. Amongst those that still went there were very few Ashley fans and amongst those that stopped there were those that could use a boycott as an excuse for just stopping going when it was shit. There were loads that "boycotted" when we went down who came back as soon as we started winning. There were also a good few whose boycotting was legitimate.

[ryanegg]

49 minutes ago, Bellis80 said:

You can have more respect but they’re less loyal. For whatever reason they stopped going.

No chance they’re less loyal? why would you be lining somebody’s pockets who has next to no interest in giving you the best value for your money? A good portion who stayed only stayed as it was an excuse to get pissed and get away from the Mrs for a day. 
 

I swore that I wouldn’t return to St James until Ashley was gone after the Hull game where there was a piss poor attempt for the sack Pardew protest. I had two idiots behind me telling me to sit down when I held my banner up. Atmosphere dead, SD signs everywhere.. no chance I was doing an 8 hour round trip every week to witness that. 
 

Said it before, you’re not gonna keep going to your once favourite restaurant if they’re constantly serving you shit.
 

Ashley respected none of us.. each to their own if you wanted to give him your hard earned money, but I certainly wasn’t contributing. 

[bobbydazzla]

It becomes a more straightforward decision to stop going when Ashley and his parasites are bleeding your club dry and running it into the ground with sneering disdain for the supporters.

 

And lets not pretend the first few months of the new ownership were rosy for the fans who did return, they were some of the worst NUFC performances I've experienced and I've been going to the match for 30 years.

 

There was hope that there'd be a brighter future, but on the pitch it looked like we were destined to go down.

 

There's lots of differing sides to the discussion, everyone had their own reasons for staying or going. It's just a shame it continues to divide the fans over 2 years since the parasites were finally eradicated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 6, 2023 by bobbydazzla

[Dr.Spaceman]

1 hour ago, Bellis80 said:

You can have more respect but they’re less loyal. For whatever reason they stopped going.

 

Get fucked.

[SteV]

Always good when this ‘debate’ re-emerges…. ?

[J7]

9 minutes ago, bobbydazzla said:

It becomes a more straightforward decision to stop going when Ashley and his other parasites are bleeding your club dry and running it into the ground with absolute sneering disdain for the supporters.

 

And lets not pretend the first few months of the new ownership were rosy, they were some of the worst NUFC performances I've seen and I've been going to the match for 30 years.

 

There was hope that there'd be a brighter future, but on the pitch it looked like we were destined to go down.

 

There's lots of differing sides to the discussion, everyone had their own reasons for staying or going. It's just a shame it continues to divide the fans over 2 years since the parasites were finally eradicated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think that’s it. There were loads of different reasons to continue going or not. I’m not sure loyalty or lack of has much to do with it though I agree that many would stop and start going due to success on the pitch. The sub-40k crowds in the first Ashley Championship season soon jumped again when we continued to win. There are also a few who are seen as loyal of the loyal and who have hundreds of loyalty points but barely know what’s going on in a game because they’re so wasted and it’s more of a big piss up around the country with mates. 
 

Getting a little bit away from the main point though. Returners, new and future fans have to be considered. The ‘only consider the people who went when we were shit’ crew are being pretty selfish imo. 

[Jimburst]

37 minutes ago, ryanegg said:

No chance they’re less loyal? why would you be lining somebody’s pockets who has next to no interest in giving you the best value for your money? A good portion who stayed only stayed as it was an excuse to get pissed and get away from the Mrs for a day. 
 

I swore that I wouldn’t return to St James until Ashley was gone after the Hull game where there was a piss poor attempt for the sack Pardew protest. I had two idiots behind me telling me to sit down when I held my banner up. Atmosphere dead, SD signs everywhere.. no chance I was doing an 8 hour round trip every week to witness that. 
 

Said it before, you’re not gonna keep going to your once favourite restaurant if they’re constantly serving you shit.
 

Ashley respected none of us.. each to their own if you wanted to give him your hard earned money, but I certainly wasn’t contributing. 

That was my last game of the Ashley era too. For the same reasons.

[Groundhog63]

1 hour ago, Bellis80 said:

You can have more respect but they’re less loyal. For whatever reason they stopped going.

Or had better things to do with their time than sit with a load of boring losers who hadn't*

 

 

 

 

*I don't think that, just hoying it in the bullshit mix like you did. 

[et tu brute]

2 hours ago, Bellis80 said:

You can have more respect but they’re less loyal. For whatever reason they stopped going.

I missed two home games (due to illness) from the opening of the East stand until Rafa's last season. I also from 1980 until 2010 went to 80% of away games, until health issues became an issue. The reason I stopped going had nothing to do with loyalty, it was due to one person taking the absolute piss out of the supporters and dismantling a club by a thousand cuts.

 

 

Edited December 6, 2023 by et tu brute

[Groundhog63]

Logistics apart, St James is dated af. 

Given that and the fact the land it sits on is prime real estate. 

The fact the owners are unbridled capitalists

The fact football is ruled by money

The fact they're asking if you'd imbibe at the ground 2 hours before ko in expensive seats

£££££££££ on a move. More than likely away from the city centre so they can make more spondoolies 

[Groundhog63]

Ps 

If they could rebuild where it is, 100%

If they could build at Leazes Park and replace the park where the ground is now, 90%

If they build a new stadium near the Arena, 80%

Exhibition Park, 70%

 

[HawK]

36 minutes ago, Groundhog63 said:

Ps 

If they could rebuild where it is, 100%

If they could build at Leazes Park and replace the park where the ground is now, 90%

If they build a new stadium near the Arena, 80%

Exhibition Park, 70%

 

 

Didn't see those options on the sliders myself

[HawK]

I don't see the owners moving out of the vicinity of the city centre, a portion of the local economy exists largely on the income generated from home games throughout the season. Upping sticks and relocating could wipe out many businesses and put people out of work.

 

For everything the owners supposedly are, you can't say they're not engaged with fans. Creating unemployment in the city centre won't be getting much traction from any focus group either.

[Groundhog63]

25 minutes ago, HawK said:

 

Didn't see those options on the sliders myself

Aye, me neither ???

Wonder why ?

[madras]

1 hour ago, Groundhog63 said:

Logistics apart, St James is dated af. 

Given that and the fact the land it sits on is prime real estate. 

The fact the owners are unbridled capitalists

The fact football is ruled by money

The fact they're asking if you'd imbibe at the ground 2 hours before ko in expensive seats

£££££££££ on a move. More than likely away from the city centre so they can make more spondoolies 

Alternatively one of the things they stressed time and again what made us such an appealing asset was the city centre location (remember the land isn't theirs to sell) and if the club does well the city centre does well. ..... who has been buying up chunks of the city centre  for a few years ?

[Groundhog63]

5 minutes ago, madras said:

Alternatively one of the things they stressed time and again what made us such an appealing asset was the city centre location (remember the land isn't theirs to sell) and if the club does well the city centre does well. ..... who has been buying up chunks of the city centre  for a few years ?

At this point I'm like Indecisive Dave from the Fast show ???

 

 

Edited December 6, 2023 by Groundhog63

[Wandy]

This is the prime location for a Leazes move, and the new stadium would squeeze nicely in. The obstacle of course is swallowing up some of the park. Remedy that by making the current SJP land into new parkland, but maybe try to give it an "aged" look, to give the impression it's been there for decades.

 

 

[Stifler]

No fucking idea why people on Twitter are kicking off saying they are against moving. The questionnaire even says that it would be on the current site of SJP, and then asked you if you would be against it based on various distances from SJP.

It’s possible for you to say that you would like a new ground but stay on the same location.

[madras]

14 minutes ago, Stifler said:

No fucking idea why people on Twitter are kicking off saying they are against moving. The questionnaire even says that it would be on the current site of SJP, and then asked you if you would be against it based on various distances from SJP.

It’s possible for you to say that you would like a new ground but stay on the same location.

New ground on the same location would mean playing elsewhere for at least 2yrs.

[Stifler]

1 minute ago, madras said:

New ground on the same location would mean playing elsewhere for at least 2yrs.

Rather that than at Silverlink for 50.

[madras]

2 minutes ago, Stifler said:

Rather that than at Silverlink for 50.

Bugger.....hadn't realised they were the only choices.