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The missing fans!
- Thread starter Mork
- Start date
The average attendance this season of over 8K is 15% up on last season, a season in which we broke even apparently.
I would hope that if we stay in the top 3, we will be pushing an average 9K for the season. I would think this is higher than the record points season with Luggy so what is the issue?
(edited to add -Thanks to GOS - average home attendance for 2001-02 was 8,788).
We would all love massive crowds every week but this is league 2 and we have played poo for 5 or more years. The enthusiasm will spread and the crowds will grow if the team keep playing attacking football and stay in the top 3.
If we budgeted for the same support as last year then we are most likely building up a fighting fund to help us push on in January (depending on what the win bonus is of course).
I would hope that if we stay in the top 3, we will be pushing an average 9K for the season. I would think this is higher than the record points season with Luggy so what is the issue?
(edited to add -Thanks to GOS - average home attendance for 2001-02 was 8,788).
We would all love massive crowds every week but this is league 2 and we have played poo for 5 or more years. The enthusiasm will spread and the crowds will grow if the team keep playing attacking football and stay in the top 3.
If we budgeted for the same support as last year then we are most likely building up a fighting fund to help us push on in January (depending on what the win bonus is of course).
This whole debate is so circular. It comes round and round and round. Yes, Plymouth is a big enough City. Yes, it has a large catchment. No, the support for the club is not as strong as it might be, or as strong as equivalent sized places. No, we aren't a big club, but a medium sized one that has a decent hard core of passionate support. So I am more interested in those that do come, and travel massive distances, particularly our amazing away support, than obsessing about those that live locally and do not. We'd like more people of course, but history tells us that our support beyond the 7000 odd is flakey. Do we need to keep on telling ourselves that? Do something positive instead. If you can afford to do so, buy a ticket for a mate or even better a child who might get the bug to come.
7,000 is about our level .
We get bigger crowds when people turn up for one off games , Boxing Day , Derby games, play offs etc, but those additional ones in reality are the ones who don't come back, win lose or draw.
Doesn't bother me, other than people moaning about queues when they do , just take their money and accept they won't be back the following week.
We get bigger crowds when people turn up for one off games , Boxing Day , Derby games, play offs etc, but those additional ones in reality are the ones who don't come back, win lose or draw.
Doesn't bother me, other than people moaning about queues when they do , just take their money and accept they won't be back the following week.
You have to remember that for the likes of Oxford, Bristol Rovers, Luton etc, there must be on average, say, 500 away fans...if we had over 7,500 there yesterday then the gate wouldn't seem so 'low'. Like others have said, we'll draw 9-10k after Christmas if we remain in the top 3 and that'll increase to 11-14k after Easter. We still have big crowd drawers v Exeter (twice), Yeovil, Orient (presuming they'll still be up there), Wycombe, Luton etc.
Knarf Reprah":1qnx8913 said:
They are up on last year, which was up on the year before, which was up on the year before that.
We got on average 2000 more EVERY GAME in Sheridan's first full season vs Hodges last full season. For me the best like for like comparison in on field performance at this level.
The current average attendance is second highest we've had in this division behind Sturrock's promotion season. If we keep our league position we'll easily beat that, although 3 sides of the ground was under construction for the first half of that season.
So compared to previous seasons in this division, both recent and historical, our gates are higher. So our crowds are going up, not down. QED.
The crowd on Boxing Day,when we host Luggy's Yeovil will be the mother of all attendances.In fact if we are still top or near the top it may be in the club's interests to install temporary seating in the Mayflower,as crowds always get higher come the run in..
Concerning attendances and how things can change for a club, I remember us playing Newcastle Utd away in the second tier in the days before the premiership. The score 2-2, the attendance at Newcastle was around 9,000. Look at them now. The difference ?
They went on to get their product right, we didn't.
They went on to get their product right, we didn't.
Mork":mqk6oc58 said:The factors generally listed on this thread are just excuses for a poor turnout, the reality is only 5200 actually bothered coming on Tuesday, considering the start we've had,that was really poor! I used to always compare us to the likes of Portsmouth etc, I know how big this club can be, but Portsmouths gate was 2 1/2 times bigger than ours, we always say given success see the crowds shoot up! We should have attracted more IMHO. :scarf:Clarke_B":mqk6oc58 said:6K is a fantastic turnout considering all the factors listed by other people. Think the OP needs a dose of prozac
PS. I prefer venalfaxine :thumbs:
I would happily turn out on a Tuesday if someone would pay the 400 quid airfare and persuaded my boss I could miss work for two days. I regularly come to games at weekends when I can fit them in when I am in country, but midweeks have always been out of the question even before I started working abroad. I am sure there are hundreds or even maybe thousands in the same boat who travel to Plymouth at a weekend but struggle to get the time on a weekday. Hate it when those of us who go on Saturdays are labelled as 'cant be bothered' when numbers are down when circumstances dictate midweeks are not possible.
H
HPRJohn
Guest
There is no one reason for why people cant turn up to every game. It will be a combination of factors with varying degrees of severity / importance. The size of the game may well override factors deemed to be less severe / important. I am a ST holder yet I have only seen 4 games this season 3 home and Wimbledon away on opening day. My reasons for missing games have been varied, for example Barnet at home my wife has been ill and I didn't want to leave her on her tod - This is a factor of high importance / severity to me and no game would have tempted me down to home park on that night. Home to Bristol Rovers I missed because I was buggered after a difficult week at work and didn't fancy the drive from Paignton to Argyle as I had already clocked up nearly 1000 miles at work that week... However if it'd been a clinch promotion / the title match I'd have downed a red bull and gone down.
Fair play to all you people who drop everything to get down for every game - I used to be one of you - but I can safely say I love Argyle as much as the next person, sometimes though other things take precedence.
Fair play to all you people who drop everything to get down for every game - I used to be one of you - but I can safely say I love Argyle as much as the next person, sometimes though other things take precedence.
Not strictly true and certainly not "going up end of".Last 4 seasons have been 6,900, 7,100, 7,300 and 7,400 which taking into account the non attending season ticket holders have only been included in the last two seasons means they have basically been static for four years. This season of course they are a little higher with the good start and Pompey and Rovers played at home already and no doubt they will continue to better in a promotion chasing season.loyal1970":g288m8qp said:
