Points Deduction AGAIN

[Mid Sussex Royal]

97/98 - relegation season from 2nd tier - average attendance 9,625

98/99 down in the 3rd tier we finish mid table - average attendance 12,113

98/99 first season at mad stad though, so a load of new STH's - if we'd still been at Elm Park we'd have been around 6k

Great. If we get relegated we won't be at Elm Park in the 90s.

We'll be at the Madejski in 2023, and our average attendance will not be 4 figures.

I was just making the point why attendances went up over those 2 particular seasons

We'd average 8-10k is my best guess if we go down, based on an average season. May get 13/14k against the likes of Pompey but you have to counter that against the less fashionable sides, and as said our fan base isn't the most loyal

[Winston Biscuit]

I think our league position and quality of football would have a significant impact on attendance numbers

[Snowflake Royal]

98/99 first season at mad stad though, so a load of new STH's - if we'd still been at Elm Park we'd have been around 6k

Great. If we get relegated we won't be at Elm Park in the 90s.

We'll be at the Madejski in 2023, and our average attendance will not be 4 figures.

I was just making the point why attendances went up over those 2 particular seasons

We'd average 8-10k is my best guess if we go down, based on an average season. May get 13/14k against the likes of Pompey but you have to counter that against the less fashionable sides, and as said our fan base isn't the most loyal

We're not going to lose 5k from an already low point.

You're completely ignoring novelty of playing against sides we haven't played regularly in ages, expectations of a better season and possible promotion campaign, relief at the inevitable finally happening. Probably a new manager, easier transition for exciting youth players.

I don't think the attendance will drop much at all that first season at least. May even go up.

[Winston Biscuit]

After around 20 years of having one (and many years of attending each game before then without one) I had to give up my season ticket 3 years back due to family circumstances. If we go down I think it likely I would get a season ticket back. Stay up and I almost certainly won't.

[genome]

Samesies, I would actually be more likely to go next year if Reading go down. Languishing for season after season being shit but just doing enough to stay up has completely killed my enthusiasm for the club.

[The Royal Forester]

I remember the days at Elm Park when we thought 8000 was a MASSIVE crowd. when we were in the third tier. Please remind of our lowest attendance at E P, was it something like 3-4000? If Dai was to put the club up for sale who would buy it having to pay umpteen million to pay of the club's debt? With no buyer, he could easily just let the club go bust (just like two others he has owned). He can just cut his loses, to save having to lose yet more money, keeping the club afloat, Remember he will still own the Stadium and Training Ground, a nice bit of property to keep hold of or sell on for other purposes to help reduce his loss. I imagine the training Ground could be converted to a sporting complex quite easily, the stadium could be harder to sell but even that could be leased out to become a speedway track, athletics track and/or other sports.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

I remember the days at Elm Park when we thought 8000 was a MASSIVE crowd. when we were in the third tier. Please remind of our lowest attendance at E P, was it something like 3-4000? If Dai was to put the club up for sale who would buy it having to pay umpteen million to pay of the club's debt? With no buyer, he could easily just let the club go bust (just like two others he has owned). He can just cut his loses, to save having to lose yet more money, keeping the club afloat, Remember he will still own the Stadium and Training Ground, a nice bit of property to keep hold of or sell on for other purposes to help reduce his loss. I imagine the training Ground could be converted to a sporting complex quite easily, the stadium could be harder to sell but even that could be leased out to become a speedway track, athletics track and/or other sports.

Less than that, early 80's gates, during the bad hooliganism era, they were regularly less than 3k.

[Winston Biscuit]

I remember the excitement on the build up to the Stockport game in 93-94 after christmas where it was known it would be a sell out. Felt mad on matchday being in a crowd that size!

[Hound]

Yeah doubt going down would have a massive impact on attendances tbh

Prob be some hit where crap teams in the div1 would bring considerably less than the average champ away attendance but reckon that’d be about it

Think we’d lose a fair bit of media money and suspect there’d be unfortunate job cuts as a result which wouldn’t be nice though

That’s actually more of an issue for me than watching div1 football. Not sure how much I’d miss playing stronger teams and watching better players. At least not immediately

[Snowflake Royal]

Samesies, I would actually be more likely to go next year if Reading go down. Languishing for season after season being shit but just doing enough to stay up has completely killed my enthusiasm for the club.

Same here

[Snowflake Royal]

I remember the days at Elm Park when we thought 8000 was a MASSIVE crowd. when we were in the third tier. Please remind of our lowest attendance at E P, was it something like 3-4000? If Dai was to put the club up for sale who would buy it having to pay umpteen million to pay of the club's debt? With no buyer, he could easily just let the club go bust (just like two others he has owned). He can just cut his loses, to save having to lose yet more money, keeping the club afloat, Remember he will still own the Stadium and Training Ground, a nice bit of property to keep hold of or sell on for other purposes to help reduce his loss. I imagine the training Ground could be converted to a sporting complex quite easily, the stadium could be harder to sell but even that could be leased out to become a speedway track, athletics track and/or other sports.

There's always a new clown looking to stroke their ego, boost their brand or launder some money.

[stealthpapes]

I remember the days at Elm Park when we thought 8000 was a MASSIVE crowd. when we were in the third tier. Please remind of our lowest attendance at E P, was it something like 3-4000? If Dai was to put the club up for sale who would buy it having to pay umpteen million to pay of the club's debt? With no buyer, he could easily just let the club go bust (just like two others he has owned). He can just cut his loses, to save having to lose yet more money, keeping the club afloat, Remember he will still own the Stadium and Training Ground, a nice bit of property to keep hold of or sell on for other purposes to help reduce his loss. I imagine the training Ground could be converted to a sporting complex quite easily, the stadium could be harder to sell but even that could be leased out to become a speedway track, athletics track and/or other sports.

Less than that, early 80's gates, during the bad hooliganism era, they were regularly less than 3k.

even early 90s pre-McGhee, average was somewhere around 3, 4, 5k.

[Crowbar6753]

I remember the days at Elm Park when we thought 8000 was a MASSIVE crowd. when we were in the third tier. Please remind of our lowest attendance at E P, was it something like 3-4000? If Dai was to put the club up for sale who would buy it having to pay umpteen million to pay of the club's debt? With no buyer, he could easily just let the club go bust (just like two others he has owned). He can just cut his loses, to save having to lose yet more money, keeping the club afloat, Remember he will still own the Stadium and Training Ground, a nice bit of property to keep hold of or sell on for other purposes to help reduce his loss. I imagine the training Ground could be converted to a sporting complex quite easily, the stadium could be harder to sell but even that could be leased out to become a speedway track, athletics track and/or other sports.

Less than that, early 80's gates, during the bad hooliganism era, they were regularly less than 3k.

Yes, i believe our lowest attendance at Elm Park was in the 80s against Preston at home on a cold, rainy Saturday afternoon with 1800 or so in the ground, it was pretty grim that day.
When the 80s was at it's lowest we were regular getting 2000-3000 on average. However, with the upturn in performances they got better and we had 13,000 (Unofficial) against Wolves in that 2-2 draw on our record breaking start of the season. We had 13,000 against Bolton when we came second in the league and i think 12,000 for the FA Cup home against Oxford.

Good football and success equals bigger attendances. Which is why i would not be to worried about attendances if we went down. The likelihood of a better season under a new manager playing better football than we're currently watching would be a breath of fresh air!! I also think the fans would rally behind the club with increased ticket sales.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Relegation would hit us hard. We have a fickle fan base, not a loyal one like teams such as Norwich have. We'd see smaller crowds which would be bad for revenue and budgets. I couldn't see many fans turning up for Shrewsbury at home on a cold Tuesday night

Guess we've found another Norwich fan

[Snowflake Royal]

Relegation would hit us hard. We have a fickle fan base, not a loyal one like teams such as Norwich have. We'd see smaller crowds which would be bad for revenue and budgets. I couldn't see many fans turning up for Shrewsbury at home on a cold Tuesday night

Guess we've found another Norwich fan

Norwich? When have their fans had the chance to be fickle? They got relegated to League One and then got promoted straight back. They've knocked around the top of the Championship and the bottom of the PL.
Weird comment from Jimmy

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Did Ince say anything yesterday after the game on -6?

[South Coast Royal]

Relegation would hit us hard. We have a fickle fan base, not a loyal one like teams such as Norwich have. We'd see smaller crowds which would be bad for revenue and budgets. I couldn't see many fans turning up for Shrewsbury at home on a cold Tuesday night

Guess we've found another Norwich fan

Norwich? When have their fans had the chance to be fickle? They got relegated to League One and then got promoted straight back. They've knocked around the top of the Championship and the bottom of the PL.
Weird comment from Jimmy

I think his point was more about fans still attending in big numbers even after the obvious disappointment of relegation.
Both Ipswich and Norwich have tremendous support and I remember going to a game at Southampton a few years ago where , for a midweek evening game, the whole of the away end was sold out.

[The Royal Forester]

I remember the days at Elm Park when we thought 8000 was a MASSIVE crowd. when we were in the third tier. Please remind of our lowest attendance at E P, was it something like 3-4000? If Dai was to put the club up for sale who would buy it having to pay umpteen million to pay of the club's debt? With no buyer, he could easily just let the club go bust (just like two others he has owned). He can just cut his loses, to save having to lose yet more money, keeping the club afloat, Remember he will still own the Stadium and Training Ground, a nice bit of property to keep hold of or sell on for other purposes to help reduce his loss. I imagine the training Ground could be converted to a sporting complex quite easily, the stadium could be harder to sell but even that could be leased out to become a speedway track, athletics track and/or other sports.

Less than that, early 80's gates, during the bad hooliganism era, they were regularly less than 3k.

Yes, i believe our lowest attendance at Elm Park was in the 80s against Preston at home on a cold, rainy Saturday afternoon with 1800 or so in the ground, it was pretty grim that day.
When the 80s was at it's lowest we were regular getting 2000-3000 on average. However, with the upturn in performances they got better and we had 13,000 (Unofficial) against Wolves in that 2-2 draw on our record breaking start of the season. We had 13,000 against Bolton when we came second in the league and i think 12,000 for the FA Cup home against Oxford.

Good football and success equals bigger attendances. Which is why i would not be to worried about attendances if we went down. The likelihood of a better season under a new manager playing better football than we're currently watching would be a breath of fresh air!! I also think the fans would rally behind the club with increased ticket sales.

Do you really think the last two sentences are likely to happen, bearing in mind the managers, players and football we have endured since Sir John's days? What makes you think things would be different this time?

[Snowflake Royal]

Guess we've found another Norwich fan

Norwich? When have their fans had the chance to be fickle? They got relegated to League One and then got promoted straight back. They've knocked around the top of the Championship and the bottom of the PL.
Weird comment from Jimmy

I think his point was more about fans still attending in big numbers even after the obvious disappointment of relegation.
Both Ipswich and Norwich have tremendous support and I remember going to a game at Southampton a few years ago where , for a midweek evening game, the whole of the away end was sold out.

Pretty easy to keep support after for a one off relegation followed by promotion.

And if anything Ipswich prove the point we'd probably be fine. Knock around top half and win fairly regularly and you won't lose a lot of fans

Longer term maybe as you're less likely to attract new ones in a lower league.

[Royal_jimmy]

Relegation would hit us hard. We have a fickle fan base, not a loyal one like teams such as Norwich have. We'd see smaller crowds which would be bad for revenue and budgets. I couldn't see many fans turning up for Shrewsbury at home on a cold Tuesday night

Guess we've found another Norwich fan

Norwich? When have their fans had the chance to be fickle? They got relegated to League One and then got promoted straight back. They've knocked around the top of the Championship and the bottom of the PL.
Weird comment from Jimmy

Or Portsmouth who got 16k fans in league 2