davieG Posted 27 August 2006 Share Posted 27 August 2006 I don't know if this is typical but my son who has just turned 30 has been going down the City since he was a nipper. First of all with me then from 15/16 onwards with his mates 10 to 15 of them home and away. Yesterday it was down to just him and then only to keep me company and because it only cost him a fiver for my spare ST, well I couldn't charge him more. We did meet one of his mates in the pub before hand, but he decided not to go in the end. Listening to them it seems attending the game is no longer attractive to people in the 20+ to 30+ age group, putting aside the dire performances on the pitch they still find no appeal in being at the game. I hear of so many people, even if they do go are quite happy to turn up at 3.00 and miss all the contrived pre-match razzamatazz (sp), because these are the people that used to create this for themselves. They do not like the patronising way fans are treated by the club via the stewarding, the sit down shut up clap when we play some music for you. The club believes they have moved on in the way they package what they called the 'matchday experience' but it's all so 80/90's, the music, Birchenal, blah, blah blah etc. This is whole generation they are no longer catering for, I do wonder if the current age group of 'teens' will feel the same when they get to this age. These people are in the main not traditional season ticket holders, but used to attend every match; they are excluded from any of the many concessions that are used to attract people to the club and yet they were/are in my opinion the most likely group to create the atmosphere we all so desperately seek. I don't think there is even an answer to this, obviously some sustained success will bring some back, more likely the glory hunters though. I just think these people have been lost forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babylon Posted 27 August 2006 Share Posted 27 August 2006 I don't know if this is typical but my son who has just turned 30 has been going down the City since he was a nipper. First of all with me then from 15/16 onwards with his mates 10 to 15 of them home and away. Yesterday it was down to just him and then only to keep me company and because it only cost him a fiver for my spare ST, well I couldn't charge him more. We did meet one of his mates in the pub before hand, but he decided not to go in the end. Listening to them it seems attending the game is no longer attractive to people in the 20+ to 30+ age group, putting aside the dire performances on the pitch they still find no appeal in being at the game. I hear of so many people, even if they do go are quite happy to turn up at 3.00 and miss all the contrived pre-match razzamatazz (sp), because these are the people that used to create this for themselves. They do not like the patronising way fans are treated by the club via the stewarding, the sit down shut up clap when we play some music for you. The club believes they have moved on in the way they package what they called the 'matchday experience' but it's all so 80/90's, the music, Birchenal, blah, blah blah etc. This is whole generation they are no longer catering for, I do wonder if the current age group of 'teens' will feel the same when they get to this age. These people are in the main not traditional season ticket holders, but used to attend every match; they are excluded from any of the many concessions that are used to attract people to the club and yet they were/are in my opinion the most likely group to create the atmosphere we all so desperately seek. I don't think there is even an answer to this, obviously some sustained success will bring some back, more likely the glory hunters though. I just think these people have been lost forever. I'm in that age group... add to all the above the fact house prices are so high we have to get a mortgage that is a bigger proportion of income than any other generation. We also get told we have to save any extra money towards a pension as the government won't give us one when we are older. I'd rather go and piss any spare £30 up the wall and have a laugh with my mates than pay £30 to watch city and come home depressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davieG Posted 27 August 2006 Author Share Posted 27 August 2006 I'm in that age group... add to all the above the fact house prices are so high we have to get a mortgage that is a bigger proportion of income than any other generation. We also get told we have to save any extra money towards a pension as the government won't give us one when we are older. I'd rather go and piss any spare £30 up the wall and have a laugh with my mates than pay £30 to watch city and come home depressed. Plus you have the added bonus of not being able to remember if you went or not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babylon Posted 27 August 2006 Share Posted 27 August 2006 Plus you have the added bonus of not being able to remember if you went or not Exactly!!!!! haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BartonFox Posted 27 August 2006 Share Posted 27 August 2006 I'm in that age group... add to all the above the fact house prices are so high we have to get a mortgage that is a bigger proportion of income than any other generation. We also get told we have to save any extra money towards a pension as the government won't give us one when we are older. I'd rather go and piss any spare £30 up the wall and have a laugh with my mates than pay £30 to watch city and come home depressed. That is me as well. It's not just the £30 to get in, it's the cost of getting to the ground and having a few sociable beers with your mates, suddenly you are looking at double that if not more. Even without the social side of it, turning up at 3pm to watch that dross and being made to feel unwelcome by the Club is just not value for money, despite what that fungus Andrew Taylor would try to have you believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 28 August 2006 Share Posted 28 August 2006 I wanted to put out a birthday greeting at Saturday's game. I found out that you now have to pay for the privilege and you have to be in the ground at particular times. The money issue is something I could have overcome had I not been told what to do, after all, it's not like the club don't need it. However, it's the pettiness that has annoyed me. What's the cost to the club of making a child's day, and having that child excitedly telling it's mates what the club did? Instead, it just got to watch 90 minutes of average football. That's not going to convert the Chelski and Manure fans in its class. Aside from that, there is the cyclical nature of things. Italia 90 sparked off the interest in football, and post-Euro 96 things boomed. I don't think football can sustain it, and it's more than unnattractive football that's doing it. Seeing players take home more in a week than you earn in a year won't endear yourself to the masses, especially when those the same age as you cannot afford to buy there own property. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maybes Posted 28 August 2006 Share Posted 28 August 2006 I wanted to put out a birthday greeting at Saturday's game. I found out that you now have to pay for the privilege and you have to be in the ground at particular times. The money issue is something I could have overcome had I not been told what to do, after all, it's not like the club don't need it. You also have to pay if you would like your child to become a mascot. I remember when they used to just draw them from the junior members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluefoxtim Posted 28 August 2006 Share Posted 28 August 2006 You also have to pay if you would like your child to become a mascot. I remember when they used to just draw them from the junior members. You have to pay? wtf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 28 August 2006 Share Posted 28 August 2006 You also have to pay if you would like your child to become a mascot. I remember when they used to just draw them from the junior members. Yes, the platinum members scheme. Needless to say, I told them what I think of that one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SystonFox Posted 28 August 2006 Share Posted 28 August 2006 when i left the stadium yesterday i overheard a mother and son (probably 10 years old at most) "how good was that?" she said and he replied "it was brilliant to go in there, id like to go again" and she replied "we'll come again soon". so to me it sounded like his first game or his first in a long time and he really enjoyed it (maybe because we won as the game was drivel) and they plan to come back again. if this is just 2 people who come back how many others are coming back? but then again how many realise the game was drivel and had a small discussion about not going back as it was awfull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wils Posted 28 August 2006 Share Posted 28 August 2006 Ive always wanted too be a mascot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr The Singh Posted 28 August 2006 Share Posted 28 August 2006 I took my kids for the first time and to say the entertainment package for kids is relatively poor. We have one mascot (filbert fox) who didn't even bother to troll accross to the family stand, even at half time!!! My kids were quite upset that he didn't even bother to say hello, yet alone bye, obviously FF was required in the technical area to gee up the players and the management team!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SystonFox Posted 28 August 2006 Share Posted 28 August 2006 I took my kids for the first time and to say the entertainment package for kids is relatively poor. We have one mascot (filbert fox) who didn't even bother to troll accross to the family stand, even at half time!!! My kids were quite upset that he didn't even bother to say hello, yet alone bye, obviously FF was required in the technical area to gee up the players and the management team!!! he spends far too much time wiggling his tail at the KOP and it really annoys me. he should go to the family end where most of the young'uns are meant to be situated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babylon Posted 28 August 2006 Share Posted 28 August 2006 People moan the club aren't doing enough to raise funds with money making schemes, then they moan when the club have money making schemes but the money has to come out of their pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phube Posted 28 August 2006 Share Posted 28 August 2006 People moan the club aren't doing enough to raise funds with money making schemes, then they moan when the club have money making schemes but the money has to come out of their pocket. Babylon you should join my Anti-Moan thread!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 28 August 2006 Share Posted 28 August 2006 People moan the club aren't doing enough to raise funds with money making schemes, then they moan when the club have money making schemes but the money has to come out of their pocket. As I said, it's not the money that's the issue in my case, it's being told when I have to be in the stadium that pissed me off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nationwider Posted 28 August 2006 Share Posted 28 August 2006 it's all so 80/90's, the music, Birchenal, blah, blah blah etc. That about sums it up. Like a bunch of 50 year-olds organising a school disco; embarrassing - and it goes on at most clubs of our size, to be honest. Cost is a big factor, but all-seater stadia have sucked some of the fun out of football for me. All the new grounds are so dull, ours included. They have to be absolutely jammed to the rafters to "work", for some reason. I don't believe it's the crap football either - well, not for me anyway. I'll watch any old dross if I'm enjoying myself. I sometimes go to watch my local club, Hartlepool. I do so slightly reluctantly (I go with friends), but I need my fix. They have standing on two sides (including the kop). Tickets are £16/£8 upto £18/£9, which is dear for L2, but at the end of the day, you still get to watch 90 minutes of professional football, just as you would at Stamford Bridge or Filbert Way. The bogs are medieval, but you get a decent portion of chips for a quid and you can vent your spleen on the terraces without fear of a visit from the Gestapo. Alternatively, you can don pipe and slippers, arm yourself with thermos and woodbine and sit with the gadgies in the stands, very much in the Notts County style....something for everyone. The away end accomodates about 37, and there you have a good chance of dying from frostbite/windchill - in August. The pre-match ents consists of Rolf Harris "Two Little Boys" - nobody knows why, which is the secret of any successful club anthem. They still "get it" at Hartlepool (partly because they've never had to move on). Too much of footie is run by those who don't "get it". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thracian Posted 28 August 2006 Share Posted 28 August 2006 That about sums it up. Like a bunch of 50 year-olds organising a school disco; embarrassing - and it goes on at most clubs of our size, to be honest. Cost is a big factor, but all-seater stadia have sucked some of the fun out of football for me. All the new grounds are so dull, ours included. They have to be absolutely jammed to the rafters to "work", for some reason. I don't believe it's the crap football either - well, not for me anyway. I'll watch any old dross if I'm enjoying myself. I sometimes go to watch my local club, Hartlepool. I do so slightly reluctantly (I go with friends), but I need my fix. They have standing on two sides (including the kop). Tickets are £16/£8 upto £18/£9, which is dear for L2, but at the end of the day, you still get to watch 90 minutes of professional football, just as you would at Stamford Bridge or Filbert Way. The bogs are medieval, but you get a decent portion of chips for a quid and you can vent your spleen on the terraces without fear of a visit from the Gestapo. Alternatively, you can don pipe and slippers, arm yourself with thermos and woodbine and sit with the gadgies in the stands, very much in the Notts County style....something for everyone. The away end accomodates about 37, and there you have a good chance of dying from frostbite/windchill - in August. The pre-match ents consists of Rolf Harris "Two Little Boys" - nobody knows why, which is the secret of any successful club anthem. They still "get it" at Hartlepool (partly because they've never had to move on). Too much of footie is run by those who don't "get it". I really enjoy reading your comments on football - everything you say comes across with a genuine feel and love for the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davieG Posted 29 August 2006 Author Share Posted 29 August 2006 That about sums it up. Like a bunch of 50 year-olds organising a school disco; embarrassing - and it goes on at most clubs of our size, to be honest. Cost is a big factor, but all-seater stadia have sucked some of the fun out of football for me. All the new grounds are so dull, ours included. They have to be absolutely jammed to the rafters to "work", for some reason. I don't believe it's the crap football either - well, not for me anyway. I'll watch any old dross if I'm enjoying myself. I sometimes go to watch my local club, Hartlepool. I do so slightly reluctantly (I go with friends), but I need my fix. They have standing on two sides (including the kop). Tickets are £16/£8 upto £18/£9, which is dear for L2, but at the end of the day, you still get to watch 90 minutes of professional football, just as you would at Stamford Bridge or Filbert Way. The bogs are medieval, but you get a decent portion of chips for a quid and you can vent your spleen on the terraces without fear of a visit from the Gestapo. Alternatively, you can don pipe and slippers, arm yourself with thermos and woodbine and sit with the gadgies in the stands, very much in the Notts County style....something for everyone. The away end accomodates about 37, and there you have a good chance of dying from frostbite/windchill - in August. The pre-match ents consists of Rolf Harris "Two Little Boys" - nobody knows why, which is the secret of any successful club anthem. They still "get it" at Hartlepool (partly because they've never had to move on). Too much of footie is run by those who don't "get it". That should be posted in my Happy topic, or should I create a nostalgia one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floating Fox Posted 30 August 2006 Share Posted 30 August 2006 I still can't see waht the big fuss over Stewarding is about, I've stood for the whole 90 in all of our home games and not been told to sit down once (Actually I did get told to sit down at the Macclesfield game, but that was becasue I wasn't in my normal seat) If people Actaully stand up then they will see that the stewarding isn't that bad Well I dont think it is anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Head Honcho Posted 30 August 2006 Share Posted 30 August 2006 I tend to think that we're looking to deep into this! It's simple, win matches and the fans will return. Fans of teams like Newcastle and Manchester City still play to big crowds every week yet have been piss poor on the pitch, this is because going to the match has become part of the local culture. The club also need to get the local media to play a bigger part in getting bums on seats. You go to Newcastle, the local press have 5 to 6 pages every night of Magpie related news ,we're lucky if you get half the back page in The Mercury! Same with East Midland news we get a 30 second slot once a week max, in Newcastle they'll have a 5 minutes slot 3 or 4 days a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A fox for life Posted 30 August 2006 Share Posted 30 August 2006 Ive always wanted too be a mascot. i was a mascot for LCFC v's Liverpool back at filbo street it was an amzing day got free Kit, food, met all the players and kevin Keegan was there watching heskey, and owen etc got all thier autograph too. we drew 2-2 and matty elliot knocked owen out by accident. haha good times Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filbertway Posted 30 August 2006 Share Posted 30 August 2006 I still can't see waht the big fuss over Stewarding is about, I've stood for the whole 90 in all of our home games and not been told to sit down once (Actually I did get told to sit down at the Macclesfield game, but that was becasue I wasn't in my normal seat) If people Actaully stand up then they will see that the stewarding isn't that bad Well I dont think it is anyway You do sit at the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcfc_jme Posted 30 August 2006 Share Posted 30 August 2006 Football grounds were a lot better when they weren't "all-seater stadiums" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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