Are you one of those who have not renewed or purchased a season ticket for 2015/2016. What would change your mind and part with your cash?
We are only in the middle of June and a lot could happen between now and the first game against the hoops from Shepherd's Bush. At present you would need to be more with your heart than your head to purchase one with all the ongoing rumours of outgoings on our better players and it being very quiet on the incomings.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but did we not hear a figure on season tickets sold last season? Nothing has been announced so far on how many sold so far, but looking at average attendances since our premier league days, they are down. Shiny seats and pulled pork can only last so long.
If the likes of Gomez, Cousins and Gudmundsson were to leave and adequate replacements were not brought in, then it would be difficult to get people through the new computerised turnstiles.
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The Prem days were great, full houses etc but 40% only there for cheap Prem Football sadly.
I've paid for it so I MUST go to every game was my attitude and it affected other important things in my life.
Although I suppose I'd have to get one if we went up. :-(
Nothing to do with the standard of football - I'd watch us in the Dog & Duck Sunday League if it came to it. I don't like or trust our current owner or his stooge, they continually do things that suggest that either they haven't got a clue what they're doing, or that they've got some sort of evil masterplan that none of us have been clever enough to figure out yet. I've not had anything from the club yet in terms of persuading me to renew, and it seems odd to me that any business would let a customer of 20+ years just walk away.
Very worried about the future. We're not going to go bust under Duchatelet, but we will continue to shed existing supporters and lose potential new ones. I think we had around 6,500 season-ticket holders in 97/98 when we first got promoted to the Premier League, and grew that figure to a peak of around 21,000. Inevitably that gradually fell on the way to and during our spell in League 1, but it seemed that, if nothing else, we had increased our "thick and thin" support from that initial 6,500 to a base of around 10-11,000. I think Duchatelet will ensure that we end up back where we started.
Would not see the point buying one unless we went up. Even then I would probably go halfs with someone for a ticket.
Its not the same club it was when I first bought a season ticket in the 90s, its been a gradual, and personal thing. Perhaps when my boy is a bit older we'll get tickets again. for now its gonna be an occasional thing
My Season Ticket has lapsed twice since '98 and no inkling to renew at present, paid as i went to maybe 5 games last season despite living closer to the ground than I ever have before........
Apart from doubts about the network, our place in it and what, if anything, RD has planned for us, I think that a number of our fans are put off by the lack of continuity in personnel and what feels like a bit of a 'revolving door' of players. I recognise that this is now a feature of the modern game but our turnover does feel very high and it's generally not conducive to building the core of a successful team.
Let's hope that we can persuade Cousins and JBG to extend their contracts and do some good business over the next six or seven weeks. With Gomez on the way out, we could all do with a lift.
Losing Gomez after only 20 odd games is a real blow when we were all looking forward to watching his progress next season. More generally, I'm worried about the message the transfer potentially sends out about a general lack of ambition on the part of CAFC and RD. Maybe there was a release clause in Joe's contract and there was nothing the club could do - if so, it would be helpful to have some communication around that. As for Cousins, he really is the heartbeat of the side and I think his departure would be a tipping point for many supporters who are, at present, prepared to give RD the benefit of the doubt and adopt a 'wait and see' approach. I expect that he knows that, not that he was too worried about selling off most of Standard Liege's players last summer. I'm pretty hopeful that Jordan will re-sign.
Hopefully there will be some interesting arrivals over the summer.
I live very close to The Valley and at times last season in particular I think I was going because I'd paid for it (a long time ago) and so felt obliged. If I had to travel the distances some on here do then I would have made a much smaller number of games for sure.
Can't put my finger on one reason why, but at times it does feel those in charge take some supporters and their cash for granted.
Also, there is the knowledge that it won't exactly be difficult to get tickets when picking and choosing games next season.
We just feel soooo odd as a club and i can't really put it in to words ....
yes thanks for saving us Roland but slow down this revolving door of players and give us someone to love for more than 5 mins ...
I understand people will feel differently and they are the lucky ones but this hurts not feeling as much in love with the club as I have in the past
If the football is exciting and we are doing ok it isn't a chore to come. But if we struggle, it can be and not having a ticket means you can buy tickets in the expectation of being entertained rather than part of a captive audience! A successful, exciting season will always increase season tickets.
I don't personally expect RD to spend a fortune on players on my behalf and provided we have a decent team with a reasonable chance of at least staying up, I'll go along and watch.
BUT as a season ticket holder I would hope for a little respect and to be treated like most businesses would such regular customers. The early bird offer with the threat of losing your seat was an insult to me. Like being asked to pay in advance for a meal in a restaurant just to reserve the table you have used every week for twenty five years?
I would guess that neither RD or Katrien have ever dealt with the public in their other businesses. So they treat us like suppliers or outlets rather than customers. But they seem like nice people. Maybe they can learn!
However, there is no doubting there has been a big jump in people being less interested / enthused over the last few seasons.
Personally i think its pretty simple. Like it or not, i just don't think the Club currently has much going for it in terms of USP, character etc.
The Valley return years brought a purpose and a togetherness. Post-Valley return brught a sense of togetherness and achievement. The improvement as a football club in terms of on pitch performance, off field development of The Valley, and generally increasing in support gave the Club momentum. At the heart of it again was a togetherness.
Now that just doesn't seem there, not just under this regime, it was struggling before that. But it feels more magnified now as everything around the Club has gone more international or corporate.
We won't be the only Club or fans suffering from this, but for me our identity seems to be eroding worryingly fast.
This Club needs a good season. Desperately
We're a small branch in Roland's tree and I, personally, haven't liked it from the start and never will - this is the exact sort of business that can totally zap/kill standing, a football club long term, I've seen it happen many a time (not so much in England). if Roland and co. lose all the fans, they lose one of their biggest incomes, and I think rather than lead them to attract these fans back it will do the opposite.
We were a club that fans had a big say on and felt so involved, now we're a club that many a fan are starting to hate, starting to hate to love. Which is terrible.
And for people think it's all a shade over the top, look at the bigger picture and take a look at the ground next season, try spot the faces you usually do week in week out - many will be gone unfortunately. Coincidental? Afraid not.
RD is financially prudent in running the football factory, but it doesn’t cut it with the casual supporters - and less still in attracting new customers. I wish he could make a positive statement of intent - a bit of inspired leadership could go a long way in regenerating a buzz around the Valley.
I just don't believe he is on an endless cycle of breaking even and surviving as it is utterless pointless and waste of time and energy that could be used on his actual profit earning businesses.
Maybe the regime goal is just going to take years as in 4-5 instead of 2-3. Some will stay on and some will relax their support somewhat but I just do not believe a successfull businessman does not have a projection of upward performance.