BAM Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 I don't often post on here but today I've been left disappointed. Not by the club, players or staff, who have made this season memorable, but by us, the fans. Right from outset I will state there are many who break their backs in an effort to get folk through the gate and they are exempt from what I'm bout to say. This time last year, Scottish football was faced with one of the biggest decisions it's had to make. There was an easy option, but fans the length and breadth of the country wrote to their club chairmen demanding what they should do. I, like scores of other Saints fans wrote to our chairman, and he put his faith in us in how we voted. As good as my word, I bought a season ticket for the first time. But it appears for others threatening words became idle promises. Today we found out that on average, our crowds were 500 or so down on last year. At the very time our club needed its fans financially, at the very time our side were producing the goods on the pitch, our fans chose not to back them. Yeah, we can talk about expense, kick off times etc but the bottom line is the folk of Perthshire didn't bother their arse to give back to the club when it really needed it. If I was Steve Brown I would be feeling a real mix of emotions, anger, disappointment but above all, betrayal. So much for rallying round the club, so much for the "vote Rangers back in and I'll not be back" threat, the harsh reality is it was vote any way and I won't be back. I don't agree with talk of do we deserve our success, of course we do. But at times it seems we do more for other teams as our travelling support at times is 70% of our home crowd and not many clubs can say that. But the upshot is that we'll all now suffer with a reduced budget for next season. And there's nobody to blame more than the stay away fans, the ones who failed to back up their words with action. gertiesaints, fazman1977, The Neutral and 6 others 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlickDT Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Whilst I agree with most of your post, there may be others in my position, this year for a series of reasons I only made around 50% of the matches, although as always I purchased my season ticket as always and will do next year again, my attendance back to normal. Maybe others in the same boat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mystery Man Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 I don't often post on here but today I've been left disappointed. Not by the club, players or staff, who have made this season memorable, but by us, the fans. Right from outset I will state there are many who break their backs in an effort to get folk through the gate and they are exempt from what I'm bout to say. This time last year, Scottish football was faced with one of the biggest decisions it's had to make. There was an easy option, but fans the length and breadth of the country wrote to their club chairmen demanding what they should do. I, like scores of other Saints fans wrote to our chairman, and he put his faith in us in how we voted. As good as my word, I bought a season ticket for the first time. But it appears for others threatening words became idle promises. Today we found out that on average, our crowds were 500 or so down on last year. At the very time our club needed its fans financially, at the very time our side were producing the goods on the pitch, our fans chose not to back them. Yeah, we can talk about expense, kick off times etc but the bottom line is the folk of Perthshire didn't bother their arse to give back to the club when it really needed it. If I was Steve Brown I would be feeling a real mix of emotions, anger, disappointment but above all, betrayal. So much for rallying round the club, so much for the "vote Rangers back in and I'll not be back" threat, the harsh reality is it was vote any way and I won't be back. I don't agree with talk of do we deserve our success, of course we do. But at times it seems we do more for other teams as our travelling support at times is 70% of our home crowd and not many clubs can say that. But the upshot is that we'll all now suffer with a reduced budget for next season. And there's nobody to blame more than the stay away fans, the ones who failed to back up their words with action. Exactly those people should be ashamed of themselves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themole Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 the thing is how many less fans would they have had if rangers had been voted to stay in the spl. the government are squeezing people to the bone. unfortunately people cant afford to go to the games plus the number of games again this year not on a sat will not help season ticket sales next yr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAM Posted May 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Whilst I agree with most of your post, there may be others in my position, this year for a series of reasons I only made around 50% of the matches, although as always I purchased my season ticket as always and will do next year again, my attendance back to normal. Maybe others in the same boat? I applaud you for that commitment, it wasn't the likes of yourself I was moaning at. Like you, I wasn't sure how many games I'd make it to, but I still made a commitment the moment I put pen to paper to write to the chairman and I stuck to that. How many others did???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themole Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 i bet if people could afford it then crowds at mcd would double unfortunately people cant afford it. nothing to do with staying away. The Special One 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themole Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 i bought 2 season tickets last yr for the first time in 10 years to reward saints commitment to the fans wishes but i had to scrimp to buy them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAM Posted May 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 the thing is how many less fans would they have had if rangers had been voted to stay in the spl. the government are squeezing people to the bone. unfortunately people cant afford to go to the games plus the number of games again this year not on a sat will not help season ticket sales next yr. Sorry, but that argument doesn't stack up. How many home games were moved from a Saturday for TV, not postponed games, but home games moved for tele? I can only think of a couple of Pre-split games. Add in the Euro tie and the Bristol City friendly that were included, there was 21 home games on the season ticket. A fan could miss 6 league games and it was still viable!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MySpazz Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 When i read the title of this thread i thought it was going to be the photo below...... http://imgur.com/QBoRUYM Born2Bru 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ex-montrosesaintee Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Aside from financial difficulties in football caused by the economy and The Rangers demise, the wider financial crisis has hit many many people. Football is, for many, a luxury, but an expensive day out. In addition to that, I calculated that of the c. 500 fans less at home games, around 300 of those are the missing The Rangers punters from 2 home games. I do agree with your sentiments though. I for one made an effort to attend home games rather than away games, despite being closer to Dundee and Aberdeen. I've been to more games at McDiarmid than any season since the 90s when my dad took me. I was extremely heartened to see around 1500 people respond to the club's efforts to promote the Motherwell game, especially the family stand, where there must have been 4-500 instead of 100. These parents and kids were almost encouraged onto the pitch at full time - those kids will NEVER forget that, and hopefully we have some new fans for life as a result. Saints played EVERYTHING right on Sunday. The club is shrouded in negativity, both from a section of our own support (mostly older fans surprisingly) and through the media, who seem to resent a well run, honest and financially secure club doing well. I think Saints need to look at ways to paint the club in a more positive light somehow. Sunday isn't the end of the season, but the opening of a door of opportunity to stride forwards towards next season. Instead of wallowing in self pity (I'm not suggesting you are) we should all double our efforts. MySpazz, Kevin James Is On Stilts and AthensSaint 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAM Posted May 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 i bet if people could afford it then crowds at mcd would double unfortunately people cant afford it. nothing to do with staying away. So why threaten boycotts if there was never an intention to go???? Our chairman, like every other, was inundated with letters and emails, and responded accordingly by voting them out. The response he was looking for never materialised! Scott1884 and The ghost of Jim Morton 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuck_saint Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 1 season ticket bought, yet its the "stay away" fans who are the problem? expense/kickoff times are a huge consideration for most folk, SJFC is after all a business. I cant see tesco only opening on a saturday and charging twice as much as competitors! The "Rangers" situation is completely different. they were fast tracked to the SFL, destroying the integrity of scottish football. give it another 12 months and reconstruction will have them back in the top flight. Completely invalidates the league structure, its a mockery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAM Posted May 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Aside from financial difficulties in football caused by the economy and The Rangers demise, the wider financial crisis has hit many many people. Football is, for many, a luxury, but an expensive day out. In addition to that, I calculated that of the c. 500 fans less at home games, around 300 of those are the missing The Rangers punters from 2 home games. I do agree with your sentiments though. I for one made an effort to attend home games rather than away games, despite being closer to Dundee and Aberdeen. I've been to more games at McDiarmid than any season since the 90s when my dad took me. I was extremely heartened to see around 1500 people respond to the club's efforts to promote the Motherwell game, especially the family stand, where there must have been 4-500 instead of 100. These parents and kids were almost encouraged onto the pitch at full time - those kids will NEVER forget that, and hopefully we have some new fans for life as a result. Saints played EVERYTHING right on Sunday. The club is shrouded in negativity, both from a section of our own support (mostly older fans surprisingly) and through the media, who seem to resent a well run, honest and financially secure club doing well. I think Saints need to look at ways to paint the club in a more positive light somehow. Sunday isn't the end of the season, but the opening of a door of opportunity to stride forwards towards next season. Instead of wallowing in self pity (I'm not suggesting you are) we should all double our efforts. Agree totally. The club is doing the right thing by looking to attract youngsters. And I for 1 have made sure I've done everything I can, like I said, I bought a season ticket for the first time, I buy a programme etc.... My only gripe, and it is a slight 1, is maybe they don't publicise it enough. But then again, given the hooha last summer, it was very well publicised how important it was for fans to dig deep. And they didn't in Perthshire. That's the bottom line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy rhodes fancy watch Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 I would have basically scaled down going to saints games if rangers weren't dealt with in the right way , maybe only going to a couple of games a season . I bought a season ticket this season. Swaying towards buying another next season even although I can't make every game . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Strasser Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 I think it is a combination of factors - economic (everybodys skint), crazy kick off times and hate to say it not having two games against Sevco. Others have said it before going to the match is a habit - when fans stop going its hard to get them back. No easy answers I'm afraid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAM Posted May 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 1 season ticket bought, yet its the "stay away" fans who are the problem? expense/kickoff times are a huge consideration for most folk, SJFC is after all a business. I cant see tesco only opening on a saturday and charging twice as much as competitors! The "Rangers" situation is completely different. they were fast tracked to the SFL, destroying the integrity of scottish football. give it another 12 months and reconstruction will have them back in the top flight. Completely invalidates the league structure, its a mockery That argument is totally ridiculous!!!!! For a starter, retailers compete to get the lowest prices - if Saints were to be the cheapest in Scotland would "shoppers" suddenly turn up????? NO! As have been proven by other clubs, and SJFC, in the past, cutting prices doesn't necessarily work. I agree, the overall cost is far too much, maybe we need to look at what the Germans did 5-10 years ago. But they didn't have the situation we were all in last summer and the kind of opportunity we had as football fans to show our loyalty and support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANDY5565 Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 a skint fan is a shameful fan? Fuquing bolloques rik2304, The Special One, SaintDinky and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerthSeany Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 People simply cannot afford it sometimes.I earn a decent wage. I still live at home though, if I didn't i wouldn't be able to afford to go home & away when i can like i do now? Its not saints fault.the cost of everything else in life has rose (we all know this) saints have made a great effort in terms of pricing for families etc.But unless the cost of living goes down saints just aren't gonna get the crowds like years gone by. ANDY5565 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ex-montrosesaintee Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 (edited) Saints are doing some of the right things. New website planned, free for under 12s, ormond stand deals. They need to get the message out to a wider audience somehow though. The videos that Ross Cunningham has done have been brilliant. I think an awful lot of the 1500 extra faces at the Motherwell game may have come as a response to his videos. Really hope that this continues. One suggestion I would make would be to ensure all the video features are on the new website under the player profiles, as they get lost after a few days on social media sites and forums. Fans connecting with players, especially the younger fans, is hugely important in securing their long term support. Edited May 21, 2013 by montrosesaintee MySpazz 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calypso Kid Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 The club is woeful at promoting itself, it's been discussed numerous times on here. Steve Brown's interview after the match on Sunday was an absolute embarrassment. There's a time and a place for sober reality, Sunday at 3pm on national radio was neither. Kevin James Is On Stilts, Come On Ye Saints and fergiefootball 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1962 Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Why do some people want to be seen as better than others? Kevin James Is On Stilts, mad saints fan and Tranmere Saintee 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatmanscoop Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Look at me, I'm a superfan. etc etc. john1962 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuck_saint Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 retailers compete to get the lowest prices - gsce economics - retailers in no way compete to get the lowest price, under the current capitalist model, they compete to get the highest price they can get given the competition. trying to get a low price price would be cutting their own throats. the spl pricing structure is currently run as a cartel and its no wonder folk dont think theyre getting value for money. has any club ever asked their fans what ticket prices should be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstar101 Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 BAM Can you please post details of your entire social position, including age, dependent's, financial commitments, priorities, things that maybe happened that you didn't expect to happen around about the time you thought you would have some spare cash, your worries about the future financial security of your family (if you have any), your thoughts on whether Saints and some statement you made a few months ago are more important than your family etc etc After you have done that, go and ****ing get over yourself with your pompous, self-inflated, superior attitude. Some of your points have some grounding, but your delivery just got my ****ing back up right from the start SaintDinky, The Blue Saint, thementalshimmy and 6 others 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1962 Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 One of my favourite words is sanctimonious. Seems appropriate to say that in this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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