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Would a big signing prompt you to attend saturday??


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I think our away support has improved since leaving the top flight. Alot of it is down to new grounds, cheaper tickets and better days out going to proper football grounds and meeting real football fans etc. The increased midweek games does not help with travelling the length of the country to be fair. I remember the dark days of Branfoot in the 90's when you were lucky to see a couple of hundred at northern away games. Although it has to be said there is usually a better atmosphere with a few hundred hardcore away support on a rainy tuesday night in Sunderland etc.

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Noone has mentioned in comparisons of us and say Leeds that we have a population of about 250,000 at best... Leeds has about 800,000. 3 times bigger. Of course they will have more support.

Somehow i'm wondering how that logic would work for away games too but it clearly does.

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Noone has mentioned in comparisons of us and say Leeds that we have a population of about 250,000 at best... Leeds has about 800,000. 3 times bigger. Of course they will have more support.

Somehow i'm wondering how that logic would work for away games too but it clearly does.

 

Plus Leeds also draw support from large surrounding towns like Wakefield, Harrogate, York & Skipton.

 

After us, i would say they have the largest catchment area in the country.

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Noone has mentioned in comparisons of us and say Leeds that we have a population of about 250,000 at best... Leeds has about 800,000. 3 times bigger. Of course they will have more support.

Somehow i'm wondering how that logic would work for away games too but it clearly does.

 

I fail to see how that works.... Bristol is a huge city and have a very poor away following in comparison.

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Plus Leeds also draw support from large surrounding towns like Wakefield, Harrogate, York & Skipton.

 

After us, i would say they have the largest catchment area in the country.

 

Would you not agree though, that the majority of teams away following will still come from the hardcore of home support?? So 26000 v 24000 isn't that stupid an aargument.

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How is sitting on a train/coach/minibus for a few hours "too much effort"?

 

'Cos I'm a lazy ****.

 

Train too expensive for northern games, bingo bus die of boredom, minibus ok but need about 45 p!ss stops if having a few cans.

 

I've done pretty much all the northern games (apart from middlesbrough) at least once in recent seasons -some i'll go to again... maybe Burnley if mates are... Hull on a Tuesday night will take some persuading.

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Noone has mentioned in comparisons of us and say Leeds that we have a population of about 250,000 at best... Leeds has about 800,000. 3 times bigger. Of course they will have more support.

Somehow i'm wondering how that logic would work for away games too but it clearly does.

 

Yes I made exactly that point. Although someone said it wasn't what the thread was about

 

Ok to strictly answer the thread - no signing would. Circumstances dictate whether people go and it is bad enough to desert the family every other Saturday. Having said that if we signed Boa Morte I might chnage my mind

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Would you not agree though, that the majority of teams away following will still come from the hardcore of home support?? So 26000 v 24000 isn't that stupid an aargument.

 

Yes absolutely, i agree with you that our way support is pretty low considering our home gates. I dont know why, we've never had very good away support at Midlands and northern games apart from the odd one here and there when people make the effort.

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Noone has mentioned in comparisons of us and say Leeds that we have a population of about 250,000 at best... Leeds has about 800,000. 3 times bigger. Of course they will have more support.

Somehow i'm wondering how that logic would work for away games too but it clearly does.

 

Another one missing the point of the argument - we get decent home crowds, comparable to many others and many on here speak of us as a "biggish" team with loads of potential - however when you compare our away support to both those points, it doesn't stand up. Look at what the likes of Brighton or Plymouth take away from home. Even Swindon, Swansea, Oxford have very good away support relatively speaking.

 

For example - look at what Sunderland used to bring down to us, compared to what we took up to them?

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Another one missing the point of the argument - we get decent home crowds, comparable to many others and many on here speak of us as a "biggish" team with loads of potential - however when you compare our away support to both those points, it doesn't stand up. Look at what the likes of Brighton or Plymouth take away from home. Even Swindon, Swansea, Oxford have very good away support relatively speaking.

 

For example - look at what Sunderland used to bring down to us, compared to what we took up to them?

 

Isn't part of that argument that we're more of a "draw" to Sunderland fans than Sunderland are to Saints fans... ? :)

 

I think we've got a pretty decent away following most places south of Birmingham, but our lot don't like to go too far. I still haven't been to Carlisle, Newcastle or Sunderland (though I've been to Hartlepool twice and Boro at least twice too). It might be linked to the distributed fanbase we've got, some people have to travel a fair bit to get to home games and that takes up their costs not away matches. I go to about half as many aways as I did in 2004 when I was based in South Wales, but I also go to about 15-20 more home matches a season.

 

It could also be linked to Saints having an older fanbase who don't go to aways at all nowadays - or the fact that having yoyoed through 3 divisions in 8 years we've been to most of the places on offer before.

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I nearly mentioned that Man City game 3000 because it was cheap and a new ground.

 

Our support was worse than Sheff Wed last season and they finished midtable. And only marginally better than Brighton who averaged 7000 home supporters. I often speak to people who class themselves as "big saints fans" and they only talk about attending Reading, Brighton or London games. Very rare that they will go to a Barnsley, Stockport, or even Everton.

 

I don't do every single away game but distance doesn't stop me. I'll do my standard 10-15 away games this season and they will range from big games, northern games, midweek trecks, etc.

 

In my opinion it's not cost that people don't go it's the lack of enjoying travelling distances. And the genuine lack of supporting there team.

 

Classic, who are you to say people that don't go to certain games don't genuinely support their (note the spelling of the word) team? People don't go to away games up north for a number of reasons that have been listed on this thread and probably scores of other threads before.

 

It is however slightly odd that we don't have a better following up north when other 'similar' teams do, in all honesty I can't think of any reason other than the fact that it is further for us than most (not sure about Pompey and Bournemouth's followings to similar matches?). Most of the reasons that have been mentiond here (money, family, work etc) will hold for any team so don't really justify the apparent lack of support.

 

And no, I'm not going, as I'm skint and I couldn't find anyone too split the petrol costs with.

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Classic, who are you to say people that don't go to certain games don't genuinely support their (note the spelling of the word) team? People don't go to away games up north for a number of reasons that have been listed on this thread and probably scores of other threads before.

 

It is however slightly odd that we don't have a better following up north when other 'similar' teams do, in all honesty I can't think of any reason other than the fact that it is further for us than most (not sure about Pompey and Bournemouth's followings to similar matches?). Most of the reasons that have been mentiond here (money, family, work etc) will hold for any team so don't really justify the apparent lack of support.

 

And no, I'm not going, as I'm skint and I couldn't find anyone too split the petrol costs with.

 

CFSCF I didn't see that was you!

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Classic, who are you to say people that don't go to certain games don't genuinely support their (note the spelling of the word) team? People don't go to away games up north for a number of reasons that have been listed on this thread and probably scores of other threads before.

 

It is however slightly odd that we don't have a better following up north when other 'similar' teams do, in all honesty I can't think of any reason other than the fact that it is further for us than most (not sure about Pompey and Bournemouth's followings to similar matches?). Most of the reasons that have been mentiond here (money, family, work etc) will hold for any team so don't really justify the apparent lack of support.

 

And no, I'm not going, as I'm skint and I couldn't find anyone too split the petrol costs with.

 

Go on the brief correcting my spelling... Surely "supporting" your team means the more you go the better the supporter??

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Would you not agree though, that the majority of teams away following will still come from the hardcore of home support?? So 26000 v 24000 isn't that stupid an aargument.

 

Yes totally. Our away support isn't great considering our home crowds. No idea why, we've never really been well supported away from home for some reason.

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We came 9th last season out of the 72 Football League clubs in terms of average away figures:

 

http://www.football-league.co.uk/staticFiles/ad/88/0,,10794~166061,00.pdf

 

Our away support isn't as bad as some people on here are making out.

 

I suspect this season we will see an increase on the 1,487 we averaged last season.

 

Good find that.

 

Though Burnley and Huddersfield are small towns, our away support should be vastly superior to theirs. I'd be happy if we averaged 2k away from home. That would also reflect fairly in comparison to our home support.

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Numbers-wise, our away support is hit and miss. Vocally we're very hit and miss too.

 

At games like Charlton or Orient away though for example, it seems to be non-stop singing and our whole support stands. I don't know why these people that go to those games can't make a tiny bit more effort and do the games that are slightly further afield. It's not even much of a fag to travel up north, nor is it expensive if you book well in advance. I guess the majority of our fans still can't be arsed though.

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Good find that.

 

Though Burnley and Huddersfield are small towns, our away support should be vastly superior to theirs. I'd be happy if we averaged 2k away from home. That would also reflect fairly in comparison to our home support.

 

Its not quite that simple though; yes they're smallish towns but look at their geographical location and just how many potential away games they have within a hundred miles. London games for us are seen as almost local, and that's 80 miles or so.

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Bristol has 2 football teams.

 

 

Bristol is the only place on the planet that i have visited and sworn never to return to. Utterly hideous, even skatesville seems like south kensington in comparison. Me and the mrs went to see meatloaf at ashton gate, that is one godawful city that will never have the dubious pleasure of my company again.

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Easy don't reply then you clown.

 

Sorry "our" northern support isn't so big... so what...? Personally i think it is a big deal, as supporters you can be judged on one thing and that is how well you support your club.

 

I promise you Leeds core support is from the leeds area as they sell out a lot before general sale, ok i'll compare us to Sheffield Wednesday for the arguemnet, smaller home gates and always bring double to us as to what we do to them? Now you cant tell me they have supporters groups all over the country? It is a Southampton thing... we sell lots in London and local games, and never further away. Even in the Prem days. Don't get it...

 

Complete ******** I am afraid. For example, we played Hartlepool away last year in midweek (further than Barnsley) and got an excellent turn out. Ditto Rochdale and I am sure several others. Its August; people are on holiday; and maybe even the recession. Try to make your judgements based on a sample of more than one game.

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Its not quite that simple though; yes they're smallish towns but look at their geographical location and just how many potential away games they have within a hundred miles. London games for us are seen as almost local, and that's 80 miles or so.

 

I'd say last season that the league was very much even in the North/South divide.

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Numbers-wise, our away support is hit and miss. Vocally we're very hit and miss too.

 

At games like Charlton or Orient away though for example, it seems to be non-stop singing and our whole support stands. I don't know why these people that go to those games can't make a tiny bit more effort and do the games that are slightly further afield. It's not even much of a fag to travel up north, nor is it expensive if you book well in advance. I guess the majority of our fans still can't be arsed though.

 

It's not about "making the effort" or "being arsed". Does it not occur to you that some people might not want to spend every single Saturday afternoon at a football match?

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Bristol is the only place on the planet that i have visited and sworn never to return to. Utterly hideous, even skatesville seems like south kensington in comparison. Me and the mrs went to see meatloaf at ashton gate, that is one godawful city that will never have the dubious pleasure of my company again.

 

Tbf, if you have money Bristol is great. Far better than Soton.

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I'd say last season that the league was very much even in the North/South divide.

 

Ours? Maybe; but then we were second in away attendances, only behind Sheffield Wednesday.

 

Couldn't say off hand what the Championship was like, but there is a definite north-west skew for professional clubs. Take a map, find Huddersfield, draw an 80 mile radius circle with it at the centre and see how many football clubs are inside it.

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It's not about "making the effort" or "being arsed". Does it not occur to you that some people might not want to spend every single Saturday afternoon at a football match?

 

Of course that is taken into consideration. We're just saying we should have more people who can be arsed to go every single Saturday than we currently do.

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I'd say last season that the league was very much even in the North/South divide.

 

Actually there was a chart drawn up pre-season showing mileage for travelling fans last season and we were right at the top of it with the likes of Carlisle and Plymouth. There were quite a lot of southern sides in League One last season but nevertheless we didn't have the luxury of near neighbours in the division other than Bournemouth, and the second nearest matches were 70+ miles to Swindon, Brighton and Brentford.

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Lots more snatch in Liverpool mind you.

 

I'll grant you that.

 

Though last time I was there, we spent most of the time trying to stop scallies from sticking a glass in our face. Never experienced anything like it on a night out. At one point the bouncer came over and asked us to leave for our own safety, as these lads that had it in for us were 'un-touchable" in Liverpool. Ha.

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The other issue of course is that we're much more likely to get an improved home attendance if we sign a player fans are excited by than away attendance, because for most people it's just easier to go to home games, hence the name.

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I'll grant you that.

 

Though last time I was there, we spent most of the time trying to stop scallies from sticking a glass in our face. Never experienced anything like it on a night out. At one point the bouncer came over and asked us to leave for our own safety, as these lads that had it in for us were 'un-touchable" in Liverpool. Ha.

 

Now thats what i call a night out, untouchable my a$$

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