Poortvliet in plea to Saints fans

[St Marco]

don't need economics -

 

winning teams -big crowds

 

premiership football - big crowds

 

longer we stay away from permiership and lower form is fans stop going

 

Exactly it is not brain science is it. If he wants the fans to get behind the team (which they have in my view) then he needs to stop looking for excuses all the time and get the team playing. Coming into the xmas period with the world in the financial mess it is £28 to watch a team give no effort, little skill and very few if any goal chances is not exactly value for money is it. The one thing which is starting to annoy me about Jan is he never accepts the blame himself. He needs to do what Pearson did when we lost and just say "my bad, i choose the wrong tactics etc...". This whole "fans need to get behind the team" rally cries seems like a weekly thing these days.

[voteforpedro]

I know there is all the stuff about Lowe that many of those who stay away use to rationalise their lack of attendance, but I am nonetheless shocked by how small our real core support has turned out to be. We kept saying we were a big club when we were in the premiership. Well big clubs have more loyal fans than we do, that support their team even when they are crap. Forest and Wednesday in the old 3rd division getting the crowds they did, Villa donkeys' years ago ditto -- that's the sort of support I thought we expected to see here in these tough times. But it turns out many of those fans were just as plastic as they claimed others were.

 

This is not intended to knock those in financial difficulty who can't afford to come any more, but as to those that can afford it and just can't be bothered to come in case they might actually have to watch their side lose --shame on them. It's that sort of attitude that encourages non-football people like Lowe to think of us as customers, not as fans.

 

Fair enough, obviously it's up to every individual how he or she spends their money. If you're not coming because you don't rate the standard of football, or are fed up with watching the side struggle, that's up to you, but then don't claim to be a fan; you are indeed a customer.

 

K.

 

I have a season ticket but am begging to wonder why I still go.

It's not that I am scared I may see them lose, but am tired of having to travel to places like Swansea, leaving at 9am, getting home at 9.30pm, spending £40+, feeling completely let down and having to get up at 9am the next morning going to work feeling depressed.

[PokingFun]

And what ? I suppose on Poortvliets £60,000 a year salary he just expects every one to pay the £25-£28 every game to come and what a bunch of 16 year olds get thumped time and time again and not moan ! What an "A-hole"

 

Quite right, give something back and it would be nice to have 25,000 singing to get Rupert to leave before and after the game, and to support the lads during the game, but it ain't going to happen.

 

For all those who don't understand Economics (and this includes Rupert it seems) for each Product Quality and Quantity as well as differenciation all have an effect to create an optimal price and demand for a product. If the Price is too high the demand will fall. If the quality is higher the price will be able to be higher. Thus at the moment, no quality, high price, therefore no demand... easy that... What Rupert and Jan seem to think is: No quality, no entertainment, no differenciation, oh F*** it they should turn up anyway, why don't they ?

 

What a bunch of t**sers !

 

This post is absolutely spot on. You simply cannot continue to erode product quality and at the same time expect people to continue to buy. Life just isn't like that in the real world and it is the same with football.

 

Only those fans that associate the attending of a game as an essential part of their life will go along regardless. The rest will make a choice based on whether the product they are supporting offers them value for money and compared to many other pastimes the football on offer now at St Marys clearly offers little value to the majority of Southampton supporters.