Small Crowds

[dougdeep]

Thats the One. Well done thats been bugging me.

No trouble at all. There aren't many pubs in Sussex that I haven't frequented.

 

[Questions]

I do feel sorry for some STH's who did'nt get tickets for West Ham, But how many who did'nt go to the 1st and 2nd round games are complaining about not getting automatic right's to tickets for West Ham? I'd like to know. It's like some automatic right that your a STH so you can hold the club to ransom! It's so wrong.

I am a sth but never went to the 2 home cup games and so maybe I am lucky to have tics for the WHU game.

Maybe I will auction them on here for charity if the guilt gets too much for me.

 

[Buzzer]

and I bet every single bastard in this small crowd got tickets to WHU too.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

It's quiet at withdean because there is no sodding roof end of!

That's not true. It could still be noisy if the whole ground made some noise. Heard Yeovil fans loud and clear on Tuesday.

 

[British Bulldog]

I am a sth but never went to the 2 home cup games and so maybe I am lucky to have tics for the WHU game.

Maybe I will auction them on here for charity if the guilt gets too much for me.

I'm not a STH but I still got one, You can auction your's if you like but I know where i'm going on the 6th of Jan! Charity begins at home

 

[Questions]

and I bet every single bastard in this small crowd got tickets to WHU too.

Are Cox and Robinson in that picture.

 

[DJ Leon]

I think we did.

So how did this work? If it was 50% STH, 50% AMS, did they put everything into 2 separate piles, process 2,500 STH applications and then do 2,500 AMS applications?

Does anyone know this for sure?

 

[Beach Hut]

So how did this work? If it was 50% STH, 50% AMS, did they put everything into 2 separate piles, process 2,500 STH applications and then do 2,500 AMS applications?

Does anyone know this for sure?

Nope no-one knows

 

[Barnham Seagull]

Yep the Murrell is the pub in Barnham, fantatic inside and the HSB is pretty good!

But fancied a couple of pints of Harveys, well four actually so went to the Holly Tree Instead!

 

[London Irish]

So how did this work? If it was 50% STH, 50% AMS, did they put everything into 2 separate piles, process 2,500 STH applications and then do 2,500 AMS applications?

Does anyone know this for sure?

Can't see how they would have done it any other way. You put ST on your envelope, you were in the queue for 2,500 tickets, you put AMS and you were in the queue for the other 2,500.

Once the queue ran out for the ST pile, I don't think your ST status allowed you to queue jump into the AMS pile, which would have also been massively oversubscribed, hence we did limit the number that ST holders could get to 2,500.

How could it have been done any other way under the current policy?

 

[London Irish]

It's a shame that this thread has got diverted in to the West Ham thing because we all know that's got nothing to do with why our attendances have dropped off consistently well below 6,000.

I think Withdean fatigue is certainly a factor. Not 100% convinced that Falmer despair is, that I think principally affects the hardcore fans, for everyone else the issue is just confusing and complicated.

I think the main factor is expectations of glory and promotion. I think expectations of this is really quite low outside the hardcore/NSC regulars.

But if the team gets itself back consistently among the play-off places, I believe our crowds would rise again consistently up to and over the 6,500 that was a feature of our previous League 1 campaign 3 years ago.

Despite the cynical talk that abounds on here of gloryhounds, I was rather pleased to hear speculation that 15,000 may have applied for West Ham tickets. It shows that with a bit of glory about, fans will return. A successful run near the top of League 1 will get some of these fans back - and I'm not going to look down on them as gloryhounds, they have every right not to be obsessive about the Albion as you and I are.

I would be pleased to see them back! It would show we were successful again! Let's here it for the gloryhounds

 

[Goring Gull]

Why oh why oh why do people think if we had Falmer we would be getting 10k plus- No we wouldn't there is still all the parking restrictions - no tickets on the gate fiasco even with Falmer we would only be getting 7/8 k at present.

 

[Beach Hut]

I have to say I am scratching my head and wondering where is the logic that by having a bigger ground more people will attend straight away.

 

[Dave the OAP]

I think straight away there will be a lots of people come along, the trick is keeping them.

I am sure if we had 15,000 seats at withdean when it opened, you would have filled it, and also in the play-offs etc etc, however we have nigh on 9000 seats in there now and we cannot fill the place when we have been playing decent football ( last couple of games accepted)

If falmer proves to be a bind to get to, difficult to get tickets, over zealous stewarding, then yes, people will vote with their feet as they have done at Withdean.

we keep using the Huddersfield arguement, but Hudds gates are pathetic when you think of a fabulous stadium, excellent facilities and ease of parking and transport. 13k is a decent gate these days!

With regards to LI's point, 15K didnt apply to got to West ham two years ago! In fact I seem to recall our end was not sold out! So you could therefore make the argument that there are many many "Glory hunters" who are prepared to want to go to the big games, but dont really give a toss about mundane day to day fixtures. Who is to say they will think the same when falmer is built?

 

[Beach Hut]

With regards to LI's point, 15K didnt apply to got to West ham two years ago! In fact I seem to recall our end was not sold out!

Pretty certain we did sell out 2 years ago as several fans in away end however valid points nonetheless.

 

[Icy Gull]

If we had got something at Port Vale and beaten Yeovil I'd have bet my mortgage that we'd get a best of season crowd against Carlisle. As it is it could be one of the lowest crowds of the season

Brighton has always had more than it's fair share of gloryhunters/fans who will only watch a winning team.

 

[Goring Gull]

I think straight away there will be a lots of people come along, the trick is keeping them.

I am sure if we had 15,000 seats at withdean when it opened, you would have filled it, and also in the play-offs etc etc, however we have nigh on 9000 seats in there now and we cannot fill the place when we have been playing decent football ( last couple of games accepted)

If falmer proves to be a bind to get to, difficult to get tickets, over zealous stewarding, then yes, people will vote with their feet as they have done at Withdean.

we keep using the Huddersfield arguement, but Hudds gates are pathetic when you think of a fabulous stadium, excellent facilities and ease of parking and transport. 13k is a decent gate these days!

With regards to LI's point, 15K didnt apply to got to West ham two years ago! In fact I seem to recall our end was not sold out! So you could therefore make the argument that there are many many "Glory hunters" who are prepared to want to go to the big games, but dont really give a toss about mundane day to day fixtures. Who is to say they will think the same when falmer is built?

Falmer if ever built and it's still a big IF. will be a novelty at forst and the crowds will be good probably 12k which is good for us. if performances on the pitch are poor however this will soon drop after a season or so and we will be operating around the 8-9k in this currcent division.

Brighton these days is not a football hotbed - kids want to be associated with success and they can watch Chelsea Manu Arsenal Liverp[ool on sky most weeks for a fraction of the cost and hassle of getting to Falmer.
It's a town full of cockneys who couldn't give a stuff about BHA FC probably half of Brighton don't veven realise it has a football team.

It's all just specualtion but let's hope that the pharse "build it and they will come" will ring true

I do believe however once it's built thats when the really hard work will start filling it to pay for the bloody thing or there will still be no cash etc for players.

As with Huddersfield they have a great stadium easy parking etc but can only average 10-12k in general and it's cheaper than what Falmer will be plus people forget Huddersfield is a big place so they really should be drawing bigger crowds. I think DK may have got his figures wrong.

 

[Simster]

Why oh why oh why do people think if we had Falmer we would be getting 10k plus- No we wouldn't there is still all the parking restrictions - no tickets on the gate fiasco even with Falmer we would only be getting 7/8 k at present.

If we'd been at Falmer for 8 years (thereby negating the "new stadium" buzz) and we were in the position we are now, then I think I agree with you. We're not a disimilar club to Reading (maybe slightly better supported), and they were getting 6-7,000 and even organised a "pants day" they were so fed up. This was just a couple of years before they got promoted behind us.

And we have a similar number of glory hunters. Reading are filling their 24,000 clackerstick stadium these days and are talking about adding 10,000 seats to accomodate their glory hunters. This is what BHA could be if only we had a stadium.

But even then, I'm really worried about Falmer. You need to rely on walk up trade for all games except the most attractive. If we have untold restrictions placed upon Falmer, it's going to be a complete disaster.

 

[Goring Gull]

But even then, I'm really worried about Falmer. You need to rely on walk up trade for all games except the most attractive. If we have untold restrictions placed upon Falmer, it's going to be a complete disaster.

That's the bit that knocks it on teh head for me - I've been to a few a Withers recently but have known well in advance i'll be at them there for ticket problems haven't been to bad but if on the morning of a game i thought about going only to realise the hassle getting tickets i can honestly say i wouldn't bother. Now i'm not to bad a fan bt for the more casual football fans in Sussex are they really going to bother?

 

[Ernest]

After the novelty has worn off unless we are successful the crowds will droop to the 6/7000 level as they always were at the Goldstone in the last few years.
There is still a lot about Falmer to put off the floating fan and the biggest will be not being able to pay on the gate.