Sunderland and their crowds

[Simster]

BBC Sport - Football - Sunderland attendances could affect club budget - Quinn

I thought this was interesting. The essence of the article is that Niall Quinn is expressing disappointment at their crowd sizes and that this affects the playing budget.

Sunderland are averaging over 38,000 in a season where December has been hit with crap weather, and the economy is still wobbly. I know they have reached an average of just over 40,000 once in the past decade but is 38,000 really that disappointing? Teams with a recent pedigree of massive success (relatively) average only 3,000 more at the gate (Chelsea, Liverpool). Seems a bit odd to me to be disappointed at Sunderland's gates.

 

[Blackadder]

Not when you consider that most clubs get their money from TV. Most clubs can only dream of 38,000. If people can't afford to go, they can't afford to go!

 

[Foolg]

For a city the size of Brighton and Hove, in an area that has been badly hit by recession like the rest of us, to average 38k with Newcastle 10 miles up the road getting the same average roughly (i'd presume) is bloody good going.

 

[Billy the Fish]

You've got to think he's scaremongering to try and get crowds up. Even if they stuck an extra 5000 a week on that's only an extra £150,000 in gate receipts. Two players wages?

TV and merchandising abroad is where the big clubs make their cash

 

[westy]

Maybe he’s just looking at the 10,000 empty seats (and that’s quite a lot) and thinking we could really do with filling this place like they did 10 years back. Guess like someone said, people prob just haven’t got the money.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

They spent quite a bit in the summer, maybe he is trying to calm people down who think they are going to do the same in Jan?

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

I wonder how much they pay to get in?

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I wonder how much they pay to get in?

I believe I paid £35 last season for an away ticket

 

[hans kraay fan club]

That is a LOT of money, anywhere, let alone an area like Wearside.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I lie, it was 32.

 

[e77]

Unemployment is up to 10% in the North East.