Poor turnout expected for tonights CC game

therecklessone

Wigan chief executive Brenda Spencer blamed the poor turn-out on the recent run of five home games in three weeks.

"You would think there would be more interest but people can't afford to keep forking out for games," Spencer told The Guardian newspaper.

Tickets for the match at the JJB Stadium will be priced between £15 and £20.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wigan_athletic/4598010.stm

Quite apart from the fact that they've f*ck all fans anyway, surely they could do something to boost the numbers?

Kids in for free?
Buy one get one half price?
Reduce ticket prices full stop (with a refund to those who bought at full price)?

Wonder how many will be prepared to fork out for tickets if they get past Arsenal and reach the final?

Xterminator

Tis hard to belive that only 11,000 fans at £15 per tickets.

Its not everyday Wigan are in the last4 of a competition, and as they are level on points in the League with Arsenal, will have to fancy they have a great chance of a day out, and a shot at a trophy.

I know Blackburn have been getting stick from some quarters for ave. attendance (circa 22k), but 11,000 is dire, and shows how un-sustainble Wigan's place in the upper echelons of football is (once the current sugar daddy is finished).

X

whiskeyman

Xterminator wrote:

Tis hard to belive that only 11,000 fans at £15 per tickets.

Its not everyday Wigan are in the last4 of a competition, and as they are level on points in the League with Arsenal, will have to fancy they have a great chance of a day out, and a shot at a trophy.

Listened to interview with the Wigan fanclub head about this earlier.
He basically admitted that the 11k or so are just the level of the "die-hards".
Wigan are still a very young club and it wasnt long ago that only a few thousand would be considered their die-hard amount.
A cold, wet January evening after the Christmas splurge is enough to keep the "sheep" fans away is seems... even if it is Arsenal and a semi-final.
He also mentioned that the club have done everything possible to increase attendance... by reducing ticket prices etc..

Going by this, their average attendance last year was around the 11k mark.
Guess it sorta adds up so.

therecklessone

Got just under 11k for their cup game against Leeds on Saturday (and I imagine Leeds took a decent support cos it ain't that far to travel)

Am I right in thinking they're loosing out on fans because Bolton are close by and anyone who wanted PL football in the last few years was probably going to see them? Wigan are stuck trying to attract people who ain't really football fans as such (though if I had to choose between Wigan and Bolton in a football contest I know who'd win).

Sad TBH.

whiskeyman

Cant but put further pressure on the "Worthless Cup" tbh, even if there is a place in Europe up for grabs.
It's seems even Wigan will be resting a few players to keep them ready for the (more important) league matches.
I'm sure if this was a FA cup semi, it'd be packed to the rafters...

zAbbo

Wigan is a rugby town, thats their main source of competition, 11k people is a good turnout all things considered

Kingp35

therecklessone wrote:

Got just under 11k for their cup game against Leeds on Saturday (and I imagine Leeds took a decent support cos it ain't that far to travel)

Leeds took alot of fans there and if it wasnt for the Leeds fans there would been no atmosphere at the game at all

county

whiskeyman wrote:

Cant but put further pressure on the "Worthless Cup" tbh, even if there is a place in Europe up for grabs.
It's seems even Wigan will be resting a few players to keep them ready for the (more important) league matches.
I'm sure if this was a FA cup semi, it'd be packed to the rafters...

wigan will not be resting anybody as they only have 15 players fit in the whole squad

zAbbo

Wouldn't the FA Cup semi final be played at a neutral venue though?

therecklessone

whiskeyman wrote:

Cant but put further pressure on the "Worthless Cup" tbh, even if there is a place in Europe up for grabs.

Have to agree.

With all due respect to the four teams who done well enough to reach the SFs (and acknowledging that my own team went out against League 2 side Grimsby, and that the competition has provided our only trophy since 1991) I do think its time to reconsider the future of the competition. They should definitely take away the UEFA Cup spot from it, maybe replace that with a bigger prize fund, and allow teams to play whoever the hell they want. If that means a team of u17s, then so be it.

How many European FAs have two cup competitions?

Töpher

Ireland. Although only one will earn you a European spot. That said, the other earns you an invite into the Setanta cross-border competition.

whiskeyman

county wrote:

wigan will not be resting anybody as they only have 15 players fit in the whole squad

oops... my bad.
I'm sure they would if they had the chance though.

zabbo wrote:

Wouldn't the FA Cup semi final be played at a neutral venue though?

yup.. but I'm sure the die-hards + "the sheep" would greatly increase the number of Wigan fans there.
I didnt even know the semi was on tonight til I heard it on the radio this morning.... but I cant wait for the next round of the FA cup (even though my team is in neither!).:p

gimmick

Football in England (most of Europe???) is overpriced at every level, and its no wonder fans are staying away.

For instance, a basic ticket to see Leyton Orient in Brisnbane Rd is £16stg (€24!)
A basic ticket to see Fulham at the Cottage is €29.50 (€45)

Charlton Vs Orient in the cup will cost £25.

Football, in general, is a working class sport, and people cannot justify to pay these huge sums every week/fortnight. The ridiculous thing is, is that they are playing in front of half full stadiums. Surely a reduction in price would increase bums on seats, as certain clubs proved this season in the Carling Cup?

Re Wigan: Since when do all the support have to come from the direct catchment area?

therecklessone

gimmick wrote:

Football in England (most of Europe???) is overpriced at every level, and its no wonder fans are staying away.

For instance, a basic ticket to see Leyton Orient in Brisnbane Rd is £16stg (€24!)
A basic ticket to see Fulham at the Cottage is €29.50 (€45)

Charlton Vs Orient in the cup will cost £25.

Football, in general, is a working class sport, and people cannot justify to pay these huge sums every week/fortnight. The ridiculous thing is, is that they are playing in front of half full stadiums. Surely a reduction in price would increase bums on seats, as certain clubs proved this season in the Carling Cup?

Wigan have a touch over 12k season ticket holders, who get admission for every league game and possibly a couple of home cup ties (I know Spurs give tickets to the first two home ties in the cup(s) if we get one...;) ) Its not as if they're shelling out every weekend then, is it?

I'm sure if the club gave them free admission tonight they'd have at least 12k in. As it is they expect 1000 less than their STs to attend, and in fairness that probably means that more than a 1000 ST holders ain't going. As it is they say they've reduced the prices to try and bump the numbers, obviously not enough. Its a shame cos its a great little stadium, even if their fans treat it like a library for the 90 minutes.

gimmick wrote:

Re Wigan: Since when do all the support have to come from the direct catchment area?

I'm guessing that its easier to get people from the local area to attend when its a Tuesday night game during a wet and wild January, wouldn't you agree? Anybody got figures for the percentage of fans who attend games and live within X miles of their ground?

Big Nelly

Problem is Wigan dont expect to win it so no point going on a cold Tuesday nite to watch the team get a hammering is a way alot of people will see it. Also work in morning and so on. Then prob half the Arsenal Stars wont be playing. I cant see Henry being risked tonite! its the draw of the cup and also the problem that Wigan have with trying to build a fan base in Wigan. As Paul Jewell said on Sky the other day where they have got to is great but they need to keep building the fan base.

whiskeyman

Big Nelly wrote:

As Paul Jewell said on Sky.

There's another problem there.... the match is live os Sky Sports tonight.
Better to watch it in a cosy pub with the mates and a few beers it seems...

Big Nelly

whiskeyman wrote:

There's another problem there.... the match is live os Sky Sports tonight.
Better to watch it in a cosy pub with the mates and a few beers it seems...

Well I know I aint getting a plane over to watch it. Sit on couch and watch Sky perfect coverage. Here is hoping Andy "mess tatics screen" Gray isnt on tonite!!

therecklessone

Big Nelly wrote:

Well I know I aint getting a plane over to watch it. Sit on couch and watch Sky perfect coverage. Here is hoping Andy "mess tatics screen" Gray isnt on tonite!!

But you're not a Wigan fan, you're Sheff Wed, and I doubt that the Irish contingent of the Wigan fan base makes up the missing 14k or so who won't be at the game (not helped by Arsenal only taking 800)

IMO it highlights the value that fans place on the competition, would there be that few there for a league meeting between the two clubs on a cold Tuesday night in January? Hardly.

mchurl

imo wigan really should have put on a special offer for this game. The fact that this game is a cup semi really shows what the fans think of the competiton as a whole and the FA will have to take a look at ways of getting kore fans to go to the games.

therecklessone

Things go from bad to worse...

Due to the poor attendance for tonight's game, it looks like Wigan didn't have the money to pay the 'leccy bill...

zAbbo

heh, lights are out, apparently some of the town has lost the leccy

Guy:Incognito

Is almunia a bloody man or what. You'd swear roberts had booted him in the head. Wneger going mad at Jewell aswell. They're all turning into a bunch of overpaid pussies who cant take a bit of a bump. It's supposed to be a contact sport, but it's going to end up like basketball.

therecklessone

Stekelly wrote:

Is almunia a bloody man or what. You'd swear roberts had booted him in the head. Wneger going mad at Jewell aswell. They're all turning into a bunch of overpaid pussies who cant take a bit of a bump. It's supposed to be a contact sport, but it's going to end up like basketball.

Must be picking up bad habits from Lehmann.

Chardee MacDennis

cant believe wigan won. they're a great team, and paul jewell already deserves manager of the season... what a find in chimbonda

Lemlin

No worries about this happening at Ewood last night. 24.348 turned out. Apparently twice the crowd that was at the Wigan game.