7 weeks today.

[Spunk Trumpet]

Until reality hits home......... Not for those who are staying away but for those who will be there at the Crawley game.

 

I honestly believe that the board have massively underestimated the feelings of supporters.

 

I can see less than 4000 turning up which would be a massive drop on the last 4 seasons first home match of 6000+

 

Losing money year on year, they CANNOT survive. The accounts will tell you that.

 

I admire those who will still go and i know that you also want what is best for the club but people must look at the bigger picture.

The fixture list has thrown up Crawley, Barnet, Burton and Accrington as our first 4 games.

If, when Bratt and co first took over, someone gave me this scenario 8 years down the line i would have laughed it off. Now it seems that some people are quite happy in accepting competitng in the same division as these 4 clubs, all of which have a combined seating capacity of 6000 LESS than Vale Park.

 

Do you think the anti board people enjoy protesting? Personally i hate it. Id much prefer to do other things and i can think of a million and one things to do but i feel i must because mainly i want to see my club compete at a decent level again.

That will not happen under the current regime.

 

I honestly believe there will be a massive shock for some on August 6th.

Then and only then will we see what supporters really think.

 

Going on past seasons i would have expected between 6000 and 6500. I cant see that happening and suspect a sub 4000 gate which will be a massive blow to the already fragile board and their finances.

 

In my honest opinion, i believe they cannot survive much longer.

[beasty77]

Until reality hits home......... Not for those who are staying away but for those who will be there at the Crawley game.

 

I honestly believe that the board have massively underestimated the feelings of supporters.

 

I can see less than 4000 turning up which would be a massive drop on the last 4 seasons first home match of 6000+

 

Losing money year on year, they CANNOT survive. The accounts will tell you that.

 

I admire those who will still go and i know that you also want what is best for the club but people must look at the bigger picture.

The fixture list has thrown up Crawley, Barnet, Burton and Accrington as our first 4 games.

If, when Bratt and co first took over, someone gave me this scenario 8 years down the line i would have laughed it off. Now it seems that some people are quite happy in accepting competitng in the same division as these 4 clubs, all of which have a combined seating capacity of 6000 LESS than Vale Park.

 

Do you think the anti board people enjoy protesting? Personally i hate it. Id much prefer to do other things and i can think of a million and one things to do but i feel i must because mainly i want to see my club compete at a decent level again.

That will not happen under the current regime.

 

I honestly believe there will be a massive shock for some on August 6th.

Then and only then will we see what supporters really think.

 

Going on past seasons i would have expected between 6000 and 6500. I cant see that happening and suspect a sub 4000 gate which will be a massive blow to the already fragile board and their finances.

 

In my honest opinion, i believe they cannot survive much longer.

 

4000 attendence is still more than most get in our league anyhow..

[PVTony]

=beasty77; 4000 attendence is still more than most get in our league anyhow..

 

Most don't pay the chairman K50 a year and most don't have to pay K11 interest a month to the council plus a monthly sum off the loan of 2.25 million.

 

Most haven't only got K13 in the bank and haven't doubled the managers wages.

 

Most have a board that puts the club first and foremost.

[Spunk Trumpet]

4000 attendence is still more than most get in our league anyhow..

 

It is but will be a huge dip for what we usually get at the first bumper home game.

 

More losses on top of the debt we are already accumulating.

 

It also makes you wonder how other teams like Acc Stanley survive on gates of around 2000 doesnt it?

 

Why are we losing money?

[geosname]

4000 attendence is still more than most get in our league anyhow..

 

bratt said he needs 10,000 to break even

[beasty77]

It is but will be a huge dip for what we usually get at the first bumper home game.

 

More losses on top of the debt we are already accumulating.

 

It also makes you wonder how other teams like Acc Stanley survive on gates of around 2000 doesnt it?

 

Why are we losing money?

 

I dont know..But im sure their arent many football clubs that arent loosing money on a weekly basis...

[Bea Smith]

Many factors are in play which will influence the size of the opening day gate:

 

 

1. New players signed

 

2. Players leaving or not re-signed

 

3. US Tour either very successful or disappointing

 

4. If Mark Sims and an NLV man get on the board, and some conciliation appears to be going on

 

5. Other unknown (as yet) developments with board line-up

 

6. Mo Chaudry walks away for good

 

7. Change of chairman

 

8. Size of away support affected by them having special offers or getting very enthusiastic about their first league game.

 

This isn't intended to say any of those things above are desirable or not, but just to point out that given what had happened at vale in the last 12 months, an awful lot could still influence things before August.

 

If I had to guess right now, Id say there will be 4,600 or so there.

 

Also, worth noting that Dagenham in 2009/10 and Stevenage in 2010/11 both got promoted on much lower gates than 4000, in Dagenhams case they average almost exactly 2000 for home games in their poromtion season. Accrington went close on 1800 gates too.

[Spunk Trumpet]

Many factors are in play which will influence the size of the opening day gate:

 

 

1. New players signed

 

2. Players leaving or not re-signed

 

3. US Tour either very successful or disappointing

 

4. If Mark Sims and an NLV man get on the board, and some conciliation appears to be going on

 

5. Other unknown (as yet) developments with board line-up

 

6. Mo Chaudry walks away for good

 

7. Change of chairman

 

8. Size of away support affected by them having special offers or getting very enthusiastic about their first league game.

 

This isn't intended to say any of those things above are desirable or not, but just to point out that given what had happened at vale in the last 12 months, an awful lot could still influence things before August.

 

If I had to guess right now, Id say there will be 4,600 or so there.

 

Id agree with that. Like you say, in 7 weeks a lot can still happen.

[Jesse James]

what a mess we are in i know loads of people who are genuinely losing interst in our club, even I as a life member ticket at the ready will not be going until Bill Bratt goes!!!! Usually there would have been between 6,000 & 7,000 therefor the Crawley game depending on the away following. Now the Crawley following will think we are just a poorly supported team with no ambition!! God it hurts1

[Valiant in Brum]

It is but will be a huge dip for what we usually get at the first bumper home game.

 

More losses on top of the debt we are already accumulating.

 

It also makes you wonder how other teams like Acc Stanley survive on gates of around 2000 doesnt it?

 

Why are we losing money?

 

I think where as Accy are getting used to operating at a higher level. Bigger funds and so on. Vale are getting used to having budgets and scaling down from higher levels. also the loss of fund through dropping.

[Andy Proctor]

I would imagine for the crawley shrewsbury crewe home games there will be over 4000 vale fans at the games + what ever the away fillowing is but for the home games against dagenham barnet ect around 2500 vale fans would be there and less than a 100 away fans.

[andy jones]

Beasty

 

To think you are comparing the Vale with Accrington Stanley and similar.

 

For God's sake do you have no pride?

 

We have the fanbase to get 10,000 crowds yet you try and justify us in a positive fashion by comparing us to Accrington?

 

Does it not genuinely upset you that such a jewel of a club and stadium as Port Vale are in this bludy mess.

 

Does it not bother you that our fanbase is completely split asunder simply because our Board of Directors are so totally incompetent, deceitful and unprofessional that they couldn't even treat a proposed local investor's bid in a professional manner.

 

All of the current problems come from our Board saying no to Mo without even giving him the courtesy of a meeting to discuss his offer.

[Smallthorne Dog]

Dave, I agree with all your post, apart from the 10'000 crowd potential. I think thats a bit optomistic. 8500 was about average when we were knocking on the door of the Championship play offs, visiting Wembley regularly and signing quality players for half a million quid.

[Andyregs]

Dave, I agree with all your post, apart from the 10'000 crowd potential. I think thats a bit optomistic. 8500 was about average when we were knocking on the door of the Championship play offs, visiting Wembley regularly and signing quality players for half a million quid.

 

But that was in a different era, where it was less family friendly and football was not as popular as it is now (despite the rise in prices). I'd argue quite confidently that if we were ever in a position to make a challenge in the play offs to the prem now, that attendances would be higher.

[Twitters]

I had a dream that 3,600 turned up for the first match.