Where are we Heading?

[bookworm]

I suspect that most of those oap's were captured during the 50's when we had the 'Men Of Steele' and reached the FA Cup Semi-Final.We might need something like that again to attract some youngsters to the club?

Some form of campaign is definitely required to bring more kids to Vale Park.

 

it's the same fer o lower lague clubs and them non lague clubs ano.

[CambridgeDon]

24th November 1969 was I think the day we beat Wigan in a cup replay at Old Trafford. John James scored the winner in the last minute of extra time [i think]. I should know because I was there but it's a very long time ago! Three good games with Wigan that year.

 

That was a great post. It is a combination of factors but they quickly add up and this constant drip, drip, drip of negative factors - which all might be small in their own right [like threatening to close the Stand tomorrow] - eventually tells.

 

I'd add the fact that, for me, the football generally, hasn't been very entertaining at home for perhaps 24 months or more. I know many will disagree but playing a lone striker doesn't help and I've sat through a large number of games where we have hardly had a shot on goal for 45 minutes. Not just an odd game but very many. It's uninspiring, insipid stuff.

 

I don't think too many will disagree with you about playing a lone striker, especially at home. 4-2-3-1 (or whatever it is) is fine if you have the players but we don't and, by all accounts, it doesn't look like the players are enjoying it one little bit. My worry is that Bruno doesn't appear the least bit interested in setting up the team with two strikers up front until our backs are to the wall late in the game.

 

We took a lot of teams by surprise at the start of the season but it looks well and truly like we've been sussed. As a result, we've just two wins out of the last 8 league games, a trend we have to reverse over the next four if we are to stop our slide down the table.

 

At the start of the season, Bruno won me over but my previous doubts have started to resurface. November is going to be crucial - for him and us. It will be interesting to see what Norman does if we're not in the top six by Christmas.

 

PS I was there as well at Old Trafford when never say die John James scored the winner. Those were great days - lets hope they come back along with all the missing supporters!

[SFBT]

I don't think too many will disagree with you about playing a lone striker, especially at home. 4-2-3-1 (or whatever it is) is fine if you have the players but we don't and, by all accounts, it doesn't look like the players are enjoying it one little bit. My worry is that Bruno doesn't appear the least bit interested in setting up the team with two strikers up front until our backs are to the wall late in the game.

 

We took a lot of teams by surprise at the start of the season but it looks well and truly like we've been sussed. As a result, we've just two wins out of the last 8 league games, a trend we have to reverse over the next four if we are to stop our slide down the table.

 

At the start of the season, Bruno won me over but my previous doubts have started to resurface. November is going to be crucial - for him and us. It will be interesting to see what Norman does if we're not in the top six by Christmas.

 

PS I was there as well at Old Trafford when never say die John James scored the winner. Those were great days - lets hope they come back along with all the missing supporters!

 

Great days, but weren't we in the fourth division?

[TheSage]

Yes, we were but that was the year we won promotion under Gordon Lee and we had a team of 100%, fully committed lads who gave their all for the shirt.

 

Off the top of my head I can still reel off the team -

 

Ball, Boulton, Wilson, King, Sproson, Green, Mclaren, Gough, Wookey, James, Morris.

[SFBT]

Yes, we were but that was the year we won promotion under Gordon Lee and we had a team of 100%, fully committed lads who gave their all for the shirt.

 

Off the top of my head I can still reel off the team -

 

Ball, Boulton, Wilson, King, Sproson, Green, Mclaren, Gough, Wookey, James, Morris.

 

Impressive! Only 11 too

That was the year I got hooked.

Winning and promotions are the keys.

[bookworm]

to put it bluntly we are dog shyite.

[Sandyford_Lion]

Yes, we were but that was the year we won promotion under Gordon Lee and we had a team of 100%, fully committed lads who gave their all for the shirt.

 

Off the top of my head I can still reel off the team -

 

Ball, Boulton, Wilson, King, Sproson, Green, Mclaren, Gough, Wookey, James, Morris.

 

Easy to remember and reel off is that

 

Must have had a squad of x 18 then >>> not x 38

 

No out and out goal scorer but almost all players chipped in with goals

[smithie]

to put it bluntly we are dog shyite.

 

Which performances that you've seen have led you to think that?

[Sandyford_Lion]

We're going over old ground but I think the problem then was because of all the delays and uncertainty over the manager and the playing staff, and being in a state of limbo, while season tickets were on sale. A minority I'm sure didn't like a lot of the things Norman was saying then (about Page and getting rid of players etc.) and several hundred clearly decided that they were not going to buy a season ticket. I think the offer should have been extended once Bruno was in place, but we must have lost about 500-600 ticket holders who haven't renewed. To my mind, this has been 90% of the problem because once you lose these people it's very very hard to entice them back with the fairly high pay on the gate prices. We missed a trick in July/August and haven't managed to get these fans back.

 

Did the Club make a sustained effort to contact these people and make them a few offers to try and get them to reconsider?

 

But 'we are where we are' now and I think the only way you might get some of them back is (a) to improve the entertainment value of what's on the pitch currently and (b) consider a few visionary offers and discounts to get them back.

 

I have to add a final point, that you might well disagree with, but for me the football on offer in home games has been very mediocre and uninspiring over perhaps the last 24 months. We've played this one up front formation for a while and not really created much goalmouth action or excitement. We've sneaked wins by the odd goal, not hammered teams and scored for fun or dominated games from the off. It's largely been a bit of a struggle and really not great entertainment overall for quite some time.

 

SPOT ON

 

Those x 500 / 600 season ticket holders is probably x 900 over last two years or so.

 

When you no longer have a season ticket, you will not pay £ 22 + to watch what is on offer

 

Even if it were good entertainment, you would pick and choose games.

 

Only way now is to ' promote season tickets massively ' for next season

 

Even reducing the price will do nothing - unless it is promoted well -

 

It has to be £ 250 / 270 maximum and enough of a promotion to bring in x 5000 tickets

 

All under 11's - free

 

Up to under 16's - £ 50

 

OAP / Student concessions £ 200

 

Plus

 

Smurf- don't forget we need something to be optimistic about.

 

You tried this season but put no buzz , no excitement in it at all

 

A GOOD TEAM ON THE PITCH and OPTIMISM - WOULD HELP PROMOTE THE SEASON TICKET SALES