According to the BBC we had 20 shots, and they had 3. I’d suggest that was the reason they lost, not the ref.
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We should be targeting the fans of the other clubs around us, higher and lower. Maybe some kind of three match reduced price deal, for when their teams are playing away, and we’re at home.
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The only way we’re going to increase our crowds in any meaningful way is if we’re fairly successful over a long period.
Ticket offers and fans of other clubs are only going to ever be short term answers.
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We have now equalled our most number of wins (20) in all competitions in a season since being relegated to League 2.
We still have a minimum of 27 games remaining.
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I think he should have a word with his player who got himself in the refs bad books due to his petulance and compounded things with his ‘challenge’ on Allen
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That is absolutely the sort of scenario we would have f***ed up in previous seasons. A man advantage and one up. In fact we’ve even lost in those scenarios. Today I never really doubted we’d get the job done. It feels so different.
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That is a good point, but the increase in the coffers would help us achieve that success.
But that doesn’t explain why 13 other teams have higher attendances than us this season.
Bradford with their fairly big fan base and cheap tickets is understandable but hard to explain the other sides.
I don’t think it’s that hard.
Walsall, football, Walsall fans and the wider community weren’t front and centre of the ambition of the club for a good 15 years. Walsall football club was a vehicle for something else entirely. So it stagnated as others progressed. A managed decline that nobody should forget. Shameful.
We’re a couple of years into the decade it might take to catch up if ongoing improvements are maintained.
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So were the ticket price increases 
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I think it just doesn’t happen overnight,
A lot of the clubs with the better attendances have been on an upward trajectory or at least shown some ambition.
We have really been through the mill over recent times. It’s good now but we aren’t going to find a few thousand extra based on half a good season.
Apart from a few years in the Championship we have never averaged 7000 unless you go back to the 60s. It’s a reasonable goal, but it isn’t going to be instant. I’m sure it took time for the other clubs to improve their attendances. Where Crewe found 9k from last night is a mystery to me.
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They don’t have 4 “big” teams in close proximity that are mostly always above us in the league.
And as P.T. says, this has been exacerbated by us being allowed to stagnate for a decade.
But……on the very beaming bright side we’re top of the league and there will be a very healthy crowd in on Thursday. I’d say pushing 8,000. 6,200 of us and 1,800 of them.
Which are all signs of a belated upward trajectory.
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I’m not sure how much that affects things these days. Perhaps you are right.
Brilliant from Sadler this year. He should get loads of credit.
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I don’t really buy the “in the shadow of big clubs” thing. Clubs like Stockport, Tranmere, Rotherham, Orient have all leaped ahead of us whilst having big clubs on their doorstep. In some cases, far bigger clubs and in others, far closer clubs.
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Well yeah but in fairness he’s achieved plenty there, and managed to get Harrogate Town into the football league. I’d say that goes beyond favouritism.
Bit surprised anyone is criticising him to be honest, that interview seemed pretty fair. Any manager in the country that picks up a red card and a close offside call is going to mention that. I thought he was also pretty complementary to us, talked about us having an abundance of talent, deserved to be top of the league and talked about how dangerous our strikers are
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Yes, plus both Wolves and Villa have waiting lists, so am a bit baffled if there are Walsall folk who would rather join a queue than come and watch the saddlers. I suppose it is possible some people would insist on premier league football or nothing though I guess